That seemd him to enfiame on every
His steed was bloody red, and fomed yre,
When with the maistring spur he did him roughly stire.1
Approching nigh, he never staid to greete,
Ne chaffar words, prowd corage to provoke,
But prickt so fiers, that underneath his feete
The smouldring2 dust did rownd about him smoke,
Both horse and man nigh able for to choke;
And, fayrly couching his steeleheaded speare,
Him first saluted with a sturdy stroke:
It booted nought Sir Guyon, comming neare,
To thincke such hideous puissaunce on foot to beare;
But lightly shunned it; and, passing by,
With his bright blade did smite at him so fell,
That the sharpe steele, arriving forcibly
On his broad shield, bitt not, but glauncing fell
On his horse necke before the quilted sell,3
And from the head the body sundred quight:
So him dismounted low he did compell
On foot with him to matchen equall fight;
The truncked beast fast bleeding did him fowly dight.*
Sore bruzed with the fall he slow uprose,
And all enraged thus him loudly shent 5;
"Disleall Knight, whose coward corage chose
To wreake itselfe on beast all innocent,
And shund the marke at which it should be ment1;
Thereby thine armes seem strong, but manhood frayl:
So hast thou oft with guile thine honor blent 2;
But litle may such guile thee now avayl,
If wonted force and fortune doe me not much fayl."
With that he drew his flaming sword, and strooke
At him so fiercely, that the upper marge 3
Of his sevenfolded shield away it tooke,
And, glauncing on his helmet, made a large
And
open gash therein were not his targe
That broke the violence of his intent,
The weary sowle from thence it would discharge;
Nathelesse so sore a buff to him it lent,
That made him reele, and to his brest his bever 5 bent
Exceeding wroth was Guyon at that blow,
And much ashamd that stroke of living arme
Should him dismay, and make him stoup so low,
Though otherwise it did him little harme :
Tho, hurling high his yron-braced 7 arme,
He smote so manly on his shoulder plate,
That all his left side it did quite disarme;
Yet there the steel stayd not, but inly bate
Deepe in his flesh, and opened wide a red floodgate.
5 Bever, part of the helmet covering the mouth.
V. 6.-Manhood frayl.] Courage weak or deficient.
Deadly dismayd with horror of that dint
Pyrochles was, and grieved eke entyre1;
Yet nathëmore 2 did it his fury stint,
But added flame unto his former fire,
That wel-nigh molt 3 his hart in raging yre:
Ne thenceforth his approved skill, to ward,
Or strike, or hurtle rownd in warlike gyre,
Remembred he, ne car'd for his saufgard,
But rudely rag'd, and like a cruell tygre far'd.4
He hewd, and lasht, and foynd,5 and thondred blowes,
And every way did seeke into his life;
Ne plate, ne male, could ward so mighty throwes,6
But yielded passage to his cruell knife.
But Guyon, in the heat of all his strife,
Was wary wise, and closely did awayt
Avauntage, whilest his foe did rage most rife;
Sometimes athwart,7 sometimes he strook him strayt,
And falsed oft his blowes t' illude him with such bayt.8
Like as a lyon, whose imperiall powre
A prowd rebellious unicorn defyes,
T'avoide the rash assault and wrathfull stowre 9
Of his fiers foe, him to a tree applyes,
1 Entyre, exceedingly.
2 Nathemore, none the more.
3 Molt, melted.
▲ Far'd, acted.
Foynd, pushed as in fencing.
• Throwes, thrusts.
"Athwart, sideways, or obliquely.
8 Bayt, artifice.
9 Stowre, assault.
VIII. 7.- Hurtle round in warlike gyre.] Move round the foe in a circle.
IX. 9.-Falsed oft his blowes, &c.] He made feint passes.
And when him ronning in full course he spyes, He slips aside; the whiles that furious beast His precious horne, sought of his enimyes, Strikes in the stocke,' ne thence can be releast, But to the mighty victor yields a bounteous feast.
With such faire sleight him Guyon often fayld,
Till at the last all breathlesse, weary, faint,
Him spying, with fresh onsett he assayld,
And, kindling new his corage seeming queint,3
Strooke him so hugely, that through great constraint
He made him stoup perforce unto his knee,
And doe unwilling worship to the Saint,
That on his shield depainted he did see;
Such homage till that instant never learned hee.
Whom Guyon seeing stoup, poursewed fast
The present offer of faire victory,
And soone his dreadfull blade about he cast,
Wherewith he smote his haughty crest so hye,
That streight on grownd made him full low to lye;
Then on his brest his victor foote he thrust:
With that he cryde; "Mercy, doe me not dye,
Ne deeme thy force by fortunes doome uniust, That hath (maugre her spight) thus low me laid in dust."
Eftsoones his cruel hand Sir Guyon stayd,
1 Stocke, trunk.
2 Fayld, foiled.
4 Eftsoones, immediately.
XI. 7. — The Saint.] The image of Gloriana, which Sir Guyon had upon his shield. See canto I. stanza XXVIII.
XII. 9.-Maugre her spight.] This is probably a form of imprecation-Curse on her spite.
Tempring the passion with advizement 1 slow,
And maistring might on enimy dismayd;
For th' equall die of warre he well did know:
Then to him sayd; "Live, and alleageaunce owe
To him, that gives thee life and liberty;
And henceforth by this daies ensample trow,2
That hasty wroth, and heedelesse hazardry,3
Doe breede repentaunce late, and lasting infamy."
So up he let him rise; who, with grim looke
And count'naunce sterne upstanding, gan to grind
His grated teeth for great disdeigne, and shooke
His sandy lockes, long hanging downe behind,
Knotted in blood and dust, for grief of mind
That he in ods of armes was conquered;
Yet in himselfe some comfort he did find,
That him so noble Knight had maystered;
Whose bounty more then 5 might, yet both, he wondered.
Which Guyon marking said; "Be nought agriev'd,
Sir Knight, that thus ye now subdewed arre:
Was never man, who most conquéstes atchiev❜d,
But sometimes had the worse, and lost by warre;
Yet shortly gaynd, that losse exceeded farre:
Losse is no shame, nor to bee less then foe;
But to be lesser then himselfe doth marre
Both loosers lott, and victours prayse alsóe;
Vaine others overthrowes who selfe doth overthrow.
1 Adrizement, discretion.
2 Trow, learn.
3 Hazardry, rashness.
XIII. 3. — Maistring might, &c.] Refraining from exercising his
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