Pyrrhochles does with Guyon fight,
And Furors chayne vnbindsunbinds
Of whom sore hurt, for his reuengerevenge
Atin Cymochles finds.
[1]
W Ho euerever doth to temperaunce apply
His stedfast life, and all his actions frame,
Trust me, shall find no greater enimy,
Then stubborne perturbation, to the same;
To which right well the wise do giuegive that name,
For it the goodly peace of stayed mindes
Does ouerthrowoverthrow, and troublous warre proclame:
His owne woes authour, who so bound it findes,
As did Pyrrhochles, and it wilfully vnbindesunbindes.
[2]
After that varlets flight, it was not long,
Ere on the plaine fast pricking Guyon spide
One in bright armes embatteiled full strong,
That as the Sunny beames do glaunce and glide
VponUpon the trembling wauewave, so shined bright,
And round about him threw forth sparkling fire,
That seemd him to enflame on eueryevery side:
His steed was bloudy red, and fomed ire,
When with the maistring spur he did him roughly stire.
[3]
Approching nigh, he neuernever stayd to greete,
Ne chaffar words, prowd courage to prouokeprovoke,
But prickt so fiers, that vnderneathunderneath his feete
The smouldring dust did round about him smoke,
Both horse and man nigh able for to choke;
And fairly couching his steele-headed speare,
Him first saluted with a sturdy stroke;
It booted nought Sir Guyon comming neare
To thinke, such hideous puissaunce on foot to beare.
[4]
But lightly shunned it, and passing by,
With his bright blade did smite at him so fell,
That the sharpe steele arriuingarriving forcibly
On his broad shield, bit not, but glauncing fell
On his horse necke before the quilted sell
And from the head the body sundred quight.
So him dismounted low, he did compell
On foot with him to matchen equall fight;
The truncked beast fast bleeding, did him fowly dight.
[5]
Sore bruzed with the fall, he slow vproseuprose,
And all enraged, thus him loudly shent;
Disleall knight, whose coward courage chose
To wreake it selfe on beast all innocent,
And shund the marke, at which it should be ment,
Thereby thine armes seeme strõg, but mãhood fraile;
So hast thou oft with guile thine honour blent;
But litle may such guile thee now auaile,
If wonted force and fortune do not much me faile.
[6]
With that he drew his flaming sword, and strooke
At him so fiercely, that the vpperupper marge
Of his seuenfoldedsevenfolded shield away it tooke,
And glauncing on his helmet, made a large
And open gash therein: were not his targe,
That broke the violence of his intent,
The weary soule from thence it would discharge;
Nathelesse so sore abuff to him it lent,
That made him reele, and to his brest his beuerbever bent.
[7]
Exceeding wroth was Guyon at that blow,
And much ashamd, that stroke of liuingliving arme
Should him dismay, and make him stoup so low,
Though otherwise it did him litle harme:
Tho hurling high his yron braced arme,
He smote so manly on his shoulder plate,
That all his left side it did quite disarme;
Yet there the steele stayd not, but inly bate
Deepe in his flesh, and opened wide a red floodgate.
[8]
Deadly dismayd, with horrour of that dint
Pyrrhochles was, and grieuedgrieved eke entyre;
Yet nathemore did it his fury stint,
But added flame vntounto his former fire,
That welnigh molt his hart in raging yre,
Ne thenceforth his approuedapproved skill, to ward,
Or strike, or hurle, round in warelike gyre,
Remembred he, ne car’d for his saufgard,
But rudely rag’d, and like a cruell Tygre far’d.
[9]
He hewd, and lasht, and foynd, and thundred blowes,
And eueryevery way did seeke into his life,
Ne plate, ne male could ward so mighty throwes,
But yielded passage to his cruell knife.
But Guyon, in the heat of all his strife,
Was warie wise, and closely did awayt
AuauntageAvauntage, whilest his foe did rage most rife;
Sometimes a thwart, sometimes he strooke him strayt,
And falsed oft his blowes, t’illude him with such bayt.
[10]
Like as a Lyon, whose imperiall powre
A prowd rebellious VnicorneUnicorne defies,
T’auoide the rash assault and wrathfull stowre
Of his fiers foe, him to a tree applies,
And when him running in full course he spies,
He slips aside; the whiles that furious beast
His precious horne, sought of his enimies
Strikes in the stocke, ne thence can be relast,
But to the mighty victour yields a bounteous feast.
[11]
With such faire slight him Guyon often faild,
Till at the last all breathlesse, wearie, faint
Him spying, with fresh onset he assaild,
And kindling new his courage seeming queint,
Strooke him so hugely, that through great constraint
He made him stoup perforce vntounto his knee,
And do vnwillingunwilling worship to the Saint,
That on his shield depainted he did see;
Such homage till that instant neuernever learned hee.
[12]
Whom Guyon seeing stoup, pursewed fast
The present offer of faire victory,
And soone his dreadfull blade about he cast,
Wherewith he smote his haughty crest so hye,
That streight on ground made him full low to lye;
Then on his brest his victour foote he thrust:
With that he cryde, Mercy, do me not dye,
Ne deeme thy force by fortunes doome vniustunjust,
That hath (maugre her spight) thus low me laid in dust.
[13]
Eftsoones his cruell hand Sir Guyon stayd,
Tempring the passion with aduizementadvizement slow,
And maistring might on enimy dismayd:
For th’equall dye of warre he well did know;
Then to him said, LiueLive and allegaunce owe,
To him that giuesgives thee life and libertie,
And henceforth by this dayes ensample trow,
That hasty wroth, and heedlesse hazardrie
Do breede repentaunce late, and lasting infamie.
[14]
So vpup he let him rise, who with grim looke
And count’naunce sterne vpstandingupstanding, gan to grind
His grated teeth for great disdeigne, and shooke
His sandy lockes, long hanging downe behind,
Knotted in bloud and dust, for griefe of mind,
That he in ods of armes was conquered;
Yet in himselfe some comfort he did find,
That him so noble knight had maistered,
Whose bounty more 1596.bk2.II.v.14.9. then: thanthenthan might, yet both he wondered.
[15]
Which Guyon marking said, Be nought agrieu’dagriev’d,
Sir Knight, that thus ye now subdewed arre:
Was neuernever man, who most conquestes atchieu’datchiev’d
But sometimes had the worse, and lost by warre,
Yet shortly gaynd, that losse exceeded farre:
Losse is no shame, nor to be lesse 1596.bk2.II.v.15.6. then: thanthenthan foe,
But to be lesser, 1596.bk2.II.v.15.7. then: thanthenthan himselfe, doth marre
Both loosers lot, and victours prayse alsoe.
Vaine others ouerthrowesoverthrowes, who selfe doth ouerthroweoverthrowe.
[16]
Fly, O Pyrrhochles, fly the dreadfull warre,
That in thy selfe thy lesser parts do mouemove,
Outrageous anger, and woe-working iarrejarre,
Direfull impatience, and hart murdring louelove;
Those, those thy foes, those warriours far remoueremove,
Which thee to endlesse bale captiuedcaptived lead.
But sith in might thou didst my mercy proueprove,
Of curtesie to me the cause a read,
That thee against me drew with so impetuous dread.
[17]
Dreadlesse (said he) that shall I soone declare:
It was complaind, that thou hadst done great tort
VntoUnto an aged woman, poore and bare,
And thralled her in chaines with strong effort,
Voide of all succour and needfull comfort:
That ill beseemes thee, such as I thee see,
To worke such shame. Therefore I thee exhort,
To chaunge thy will, and set Occasion free,
And to her captiuecaptive sonne yield his first libertee.
[18]
Thereat Sir Guyon smilde, And is that all
(Said he) that thee so sore displeased hath?
Great mercy sure, for to enlarge a thrall,
Whose freedome shall thee turne to greatest scath.
Nath’lesse now quench thy whot emboyling wrath:
Loe there they be; to thee I yield them free.
Thereat he wondrous glad, out of the path
Did lightly leape, where he them bound did see,
And gan to breake the bands of their captiuiteecaptivitee.
[19]
Soone as Occasion felt her selfe vntydeuntyde,
Before her sonne could well assoyled bee,
She to her vseuse returnd, and streight defyde
Both Guyon and Pyrrhochles: th’one (said hee)
Bycause he wonne; the other because hee
Was wonne: So matter did she make of nought,
To stirre vpup strife, and do them disagree:
But soone as Furor was enlargd, she sought
To kindle his quencht fire, and thousand causes wrought.
[20]
It was not long, ere she inflam’d him so,
That he would algates with Pyrrhochles fight,
And his redeemer chalengd for his foe,
Because he had not well mainteind his right,
But yielded had to that same straunger knight:
Now gan Pyrrhochles wex as wood, as hee,
And him affronted with impatient might:
So both together fiers engrasped bee,
Whiles Guyon standing by, their vncouthuncouth strife does see.
[21]
Him all that while Occasion did prouokeprovoke
Against Pyrrhochles, and new matter framed
VponUpon the old, him stirring to be wroke
Of his late wrongs, in which she oft him blamed
For suffering such abuse, as knighhood shamed,
And him dishabled quite. But he was wise
Ne would with vaine occasions be inflamed;
Yet others she more vrgenturgent did deuisedevise:
Yet nothing could him to impatience entise.
[22]
Their fell contention still increased more,
And more thereby increased Furors might,
That he his foe has hurt, and wounded sore,
And him in bloud and durt deformed quight.
His mother eke, more to augment his spight,
Now brought to him a flaming fire brond,
Which she in Stygian lake, ay burning bright
Had kindled: that she gauegave into his hond,
That armd with fire, more hardly he mote him withstõd.
[23]
Tho gan that villein wex so fiers and strong,
That nothing might sustaine his furious forse;
He cast him downe to ground, and all along
Drew him through durt and myre without remorse,
And fowly battered his comely corse,
That Guyon much disdeignd so loathly sight.
At last he was compeld to cry perforse,
Helpe, ô Sir Guyon, helpe most noble knight,
To rid a wretched man from hands of hellish wight.
[24]
The knight was greatly mouedmoved at his plaint,
And gan him dight to succour his distresse,
Till that the Palmer, by his grauegrave restraint,
Him stayd from yielding pitifull redresse;
And said, Deare sonne, thy causelesse ruth represse,
Ne let thy stout hart melt in pitty vayne:
He that his sorrow sought through wilfulnesse,
And his foe fettred would release agayne.
DeseruesDeserves to tast his follies fruit, repented payne.
[25]
Guyon obayd; So him away he drew
From needlesse trouble of renewing fight
Already fought, his voyage to pursew.
But rash Pyrrhochles varlet, Atin hight,
When late he saw his Lord in heauyheavy plight,
VnderUnder Sir Guyons puissaunt stroke to fall,
Him deeming dead, as 1596.bk2.II.v.25.7. then: thanthenthan he seemd in sight,
Fled fast away, to tell his funerall
VntoUnto his brother, whom Cymochles men did call.
[26]
He was a man of rare redoubted might,
Famous throughout the world for warlike prayse,
And glorious spoiles, purchast in perilous fight:
Full many doughtie knights he in his dayes
Had doen to death, subdewde in equall frayes,
Whose carkases, for terrour of his name,
Of fowles and beastes he made the piteous prayes,
And hong their conquered armes for more defame
On gallow trees, in honour of his dearest Dame.
[27]
His dearest Dame is that Enchaunteresse,
The vile Acrasia, that with vaine delightes,
And idle pleasures in his Bowre of Blisse,
Does charme her louerslovers, and the feeble sprightes
Can call out of the bodies of fraile wightes:
Whom 1596.bk2.II.v.27.6. then: thanthenthan she does transforme to mõstrous hewes,
And horribly misshapes with vglyugly sightes,
Captiu’dCaptiv’d eternally in yron mewes,
And darksom dens, where Titan his face neuernever shewes.
[28]
There Atin found Cymochles soiourningsojourning,
To serueserve his Lemans louelove: for he by kind,
Was giuengiven all to lust and loose liuingliving,
When euerever his fiers hands he free mote find:
And now he has pourd out his idle mind
In daintie delices, and lauishlavish ioyesjoyes,
HauingHaving his warlike weapons cast behind,
And flowes in pleasures, and vaine pleasing toyes,
Mingled emongst loose Ladies and lasciuiouslascivious boyes.
[29]
And ouerover him, art striuingstriving to compaire
With nature, did an Arber greene dispred,
Framed of wanton YuieYvie, flouring faire,
Through which the fragrant Eglantine did spred
His pricking armes, entrayld with roses red,
Which daintie odours round about them threw,
And all within with flowres was garnished,
That when myld Zephyrus emongst them blew,
Did breath out bounteous smels, & painted colors shew.
[30]
And fast beside, there trickled softly downe
A gentle streame, whose murmuring wauewave did play
Emongst the pumy stones, and made a sowne,
To lull him soft a sleepe, that by it lay;
The wearie TraueilerTraveiler, wandring that way,
Therein did often quench his thristy heat,
And 1596.bk2.II.v.30.7. then: thanthenthan by it his wearie limbes display,
Whiles creeping slomber made him to forget
His former paine, and wypt away his toylsom sweat.
[31]
And on the other side a pleasaunt grouegrove
Was shot vpup high, full of the stately tree,
That dedicated is t’Olympicke IoueJove,
And to his sonne Alcides, whenas hee
Gaynd in Nemea goodly victoree;
Therein the mery birds of eueryevery sort
Chaunted alowd their chearefull harmonie:
And made emongst them seluesselves a sweet consort,
That quickned the dull spright with musicall comfort.
[32]
There he him found all carelesly displayd,
In secret shadow from the sunny ray,
On a sweet bed of lillies softly layd,
Amidst a flocke of Damzels fresh and gay,
That round about him dissolute did play
Their wanton follies, and light meriment;
EueryEvery of which did loosely disaray
Her vpperupper parts of meet habiliments,
And shewd them naked, deckt with many ornaments.
[33]
And eueryevery of them strouestrove, with most delights,
Him to aggrate, and greatest pleasures shew;
Some framd faire lookes, glancing like eueningevening lights,
Others sweet words, dropping like honny dew;
Some bathed kisses, and did soft embrew,
The sugred licour through his melting lips:
One boastes her beautie, and does yeeld to vew
Her daintie limbes aboueabove her tender hips;
Another her out boastes, and all for tryall strips.
[34]
He, like an Adder, lurking in the weeds,
His wandring thought in deepe desire does steepe,
And his fraile eye with spoyle of beautie feedes;
Sometimes he falsely faines himselfe to sleepe,
Whiles through their lids his wanton eies do peepe,
To steale a snatch of amorous conceipt,
Whereby close fire into his heart does creepe:
So, he them deceiuesdeceives, deceiu’ddeceiv’d in his deceipt,
Made drunke with drugs of deare voluptuous receipt.
[35]
Atin arriuingarriving there, when him he spide,
Thus in still waueswaves of deepe delight to wade,
Fiercely approching, to him lowdly cride,
Cymochles; oh no, but Cymochles shade,
In which that manly person late did fade,
What is become of great Acrates sonne?
Or where hath he hong vpup his mortall blade,
That hath so many haughtie conquests wonne?
Is all his force forlorne, and all his glory donne?
[36]
Then pricking him with his sharpe-pointed dart,
He said, VpUp, vpup, thou womanish weake knight,
That here in Ladies lap entombed art,
VnmindfullUnmindfull of thy praise and prowest might,
And weetlesse eke of lately wrought despight,
Whiles sad Pyrrhochles lies on senselesse ground,
And groneth out his vtmostutmost grudging spright,
Through many a stroke, & many a streaming wound,
Calling thy helpe in vaine, that here in ioyesjoyes art dround.
[37]
Suddeinly out of his delightfull dreame
The man awoke, and would hauehave questiond more;
But he would not endure that wofull theame
For to dilate at large, but vrgedurged sore
With percing words, and pittifull implore,
Him hastie to arise. As one affright
With hellish feends, or Furies mad vproreuprore,
He 1596.bk2.II.v.37.8. then: thanthenthan vproseuprose, inflam’d with fell despight,
And called for his armes; for he would algates fight.
[38]
They bene ybrought; he quickly does him dight,
And lightly mounted, passeth on his way,
Ne Ladies louesloves, ne sweete entreaties might
Appease his heat, or hastie passage stay;
For he has vowd, to beene aueng’d that day,
(That day it selfe him seemed all too long:)
On him, that did Pyrrhochles deare dismay:
So proudly pricketh on his courser strong,
And Atin aie him pricks with spurs of shame & wrong.
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