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.

Wayting to passe he saw whereas did swim
Along the shore, as swift as glaunce of eye,
A litle gondelay,1 bedecked trim

With boughes and arbours woven cunningly,
That like a litle forrest seemed outwardly.

III.

And therein sate a Lady fresh and fayre,
Making sweete solace to herselfe alone:
Sometimes she song as lowd as larke in ayre,
Sometimes she laught, that nigh her breath was gone;
Yet was there not with her else any one,

That to her might move cause of meriment:
Matter of merth enough, though there were none,

She could devise; and thousand waies invent
To feede her foolish humour and vaine iolliment.

IV.

Which when far off Cymochles heard and saw,
He lowdly cald to such as were abord
The litle barke unto the shore to draw,

And him to ferry over that deepe ford.
The merry Mariner unto his word

Soone hearkned, and her painted bote streightway
Turnd to the shore, where that same warlike Lord
She in receiv'd; but Atin by no way

She would admit, albe the Knight her much did pray.

2

V.

Eftsoones her shallow ship away did slide,

3

4

More swift than swallow sheres the liquid skye,
Withouten oare or pilot it to guide,

Or winged canvas with the wind to fly:
Onely she turnd a pin, and by and by

1 Gondelay, gondola, boat.
2 Albe, although.

3 Eftsoones, immediately.
Sheres, cuts.

It cut away upon the yielding wave, (Ne cared she her course for to apply,') For it was taught the way which she would have And both from rocks and flats itselfe could wisely save.

VI.

And all the way the wanton Damsell found
New merth her Passenger to entertaine;
For she in pleasaunt purpose 2 did abound,
And greatly ioyed merry tales to fayne.
Of which a store-house did with her remaine;
Yet seemed, nothing well they her became :
For all her wordes she drownd with laughter vaine,
And wanted grace in utt'ring of the same,

That turned all her pleasaunce to a scoffing game.

VII.

And other whiles vaine toyes she would devize,
As her fantasticke wit did most delight:
Sometimes her head she fondly would aguize
With gaudy girlonds, or fresh flowrets dight
About her necke, or rings of rushes plight 4:
Sometimes, to do him laugh, she would assay
To laugh at shaking of the leaves light,
Or to behold the water worke and play
About her little frigot, therein making way.

-

3

Aguize, deck. 4 Plight, folded.

V. 8. For it was taught, &c.] The self-guiding bark of Phædria was suggested by the ships of Alcinous, in Homer, which steered themselves to their destined port. The giving it motion by turning a pin was probably borrowed from the Squire's tale in Chaucer, where the king of Araby sends to Cambuscan a horse of brass, which moves by turning a pin. There is a wooden horse with the same wondrous power in the Arabian Nights.

VI. 6. Yet seemed, &c.] Yet, as it seemed.

VIII.

Her light behaviour and loose dalliaunce
Gave wondrous great contentment to the Knight,
That of his way he had no sovenaunce,1

Nor care of vow'd revenge and cruell fight;
But to weake wench did yield his martiall might.

So easie was to quench his flamed minde

With one sweete drop of sensuall delight!
So easie is t'appease the stormy winde
Of malice in the calme of pleasaunt womankind!

IX.

Diverse discourses in their way they spent ;
Mongst which Cymochles of ner questioned
Both what she was, and what that usage ment,
Which in her cott 2 she daily practized:

"Vaine man," saide she, "that wouldest be reckoned A straunger in thy home, and ignoraunt

Of Phædria, (for so my name is red,3)
Of Phædria, thine owne fellow servaúnt;
For thou to serve Acrasia thyselfe doest vaunt.

X.

4

“In this wide inland sea, that hight by name The Idle Lake, my wandring ship I row, That knowes her port, and thether sayles by ayme, Ne care ne feare I how the wind do blow, Or whether swift I wend or whether slow: Both slow and swift alike do serve my tourne: Ne swelling Neptune ne lowd-thundring love Can chaunge my cheare, or make me ever mourne: My litle boat can safely passe this perilous bourne.5"

1 Serenounce, remembrance.

2 Cott, little boat.

3 Red, called.

4 Hight, is called.

Bourne, stream.