The enimies of Temperaunce
besiege her dwelling place:
Prince ArthureArthur them repelles, and fowle
doth .
[1]
WHhat
warre so cruel, or what siege so
sore,
As that, which strong affections doe apply
Against the forte of reason euermoreevermore,
To bring the sowle into captiuitycaptivity:
Their force is fiercer through infirmity
Of the fraile flesh, relenting to their rage,
And exercise most bitter tyranny
VponUpon the partes, brought into their bondage:
No wretchednesse is like to sinfull .
[2]
But in a body which doth freely yeeld
His partes to reasons rule
obedient,
All happy peace and goodly gouernmentgovernment
Is setled there in sure
establishment,
There Alma like a virgin Queene most
bright,
Doth florish in all beautie excellent:
And to her guestes doth bounteous banket dight,
Attempred goodly well for health and forand delight.
[3]
Early before the Morne with cremosin ray,
The opened had,
Through which into the world the dawning day
Might looke, that maketh eueryevery creature glad,
VproseUprose Sir Guyon, in bright
armour clad,
And to his purposd iourneyjourney him prepar’d:
With him the Palmer eke in habit sad,
Him selfe addrest to that aduentureadventure hard:
So to the riuersrivers syde they both together far’d.
[4]
Where them awaited ready at the ford
The Ferriman,
as Alma had behight,
With his well rigged bote: They goe abord,
And heAnd eftsoones gan launch his barke forthright.
Ere long they rowed were quite out of sight,
And fast the land behynd them fled away.
But let them pas, whiles winde and wether right
Doe serueserve their turnes: here I a while must stay,
To see a cruell fight doen by the Princeprince this day.
[5]
so soone, as
Guyon thence was gon
VponUpon his voyage with his trustie guyde,
That wicked band of fresh begon
That castle to assaile on eueryevery side,
And lay strong siege about it far and wyde.
So huge and infinite their numbers were,
That all the land they vnderunder them did hyde;
So fowle and vglyugly, that exceeding feare
Their visages imprest, when they approched neare.
[6]
tweluetwelve troupes their Captein did dispart,
And round about in fittest steades did place,
Where each might best
his proper part,
And
his contrary obiectobject most ,
As eueryevery one seem’d meetest in that cace.
against ,
In strong entrenchments he did closely place,
Which with incessaunt force and endlesse hate,
They battred day and night, and entraunce did
awate.
[7]
, fiuefive sondry wayes he sett,
Against the fiuefive great Bulwarkes of that pyle,
And vntounto each a Bulwarke did ,
,
In hope thereof to win victorious spoile.
They all that charge did feruentlyfervently
apply,
With greedie malice and importune toyle,
And planted there their
huge artillery,
With which they dayly made most dreadfull
battery.
[8]
was a monstrous rablement
Of fowle misshapen wightes, of which some were
Headed like Owles, with
beckes
vncomelyuncomely bent,
Others like Dogs, others like Gryphons
dreare,
And some had wings, and some had clawes to teare,
And eueryevery one of them had ,
And eueryevery one did
beare:
All those were , corrupt enuyesenvyes,
And couetouscovetous aspects, all cruel enimyes.
[9]
Those same against the bulwarke of the Sight
Did lay strong siege, and battailous assault,
Ne once did yield it respitt day nor night,
But soone as Titan gan his head
exault,
And soone againe as he his light withhault,
Their wicked engins they
against it bent:
That is each thing, by which the eyes may fault,
But two 1590.bk2.II.xi.9.8. then: thanthenthan all more huge and violent,
they againſtagainst that Bulwarke lentthat Bulwarke ſorelysorely rent.
[10]
The second Bulwarke was the Hearing sence,
Gainst which the second troupe aſ⁀ſignmentassignmentdessignment makes,
Deformed creatures, in
straunge difference,
Some hauinghaving heads like Harts, some like to
Snakes,
Some like wilde Bores late rouzd out of the brakes,
Slaunderous reproches,
and fowle infamies,
Leasinges, backbytinges, and vaineglorious
crakes,
Bad
counsels, prayses, and false flatteries,
All those against that fort did bend their
batteries.
[11]
Likewise that same third Fort, that is the
Smell
Of that third troupe was cruelly assayd:
Whose hideous shapes were like to feendes of hell,
Some like to houndes,
some like to Apes, dismayd,
Some like to Puttockes, all in plumes
arayd:
All shap’t according their conditions,
For by those vglyugly formes weren pourtrayd,
Foolish delights and fond abusions,
Which doe that sence besiege with light
illusions.
[12]
And that fourth band which cruell battry
bent,
Against the fourth Bulwarke, that is the Taste,
Was as the rest a rablement,
Some mouth’d like greedy
Oystriges, some faste
Like loathly Toades, some fashioned in the
waste
Like swine; for so deformd is ,
Surfeat, misdiet, and ,
Vaine feastes, and ydle superfluity:
All those this sences Fort assayle
incessantly.
[13]
troupe most horrible of hew,
And ferce of force, iswas dreadfull to report:
For some like Snailes, some did like spyders shew,
And some like vglyugly
VrchinsUrchins thick and short:
Cruelly they aſ⁀ſayedassayedaſ⁀ſayledassayled that fift Fort,
Armed with dartes of sensuall
delight,
With stinges of carnall lust, and strong effort
Of feeling
pleasures, with which day and night
Against that same fift bulwarke they
continued fight.
[14]
Thus these tweluetwelve troupes with dreadfull puissaunce
Against that Castle restlesse siege did lay,
And euermoreevermore their hideous Ordinaunce
VponUpon the Bulwarkes cruelly did ,
That now it gan to threaten neare decay.
And euermoreevermore their wicked Capitayn
ProuokedProvoked them the breaches to ,
Somtimes with threats, somtimes with hope of gayn,
Which by the ransack of that peece they should attayn.
[15]
On th’other syde, th’assieged Castles ward
Their stedfast stonds did
mightily maintaine,
And many bold repulse, and many hard
AtchieuementAtchievement wrought with perill and with payne,
That goodly frame from ruine to sustaine:
And those did defend
The walles so stoutly with their sturdie ,
That neuernever entraunce any durst pretend,
But they to direfull death their groning
ghosts did send.
[16]
The noble Virgin, Ladie of the Place,
Was much dismayed with that dreadful sight:
For neuernever was she in so euillevill cace,
Till that the Prince seeing her wofull plight,
Gan her recomfort from so sad affright,
Offring his seruiceservice, and his dearest life
For her defence, against that Carle to fight,
Which was their chiefe and th’authour of that strife:
She him as the Patrone of her
life.
[17]
Eftsoones himselfe in armes he dight,
And his well prouedproved weapons to him hent;
So taking courteous conge
he behight,
Those gates to be vnbar’dunbar’d, and forth he went.
Fayre mote he thee, the
prowest and most gent,
That euerever brandished bright steele on hye:
Whom soone as that vnrulyunruly
rablementrablcmentrablementrabblement,
With his gay Squyre issewing did espye,
They reard a most outrageousoutragousoutrageousoutragious dreadfull yelling cry.
[18]
And therewithall attonce at him let fly
Their fluttring
arrowes, thicke as flakes of snow,
And round about him flocke impetuously,
Like a great water flood,
that tombling low
From the high mountaines, threates to ouerflowoverflow
With suddein fury all the fertile playne,
And
the sad husbandmans long hope doth throw,
A downeAdowne the streame and all his vowes
make vayne,
Nor bounds nor banks .
[19]
VponUpon his shield their heaped hayle
he bore,
And with his sword disperst the ,
Which fled a sonderasonder, and him fell before,
WhẽWhen the wroth Western wind does reauereave their locks;
And vnderunder neath him his courageous steed,
The fierce Spumador borne of heauenlyheavenly seed:
Such as Laomedon of Phæbus race
did breed.breed
[20]
Which suddeine horrour and confused cry,
When as their Capteine heard, in haste he yode,
The cause to weet, and fault to remedy,
VponUpon
and fierce he rode,
That as the winde ran vnderneathunderneath his lode,
Whiles his long legs nigh raught vntounto the ground,
Full large he was of limbe, and shoulders brode,
But of such ,
That like a ghost he seem’d, whose grauegrave-clothes were
vnbound.unbound.
[21]
And in his hand a bended bow was seene,
And many arrowes vnderunder his right side,
All deadly daungerous, all cruell
keene,
Headed with flint, and fethers bloody dide,
Such as the Indians in
their quiuersquivers hide,
Those could he well direct and streight as line,
And bid them strike the marke, which he had eyde,
Ne was their saluesalve ne was their medicine,
That mote recure their wounds: so inly they
did tine.
[22]
As pale and wan as ashes was his looke,
His body
,
And skin all withered like ,
Thereto ,
That seemd to tremble euermoreevermore, and quake:
All in a he was bedight,
And girded with a belt of twisted brake,
VponUpon his head he wore an Helmet light,
Made of a dead mans skull, that seemd a ghastly sight.
[23]
was his name, and after him,
There follow’d fast at hand two wicked Hags,
With hoary lockes all loose, and visage grim;
Their feet vnshodunshod, their bodies wrapt in rags,
And both as swift on foot, as chased Stags,
And yet the one her
legge had lame,
Which with a staffe, all full of litle snags
She did supportdiſportdisport, and her name:
But th’other was , arm’d with .
[24]
Soone as the Carle from far the Prince
espyde,
Glistring in armes and warlike ornament,
His Beast he felly prickt
on either syde,
And his mischieuousmischievous bow full readie bent,
With which at him a cruell shaft he sent:
But he was warie, and it warded well
VponUpon his shield, that it no further went,
But to the ground the idle quarrell fell:
Then he another and another did expell.
[25]
Which to preuentprevent, the Prince his mortall speare
Soone did
ride,
To be auengedavenged of that shot whyleare:
But he was not so hardy to abide
That bitter stownd, but turning quicke aside
His light-foot beast, fled fast away for feare:
Whom to poursue, the Infant after hide,
So fast as his good Courser could him beare,
But labour lost it was, to weene approch him
neare.
[26]
For as the winged wind his Tigre fled,
Ne scarse his feet on ground were seene to tred;
Through hils and dales he speedy way did make,
Ne hedge ne ditch his readie passage brake,
And in his flight the
villein turn’d his face,
(As wonts the Tartar by the Caspian lake,
When as the Russian him in fight does chace)
VntoUnto his Tygres taile, and shot at him apace.
[27]
Apace he shot, and yet he fled apace,
And oftentimes he would
relent his pace,
That him his foe more fiercely should
poursew:
ButWho when his vncouthuncouth manner he did vew,
He gan auizeavize to follow him no more,
But keepe his standing, and his shaftes eschew,
VntillUntill he quite had spent his perlous store,
And then assayle him fresh, ere he could
shift for more.
[28]
lame Hag, still as abroad he
strew
His wicked arrowes, gathered them againe,
And to him brought fresh batteill to renew:
Which he espying, cast her to restraine
From yielding succour to that cursed Swaine,
And her attaching, thought her hands to tye;
But soone as him dismounted on the plaine,
That other Hag did far away espye
Binding her sister, she to him ran
hastily.
[29]
hold of him, as downe he lent,
Him backeward ouerthrewoverthrew, and downe him stayd
With their rude handes
and gryesly graplement,
Till that the villein comming to their ayd,
VponUpon him fell, and lode vponupon him layd;
Full litle wanted, but he had him slaine,
And of the battell balefull end had made,
Had not his gentle Squire
beheld his paine,
And commen to his
reskew, ere his bitter bane.
[30]
and most glorious thing on ground
May often need the helpe of weaker hand;
So feeble is mans state, and life vnsoundunsound,
That in assuraunce it may neuernever stand,
Till it dissolueddissolved be from earthly band.
Proofe be thou Prince, the prowest man alyuealyve,
And noblest borne of all in
BritayneBritomBriton land,
Yet thee fierce Fortune did so nearely driuedrive,
[31]
The Squyre arriuingarriving, fiercely in his armes
Snatcht first the one, and then the other ,
His chiefest letts and authors of his harmes,
And them perforce withheld with threatned blade,
Least that his Lord they ſhouldshouldfhould
behinde inuadeinvade;
The whiles the Prince
prickt with reprochful shame,
As one awakte out of long slombring
shade,
ReuiuyngRevivyng thought of glory and of fame,
VnitedUnited all his powres to purge him selfe from blame.
[32]
, the which in hollow cauecave
Hath long bene vnderkeptunderkept, and down supprest,
With murmurous disdayne doth inly rauerave,
And grudge, in so streight prison to be prest,
At last breakes forth with furious infeſtinfestunreſtunrest,
And striuesstrives to mount vntounto his natiuenative seat;
All that did earst it hinder and molest,
Yt now deuouresdevoures with flames and scorching heat,
And carries into smoake with rage and horror
great.
[33]
So mightely the Briton Prince him rouzd
Out of his holde, and
broke his ,
And as a Beare whom angry curres hauehave
touzd,
Becomes more fell, and all that him withstands
Treads down and ouerthrowesoverthrowes. Now had the Carle
Alighted from his Tigre, and his hands
Discharged of his bow and deadly
,
[34] him turnd to disauantagedisavantage deare,
For neither can he fly, nor other harme,
But trust vntounto his strength and manhood
meare,
Sith now he is far from his monstrous swarme,
And of his weapons did him selfe disarme.
The knight yet wrothfull for his late disgrace,
Fiercely aduaunstadvaunst his valorous right arme,
And him so sore smott with his yron mace,
That grouelinggroveling to the ground he fell, and .
[35]
Wel weened hee, that field was then his owne,
And all his labor brought to happy end,
When suddein vpup the villeine ouerthrowneoverthrowne,
Out of his swowne arose, fresh to contend,
And gan him selfe to second battaill bend,
As hurt he had not beene. Thereby there lay
An huge great stone,
which stood vponupon one end,
And had not bene remouedremoved many a day;
Some land-marke
seemd to bee, or signe of sundry
way.
[36]
The same he snatcht, and with exceeding
sway
Threw at his foe, who was right well aware
To shonne the engin of his meant decay;
It booted not to thinke that throw to beare,
But grownd he gauegave, and lightly lept areare:
Efte fierce retourning, as a faulcon fayre
That once hath failed of her full neare,
Remounts againe into the open ayre,
And vntounto better fortune doth her selfe prepayre.
[37]
So brauebrave retourning, with his brandisht blade,
He to the Carle him selfe agayn addrest,
And strooke at him so sternely, that he made
An open passage through his riuenriven brest,
That halfe the steele behind his backe
did rest;
Which drawing backe, he looked euermoreevermore
When the hart blood should gush out of his chest,
Or his dead corse should fall vponupon the flore;
But his dead corse vponupon the flore fell nathemore.
[38]
Ne drop of blood appeared shed to bee,
All were the wownd so wide and wonderous,
That through his carcas one might playnly see:
Halfe with
horror hideous,
And halfe in rage, to be deluded thus,
Again through both the sides he strooke him quight,
That made his spright to grone full piteous:
Yet nathemore forth fled his groning spright,
But freshly as at first, prepard himselfe to
fight.
[39]
Thereat he smitten was with great
affright,
And trembling terror did his hart apall,
Ne wist he, what to thinke of that same sight,
Ne what to say, ne what to doe at all;
He doubted, least it were some magicall
Illusion, that did beguile his sense,
Or wandring ghost, that wanted funerall,
Or
vnderunder false pretence,
Or .
[40]
far exceeded reasons reach,
That he began to doubt his dazeled sight,
And oft of error did him selfe appeach:
Flesh without blood, a person without spright,
Wounds without hurt, a body without might,
That could doe harme, yet could not harmed bee,
That could not die, yet seemd a mortall wight,
Like did he neuernever heare, like did he neuernever see.
[41] A while he stood in this
astonishment,
Yet would he not for all his great dismay
GiueGive
ouerover to effect his first intent,
And th’vtmostutmost meanes of victory assay,
Or th’vtmostutmost yssew of his owne decay.
His owne good sword , that neuernever fayld
At need, till now, he lightly threw away,
And his bright shield, that nought him now auayldavayld,
And with his naked hands him forcibly
assayld.
[42]
Twixt his two mighty armes him vpup he snatcht,
And crusht his carcas so against his brest,
That the disdainfull sowle he thence dispatcht,
And th’ydle breath all vtterlyutterly
exprest:
Tho when he felt him dead, adowne he kest
The lumpish corse vntounto the sencelesse grownd,
Adowne he kest it with so puissant ,
That backe againe it did alofte rebownd,
And gauegave against a
gronefull sownd.
[43]
As when
IouesJoves harnesse-bearing Bird
from hye
Stoupes at a flying heron with proud disdayne,
The stone-dead quarrey
falls so forciblye,
That yt rebownds against the lowly playne,
Then thought the Prince all peril sure was past,
And that he victor onely did remayne;
No sooner thought, then that the Carle as fast
Gan heap huge strokes on him, as ere he down
was cast.
[44]
Nigh his wits end then woxe th’amazed
knight,
And thought his labor lost and trauelltravell vayne,
Against thishis lifelesse shadow so to
fight:
Yet life he saw, and felt his mighty mayne,
That whiles he marueildmarveild still, did still him payne:
For thy he gan some other
wayes aduizeadvize,
How to take life from that dead-liuingliving swayne,
Whom still he marked freshly to arize
From th’earth, &and from her womb new spirits to reprize.
[45]
He then remembred well, that had bene
sayd,
How th’Earth his mother was, and first him bore,
Shee eke so often, as his life decayd,
Did life
with vsuryusury to him restore,
And reysd him vpup much stronger 1590.bk2.II.xi.45.5. then: thanthenthan before,
So soone as he vntounto her wombe did fall;
Therefore to grownd he would him cast no more,
Ne him committ to grauegrave terrestriall,
But beare him farre from hope of succour vsuallusuall.
[46]
Tho vpup he caught him twixt his puissant hands,
And hauinghaving
out of his carrion corse
The lothfull life, now loosd from sinfull bands,
VponUpon his shoulders carried him perforse
AboueAbove
, taking his full course,
VntillUntill he came vntounto a lake;
Him thereinto he threw without remorse,
Ne stird, till hope of life did him forsake;
So end of that Carles dayes, and his owne
paynes did make.
[47]
Which when those wicked Hags from far did
spye,
Like two mad dogs they ran about the lands,
And th’one of them with
dreadfull yelling crye,
Throwing away her broken chaines and bands,
And hauinghaving quencht her burning fier brands,
But Impotence with her owne wilfull
hands,
One of Malegers cursed darts did take,
So ryu’dryv’d her trembling hart, and wicked end did make.
[48] Thus now alone he remaines;
Tho cumming to his Squyre, that kept his steed,
Thought to hauehave mounted, but his feeble vaines
Him faild thereto, and seruedserved not his need,
Through losse of blood, which from his wounds did bleed,
That he began to faint, and life decay:
But his good Squyre him helping vpup with speed,
With stedfast hand vponupon his horse did stay,
And led him to the Castle by the beaten
way.
[49]
Where many Groomes and Squyres ready
were,
To take him from his steed full tenderly,
And eke the fayrest Alma mett him
there
With balme and wine and costly spicery,
Eftesoones shee causd him vpup to be conuaydconvayd,
And of his armes easily,
In sumptuons bed shee made him to be layd,
And al the while his woũdswounds were dressing, by him ſtayd.stayd.ſtaydstayd
;){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}