Emongst the pumy1 stones, and made a sowne, To lull him soft asleepe that by it lay: The wearie traveiler, wandring that way, Therein did often quench his thristy 2 heat, And then by it his wearie limbes display, (Whiles creeping slomber made him to forget His former payne,) and wypt away his toilsom sweat.

XXXI.

And on the other syde a pleasaunt grove
Was shott up high, full of the stately tree
That dedicated is t' Olympick love,
And to his sonne Alcides, whenas hee
In Nemea gayned goodly, victoree:
Therein the mery birdes of every sorte
Chaunted alowd their cheareful harmonee,

And made emongst themselves a sweet consórt,
That quickned the dull spright with musical comfort.

XXXII.

There he him found all carelesly displaid,
In secrete shadow from the sunny ray,
On a sweet bed of lillies softly laid,
Amidst a flock of damzelles fresh and gay,
That rownd about him dissolute did play
Their wanton follies and light meriment;
Every of which did loosely disaray
Her upper partes of meet habiliments,
And shewd them naked, deckt with many

1 Pumy, porous.

ornaments.

2 Thristy, thirsty.

XXXI. 1.- And on the other syde, &c.] The tree dedicated to Jove is the oak; that to Hercules, is the poplar.

XXXI. 5. — In Nemea, &c.] It was in Nemea that Hercules slew a lion.

XXXIII.

And every of them strove with most1 delights
Him to aggrate,2 and greatest pleasures shew:
Some framd faire lookes, glancing like evening lights;
Others sweet wordes, dropping like honny dew;
Some bathed kisses, and did soft embrew

The sugred licour through his melting lips :
One boastes her beautie, and does yield to vew
Her dainty limbes above her tender hips;
Another her out boastes, and all for tryall strips.

XXXIV.

He, like an adder lurking in the weedes,

His wandring thought in deepe desire does steepe,
And his frayle eye with spoyle of beauty feedes:
Sometimes he falsely faines himselfe to sleepe,
Whiles through their lids his wanton eies do peepe
To steale a snatch of amorous conceipt,
Whereby close fire into his hart does creepe:
So' he them deceives, deceivd in his deceipt,
Made dronke with drugs of deare voluptuous receipt.

XXXV.

Atin, arriving there, when him he spyde
Thus in still waves of deepe delight to wade,
Fiercely approching to him lowdly cryde,

66

Cymochles; oh! no, but Cymochles shade, In which that manly person late did fade 4!

1 Most, greatest.

2 Aggrate, please.

3 Close, secret.

4 Fade, disappear.

XXXIV. 8.- So' he them deceives, &c.] The meaning of this line seems to be, he deceives them because they believe him to be asleep; but in so doing, he deceives himself in not perceiving his base subjection to sensual passion.

What is become of great Acrates sonne?

Or where hath he hong up his mortall blade, That hath so many haughty conquests wonne? Is all his force forlorne,1 and all his glory donne?"

XXXVI.

Then, pricking him with his sharp-pointed dart,
He said; "Up, up, thou womanish weake Knight,
That here in Ladies lap entombed art,
Unmindfull of thy praise and prowest might,
And weetlesse 2 eke of lately-wrought despight;
Whiles sad Pyrochles lies on sencelesse ground,
And groneth out his utmost grudging spright

Through many a stroke and many a streaming wound, Calling thy help in vaine, that here in ioyes art dround."

XXXVII.

Suddeinly out of his delightfull dreame

3

The Man awoke, and would have questioned more 3;
But he would not endure that wofull theame
For to dilate at large, but urged sore,
With percing wordes and pittifull implore,1
Him hasty to arise: As one affright
With hellish feends, or Furies mad uprore,

He then uprose, inflamd with fell despight,

And called for his armes; for he would algates 5 fight:

XXXVIII.

They bene ybrought; he quickly does him dight,

1 Forlorne, lost.

6

4 Implore, entreaty.

XXXVI. 7.- His utmost grudging spright.] His last indignant breath.

XXXVII. 3.—But he.] Atin.

And lightly mounted passeth on his way;
Ne Ladies loves, ne sweete entreaties, might
Appease his heat, or hastie passage stay;
For he has vowd to beene avengd that day
(That day itselfe him seemed all too long)
On him, that did Pyrochles deare dismay 1:
So proudly pricketh on his courser strong,

And Atin ay him pricks with spurs of shame and wrong.

1 Dismay, subdue.

CANTO VI.

Guyon is of immodest Merth

Led into loose desyre;

Fights with Cymochles, whiles his bro-
ther burnes in furious fyre.

I.

A HARDER lesson to learne continence
In ioyous pleasure then in grievous paine:
For sweetnesse doth allure the weaker sence
So strongly, that uneathes it can refraine
From that which feeble nature covets faine:
But griefe and wrath, that be her enemies
And foes of life, she better can restraine:
Yet Vertue vauntes in both her victories;
And Guyon in them all shewes goodly maysteries.2

II.

Whom bold Cymochles traveiling to finde,
With cruell purpose bent to wreake on him
The wrath which Atin kindled in his mind,
Came to a river, by whose utmost brim

1 Uneathes, scarcely.

2 Maysteries, superiority.

II. 4.- ·Came to a river, &c.] The Bower of Bliss is described as situated upon an island floating in a lake or gulf. Atin finds Cymochles there, and induces him to leave in order to avenge his brother's death. He comes to a river, that is, to the shore of the island, and finds there Phædria, (who represents immodest mirth,) who carries him in her boat to another island in this gulf or lake, similar in its temptations and dangers to that on which the Bower of Bliss is situated.