Which when by tract they hunted had throughout,
At length it brought them to a hollowe cave
Amid the thickest woods. The Champion stout
Eftsoones dismounted from his courser brave,
And to the Dwarfe a while his needlesse spere he

XII

gave.

'Be well aware,' quoth then that Ladie milde, Least suddaine mischiefe ye too rash provoke: The danger hid, the place unknowne and wilde, Breedes dreadfull doubts. Oft fire is without smoke, And perill without show: therefore your stroke, Sir Knight, with-hold, till further tryall made.' 'Ah Ladie,' (sayd he) shame were to revoke

The forward footing for an hidden shade:

Vertue gives her selfe light through darknesse for to wade.'

XIII

6

'Yea but' (quoth she) the perill of this place
I better wot then you: though nowe too late
To wish you backe returne with foule disgrace,
Yet wisedome warnes, whilest foot is in the gate,
To stay the steppe, ere forced to retrate.

This is the wandring wood, this Errours den,
A monster vile, whom God and man does hate :
Therefore I read1 beware.' 6
Fly, fly!' (quoth

then

The fearefull Dwarfe) 'this is no place for living men.'

XIV

But, full of fire and greedy hardiment,

The youthfull Knight could not for ought be staide; › read, advise.

But forth unto the darksom hole he went,
And looked in his glistring armoor made
A litle glooming light, much like a shade;
By which he saw the ugly monster plaine,
Halfe like a serpent horribly displaide,
But th'other halfe did womans shape retaine,

Most lothsom, filthie, foule, and full of vile disdaine.

XV

1

And, as she lay upon the durtie ground,
Her huge long taile her den all overspred,
Yet was in knots and many boughtes 1 upwound,
Pointed with mortall sting. Of her there bred
A thousand yong ones, which she dayly fed,
Sucking upon her poisnous dugs; each one
Of sundrie shapes, yet all ill-favored:

Soone as that uncouth light upon them shone,

Into her mouth they crept, and suddain all were

gone.

XVI

Their dam upstart out of her den effraide, And rushed forth, hurling her hideous taile

About her cursed head; whose folds displaid

Were stretcht now forth at length without en. traile.2

She lookt about, and seeing one in mayle,

Armed to point, sought backe to turne againe ;

For light she hated as the deadly bale,

Ay wont in desert darknes to remaine,

Where plain none might her see, nor she see any plaine.

1 boughtes, folds.

↑ without entraile, without coiling.

XVII

Which when the valiant Elfe perceiv'd, he lept
As Lyon fierce upon the flying pray,

And with his trenchand blade her boldly kept
From turning backe, and forced her to stay:
Therewith enrag'd she loudly gan to bray,
And turning fierce her speckled taile advaunst,
Threatning her angrie sting, him to dismay;
Who, nought aghast, his mightie hand enhaunst : 1
The stroke down from her head unto her shoulder
glaunst.

XVIII

Much daunted with that dint her sence was dazd; Yet kindling rage her selfe she gathered round, And all attonce her beastly bodie raizd With doubled forces high above the ground: Tho, wrapping up her wrethed sterne arownd, Lept fierce upon his shield, and her huge traine All suddenly about his body wound,

That hand or foot to stirr he strove in vaine.

God helpe the man so wrapt in Errours endlesse traine! 2

XIX

His Lady, sad to see his sore constraint,

Cride out,Now, now, Sir knight, shew what ye bee;
Add faith unto your force, and be not faint;
Strangle her, els she sure will strangle thee.'
That when he heard, in great perplexitie,
His gall did grate3 for griefe and high disdaine;
And, knitting all his force, got one hand free,

1 enhaunst, lifted up.

8 gall did grate, anger was stirred.

2 Qy: chains?

Wherewith he grypt her gorge with so great paine, That soone to loose her wicked bands did her constraine.

XX

Therewith she spewd out of her filthie maw
A floud of poyson horrible and blacke,

Full of great lumps of flesh and gobbets raw,
Which stunck so vildly, that it forst him slacke
His grasping hold, and from her turne him backe.
Her vomit full of bookes and papers was,

With loathly frogs and toades, which eyes did lacke,
And creeping sought way in the weedy gras:
Her filthie parbreake all the place defiled has.

XXI

As when old father Nilus gins to swell With timely pride above the Aegyptian vale His fattie waves doe fertile slime outwell, And overflow each plaine and lowly dale: But, when his later spring gins to avale,1 Huge heapes of mudd he leaves, wherin there breed Ten thousand kindes of creatures, partly male And partly femall, of his fruitful seed ;

Such ugly monstrous shapes elswher may no

reed.2

XXII

The same so sore annoyed has the knight,
That, welnigh choked with the deadly stinke,
His forces faile, ne can no lenger fight

Whose corage when the feend perceivd to shrinke,
She poured forth out of her hellish sinke
Her fruitfull cursed spawne of serpents small,
Deformed monsters, fowle, and blacke as inke,

1 avale, abate.

2 reed, perceive.

man

Which swarming all about his legs did crall,

And him encombred sore, but could not hurt at all.

XXIII

1

As gentle shepheard in sweete eventide, When ruddy Phebus gins to welke 1 in west, High on an hill, his flocke to vewen wide, Markes which doe byte their hasty supper best; A cloud of cumbrous gnattes doe him molest, All striving to infixe their feeble stinges, That from their noyance he no where can rest; But with his clownish hands their tender wings He brusheth oft, and oft doth mar their murmurings.

XXIV

Thus ill bestedd, and fearefull more of shame
Then of the certeine perill he stood in,
Halfe furious unto his foe he came,
Resolvd in minde all suddenly to win,
Or soone to lose, before he once would lin;
And stroke at her with more then manly force,
That from her body, full of filthie sin,

2

He raft her hatefull heade without remorse :

A streame of cole-black blood forth gushed from her

corse.

XXV

Her scattered brood, soone as their Parent deare They saw so rudely falling to the ground, Groning full deadly, all with troublous feare Gathred themselves about her body round, Weening their wonted entrance to have found

1 welke, wane.

8 raft, bereft, took away violently.

2 lin, cease.