The Faerie Queene (25 page)

29
And therewithall he fiercely at him flew,

And with importune outrage him assayld;

Who soone prepard to field, his sword forth drew,

And him with equall value counteruayld:

Their mightie strokes their haberieons dismayld,

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 streme adown their giambeux falles.

30
Cymochles,
that had neuer met before,

So puissant foe, with enuious despight

His proud presumed force increased more,

Disdeigning to be held so long in fight;

Sir
Guyon
grudging not so much his might,

As those vnknightly raylings, which he spoke,

With wrathfull fire his courage kindled bright,

Thereof deuising shortly to be wroke,

And doubling all his powres, redoubled euery stroke.

31
Both of them high attonce their hands enhaunst,

And both attonce their huge blowes downe did sway;

Cymochles
sword on
Guyons
shield yglaunst,

And thereof nigh one quarter sheard away;

But
Guyons
angry blade so fierce did play

On th'others helmet, which as
Titan
shone,

That quite it cloue his plumed crest in tway,

And bared all his head vnto the bone;

Wherewith astonisht, still he stood, as senselesse stone.

32
Still as he stood, faire
Phœdria,
that beheld

That deadly daunger, soone atweene them ran;

And at their feet her selfe most humbly feld,

Crying with pitteous voice, and count'nance wan;

Ah well away, most noble Lords, how can

Your cruell eyes endure so pitteous sight,

To shed your liues on ground? wo worth the man,

That first did teach the cursed steele to bight

In his owne flesh, and make way to the liuing spright.

33
If euer loue of Ladie did empierce

Your yron brestes, or pittie could find place,

Withhold your bloudie hands from battell fierce,

And sith for me ye fight, to me this grace

Both yeeld, to stay your deadly strife a space.

They stayd a while: and forth she gan proceed:

Most wretched woman, and of wicked race,

That am the author of this hainous deed,

And cause of death betweene two doughtie knights doe breed.

34
But if for me ye fight, or me will serue,

Not this rude kind of battell, nor these armes

Are meet, the which doe men in bale to sterue,

And dolefull sorrow heape with deadly harmes:

Such cruell game my scarmoges disarmes:

Another warre, and other weapons I

Doe loue, where loue does giue his sweet alarmes,

Without bloudshed, and where the enemy

Does yeeld vnto his foe a pleasant victory.

35
Debatefull strife, and cruell enmitie

The famous name of knighthood fowly shent;

But louely peace, and gentle amitie,

And in Amours the passing houres to spend,

The mightie martiall hands doe most commend;

Of loue they euer greater glory bore,

Then of their armes:
Mars
is
Cupidoes
frend,

And is for
Venus
loues renowmed more,

Then all his wars and spoiles, the which he did of yore.

36
Therewith she sweetly smyld. They though full bent,

To proue extremities of bloudie fight,

Yet at her speach their rages gan relent,

And calme the sea of their tempestuous spight,

Such powre haue pleasing words: such is the might

Of courteous clemencie in gentle hart.

Now after all was ceast, the Faery knight

Besought that Damzell suffer him depart,

And yield him readie passage to that other part.

37
She no lesse glad, then he desirous was

Of his departure thence; for of her ioy

And vaine delight she saw he light did pas,

A foe of folly and immodest toy,

Still solemne sad, or still disdainfull coy,

Delighting all in armes and cruell warre,

That her sweet peace and pleasures did annoy,

Troubled with terrour and vnquiet iarre,

That she well pleased was thence to amoue him farre.

38
Tho him she brought abord, and her swift bote

Forthwith directed to that further strand;

The which on the dull waues did lightly flote

And soone arriued on the shallow sand,

Where gladsome
Guyon
salied forth to land,

And to that Damzell thankes gaue for reward.

Vpon that shore he spied
Atin
stand,

Thereby his maister left, when late he far'd

In
Phœdrias
flit barke ouer that perlous shard.

39
Well could he him remember, sith of late

He with
Pyrochles
sharp debatement made;

Streight gan he him reuile, and bitter rate,

As shepheards curre, that in darke euenings shade

Hath tracted forth some saluage beastes trade;

Vile Miscreant (said he) whither doest thou flie

The shame and death, which will thee soone inuade?

What coward hand shall doe thee next to die,

That art thus foully fled from famous enemie?

40
With that he stiffely shooke his steelehead dart:

But sober
Guyon,
hearing him so raile,

Though somewhat moued in his mightie hart,

Yet with strong reason maistred passion fraile,

And passed fairely forth. He turning taile,

Backe to the strond retyrd, and there still stayd,

Awaiting passage, which him late did faile;

The whiles
Cymochles
with that wanton mayd

The hastie heat of his auowd reuenge delayd.

41
Whylest there the varlet stood, he saw from farre

An armed knight, that towards 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 bloud,

And soyld with durtie gore, that no man can

Discerne the hew thereof. He neuer stood,

But bent his hastie course towards the idle flood.

42
The varlet saw, when to the flood he came,

How without stop or stay he fiercely lept,

And deepe him selfe beduked in the same,

That in the lake his loftie crest was steept,

Ne of his safetie seemed care he kept,

But with his raging armes he rudely flasht,

The waues about, and all his armour swept,

That all the bloud 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 vncouth sight;

Whom should he, but his owne deare Lord, there see,

His owne deare Lord
Pyrochles,
in sad plight,

Readie to drowne himselfe for fell despight.

Harrow now out, and well away, he cryde,

What dismall day hath lent this cursed light,

To see my Lord so deadly damnifyde

Pyrochles, ô
Pyrochles,
what is thee betyde?

44
I burne, I burne, I burne, then loud he cryde,

O how I burne with implacable fire,

Yet nought can quench mine inly flaming syde,

Nor sea of licour cold, nor lake of mire,

Nothing but death can doe me to respire.

Ah be it (said he) from
Pyrochles
farre

After pursewing death once to require,

Or think, that ought those puissant hands may marre:

Death is for wretches borne vnder vnhappie starre.

45
Perdie, then is it fit for me (said he)

That am, I weene, most wretched man aliue,

Burning in flames, yet no flames can I see,

And dying daily, daily yet reuiue:

O
Atin,
helpe to me last death to giue.

The varlet at his plaint was grieued so sore,

That his deepe wounded hart in two did riue,

And his owne health remembring now no more,

Did follow that ensample, which he blam'd afore.

46
Into the lake he lept, his Lord to ayd,

(So Loue the dread of daunger doth despise)

And of him catching hold him strongly stayd

From drowning. But more happie he, then wise

Of that seas nature did him not auise.

The waues thereof so slow and sluggish were,

Engrost with mud, which did them foule agrise,

That euery weightie thing they did vpbeare,

Ne ought mote euer sinke downe to the bottome there,

47
Whiles thus they strugled in that idle waue,

And stroue in vaine, the one himselfe to drowne,

The other both from drowning for to saue,

Lo, to that shore one in an auncient gowne,

Whose hoarie locks great grauitie did crowne,

Holding in hand a goodly arming sword,

By fortune came, led with the troublous sowne:

Where drenched deepe he found in that dull ford

The carefull seruant, striuing with his raging Lord.

48
Him
Atin
spying, knew right well of yore,

And loudly cald, Helpe helpe, ô
Archimage;

To saue my Lord, in wretched plight forlore;

Helpe with thy hand, or with thy counsell sage:

Weake hands, but counsell is most strong in age.

Him when the old man saw, he wondred sore,

To see
Pyrochles
there so rudely rage:

Yet sithens helpe, he saw, he needed more

Then pittie, he in hast approched to the shore.

49
And cald,
Pyrochles,
what is this, I see?

What hellish furie hath at earst thee hent?

Furious euer I thee knew to bee,

Yet neuer in this straunge astonishment.

These flames, these flames (he cryde) do me torment

What flames (quoth he) when I thee present see,

In daunger rather to be drent, then brent?

Harrow, the flames, which me consume (said hee)

Ne can be quencht, within my secret bowels bee.

50
That cursed man, that cruell feend of hell,

Furor,
oh
Furor
hath me thus bedight:

His deadly wounds within my liuers swell,

And his whot fire burnes in mine entrails bright,

Kindled through his infernall brond of spight,

Sith late with him I batteil vaine would boste;

That now I weene
Ioues
dreaded thunder light

Does scorch not halfe so sore, nor damned ghoste

In flaming
Phlegeton
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 wounds, and made a priefe

Of euery place, that was with brusing harmd,

Or with the hidden fire too inly warmd.

Which done, he balmes and herbes thereto applyde,

And euermore with mighty spels them charmd,

That in short space he has them qualifyde,

And him restor'd to health, that would haue algates dyde.

Guyon findes Mamon in a delue,
   Sunning his threasure hore:
Is by him tempted, & led downe,
   To see his secret store.

1
As Pilot well expert in perilous waue,

That to a stedfast starre his course hath bent,

When foggy mistes, or cloudy tempests baue

The faithfull light of that faire lampe yblent,

And couer'd heauen with hideous dreriment,

Vpon his card and compas firmes his eye,

The maisters of his long experiment,

And to them does the steddy helme apply,

Bidding his winged vessell fairely forward fly.

2
So
Guyon
hauing lost his trusty guide,

Late left beyond that
Ydle lake,
proceedes

Yet on his way, of none accompanide;

And euermore himselfe with comfort feedes,

Of his owne vertues, and prayse-worthy deedes.

So long he yode, yet no aduenture found,

Which fame of her shrill trompet worthy reedes:

For still he traueild through wide wastfull ground,

That nought but desert wildemesse shew'd all around.

3
At last he came vnto a gloomy glade,

Couer'd with boughes & shrubs from heauens light,

Whereas he sitting found in secret shade

An vncouth, saluage, and vnciuile wight,

Of griesly hew, and fowle ill fauour'd sight;

His face with smoke was tand, and eyes were bleard,

His head and beard with sout were ill bedight,

His cole-blacke hands did seeme to haue beene seard

In smithes fire-spitting forge, and nayles like clawes appeard.

4
His yron coate all ouergrowne with rust,

Was vnderneath enueloped with gold,

Whose glistring glosse darkned with filthy dust,

Well it appeared, to haue beene of old

A worke of rich entayle, and curious mould,

Wouen with antickes and wild Imagery:

And in his lap a masse of coyne he told,

And turned vpsidowne, to feede his eye

And couetous desire with his huge threasury.

5
And round about him lay on euery side

Great heapes of gold, that neuer could be spent:

Of which some were rude owre, not purifide

Of Mulcibers
deuouring element;

Some others were new driuen, and distent

Into great Ingoes, and to wedges square;

Some in round plates withouten moniment;

But most were stampt, and in their metall bare

The antique shapes of kings and kesars straunge & rare.

6
Soone as he
Guyon
saw, in great affright

And hast he rose, for to remoue aside

Those pretious hils from straungers enuious sight,

And downe them poured through an hole full wide,

Into the hollow earth, them there to hide.

But
Guyon
lightly to him leaping, stayd

His hand, that trembled, as one terrifyde;

And though him selfe were at the sight dismayd,

Yet him perforce restraynd, and to him doubtfull sayd.

7
What art thou man, (if man at all thou art)

That here in desert hast thine habitaunce,

And these rich heapes of wealth doest hide apart

From the worldes eye, and from her right vsaunce?

Thereat with staring eyes fixed askaunce,

In great disdaine, he answerd; Hardy Elfe,

That darest vew my direfull countenaunce,

I read thee rash, and heedlesse of thy selfe,

To trouble my still seate, and heapes of pretious pelfe.

8
God of the world and worldlings I me call,

Great
Mammon,
greatest god below the skye,

That of my plenty poure out vnto all,

And vnto none my graces do enuye:

Riches, renowme, and principality,

Honour, estate, and all this worldes good,

For which men swinck and sweat incessantly,

Fro me do flow into an ample flood,

And in the hollow earth haue their eternall brood.

9
Wherefore if me thou deigne to serue and sew,

At thy commaund lo all these mountaines bee;

Or if to thy great mind, or greedy vew

All these may not suffise, there shall to thee

Ten times so much be numbred francke and free.

Mammon
(said he) thy godheades vaunt is vaine,

And idle offers of thy golden fee;

To them, that couet such eye-glutting gaine,

Proffer thy giftes, and fitter seruaunts entertaine.

10
Me ill besits, that in der-doing armes,

And honours suit my vowed dayes do spend,

Vnto thy bounteous baytes, and pleasing charmes,

With which weake men thou witchest, to attend:

Regard of worldly mucke doth fowly blend,

And low abase the high heroicke spright,

That ioyes for crownes and kingdomes to contend;

Faire shields, gay steedes, bright armes be my delight:

Those be the riches fit for an aduent'rous knight.

11
Vaine glorious Elfe (said he) doest not thou weet,

That money can thy wantes at will supply?

Sheilds, steeds, and armes, & all things for thee meet

It can puruay in twinckling of an eye;

And crownes and kingdomes to thee multiply.

Do not I kings create, throw the crowne

Sometimes to him, that low in dust doth ly?

And him that raignd, into his rowme thrust downe,

And whom I lust, do heape with glory and renowne?

12
All otherwise (said he) I riches read,

And deeme them roote of all disquietnesse;

First got with guile, and then preseru'd with dread,

And after spent with pride and lauishnesse,

Leauing behind them griefe and heauinesse.

Infinite mischiefes of them do arize,

Strife; and debate, bloudshed, and bitternesse,

Outrageous wrong, and hellish couetize,

That noble heart as great dishonour doth despize.

13
Ne thine be kingdomes, ne the scepters thine;

But realities and rulers thou doest both confound,

And loyal truth to treason doest incline;

Witnesse the guiltlesse bloud pourd oft on ground,

The crowned often slaine, the slayer cround,

The sacred Diademe in peeces rent,

And purple robe gored with many a wound;

Castles surprizd, great cities sackt and brent:

So mak'st thou kings, & gaynest wrongfull gouernement.

14
Long were to tell the troublous stormes, that tosse

The priuate state, and make the life vnsweet:

Who swelling sayles in Caspian sea doth crosse,

And in frayle wood on
Adrian
gulfe doth fleet,

Doth not, I weene, so many euils meet.

Then
Mammon
wexing wroth, And why then, said,

Are mortall men so fond and vndiscreet,

So euill thing to seeke vnto their ayd,

And hauing not complaine, and hauing it vpbraid?

15
Indeede (quoth he) through fowle intemperaunce,

Frayle men are oft captiu'd to couetise:

But would they thinke, with how small allowaunce

Vntroubled Nature doth her selfe suffise,

Such superfluities they would despise,

Which with sad cares empeach our natiue ioyes:

At the well head the purest streames arise:

But mucky filth his braunching armes annoyes,

And with vncomely weedes the gentle waue accloyes.

16
The antique world, in his first flowring youth,

Found no defect in his Creatours grace,

But with glad thankes, and vnreproued truth,

The gifts of soueraigne bountie did embrace:

Like Angels life was then mens happy cace;

But later ages pride, like corn-fed steed,

Abusd her plenty, and fat swolne encreace

To all licentious lust, and gan exceed

The measure of her meane, and naturall first need.

17
Then gan a cursed hand the quiet wombe

Of his great Grandmother with steele to wound,

And the hid treasures in her sacred tombe,

With Sacriledge to dig. Therein he found

Fountaines of gold and siluer to abound,

Of which the matter of his huge desire

And pompous pride eftsoones he did compound;

Then auarice gan through his veines inspire

His greedy flames, and kindled life-deuouring fire.

18
Sonne (said he then) let be thy bitter scorne,

And leaue the rudenesse of that antique age

To them, that liu'd therein in state forlorne;

Thou that doest liue in later times, must wage

Thy workes for wealth, and life for gold engage.

If then thee list my offred grace to vse,

Take what thou please of all this surplusage;

If thee list not, leaue haue thou to refuse:

But thing refused, do not afterward accuse.

19
Me list not (said the Elfin knight) receaue

Thing offred, till I know it well be got,

Ne wote I, but thou didst these goods bereaue

From rightfull owner by vnrighteous lot,

Or that bloud guiltnesse or guile them blot.

Perdy (quoth he) yet neuer eye did vew,

Ne toung did tell, ne hand these handled not,

But safe I haue them kept in secret mew,

From heauens sight, and powre of all which them pursew.

20
What secret place (quoth he) can safely hold

So huge a masse, and hide from heauens eye?

Or where hast thou thy wonne, that so much gold

Thou canst preserue from wrong and robbery?

Come thou (quoth he) and see. So by and by

Through that thicke couert he him led, and found

A darkesome way, which no man could descry,

That deepe descended through the hollow ground,

And was with dread and horrour compassed around.

21
At length they came into a larger space,

That stretcht itselfe into an ample plaine,

Through which a beaten broad high way did trace,

That streight did lead to
Plutoes
griesly raine:

By that wayes side, there sate infernall Payne,

And fast beside him sat tumultuous Strife:

The one in hand an yron whip did straine,

The other brandished a bloudy knife,

And both did gnash their teeth, & both did threaten life.

22
On thother side in one consort there sate,

Cruell Reuenge, and rancorous Despight,

Disloyall Treason, and hart-burning Hate,

But gnawing Gealosie out of their sight

Sitting alone, his bitter lips did bight,

And trembling Feare still to and fro did fly,

And found no place, where safe he shroud him might,

Lamenting Sorrow did in darknesse lye.

And Shame his vgly face did hide from liuing eye.

23
And ouer them sad horrour with grim hew,

Did alwayes sore, beating his yron wings;

And after him Owles and Night-rauens flew,

The hatefull messengers of heauy things,

Of death and dolour telling sad tidings;

Whiles sad
Celeno,
sitting on a clift,

A song of bale and bitter sorrow sings,

That hart of flint a sunder could haue rift:

Which hauing ended, after him she flyeth swift.

24
All these before the gates of
Pluto
lay,

By whom they passing, spake vnto them nought.

But th'Elfin knight with wonder all the way

Did feed his eyes, and fild his inner thought

At last him to a litle dore he brought,

That to the gate of Hell, which gaped wide,

Was next adioyning, ne them parted ought:

Betwixt them both was but a litle stride,

That did the house of Richesse from hell-mouth diuide.

25
Before the dore sat selfe-consuming Care,

Day and night keeping wary watch and ward,

For feare least Force or Fraud should vnaware

Breake in, and spoile the treasure there in gard:

Ne would he suffer Sleepe once thither-ward

Approch, albe his drowsie den were next;

For next to death is Sleepe to be compard:

Therefore his house is vnto his annext;

Here Sleep, there Richesse, & Hel-gate them both betwext.

26
So soone as
Mammon
there arriu'd, the dore

To him did open, and affoorded way;

Him followed eke Sir
Guyon
euermore,

Ne darkenesse him, ne daunger might dismay.

Soone as he entred was, the dore streight way

Did shut, and from behind it forth there lept

An vgly feend, more fowle then dismall day,

The which with monstrous stalke behind him stept,

And euer as he went, dew watch vpon him kept.

27
Well hoped he, ere long that hardy guest,

If euer couetous hand, or lustfull eye,

Or lips he layd on thing, that likt him best,

Or euer sleepe his eye-strings did vntye,

Should be his pray. And therefore still on hye

He ouer him did hold his cruell clawes,

Threatning with greedy gripe to do him dye

And rend in peeces with bis rauenous pawes,

If euer he transgrest the fatall
Stygian
lawes.

28
That houses forme within was rude and strong,

Like an huge caue, hewne out of rocky clift,

From whose rough vaut the ragged breaches hong,

Embost with massy gold of glorious gift,

And with rich metall loaded euery rift,

That heauy mine they did seeme to threat;

And ouer them
Arachne
high did lift

Her cunning web, and spred her subtile net,

Enwrapped in fowle smoke and clouds more blacke then Iet.