Forsaken Truth long seekes her louelove,
And makes the Lyon mylde,
Marres blind DeuotionsDevotions mart, &and fals
In hand of leachour vylde.
[1]
NOught Nought is there vnderunder heau’ns wide hollownesse,
That mouesmoves more deare compassion of mind,
1590.bk1.I.iii.1.3. Then: ThanThenThan beautie brought t’vnworthieunworthie wretchednesse
Through enuiesenvies snares or fortunes freakes vnkindunkind:
I, whether lately through her brightnesbrightne
brightneſſebrightnesse
blynd,
Or through alleageance and fast fealty,
Which I do owe vntounto all womankynd,
Feele my hart perst with so great agony,
When such I see, that all for pitty I
could dy.
[2]
And now it is empassioned so deepe,
For fairest VnaesUnaes sake, of whom I sing,
That my frayle eies these lines with teares do steepe,
To
thinke, how ſ⁀he through guyleful handeling,thinke, how she through guyleful
handeling,
thinke how ſ⁀he through guylefull handelingthinke how she through guylefull
handeling
thinke how ſ⁀he through guilefull handeling,thinke how she through guilefull
handeling,
Though true as touch, though daughter of a king,
Though faire as euerever
liuingliving wight was fayre,
Though nor in word nor deede ill meriting,
Is from her knight diuorceddivorced in despayre
And her dew louesloves
deryu’dderyv’d to that vile witches shayre.
[3]
Yet she most faithfull Ladie all this
while
Forsaken, wofull, solitarie mayd
Far from all peoples preace, as in exile,
In wildernesse and wastfull deserts strayd,
To seeke her knight; who subtily betrayd
Through that late vision, which th’Enchaunter wrought
Had her abandond. She of nought affrayd,
Through woods and wastnes wide him daily sought;
Yet wished tydinges none of him
vntounto
vno [turned ’t’]uno [turned
’t’]
vntounto
her brought.
[4]
One day nigh wearie of the yrkesome
way,
From her vnhastieunhastie beast she did alight,
And on the grasse her dainty limbs did lay
In secrete shadow, far from all mens sight:
From her fayre head her fillet she vndightundight,
And layd her stole aside. Her angels face
As the great eye of heauenheaven shyned bright,
And made a sunshine in the shady place;
Did neuernever mortall eye behold such heauenlyheavenly grace.
[5]
It fortuned out of the thickest wood
A ramping Lyon rushed suddeinly,
Hunting full greedy after saluagesalvage blood;
Soone as the royall virgin he did spy,
With gaping mouth at her ran greedily,
To hauehave attonce deuourddevourd her tender corse:
But to the pray when as he drew more ny,
His bloody rage aswaged with remorse,
And with the sight amazd, forgat his
furious forse.
[6]
In stead thereof he kist her wearie
feet,
And lickt her lilly hands with fawning tong,
As he her wronged innocence did weet.
O how can beautie maister the most strong,
And simple truth subdue auengingavenging wrong?
Whose yielded pryde and proud submission,
Still dreading death, when she had marked long,
Her hart gan melt in great compassion,
And drizling teares did shed for pure
affection.
[7]
The Lyon Lord of euerieeverie beast in field
Quoth she, his princely puissance doth abate,
And mightie proud to humble weake does yield,
Forgetfull of the hungry rage, which late
Him prickt, in pit tiepittie of my sad estate:
But he my Lyon, and my noble Lord
How does he find in cruell hart to hate
Her that him lou’dlov’d, and euerever most adord,
As the God of my life? why hath he me
abhord?
[8]
Redounding teares did choke th’end of
her plaint,
Which softly ecchoed from the neighbour wood;
And sad to see her sorrowfull constraint
The kingly
beaſtbeast
beaſt,beast,
beaſtbeast
vponupon her gazing stood;
With pittie calmd, downe fell his angry mood.
At last in close hart shutting vpup her payne,
Arose the virgin borne of heauenlyheavenly brood,
And to her snowy Palfrey got agayne,
To seeke her strayed Champion, if she
might attayne.
[9]
The Lyon would not leaueleave her desolate,
But with her went along, as a strong gard
Of her chast person, and a faythfull mate
Of her sad troubles and misfortunes hard:
Still when she slept, he kept both watch and ward,
And when she wakt, he wayted diligent,
With humble seruiceservice to her will prepard:
From her fayre eyes he tooke commandement,
And euerever by her lookes conceiuedconceived her intent.i ntent.
[10]
Long she thus traueiledtraveiled through deserts wyde,
By which she thought her wandring knight shold pas,
Yet neuernever shew of liuingliving wight espyde;
Till that at length she found the troden gras,
In which the tract of peoples footing was,
VnderUnder the steepe foot of a mountaine hore;
The same she followes, till at last she has
A damzell spyde slow footing her before,
That on her shoulders sad a pot of
water bore.
[11]
To whom approching she to her gan
call,
To weet, if dwelling place were nigh at hand;
But the rude wench her answerd nought at all,
She could not heare, nor speake, nor vnderstandunderstand;
Till seeing by her side the Lyon stand,
With suddeine feare her pitcher downe she threw,
And fled away: for neuernever in that land
Face of fayre Lady she before did vew,
And that dredd Lyons looke her cast in
deadly hew.
[12]
Full fast she fled, ne euerever lookt behynd,
As if her life vponupon the wager lay,
And home she came, whereas her mother blynd
Sate in eternall night: nought could she say,
But suddeine catching hold did her dismay
With quaking hands, and other signes of feare:
Who full of ghastly fright and cold affray,
Gan shut the dore. By this arriuedarrived there
Dame VnaUna, weary Dame, and entrance did requere.
[13]
Which when none yielded, her vnrulyunruly Page
With his rude clawes the wicket open rent,
And let her in; where of his cruell rage
Nigh dead with feare, and faint astonishment,
Shee found them both in darkesomedarkefome corner pent;
Where that old woman day and night did pray
VponUpon her beads deuoutlydevoutly penitent;
Nine hundred Pater nosters
eueryevery day,
And thrise nine hundred AuesAves she was wont to say.
[14]
And to augment her painefull penaunce
more,
Thrise eueryevery weeke in ashes shee did sitt,
And next her wrinkled skin rough sackecloth wore,
And thrise three times did fast from any bitt:
But now for feare her beads she did forgett.
Whose needelesse dread for to remoueremove away,
Faire VnaUna framed words and count’naunce fitt:
Which hardly doen, at length she gan them pray,
That in their cotage small that night
she rest her may.
[15]
The day is spent, and commeth drowsie
night,
When eueryevery creature shrowded is in sleepe;
Sad VnaUna downe her laies in weary plight,
And at her feete the Lyon watch doth keepe:
In stead of rest, she does lament, and weepe
For the late losse of her deare louedloved knight,
And sighes, and grones, and euermoreevermore does steepe
Her tender brest in bitter teares all night,
All night she thinks too long, and
often lookes for light.
[16]
Now when Aldeboran was mounted hye
AboueAbove the shinie Cassiopeias chaire,
And all in deadly sleepe did drowned lye,
One knocked at the dore, and in would fare;
He knocked fast, and often curst, and sware,
That ready entraunce was not at his call:
For on his backe a heauyheavy load he bare
Of nightly stelths and pillage seuerallseverall,
Which he had got abroad by purchas criminall.criminall,
[17]
He was to weete a stout and sturdy
thiefe,
Wont to robbe Churches of their ornaments,
And poore mens boxes of their due reliefe,
Which giuengiven was to them for good intents;
The holy Saints of their rich vestiments
He did disrobe, when all men carelesse slept,
And spoild the Priests of their habiliments,
Whiles none the holy things in safety kept;
Then he by conning sleights in at the
window crept.
[18]
And all that he by right or wrong could
find,
VntoUnto this house he brought, and did bestow
VponUpon the daghter of this woman blind,
Abessa daughter of Corceca slow,
With whom he whoredome vsdusd, that few did know,
And fed her fatt with feast of offerings,
And plenty, which in all the land did grow;
Ne spared he to giuegive her gold and rings:
And now he to her brought part of his
stolen things.
[19]
Thus long the dore with rage and
threats he bett,
Yet of those fearfull women none durst rize,
The Lyon frayed them, him in to lett:
He would no lenger stay him to aduizeadvize,
But open breakes the dore in furious wize,
And entring is; when that disdainfull beast
Encountring fierce, him suddein doth surprize,
And seizing cruell clawes on trembling brest,
VnderUnder his Lordly foot him proudly hath supprest.
[20]
Him booteth not resist, nor succour
call,
His bleeding hart is in the vengers hand,
Who streight him rent in thousand peeces small,
And quite dismembred hath: the thirsty land
Dronke vpup his life; his corse left on the strand.
His fearefull freends weare out the wofull night,
Ne dare to weepe, nor seeme to vnderstandunderstand
The heauieheavie hap, which on them is alight,
Affraid, least to themseluesthemselves the like mishappen might.
[21]
Now when broad day the world discouereddiscovered has,
VpUp
VnaUna rose, vpup rose the lyon eke,
And on their former iourneyjourney forward pas,
In waies vnknowneunknowne, her wandring knight to seeke,
With paines far passing that long wandring Greeke,
That for his louelove refused deitye;
Such were the labours of this Lady meeke,
Still seeking him, that from her still did flye,
Then furthest from her hope, whẽwhen most she weened nye.
[22]
Soone as she parted thence, the
fearfull twayne,
That blind old woman and her daughter dear
Came forth, and finding Kirkrapine
there slayne,
For anguish great they gan to rend their heare,
And beat their brests, and naked flesh to teare.
And whenwhcn they both had wept and wayld their fill,
Then forth they ran like two amazed deare,
Halfe mad through malice, and reuengingrevenging will,
To follow her, that was the causer of
their ill.
[23]
Whome ouertakingovertaking, they gan loudly bray,
With hollow houling, and lamenting cry,
Shamefully at her rayling all the way,
And her accusing of dishonesty,
That was the flowre of faith and chastity;
And still amidst her rayling she did pray,
That plagues, and mischiefes, and long misery
Might fall on her, and follow all the way,
And that in endlesse error she might euerever stray.
[24]
But when she saw her prayers nought preuaileprevaile,
Shee backe retourned with some labour lost;
And in the way, as shee did weepe and waile,
A knight her mett in mighty armes embost,
Yet knight was not for all his bragging bost,
But subtill Archimag, that VnaUna sought
By traynes into new troubles to hauehave toste:
Of that old woman tidings he besought,
If that of such a Lady shee could
tellen ought.
[25]
Therewith she gan her passion to
renew,
And cry, and curse, and raile, and rend her heare,
Saying, that harlott she too lately knew,
That causd her shed so many a bitter teare,
And so forth told the story of her feare:
Much seemed he to mone her haplesse chaunce,
And after for that Lady did inquere;
Which being taught, he forward gan aduaunceadvaunce
His fair enchaunted steed, and eke his
charmed launce.
[26]
Ere long he came, where VnaUna
traueildtraveild slow,
And that wilde Champion wayting her besyde:
Whome seeing such, for dread hee durst not show
Him selfe too nigh at hand, but turned wyde
VntoUnto an hil; from whence when she him spyde,
By his like seeming shield her knight by name
Shee weend it was, and towards him gan ride:
Approching nigh she wist, it was the same,
And with faire fearefull humblesse
towards him shee came.
[27]
And weeping said, Ah my long lacked
Lord,
Where hauehave ye bene thus long out of my sight?
Much feared I to hauehave bene quite abhord,
Or ought hauehave done, that ye displeasen might,
That should as death vntounto my deare heart light;
For since mine eie your ioyousjoyous sight did mis,
My chearefull day is turnd to chearelesse night,
And eke my night of death the shadow is;
But welcome now my light, and shining
lampe of blis.
[28]
He thereto meeting said, My dearest
Dame,
Far be it from your thought, and fro my wil,
To thinke that knighthood I so much should shame,
As you to leaueleave, that hauehave me louedloved stil,
And chose in Faery court of meere goodwil,
Where noblest knights were to be found on earth:e a rthearth:
The earth shall sooner leaueleave her kindly skil
To bring forthfoth fruit, and make eternall derth,
Then I leaueleave you, my liefe, yborn of heuenly berth.
[29]
And sooth to say, why I lefte you so
long,
Was for to seeke aduentureadventure in straunge place,
Where Archimago said a felon strong
To many knights did daily worke disgrace;
But knight he now shall neuernever more deface,
Good cause of mine excuse, that mote ye please
Well to accept, and euerever more embrace
My faithfull seruiceservice, that by land and seas
HaueHave vowd you to defend. Now then your plaint appease.
[30]
His louelylovely words her seemd due recompence
Of all her passed paines: one louingloving howre
For many yeares of sorrow can dispence:
A dram of sweete is worth a pound of sowre:
Shee has forgott, how many’amany, amany a woeful stowre
For him she late endurd; she speakes no more
Of past: true is, that true louelove hath no powre
To looken backe; his eies be fixt before.
Before her stands her knight, for whom
she toyld so sore.
[31]
Much like, as when the beaten
marinere,
That long hath wandred in the Ocean wide,
Ofte soust in swelling Tethys
saltish teare,
And long time hauinghaving tand his tawney hide,
With blustring breath of HeauẽHeauenHeavẽHeaven, that none can bide,
And scorching flames of fierce Orions hound,
Soone as the port from far he has espide,
His chearfull whistle merily doth sound,
And Nereus crownes with cups; his mates him pledg around.
[32]
Such ioyjoy made VnaUna, when her knight she found;
And eke th’enchaunter ioyousjoyous seemde no lesse,
1590.bk1.I.iii.32.3. Then: ThanThenThan the glad marchant, that does vew from ground
His ship far come from watrie wildernesse,
He hurles out vowes, and Neptune
oft doth blesse:
So forth they past, and all the way they spent
Discoursing of her dreadful late distresse,
In which he askt her, what the Lyon ment:
Who told her all that fell in iourneyjourney, as she went.
[33]
They had not ridden far, when they
might see
One pricking towards them with hastie heat,
Full strongly armd, and on a courser free,
That through his fiersnesse fomed all with sweat,
And the sharpe yron did for anger eat,
When his hot ryder spurd his chauffed side;
His looke was sterne, and seemed still to threat
Cruell reuengerevenge, which he in hart did hyde,
And on his shield Sans loy in bloody lines was dyde.
[34]
When nigh he drew vntounto this gentle payre
And saw the Red-crosse, which the knight did beare,
He burnt in fire, and gan eftsoones prepare
Himselfe to batteill with his couched speare.
Loth was that other, and did faint through feare,fea,feare
To taste th’vntryedth’untryed dint of deadly steele;
But yet his Lady did so well him cheare,
That hope of new good hap he gan to feele;
So bent his speare, and
ſpurdspurd
ſpurndspurnd
his horse with yron heele.
[35]
But that proud Paynim forward came so
ferce,
And full of wrath, that with his sharphead speare
Through vainly crossed shield he quite did perce,
And had his staggering steed not shronke for feare,
Through shield and body eke he should him beare:
Yet so great was the puissance of his push,
That from his sadle quite he did him beare:
He tombling rudely downe to ground did rush,
And from his gored wound a well of
bloud did gush.
[36]
Dismounting lightly from his loftie
steed,
He to him lept, in minde to reauereave his life,
And proudly said, Lo there the worthie meed
Of him, that slew Sansfoy with bloody knife;
Henceforth his ghost freed from repining strife,
In peace may passen ouerover
Lethe lake,
When mourning altars purgd with enimies life,
The black infernall Furies doen
aslake:
Life from Sansfoy thou tookst, Sansloy shall frõfrom thee take.
[37]
Therewith in haste his helmet gan vnlaceunlace,
Till VnaUna cride, O hold that heauieheavie hand,
Deare Sir, what euerever that thou be in place:
Enough is, that thy foe doth vanquisht
ſtandstand
ſtand;stand;
ſtandstand
Now at thy mercy: Mercy not withstand
withſtand:withstand:
withſtandwithstand
withſtand:withstand:
For he is one the truest knight aliuealive,
Though conquered now he lye on lowly land,
And whilest him fortune fauourdfavourd, fayre did thriuethrive
In bloudy field: therefore of life him
not
depriue.
[38]
Her piteous wordes might not abate his
rage,
But rudely rending vpup his helmet, would
HaueHave slayne him streight: but when he sees his age,
And hoarie head of Archimago old,
His hasty hand he doth amased hold,
And halfe ashamed, wondred at the sight:
For thatFor
theFor, the old man well knew he, though vntolduntold,
In charmes and magick to hauehave wondrous might,
Ne euerever wont in field, ne in round lists to fight.
[39]
And said, Why Archimago, lucklesse
syre,
What doe I see? what hard mishap is this,
That hath thee hether brought to taste mine yre?
Or thine the fault, or mine the error is,
Instead of foe to wound my friend amis?
He answered nought, but in a traunce still lay,
And on those guilefull dazed eyes of his
The cloude of death did sit. Which doen away,
He left him lying so, ne would no
lenger stay.
[40]
But to the virgin comes, who all this
while
Amased stands, her selfe so mockt to see
By him, who has the guerdon of his guile,
For so misfeigning her true knight to bee:
Yet is she now in more perplexitie,
Left in the hand of that same Paynim bold,
From whom her booteth not at all to flie;
Who by her cleanly garment catching hold,
Her from her Palfrey pluckt, her visage
to behold.
[41]
But her fiers seruantservant full of kingly aw
And high disdaine, whenas his souerainesoveraine Dame
So rudely handled by her foe he saw,
With gaping iawesjawes full greedy at him came,
And ramping on his shield, did weene the same
HaueHave reft away with his
ſ⁀harp rending clawes:sharp rending clawes:
ſ⁀harprending clawes:sharprending clawes:
But he waswas stout, and lust did now
inflame
His corage more, that frõfrom his griping pawes
He hath his shield redeemd, and forth
his swerd he drawes.
[42]
O then too weake and feeble was the
forse
Of saluagesalvage beast, his puissance to withstand:
For he was strong, and of so mightie corse,
As euerever wielded speare in warlike hand,
And feates of armes did wisely vnderstandunderstand.
Eftsoones he perced through his chaufed chest
With thrilling point of deadly yron brand,
And launcht his Lordly hart: with death opprest
He ror’d aloud, whiles life forsooke
his stubborne brest.
[43]
Who now is left to keepe the forlorne
maid
From raging spoile of lawlesse victors will?
Her faithfull gard remou’dremov’d, her hope dismaid,
Her selfe a yielded pray to sauesave or spill.
He now Lord of the field, his pride to fill,
With foule reproches, and disdaineful spight
Her vildly entertaines, and will or nill,
Beares her away vponupon his courser light:
Her prayers nought preuaileprevaile, his rage is more of might.
[44]
And all the way, with great lamenting
paine,
And piteous plaintes she filleth his dull eares,
That stony hart could riuenriven
hauehave in twaine,
And all the way she wetts with flowing teares:
But he enrag’d with rancor, nothing heares.
Her seruileservile beast yet would not leaueleave her so,
But followes her far 1590.bk1.I.iii.44.7. of: offofoff, ne ought he feares,
To be partaker of her wandring woe,
More mild in beastly kind, 1590.bk1.I.iii.44.9. then: thanthenthan that her beastly foe.
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