Vaine getting Guyons
horse is made the scorne
Of knighthood trew, and is of fayre
fowle
forlorne.
[1]
SOoone as the morrow fayre with purple beames
Disperst the shadowes of the misty night,
And Titan playing on the eastern
streames,
Gan cleare the deawy ayre with springing light,
Sir Guyon
mindfull of his vow yplight,
VproseUprose from drowsie couch, and him
addrest
VntoUnto the iourneyjourney which he had :
His puissaunt armes about his noble brest,
And shield he bound about his wrest.
[2]
Then taking Congè of that virgin pure,
The bloody-handed babe vntounto her truth
Did earnestly committ, and her ,
In vertuous lore to traine his tender youth,
And all that gentle noriture
ensueth:
And that so soone as ryper yeares he raughtrought,
He might for memory of that dayes ruth,
Be called Ruddymane, and thereby taught,
T’auengeavenge his Parents death on thẽthem, that had it wrought.
[3]
So forth he far’d, as now befell, on
foot,
Sith his good steed is lately from him gone;
: helplesse what may it
boot
To frett for anger, or for griefe to mone?
His Palmer now shall foot no more alone:
So fortune wrought, as vnderunder greene woodes syde
He lately hard that dying Lady grone,
He left his steed without, and speare besyde,
And rushed in on foot to ayd her, ere she
dyde.
[4]
The whyles a losell wandring by the way,
One that to bountie neuernever cast his mynd,
Ne thought of honour euerever did assay
His baser brest, but in his
A pleasing vaine of glory hevaine did fynd,
To which his flowing toung, and troublous
spright
GaueGave him great ayd, and made him more
inclynd:
He that brauebrave steed there finding ready dight,
Purloynd both steed and speare, and ran away
.
[5]
Now gan his hart all swell in ,
And of him selfe great hope and help conceiu’dconceiv’d,
That puffed vpup with smoke of vanity,
And with selfe-louedloved
deceiu’ddeceiv’d,
He gan to hope, of men to be receiu’dreceiv’d
For such, as he him thought, or faine would bee:
But for in court gay portaunce he perceiu’dperceiv’d,
And gallant shew to be in greatest gree,
Eftsoones to court he cast .
[6]
And by the way he chaunced to espy
One sitting ydle on a sunny banck,
To whom in great ,
He smote his courser in the trembling flanck,
And to him threatned his hart-thrilling speare:
The seely man seeing him ryde so ranck,
And ayme at him, fell flatt to ground for
feare,
And crying Mercy loud, his pitious handes gan
reare.
[7]
Thereat the Scarcrow wexed wondrous
prowd,
Through fortune of his first aduentureadventure fayre,
And with big thundring voice reuyldrevyld him lowd;
Vile CaytiueCaytive, vassall of dread and despayre,
VnworthieUnworthie of the commune breathed ayre,
Why liuestlivest thou, , a lenger
day,
And doest not vntounto death thy selfe prepayre.
Dy, or thy selfe my captiuecaptive yield for ay;
Great fauourfavour I thee graunt, for aunswere thus to
stay.
[8]
Hold, O deare Lord, hold your dead-doing
hand,
Then loud he cryde, I am your humble thrall.
Ah wretch (qd.quoth he) thy destinies withstand
My wrathfull will, and doe for mercy call.
I giuegive thee life: therefore prostrated fall,
And kisse my stirrup; that thy homage bee.
The Miser threw him
selfe, as an Offall,
Streight at his foot in base humilitee,
And cleeped him his liege, to .
[9] So happy peace they made and faire
accord:
Eftsoones this liegeman
gan to wexe more bold,
And when he felt the folly of his Lord,
In his owne kind he gan him selfe vnfoldunfold:
For he was wylie witted, and growne old
In cunning sleightes and practick knaueryknavery.
From that day forth he cast for to vpholduphold
His ydle humour with fine f⁀latteryflatteryſ⁀latteryslattery,
And blow the bellowes to his swelling
vanity.
[10]
fitt man for Braggadochio,
To serueserve at court in view of ;
Vaineglorious man, when
fluttring wind does blow
In his light winges, is lifted vpup to skye:
To thinke without desert of gentle deed,
And noble worth to be aduauncedadvaunced hye:
Such prayse is shame;
but honour vertues meed
Doth beare the
fayrest flowre in honourable seed.
[11]
So forth they pas, a well consorted
payre,
Till that at length with they meet:
Who seeing one that shone in armour fayre,
On goodly
courſercourser
courſecourse
,
Eftsoones supposed him a
person meet,
Of his reuengerevenge to make the instrument:
For since the Redcrosse knight he erst did
weet,
To beene with Guyon knitt in one consent,
The ill, which earst to him, he now to Guyon ment.
[12]
And comming close to Trompart gan inquere
Of him, what mightie warriour that mote bee,
That rode in with single spere,
But wanted sword to wreake his enmitee.
He is a great aduentureradventurer, (said he)
That hath his sword ,
And now hath vowd, till
he auengedavenged bee,
Of that despight, neuernever to wearen none;
That speare is him enough to doen a thousand
grone.
[13]
Th’enchaunter greatly ioyedjoyed in the vaunt,
And weened well ere long
his will to win,
And both his foen with equall foyle to daunt.
Tho to him louting lowly did begin
To plaine of wronges, which had committed bin
By Guyon, and
by that false Redcrosse knight,
Which two through
treason and deceiptfull gin,
Had slayne Sir Mordant, and his Lady
bright:
That mote him honour win, to wreak so foule despight.
[14]
Therewith all suddeinly he seemd enragd,
And threatned death with dreadfull countenaunce,
And with stiffe force shaking his mortall launce,
To let him weet his doughtie
valiaunce,
Thus said; Old man, great sure shalbe thy meed,
If where those knights for feare of dew vengeaunce
Doe lurke, thou certeinly to mee areed,
That I may wreake on them their hainous
hateful deed.
[15]
Certes, my Lord, (said he) that shall I
soone,
And giuegive you eke good helpe to their decay.
But mote I wisely you aduiseadvise to doon;
GiueGive no ods to your foes, but doe puruaypurvay
Your selfe of sword before that bloody day:
For they be two the prowest knights on grownd,
And oft approu’dapprov’d in many ,
And eke of surest steele, that may be fownd,
Doe arme yourself against that day, them to
confownd.
[16] Dotard, (saide he) let be thy
deepe aduiseadvise;
Seemes that through many yeares thy wits thee faile,
And that weake eld hath left thee nothing wise,
Els neuernever should thy iudgementjudgement be so frayle,
To measure manhood by the sword or mayle.
Is not enough fowre quarters of a man,
Withouten sword or shield, an hoste ?
Thou litle wotest, what
this right-hand can:
Speake they, which hauehave beheld the battailes, which it wan.
[17]
The man was much abashed at his boast;
Yet well he wist, that who so would contend
With either of those knightes ,
Should neede of all his armes, him to
defend;
Yet feared least his boldnesse should offend,
When Braggadocchio saide, Once I did
sweare,
Thence forth in battaile neuernever sword to beare,
But it were
that, which noblest knight on earth doth weare.
[18]
Perdy Sir knight, saide then th’enchaunter bliueblive,
That shall I shortly purchase
to your hond:
For now the best and noblest knight aliuealive,
Prince Arthur
is, that wonnes in Faerie lond;
He hath a sword, that flames like burning brond.
The same by my deuicedevice I vndertakeundertake
Shall by to morrow by thy side be fond.
At which bold word that boaster gan to quake,
And wondred in his minde, what mote that Monster make.
[19]
He stayd not for more bidding, but away
Was suddein vanished out of his sight:
The Northerne winde his wings did broad display
At his commaund, and reared him vpup light
From 1590.bk2.II.iii.19.5. of: offofoff the earth, to take his aerie flight.
They lookt about, but no where could espye
Tract of his foot: then dead through great affright
They both nigh were, and each bad other flye:
Both fled attonce, ne euerever backe retourned eye.
[20]
Till that they come vntounto a forrest greene,
In which they shrowd thẽseluesthemseluesthẽselvesthemselves from causeles feare;
Yet feare them followes still, where so they beene,
Yet both doe striuestrive their fearefulnesse to faine.
At last they heard a horne, that shrilled cleare
Throughout the wood, that ecchoed againe,
And made the forrest ring, as it would riuerive in twaine.
[21]
Eft through the thicke they heard one rudely rush;
With noyse whereof he from his loftie steed
Downe fell to ground,
and crept into a bush,
To hide his coward head from dying
dreed.
But Trompart stoutly stayd to taken heed,
Of what might hap. Eftsoone there stepped foorth
A goodly Ladie clad in hunters weed,
That seemd to be a woman of great worth,
And by her , .
[22]
face so faire as flesh it seemed not,
But heuenlyhevenly pourtraict of bright Angels hew,
Cleare as the skye,
withouten blame or blot,
Through goodly mixture of complexions
dew;
And in her cheekes the
vermeill red did shew
Like roses in a bed of lillies
shed,
The which
odours from them threw,
And gazers sence with
double pleasure fed,
Hable to heale the
sicke, and to reuiuerevive the ded.
[23] In her faire eyes two liuingliving lamps did flame,
Kindled aboueabove at th’heuenlyth’hevenly makers light,
And darted fyrie beames out of the same,
So
passing persant, and so wondrous
bright,
That quite bereau’dbereav’d the rash beholders sight:
In them the blinded god his
lustfull fyre
To kindle oft assayd, but had no might;
For with dredd MaiestieMajestie, and awfull yre,
She broke
his wanton darts, and quenched bace desyre.
[24]
Her yuorieyvorie forhead, full of bountie brauebrave,
Like a broad table did it selfe dispred,
For LoueLove his loftie triumphes to engraueengrave,
And write the battailes of his great godhed:
All good and honour might therein be red:
For
there their dwelling was. And when she spake,
Sweete wordes, like she did shed,
And twixt the perles and softly brake
A , that heauenlyheavenly musicke seemd to make.
[25]
VponUpon her eyelids many Graces sate,
VnderUnder the shadow of her eueneven browes,
Working , and amorous ,
And euerieeverie one her with a grace endowes:
And euerieeverie one with meekenesse to her bowes.
So glorious mirrhour of
celestiall grace,
And souerainesoveraine moniment of mortall vowes,
How shall frayle pen descriuedescrive her heauenlyheavenly face,
For feare through want
of skill her beauty to disgrace?
[26]
So faire, and thousand thousand times more
faire
She seemd, when she presented was to sight,
And was yclad, for heat of scorching aire,
All in a silken Camus
lylly whight,
,
Which all aboueabove besprinckled was throughout,
With golden aygulets,
that glistred bright,
Like twinckling starres, and all the skirt about
[27]
Below her ham her weed did somewhat
trayne,
And her streight legs most brauelybravely were
In ,
All bard with golden bendes, which were entayld
With curious antickes,
and full fayre aumayld:
Before they fastned were vnderunder her knee
In a rich iewelljewell, and therein entrayld
The ends of all the knots, that none might see,
How they within their fouldings close enwrapped bee.
[28]
Like two faire marble pillours they weredid seene,
Which doe the temple of
the Gods support,
Whom all the people decke with girlands
greene,
And honour in their festiuallfestivall resort;
Those same with stately grace, and princely port
She taught to tread, when she her selfe would grace,
But with the woody Nymphes when she did ,
Or when the flying Libbard she did chace,
She could them nimbly mouemove, and after fly apace.
[29]
And in her hand a sharpe bore-speare she
held,
And at her backe a bow and quiuerquiver gay,
Stuft with steele-headed dartes, wherewith she queld
The saluagesalvage beastes in her victorious play,
Knit with a golden , which forelay
Athwart her snowy brest,
and did diuidedivide
Her daintie paps; which like
Now little gan to swell,
and being tide,
Through her thin weed
their places only signifide.
[30] Her yellow lockes crisped, like golden wyre,
About her shoulders weren loosely shed,
And when
the winde emongst them did inspyre,
They wauedwaved like a penon wyde dispred
And low behinde her backe
were scattered:
And whether art it were, or heedelesse hap,
As through the forrest rash she fled,
In her heares sweet flowres themseluesthemselves did lap,
And flourishing
fresh leauesleaves and blossomes did enwrap.
[31]
Such as Diana by the sandy shore
Of swift Eurotas, or on Cynthus greene,
Where all the Nymphes hauehave her vnwaresunwares forlore,
Wandreth alone with bow and arrowes keene,
To seeke her game: Or as that famous Queene
Of Amazons, ,
The day that first of
Priame she was seene,
Did shew
her selfe in great triumphant ioyjoy,
To succour the weake state
of sad afflicted Troy.
[32]
Such when as hartlesse
Trompart her did vew,
He was dismayed in his coward minde,
And doubted, whether he himselfe should shew,
Or fly away, or bide alone behinde:
Both feare and hope he in her face did finde,
When she at last him spying thus bespake;
Hayle Groome; didst not
thou see a bleeding Hynde,
Whose earst
my strake?
If thou didst, tell me, that I may her ouertakeovertake.
[33]
reviu’dreviv’d, this answere forth he threw;
O Goddesse, (for such I thee take to bee)
For nether doth thy face terrestriall shew,
Nor voyce sound mortall; I auowavow to thee,
Such wounded beast, as that, I did not see,
Sith earst into this forrest wild I came.
ButBur mote thy
forgiueforgive it mee,
To weete, which of the Gods I shall thee name,
That vntounto thee dew worship I may rightly frame.
[34]
To whom she thus, but ere her words
ensewd,
VntoUnto the bush her eye did suddein glaunce,
In which vaine Braggadocchio was ,
And saw it stirre: she lefte her percing launce,
And towards gan a deadly shafte aduaunceadvaunce,
In mind to marke the
beast. At which sad stowre,
Trompart forth
stept, to stay the mortall chaunce,
Out crying, O what euerever
heuenlyhevenly powre,
Or earthly wight thou be, withhold this deadly
howre.
[35]
O stay thy hand, for yonder is no game
For thy fiers arrowes, them to exercize,
But loe my Lord, my liege, whose warlike name,
Is far renowmd through many bold emprize;
And now in shade he shrowded yonder lies.
She staid: with that he crauld out of his nest,
Forth creeping on
his caitiuecaitive hands and thies,
And standing stoutly vpup, his lofty crest
Did fiercely
shake, and rowze, as comming late frõfrom rest.
[36]
fearfull fowle, that long in secret cauecave
For dread of soring hauke her selfe hath hid,
Not caring how her silly
life to sauesave,
She her gay painted plumes disorderid,
Seeing at last her selfe from daunger rid,
Peepes forth, and soone renews her natiuenative pride;
She gins her feathers fowlefoule disfigured
Prowdly to prune, and
sett on eueryevery side,
So shakes off shame, ne thinks how erst she
did her hide.
[37]
So when her goodly visage he beheld,
He gan himselfe to vaunt: but when he vewd
Those deadly tooles, which in her hand she held,
Soone into other fitts he was ,
Till she to him her gracious speach renewd;
All haile, Sir knight, and well may thee befall,
As all the like, which honor hauehave pursewd
Through deeds of armes and prowesse martiall;
All vertue merits praise, but such the most
of all.
[38]
To whom he thus, O fairest vnderunder skie,
That warlike feats doest highest glorifie.
Therein I hauehavehauehave I spent all my youthly daies,
And many battailes fought, and many fraies
Throughout the world, wher so they might be foũdfound,
EndeuoringEndevoring my dreaded name to raise
, that fame may it
resound
In her eternall tromp, .
[39]
what art thou, O Lady, which doest raunge
In this wilde forest, where no pleasure is,
And doest not it for ioyousjoyous court exchaunge,
Emongst thine equall peres, where happy blis
And all delight does raigne, much more 1590.bk2.II.iii.39.5. then: thanthenthan this?
There thou maist louelove, and dearly louedloved be,
And swim in pleasure, which thou here doest mis;
There maist thou best be seene, and best maist see:
The wood for
thee.
[40]
so in pompe of prowd estate (qd.quoth she)
Does swim, and bathes him selfe in courtly blis,
Does waste his dayes in darke obscuritee,
And in obliuionoblivion
euerever buried is:
Where ease abownds, yt’s eath to doe amis;
But who his limbs with
labours, and his mynd
BehauesBehaves with cares, cannot so easy
mis.
Abroad in armes, at home in studious kynd
Who seekes with painfull toile, shal honor
soonest fynd.
[41]
In woods, in waueswaves, in warres she wonts to
dwell,
And wilbe found with perill and with paine;
Ne can the man, that moulds in ydle cell,
VntoUnto her happy mansion attaine:
Before her gate high God did Sweate ordaine,
And wakefull watches euerever to abide:
But easy is the way, and
passage plaine
To pleasures pallace; it may soone be
spide,
And day and night her dores to
all stand open wide.
[42]
In Princes court. The rest she would hauehave sayd,
But that the foolish man, fild with delight
Of her sweete words, that all his sence dismayd,
And with her wondrous beauty rauishtravisht quight,
Gan burne in filthy
lust, and leaping light,
Thought in his bastard armes her to embrace.
With that she swaruingswarving backe, her IauelinJavelin bright
Against him bent, and fiercely did menace:
So turned her about, and fled away
apace.
[43]
Which when the saw, amazd he stood,
And grieuedgrieved at her flight; yet durst he nott
Pursew her steps, through wild vnknowenunknowen wood;
Besides he feard her wrath, and threatned shott
Whiles in the bush he lay, not yet forgott:
Ne car’d he greatly for her presence vayne,
But turning said to Trompart, What
Is this to knight, that Lady should agayne
Depart to woods vntouchtuntoucht, &and
?
[44]
Perdy (said Trompart) lett her pas at will,
Least by her presence daunger mote befall.
For who can tell (and sure I feare it ill)
But that shee is some powre celestiall?
For whiles she spake, her great words did apall
My feeble corage, and my heart oppresse,
That yet I quake and tremble ouerover all.
And I (said Braggadocchio) thought no lesse,
When first I heard her horn soũdsound with such ghastlinesse.
[45]
For from my mothers wombe this grace I hauehave
Me giuengiven by eternall destiny,
That earthly thing may not my corage brauebrave
Dismay with feare, or cause oneon foote to flye,
But either hellish feends, or powres on hye:
Which was the cause, when earst that horne I heard,
Weening it had beene
thunder in the skye,
I hid my selfe from it, as one affeard;
But when I other knew, my selfe I boldly
reard.
[46]
But now for feare of worse, that may
betide,
Let vsus soone hence depart. They soone agree;
So to his steed he gott, and gan to ride,
As one vnfittunfitt therefore, that all might see
He had not trayned bene in cheualreechevalree.
Which well that valiaunt courser did discerne;
For he despisd to tread in dew degree,
But chaufd and fom’d, with corage fiers and sterne,
And to be easd of that base burden still did
erne.
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