And said; "Deare sonne, thy causelesse ruth represse,

Ne let thy stout hart melt in pitty vayne:
He that his sorrow sought through wilfulnesse,
And his foe fettred would release
agayne,
Deserves to taste his follies fruit, repented payne."

XXV.

Guyon obayd: So him away he drew
From needlesse trouble of renewing fight
Already fought, his voyage to poursew.
But rash Pyrochles varlett, Atin hight,1
When late he saw his Lord in heavie plight,
Under Sir Guyons puissaunt stroke to fall,
Him deeming dead, as then he seemd in sight,
Fledd fast away to tell his funerall 2

Unto his brother, whom Cymochles men did call.

XXVI.
He was a man of rare redoubted might,
Famous throughout the world for warlike prayse,
And glorious spoiles, purchast in perilous fight:
Full many doughtie Knightes he in his dayes
Had doen to death, subdewde in equall frayes;
Whose carkases, for terrour of his name,

Of fowles and beastes he made the piteous prayes,
And hong their conquered armes for more defame 3
On gallow trees, in honour of his dearest Dame.

XXVII.

His dearest Dame is that Enchaunteresse,
The vyle Acrasia, that with vaine delightes,
And ydle pleasures in her Bowre of Blisse,
Does charme her lovers, and the feeble sprightes

Can call out of the bodies of fraile wightes;

Whom then she does transforme to monstrous hewes,
And horribly misshapes with ugly sightes,
Captiv'd eternally in yron mewes1

And darksom dens, where Titan his face never shewes.

XXVIII.

There Atin fownd Cymochles soiourning,

To serve his Lemans 2 love: for he by kynd 3
Was given all to lust and loose living,
Whenever his fiers handes he free mote fynd:
And now he has pourd out his ydle mynd
In daintie delices and lavish ioyes,
Having his warlike weapons cast behynd,
And flowes in pleasures and vaine pleasing toyes,
Mingled emongst loose ladies and lascivious boyes.

4

XXIX.

And over him Art, stryving to compayre With Nature, did an arber greene dispred, Framed of wanton yvie, flouring fayre, Through which the fragrant eglantine did spred His prickling armes, entrayld 5 with roses red, Which daintie odours round about them threw : And all within with flowres was garnished, That, when mild Zephyrus emongst them blew, Did breath out bounteous smels, and painted colors shew.

XXX.

And fast beside there trickled softly downe

A gentle streame, whose murmuring wave did play

4 Delices, delights.

5 Entrayld, mixed.

1 Mewes, prisons.

2 Lemans, mistress's.

3 Kynd, nature.

XXIX. 4.- Eglantine.] The eglantine is the sweet briar.

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 ornaments.

lion.

1 Pumy, porous.

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

XXXIII.

And every of them strove with most1 delights
Him to aggrate, 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,
"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.

VOL. I.

30

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

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,*
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,6

1 Forlorne, lost.

2 Weetlesse, unheeding.

3 More, much.

▲ Implore, entreaty.
Algates, by all means.
Him dight, prepare himself.

XXXVI. 6.- Lies on sencelesse ground.] Lies senseless on the ground.

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

XXXVII. 3.—But he.] Atin.