Tales from Spenser, Chosen from the Faerie Queene

by Edmund Spenser

  BRITOMART AND AMORET.

  Faerie Queene. Book III. Cantos XI., XII.

  After Britomart and Glauce left the palace of King Ryence, manyadventures befel them. In all her adventures Britomart's magic sword andmatchless prowess gained for her great renown, and she was spoken of farand wide as the Knight of the Heben Spear, while old Glauce, her nurse,was believed to be her squire. They encountered many a famous knight,but they had not yet found him whom they sought.

  One day, as they were continuing in their search, they came suddenlyupon a stranger knight, who lay with his face on the ground, his armourscattered near him, and who seemed either asleep or in great distress.Lest he should be sleeping, Britomart did not speak, but stood waitingpatiently. Presently the knight groaned as if his very heart werebreaking, and then burst forth into a piteous wail over the loss ofAmoret, his wife.

  Unconscious that he was heard, the knight cried out against the crueltyof the wicked enchanter who had taken her prisoner, and kept her for thelast seven months cruelly tormented, and shut out from the light of day,in a stronghold guarded by thick smoke and magic fires. Then followedsuch an outburst of grief that Britomart thought his very life indanger, and no longer able to forbear, stooped down and spoke to him.

  At the sound of her voice, the knight raised himself, and looked up, butseeing a stranger, he hastily flung himself down, angry at beingdisturbed. Britomart, however, was not to be easily daunted, and againspoke.

  "Ah! gentle knight," she exclaimed, "whose grief seems well-nigh pastbearing, scorn not the relief which Providence may send you. To my handit may be given to relieve your woe, and wreak vengeance on your enemy."

  Her brave words so touched the knight's heart that he poured out thewhole bitterness of his woe, telling her how hard it was to reachAmoret, since the tyrant had her in strong enchantment, and had guardedher dungeon with dreadful fiends.

  Britomart was greatly moved by his sad tale, and again offered her aid."Sir Knight," she said, "if you will listen to me, I will either deliverher to you from thence or die with her."

  At first the knight, whose name was Scudamour, would not accept so greata boon, but Britomart at length succeeded in persuading him to arise andaccompany her to the scene of Amoret's captivity.

  Arrived at the tyrant's stronghold, they dismounted, and went boldly toits entrance. There they found neither gate nor porter, but a porch fromwhich issued flames of fire, mingled with smoke and sulphurous stench.At this Britomart was greatly dismayed, and turning to Scudamour,consulted with him how best to overcome this dreadful obstacle, "for,"said she, "to run into danger without care and thought is worthy only ofthe beasts."

  "Alas!" said Scudamour, "this is the worst cause of my distress, for thefire cannot be quenched by any wit or skill; what then is there left tome but ceaseless sorrowing. Leave me to my grief, let Amoret dwell inchains, and Scudamour die of misery."

  "Nay," replied the noble maid, "to abandon a brave deed for the mereshow of danger were a shameful thing; better run all risks than turnaside for fear."

  Thereupon, resolved to trust her weapons to the utmost, Britomart threwher great shield before her face, and pointing her magic sword straightin front, moved onward; when lo! the dread flames parted on either sideof her, and she passed through scatheless.

  When Scudamour saw that she had passed beyond the fire and wasuninjured, he, too, tried to force a way. But he was full of proudpassions, and commanded the flames to yield to him, and being foolishenough to threaten them, increased their mighty rage so that withimperious sway they sent him back scorched and burned. Impatience anddisappointment raged in his bosom, and in a very madness of misery heagain flung himself on the ground and beat his head and breast, andwould take neither hope nor comfort.

  Meantime Britomart pursued her way, and going through the first door,entered an outer chamber. It was full of precious stores, and was hunground with rich arras, into which was woven many a fair scene,portraying the feats of Cupid, the blind god. At the upper end of thechamber stood an altar, built of gems of great beauty, and on the altarwas an image of massive gold with wings of divers colours, more variedand brilliant than the hues of the rainbow. This image represented Cupidwith the fatal bow and arrows in his hand, and at his feet a woundeddragon. Underneath were written these words--"Unto the victor of thegods this be," and all the people that dwelt in the great castle paid ithomage.

  Britomart stood still for a while, gazing at the golden image,fascinated by its brightness; but at length she turned to look back andtake in the other wonders of the chamber. Then, for the first time, shenoticed the words "Be bold" written over a doorway. She puzzled overtheir meaning for some time, and could not find it, but no way dismayedby the apparent warning, she followed their advice, and advanced fromthe first to a second chamber.

  This chamber was still richer than the other. Its walls were overlaidwith gold wrought with figures of antique story, and all about were thespoils and arms and trophies of mighty conquerors, who had been takencaptive by the cruel Cupid.

  For a long time Britomart gazed around her, and the more she looked themore she wondered, both at the richness of the room and at the wastefulemptiness and solemn silence that pervaded the place. As she continuedher survey, she saw over the door through which she had just passed thesame words, three times written, "Be bold." While trying to make outtheir import, her eye chanced to light upon an iron door at the otherend of the room, on which was written, "Be not too bold." This puzzledher still more; but no living creature appeared from whom she could askan explanation. And now the shadows lengthened, and darkness fell, yetBritomart would not sleep, but sat in watchfulness, her armour on, andher weapons all about her.

  When night had quite set in, she was startled by the shrill sound of atrumpet. After the trumpet blast, there arose a hideous storm of wind,with thunder, lightning, and an earthquake, followed by a horriblestench of sulphur and smoke, which lasted from four in the morning untilsix--yet Britomart remained steadfast in her watch. Then suddenly arosea whirlwind throwing open the heavy iron door, and from an inner roomthere entered a grave personage bearing a branch of laurel, and clad asif for the tragic stage. Before Britomart had time to recover from thesurprise of this apparition, a band of minstrels, followed by a troop ofmasquers, issued also from the chamber. Sweet music and strange and gayfigures now filled the hitherto empty room. There were Fancy and Desire,dressed in silk and embroidery; Doubt and Danger in more sober garb;Fear, armed from head to foot; Hope, with golden locks and samite robes;Suspicion and Deceit, Grief and Fury, Pleasure and Displeasure--sixcouples in all. Behind these came a fair lady, led by Cruelty andDespight, who goaded and tormented her as she walked. After these rodethe winged god, mounted on a lion, and closely followed by Reproach,Shame, and Repentance, while a confused rabble brought up the rear.

  The procession marched three times round the chamber, and disappearedinto the inner room. As soon as it had passed through, the iron door wasviolently closed by the same whirlwind which had opened it. ThenBritomart came forth from the shady corner in which she had stoodunnoticed, and tried to follow; but she could by no means pass the door,and was obliged to wait patiently for any opportunity that might arise.

  All day the maiden waited, and when the next night came with its garmentof darkness her hopes rose, and not in vain. About the second watch, thedoor flew open, and afraid neither of masques nor enchantments,Britomart walked boldly in. As soon as she entered, she looked round forthose persons whom she had seen the previous night. But of all themotley crew only one was visible, and this was the fair lady who hadbeen led by the cruel villains, and who indeed was Amoret. Her handswere fast bound, and round her waist was an iron band that fastened herto a brass pillar. Before her was the wicked enchanter, drawing strangecharacters with Amoret's own heart's blood, which he drew from her bymeans of a cruel transfixed dart. By such strange spells, he sought tocharm her into loving him. But he had already tried a thousand charms,and had utterly failed to touc
h her love and loyalty to Scudamour, andindeed she was little likely to love one who wrought such cruelimprisonment.

  The moment the enchanter saw Britomart in her knightly attire, he castaway his books of wicked magic, and drawing a murderous knife from hispocket ran fiercely at poor Amoret, whom for very spite he was ready tokill rather than see her escape. Britomart leapt forward, seized hisarm, and stayed his murderous intent. In a moment the enchanter's rageturned upon her, and his sword inflicted a wound upon her snowy throat.

  Then Britomart drew forth her deadly spear, and struck him so dire ablow, that he fell on the ground half dead. Another stroke must havekilled him, and she was on the point of dealing it when Amoret made signto her to hold her hand, telling Britomart that only he who hadenchained could set her free.

  Hearing this the noble maiden paused, and very unwilling to spare herwicked captive, addressed him thus, "Thou wretched man, for whom nopunishment can be too severe, be sure that nothing shall save thee fromdeath, unless thou immediately restore this lady to health and freedom."

  Glad to secure his life on any terms, the enchanter at once yielded, andrising up, began to look over the leaves of his accursed books, that hemight learn how to reverse the charms he had wrought. Britomart stoodover him with her sword drawn, and so dreadful were the things he read,that her hair stood on end with horror. By and bye she perceived thatthe house shook and the door rattled, but not for a moment did sheslacken the grasp of her weapon. With steadfast eye and stout courageshe waited to see what these strange omens meant. At length she saw thechain that wound round the waist of Amoret fall slowly to the ground,and the brazen pillar to which she was bound break in pieces. The dartthat pierced her bosom fell out as of its own accord. The wound it hadmade closed up as though it had never existed, and all the hurts andbruises caused by her long imprisonment were forthwith healed.

  When the fair dame found herself free, she fell on the ground beforeBritomart, thanking her out of the fulness of her heart, and begging tobe permitted to render her deliverer some service or reward.

  Britomart raised her, and replied courteously that her labour receivedmore than sufficient reward in seeing Amoret thus free and safe.

  She then besought the lady to take comfort, and putting away theremembrance of her past cruel sufferings, think rather of whatScudamour, her loving husband, had lately endured on her account. Itcheered and comforted Amoret to hear Scudamour, whom of all livingwights she loved best, thus spoken of by her deliverer.

  But Britomart's work was not yet done. She turned to Busyran, the wickedenchanter, bound him firmly by the chain which had held Amoret captive,and thus secured, led him forth from his own stronghold.

  Then Britomart was amazed to find that the rooms which had so latelyastonished her by their beauty and richness had completely vanished.Still more surprised was she to find the flames which had guarded theporch quenched, and the porch itself gone.

  But now a sore disappointment befel both Britomart and the lady Amoret,for when they reached the spot where Scudamour had been left, neither henor old Glauce, the squire, were anywhere to be seen. Britomart's braveheart was sorely astonished, and poor Amoret, in whom hope had sprungup, was filled with alarm and misgiving lest she had been betrayed.

  Scudamour's faint-heartedness was the cause of their grief anddisappointment.

  For a time after the war-like maiden's disappearance within the castle,he lay eagerly expecting her return. But she did not come back all thatday, and Scudamour, who was not a very great and therefore not a verypatient knight, gave way to despair, and made up his mind that Britomarthad been consumed by the flames. He took counsel with old Glauce, andtogether they resolved to leave their post, and go in search of furtherhelp; thus it was that Britomart and Amoret came forth to findthemselves deserted.

  And so Scudamour and Glauce and Britomart and Amoret sought each otherfor many a long day in vain; how they met at last another tale musttell.