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.

XI.

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.

XII.

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."

XIII.

Eftsoones his cruel hand Sir Guyon stayd,

1 Stocke, trunk.
Fayld, foiled.

3 Queint, quenched.

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,
That hasty wroth, and heedelesse hazardry,3
Doe breede repentaunce late, and lasting infamy."

XIV.

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.

XV.

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 Advizement, discretion.

2 Trow, learn.

3 Hazardry, rashness.

4 Bounty, generosity.

5 Then, than.

XIII. 3.-Maistring might, &c.] Refraining from exercising his power.

XVI.

"Fly, O Pyrochles, fly the dreadful warre
That in thyselfe thy lesser1 partes do move:
Outrageous Anger, and woe-working larre,
Direfull Impatience, and hart-murdring Love:
Those, those thy foes, those warriours, far remove,
Which thee to endlesse bale captived lead.
But, sith3 in might thou didst my mercy prove,
Of courtesie to mee the cause aread 4

That thee against me drew with so impetuous dread.”

XVII.

Dreadlesse,5" said he, "that shall I soone declare: It was complaind that thou hadst done great tort Unto an aged Woman, poore and bare, And thralled her in chaines with strong effort, Voide of all succour and needfull comfort; That ill beseemes thee, such as I thee see, To worke such shame: Therefore I thee exhort To chaunge thy will, and set Occasion free, And to her captive Sonne yield his first libertee."

XVIII.

Thereat Sir Guyon smylde; "And is that all,"
Said he, "that thee so sore displeased hath?
Great mercy sure, for to enlarge a thrall,
Whose freedom shall thee turne to greatest scath?!
Nath'lesse now quench thy whot 8 emboyling wrath:
Loe! there they bee; to thee I yield them free."

1 Lesser, inferior.

2 Bale, sorrow.

3 Sith, since.
Aread, declare.

5 Dreadlesse, without fear.

6 Tort, wrong.

7 Scath, injury.
8 Whot, hot.

XVIII. 3. Great mercy sure.] Fr. Grandmerci, a great favor; it deserves great thanks; spoken ironically.

Thereat he, wondrous glad, out of the path
Did lightly leape, where he them bound did see,
And gan to breake the bands of their captivitee.

XIX.

Soone as Occasion felt herselfe untyde,
Before her Sonne could well assoyled1 bee,
She to her use returnd, and streight defyde
Both Guyon and Pyrochles; th' one (said shee)
Bycause he wonne; the other, because hee

Was wonne: So matter did she make of nought, To stirre up strife, and garre them disagree: But, soone as Furor was enlargd, she sought To kindle his quencht fyre, and thousand causes wrought.

XX.

It was not long ere she inflam'd him so,
That he would algates 3 with Pyrochles fight,
And his redeemer chalengd for his foe,
Because he had not well mainteind his right,
But yielded had to that same straunger Knight.
Now gan Pyrochles wex as wood 4 as hee,
And him affronted with impatient might:
So both together fiers engrasped bee,

Whyles Guyon standing by their uncouth strife does see.

XXI.
Him all that while Occasion did provoke
Against Pyrochles, and new matter fram'd
Upon the old, him stirring to bee wroke 6
Of his late wronges, in which she oft him blam'd
For suffering such abuse as knighthood sham'd,

1 Assoyled, released.

2 Garre, make.

3 Algates, by all means.

4

Wood, frantic.

5 Affronted, opposed.

• Wroke, avenged.

XIX. 3.- Her use.] Her usual habits.

And him dishabled1 quyte: But he was wise,
Ne would with vaine occasions be inflam'd;
Yet others she more urgent did devise:
Yet nothing could him to impatience entise.

XXII.
Their fell contention still increased more,
And more thereby increased Furors might,
That he his foe has hurt and wounded sore,
And him in blood and durt deformed quight.
His Mother eke, more to augment his spight,
Now brought to him a flaming fyer-brond,
Which she in Stygian lake, ay burning bright,
Had kindled that she gave into his hond,
That armd with fire more hardly he mote him withstond.

XXIII.

Tho 2
gan that Villein wex so fiers and strong,
That nothing might sustaine his furious forse
He cast him downe to ground, and all along
Drew him through durt and myre without remorse,
And fowly battered his comely corse,

That Guyon much disdeignd 3 so loathly sight.
At last he was compeld to cry perforse,

"Help, O Sir Guyon! helpe, most noble Knight,

To ridd a wretched man from handes of hellish wight!"

XXIV.

The Knight was greatly moved at his playnt,
And gan him dight to succour his distresse,
Till that the Palmer, by his grave restraynt,
Him stayd from yielding pitifull redresse,