Guyon is of Merth,
led into loose desyre,
Fights with Cymochles, whiles his bro-
ther burnes in furious fyre.
[1]
A
Hharder lesson,
to learne Continence
In ioyousjoyous pleasure, 1590.bk2.II.vi.1.2. then: thanthenthan in grieuousgrievous paine:
For sweetnesse doth allure the weaker sence
So strongly, that vneathesuneathes it can refraine
From that, which feeble nature couetscovets
faine;
But griefe and wrath, that be her enemies,
And foes of life, she better can reſtrainerestraine;
Yet vertue vauntes in both hertheir victories,
And Guyon in them all shewes goodly maysteries.
[2]
bold Cymochles
traueilingtraveiling to finde,
With cruell purpose bent to wreake on him
The wrath, which Atin kindled in his
mind,
Came to a riuerriver, by whose vtmostutmost brim
Wayting to passe, he saw whereas did swim
A longAlong the shore, as swift as glaunce of eye,
A litle , bedecked trim
With boughes and
wouenwoven cunningly,
That like a litle forrest seemed
outwardly.
[3]
And therein sate a Lady fresh and fayre,
Making sweete solace to herselfe alone;
Sometimes she song, as lowd as larke in ayre,
Sometimes she laught, as merry as that nigh her breth was gonethat nigh her breath was gone,
Yet was there not with her else any one,
That to her mightThat might to her
mouemove cause of meriment:
Matter of merth enough,
though there were none
She could deuisedevise, and thousand waies inuentinvent,
To feede her foolish humour,
and vaine iollimentjolliment.
[4]
Which when far 1590.bk2.II.vi.4.1. of: offofoff
Cymochles heard, and
saw,
He lowdly cald to such, as were abord,
The little barke
vntounto the shore to draw,
And him to ferry ouerover that deepe ford:
The merry mariner vntounto his word
Soone hearkned, and her painted bote streightway
Turnd to the shore, where that same warlike Lord
She in receiu’dreceiv’d; but Atin by no way
She would admit, albe the knight her much did
pray.
[5]
her shallow ship away did slide,
More swift, 1590.bk2.II.vi.5.2. then: thanthenthan swallow sheres the skye,
Withouten oare or Pilot it to guide,
Or winged canuascanvas with the wind to fly,
Onely she turnd a pin, and
by and by
It cut away vponupon the yielding wauewave,
Ne cared she her course for to :
For it was taught the way, which she would hauehave,
And both from rocks and flats it selfe could
wisely sauesave.
[6]
And all the way, the Damsell found
New merth, her passenger to entertaine:
For she in pleasaunt did abound,
And greatly ioyedjoyed
to ,
Of which a store-house did with her remaine,
Yet seemed, nothing well they her became;
For all her wordes she drownd with laughter vaine,
And wanted grace in vtt’ringutt’ring of the same,
That turned all her pleasaunce to a scoffing
game.
[7]
And other whiles vaine toyes she would deuizedevize,
As her fantasticke wit did most delight,
Sometimes her head she fondly would aguize
With gaudy girlonds, or fresh flowrets dight
About her necke, or rings of rushes plight;
Sometimes to do him laugh, she would assay
To laugh at shaking ofoff the leauesleaves light,
Or to behold the water worke, and play
About her little frigot, therein making way.
[8]
Her light behauiourbehaviour, and loose dalliaunce
GaueGave wondrous great contentment to the knight,
That of his way he had no ,
Nor care of vow’d reuengerevenge, and cruell fight,
But to weake wench did yield his martiall might.
So easie was to quench his flamed minde
With one sweete drop of sensuall delight.
So easie is, t’appease the
stormy winde
Of malice in the calme of
pleasaunt womankind.
[9]
DiuerseDiverse discourses in their way they spent,
Mongst which Cymochles of her questioned,
Both what she was, ,
Which in her she daily practized.
Vaine man (saide she) that wouldest be reckoned
A straunger in thy home, and ignoraunt
Of (for so my name is red)
Of Phædria,
thine owne fellow seruauntservaunt;
For thou to serueserve
Acrasia thy selfe doest vaunt.
[10]
In this wide Inland sea, that hight by
name
The Idle lake, my
wandring ship I row,
That knowes her port, and thether sayles by ayme,
Ne care, ne feare I, how the wind do blow,
Or whether swift I wend, or whether slow:
Both slow and swift alike do serueserve my tourne,
Ne swelling Neptune, ne lowd thundring
IoueJove
Can chaunge my cheare, or make me euerever mourne;
My little boat can safely passe this perilous bourne.
[11]
Whiles thus she talked, and whiles thus she
toyd,
They were far past the passage, which he spake,
And come vntounto an Island, ,
That in the midst
of that great lake,
There her small Gondelay her port did make,
And that gay payre issewing on the shore
Disburdned her. Their way they forward take
Into the land, that lay them faire before,
Whose pleasaunce she him shewd, and
plentifull great store.
[12]
It was a chosen plott of fertile land,
Emongst wide waueswaves sett, like a litle nest,
As if it had by Natures cunning hand,
Bene choycely picked out from all the rest,
And laid forth for ensample of the best:
No dainty flowre or
herbe, that growes on grownd,
No with painted blossomes
drest,
And smelling sweete, but there it might be fownd
To bud out faire, &and
throwe her ſweete ſmelsthrowe her sweete smels
her ſweet ſmels throwher
sweet smels throw
her ſweet ſmels throweher
sweet smels throwe
al arownd.
[13]
, whose braunches did not brauelybravely spring;
No braunch, whereon a fine bird did not sitt:
No bird, but did her shrill notes sweetely sing;
No song but did containe a louelylovely
:
Trees, braunches, birds, and songs were framed fitt,
For to allure fraile mind to carelesse ease.
Carelesse the man soone woxe, and his weake witt
Was ouercomeovercome of thing, that did him please;
So pleased, did his wrathfull purpose faire
appease.
[14]
Thus when shee had his eyes and sences
fed
With false delights, and fild with pleasures vayn,
Into a shady dale she soft him led,
And laid him downe vponupon a grassy playn;
And her sweete selfe without dread, or disdayn,
She sett beside, laying his
In her loose lap, it softly to sustayn,
Where soone he slumbred ,
The whils with a loueloveloud lay she thus him sweetly charmd.
[15]
, O man, that toilesome
paines doest take
The flowrs, the fields, and all that pleasaunt
growes,
How they them seluesselves doe thine ensample make,
Whiles nothing enuiousenvious nature them forth throwes
Out of her fruitfull lap; how, no manhow noman knowes,
They spring, they bud, they blossome fresh and faire,
And decke the world with their rich põpouspompous showes;
Yet no man for them taketh paines or care,
Yet no man to them can his carefull paines
compare.
[16]
The lilly, Lady of the flowring field,
The , her louelylovely Paramoure,
Bid thee ,
And soone leaueleave off this toylsome weary stoure;
Loe loe how brauebrave she decks her bounteous boure,
With silkin curtens and gold couerlettscoverletts,
Therein to shrowd her sumptuous Belamoure,
Yet nether spinnes nor cards, ne cares nor fretts,
[17]
Why then doest thou, O man, that of them all
Art Lord, and eke
of nature SoueraineSoveraine,
Wilfully make thy selfe a wretched thrall,
And waste thy ioyousjoyous howres in needelesse paine,
Seeking for daunger and aduenturesadventures vaine?
What bootes it al to hauehave, and nothing vseuse?
swimming in the maine,
Will die for thrist, and
water doth refuse?
Refuse such fruitlesse toile, and present
pleasures chuse.
[18]
By this she had him lulled fast a sleepeasleepe,
That of no
thing he care did take;
Then she with liquors strong his eies did steepe,
That nothing should him hastily awake:
So she him lefte, and did her selfe betake
VntoUnto her boat again, with which she clefte
The
wauewave of that great lake;
Soone shee that Island far behind her lefte,
And now is come to that same place, where
first she wefte.
[19]
By this time was the worthy Guyon brought
VntoUnto the other side of that wide strond,
Where she was rowing, and for passage sought:
Him needed not long call, shee soone to hond
Her ferry brought, ,
With his sad guide; him
selfe she ,
But the Blacke Palmer suffred
still to stond,
Ne would for price, or prayers once
affoord,
To ferry that old man ouerover the perlous foord.
[20]
Guyon was loath to leaueleave his guide behind,
Yet being entred, might not backe retyre;
For the flitt barke, ,
Forth launched quickly, as she did desire,
Ne gauegave him leaueleave to bid that aged sire
Adieu, but nimbly ran her wonted course
Through the dull billowes thicke as troubled mire,
Whom nether wind out of their seat could forse,
Nor timely tides did driuedrive out of their sluggish sourse.
[21]
And by the way, as was her wonted ,
Her mery fitt shee freshly gan to reare,
And did of ioyjoy and iollityjollity
deuizedevize,
Her selfe to cherish, and her guest to cheare:
The knight was courteous, and did not forbeare
Her honest merth and pleasaunce to partake;
But when he saw her toy, and gibe, and geare,
And passe the bonds of
modest merimake,
Her dalliaunce he despisd, and follies did
forsake.
[22]
Yet she still followed her former style,
And said, and did all thatthar mote him delight,
Till they arriuedarrived in that pleasaunt Ile,
Where sleeping late she lefte her other knight.
But whenas Guyon of that land had sight,
He wist him selfe amisse, and angry said;
Ah Dame, perdy ye hauehave not doen me right,
Thus to mislead mee, whiles I you obaid:
Me litle needed from my right way to hauehave straid.
[23]
Faire Sir (qd.quoth she) be not displeasd at all;
Who fares on sea, may not
commaund his way,
Ne wind and weather at his pleasure call:
The sea is wide, and easy for to stray;
The wind vnstableunstable, and doth neuernever stay.
But here a while ye may in safety rest,
Till season serueserve new passage to assay;
Better safe port, 1590.bk2.II.vi.23.8. then: thanthenthan be in seas distrest.
Therewith she laught, and did her earnest end
in iestjest.
[24]
But he halfe discontent, mote nathelesse
Himselfe appease, and issewd forth on shore:
The ioyesjoyes whereof, and happy fuitfulnesse,
Such as he saw, she gan him lay before,
And all though pleasaunt, yet she made much more:
The , the
flowres did freshly spring,
The trees did bud, and early blossomes bore,
And all the quire of birds did sweetly sing,
And told that gardins pleasures in their
caroling.
[25]
And she more sweete, 1590.bk2.II.vi.25.1. then: thanthenthan any bird on bough,
Would oftentimes emongst them beare a part,
And striuestrive to passe (as she could well enough)
Their :
So did she all, that might his constant hart
Withdraw from thought of warlike enterprize,
And drowne in dissolute delights apart,
Where noise of armes, or vew of martiall guize
Might not reuiuerevive desire of knightly exercize.
[26]
But he was wise, and wary of her will,
Yet would not seeme so rude, and thewed ill,
As to despise so curteous seeming part,
That gentle Lady did to him impart,
But fairly tempring fond desire subdewd,
And euerever her desired to depart.
She list not heare, but her disports poursewd,
And euerever bad him stay, till time the tide renewd.
[27]
And now by this,
Cymochles howre was spent,
That he awoke out of his ydle dreme,
And shaking off his drowsy dreriment,
Gan him auizeavize, howe ill did him beseme,
In slouthfull sleepe his molten hart to ,
And quench the brond of his conceiuedconceived yre.
Tho vpup he started, stird with shame extreme,
Ne staied for his Damsell to inquire,
But marched to the Strond, theretheir passage to require.
[28]
And in the way he with Sir Guyon mett,
Accompanyde with Phædria the faire,faire:
Eftsoones he gan to rage, and inly frett,
Crying, Let be that Lady debonairebebonairedebonaire,
Thou recreaunt knight, and soone thy selfe prepaire
To batteile, if thou meane her louelove to gayn:
Loe, loe already, how the
fowles in aire
Doe flocke, awaiting shortly to obtayn
Thy carcas for their pray, the guerdon of thy
payn.
[29]
And therewith all he fiersly at him flew,
And with importuneimportanceimportant outrage him assayld;
Who soone prepard to
field, his sword forth drew,
And him with equall
counteruayldcountervayld:
Their mightie strokes their ,
And naked made each others manly spalles;
The mortall steele despiteously entayld
Deepe in their flesh, quite through the yron walles,
That a large purple stream adown their
falles.falles
[30]
CymoclesCymochles, that had neuernever mett beforebefore,
So puissant foe, with enuiousenvious despight
His prowd presumed force increased more,
Disdeigning to bee held so long in fight;
Sir Guyon
grudging not so much his might,
As those vnknightlyunknightly
raylinges,
which he spoke,
With wrathfull fire his corage kindled bright,
Thereof deuisingdevising shortly to be wroke,
And doubling all his powres, redoubled eueryevery stroke.
[31]
Both of them high attonce their hands enhaunst,
And both attonce their huge blowes down did sway;
Cymochles sword on
Guyons shield yglaunst,
And thereof nigh one quarter sheard away;
But Guyons
angry blade so fiers did play
On th’others helmett, which as Titan
shone,
That quite it cloueclove his plumed crest in tway,
And bared all his head vntounto the bone;
Wherewith astonisht, still he stood, as
sencelesse
stone.
[32]
as he stood, fayre Phædria, that beheld
That deadly daunger, soone atweene them ran;
And at their feet her selfe most humbly ,
Crying with pitteous voyce, and count’nance wan;
Ah well away, most noble Lords, how can
Your cruell eyes endure so pitteous sight,
To shed your liueslives on ground? wo worth the
man,
That first did teach the cursed steele to bight
In his owne flesh, and make way to the liuingliving spright.
[33]
If euerever
louelove of Lady did empierce
Your yron brestes, or pittie could find place,
Withhold your bloody handes from battaill fierce,
And sith for me ye fight, to me this grace
Both yield, to stay your deadly stryfe a space.
They stayd a while: and forth she gan proceed:
Most wretched woman, and of wicked race,
That am the authour of
this hainous deed,
And cause of death betweene two doughtie
knights do breed.
[34]
But if for me ye fight, or me will serueserve,
Not this rude kynd of battaill, nor these armes
Are meet, the which doe men in bale to steruesterve,
And doolefull sorrow heape with deadly harmes:
Such cruell game my disarmes:
Another warre, and other
weapons I
Doe louelove, where louelove does giuegive his sweet Alarmes,
Without bloodshed, and where the enimy
Does yield vntounto his foe a pleasaunt victory.
[35]
Debatefull strife, and cruell enmity
The famous name of knighthood fowly shend;
But louelylovely peace, and gentle amity,
And in Amours the passing howres to spend,
The mightie martiall handes doe most commend;
Of louelove they euerever greater glory bore,
1590.bk2.II.vi.35.7. Then: ThanThenThan of their armes: Mars is Cupidoes frend,
And is for Venus
louesloves renowmed more,
1590.bk2.II.vi.35.9. Then: ThanThenThan all his wars and spoiles, the which he did of yore.
[36]
Therewith she sweetly smyld. They though full
bent,
To proueprove
of bloody fight,
And calme the sea of their tempestuous spight,
Such powre hauehave pleasing wordes: such is the might
Of courteous clemency in
gentle hart.
Now after all was ceast, the Faery knight
Besought that Damzell suffer him depart,
And yield him ready passage to that other part.
[37]
She no lesse glad, 1590.bk2.II.vi.37.1. then: thanthenthan he desirous was
Of his departure thence; for of her ioyjoy
And vaine delight she saw ,
A foe of folly and immodest toy,
Still , or
still disdainfull coy,
Delighting all in armes and cruell warre,
That her sweet peace and pleasures did annoy,
Troubled with terrour and vnquietunquiet
iarrejarre,
That she well pleased was thence to him farre.
[38]
Tho him she brought abord, and her swift
bote
Forthwith directed to that further strand;
on the dull waueswaves did lightly flote
And soone arriuedarrived on the shallow sand,
Where gladsome Guyon
salied forth to land,
And to that Damsell thankes gauegave for reward.
VponUpon that shore he spyed Atin stand,
Thereby his maister left, when late he far’d
In Phædrias flitt barck ouerover that perlous .
[39]
Well could he him remember, sith of late
He with Pyrrhochles sharp debatement made;
Streight gan he him reuylerevyle, and bitter rate,
As ShepheardsShepheardesſ⁀hepheards curre, that in darke eueningeseveninges
euenigeseveniges
eueningsevenings
shade
Hath tracted forth some saluagesalvage beastes trade;
Vile Miscreaunt (said he) whether dost thou flye
The shame and death, which will thee soone inuadeinvade?
What coward hand shall doe thee next to dye,
That art thus fowly fledd from ?
[40]
With that he stifly shooke his steelhead
dart:
But sober Guyon, hearing him so rayle,
Though somewhat mouedmoved in his mightie hart,
Yet with strong reason maistred ,
And passed fayrely forth. He turning taile,
Backe to the strond retyrd, and there still stayd,
Awaiting passage, ;
The whiles Cymochles with that wanton mayd
The hasty heat of his auowdavowd
reuengerevenge
[41]
there the varlet stood, he saw from farre
An armed knight, that towardes him fast ran,
He ran on foot, as if in lucklesse warre
His forlorne steed from him the victour wan;
He seemed breathlesse, hartlesse, faint, and wan,
And all his armour sprinckled was with blood,
And soyld with durtie gore, that no man can
Discerne the hew thereof. He neuernever stood,
But bent his hastie course towardes the ydle
flood.
[42]
The varlett saw, when to the flood he
came,
How without stop or stay he fiersly lept,
And deepe him selfe beducked in the same,
That in the lake his loftie crest was stept,
Ne of his safetie seemed care he kept,
But with his raging armes he rudely ,
The waueswaves about, and all his armour
swept,
That all the blood and filth away was washt,
Yet still he bet the water, and the billowes dasht.
[43]
Atin drew nigh, to weet, what it mote bee;
For much he wondred at that vncouthuncouth sight;
Whom should he, but his own deare Lord, there see,
His owne deare Lord Pyrrhochles, in sad plight,
Ready to drowne him selfe for fell despight.
Harrow now out, and
well
awayweal-away, he cryde,
What day hath lent hisbut this histhis cursed light,
To see my Lord so deadly damnifyde
Pyrrhochles, O Pyrrhochles, what is thee
betyde?
[44]
, I burne, I burne, then lowd he cryde,
O how I burne with fyre,
Yet nought can quench mine inly flaming syde,
Nor sea of licour cold, nor lake of
myre,
Nothing but death can doe me to respyre.
Ah be it (said he) from Pyrrhochles farre
After pursewing death once to requyre,
Or think, that ought those puissant hands may marre:marre
Death is for wretches borne vnderunder
vnhappyunhappy starre.
[45]
Perdye, then is it fitt for me (said he)
That am, I weene, most wretched man aliuealive,
BurningBut in flames, yet no flames can I see,
:
O Atin, helpe to me last death to giuegive.
The varlet at his plaint was grieuedgrieved so sore,
That his deepe wounded hart in two did riuerive,
And ,
Did follow that ensample, which he blam’d
afore.
[46]
Into the lake he lept, his Lord to ayd,
(So LoueLove the dread of daunger doth despise)
And of him catching hold him strongly stayd
From drowning. But more happy he, 1590.bk2.II.vi.46.4. then: thanthenthan wise
Of that seas nature did him not auiseavise.
The waueswaves thereof so slow and sluggish were,
Engrost with mud, which did them fowle agrise,
That eueryevery weighty thing they did vpbeareupbeare,
Ne ought mote euerever sinck downe to the bottom there.
[47]
Whiles thus they strugled in that ydle wauewave,
And strouestrove in vaine, the one him selfe to drowne,
The other both from drowning for to sauesave,
Lo, to that shore one in an auncient gowne,
Whose hoary locks great grauitiegravitie did crowne,
Holding in hand a goodly arming sword,
By fortune came, ledd with the troublous sowne:
Where drenched deepe he fownd in that dull ford
The carefull seruauntservaunt, stryuingstryving with his raging
Lord.
[48]
Him Atin
spying, knew right well of yore,
And lowdly cald, Help helpe, O Archimage;Archimage,
To sauesave my Lord, in wretched plight forlore;
Helpe with thy hand, or with thy counsell sage:
Weake handes, but counsell is most strong in age.
Him when the old
man ſaw,man
saw,
man, ſawman,
saw
he woundred sore,
To see Pyrrhochles there so rudely rage:
Yet sithens helpe, he saw, he needed more
1590.bk2.II.vi.48.9. Then: ThanThenThan pitty, he in hast approched to the shore.
[49]
And cald,
Pyrrhochles, what is this, I see?
What hellish fury hath at earst
thee hent?
Furious euerever I thee knew to bee,
Yet neuernever in this straunge astonishment.
These flames, these flames (he cryde) do me torment.
What flames (qd.quoth he) when I thee present see,
In daunger rather to be drent, 1590.bk2.II.vi.49.7. then: thanthenthan brent?
Harrow, the flames, which me consume (said hee)
Ne can be quencht, within my secret bowelles bee.
[50]
That cursed man, that cruel feend of
hell,
Furor, oh Furor hath me
thus:
His deadly woundes within my swell,
And his whott fyre burnes in mine entralles bright,
Kindled through his infernall brond of spight,
Sith late with him I batteill vaine would boste,
That now I weene
IouesJoves dreaded thunder light
Does scorch not halfe so sore, nor damned ghoste
In flaming does not so felly roste.
[51]
Which when as
Archimago heard, his griefe
He knew right well, and him attonce disarmd:
Then searcht his secret woundes, and made a priefe
Of eueryevery place, that was with bruzing harmd,
Or with the hidden fier inlyfire too inly warmd.
Which doen, he balmes and herbes thereto applyde,
And euermoreevermore with mightie spels them charmd,
That in short space he has them qualifyde,
And him restor’d to helth, that would hauehave
dyde.
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