From lawlesse lust by wondrous grace
fayre Una is releast:
Whom saluagesalvage nation does adore,
and learnes her wise beheast.
[1]
ASAs when a ship, that flyes fayre vnderunder sayle,
An hidden rocke escaped hath vnwaresunwares,
That lay in waite her wrack for to bewaile,
The Marriner yet halfe amazed stares
At perill past, and yet init doubt ne dares
To ioyjoy at his foolhappie ouersightoversight:
So doubly is distrest twixt ioyjoy and cares
The dreadlesse corage of this Elfin knight,
HauingHaving escapt so sad ensamples in his sight.
[2]
Yet sad he was, that his too hastie
speed
The fayre Duess’ had forst him leaueleave behind;
And yet more sad, that VnaUna his deare dreed
Her truth had staynd with treason so vnkindunkind:
Yet cryme in her could neuernever creature find,
But for his louelove, and for her own selfe sake,
She wandred had from one to other Ynd,
Him for to seeke, ne euerever would forsake,
Till her vnwaresunwares the fiers Sansloy did ouertakeovertake.
[3]
Who after Archimagoes fowle defeat,
Led her away into a forest wilde,
And turning wrathfull fyre to lustfull heat,
With beastly sin thought her to hauehave defilde,
And made the vassall of his pleasures vilde.
Yet first he cast by treatie, and by traynes,
Her to persuade, that stubborne fort to yilde:
For greater conquest of hard louelove he gaynes,
That workes it to his will, 1590.bk1.I.vi.3.9. then: thanthenthan he that it constraines.
[4]
With fawning wordes he courted her a
while,
And looking louelylovely, and oft sighing sore,
Her constant hart did tempt with diuersediverse guile:
But wordes, and lookes, and sighes she did abhore,
As rock of Diamond stedfast euermoreevermore.
Yet for to feed his fyrie lustfull eye,
He snatcht the vele, that hong her face before;
Then gan her beautie shyne, as brightest skye,
And burnt his beastly hart t’efforce her
chastitye.
[5]
So when he saw his flatt’ring artes to
fayle,
And subtile engines bett from batteree,
With greedy force he gan the fort assayle,
Whereof he weend
poſſeſſedpossessed
poſſeſſepossesse
poſſeſſedpossessed
soone to bee,
And winwith rich spoile of ransackt chastitee.
Ah heauensheavens, that doe this hideous act behold,
And heauenlyheavenly virgin thus outraged see,
How can ye vengeance iustjust so long withhold,
And hurle not flashing flames vpõvponupõupon that Paynim bold?
[6]
The pitteous mayden carefull
comfortlesse,
Does throw out thrilling shriekes, and shrieking cryes,
The last vaine helpe of wemens great distresse,
And with loud plaintes importuneth the skyes,
That molten starres doe drop like weeping eyes;
And Phœbus flying so most shamefull
sight,
His blushing face in foggy cloud implyes,
And hydes for shame. What witt of mortall wight
Can now deuisedevise to quitt a thrall from such a plight?
[7]
Eternall prouidenceprovidence exceeding thought,
Where none appeares can make her selfe a way:
A wondrous way it for this Lady wrought,
From Lyons clawes to pluck the gryped pray.
Her shrill outcryes and shrieks so loud did bray,
That all the woodes and forestes did resownd;
A troupe of Faunes and Satyres far a wayaway
Within the wood were dauncing in a rownd,
Whiles old
SyluanusSylvanus slept in shady arber
ſownd.sownd.
ſownd,sownd,
ſound:sound:
[8]
Who when they heard that pitteous
strained voice,
In haste forsooke their rurall meriment,
And ran towardes the far rebownded noyce,
To weet, what wight so loudly did lament.
VntoUnto the place they come incontinent:
Whom when the raging Sarazin espyde,
A rude, misshapenmishappen, monstrous rablement,
Whose like he neuernever saw, he durst not byde,
But got his ready steed, and fast away
gan ryde.
[9]
The wyld woodgods arriuedarrived in the place,
There find the virgin doolfull desolate,
With ruffled rayments, and fayre blubbred face,
As her outrageous foe had left her late,
And trembling yet through feare of former hate;
All stand amazed at so vncouthuncouth sight,
And gin to pittie her vnhappieunhappie
state.state,
All stand astonied at her beautie bright,
In their rude eyes vnworthyunworthy of so wofull plight.
[10]
She more amazd, in double dread doth
dwell;
And eueryevery tender part for feare does shake:
As when a greedy Wolfe through honger fell
A seely Lamb far from the flock does take,
Of whom he meanes his bloody feast to make,
A Lyon spyes fast running towards him,
The innocent pray in hast he does forsake,
Which quitt from death yet quakes in eueryevery lim
With chaunge of feare, to see the Lyon
looke so grim.
[11]
Such fearefull fitt assaid her trembling
hart,
Ne word to speake, ne ioyntjoynt to mouemove she had:
The saluagesalvage nation feele her secret smart,
And read her sorrow in her count’nance sad;
Their frowning forheades with rough hornes yclad,
And rustick horror all a sydeasyde doe lay,
And gently grenning, shew a semblance glad
To comfort her, and feare to put away,
Their backward bent knees teach her
humbly to obay.
[12]
The doubtfull Damzell dare not yet
committ,
Her single person to their barbarous truth,
But still twixt feare and hope amazd does sitt,
Late learnd what harme to hasty trust ensu’th,
They in compassion of her tender youth,
And wonder of her beautie soueraynesoverayne,
Are wonne with pitty and vnwontedunwonted ruth,
And all prostrate vponupon the lowly playne,
Doe kisse her feete, and fawne on her
with count’nance fayne.
[13]
Their harts she ghesseth by their humble
guise,
And yieldes her to extremitie of time;
So from the ground she fearelesse doth arise,
And walketh forth without suspect of crime:
They all as glad, as birdes of ioyousjoyous Pryme,
Thence lead her forth, about her dauncing round,
Shouting, and singing all a shepheards ryme,
And with greene braunches strowing all the ground,
Do worship her, as Queene, with oliueolive girlond cround.
[14]
And all the way their merry pipes they
sound,
That all the woods with doubled Eccho ring,
And with their horned feet doe weare the ground,
Leaping like wanton kids in pleasant Spring.
So towards old
SyluanusSylvanus they her bring;
Who with the noyse awaked, commeth out,
To weet the cause, his weake steps gouerninggoverning,
And aged limbs on Cypresse stadle stout,
And with an yuieyvie twyne his waste is girt about.
[15]
Far off he wonders, what them makes so
glad,
OrOf
Bacchus merry fruit they did inuentinvent,
Or Cybeles franticke rites hauehave made them mad;
They drawing nigh, vntounto their God present
That flowre of fayth and beautie excellent:
The God himselfe vewing that mirrhour rare,
Stood long amazd, and burnt in his intent;
His owne fayre Dryope now he
thinkes not faire,
And Pholoe
fowle, when her to this he doth compaire.
[16]
The woodborne people fall before her
flat,
And worship her as Goddesse of the wood;
And old
SyluanusSylvanus selfe bethinkes not, what
To thinke of wight so fayre, but gazing stood,
In doubt to deeme her borne of earthly brood;
Sometimes Dame Venus selfe he seemes to see,
But Venus
neuernever had so sober mood;
Sometimes Diana he her takes to
be,
But misseth bow, and shaftes, and
buskins to her knee.
[17]
By vew of her he ginneth to reuiuerevive
His ancient louelove, and dearest Cyparisse,
And calles to mind his pourtraiture aliuealive,
How fayre he was, and yet not fayre to this,
And how he slew with glauncing dart amisse
A gentle Hynd, the which the louelylovely boy
Did louelove as life, aboueabove all worldly blisse;
For griefe whereof the lad n’ould after ioyjoy,
But pynd away in anguish and selfewild
annoy.
[18]
The wooddy Nymphes, faire Hamadryades
Her to behold do thether runne apace,
And all the troupe of light-foot Naiades,
Flocke all about to see her louelylovely face:
But when they vewed hauehave her heauenlyheavenly grace,
They enuyenvy her in their malitious mind,
And fly away for feare of fowle disgrace:
But all the Satyres scorne their
woody kind,
And henceforth nothing faire, but her on
earth they
find.find.
findfind
[19]
Glad of such lucke, the luckelesse lucky
mayd,
Did her content to please their feeble eyes,
And long time with that saluagesalvage people stayd,
To gather breath in many miseryes.
During which time her gentle wit she plyes,
To teach them truth, which worshipt her in vaine,
And made her th’Image of Idolatryes;
But when their bootlesse zeale she did restrayne
FrõFrom her own worship, they her Asse would worship fayn.
[20]
It fortuned a noble warlike knight
By iustjust occasion to that forrest came,
To seeke his kindred, and the lignage right,
From whence he tooke his weldeseruedweldeserved name:
He had in armes abroad wonne muchell fame,
And fild far landes with glorie of his might,
Plaine, faithfull, true, and enimy of shame,
And euerever
lou’dlov’d to fight for Ladies right,
But in vaine glorious frayes he litle
did delight.
[21]
A Satyres sonne yborne in forrest
wyld,
By straunge aduentureadventure as it did betyde,
And there begotten of a Lady myld,
Fayre Thyamis the daughter of Labryde,
That was in sacred bandes of wedlocke tyde
To Therion, a loose vnrulyunruly swayne;
Who had more ioyjoy to raunge the forrest wyde,
And chase the saluagesalvage beast with busie payne,
1590.bk1.I.vi.21.9. Then: ThanThenThan
serueserve his Ladies louelove, &and waste in pleasures vayne.
[22]
The forlorne mayd did with louesloves longing burne,
And could not lacke her louerslovers company,
But to the wood she goes, to serueserve her turne,
And seeke her spouse, that from her still does fly,
And followes other game and venery:
A Satyre chaunst her wandring for to finde,
And kindling coles of lust in brutish eye,
The loyall linkes of wedlocke did vnbindeunbinde,
And made her person thrall vntounto his beastly kind.
[23]
So long in secret cabin there he
held
Her captiuecaptive to his sensuall desyre,
Till that with timely fruit her belly sweld,
And bore a boy vntounto that saluagesalvage syre:
Then home he suffred her for to retyre,
For ransome leauingleaving him the late-borne childe;
Whom till to ryper yeares he gan aspyre,
He
nouſ⁀lednousled
nourſ⁀lednoursled
vpup in life and manners wilde,
Emongst wild beastes and woods, from
lawes of men exilde.
[24]
For all he taught the tender ymp was
but
To banish cowardize and bastard feare;
His trembling hand he would him force to put
VponUpon the Lyon and the rugged Beare,
And from the she Beares teats her whelps to teare;
And eke wyld roring Buls he would him make
To tame, and ryde their backes not made to beare;
And the Robuckes in flight to ouertakeovertake,
That euerieeverie beast for feare of him did fly and quake.
[25]
Thereby so fearelesse, and so fell he
grew,
That his owne syre and maister of his guise
Did often tremble at his horrid vew,
And oft for dread of hurt would him aduiseadvise,
The angry beastes not rashly to despise,
Nor too much to prouokeprovoke: for he would learne
The Lyon stoup to him in lowly wise;
(A lesson hard) and make the LibbardLibbatd sterne
LeaueLeave roaring, when in rage he for reuengerevenge did earne.
[26]
And for to make his powre approuedapproved more,
Wyld beastes in yron yokes he would compell;
The spotted Panther, and the tusked Bore,
The Pardale swift, and the Tigre cruell;
The Antelope, and Wolfe both fiers and fellfiers and fellſwift and cruellswift and cruellfierce and fellfierce and fell;
And them constraine in equall teme to draw.
Such ioyjoy he had, their stubborne harts to quell,
And sturdie courage tame with dreadfull aw,
That his beheast they feared, as a
tyransas tyransas proud tyrans law.
[27]
His louingloving mother came vponupon a day
VntoUnto the woodes, to see her little sonne;
And chaunst vnwaresunwares to meet him in the way,
After his sportes, and cruell pastime donne,
When after him a Lyonesse did runne,
That roaring all with rage, did lowd requere
Her children deare, whom he away had wonne:
The Lyon whelpes she saw how he did beare,
And lull in rugged armes, withouten
childish feare.
[28]
The fearefull Dame all quaked at the
sight,
And turning backe, gan fast to fly away,
VntillUntill with louelove
reuoktrevokt from vaine affright,
She hardly yet perswaded was to stay,
And then to him these womanish words gan say;
Ah Satyrane, my dearling, and my ioyjoy,
For louelove of me leaueleave off this dreadfull play;
To dally thus with death, is no fit toy,
Go find some other play-fellowes, mine
own sweet boy.
[29]
In these and like delightes of bloody
game
He trayned was, till ryper yeares he raught,
And there abode, whylst any beast of name
Walkt in that forrest, whom he had not taught,
To feare his force: and then his courage haught
Desyrd of forreine foemen to be knowne,
And far abroad for straunge aduenturesadventures sought:
In which his might was neuernever
ouerthrowneoverthrowne,
But through al Faery lond his famous
worth was blown.blownblowne.
[30]
Yet euermoreevermore it was his maner faire,
After long labours and aduenturesadventures spent,
VntoUnto those natiuenative woods for to repaire,
To see his syre and ofspring auncient.
And now he thether came for like intent;
Where he vnwaresunwares the fairest VnaUna found,
StraungeSraungeStrange Lady, in so straunge habiliment,
Teaching the Satyres, which her sat around
Trew sacred lore, which frõfrom her sweet lips did redound.
[31]
He wondred at her wisedome heuenly
rare,
Whose like in womens witt he neuernever knew;
And when her curteous deeds he did compare,
Gan her admire, and her sad sorrowes rew,
Blaming of Fortune, which such troubles threw,
And ioydjoyd to make proofe of her cruelty
On gentle Dame, so hurtlesse, and so trew:
Thenceforth he kept her goodly company,
And learnd her discipline of faith and
verity.
[32]
But she all vowd vntounto the Redcrosse knight,
His wandring perill closely did lament,
Ne in this new acquaintaunce could delight,
But her deare heart with anguish did torment,
And all her witt in secret counsels spent,
How to escape. At last in priuyprivy wise
To Satyrane she shewed her intent;
Who glad to gain such fauourfavour, gan deuisedevise,
How with that pensiuepensive Maid he best might thence arise.
[33]
So on a day when Satyres all were
gone,
To doe their seruiceservice to
SyluanusSylvanus old,
The gentle virgin left behinde alone
He led away with corage stout and bold.
Too late it was, to Satyres to be told,
Or euerever hope recouerrecover her againe:
In vaine he seekes that hauinghaving cannot hold.
So fast he carried her with carefull paine,
That they the woodswods are past, &and come now to the plaine.
[34]
The better part now of the lingring
day,
They traueildtraveild had, whenas they far espide
A weary wight forwandring by the way,
And towards him they gan in hast to ride,
To weete of newes, that did abroad betide,
Or tidings of her knight of the Redcrosse.
But he them spying, gan to turne aside,
For feare as seemd, or for some feigned losse;
More greedy they of newes, fast towards
him do crosse.
[35]
A silly man, in simple weeds
forworne,
And soild with dust of the long dried way;
His sandales were with toilsome trauelltravell torne,
And face all tand with scorching sunny ray,
As he had traueildtraveild many a sommers day,
Through boyling sands of Arabie and
Ynde;
And in his hand a
IacobsJacobs staffe, to stay
His weary limbs vponupon: and eke behind,
His scrip did hang, in which his
needments he did bind.
[36]
The knight approching nigh, of him
inquerd
Tidings of warre, and of aduenturesadventures new;
But warres, nor new aduenturesadventures none he herd.
Then VnaUna gan to aske, if ought he knew,
Or heard abroad of that her champion trew,
That in his armour bare a croslet red.
Ay me, Deare dame (qd.quoth he) well
may I rew
To tell the sad sight, which mine eies hauehave red:
These eies did see that knight both liuingliving, and eke ded.
[37]
That cruell word her tender hart so
thrild,
That suddein cold did ronne through eueryevery vaine,
And stony horrour all her sences fild
With dying fitt, that downe she fell for paine.
The knight her lightly reared vpup againe,
And comforted with curteous kind reliefe:
Then wonne from death, she bad him tellen plaine
The further processe of her hidden griefe;
The lesser pangs can beare, who hath
endur’d the chief.
[38]
Then gan the Pilgrim thus, I chaunst
this day,
This fatall day, that shall I euerever rew,
To see two knights in trauelltravell on my way
(A sory sight) arraung’d in batteill new,
Both breathing vengeaunce, both of wrathfull hew:
My feareful flesh did tremble at their strife,
To see their blades so greedily imbrew,
That dronke with blood, yet thristed after life:
What more? the Redcrosse knight was
slain with Paynim knife.
[39]
Ah dearest Lord
(qd.quoth she) how might that bee,
And he the stoutest knight, that euerever wonne?
Ah dearest dame (qd.quoth hee) how
migh I see
The thing, that might not be, and yet was donne?
Where is (said Satyrane) that Paynims sonne,
That him of life, and vsus of ioyjoy hath refte?
Not far away (quoth heqd. ſ⁀heqd. shequoth ſ⁀hequoth
shequoth hee) he hence doth wonne
Foreby a fountaine, where I late him lefte
Washing his bloody wounds, that through
the steele were cleft.
[40]
Therewith the knight thence marched
forth in hast,
Whiles VnaUna with huge heauinesseheavinesse opprest,
Could not for sorrow follow him so fast;
And soone he came, as he the place had ghest,
Whereas that Pagan proud him selfe
did rest,
In secret shadow by a fountaine side:
EuenEven he it was, that earst would hauehave supprest
Faire VnaUna: whom when Satyrane espide,
With foule reprochfull words he boldly
him defide.
[41]
And said, Arise thou cursed
Miscreaunt,
That hast with knightlesse guile and trecherous train
Faire knighthood fowly shamed, and doest vaunt
That good knight of the Redcrosse to hauehave slain:
Arise, and with like treason now maintain
Thy guilty wrong, or els thee guilty yield.
The Sarazin this hearing, rose amain,
And catching vpup in hast his three square shield,
And shining helmet, soone him buckled to
the field.
[42]
And drawing nigh him said, Ah misborn
Elfe,
In euillevill houre thy foes thee hither sent,
Anothers wrongs to wreak vponupon thy selfe:
Yet ill thou blamest me, for hauinghaving blent
My name with guile and traiterous intent;
That Redcrosse knight, perdie, I neuernever slew,
But had he beene, where earst his armes were lent,
Th’enchaunter vaine his errour should not rew:
But thou his errour shalt, I hope now prouenproven trew.
[43]
Therewith they gan, both furious and
fell,
To thunder blowes, and fiersly to assaile
Each other, bent his enimy to quell,
That with their force they perst both plate &and maile,
And made wide furrowes in their fleshes fraile,
That it would pitty any liuingliving eie.
Large floods of blood adowne their sides did raile;
But floods of blood could not them satisfie:
Both hongred after death: both chose to
win, or die.
[44]
So long they fight, and fellfull
reuengerevenge pursue,
That fainting each, them seluesselves to breathen lett,
And ofte refreshed, battell oft renue:
As when two Bores with rancling malice mett,
Their gory sides fresh bleeding fiercely frett,
Til breathlesse both themseluesthemselves aside retire,
Where foming wrath, their cruell tuskes they whett,
And trample th’earth, the whiles they may respire;
Then backe to fight againe, new breathed
and entire.
[45]
So fiersly, when these knights had
breathed once,
They gan to fight retourne,retourne.returne, increasing more
Their puissant force, and cruell rage attonce,
With heaped strokes more hugely, 1590.bk1.I.vi.45.4. then: thanthenthan before,
That with their drery wounds and bloody gore
They both deformed, scarsely could bee known.
By this sad VnaUna fraught with anguish sore,
Led with their noise, which through the aire was thrown:
Arriu’dArriv’d, wher they in erth their fruitles blood had sown.
[46]
Whom all so soone as that proud
Sarazin
Espide, he gan reuiuerevive the memory
Of his leud lusts, and late attempted sin,
And lefte the doubtfull battell hastily,
To catch her, newly offred to his eie:
But Satyrane with strokes him turning, staid,
And sternely bad him other businesse plie,
1590.bk1.I.vi.46.8. Then: ThanThenThan hunt the steps of pure vnspottedunspotted Maid:
Wherewith he al enrag’d, these bitter
speaches said.
[47]
O foolish faeries sonne, what fury
mad
Hath thee incenst, to hast thy dolefull fatefete?
Were it not better, I that Lady had,
1590.bk1.I.vi.47.4. Then: ThanThenThan that thou hadst repented it too late?
Most sencelesse man he, that himselfe doth hate,
To louelove another. Lo then for thine ayd
Here take thy louerslovers token on thy pate.
So they totwo fight; the whiles the royall Mayd
Fledd farre away, of that proud Paynim
sore afrayd.afrayd
affraid.affraid.
[48]
But that false Pilgrim, which that leasing told,
Being in deed old Archimage, did stay
In secret shadow, all this to behold,
And much reioycedrejoyced in their bloody fray:
But when he saw the Damsell passe away
He left his stond, and her pursewd apace,
In hope to bring her to her last decay.
But for to tell her lamentable cace,
And eke this battels end, will need
another place.
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}