The Faerie Queene

by The Faerie Queen(Lit)

  Many meeke wordes, to stay and comfort her withall.

  But nothing might relent her hastie flight;

  So deepe the deadly feare of that foule swaine

  Was earst impressed in her gentle spright:

  Like as a fearefull Doue, which through the raine,

  Of the wide aire her way does cut amaine,

  Hauing farre off espyde a Tassell gent,

  Which after her his nimble wings doth straine,

  Doubleth her haste for feare to be for-hent,

  And with her pineons cleaues the liquid firmament.

  With no lesse haste, and eke with no lesse dreed,

  That fearefull Ladie fled from him, that ment

  To her no euill thought, nor euill deed;

  Yet former feare of being fowly shent,

  Carried her forward with her first intent:

  And though oft looking backward, well she vewd,

  Her selfe freed from that foster insolent,

  And that it was a knight, which now her sewd,

  Yet she no lesse the knight feard, then that villein rude.

  His vncouth shield and straunge armes her dismayd,

  Whose like in Faery lond were seldome seene,

  That fast she from him fled, no lesse affrayd,

  Then of wilde beastes if she had chased beene:

  Yet he her followd still with courage keene,

  So long that now the golden Hesperus

  Was mounted high in top of heauen sheene,

  And warnd his other brethren ioyeous,

  To light their blessed lamps in Ioues eternall hous.

  All suddenly dim woxe the dampish ayre,

  And griesly shadowes couered heauen bright,

  That now with thousand starres was decked fayre;

  Which when the Prince beheld, a lothfull sight,

  And that perforce, for want of lenger light,

  He mote surcease his suit, and lose the hope

  Of his long labour, he gan fowly wyte

  His wicked fortune, that had turnd aslope,

  And cursed night, that reft from him so goodly scope.

  Tho when her wayes he could no more descry,

  But to and fro at disauenture strayd;

  Like as a ship, whose Lodestarre suddenly

  Couered with cloudes, her Pilot hath dismayd;

  His wearisome pursuit perforce he stayd,

  And from his loftie steed dismounting low,

  Did let him forage. Downe himselfe he layd

  Vpon the grassie ground, to sleepe a throw;

  The cold earth was his couch, the hard steele his pillow.

  But gentle Sleepe enuyde him any rest;

  In stead thereof sad sorrow, and disdaine

  Of his hard hap did vexe his noble brest,

  And thousand fancies bet his idle braine

  With their light wings, the sights of semblants vaine:

  Oft did he wish, that Lady faire mote bee

  His Faery Queene, for whom he did complaine:

  Or that his Faery Queene were such, as shee:

  And euer hastie Night he blamed bitterlie.

  Night thou foule Mother of annoyance sad,

  Sister of heauie death, and nourse of woe,

  Which wast begot in heauen, but for thy bad

  And brutish shape thrust downe to hell below,

  Where by the grim floud of Cocytus slow

  Thy dwelling is, in Herebus blacke hous,

  (Blacke Herebus thy husband is the foe

  Of all the Gods) where thou vngratious,

  Halfe of thy dayes doest lead in horrour hideous.

  What had th'eternall Maker need of thee,

  The world in his continuall course to keepe,

  That doest all things deface, ne lettest see

  The beautie of his worke? Indeed in sleepe

  The slouthfull bodie, that doth loue to steepe

  His lustlesse limbes, and drowne his baser mind,

  Doth praise thee oft, and oft from Stygian deepe

  Calles thee, his goddesse in his error blind,

  And great Dame Natures handmaide, chearing euery kind.

  But well I wote, that to an heauy hart

  Thou art the root and nurse of bitter cares,

  Breeder of new, renewer of old smarts:

  In stead of rest thou lendest rayling teares,

  In stead of sleepe thou sendest troublous feares,

  And dreadfull visions, in the which aliue

  The drearie image of sad death appeares:

  So from the wearie spirit thou doest driue

  Desired rest, and men of happinesse depriue.

  Vnder thy mantle blacke there hidden lye,

  Light-shonning theft, and traiterous intent,

  Abhorred bloudshed, and vile felony,

  Shamefull deceipt, and daunger imminent;

  Foule horror, and eke hellish dreriment:

  All these I wote in thy protection bee,

  And light doe shonne, for feare of being shent:

  For light ylike is loth'd of them and thee,

  And all that lewdnesse loue, doe hate the light to see.

  For day discouers all dishonest wayes,

  And sheweth each thing, as it is indeed:

  The prayses of high God he faire displayes,

  And his large bountie rightly doth areed.

  Dayes dearest children be the blessed seed,

  Which darknesse shall subdew, and heauen win;

  Truth is his daughter; he her first did breed,

  Most sacred virgin, without spot of sin.

  Our life is day, but death with darknesse doth begin.

  O when will day then turne to me againe,

  And bring with him his long expected light?

  O Titan, haste to reare thy ioyous waine:

  Speed thee to spred abroad thy beames bright?

  And chase away this too long lingring night,

  Chase her away, from whence she came, to hell.

  She, she it is, that hath me done despight:

  There let her with the damned spirits dwell,

  And yeeld her roome to day, that can it gouerne well.

  Thus did the Prince that wearie night outweare,

  In restlesse anguish and vnquiet paine:

  And earely, ere the morrow did vpreare

  His deawy head out of the Ocean maine,

  He vp arose, as halfe in great disdaine,

  And clombe vnto his steed. So forth he went,

  With heauie looke and lumpish pace, that plaine

  In him bewraid great grudge and maltalent:

  His steed eke seem'd t'apply his steps to his intent.

  Cant. V.

  Prince Arthur heares of Florimell:

  three fosters Timias wound,

  Belphebe finds him almost dead,

  and reareth out of sownd.

  VV Onder it is to see, in diuerse minds,

  How diuersly loue doth his pageants play,

  And shewes his powre in variable kinds:

  The baser wit, whose idle thoughts alway

  Are wont to cleaue vnto the lowly clay,

  It stirreth vp to sensuall desire,

  And in lewd slouth to wast his carelesse day:

  But in braue sprite it kindles goodly fire,

  That to all high desert and honour doth aspire.

  Ne suffereth it vncomely idlenesse,

  In his free thought to build her sluggish nest:

  Ne suffereth it thought of vngentlenesse,

  Euer to creepe into his noble brest,

  But to the highest and the worthiest

  Lifteth it vp, that else would lowly fall:

  It lets not fall, it lets it not to rest:

  It lets not scarse this Prince to breath at all,

  But to his first poursuit him forward still doth call.

  Who long time wandred through the forrest wyde,

  To finde some issue thence, till that at last

 
He met a Dwarfe, that seemed terrifyde

  With some late perill, which he hardly past,

  Or other accident, which him aghast;

  Of whom he asked, whence he lately came,

  And whither now he trauelled so fast:

  For sore he swat, and running through that same

  Thicke forest, was bescratcht, & both his feet nigh lame.

  Panting for breath, and almost out of hart,

  The Dwarfe him answerd, Sir, ill mote I stay

  To tell the same. I lately did depart

  From Faery court, where I haue many a day

  Serued a gentle Lady of great sway,

  And high accompt throughout all Elfin land,

  Who lately left the same, and tooke this way:

  Her now I seeke, and if ye vnderstand

  Which way she fared hath, good Sir tell out of hand.

  What mister wight (said he) and how arayd?

  Royally clad (quoth he) in cloth of gold,

  As meetest may beseeme a noble mayd;

  Her faire lockes in rich circlet be enrold,

  A fairer wight did neuer Sunne behold,

  And on a Palfrey rides more white then snow,

  Yet she her selfe is whiter manifold:

  The surest signe, whereby ye may her know,

  Is, that she is the fairest wight aliue, I trow.

  Now certes swaine (said he) such one I weene,

  Fast flying through this forest from her fo,

  A foule ill fauoured foster, I haue seene;

  Her selfe, well as I might, I reskewd tho,

  But could not stay; so fast she did foregoe,

  Carried away with wings of speedy feare.

  Ah dearest God (quoth he) that is great woe,

  And wondrous ruth to all, that shall it heare.

  But can ye read Sir, how I may her find, or where.

  Perdy me leuer were to weeten that,

  (Said he) then ransome of the richest knight,

  Or all the good that euer yet I gat:

  But froward fortune, and too forward Night

  Such happinesse did, maulgre, to me spight,

  And fro me reft both life and light attone.

  But Dwarfe aread, what is that Lady bright,

  That through this forest wandreth thus alone;

  For of her errour straunge I haue great ruth and mone.

  That Lady is (quoth he) where so she bee,

  The bountiest virgin, and most debonaire,

  That euer liuing eye I weene did see;

  Liues none this day, that may with her compare

  In stedfast chastitie and vertue rare,

  The goodly ornaments of beautie bright;

  And is ycleped Florimell the faire,

  Faire Florimell belou'd of many a knight,

  Yet she loues none but one, that Marinell is hight.

  A Sea-nymphes sonne, that Marinell is hight,

  Of my deare Dame is loued dearely well;

  In other none, but him, she sets delight,

  All her delight is set on Marinell;

  But he sets nought at all by Florimell:

  For Ladies loue his mother long ygoe

  Did him, they say, forwarne through sacred spell.

  But fame now flies, that of a forreine foe

  He is yslaine, which is the ground of all our woe.

  Fiue dayes there be, since he (they say) was slaine,

  And foure, since Florimell the Court for-went,

  And vowed neuer to returne againe,

  Till him aliue or dead she did inuent.

  Therefore, faire Sir, for loue of knighthood gent,

  And honour of trew Ladies, if ye may

  By your good counsell, or bold hardiment,

  Or succour her, or me direct the way;

  Do one, or other good, I you most humbly pray.

  So may ye gaine to you full great renowme,

  Of all good Ladies through the world so wide,

  And haply in her hart find highest rowme,

  Of whom ye seeke to be most magnifide:

  At least eternall meede shall you abide.

  To whom the Prince; Dwarfe, comfort to thee take,

  For till thou tidings learne, what her betide,

  I here auow thee neuer to forsake.

  Ill weares he armes, that nill them vse for Ladies sake.

  So with the Dwarfe he backe return'd againe,

  To seeke his Lady, where he mote her find;

  But by the way he greatly gan complaine

  The want of his good Squire late left behind,

  For whom he wondrous pensiue grew in mind,

  For doubt of daunger, which mote him betide;

  For him he loued aboue all mankind,

  Hauing him trew and faithfull euer tride,

  And bold, as euer Squire that waited by knights side.

  Who all this while full hardly was assayd

  Of deadly daunger, which to him betid;

  For whiles his Lord pursewd that noble Mayd,

  After that foster fowle he fiercely rid,

  To bene auenged of the shame, he did

  To that faire Damzell: Him he chaced long

  Through the thicke woods, wherein he would haue hid

  His shamefull head from his auengement strong.

  And oft him threatned death for his outrageous wrong.

  Nathlesse the villen sped him selfe so well,

  Whether through swiftnesse of his speedy beast,

  Or knowledge of those woods, where he did dwell,

  That shortly he from daunger was releast,

  And out of sight escaped at the least;

  Yet not escaped from the dew reward

  Of his bad deeds, which dayly he increast,

  Ne ceased not, till him oppressed hard

  The heauy plague, that for such leachours is prepard.

  For soone as he was vanisht out of sight,

  His coward courage gan emboldned bee,

  And cast t'auenge him of that fowle despight,

  Which he had borne of his bold enimee.

  Tho to his brethren came: for they were three

  Vngratious children of one gracelesse sire,

  And vnto them complained, how that he

  Had vsed bene of that foolehardy Squire;

  So them with bitter words he stird to bloudy ire.

  Forthwith themselues with their sad instruments

  Of spoyle and murder they gan arme byliue,

  And with him forth into the forest went,

  To wreake the wrath, which he did earst reuiue

  In their sterne brests, on him which late did driue

  Their brother to reproch and shamefull flight:

  For they had vow'd, that neuer he aliue

  Out of that forest should escape their might;

  Vile rancour their rude harts had fild with such despight.

  Within that wood there was a couert glade,

  Foreby a narrow foord, to them well knowne,

  Through which it was vneath for wight to wade;

  And now by fortune it was ouerflowne:

  By that same way they knew that Squire vnknowne

  Mote algates passe; for thy, themselues they set

  There in await, with thicke woods ouer growne,

  And all the while their malice they did whet

  With cruell threats, his passage through the ford to let.

  It fortuned, as they deuized had,

  The gentle Squire came ryding that same way,

  Vnweeting of their wile and treason bad,

  And through the ford to passen did assay;

  But that fierce foster, which late fled away,

  Stoutly forth stepping on the further shore,

  Him boldly bad his passage there to stay,

  Till he had made amends, and full restore

  For all the damage, which he had him doen afore.

  With that at him a quiu'ring dart he threw,

  With so fell fo
rce and villeinous despighte,

  That through his haberieon the forkehead flew,

  And through the linked mayles empierced quite,

  But had no powre in his soft flesh to bite:

  That stroke the hardy Squire did sore displease,

  But more that him he could not come to smite;

  For by no meanes the high banke he could sease,

  But labour'd long in that deepe ford with vaine disease.

  And still the foster with his long bore-speare

  Him kept from landing at his wished will;

  Anone one sent out of the thicket neare

  A cruell shaft, headed with deadly ill,

  And fethered with an vnlucky quill;

  The wicked steele stayd not, till it did light

  In his left thigh, and deepely did it thrill:

  Exceeding griefe that wound in him empight,

  But more that with his foes he could not come to fight.

  At last through wrath and vengeaunce making way,

  He on the bancke arriu'd with mickle paine,

  Where the third brother him did sore assay,

  And droue at him with all his might and maine

  A forrest bill, which both his hands did straine;

  But warily he did auoide the blow,

  And with his speare requited him againe,

  That both his sides were thrilled with the throw,

  And a large streame of bloud out of the wound did flow.

  He tombling downe, with gnashing teeth did bite

  The bitter earth, and bad to let him in

  Into the balefull house of endlesse night,

  Where wicked ghosts do waile their former sin.

  Tho gan the battell freshly to begin;

  For nathemore for that spectacle bad,

  Did th'other two their cruell vengeaunce blin,

  But both attonce on both sides him bestad,

  And load vpon him layd, his life for to haue had.

  Tho when that villain he auiz'd, which late

  Affrighted had the fairest Florimell,

  Full of fiers fury, and indignant hate,

  To him he turned, and with rigour fell

  Smote him so rudely on the Pannikell,

  That to the chin he cleft his head in twaine:

  Downe on the ground his carkas groueling fell;

  His sinfull soule with desperate disdaine,