That night they pas in ioy and iollity,

Feasting and courting both in bowre and hall;
For steward was excessive Gluttony,

That of his plenty poured forth to all:

Which doen, the chamberlain Slowth did to rest them call.

XLIV.

Now whenas darksome Night had all displayd
Her coleblacke curtein over brightest skye;
The warlike youthes, on dayntie couches layd,
Did chace away sweet sleepe from sluggish eye,
To muse on meanes of hoped victory.
But whenas Morpheus had with leaden mace
Arrested all that courtly company,

Uprose Duessa from her resting place,

And to the Paynims lodging comes with silent pace :

XLV.

Whom broad awake she findes, in troublous fitt,
Fore-casting, how his foe he might annoy;
And him amoves1 with speaches seeming fitt,
"Ah deare Sansioy, next dearest to Sansfoy,
Cause of my new griefe, cause of my new ioy;
Ioyous, to see his ymage in mine eye,
And greevd, to thinke how foe did him destroy
That was the flowre of grace and chevalrye;
Lo, his Fidessa, to thy secret faith I flye.”

XLVI.

With gentle wordes he can her fayrely greet,

And bad say on the secrete of her hart:

Then, sighing soft; "I learne that litle sweet

Oft tempred is," quoth she, "with muchell 3 smart:

For, since my brest was launcht with lovely dart

1 Amoves, moves.

2 Can, began.

3 Muchell, much.
Lovely dart, dart of love.

Of deare Sansfoy, I never ioyed howre,
But in eternall woes my weaker hart

Have wasted, loving him with all my powre,

And for his sake have felt full many an heavy stowre.1

XLVII.

"At last, when perils all I weened past,

And hop'd to reape the crop of all my care,
Into new woes unweeting 2 I was cast
By this false faytor,3 who unworthie ware
His worthie shield, whom he with guilefull snare
Entrapped slew, and brought to shamefull grave:
Me silly maid away with him he bare,

And ever since hath kept in darksom cave;
For that I would not yeeld that to Sansfoy I gave.

XLVIII.

"But since faire sunne hath sperst that lowring clowd,
And to my loathed life now shewes some light,
Under your beames I will me safely shrowd
From dreaded storme of his disdainfull spight:
To you th' inheritance belonges by right

Of brothers prayse, to you eke longes his love.
Let not his love, let not his restlesse spright,

Be unreveng'd, that calles to you above

From wandring Stygian shores, where it doth endlesse move."

XLIX.

Thereto said he, "Faire dame, be nought dismaid

For sorrowes past; their griefe is with them gone.
Ne yet of present perill be affraid :

For needlesse feare did never vantage none;

And helplesse hap it booteth not to mone.

1 Stowore, peril.

2 Unweeting, unknowing.

3 False faytor, deceiver.

4 Longos, belongs.

Dead is Sansfoy, his vitall paines are past,

Though greeved ghost for vengeance deep do grone:
He lives, that shall him pay his dewties last,
And guiltie Elfin blood shall sacrifice in hast."

L.

"O, but I feare the fickle freakes," quoth shee, "Of fortune false, and oddes of armes in field." "Why, dame," quoth he, "what oddes can ever bee, Where both doe fight alike, to win or yield?" "Yea, but," quoth she, "he beares a charmed shield, And eke enchaunted armes, that none can perce; Ne none can wound the man, that does them wield." "Charmd or enchaunted," answerd he then ferce, "I no whitt reck; ne you the like need to reherce.

LI.

"But, faire Fidessa, sithens fortunes guile,
Or enimies powre, hath now captived you,
Returne from whence ye came, and rest a while,
Till morrow next, that I the Elfe subdew,
And with Sansfoyes dead dowry you endew."
"Ay me, that is a double death," she said,
"With proud foes sight my sorrow to renew:
Where ever yet I be, my secret aide

Shall follow you." So, passing forth, she him obaid.*

1 Sithens, since.

Here we find the Red-cross Knight so deluded by the wiles of Duessa, as to become a courtier in the house of Pride, though he cannot be so untrue to his original nature as to feel contented. So far astray has a single rash act led him.

CANTO V.

The faithfull Knight in equall field
Subdewes his faithlesse foe;
Whom false Duessa saves, and for
His cure to hell does goe.

1.

THE noble hart that harbours vertuous thought, And is with childe of glorious great intent, Can never rest, untill it forth have brought Th' eternall brood of glorie excellent. Such restlesse passion did all night torment The flaming corage of that Faery Night, Devizing, how that doughtie turnament With greatest honour he atchieven might: Still did he wake, and still did watch for dawning light.

II.

At last, the golden orientall gate

Of greatest heaven gan to open fayre;

And Phoebus, fresh as brydegrome to his mate,
Came dauncing forth, shaking his deawie hayre;
And hurld his glistring beams through gloomy ayre.
Which when the wakeful Elfe perceiv'd, streightway
He started up, and did him selfe prepayre

In sunbright armes, and battailous array;
For with that Pagan proud he combatt will that day.

III.

And forth he comes into the commune hall;
Where earely waite him many a gazing eye,

To weet what end to straunger Knights may fall.
There many minstrales maken melody,

To drive away the dull melancholy;

And many bardes, that to the trembling chord
Can tune their timely voices cunningly;

And many chroniclers, that can record

Old loves, and warres for Ladies doen by many a Lord.

IV.

Soon after comes the cruell Sarazin,

In woven maile all armed warily;
And sternly lookes at him, who not a pin
Does care for looke of living creatures eye.
They bring them wines of Greece and Araby,
And daintie spices fetcht from furthest Ynd,
To kindle heat of corage privily;

And in the wine a solemne oth they bynd

T'observe the sacred lawes of armes, that are assynd.

V.

At last forth comes that far renowmed Queene.

With royall pomp and princely maiestie

She is ybrought unto a paled greene,

And placed under stately canapee,

The warlike feates of both those Knights to see.

On th' other side in all mens open vew

Duessa placed is, and on a tree

Sansfoy his shield is hangd with bloody hew: Both those, the lawrell girlonds to the victor dew.

VI.

A shrilling trompett sownded from on hye,

And unto battaill bad themselves addresse:

V. 9. — Both those, the lawrell girlonds.] Both Duessa and the shield of Sansfoy are to be the rewards of the victor.