The Faerie Queene

by The Faerie Queen(Lit)

  The temple of great Venus, that is hight

  The Queene of beautie, and of loue the mother,

  There worshipped of euery liuing wight;

  Whose goodly workmanship farre past all other

  That euer were on earth, all were they set together.

  Not that same famous Temple of Diane,

  Whose hight all Ephesus did ouersee,

  And which all Asia sought with vowes prophane,

  One of the worlds seuen wonders sayd to bee,

  Might match with this by many a degree:

  Nor that, which that wise King of Iurie framed,

  With endlesse cost, to be th'Almighties see;

  Nor all that else through all the world is named

  To all the heathen Gods, might like to this be clamed.

  I much admyring that so goodly frame,

  Vnto the porch approcht, which open stood;

  But therein sate an amiable Dame,

  That seem'd to be of very sober mood,

  And in her semblant shewed great womanhood:

  Strange was her tyre; for on her head a crowne

  She wore much like vnto a Danisk hood

  Poudred with pearle and stone, and all her gowne

  Enwouen was with gold, that raught full low a downe.

  On either side of her, two young men stood,

  Both strongly arm'd, as fearing one another;

  Yet were they brethren both of halfe the blood,

  Begotten by two fathers of one mother,

  Though of contrarie natures each to other:

  The one of them hight Loue, the other Hate,

  Hate was the elder, Loue the younger brother;

  Yet was the younger stronger in his state

  Then th'elder, and him maystred still in all debate.

  Nathlesse that Dame so well them tempred both,

  That she them forced hand to ioyne in hand,

  Albe that Hatred was thereto full loth,

  And turn'd his face away, as he did stand,

  Vnwilling to behold that louely band.

  Yet she was of such grace and vertuous might,

  That her commaundment he could not withstand,

  But bit his lip for felonous despight,

  And gnasht his yron tuskes at that displeasing sight.

  Concord she cleeped was in common reed,

  Mother of blessed Peace, and Friendship trew;

  They both her twins, both borne of heauenly seed,

  And she her selfe likewise diuinely grew;

  The which right well her workes diuine did shew:

  For strength, and wealth, and happinesse she lends,

  And strife, and warre, and anger does subdew:

  Of litle much, of foes she maketh frends,

  And to afflicted minds sweet rest and quiet sends.

  By her the heauen is in his course contained,

  And all the world in state vnmoued stands,

  As their Almightie maker first ordained,

  And bound them with inuiolable bands;

  Else would the waters ouerflow the lands,

  And fire deuoure the ayre, and hell them quight,

  But that she holds them with her blessed hands.

  She is the nourse of pleasure and delight,

  And vnto Venus grace the gate doth open right.

  By her I entring halfe dismayed was,

  But she in gentle wise me entertayned,

  And twixt her selfe and Loue did let me pas;

  But Hatred would my entrance haue restrayned,

  And with his club me threatned to haue brayned,

  Had not the Ladie with her powrefull speach

  Him from his wicked will vneath refrayned;

  And th'other eke his malice did empeach,

  Till I was throughly past the perill of his reach.

  Into the inmost Temple thus I came,

  Which fuming all with frankensence I found,

  And odours rising from the altars flame.

  Vpon an hundred marble pillors round

  The roofe vp high was reared from the ground,

  All deckt with crownes, & chaynes, and girlands gay,

  And thousand pretious gifts worth many a pound,

  The which sad louers for their vowes did pay;

  And all the ground was strow'd with flowres, as fresh as May.

  An hundred Altars round about were set,

  All flaming with their sacrifices fire,

  That with the steme thereof the Temple swet,

  Which rould in clouds to heauen did aspire,

  And in them bore true louers vowes entire:

  And eke an hundred brasen caudrons bright,

  To bath in ioy and amorous desire,

  Euery of which was to a damzell hight;

  For all the Priests were damzels, in soft linnen dight.

  Right in the midst the Goddesse selfe did stand

  Vpon an altar of some costly masse,

  Whose substance was vneath to vnderstand:

  For neither pretious stone, nor durefull brasse,

  For shining gold, nor mouldring clay it was;

  But much more rare and pretious to esteeme,

  Pure in aspect, and like to christall glasse,

  Yet glasse was not, if one did rightly deeme,

  But being faire and brickle, likest glasse did seeme.

  But it in shape and beautie did excell

  All other Idoles, which the heathen adore

  Farre passing that, which by surpassing skill

  Phidias did make in Paphos Isle of yore,

  With which that wretched Greeke, that life forlore

  Did fall in loue: yet this much fairer shined,

  But couered with a slender veile afore;

  And both her feete and legs together twyned

  Were with a snake, whose head & tail were fast cõbyned.

  The cause why she was couered with a vele,

  Was hard to know, for that her Priests the same

  From peoples knowledge labour'd to concele.

  But sooth it was not sure for womanish shame,

  Nor any blemish, which the worke mote blame;

  But for, they say, she hath both kinds in one,

  Both male and female, both vnder one name:

  She syre and mother is her selfe alone,

  Begets and eke conceiues, ne needeth other none.

  And all about her necke and shoulders flew

  A flocke of litle loues, and sports, and ioyes,

  With nimble wings of gold and purple hew;

  Whose shapes seem'd not like to terrestriall boyes,

  But like to Angels playing heauenly toyes;

  The whilest their eldest brother was away,

  Cupid their eldest brother; he enioyes

  The wide kingdome of loue with Lordly sway,

  And to his law compels all creatures to obay.

  And all about her altar scattered lay

  Great sorts of louers piteously complayning,

  Some of their losse, some of their loues delay,

  Some of their pride, some paragons disdayning,

  Some fearing fraud, some fraudulently fayning,

  As euery one had cause of good or ill.

  Amongst the rest some one through loues constrayning,

  Tormented sore, could not containe it still,

  But thus brake forth, that all the temple it did fill.

  Great Venus, Queene of beautie and of grace,

  The ioy of Gods and men, that vnder skie

  Doest fayrest shine, and most adorne thy place,

  That with thy smyling looke doest pacifie

  The raging seas, and makst the stormes to flie;

  Thee goddesse, thee the winds, the clouds doe feare,

  And when thou spredst thy mantle forth on hie,

  The waters play and pleasant lands appeare,

  And heauens laugh, & all the world shews ioyous cheare.

  Then doth the dædale earth throw
forth to thee

  Out of her fruitfull lap aboundant flowres,

  And then all liuing wights, soone as they see

  The spring breake forth out of his lusty bowres,

  They all doe learne to play the Paramours;

  First doe the merry birds, thy prety pages

  Priuily pricked with thy lustfull powres,

  Chirpe loud to thee out of their leauy cages,

  And thee their mother call to coole their kindly rages.

  Then doe the saluage beasts begin to play

  Their pleasant friskes, and loath their wonted food;

  The Lyons rore, the Tygres loudly bray,

  The raging Buls rebellow through the wood,

  And breaking forth, dare tempt the deepest flood,

  To come where thou doest draw them with desire:

  So all things else, that nourish vitall blood,

  Soone as with fury thou doest them inspire,

  In generation seeke to quench their inward fire.

  So all the world by thee at first was made,

  And dayly yet thou doest the same repayre:

  Ne ought on earth that merry is and glad,

  Ne ought on earth that louely is and fayre,

  But thou the same for pleasure didst prepayre.

  Thou art the root of all that ioyous is,

  Great God of men and women, queene of th'ayre,

  Mother of laughter, and welspring of blisse,

  O graunt that of my loue at last I may not misse.

  So did he say: but I with murmure soft,

  That none might heare the sorrow of my hart,

  Yet inly groning deepe and sighing oft,

  Besought her to graunt ease vnto my smart,

  And to my wound her gratious help impart.

  Whilest thus I spake, behold with happy eye

  I spyde, where at the Idoles feet apart

  A beuie of fayre damzels close did lye,

  Wayting when as the Antheme should be sung on hye.

  The first of them did seeme of ryper yeares,

  And grauer countenance then all the rest;

  Yet all the rest were eke her equall peares,

  Yet vnto her obayed all the best.

  Her name was VVomanhood, that she exprest

  By her sad semblant and demeanure wyse:

  For stedfast still her eyes did fixed rest,

  Ne rov'd at randon after gazers guyse,

  Whose luring baytes oftimes doe heedlesse harts entyse.

  And next to her sate goodly Shamefastnesse,

  Ne euer durst her eyes from ground vpreare,

  Ne euer once did looke vp from her desse,

  As if some blame of euill she did feare,

  That in her cheekes made roses oft appeare:

  And her against sweet Cherefulnesse was placed,

  Whose eyes like twinkling stars in euening cleare,

  Were deckt with smyles, that all sad humors chaced,

  And darted forth delights, the which her goodly graced.

  And next to her sate sober Modestie,

  Holding her hand vpon her gentle hart;

  And her against sate comely Curtesie,

  That vnto euery person knew her part;

  And her before was seated ouerthwart

  Soft Silence, and submisse Obedience,

  Both linckt together neuer to dispart,

  Both gifts of God not gotten but from thence,

  Both girlonds of his Saints against their foes offence.

  Thus sate they all a round in seemely rate:

  And in the midst of them a goodly mayd,

  Euen in the lap of VVomanhood there sate,

  The which was all in lilly white arayd,

  With siluer streames amongst the linnen stray'd;

  Like to the Morne, when first her shyning face

  Hath to the gloomy world it selfe bewray'd,

  That same was fayrest Amoret in place,

  Shyning with beauties light, and heauenly vertues grace.

  Whom soone as I beheld, my hart gan throb,

  And wade in doubt, what best were to be donne:

  For sacrilege me seem'd the Church to rob,

  And folly seem'd to leaue the thing vndonne,

  Which with so strong attempt I had begonne.

  Tho shaking off all doubt and shamefast feare,

  Which Ladies loue I heard had neuer wonne

  Mongst men of worth, I to her stepped neare,

  And by the lilly hand her labour'd vp to reare.

  Thereat that formost matrone me did blame,

  And sharpe rebuke, for being ouer bold;

  Saying it was to Knight vnseemely shame,

  Vpon a recluse Virgin to lay hold,

  That vnto Venus seruices was sold.

  To whom I thus, Nay but it fitteth best,

  For Cupids man with Venus mayd to hold,

  For ill your goddesse seruices are drest

  By virgins, and her sacrifices let to rest.

  With that my shield I forth to her did show,

  Which all that while I closely had conceld;

  On which when Cupid with his killing bow

  And cruell shafts emblazond she beheld,

  At sight thereof she was with terror queld,

  And said no more: but I which all that while

  The pledge of faith, her hand engaged held,

  Like warie Hynd within the weedie soyle,

  For no intreatie would forgoe so glorious spoyle.

  And euermore vpon the Goddesse face

  Mine eye was fixt, for feare of her offence:

  Whom when I saw with amiable grace

  To laugh at me, and fauour my pretence,

  I was emboldned with more confidence;

  And nought for nicenesse nor for enuy sparing,

  In presence of them all forth led her thence:

  All looking on, and like astonisht staring,

  Yet to lay hand on her, not one of all them daring.

  She often prayd, and often me besought,

  Sometime with tender teares to let her goe,

  Sometime with witching smyles: but yet for nought,

  That euer she to me could say or doe,

  Could she her wished freedome fro me wooe;

  But forth I led her through the Temple gate,

  By which I hardly past with much adoe:

  But that same Ladie which me friended late

  In entrance, did me also friend in my retrate.

  No lesse did Daunger threaten me with dread,

  When as he saw me, maugre all his powre,

  That glorious spoyle of beautie with me lead,

  Then Cerberus, when Orpheus did recoure

  His Leman from the Stygian Princes boure.

  But euermore my shield did me defend,

  Against the storme of euery dreadfull stoure:

  Thus safely with my loue I thence did wend.

  So ended he his tale, where I this Canto end.

  Cant. XI.

  Marinells former wound is heald,

  he comes to Proteus hall,

  Where Thames doth the Medway wedd,

  and feasts the Sea-gods all.

  B Vt ah for pittie that I haue thus long

  Left a fayre Ladie languishing in payne:

  Now well away, that I haue doen such wrong,

  To let faire Florimell in bands remayne,

  In bands of loue, and in sad thraldomes chayne;

  From which vnlesse some heauenly powre her free

  By miracle, not yet appearing playne,

  She lenger yet is like captiu'd to bee:

  That euen to thinke thereof, it inly pitties mee.

  Here neede you to remember, how erewhile

  Vnlouely Proteus, missing to his mind

  That Virgins loue to win by wit or wile,

  Her threw into a dongeon deepe and blind,

  And there in chaynes her cruelly did bind,

  In hope thereby her to his ben
t to draw:

  For when as neither gifts nor graces kind

  Her constant mind could moue at all he saw,

  He thought her to compell by crueltie and awe.

  Deepe in the bottome of an huge great rocke

  The dongeon was, in which her bound he left,

  That neither yron barres, nor brasen locke

  Did neede to gard from force, or secret theft

  Of all her louers, which would her haue reft.

  For wall'd it was with waues, which rag'd and ror'd

  As they the cliffe in peeces would haue cleft;

  Besides ten thousand monsters foule abhor'd

  Did waite about it, gaping griesly all begor'd.

  And in the midst thereof did horror dwell,

  And darkenesse dredd, that neuer viewed day,

  Like to the balefull house of lowest hell,

  In which old Styx her aged bones alway,

  Old Styx the Grandame of the Gods, doth lay.

  There did this lucklesse mayd seuen months abide,

  Ne euer euening saw, ne mornings ray,

  Ne euer from the day the night descride,

  But thought it all one night, that did no houres diuide.

  And all this was for loue of Marinell,

  Who her despysd (ah who would her despyse?)

  And wemens loue did from his hart expell,

  And all those ioyes that weake mankind entyse.

  Nathlesse his pride full dearely he did pryse;

  For of a womans hand it was ywroke,

  That of the wound he yet in languor lyes,

  Ne can be cured of that cruell stroke

  Which Britomart him gaue, when he did her prouoke.

  Yet farre and neare the Nymph his mother sought,

  And many salues did to his sore applie,

  And many herbes did vse. But when as nought

  She saw could ease his rankling maladie,

  At last to Tryphon she for helpe did hie,

  (This Tryphon is the seagods surgeon hight)

  Whom she besought to find some remedie:

  And for his paines a whistle him behight

  That of a fishes shell was wrought with rare delight.

  So well that Leach did hearke to her request,

  And did so well employ his carefull paine,

  That in short space his hurts he had redrest,