The Faerie Queene (53 page)

Many faire pourtraicts, and many a faire feate,

And all of loue, and all of lusty-hed,

As seemed by their semblaunt did entreat;

And eke all
Cupids
warres they did repeate,

And cruell battels, which he whilome fought

Gainst all the Gods, to make his empire great;

Besides the huge massacres, which he wrought

On mighty kings and kesars, into thraldome brought.

30
Therein was writ, how often thundring
Ioue

Had felt the point of his hart-percing dart,

And leauing heauens kingdome, here did roue

In straunge disguize, to slake his scalding smart;

Now like a Ram, faire
Helle
to peruart,

Now like a Bull,
Europa
to withdraw:

Ah, how the fearefull Ladies tender hart

Did liuely seeme to tremble, when she saw

The huge seas vnder her t'obay her seruaunts law.

31
Soone after that into a golden showre

Him selfe he chaung'd faire
Danaë
to vew,

And through the roofe of her strong brasen towre

Did raine into her lap an hony dew,

The whiles her foolish garde, that little knew

Of such deceipt, kept th'yron dore fast bard,

And watcht, that none should enter nor issew;

Vaine was the watch, and bootlesse all the ward,

Whenas the God to golden hew him selfe transfard.

32
Then was he turnd into a snowy Swan,

To win faire
Leda
to his louely trade:

O wondrous skill, and sweet wit of the man,

That her in daffadillies sleeping made,

From scorching heat her daintie limbes to shade:

Whiles the proud Bird ruffing his fethers wyde,

And brushing his faire brest, did her inuade;

She slept, yet twixt her eyelids closely spyde,

How towards her he rusht, and smiled at his pryde.

33
Then shewd it, how the
Thebane Semelee

Deceiu'd of gealous
Iuno,
did require

To see him in his soueraigne maiestee,

Armd with his thunderbolts and lightning fire,

Whence dearely she with death bought her desire.

But faire
Alcmena
better match did make,

Ioying his Ioue in likenesse more entire;

Three nights in one, they say, that for her sake

He then did put, her pleasures lenger to partake.

34
Twise was he seene in soaring Eagles shape,

And with wide wings to beat the buxome ayre,

Once, when he with
Asterie
did scape,

Againe, when as the
Troiane
boy so faire

He snatcht from
Ida
hill, and with him bare:

Wondrous delight it was, there to behould,

How the rude Shepheards after him did stare,

Trembling through feare, least down he fallen should

And often to him calling, to take surer hould.

35
In
Satyres
shape
Antiopa
he snatcht:

And like a fire, when he
Aegin
assayd:

A shepheard, when
Mnemosyne
he catcht:

And like a Serpent to the
Thracian
mayd.

Whiles thus on earth great
Ioue
these pageaunts playd,

The winged boy did thrust into his throne,

And scoffing, thus vnto his mother sayd,

Lo now the heauens obey to me alone,

And take me for their
Ioue,
whiles
Ioue
to earth is gone.

36
And thou, faire
Phoebus,
in thy colours bright

Wast there enwouen, and the sad distresse,

In which that boy thee plonged, for despight,

That thou bewray'dst his mothers wantonnesse,

When she with
Mars
was meynt in ioyfulnesse:

For thy he thrild thee with a leaden dart,

To loue faire
Daphne,
which thee loued lesse:

Lesse she thee lou'd, then was thy iust desart,

Yet was thy loue her death, & her death was thy smart.

37
So louedst thou the lusty
Hyacinct,

So louedst thou the faire
Coronis
deare:

Yet both are of thy haplesse hand extinct,

Yet both in flowres do liue, and loue thee beare,

The one a Paunce, the other a sweet breare:

For griefe whereof, ye mote haue liuely seene

The God himselfe rending his golden heare,

And breaking quite his gyrlond euer greene,

With other signes of sorrow and impatient teene.

38
Both for those two, and for his owne deare sonne,

The sonne of
Climene
he did repent,

Who bold to guide the charet of the Sunne,

Himselfe in thousand peeces fondly rent,

And all the world with flashing fier brent,

So like, that all the walles did seeme to flame.

Yet cruell
Cupid,
not herewith content,

Forst him eftsoones to follow other game,

And loue a Shepheards daughter for his dearest Dame.

39
He loued
Isse
for his dearest Dame,

And for her sake her cattell fed a while,

And for her sake a cowheard vile became,

The seruant of
Admetus
cowheard vile,

Whiles that from heauen he suffered exile.

Long were to tell each other louely fit,

Now like a Lyon, hunting after spoile,

Now like a Hag, now like a faulcon flit:

All which in that faire arras was most liuely writ.

40
Next vnto him was
Neptune
pictured,

In his diuine resemblance wondrous lyke:

His face was rugged, and his hoarie hed

Dropped with brackish deaw; his three-forkt Pyke

He stearnly shooke, and therewith fierce did stryke

The raging billowes, that on euery syde

They trembling stood, and made a long broad dyke,

That his swift charet might haue passage wyde,

Which foure great
Hippodames
did draw in temewise tyde.

41
His sea-horses did seeme to snort amayne,

And from their nosethrilles blow the brynie streame,

That made the sparckling waues to smoke agayne,

And flame with gold, but the white fomy creame,

Did shine with siluer, and shoot forth his beame.

The God himselfe did pensiue seeme and sad,

And hong adowne his head, as he did dreame:

For priuy loue his brest empierced had,

Ne ought but deare
Bisaltis
ay could make him glad.

42
He loued eke
Iphimedia
deare,

And
Aeolus
faire daughter
Ante
bight,

For whom he turnd him selfe into a Steare,

And fed on fodder, to beguile her sight.

Also to win
Deucalions
daughter bright,

He turnd him selfe into a Dolphin fayre;

And like a winged horse he tooke his flight,

To snaky-locke
Medusa
to repayre,

On whom he got faire
Pegasus,
that flitteth in the ayre.

43
Next
Satume
was, (but who would euer weene,

The sullein
Satume
euer weend to loue?

Yet loue is sullein, and
Saturnlike
seene,

As he did for
Erigone
it proue)

That to a
Centaure
did him selfe transmoue.

So proou'd it eke that gracious God of wine,

When for to compasse
Philliras
hard loue,

He turnd himselfe into a fruitfull vine,

And into her faire bosome made his grapes decline.

44
Long were to tell the amorous assayes,

And gentle pangues, with which he maked meeke

The mighty
Mars,
to learne his wanton playes:

How oft for
Venus,
and how often eek

For many other Nymphes he sore did shreek,

With womanish teares, and with vnwarlike smarts,

Priuily moystening his horrid cheek.

There was he painted full of burning darts,

And many wide woundes launched through his inner
parts.

45
Ne did he spare (so cruell was the Elfe)

His owne deare mother, (ah why should he so?)

Ne did he spare sometime to pricke himselfe,

That he might tast the sweet consuming woe,

Which he had wrought to many others moe.

But to declare the mournfull Tragedyes,

And spoiles, wherewith he all the ground did strow,

More eath to number, with how many eyes

High heauen beholds sad louers nightly theeueryes.

46
Kings Queenes, Lord's Ladies, Knights & Damzels gent

Were heap'd together with the vulgar sort,

And mingled with the raskall rablement,

Without respect of person or of port,

To shew Dan
Cupids
powre and great effort:

And round about a border was entrayld,

Of broken bowes and arrowes shiuered short,

And a long bloudy riuer through them rayld,

So liuely and so like, that liuing sence it fayld.

47
And at lie vpper end of that faire rowme,

There was an Altar built of pretious stone,

Of passing valew, and of great renowme,

On which there stood an Image all alone,

Of massy gold, which with his owne light shone;

And wings it had with sundry colours dight,

More sundry colours, then the proud
Pauone

Beares in his boasted fan, or
Iris
bright,

When her discolourd bow she spreds through heauen bright

48
Blindfold he was, and in his cruell fist

A mortall bow and arrowes keene did hold,

With which he shot at randon, when him list,

Some headed with sad lead, some with pure gold;

(Ah man beware, how thou those darts behold)

A wounded Dragon vnder him did ly,

Whose hideous tayle his left foot did enfold,

And with a shaft was shot through either eye,

That no man forth might draw, ne no man remedye.

49
And vnderneath his feet was written thus,

Vnto the Victor of the Gods this bee:

And all the people in that ample hous

Did to that image bow their humble knee,

And oft committed fowle Idolatree.

That wondrous sight faire
Britomart
amazed,

Ne seeing could her wonder satisfie,

But euer more and more vpon it gazed,

The whiles the passing brightnes her fraile sences dazed.

50
Tho as she backward cast her busie eye,

To search each secret of that goodly sted

Ouer the dore thus written she did spye

Be bold:
she oft and oft it ouer-red,

Yet could not find what sence it figured:

But what so were therein or writ or ment,

She was no whit thereby discouraged

From prosecuting of her first intent,

But forward with bold steps into the next roome went.

51
Much fairer, then the former, was that roome,

And richlier by many partes arayd:

For not with arras made in painefull loome,

But with pure gold it all was ouerlayd,

Wrought with wilde Antickes, which their follies playd,

In the rich metall, as they liuing were:

A thousand monstrous formes therein were made,

Such as false loue doth oft vpon him weare,

For loue in thousand monstrous formes doth oft appeare.

52
And all about, the glistring walles were hong

With warlike spoiles, and with victorious prayes,

Of mighty Conquerours and Captaines strong,

Which were whilome captiued in their dayes

To cruell loue, and wrought their owne decayes:

Their swerds & speres were broke, & hauberques rent;

And their proud girlonds of tryumphant bayes

Troden in dust with fury insolent,

To shew the victors might and mercilesse intent.

53
The warlike Mayde beholding earnestly

The goodly ordinance of this rich place,

Did greatly wonder ne could satisfie

Her greedy eyes with gazing a long space,

Sut more she meruaild that no footings trace,

Nor wight appear'd, but wastefull emptinesse,

And solemne silence ouer all that place:

Straunge thing it seem'd, that none was to possesse

So rich purueyance, ne them keepe with carefulnesse.

54
And as she lookt about, she did behold,

How ouer that same dore was likewise writ,

Be hold, be bold,
and euery where
Be bold,

That much she muz'd, yet could not construe it

By any ridling skill, or commune wit.

At last she spyde at that roomes vpper end,

Another yron dore, on which was writ,

Be not too bold;
whereto though she did bend

Her earnest mind, yet wist not what it might intend.

55
Thus she there waited vntill euentyde,

Yet liuing creature none she saw appeare:

And now sad shadowes gan the world to hyde,

From mortall vew, and wrap in darkenesse dreare;

Yet nould she d'off her weary armes, for feare

Of secret daunger, ne let sleepe oppresse

Her heauy eyes with natures burdein deare,

But drew her selfe aside in sickernesse,

And her welpointed weapons did about her dresse.

The maske of Cupid, and th'enchaunted
   Chamber are displayd,
Whence Britomart redeemes faire
   Atnoret, through charities decayd.

1
Tho when as chearelesse Night ycouered had

Faire heauen with an vniuersall cloud,

That euery wight dismayd with darknesse sad,

In silence and in sleepe themselues did shroud,

She heard a shrilling Trompet sound aloud,

Signe of nigh battell, or got victory;

Nought therewith daunted was her courage proud,

Sut rather stird to cruell enmity,

Expecting euer, when some foe she might descry.

2
With that, an hideous storme of winde arose,

With dreadfull thunder and lightning atwixt,

And an earth-quake, as if it streight would lose

The worlds foundations from his centre fixt;

A direfull stench of smoke and sulphure mixt

Ensewd, whose noyance fild the fearefull sted,

From the fourth houre of night vntill the sixt;

Yet the bold
Britonesse
was nought ydred,

Though much emmou'd, but stedfast still perseuered.

3
All suddenly a stormy whirlwind blew

Throughout the house, that clapped euery dore,

With which that yron wicket open flew,

As it with mightie leuers had bene tore:

And forth issewd, as on the ready flore

Of some Theatre, a graue personage,

That in his hand a branch of laurell bore,

With comely haueour and count'nance sage,

Yclad in costly garments, fit for t

4
Proceeding to the midst, he still did stand,

As if in mind he somewhat had to say,

And to the vulgar beckning with his hand,

In signe of silence, as to heare a play,

By liuely actions he gan bewray

Some argument of matter passioned;

Which doen, he backe retyred soft away,

And passing by, his name discouered,

Ease,
on his robe in golden letters cyphered.

5
The noble Mayd, still standing all this vewd,

And merueild at his strange intendiment;

With that a ioyous fellowship issewd

Of Minstrals, making goodly meriment,

With wanton Bardes, and Rymers impudent,

All which together sung full chearefully

A lay of loues delight, with sweet consent:

After whom marcht a iolly company,

In manner of a maske, enranged orderly.

6
The whiles a most delirious harmony,

In full straunge notes was sweetly heard to sound,

That the rare sweetnesse of the melody

The feeble senses wholly did confound,

And the fraile soule in deepe delight nigh dround:

And when it ceast, shrill trompets loud did bray,

That their report did farre away rebound,

And when they ceast, it gan againe to play,

The whiles the maskers inarched forth in trim aray.

7
The first was
Fancy,
like a louely boy,

Of rare aspect, and beaurie without peare;

Matchable either to that ympe of
Troy,

Whom
Ioue
did loue, and chose bis cup to beare,

Or that same dainrie lad, which was so deare

To great
Alcides,
that when as he dyde,

He wailed womanlike with many a teare,

And euery wood, and euery valley wyde

He fild with
Hylas
name; the Nymphes eke
Hylas
cryde.

8
His garment neither was of silke nor say,

But painted plumes, in goodly order dight,

Like as the sunburnt
Indians
do aray

Their tawney bodies, in their proudest plight:

As those same plumes, so seemd he vaine and light,

That by his gate might easily appeare;

For still he far'd as daunting in delight,

And in his hand a windy fan did beare,

That in the idle aire he mou'd still here and there.

9
And him beside marcht amorous
Desyre,

Who seemd of riper yeares, then th'other Swaine,

Yet was that other swayne this elders syre,

And gaue him being, commune to them twaine:

His garment was disguised very vaine,

And his embrodered Bonet sat awry;

Twixt both his hands few sparkes he close did straine,

Which still he blew, and kindled busily,

That soone they life conceiu'd, & forth in flames did fly.

10
Next after him went
Doubt,
who was yclad

In a disco'lour'd cote, of straunge disguyse.

That at his backe a brode Capuccio had,

And sleeues dependant
Albanese
-wyse:

He lookt askew with his mistrustfull eyes,

And nicely trode, as thornes lay in his way,

Or that the flore to shrinke he did auyse,

And on a broken reed he still did stay

His feeble steps, which shrunke, when hard theron he lay.

11
With him went
Daunger,
cloth'd in ragged weed,

Made of Beares skin, that him more dreadfull made,

Yet his owne face was dreadfull, ne did need

Straunge horrour, to deforme his griesly shade;

A net in th'one hand, and a rustie blade

In th'other was, this Mischiefe, that Mishap;

With th'one his foes he threatned to inuade,

With th'odier he his friends ment to enwrap:

For whom he could not kill, he practizd to entrap.

12
Next him was
Feare,
all arm'd from top to toe,

Yet thought himselfe not safe enough thereby,

But feard each shadow mouing to and fro,

And his owne armes when glittering he did spy,

Or clashing heard, he fast away did fly,

As ashes pale of hew, and winged heeld;

And euermore on daunger fixt his eye,

Gainst whom he alwaies bent a brasen shield,

Which his right hand vnarmed fearefully did wield.

13
With him went
Hope
in rancke, a handsome Mayd,

Of chearefull looke and louely to behold;

In silken samite she was light arayd,

And her faire lockes were wouen vp in gold;

She alway smyld, and in her hand did hold

An holy water Sprinckle, dipt in deowe,

With which she sprinckled fauours manifold,

On whom she list, and did great liking sheowe,

Great liking vnto many, but true loue to feowe.

14
And after them
Dissemblance,
and
Suspect

Marcht in one rancke, yet an vnequall paire:

For she was gentle, and of milde aspect,

Courteous to all, and seeming debonaire,

Goodly adorned, and exceeding faire:

Yet was that all but painted, and purloynd,

And her bright browes were deckt with borrowed haire:

Her deedes were forged, and her words false coynd,

And alwaies in her hand two clewes of silke she twynd.

15
But he was foule, ill fauoured, and grim,

Vnder his eyebrowes looking still askaunce;

And euer as
Dissemblance
laught on him,

He lowrd on her with daungerous eyeglaunce;

Shewing his nature in his countenaunce;

His rolling eyes did neuer rest in place,

But walkt each where, for feare of hid mischaunce,

Holding a lattice still before his face,

Through which he still did peepe, as forward he did pace.

16
Next him went
Griefe,
and
Fury
matcht yfere;

Griefe
all in sable sorrowfully clad,

Downe hanging his dull head, with heauy chere,

Yet inly being more, then seeming sad:

A paire of Pincers in his hand he had,

With which he pinched people to the hart,

That from thenceforth a wretched life they lad,

In wilfull languor and consuming smart,

Dying each day with inward wounds of dolours dart

17
But
Fury
was full ill apparelled

In rags, that naked nigh she did appeare,

With ghastly lookes and dreadfull drerihed;

For from her backe her garments she did teare,

And from her head oft rent her snarled heare:

In her right hand a firebrand she did tosse

About her head, still roming here and there;

As a dismayed Deare in chace embost,

Forgetfull of his safety, hath his right way lost.

18
After them went
Displeasure
and
Pleasance,

He looking lompish and full sullein sad,

And hanging downe his heauy countenance;

She chearefull fresh and full of ioyance glad,

As if no sorrow she ne felt ne drad;

That euill matched paire they seemd to bee:

An angry Waspe th'one in a viall had:

Th'other in hers an hony-lady Bee;

Thus marched these sixe couples forth in faire degree.

19
After all these there marcht a most faire Dame,

Led of two grysie villeins, th'one
Despight,

The other cleped
Cruelty
by name:

She dolefull Lady, like a dreary Spright,

Cald by strong charmes out of eternall night,

Had deathes owne image figurd in her face,

Full of sad signes, fearefull to liuing sight;

Yet in that horror shewd a seemely grace,

And with her feeble feet did moue a comely pace.

20
Her brest all naked, as net iuory,

Without adorne of gold or siluer bright,

Wherewith the Craftesman wonts it beautify,

Of her dew honour was despoyled quight,

And a wide wound therein (O ruefull sight)

Entrenched deepe with knife accursed keene,

Yet freshly bleeding forth her fainting spright,

(The worke of cruell hand) was to be seene,

That dyde in sanguine red her skin all snowy cleene.

21
At that wide orifice her trembling hart

Was drawne forth, and in siluer basin layd,

Quite through transfixed with a deadly dart,

And in her bloud yet steeming fresh embayd:

And those two villeins, which her steps vpstayd,

When her weake feete could scarcely her sustaine,

And fading vitall powers gan to fade,

Her forward still with torture did constraine,

And euermore encreased her consuming paine.

22
Next after her the winged God himselfe

Came riding on a Lion rauenous,

Taught to obay the menage of that Elfe,

That man and beast with powre imperious

Subdeweth to his kingdome tyrannous:

His blindfold eyes he bad a while vnbind,

That his proud spoyle of that same dolorous

Faire Dame he might behold in perfect kind;

Which seene, he much reioyced in his cruell mind.

23
Of which full proud, himselfe vp rearing hye,

He looked round about with sterne disdaine;

And did suruay his goodly company:

And marshalling the euill ordered traine,

With that the darts which his right hand did straine,

Full dreadfully he shooke that all did quake,

And dapt on hie his coulourd winges twaine,

That all his many it affraide did make:

Tho blinding him againe, his way he forth did take.

24
Behinde him was
Reproch, Repentance, Shame;

Reproch
the first,
Shame
next,
Repent
behind:

Repentance
feeble, sorrowfull, and lame:

Reproch
despightfull, carelesse, and vnkind;

Shame
most ill fauourd, bestiall, and blind:

Shame
lowrd,
Repentance
sigh'd,
Reproch
did scould;

Reproch
sharpe stings,
Repentance
whips entwind,

Shame
burning brond-yrons in her hand did hold:

All three to each vnlike, yet all made in one mould.

25
And after them a rude confused rout

Of persons flockt, whose names is hard to read:

Emongst them was sterne
Strife,
and
Anger
stout,

Vnquiet
Care,
and fond
Vnthrifiihead,

Lewd
Losse of Time,
and
Sorrow
seeming dead,

Inconstant
Chaunge,
and false
Disloyaltie,

Consuming
Riotise,
and guilty
Dread

Of heauenly vengeance, faint
Infirmitie,

Vile
Pouertie,
and lastly
Death
with infamie.

26
There were full many moe like maladies,

Whose names and natures I note readen well;

So many moe, as there be phantasies

In wauering wemens wit, that none can tell,

Or paines in loue, or punishments in hell;

All which disguized marcht in masking wise,

About the chamber with that Damozell,

And then returned, hauing marched thrise,

Into the inner roome, from whence they first did rise.

27
So soone as they were in, the dore streight way

Fast locked, driuen with that stormy blast,

Which first it opened; and bore all away.

Then the braue Maid, which all this while was plast,

In secret shade, and saw both first and last,

Issewed forth, and went vnto the dore,

To enter in, but found it locked fast:

It vaine she thought with rigorous vprore

For to efforce, when charmes had closed it afore.

28
Where force might not auaile, there sleights and art

She cast to vse, both fit for hard emprize;