Cant. III.
Merlin bewrayes to Britomart,
the state of Artegall.
And shewes the famous Progeny
which from them springen shall.
[1]
M Ost sacred fire, that burnest mightily
In liuingliving brests, ykindled first aboueabove,
Emongst th’eternall spheres and lamping sky,
And thence pourd into men, which men call LoueLove;
Not that same, which doth base affections mouemove
In brutish minds, and filthy lust inflame,
But that sweet fit, that doth true beautie louelove,
And choseth vertue for his dearest Dame,
Whence spring all noble deeds and neuernever dying fame:
[2]
Well did Antiquitie a God thee deeme,
That ouerover mortall minds hast so great might,
To order them, as best to thee doth seeme,
And all their actions to direct aright;
The fatall purpose of diuinedivine foresight,
Thou doest effect in destined descents,
Through deepe impression of thy secret might,
And stirredst vpup th’Heroes high intents,
Which the late world admyres for wondrous monime[n]ts.
[3]
But thy dread darts in none doe triumph more,
Ne brauerbraver proofe in any, of thy powre
Shew’dst thou, 1596.bk3.III.iii.3.3. then: thanthenthan in this royall Maid of yore,
Making her seeke an vnknowneunknowne Paramoure,
From the worlds end, through many a bitter stowre:
From whose two loynes thou afterwards did rayse
Most famous fruits of matrimoniall bowre,
Which through the earth hauehave spred their liuingliving prayse,
That fame in trompe of gold eternally displayes.
[4]
Begin 1596.bk3.III.iii.4.1. then: thanthenthan, my dearest sacred Dame,
Daughter of Phoebus and of Memorie,
That doest ennoble with immortall name
The warlike VVorthies, from antiquitie,
In thy great volume of Eternitie:
Begin, Clio, and recount from hence
My glorious SouerainesSoveraines goodly auncestrie,
Till that by dew degrees and long pretence,
Thou hauehave it lastly brought vntounto her Excellence.
[5]
Full many wayes within her troubled mind,
Old Glauce cast, to cure this Ladies griefe:
Full many waies she sought, but none could find,
Nor herbes, nor charmes, nor counsell, that is chiefe
And choisest med’cine for sicke harts reliefe:
For thy great care she tooke, and greater feare,
Least that it should her turne to foule repriefe,
And sore reproch, when so her father deare
Should of his dearest daughters hard misfortune heare.
[6]
At last she her auisd, that he, which made
That mirrhour, wherein the sicke Damosell
So straungely vewed her straunge louerslovers shade,
To weet, the learned Merlin, well could tell,
VnderUnder what coast of heauenheaven the man did dwell,
And by what meanes his louelove might best be wrought:
For though beyond the Africk Ismaell,
Or th’Indian Peru he were, she thought
Him forth through infinite endeuourendevour to hauehave sought.
[7]
Forthwith themseluesthemselves disguising both in straunge
And base attyre, that none might them bewray,
To Maridunum, that is now by chaunge
Of name Cayr-Merdin cald, they tooke their way:
There the wise Merlin whylome wont (they say)
To make his wonne, low vnderneathunderneath the ground,
In a deepe deluedelve, farre from the vew of day,
That of no liuingliving wight he mote be found,
When so he counseld with his sprights enco[m]past round.
[8]
And if thou euerever happen that same way
To trauelltravell, goe to see that dreadfull place:
It is an hideous hollow cauecave (they say)
VnderUnder a rocke that lyes a little space
From the swift Barry, tombling downe apace,
Emongst the woodie hilles of DyneuowreDynevowre:
But dare thou not, I charge, in any cace,
To enter into that same balefull Bowre,
For fear the cruell Feends should thee vnwaresunwares deuowre.
[9]
But standing high aloft, low lay thine eare,
And there such ghastly noise of yron chaines,
And brasen Caudrons thou shalt rombling heare,
Which thousand sprights with long enduring paines
Doe tosse, that it will stonne thy feeble braines,
And oftentimes great grones, and grieuousgrievous stounds,
When too huge toile and labour them constraines:
And oftentimes loud strokes, and ringing sounds
From vnderunder that deepe Rocke most horribly rebounds.
[10]
The cause some say is this: A litle while
Before that Merlin dyde, he did intend,
A brasen wall in compas to compile
About Cairmardin, and did it commend
VntoUnto these Sprights, to bring to perfect end.
During which worke the Ladie of the Lake,
Whom long he lou’dlov’d, for him in hast did send,
Who thereby forst his workemen to forsake,
Them bound till his returne, their labour not to slake.
[11]
In the meane time through that false Ladies traine,
He was surprisd, and buried vnderunder beare,
Ne euerever to his worke returnd againe:
Nath’lesse those feends may not their worke forbeare,
So greatly his commaundement they feare,
But there doe toyle and trauelltravell day and night,
VntillUntill that brasen wall they vpup doe reare:
For Merlin had in Magicke more insight,
Then euerever him before or after liuingliving wight.
[12]
For he by words could call out of the sky
Both Sunne and Moone, and make them him obay:
The land to sea, and sea to maineland dry,
And darkesome night he eke could turne to day:
Huge hostes of men he could alone dismay,
And hostes of men of meanest things could frame,
When so him list his enimies to fray:
That to this day for terror of his fame,
The feends do quake, when any him to them does name.
[13]
And sooth, men say that he was not the sonne
Of mortall Syre, or other liuingliving wight,
But wondrously begotten, and begonne
By false illusion of a guilefull Spright,
On a faire Ladie Nonne, that whilome hight
Matilda, daughter to Pubidius,
Who was the Lord of Mathrauall by right,
And coosen vntounto king Ambrosius:
Whence he indued was with skill so maruellous.
[14]
They here ariuingariving, staid a while without,
Ne durst aduentureadventure rashly in to wend,
But of their first intent gan make new dout
For dread of daunger, which it might portend:
VntillUntill the hardie Mayd (with louelove to frend)
First entering, the dreadfull Mage there found
Deepe busied bout worke of wondrous end,
And writing strange characters in the ground,
With which the stubborn feends he to his seruiceservice bound.
[15]
He nought was mouedmoved at their entrance bold:
For of their comming well he wist afore,
Yet list them bid their businesse to vnfoldunfold,
As if ought in this world in secret store
Were from him hidden, or vnknowneunknowne of yore.
Then Glauce thus, let not it thee offend,
That we thus rashly through thy darkesome dore,
VnwaresUnwares hauehave prest: for either fatall end,
Or other mightie cause vsus two did hither send.
[16]
He bad tell on; And 1596.bk3.III.iii.16.1. then: thanthenthan she thus began.
Now hauehave three Moones with borrow’d brothers light,
Thrice shined faire, and thrice seem’d dim and wan,
Sith a sore euillevill, which this virgin bright
Tormenteth, and doth plonge in dolefull plight,
First rooting tooke; but what thing it mote bee,
Or whence it sprong, I cannot read aright:
But this I read, that but if remedee
Thou her afford, full shortly I her dead shall see.
[17]
Therewith th’Enchaunter softly gan to smyle
At her smooth speeches, weeting inly well,
That she to him dissembled womanish guyle,
And to her said, Beldame, by that ye tell,
More need of leach-craft hath your Damozell,
Then of my skill: who helpe may hauehave elsewhere,
In vaine seekes wonders out of Magicke spell.
Th’old woman wox half blanck, those words to heare;
And yet was loth to let her purpose plaine appeare.
[18]
And to him said, If any leaches skill,
Or other learned meanes could hauehave redrest
This my deare daughters deepe engraffed ill,
Certes I should be loth thee to molest:
But this sad euillevill, which doth her infest,
Doth course of naturall cause farre exceed,
And housed is within her hollow brest,
That either seemes some cursed witches deed,
Or euillevill spright, that in her doth such torment breed.
[19]
The wisard could no lenger beare her bord,
But brusting forth in laughter, to her sayd;
Glauce, what needs this colourable word,
To cloke the cause, that hath it selfe bewrayd?
Ne ye faire Britomartis, thus arayd,
More hidden are, 1596.bk3.III.iii.19.6. then: thanthenthan Sunne in cloudy vele;
Whom thy good fortune, hauinghaving fate obayd,
Hath hither brought, for succour to appele;
The which the powres to thee are pleased to reuelerevele.
[20]
The doubtfull Mayd, seeing her selfe descryde,
Was all abasht, and her pure yuoryyvory
Into a cleare Carnation suddeine dyde;
As faire Aurora rising hastily,
Doth by her blushing tell, that she did lye
All night in old Tithonus frosen bed,
Whereof she seemes ashamed inwardly.
But her old Nourse was nought dishartened,
But vauntage made of that, which Merlin had ared.
[21]
And sayd, Sith 1596.bk3.III.iii.21.1. then: thanthenthan thou knowest all our griefe,
(For what doest not thou know?) of grace I pray,
Pitty our plaint, and yield vsus meet reliefe.
With that the Prophet still awhile did stay,
And 1596.bk3.III.iii.21.5. then: thanthenthan his spirite thus gan forth display;
Most noble Virgin, that by fatall lore
Hast learn’d to louelove, let no whit thee dismay
The hard begin, that meets thee in the dore.
And with sharpe fits thy tender hart oppresseth sore.
[22]
For so must all things excellent begin,
And eke enrooted deepe must be that Tree,
Whose big embodied braunches shall not lin,
Till they to heauensheavens hight forth stretched bee.
For from thy wombe a famous Progenie
Shall spring, out of the auncient TroianTrojan blood,
Which shall reuiuerevive the sleeping memorie
Of those same antique Peres, the heauensheavens brood,
Which Greece and Asian riuersrivers stained with their blood.
[23]
Renowmed kings, and sacred Emperours,
Thy fruitfull Offspring, shall from thee descend;
BraueBrave Captaines, and most mighty warriours,
That shall their conquests through all lands extend,
And their decayed kingdomes shall amend:
The feeble Britons, broken with long warre,
They shall vpreareupreare, and mightily defend
Against their forrein foe, that comes from farre,
Till vniuersalluniversall peace compound all ciuillcivill iarrejarre.
[24]
It was not, Britomart, thy wandring eye,
Glauncing vnwaresunwares in charmed looking glas,
But the streight course of heauenlyheavenly destiny,
Led with eternall prouidenceprovidence, that has
Guided thy glaunce, to bring his will to pas:
Ne is thy fate, ne is thy fortune ill,
To louelove the prowest knight, that euerever was.
Therefore submit thy wayes vntounto his will,
And do by all dew meanes thy destiny fulfill.
[25]
But read (said Glauce) thou Magitian
What meanes shall she out seeke, or what wayes take?
How shall she know, how shall she find the man?
Or what needs her to toyle, sith fates can make
Way for themseluesthemselves, their purpose to partake?
Then Merlin thus; Indeed the fates are firme,
And may not shrinck, though all the world do shake:
Yet ought mens good endeuoursendevours them confirme,
And guide the heauenlyheavenly causes to their constant terme.
[26]
The man whom heauensheavens hauehave ordaynd to bee
ThespouseThe spouse of Britomart, is Arthegall:
He wonneth in the land of Fayeree,
Yet is no Fary borne, ne sib at all
To Elfes, but sprong of seed terrestriall,
And whilome by false Faries stolne away,
Whiles yet in infant cradle he did crall;
Ne other to himselfe is knowne this day,
But that he by an Elfe was gotten of a Fay.
[27]
But sooth he is the sonne of Gorlois,
And brother vntounto Cador Cornish king,
And for his warlike feates renowmed is,
From where the day out of the sea doth spring,
VntillUntill the closure of the EueningEvening.
From thence, him firmely bound with faithfull band,
To this his natiuenative soyle thou backe shalt bring,
Strongly to aide his countrey, to withstand
The powre of forrein Paynims, which inuadeinvade thy land.
[28]
Great aid thereto his mighty puissaunce,
And dreaded name shall giuegive in that sad day:
Where also proofe of thy prow valiaunce
Thou 1596.bk3.III.iii.28.4. then: thanthenthan shalt make, t’increase thy louerslovers pray.
Long time ye both in armes shall beare great sway,
Till thy wombes burden thee from them do call,
And his last fate him from thee take away,
Too rathe cut off by practise criminall
Of secret foes, that him shall make in mischiefe fall.
[29]
Where thee yet shall he leaueleave for memory
Of his late puissaunce, his Image dead,
That liuingliving him in all actiuityactivity
To thee shall represent. He from the head
Of his coosin Constantius without dread
Shall take the crowne, that was his fathers right,
And therewith crowne himselfe in th’others stead:
Then shall he issew forth with dreadfull might,
Against his Saxon foes in bloudy field to fight.
[30]
Like as a Lyon, that in drowsie cauecave
Hath long time slept, himselfe so shall he shake,
And comming forth, shall spred his banner brauebrave
OuerOver the troubled South, that it shall make
The warlike Mertians for feare to quake:
Thrise shall he fight with them, and twise shall win,
But the third time shall faire accordaunce make:
And if he 1596.bk3.III.iii.30.8. then: thanthenthan with victorie can lin,
He shall his dayes with peace bring to his earthly In.
[31]
His sonne, hight Vortipore, shall him succeede
In kingdome, but not in felicity;
Yet shall he long time warre with happy speed,
And with great honour many battels try:
But at the last to th’importunity
Of froward fortune shall be forst to yield.
But his sonne Malgo shall full mightily
AuengeAvenge his fathers losse, with speare and shield,
And his proud foes discomfit in victorious field.
[32]
Behold the man, and tell me Britomart,
If ay more goodly creature thou didst see;
How like a Gyaunt in each manly part
Beares he himselfe with portly maiesteemajestee,
That one of th’old Heroes seemes to bee:
He the six Islands, comprouinciallcomprovinciall
In auncient times vntounto great Britainee,
Shall to the same reduce, and to him call
Their sundry kings to do their homage seuerallseverall.
[33]
All which his sonne Careticus awhile
Shall well defend, and Saxons powre suppresse,
VntillUntill a straunger king from vnknowneunknowne soyle
ArriuingArriving, him with multitude oppresse;
Great Gormond, hauinghaving with huge mightinesse
Ireland subdewd, and therein fixt his throne,
Like a swift Otter, fell through emptinesse,
Shall ouerswimoverswim the sea with many one
Of his NorueysesNorveyses, to assist the Britons fone.
[34]
He in his furie all shall ouerrunne,
And holy Church with faithlesse hands deface,
That thy sad people vtterlyutterly fordonne,
Shall to the vtmostutmost mountaines fly apace:
Was neuernever so great wast in any place,
Nor so fowle autrage doen by liuingliving men:
For all thy Cities they shall sacke and race,
And the greene grasse, that groweth, they shall bren,
That eueneven the wild beast shall dy in staruedstarved den.
[35]
Whiles thus thy Britons do in languour pine,
Proud Etheldred shall from the North arise,
SeruingServing th’ambitious will of Augustine,
And passing Dee with hardy enterprise,
Shall backe repulse the valiaunt Brockwell twise,
And Bangor with massacred Martyrs fill;
But the third time shall rew his foolhardise:
For Cadwan pittying his peoples ill,
Shall stoutly him defeat, and thousand Saxons kill.
[36]
But after him, Cadwallin mightily
On his sonne Edwin all those wrongs shall wreake;
Ne shall auaileavaile the wicked sorcery
Of false Pellite, his purposes to breake,
But him shall slay, and on a gallowes bleake
Shall giuegive th’enchaunter his vnhappyunhappy hire
Then shall the Britons, late dismayd and weake,
From their long vassalage gin to respire,
And on their Paynim foes auengeavenge their ranckled ire.
[37]
Ne shall he yet his wrath so mitigate,
Till both the sonnes of Edwin he hauehave slaine,
Offricke and Osricke, twinnes vnfortunateunfortunate,
Both slaine in battell vponupon Layburne plaine,
Together with the king of Louthiane,
Hight Adin, and the king of Orkeny,
Both ioyntjoynt partakers of the fatall paine:
But Penda, fearefull of like desteny,
Shall yield him selfe his liegeman, and sweare fealty.
[38]
Him shall he make his fatall Instrument,
T’afflict the other Saxons vnsubdewdunsubdewd;
He marching forth with fury insolent
Against the good king Oswald, who indewd
With heauenlyheavenly powre, and by Angels reskewd,
All holding crosses in their hands on hye,
Shall him defeate withouten bloud imbrewd:
Of which, that field for endlesse memory,
Shall Heuenfield be cald to all posterity.
[39]
Whereat Cadwallin wroth, shall forth issew,
And an huge hoste into Northumber lead,
With which he godly Oswald shall subdew,
And crowne with martyrdome his sacred head.
Whose brother Oswin, daunted with like dread,
With price of siluersilver shall his kingdome buy,
And Penda, seeking him adowne to tread,
Shall tread adowne, and do him fowly dye,
But shall with gifts his Lord Cadwallin pacify.
[40]
Then shall Cadwallin dye, and 1596.bk3.III.iii.40.1. then: thanthenthan the raine
Of Britons eke with him attonce shall dye;
Ne shall the good Cadwallader with paine,
Or powre, be hable it to remedy,
When the full time prefixt by destiny,
Shalbe expird of Britons regiment.
For heauenheaven it selfe shall their successe enuyenvy,
And them with plagues and murrins pestilent
Consume, till all their warlike puissaunce be spent.
[41]
Yet after all these sorrowes, and huge hills
Of dying people, during eight yeares space,
Cadwallader not yielding to his ills,
From Armoricke, where long in wretched cace
He liu’dliv’d, returning to his natiuenative place,
Shalbe by vision staid from his intent:
For th’heauens hauehave decreed, to displace
The Britons, for their sinnes dew punishment,
And to the Saxons ouer-giue their gouernmentgovernment.
[42]
Then woe, and woe, and euerlastingeverlasting woe,
Be to the Briton babe, that shalbe borne,
To liuelive in thraldome of his fathers foe;
Late King, now captiuecaptive, late Lord, now forlorne,
The worlds reproch, the cruell victors scorne,
Banisht from Princely bowre to wastfull wood:
O who shall helpe me to lament, and mourne
The royall seed, the antique TroianTrojan blood,
Whose Empire lenger here, 1596.bk3.III.iii.42.9. then: thanthenthan euerever any stood.
[43]
The Damzell was full deepe empassioned,
Both for his griefe, and for her peoples sake,
Whose future woes so plaine he fashioned,
And sighing sore, at length him thus bespake;
Ah but will heauensheavens fury neuernever slake,
Nor vengeaunce huge relent it selfe at last?
Will not long misery late mercy make,
But shall their name for euerever be defast,
And quite from of th’earth their memory be rast?
[44]
Nay but the terme (said he) is limited,
That in this thraldome Britons shall abide,
And the iustjust reuolutionrevolution measured,
That they as Straungers shalbe notifide.
For twise foure hundreth yeares shalbe supplide,
Ere they to former rule restor’d shalbee,
And their importune fates all satisfide:
Yet during this their most obscuritee,
Their beames shall oft breake forth, that men them faire may see.
[45]
For Rhodoricke, whose surname shalbe Great,
Shall of him selfe a brauebrave ensample shew,
That Saxon kings his friendship shall intreat;
And Howell Dha shall goodly well indew
The saluagesalvage minds with skill of iustjust and trew;
Then Griffyth Conan also shall vpup reare
His dreaded head, and the old sparkes renew
Of natiuenative courage, that his foes shall feare,
Least backe againe the kingdome he from them should beare.
[46]
Ne shall the Saxons seluesselves all peaceably
EnioyEnjoy the crowne, which they from Britons wonne
First ill, and after ruled wickedly:
For ere two hundred yeares be full ouerronneoverronne,
There shall a RauenRaven far from rising Sunne,
With his wide wings vponupon them fiercely fly,
And bid his faithlesse chickens ouerronneoverronne
The fruitfull plaines, and with fell cruelty,
In their auengeavenge, tread downe the victours surquedry.
[47]
Yet shall a third both these, and thine subdew;
There shall a Lyon from the sea-bord wood
Of Neustria come roring, with a crew
Of hungry whelpes, his battailous bold brood,
Whose clawes were newly dipt in cruddy blood,
That from the Daniske Tyrants head shall rend
Th’vsurped crowne, as if that he were wood,
And the spoile of the countrey conquered
Emongst his young ones shall diuidedivide with bountyhed.
[48]
Tho when the terme is full accomplishid,
There shall a sparke of fire, which hath long-while
Bene in his ashes raked vpup, and hid,
Be freshly kindled in the fruitfull Ile
Of Mona, where it lurked in exile;
Which shall breake forth into bright burning flame,
And reach into the house, that beares the stile
Of royall maiestymajesty and soueraigne name;
So shall the Briton bloud their crowne againe reclame.
[49]
Thenceforth eternall vnionunion shall be made
Betweene the nations different afore,
And sacred Peace shall louinglylovingly perswade
The warlike minds, to learne her goodly lore,
And ciuilecivile armes to exercise no more:
Then shall a royall virgin raine, which shall
Stretch her white rod ouerover the Belgicke shore,
And the great Castle smite so sore with all,
That it shall make him shake, and shortly learne to fall.
[50]
But yet the end is not. There Merlin stayd,
As ouercomenovercomen of the spirites powre,
Or other ghastly spectacle dismayd,
That secretly he saw, yet note discourediscovre:
Which suddein fit, and halfe extatick stoure
When the two fearefull women saw, they grew
Greatly confused in behauioure;
At last the fury past, to former hew
Hee turnd againe, and chearefull looks as earst did shew.
[51]
Then, when them seluesselves they well instructed had
Of all, that needed them to be inquird,
They both conceiuingconceiving hope of comfort glad,
With lighter hearts vntounto their home retird;
Where they in secret counsell close conspird,
How to effect so hard an enterprize,
And to possesse the purpose they desird:
Now this, now that twixt them they did deuisedevise,
And diuersediverse plots did frame, to maske in strange disuise.
[52]
At last the Nourse in her foolhardy wit
Conceiu’dConceiv’d a bold deuisedevise, and thus bespake;
Daughter, I deeme that counsell aye most fit,
That of the time doth dew aduauntageadvauntage take;
Ye see that good king VtherUther now doth make
Strong warre vponupon the Paynim brethren, hight
Octa and Oza, whom he lately brake
Beside Cayr Verolame, in victorious fight,
That now all Britanie doth burne in armes bright.
[53]
That therefore nought our passage may empeach,
Let vsus in feigned armes our seluesselves disguize,
And our weake hands (whom need new strength shall teach)
The dreadfull speare and shield to exercize:
Ne certes daughter that same warlike wize
I weene, would you misseeme; for ye bene tall,
And large of limbe, t’atchieuet’atchieve an hard emprize,
Ne ought ye want, but skill, which practize small
Will bring, and shortly make you a mayd Martiall.
[54]
And sooth, it ought your courage much inflame,
To heare so often, in that royall hous,
From whence to none inferiour ye came,
Bards tell of many women valorous
Which hauehave full many feats aduenturousadventurous
Performd, in paragone of proudest men:
The bold Bunduca, whose victorious
Exploits made Rome to quake, stout Guendolen,
Renowmed Martia, and redoubted Emmilen.
[55]
And that, which more 1596.bk3.III.iii.55.1. then: thanthenthan all the rest may sway,
Late dayes ensample, which these eyes beheld,
In the last field before MeneuiaMenevia
Which VtherUther with those forrein Pagans held,
I saw a Saxon Virgin, the which feld
Great VlfinUlfin thrise vponupon the bloudy plaine,
And had not Carados her hand withheld
From rash reuengerevenge, she had him surely slaine,
Yet Carados himselfe from her escapt with paine.
[56]
Ah read, (quoth Britomart) how is she hight?
Faire Angela (quoth she) men do her call,
No whit lesse faire, 1596.bk3.III.iii.56.3. then: thanthenthan terrible in fight:
She hath the leading of a Martiall
And mighty people, dreaded more 1596.bk3.III.iii.56.5. then: thanthenthan all
The other Saxons, which do for her sake
And louelove, themseluesthemselves of her name Angles call.
Therefore faire Infant her ensample make
VntoUnto thy selfe, and equall courage to thee take.
[57]
Her harty words so deepe into the mynd
Of the young Damzell sunke, that great desire
Of warlike armes in her forthwith they tynd,
And generous stout courage did inspire,
That she resolu’dresolv’d, vnweetingunweeting to her Sire,
Aduent’rousAdvent’rous knighthood on her selfe to don,
And counseld with her Nourse, her Maides attire
To turne into a massy habergeon,
And bad her all things put in readinesse anon.
[58]
Th’old woman nought, that needed, did omit;
But all things did conuenientlyconveniently puruaypurvay:
It fortuned (so time their turne did fit)
A band of Britons ryding on forray
Few dayes before, had gotten a great pray
Of Saxon goods, emongst the which was seene
A goodly Armour, and full rich aray,
Which long’d to Angela, the Saxon Queene,
All fretted round with gold, and goodly well beseene.
[59]
The same, with all the other ornaments,
King Ryence caused to be hanged hy
In his chiefe Church, for endlesse moniments
Of his successe and gladfull victory:
Of which her selfe auisingavising readily,
In th’euening late old Glauce thither led
Faire Britomart, and that same Armory
Downe taking, her therein appareled,
Well as she might, and with brauebrave bauldrick garnished.
[60]
Beside those armes there stood a mighty speare,
Which Bladud made by Magick art of yore,
And vsdusd the same in battell aye to beare;
Sith which it had bin here preseru’dpreserv’d in store,
For his great vertues prouedproved long afore:
For neuernever wight so fast in sell could sit,
But him perforce vntounto the ground it bore:
Both speare she tooke, and shield, which hong by it:
Both speare & shield of great powre, for her purpose fit
[61]
Thus when she had the virgin all arayd,
Another harnesse, which did hang thereby,
About her selfe she dight, that the young Mayd
She might in equall armes accompany,
And as her Squire attend her carefully:
Tho to their ready Steeds they clombe full light,
And through back wayes, that none might them espy,
CoueredCovered with secret cloud of silent night,
Themselues they forth conuayd, & passed forward right.
[62]
Ne rested they, till that to Faery lond
They came, as Merlin them directed late:
Where meeting with this Redcrosse knight, she fond
Of diuersediverse things discourses to dilate,
But most of Arthegall, and his estate.
At last their wayes so fell, that they mote part
Then each to other well affectionate,
Friendship professed with vnfainedunfained hart,
The Redcrosse knight diuerstdiverst, but forth rode Britomart.
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