And serving her in her malitious use,
To hurt good knights, was as it were her baude,
To sell her borrowed beautie to abuse.
For though, like withered tree that wanteth juyce, 320
She old and crooked were, yet now of late
As fresh and fragrant as the floure deluce
She was become, by chaunge of her estate,
And made full goodly joyance to her new found mate.
XXXII
Her mate, he was a jollie youthfull knight, 325
That bore great sway in armes and chivalrie,
And was indeed a man of mickle might:
His name was Blandamour, that did descrie
His fickle mind full of inconstancie.
And now himselfe he fitted had right well 330
With two companions of like qualitie,
Faithlesse Duessa, and false Paridell,
That whether were more false, full hard it is to tell.
XXXIII
Now when this gallant with his goodly crew
From farre espide the famous Britomart, 335
Like knight adventurous in outward vew,
With his faire paragon, his conquests part,
Approching nigh, eftsoones his wanton hart
Was tickled with delight, and jesting sayd:
‘Lo! there, Sir Paridel, for your desart, 340
Good lucke presents you with yond lovely mayd,
For pitie that ye want a fellow for your ayd.’
XXXIV
By that the lovely paire drew nigh to hond:
Whom when as Paridel more plaine beheld,
Albee in heart he like affection fond, 345
Yet mindfull how he late by one was feld,
That did those armes and that same scutchion weld,
He had small lust to buy his love so deare,
But answered: ‘Sir, him wise I never held,
That, having once escaped perill neare, 350
Would afterwards afresh the sleeping evill reare.
XXXV
‘This knight too late his manhood and his might
I did assay, that me right dearely cost,
Ne list I for revenge provoke new fight,
Ne for light ladies love, that soone is lost.’ 355
The hot-spurre youth so scorning to be crost,
‘Take then to you this dame of mine,’ quoth hee,
‘And I, without your perill or your cost,
Will chalenge yond same other for my fee.’
So forth he fiercely prickt, that one him scarce could see. 360
XXXVI
The warlike Britonesse her soone addrest,
And with such uncouth welcome did receave
Her fayned paramour, her forced guest,
That, being forst his saddle soone to leave,
Him selfe he did of his new love deceave, 365
And made him selfe thensample of his follie.
Which done, she passed forth, not taking leave,
And left him now as sad as whilome jollie,
Well warned to beware with whom he dar’d to dallie.
XXXVII
Which when his other companie beheld, 370
They to his succour ran with readie ayd:
And finding him unable once to weld,
They reared him on horsebacke, and upstayd,
Till on his way they had him forth convayd:
And all the way, with wondrous griefe of mynd 375
And shame, he shewd him selfe to be dismayd,
More for the love which he had left behynd,
Then that which he had to Sir Paridel resynd.
XXXVIII
Nathlesse he forth did march well as he might,
And made good semblance to his companie, 380
Dissembling his disease and evill plight;
Till that ere long they chaunced to espie
Two other knights, that towards them did ply
With speedie course, as bent to charge them new.
Whom when as Blandamour approching nie 385
Perceiv’d to be such as they seemd in vew,
He was full wo, and gan his former griefe renew.
XXXIX
For th’ one of them he perfectly descride
To be Sir Scudamour, by that he bore
The God of Love with wings displayed wide, 390
Whom mortally he hated evermore,
Both for his worth, that all men did adore,
And eke because his love he wonne by right:
Which when he thought, it grieved him full sore,
That, through the bruses of his former fight, 395
He now unable was to wreake his old despight.
XL
Forthy he thus to Paridel bespake:
‘Faire sir, of friendship let me now you pray,
That as I late adventured for your sake,
The hurts whereof me now from battell stay, 400
Ye will me now with like good turne repay,
And justifie my cause on yonder knight.’
‘Ah! sir,’ said Paridel, ‘do not dismay
Your selfe for this; my selfe will for you fight,
As ye have done for me: the left hand rubs the right.’ 405
XLI
With that he put his spurres unto his steed,
With speare in rest, and toward him did fare,
Like shaft out of a bow preventing speed.
But Scudamour was shortly well aware
Of his approch, and gan him selfe prepare 410
Him to receive with entertainment meete.
So furiously they met, that either bare
The other downe under their horses feete,
That what of them became themselves did scarsly weete.
XLII
As when two billowes in the Irish sowndes, 415
Forcibly driven with contrarie tydes,
Do meete together, each abacke rebowndes
With roaring rage; and dashing on all sides,
That filleth all the sea with fome, divydes
The doubtfull current into divers wayes: 420
So fell those two in spight of both their prydes;
But Scudamour himselfe did soone uprayse,
And mounting light, his foe for lying long upbrayes.
XLIII
Who, rolled on an heape, lay still in swound,
All carelesse of his taunt and bitter rayle; 425
Till that the rest, him seeing lie on ground,
Ran hastily, to weete what did him ayle:
Where finding that the breath gan him to fayle,
With busie care they strove him to awake,
And doft his helmet, and undid his mayle: 430
So much they did, that at the last they brake
His slomber, yet so mazed that he nothing spake.
XLIV
Which when as Blandamour beheld, he sayd:
‘False faitour Scudamour, that hast by slight
And foule advantage this good knight dismayd, 435
A knight much better then thy selfe behight,
Well falles it thee that I am not in plight,
This day, to wreake the dammage by thee donne:
Such is thy wont, that still when any knight
Is weakned, then thou doest him overronne: 440
So hast thou to thy selfe false honour often wonne.’
XLV
He little answer’d, but in manly heart
His mightie indignation did forbeare,
Which was not yet so secret, but some part
Thereof did in his frouning face appeare: 445
Like as a gloomie cloud, the which doth beare
An hideous storme, is by the northerne blast
Quite overblowne, yet doth not passe so cleare,
But that it all the skie doth overcast
With darknes dred, and threatens all the world to wast. 450
XLVI
‘Ah! gentle knigh
t,’ then false Duessa sayd,
‘Why do ye strive for ladies love so sore,
Whose chiefe desire is love and friendly aid
Mongst gentle knights to nourish evermore?
Ne be ye wroth, Sir Scudamour, therefore, 455
That she your love list love another knight,
Ne do your selfe dislike a whit the more;
For love is free, and led with selfe delight,
Ne will enforced be with maisterdome or might.’
XLVII
So false Duessa, but vile Ate thus: 460
‘Both foolish knights, I can but laugh at both,
That strive and storme, with stirre outrageous,
For her that each of you alike doth loth,
And loves another, with whom now she goth
In lovely wise, and sleepes, and sports, and playes; 465
Whilest both you here with many a cursed oth
Sweare she is yours, and stirre up bloudie frayes,
To win a willow bough, whilest other weares the bayes.’
XLVIII
‘Vile hag,’ sayd Scudamour, ‘why dost thou lye?
And falsly seekst a vertuous wight to shame?’ 470
‘Fond knight,’ sayd she, ‘the thing that with this eye
I saw, why should I doubt to tell the same?’
‘Then tell,’ quoth Blandamour, ‘and feare no blame,
Tell what thou saw’st, maulgre who so it heares.’
‘I saw,’ quoth she, ‘a stranger knight, whose name 475
I wote not well, but in his shield he beares
(That well I wote) the heads of many broken speares.
XLIX
‘I saw him have your Amoret at will,
I saw him kisse, I saw him her embrace,
I saw him sleepe with her all night his fill, 480
All manie nights, and manie by in place,
That present were to testifie the case.’
Which when as Scudamour did heare, his heart
Was thrild with inward griefe, as when in chace
The Parthian strikes a stag with shivering dart, 485
The beast astonisht stands in middest of his smart.
L
So stood Sir Scudamour, when this he heard,
Ne word he had to speake for great dismay,
But lookt on Glauce grim, who woxe afeard
Of outrage for the words which she heard say, 490
Albee untrue she wist them by assay.
But Blandamour, whenas he did espie
His chaunge of cheere, that anguish did bewray,
He woxe full blithe, as he had got thereby,
And gan thereat to triumph without victorie. 495
LI
‘Lo! recreant,’ sayd he, ‘the fruitlesse end
Of thy vaine boast, and spoile of love misgotten,
Whereby the name of knight-hood thou dost shend,
And all true lovers with dishonor blotten:
All things not rooted well will soone be rotten.’ 500
‘Fy, fy! false knight,’ then false Duessa cryde,
‘Unworthy life, that love with guile hast gotten;
Be thou, where ever thou do go or ryde,
Loathed of ladies all, and of all knights defyde.’
LII
But Scudamour, for passing great despight, 505
Staid not to answer, scarcely did refraine,
But that in all those knights and ladies sight
He for revenge had guiltlesse Glauce slaine:
But being past, he thus began amaine:
‘False traitour squire, false squire of falsest knight, 510
Why doth mine hand from thine avenge abstaine,
Whose lord hath done my love this foule despight?
Why do I not it wreake on thee now in my might?
LIII
‘Discourteous, disloyall Britomart,
Untrue to God, and unto man unjust, 515
What vengeance due can equall thy desart,
That hast with shamefull spot of sinfull lust
Defil’d the pledge committed to thy trust?
Let ugly shame and endlesse infamy
Colour thy name with foule reproaches rust. 520
Yet thou, false squire, his fault shalt deare aby,
And with thy punishment his penance shalt supply.’
LIV
The aged dame, him seeing so enraged,
Was dead with feare; nathlesse, as neede required,
His flaming furie sought to have assuaged 525
With sober words, that sufferance desired
Till time the tryall of her truth expyred:
And evermore sought Britomart to clare.
But he the more with furious rage was fyred,
And thrise his hand to kill her did upreare, 530
And thrise he drew it backe: so did at last forbeare.
Faerie Queene Detailed Table of Contents
Glossary for ‘The Faerie Queene’
Canto II
Blandamour winnes false Florimell;
Paridell for her strives;
They are accorded: Agape
Doth lengthen her sonnes lives.
I
FIREBRAND of hell, first tynd in Phlegeton
By thousand furies, and from thence out throwen
Into this world, to worke confusion
And set it all on fire by force unknowen,
Is wicked discord, whose small sparkes once blowen 5
None but a god or godlike man can slake;
Such as was Orpheus, that when strife was growen
Amongst those famous ympes of Greece, did take
His silver harpe in hand, and shortly friends them make;
II
Or such as that celestiall Psalmist was, 10
That when the wicked feend his lord tormented,
With heavenly notes, that did all other pas,
The outrage of his furious fit relented.
Such musicke is wise words with time concented,
To moderate stiffe mindes, disposed to strive: 15
Such as that prudent Romane well invented,
What time his people into partes did rive,
Them reconcyld againe, and to their homes did drive.
III
Such us’d wise Glauce to that wrathfull knight,
To calme the tempest of his troubled thought: 20
Yet Blandamour, with termes of foule despight,
And Paridell her scornd, and set at nought,
As old and crooked and not good for ought.
Both they unwise, and warelesse of the evill
That by themselves unto themselves is wrought, 25
Through that false witch, and that foule aged drevill,
The one a feend, the other an incarnate devill.
IV
With whom as they thus rode accompanide,
They were encountred of a lustie knight,
That had a goodly ladie by his side, 30
To whom he made great dalliance and delight.
It was to weete the bold Sir Ferraugh hight,
He that from Braggadocchio whilome reft
The snowy Florimell, whose beautie bright
Made him seeme happie for so glorious theft; 35
Yet was it in due traill but a wandring weft.
V
Which when as Blandamour, whose fancie light
Was alwaies flitting, as the wavering wind,
After each beautie that appeard in sight,
Beheld, eftsoones it prickt his wanton mind 40
With sting of lust, that reasons eye did blind,
That to Sir Paridell these words he sent:
‘Sir knight, why ride ye dumpish thus behind,
Since so good fortune doth to you present
So fayre a spoyle, to make you joyous meriment?’ 45
VI
But Paridell, that had too late a tryall
Of the bad issue of his counsell
vaine,
List not to hearke, but made this faire denyall:
‘Last turne to hearke, but made this faire denyall:
This now be yours; God send you better gaine.’ 50
Whose scoffed words he taking halfe in scorne,
Fiercely forth prickt his steed, as in disdaine,
Against that knight, ere he him well could torne;
By meanes whereof he hath him lightly overborne.
VII
Who, with the sudden stroke astonisht sore 55
Upon the ground a while in slomber lay;
The whiles his love away the other bore,
And shewing her, did Paridell upbray:
‘Lo! sluggish knight, the victors happie pray!
So Fortune friends the bold:’ whom Paridell 60
Seeing so faire indeede, as he did say,
His hart with secret envie gan to swell,
And inly grudge at him, that he had sped so well.
VIII
Nathlesse proud man himselfe the other deemed,
Having so peerelesse paragon ygot: 65
For sure the fayrest Florimell him seemed
To him was fallen for his happie lot,
Whose like alive on earth he weened not:
Therefore he her did court, did serve, did wooe,
With humblest suit that he imagine mot, 70
And all things did devise, and all things dooe,
That might her love prepare, and liking win theretoo.
IX
She, in regard thereof, him recompenst
With golden words and goodly countenance,
And such fond favours sparingly dispenst: 75
Sometimes him blessing with a light eyeglance,
And coy lookes tempring with loose dalliance;
Sometimes estranging him in sterner wise;
That, having cast him in a foolish trance,
He seemed brought to bed in Paradise, 80
And prov’d himselfe most foole in what he seem’d most wise.
X
So great a mistresse of her art she was,
And perfectly practiz’d in womans craft,
That though therein himselfe he thought to pas,
And by his false allurements wylie draft 85
Had thousand women of their love beraft,
Yet now he was surpriz’d: for that false spright,
Which that same witch had in this forme engraft,
Was so expert in every subtile slight,
That it could overreach the wisest earthly wight. 90
XI
Yet he to her did dayly service more,
And dayly more deceived was thereby;
Yet Paridell him envied therefore,
As seeming plast in sole felicity:
So blind is lust, false colours to descry. 95
But Ate soone discovering his desire,
And finding now fit opportunity
To stirre up strife twixt love and spight and ire,
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