Cant. VIII.
Faire virgin to redeeme her deare
brings Arthur to the fight,
Who slayes that Gyant, wounds the beast,
and strips Duessa quight.
[1]
AY me, how many perils doe enfold
The righteous man, to make him daily fall?
Were not, that heauenlyheavenly grace doth him vpholduphold,
And stedfast truth acquite him out of all.
Her louelove is firme, her care continuall,
So oft as he through his owne foolish pride,
Or weaknesse is to sinfull bands made thrall:
Else should this Redcrosse knight in bands hauehave dyde,
For whose deliuera[n]ce she this Prince doth thither guide.
[2]
They sadly traueildtraveild thus, vntilluntill they came
Nigh to a castle builded strong and hie:
Then cryde the Dwarfe, lo yonder is the same,
In which my Lord my liege doth lucklesse lie,
Thrall to that Gyants hatefull tyrannie:
Therefore, deare Sir, your mightie powres assay.
The noble knight alighted by and by
From loftie steede, and bad the Ladie stay,
To see what end of fight should him befall that day.
[3]
So with the Squire, th’admirer of his might,
He marched forth towards that castle wall;
Whose gates he found fast shut, ne liuingliving wight
To ward the same, nor answere commers call.
Then tooke that Squire an horne of bugle small,
Which hong adowne his side in twisted gold,
And tassels gay. Wyde wonders ouerover all
Of that same hornes great vertues weren told,
Which had approuedapproved bene in vsesuses manifold.
[4]
Was neuernever wight, that heard that shrilling sound,
But trembling feare did feele in eueryevery vaine;
Three miles it might be easie heard around,
And Ecchoes three answerd it selfe againe:
No false enchauntment, nor deceiptfull traine
Might once abide the terror of that blast,
But presently was voide and wholly vaine:
No gate so strong, no locke so firme and fast,
But with that percing noise flew open quite, or brast.
[5]
The same before the Geants gate he blew,
That all the castle quaked from the ground,
And eueryevery dore of freewill open flew.
The Gyant selfe dismaied with that sownd,
Where he with his Duessa dalliance fownd,
In hast came rushing forth from inner bowre,
With staring countenance sterne, as one astownd,
And staggering steps, to weet, what suddein stowre
Had wrought that horror strange, and dar’d his dreaded powre.
[6]
And after him the proud Duessa came,
High mounted on her manyheaded beast,
And eueryevery head with fyrie tongue did flame,
And eueryevery head was crowned on his creast,
And bloudie mouthed with late cruell feast.
That when the knight beheld, his mightie shild
VponUpon his manly arme he soone addrest,
And at him fiercely flew, with courage fild,
And eger greedinesse through eueryevery member thrild.
[7]
Therewith the Gyant buckled him to fight,
Inflam’d with scornefull wrath and high disdaine,
And lifting vpup his dreadfull club on hight,
All arm’d with ragged snubbes and knottie graine,
Him thought at first encounter to hauehave slaine,
But wise and warie was that noble Pere,
And lightly leaping from so monstrous maine,
Did faire auoideavoide the violence him nere;
It booted nought, to thinke, such thunderbolts to beare.
[8]
Ne shame he thought to shunne so hideous might:
The idle stroke, enforcing furious way,
Missing the marke of his misaymed sight
Did fall to ground, and with his heauieheavie sway
So deepely dinted in the driuendriven clay,
That three yardes deepe a furrow vpup did throw:
The sad earth wounded with so sore assay,
Did grone full grieuousgrievous vnderneathunderneath the blow,
And trembling with strange feare, did like an earthquake show.
[9]
As when almightie Ioue
Jove
in wrathfull mood,
To wreake the guilt of mortall sins is bent,
Hurles forth his thundring dart with deadly food,
Enrold in flames, and smouldring dreriment,
Through riuenriven cloudes and molten firmament;
The fierce threeforked engin making way,
Both loftie towres and highest trees hath rent,
And all that might his angrie passage stay,
And shooting in the earth, casts vpup a mount of clay.
[10]
His boystrous club, so buried in the ground,
He could not rearen vpup againe so light,
But that the knight him at auantage found,
And whiles he strouestrove his combred clubbe to quight
Out of the earth, with blade all burning bright
He smote off his left arme, which like a blocke
Did fall to ground, depriu’ddepriv’d of natiuenative might;
Large streames of bloud out of the truncked stocke
Forth gushed, like fresh water streame from riuenriven rocke.
[11]
Dismaied with so desperate deadly wound,
And eke impatient of vnwontedunwonted paine,
He loudly brayd with beastly yelling sound,
That all the fields rebellowed againe;
As great a noyse, as when in Cymbrian plaine
An heard of Bulles, whom kindly rage doth sting,
Do for the milkie mothers want complaine,
And fill the fields with troublous bellowing,
The neighbour woods around with hollow murmuring.
[12]
That when his deare Duessa heard, and saw
The euillevill stownd, that daungerd her estate,
VntoUnto his aide she hastily did draw
Her dreadfull beast, who swolne with bloud of late
Came ramping forth with proud presumpteous gate,
And threatned all his heads like flaming brands.
But him the Squire made quickly to retrate,
Encountring fierce with single sword in hand,
And twixt him and his Lord did like a bulwarke stand.
[13]
The proud Duessa full of wrathfull spight,
And fierce disdaine, to be affronted so,
Enforst her purple beast with all her might
That stop out of the way to ouerthroeoverthroe,
Scorning the let of so vnequallunequall foe:
But nathemore would that courageous swayne
To her yeeld passage, gainst his Lord to goe,
But with outrageous strokes did him restraine,
And with his bodie bard the way atwixt them twaine.
[14]
Then tooke the angrie witch her golden cup,
Which still she bore, replete with magick artes;
Death and despeyre did many thereof sup,
And secret poyson through their inner parts,
Th’eternall bale of heauieheavie wounded harts;
Which after charmes and some enchauntments said,
She lightly sprinkled on his weaker parts;
Therewith his sturdie courage soone was quayd,
And all his senses were with suddeine dread dismayd.
[15]
So downe he fell before the cruell beast,
Who on his necke his bloudie clawes did seize,
That life nigh crusht out of his panting brest:
No powre he had to stirre, nor will to rize.
That when the carefull knight gan well auiseavise,
He lightly left the foe, with whom he fought,
And to the beast gan turne his enterprise;
For wondrous anguish in his hart it wrought,
To see his louedloved Squire into such thraldome brought.
[16]
And high aduauncingadvauncing his bloud-thirstie blade,
Stroke one of those deformed heads so sore,
That of his puissance proud ensample made;
His monstrous scalpe downe to his teeth it tore,
And that misformed shape mis-shaped more:
A sea of bloud gusht from the gaping wound,
That her gay garments staynd with filthy gore,
And ouerflowedoverflowed all the field around;
That ouerover shoes in bloud he waded on the ground.
[17]
Thereat he roared for exceeding paine,
That to hauehave heard, great horror would hauehave bred,
And scourging th’emptie ayre with his long traine,
Through great impatience of his grieuedgrieved hed
His gorgeous ryder from her loftie sted
Would hauehave cast downe, and trod in durtie myre,
Had not the Gyant soone her succoured;
Who all enrag’d with smart and franticke yre,
Came hurtling in full fierce, and forst the knight retyre.
[18]
The force, which wont in two to be disperst,
In one alone left hand he now vnitesunites,
Which is through rage more strong 1596.bk1.I.viii.18.3. then: thanthenthan both were erst;
With which his hideous club aloft he dites,
And at his foe with furious rigour smites,
That strongest Oake might seeme to ouerthrowoverthrow:
The stroke vponupon his shield so heauieheavie lites,
That to the ground it doubleth him full low
What mortall wight could euerever beare so monstrous blow?
[19]
And in his fall his shield, that coueredcovered was,
Did loose his vele by chaunce, and open flew:
The light whereof, that heauensheavens light did pas,
Such blazing brightnesse through the aier threw,
That eye mote not the same endure to vew.
Which when the Gyaunt spyde with staring eye,
He downe let fall his arme, and soft withdrew
His weapon huge, that heauedheaved was on hye
For to hauehave slaine the man, that on the ground did lye.
[20]
And eke the fruitfull-headed beast, amaz’d
At flashing beames of that sunshiny shield,
Became starke blind, and all his senses daz’d,
That downe he tumbled on the durtie field,
And seem’d himselfe as conquered to yield.
Whom when his maistresse proud perceiu’dperceiv’d to fall,
Whiles yet his feeble feet for faintnesse reeld,
VntoUnto the Gyant loudly she gan call,
O helpe Orgoglio, helpe, or else we perish all.
[21]
At her so pitteous cry was much amoou’damoov’d
Her champion stout, and for to ayde his frend,
Againe his wonted angry weapon proou’dproov’d:
But all in vaine: for he has read his end
In that bright shield, and all their forces spend
ThemseluesThemselves in vaine: for since that glauncing sight,
He hath no powre to hurt, nor to defend;
As where th’Almighties lightning brond does light,
It dimmes the dazed eyen, and daunts the senses quight.
[22]
Whom when the Prince, to battell new addrest,
And threatning high his dreadfull stroke did see,
His sparkling blade about his head he blest,
And smote off quite his right leg by the knee,
That downe he tombled; as an aged tree,
High growing on the top of rocky clift,
Whose hartstrings with keene steele nigh hewen be,
The mightie trunck halfe rent, with ragged rift
Doth roll adowne the rocks, and fall with fearefull drift.
[23]
Or as a Castle reared high and round,
By subtile engins and malitious slight
Is vnderminedundermined from the lowest ground
And her foundation forst, and feebled quight,
At last downe falles, and with her heaped hight
Her hastie ruine does more heauieheavie make,
And yields it selfe vntounto the victours might;
Such was this Gyaunts fall, that seemd to shake
The stedfast globe of earth, as it for feare did quake.
[24]
The knight 1596.bk1.I.viii.24.1. then: thanthenthan lightly leaping to the pray,
With mortall steele him smot againe so sore,
That headlesse his vnweldyunweldy bodie lay,
All wallowd in his owne fowle bloudy gore,
Which flowed from his wounds in wondrous store,
But soone as breath out of his breast did pas,
That huge great body, which the Gyaunt bore,
Was vanisht quite, and of that monstrous mas
Was nothing left, but like an emptie bladder was.
[25]
Whose grieuousgrievous fall, when false Duessa spide,
Her golden cup she cast vntounto the ground,
And crowned mitre rudely threw aside;
Such percing griefe her stubborne hart did wound,
That she could not endure that dolefull stound,
But leauingleaving all behind her, fled away:
The light-foot Squire her quickly turnd around,
And by hard meanes enforcing her to stay,
So brought vntounto his Lord, as his deserueddeserved pray.
[26]
The royall Virgin, which beheld from farre,
In pensiuepensive plight, and sad perplexitie,
The whole atchieuementatchievement of this doubtfull warre,
Came running fast to greet his victorie,
With sober gladnesse, and myld modestie,
And with sweet ioyousjoyous cheare him thus bespake;
Faire braunch of noblesse, flowre of cheualrie,
That with your worth the world amazed make,
How shall I quite the paines, ye suffer for my sake?
[27]
And you fresh bud of vertue springing fast,
Whom these sad eyes saw nigh vntounto deaths dore,
What hath poore Virgin for such perill past,
Wherewith you to reward? Accept therefore
My simple selfe, and seruiceservice euermoreevermore;
And he that high does sit, and all things see
With equall eyes, their merites to restore,
Behold what ye this day hauehave done for mee,
And what I cannot quite, requite with vsureeusuree.
[28]
But sith the heauensheavens, and your faire handeling
HaueHave made you maister of the field this day,
Your fortune maister eke with gouerninggoverning,
And well begun end all so well, I pray,
Ne let that wicked woman scape away;
For she it is, that did my Lord bethrall,
My dearest Lord, and deepe in dongeon lay,
Where he his better dayes hath wasted all.
O heare, how piteous he to you for ayd does call.
[29]
Forthwith he gauegave in charge vntounto his Squire,
That scarlot whore to keepen carefully;
Whiles he himselfe with greedie great desire
Into the Castle entred forcibly.
Where liuingliving creature none he did espye;
Then gan he lowdly through the house to call:
But no man car’d to answere to his crye.
There raignd a solemne silence ouerover all,
Nor voice was heard, nor wight was seene in bowre or hall.
[30]
At last with creeping crooked pace forth came
An old old man, with beard as white as snow,
That on a staffe his feeble steps did frame,
And guide his wearie gate both too and fro:
For his eye sight him failed long ygo,
And on his arme a bounch of keyes he bore,
The which vnusedunused rust did ouergrowovergrow:
Those were the keyes of eueryevery inner dore,
But he could not them vseuse, but kept them still in store.
[31]
But very vncouthuncouth sight was to behold,
How he did fashion his vntowarduntoward pace,
For as he forward moou’dmoov’d his footing old,
So backward still was turnd his wrincled face,
VnlikeUnlike to men, who euerever as they trace,
Both feet and face one way are wont to lead.
This was the auncient keeper of that place,
And foster father of the Gyant dead;
His name Ignaro did his nature right aread.
[32]
His reuerendreverend haires and holy grauitie
The knight much honord, as beseemed well,
And gently askt, where all the people bee,
Which in that stately building wont to dwell.
Who answerd him full soft, he could not tell.
Againe he askt, where that same knight was layd,
Whom great Orgoglio with his puissaunce fell
Had made his caytiuecaytive thrall; againe he sayde,
He could not tell: ne euerever other answere made.
[33]
Then asked he, which way he in might pas:
He could not tell, againe he answered.
Thereat the curteous knight displeased was,
And said, Old sire, it seemes thou hast not red
How ill it sits with that same siluersilver hed
In vaine to mocke, or mockt in vaine to bee:
But if thou be, as thou art pourtrahed
With natures pen, in ages grauegrave degree,
Aread in grauergraver wise, what I demaund of thee.
[34]
His answere likewise was, he could not tell.
Whose senceless speach, and doted ignorance
When as the noble Prince had marked well,
He ghest his nature by his countenance,
And calmd his wrath with goodly temperance.
Then to him stepping, from his arme did reach
Those keyes, and made himselfe free enterance.
Each dore he opened without any breach;
There was no barre to stop, nor foe him to empeach.
[35]
There all within full rich arayd he found,
With royall arras and resplendent gold.
And did with store of eueryevery thing abound,
That greatest Princes presence might behold.
But all the floore (too filthy to be told)
With bloud of guiltlesse babes, and innocents trew,
Which there were slaine, as sheepe out of the fold,
Defiled was, that dreadfull was to vew,
And sacred ashes ouerover it was strowed new.
[36]
And there beside of marble stone was built
An Altare, caru’dcarv’d with cunning imagery,
On which true Christians bloud was often spilt,
And holy Martyrs often doen to dye,
With cruell malice and strong tyranny:
Whose blessed sprites from vnderneathunderneath the stone
To God for vengeance cryde continually,
And with great griefe were often heard to grone,
That hardest heart would bleede, to heare their piteous mone.
[37]
Through eueryevery rowme he sought, and eueryevery bowr,
But no where could he find that wofull thrall:
At last he came vntounto an yron doore,
That fast was lockt, but key found not at all
Emongst that bounch, to openit withall;
But in the same a little grate was pight,
Through which he sent his voyce, and lowd did call
With all his powre, to weet, if liuingliving wight
Were housed therewithin, whom he enlargen might.
[38]
Therewith an hollow, dreary, murmuring voyce
These piteous plaints and dolours did resound;
O who is that, which brings me happy choyce
Of death, that here lye dying eueryevery stound,
Yet liuelive perforce in balefull darkenesse bound?
For now three Moones hauehave cha[n]ged thrice their hew,
And hauehave beene thrice hid vnderneathunderneath the ground,
Since I the heauensheavens chearefull face did vew,
O welcome thou, that doest of death bring tydings trew.
[39]
Which when that Champion heard, with percing point
Of pitty deare his hart was thrilled sore,
And trembling horrour ran through eueryevery ioyntjoynt,
For ruth of gentle knight so fowle forlore:
Which shaking off, he rent that yron dore,
With furious force, and indignation fell;
Where entred in, his foot could find no flore,
But all a deepe descent, as darke as hell,
That breathed euerever forth a filthie banefull smell.
[40]
But neither darkenesse fowle, nor filthy bands,
Nor noyous smell his purpose couldwithhold,
(Entire affection hateth nicer hands)
But that with constant zeale, and courage bold,
After long paines and labours manifold,
He found the meanes that Prisoner vpup to reare;
Whose feeble thighes, vnhableunhable to vpholduphold
His pined corse, him scarse to light could beare.
A ruefull spectacle of death and ghastly drere.
[41]
His sad dull eyes deepe sunck in hollow pits,
Could not endure th’vnwonted sunne to view;
His bare thin cheekes for want of better bits,
And empty sides deceiueddeceived of their dew,
Could make a stony hart his hap to rew;
His rawbone armes, whose mighty brawned bowrs
Were wont to riuerive steele plates, and helmets hew,
Were cleane consum’d, and all his vitall powres
Decayd, and all his flesh shronk vpup like withered flowres.
[42]
Whom when his Lady saw, to him she ran
With hasty ioyjoy: to see him made her glad,
And sad to view his visage pale and wan,
Who earst in flowres of freshest youth was clad.
Tho when her well of teares she wasted had,
She said, Ah dearest Lord, what euillevill starre
On you hath fround, and pourd his influence bad,
That of your selfe ye thus berobbed arre,
And this misseeming hew your manly looks doth marre?
[43]
But welcome now my Lord, in wele or woe,
Whose presence I kauekave lackt too long a day;
And fie on Fortune mine auowedavowed foe,
Whose wrathfull wreakes them seluesselves do now alay.
And for these wrongs shall treble penaunce pay
Of treble good: good growes of euilsevils priefe.
The chearelesse man, whom sorrow did dismay,
Had no delight to treaten of his griefe;
His long endured famine needed more reliefe.
[44]
Faire Lady, 1596.bk1.I.viii.44.1. then: thanthenthan said that victorious knight,
The things, that grieuousgrievous were to do, or beare,
Them to renew, I wote, breeds no delight:
Best musicke breeds delight in loathing eare:
But th’onely good, that growes of passed feare,
Is to be wise, and ware of like agein.
This dayes ensample hath this lesson deare
Deepe written in my heart with yron pen,
That blisse may not abide in state of mortall men.
[45]
Henceforth sir knight, take to you wonted strength,
And maister these mishaps with patient might;
Loe where your foe lyes stretcht in monstrous length,
And loe that wicked woman in your sight,
The roote of all your care, and wretched plight,
Now in your powre, to let her liuelive, or dye.
To do her dye (quoth VnaUna) were despight,
And shame t’auenge so weake an enimy;
But spoile her of her scarlot robe, and let her fly.
[46]
So as she bad, that witch they disaraid,
And robd of royall robes, and purple pall,
And ornaments that richly were displaid;
Ne spared they to strip her naked all.
Then when they had despoild her tire and call,
Such as she was, their eyes might her behold,
That her misshaped parts did them appall,
A loathly, wrinckled hag, ill fauouredfavoured, old,
Whose secret filth good manners biddeth not be told.
[47]
Her craftie head was altogether bald,
And as in hate of honorable eld,
Was ouergrowneovergrowne with scurfe and filthy scald;
Her teeth out of her rotten gummes were feld,
And her sowre breath abhominably smeld;
Her dried dugs, like bladders lacking wind,
Hong downe, and filthy matter from them weld;
Her wrizled skin as rough, as maple rind,
So scabby was, that would hauehave loathd all womankind.
[48]
Her neather parts, the shame of all her kind,
My chaster Muse for shame doth blush to write;
But at her rompe she growing had behind
A foxes taile, with dong all fowly dight;
And eke her feete most monstrous were in sight;
For one of them was like an Eagles claw,
With griping talaunts armd to greedy fight,
The other like a Beares vneuenuneven paw:
More vglyugly shape yet neuernever liuingliving creature saw.
[49]
Which when the knights beheld, amazd they were,
And wondred at so fowle deformed wight.
Such then(said VnaUna) as she seemeth here,
Such is the face of falshood, such the sight
Of fowle Duessa, when her borrowed light
Is laid away, and counterfesaunce knowne.
Thus when they had the witch disrobed quight,
And all her filthy feature open showne,
They let her goe at will, and wander wayes vnknowneunknowne.
[50]
She flying fast from heauensheavens hated face,
And from the world that her discouereddiscovered wide,
Fled to the wastfull wildernesse apace,
From liuingliving eyes her open shame to hide,
And lurkt in rocks and cauescaves long vnespideunespide.
But that faire crew of knights, and VnaUna faire
Did in that castle afterwards abide,
To rest them seluesselves, and weary powres repaire,
Where store they found of all, that dainty was and rare.
H5v