The Faerie Queene (32 page)

Nigh to his vtmost date he saw proceed,

He cald his daughters; and with speeches sage

Inquyrd, which of them most did loue her parentage.

28
The eldest
Gonorill
gan to protest,

That she much more then her owne life him lou'd:

And
Regan
greater loue to him profest,

Then all the world, when euer it were proou'd;

But
Cordeill
said she lou'd him, as behoou'd:

Whose simple answere, wanting colours faire

To paint it forth, him to displeasance moou'd,

That in his crowne he counted her no haire,

But twixt the other twaine his kingdome whole did shaire.

29
So wedded th'one to
Maglan
king of Scots,

And th'other to the king of
Cambria,

And twixt them shayrd his realme by equall lots:

But without dowre the wise
Cordelia,

Was sent to
Aganip
of
Geltica.

Their aged Syre, thus eased of his crowne,

A priuate life led in
Albania,

With
Gonorill,
long had in great renowne,

That nought him grieu'd to bene from rule deposed downe.

30
But true it is, that when the oyle is spent,

The light goes out, and weeke is throwne away;

So when he had resignd his regiment,

His daughter gan despise his drouping day,

And wearie waxe of his continuall stay.

Tho to bis daughter
Rigan
he repayrd,

Who him at first well vsed euery way;

But when of his departure she despayrd,

Her bountie she abated, and his cheare empayrd.

31
The wretched man gan then auise too late,

That loue is not, where most it is profest,

Too truely tryde in his extreamest state;

At last resolu'd likewise to proue the rest,

He to
Cordelia
him selfe addrest,

Who with entire affection him receau'd,

As for her Syre and king her seemed best;

And after all an army strong she leau'd,

To war on those, which him had of his realme bereau'd.

32
So to his crowne she him restor'd againe,

In which he dyde, made ripe for death by eld,

And after wild, it should to her remaine:

Who peaceably the same long time did weld:

And all mens harts in dew obedience held:

Till that her sisters children, woxen strong

Through proud ambition, against her rebeld,

And ouercommen kept in prison long,

Till wearie of that wretched life, her selfe she hong.

33
Then gan the bloudie brethren both to raine:

But fierce
Cundah
gan shortly to enuie

His brother
Morgan,
prickt with proud disdaine,

To haue a pere in part of soueraintie,

And kindling coles of cruell enmitie,

Raisd warre, and him in battell ouerthrew:

Whence as he to those woodie hils did flie,

Which hight of him
Glamorgan,
there him slew:

Then did he raigne alone, when he none equall knew.

34
His sonne
Riuallo
his dead roome did supply,

In whose sad time bloud did from heauen raine:

Next great
Gurgustus,
then faire
Cœcily

In constant peace their kingdomes did containe,

After whom
Logo,
and
Kinmarke
did raine,

And
Gorbogud,
till farre in yeares he grew:

Till his ambitious sonnes vnto them twaine,

Arraught the rule, and from their father drew,

Stout
Ferrex
and sterne
Porrex
him in prison threw.

35
But ô, the greedy thirst of royall crowne,

That knowes no kinred, nor regardes no right,

Stird
Porrex
vp to put his brother downe;

Who vnto him assembling forreine might,

Made warre on him, and fell him selfe in fight:

Whose death t'auenge, his mother mercilesse,

Most mercilesse of women,
Wyden
hight,

Her other sonne fast sleeping did oppresse,

And with most cruell hand him murdred pitdlesse.

36
Here ended
Brutus
sacred progenie,

Which had seuen hundred yeares this scepter borne,

With high renowme, and great felicitie;

The noble braunch from th'antique stocke was tome

Through discord, and the royall throne forlorne:

Thenceforth this Realme was into factions rent,

Whilest each
of Brutus
boasted to be borne,

That in the end was left no moniment

Of
Brutus,
nor of Britons glory auncient.

37
Then vp arose a man of matchlesse might,

And wondrous wit to menage high affaires,

Who stird with pitty of the stressed plight

Of this sad Realme, cut into sundry shakes

By such, as claymd themselues
Brutes
rightfull haires,

Gathered the Princes of the people loose,

To taken counsell of their common cares;

Who with his wisedom won, him streight did choose,

Their king, and swore him fealty to win or loose.

38
Then made he head against his enimies,

And
Ymner
slew, of
Logris
miscreate;

Then
Ruddoc
and proud
Stater,
both allyes,

This of
Albanie
newly nominate,

And that of
Cambry
king confirmed late,

He ouerthrew through his owne valiaunce;

Whose countreis he redus'd to quiet state,

And shortly brought to ciuill gouernaunce.

Now one, which earst were many, made through variaunce.

39
Then made he sacred lawes, which some men say

Were vnto him reueald in vision,

By which he freed the Traueilers high way,

The Churches part, and Ploughmans portion,

Restraining stealth, and strong extortion;

The gracious
Numa
of great
Britanie:

For till his dayes, the chiefe dominion

By strength was wielded without pollicie;

Therefore he first wore crowne of gold for dignitie.

40
Donwallo
dyde (for what may liue for ay?)

And left two sonnes, of pearelesse prowesse both;

That sacked
Rome
too dearely did assay,

The recompence of their periured oth,

And ransackt
Greece
well tryde, when they were wroth;

Besides subiected
Fraunce,
and
Germany,

Which yet their prayses speake, all be they loth,

And inly tremble at the memory

Of
Brennus
and
Bellinus,
kings of Britany.

41
Next them did
Gurgunt,
great
Bellinus
sonne

In rule succeeds, and eke in fathers prayse;

He Easterland subdewd, and Danmarke wonne,

And of them both did foy and tribute raise,

The which was dew in his dead fathers dayes:

He also gaue to fugitiues of
Spayne,

Whom he at sea found wandring from their wayes,

A seate in
Ireland
safely to remayne,

Which they should hold of him, as subiect to
Britayne.

42
After him raigned
Guitheline
his hayre,

The iustest man and trewest in his dayes,

Who had to wife Dame
Mertia
the fayre,

A woman worthy of immortall prayse,

Which for this Realme found many goodly layes,

And wholesome Statutes to her husband brought;

Her many deemd to haue beene of the
Fayes,

As was
Aegerie
that
Numa
tought;

Those yet of her be
Mertian
lawes both nam'd & thought.

43
Her sonne
Sisillus
after her did rayne,

And then
Kimarus,
and then
Danius;

Next whom
Morindus
did the crowne sustaine,

Who, had he not with wrath outrageous,

And cruell rancour dim'd his valorous

And mightie deeds, should matched haue the best:

As well in that same field victorious

Against the forreine
Morands
he exprest;

Yet liues his memorie, though carcas sleepe in rest.

44
Fiue sonnes he left begotten of one wife,

All which successiuely by turnes did raine;

First
Gorboman
a man of vertuous life;

Next
Archigald,
who for his proud disdaine,

Deposed was from Princedome soueraine,

And pitteous
Elidure
put in his sted;

Who shortly it to him restord againe,

Till by his death he it recouered;

But
Peridure
and
Vigent
him disthronized.

45
In wretched prison long he did remaine,

Till they outraigned had their vtmost date,

And then therein reseized was againe,

And ruled long with honorable state,

Till he surrendred Realme and life to fate.

Then all the sonnes of these fiue brethren raynd

By dew successe, and all their Nephewes late,

Euen thrise eleuen descents the crowne retaynd,

Till aged
Hely
by dew heritage it gaynd.

46
He had two sonnes, whose eldest called
Lud

Left of his life most famous memory,

And endlesse moniments of his great good:

The ruin'd wals he did reœdifye

Of
Troynouant,
gainst force of enimy,

And built that gate, which of his name is hight,

By which he lyes entombed solemnly.

He left two sonnes, too young to rule aright,

Androgeus
and
Tenantius,
pictures of his might.

47
Whilst they were young,
Cassibalane
their Erne

Was by the people chosen in their sted,

Who on him tooke the royall Diademe,

And goodly well long time it gouerned,

Till the prowd
Romanes
him disquieted,

And warlike
Cœsar,
tempted with the name

Of this sweet Island, neuer conquered,

And enuying the Britons blazed fame,

(O hideous hunger of dominion) hither came,

48
Yet twise they were repulsed backe againe,

And twise renforst, backe to their ships to fly,

The whiles with bloud they all the shore did staine.

And the gray
Ocean
into purple dy:

Ne had they footing found at last perdie,

Had not
Androgeus,
false to natiue soyle,

And enuious of Vndes soueraintie,

Betrayd his contrey vnto forreine spoyle:

Nought else, but treason, from the first this land did foyle.

49
So by him
Cœsar
got the victory,

Through great bloushed, and many a sad assay,

In which him selfe was charged heauily

Of hardy
Nennius,
whom he yet did slay,

But lost his sword, yet to be seene this day.

Thenceforth this land was tributarie made

T'ambitious
Rome,
and did their rule obay,

Till
Arthur
all that reckoning did defray;

Yet oft the Briton kings against them strongly swayd.

50
Next him
Tenantius
raignd, then
Kimbeline,

What time th'eternall Lord in fleshly slime

Enwombed was, from wretched
Adams
line

To purge away the guilt of sinfull crime:

O ioyous memorie of happy time,

That heauenly grace so plenteously displayd;

(O too high ditty for my simple rime.)

Soone after this the
Romanes
him warrayd;

For that their tribute he refusd to let be payd.

51
Good
Claudius,
that next was Emperour,

An army brought, and with him battell fought,

In which the king was by a Treachetour

Disguised slaine, ere any thereof thought:

Yet ceased not the bloudy fight for ought;

For
Aruirage
his brothers place supplide,

Both in his armes, and crowne, and by that draught

Did driue the
Romanes
to the weaker side,

That they to peace agreed. So all was pacifide.

52
Was neuer king more highly magnifide,

Nor dred of
Romanes,
then was
Aruirage,

For which the Emperour to him allide

His daughter
Genuiss'
in marriage:

Yet shortly he renounst the vassalage

Of
Rome
againe, who hither hastly sent

Vespasian,
that with great spoile and rage

Forwasted all, till
Genuissa
gent

Perswaded him to ceasse, and her Lord to relent

53
He dyde; and him succeeded
Marius,

Who ioyd his dayes in great tranquillity,

Then
Coyll,
and after him good
Lucius,

That first receiued Christianitie,

The sacred pledge of Christes Euangely:

Yet true it is, that long before that day

Hither came
Ioseph
of
Arimathy,

Who brought with him the holy grayle, (they say)

And preacht the truth, but since it greatly did decay.

54
This good king shortly without issew dide,

Whereof great trouble in the kingdome grew,