The Faerie Queene (76 page)

She quickly caught her sword, & shield about her bound.

29
With that there came vnto her chamber dore

Two Knights, all arm'd ready for to fight,

And after them full many other more,

A raskall rout, with weapons rudely dight.

Whom soone as
Talus
spide by glims of night,

He started vp, there where on ground he lay,

And in his hand his thresher ready keight.

They seeing that, let driue at him straight way,

And round about him preace in riotous aray.

30
But soone as he began to lay about

With his rude yron flaile, they gan to flie,

Both armed Knights, and eke vnarmed rout:

Yet
Talus
after them apace did plie,

Where euer in the darke he could them spie;

That here and there like scattred sheepe they lay.

Then backe returning, where his Dame did he,

He to her told the story of that fray,

And all that treason there intended did bewray.

31
Wherewith though wondrous wroth, and inly burning,

To be auenged for so fowle a deede,

Yet being forst to abide the daies returning,

She there remain'd, but with right wary heede,

Least any more such practise should proceede.

Now mote ye know (that which to
Britomart

Vnknowen was) whence all this did proceede,

And for what cause so great mischieuous smart

Was ment to her, that neuer euill ment in hart.

32
The goodman of this house was
Dolon
hight,

A man of subtill wit and wicked minde,

That whilome in his youth had bene a Knight,

And armes had borne, but little good could finde,

And much lesse honour by that warlike kinde

Of life: for he was nothing valorous,

But with slie shiftes and wiles did vnderminde

All noble Knights, which were aduenturous,

And many brought to shame by treason treacherous.

33
He had three sonnes, all three like fathers sonnes,

Like treacherous, like full of fraud and guile,

Of all that on this earthly compasse wonnes:

The eldest of the which was slaine erewhile

By
Artegall,
through his owne guilty wile;

His name was
Guizor,
whose vntimely fate

For to auenge, full many treasons vile

His father
Dolon
had deuiz'd of late

With these his wicked sons, and shewd his cankred hate.

34
For sure he weend, that this his present guest

Was
Artegall,
by many tokens plaine;

But chiefly by that yron page he ghest,

Which still was wont with
Artegall
remaine;

And therefore ment him surely to haue slaine.

But by Gods grace, and her good heedinesse,

She was preserued from their traytrous traine.

Thus she all night wore out in watchfulnesse,

Ne suffred slothfull sleepe her eyelids to oppresse.

35
The morrow next, so soone as dawning houre

Discouered had the light to liuing eye,

She forth yssew'd out of her loathed bowre,

With full intent t'auenge that villany,

On that vilde man, and all his family

And comming down to seeke them, where they wond,

Nor sire, nor sonnes, nor any could she spie:

Each rowme she sought, but them all empty fond:

They all were fled for feare, but whether, nether kond,

36
She saw it vaine to make there lenger stay,

But tooke her steede, and thereon mounting light,

Gan her addresse vnto her former way.

She had not rid the mountenance of a flight,

But that she saw there present in her sight,

Those two false brethren, on that perillous Bridge,

On which
Pollente
with
Artegall
did fight.

Streight was the passage like a ploughed ridge,

That if two met, the one mote needes fall ouer the lidge.

37
There they did thinke themselues on her to wreake:

Who as she nigh vnto them drew, the one

These vile reproches gan vnto her speake;

Thou recreant false traytor, that with lone

Of armes hast knighthood stolne, yet Knight art none,

No more shall now the darkenesse of the night

Defend thee from the vengeance of thy fone,

But with thy bloud thou shalt appease the spright

Of
Guizor,
by thee slaine, and murdred by thy slight.

38
Strange were the words in
Britomartis
eare;

Yet stayd she not for them, but forward fared,

Till to the perillous Bridge she came, and there

Talus
desir'd, that he might haue prepared

The way to her, and those two losels scared.

But she thereat was wroth, that for despight

The glauncing sparkles through her beuer glared,

And from her eies did flash out fiery light,

Like coles, that through a siluer Censer sparkle bright.

39
She stayd not to aduise which way to take;

But putting spurres vnto her fiery beast,

Thorough the midst of them she way did make.

The one of them, which most her wrath increast,

Vppon her speare she bore before her breast,

Till to the Bridges further end she past,

Where falling downe, his challenge he releast:

The other ouer side the Bridge she cast

Into the riuer, where he drunke his deadly last.

40
As when the flashing Leuin haps to light

Vppon two stubborne oakes, which stand so neare,

That way betwixt them none appeares in sight;

The Engin fiercely flying forth, doth teare

Th'one from the earth, & through the aire doth beare;

The other it with force doth ouerthrow,

Vppon one side, and from his rootes doth reare.

So did the Championesse those two there strow,

And to their sire their carcasses left to bestow.

Britomart comes to Isis Church,
   Where shee strange visions sees:
She fights with Radigund, her shies,
   And Artegatt thence frees.

1
Nought is on earth more sacred or diuine,

That Gods and men doe equally adore,

Then this same vertue, that doth right define:

For th'heuens themselues, whence mortal men implore

Right in their wrongs, are rul'd by righteous lore

Of highest Ioue, who doth true iustice deale

To his inferiour Gods, and euermore

Therewith containes his heauenly Common-weale:

The skill whereof to Princes hearts he doth reueale.

2
Well therefore did the antique world inuent,

That Iustice was a God of soueraine grace,

And altars vnto him, and temples lent,

And heauenly honours in the highest place;

Calling him great
Osyris,
of the race

Of th'old Ægyptian Kings, that whylome were;

With fayned colours shading a true case:

For that
Osyris,
whitest he liued here,

The iustest man aliue, and truest did appeare.

3
His wife was
Isis,
whom they likewise made

A Goddesse of great powre and souerainty,

And in her person cunningly did shade

That part of Iustice, which is Equity,

Whereof I haue to treat here presently.

Vnto whose temple when as
Britomart

Arriued, shee with great humility

Did enter in, ne would that right depart;

But
Talus
mote not be admitted to her part

4
There she receiued was in goodly wize

Of many Priests, which duely did attend

Vppon the rites and daily sacrifice,

All clad in linnen robes with siluer hemd;

And on their heads with long locks comely kemd,

They wore rich Mitres shaped like the Moone,

To shew that Isis doth the Moone portend;

Like as
Osyris
signifies the Sunne.

For that they both like race in equall iustice runne.

5
The Championesse them greeting, as she could,

Was thence by them into the Temple led;

Whose goodly building when she did behould,

Borne vppon stately pillours, all dispred

With shining gold, and arched ouer hed,

She wondred at the workemans passing skill,

Whose like before she neuer saw nor red;

And thereuppon long while stood gazing still,

But thought, that she thereon could neuer gaze her fill.

6
Thence forth vnto the Idoll they her brought,

The which was framed all of siluer fine,

So well as could with cunning hand be wrought,

And clothed all in garments made of line,

Hemd all about with fringe of siluer twine.

Vppon her head she wore a Crowne of gold,

To shew that she had powre in things diuine;

And at her feete a Crocodile was rold,

That with her wreathed taile her middle did enfold.

7
One foote was set vppon the Crocodile,

And on the ground the other fast did stand,

So meaning to suppresse both forged guile,

And open force: and in her other hand

She stretched forth a long white sclender wand.

Such was the Goddesse; whom when
Britomart

Had long beheld, her selfe vppon the land

She did prostrate, and with right humble hart,

Vnto her selfe her silent prayers did impart.

8
To which the Idoll as it were inclining,

Her wand did moue with amiable looke,

By outward shew her inward sence desining.

Who well perceiuing, how her wand she shooke,

It as a token of good fortune tooke.

By this the day with dampe was ouercast,

And ioyous light the house of
Ioue
forsooke:

Which when she saw, her helmet she vnlaste,

And by the altars side her selfe to slumber plaste.

9
For other beds the Priests there vsed none,

But on their mother Earths deare lap did lie,

And bake their sides vppon the cold hard stone,

T'enure them selues to sufferaunce thereby

And proud rebellious flesh to mortify.

For by the vow of their religion

They tied were to stedfast chastity,

And continence of life, that all forgon,

They mote the better tend to their deuotion.

10
Therefore they mote not taste of fleshly food,

Ne feed on ought, the which doth bloud containe,

Ne drinke of wine, for wine they say is blood,

Euen the bloud of Gyants, which were slaine,

By thundring Ioue in the Phlegrean plaine.

For which the earth (as they the story tell)

Wroth with the Gods, which to perpetuall paine

Had damn'd her sonnes, which gainst them did rebell,

With inward griefe and malice did against them swell.

11
And of their vitall bloud, the which was shed

Into her pregnant bosome, forth she brought

The fruitfull vine, whose liquor blouddy red

Hauing the mindes of men with fury fraught,

Mote in them stirre vp old rebellious thought,

To make new warre against the Gods againe:

Such is the powre of that same fruit, that nought

The fell contagion may thereof restraine,

Ne within reasons rule, her madding mood containe.

12
There did the warlike Maide her selfe repose,

Vnder the wings of
Isis
all that night,

And with sweete rest her heauy eyes did close,

After that long daies toile and weary plight.

Where whilest her earthly parts with soft delight

Of sencelesse sleepe did deeply drowned lie,

There did appeare vnto her heauenly spright

A wondrous vision, which did close implie

The course of all her fortune and posteritie.

13
Her seem'd, as she was doing sacrifize

To
Isis,
deckt with Mitre on her hed,

And linnen stole after those Priestes guize,

All sodainely she saw transfigured

Her linnen stole to robe of scarlet red,

And Moone-like Mitre to a Crowne of gold,

That euen she her selfe much wondered

At such a chaunge, and ioyed to behold

Her selfe, adorn'd with gems and iewels manifold.

14
And in the midst of her felicity,

An hideous tempest seemed from below,

To rise through all the Temple sodainely,

That from the Altar all about did blow

The holy fire, and all the embers strow

Vppon the ground, which kindled priuily,

Into outragious flames vnwares did grow,

That all the Temple put in ieopardy

Of flaming, and her selfe in great perplexity.

15
With that the Crocodile, which sleeping lay

Vnder the Idols feete in fearelesse bowre,

Seem'd to awake in horrible dismay,

As being troubled with that stormy stowre;

And gaping greedy wide, did streight deuoure

Both flames and tempest: with which growen great,

And swolne with pride of his owne peerelesse powre,

He gan to threaten her likewise to eat;

But that the Goddesse with her rod him backe did beat.

16
Tho turning all his pride to humblesse meeke,

Him selfe before her feete he lowly threw,

And gan for grace and loue of her to seeke:

Which she accepting, he so neare her drew,

That of his game she soone enwombed grew,

And forth did bring a Lion of great might;

That shortly did all other beasts subdew.

With that she waked, full of fearefull fright,

And doubtfully dismayd through that so vncouth sight.

17
So thereuppon long while she musing lay,

With thousand thoughts feeding her fantasie,

Vntill she spide the lampe of lightsome day,

Vp-lifted in the porch of heauen hie.

Then vp she rose fraught with melancholy,

And forth into the lower parts did pas;

Whereas the Priestes she found full busily

About their holy things for morrow Mas:

Whom she saluting faire, faire resaluted was.

18
But by the change of her vnchearefull looke,

They might perceiue, she was not well in plight;

Or that some pensiuenesse to heart she tooke.

Therefore thus one of them, who seem'd in sight

To be the greatest, and the grauest wight,

To her bespake; Sir Knight it seemes to me,

That thorough euill rest of this last night,

Or ill apayd, or much dismayd ye be,

That by your change of cheare is easie for to see.

19
Certes (sayd she) sith ye so well haue spide

The troublous passion of my pensiue mind,

I will not seeke the same from you to hide,

But will my cares vnfolde, in hope to find

Your aide, to guide me out of errour blind.

Say on (quoth he) the secret of your hart:

For by the holy vow, which me doth bind,

I am adiur'd, best counsell to impart

To all, that shall require my comfort in their smart

20
Then gan she to declare the whole discourse

Of all that vision, which to her appeard,

As well as to her minde it had recourse.

All which when he vnto the end had heard,

Like to a weake faint-hearted man he fared,

Through great astonishment of that strange sight;

And with long locks vp-standing, stifly stared

Like one adawed with some dreadfull spright

So fild with heauenly fury, thus he her behight

21
Magnificke Virgin, that in queint disguise

Of British armes doest maske thy royall blood,

So to pursue a perillous emprize,

How coulst thou weene, through that disguized hood,

To hide thy state from being vnderstood?

Can from th'immortall Gods ought hidden bee?

They doe thy linage, and thy Lordly brood;

They doe thy sire, lamenting sore for thee;

They doe thy loue, forlorne in womens thraldome see.

22
The end whereof and all the long euent,

They doe to thee in this same dreame discouer.

For that same Crocodile doth represent

The righteous Knight, that is thy faithfull louer,

Like to
Osyris
in all iust endeuer.

For that same Crocodile
Osyris
is,

That vnder
Isis
feete doth sleepe for euer:

To shew that clemence oft in things amis,

Restraines those sterne behests, and cruell doomes of his.

23
That Knight shall all the troublous stormes asswage,

And raging flames, that many foes shall reare,

To hinder thee from the iust heritage

Of thy sires Crowne, and from thy countrey deare.

Then shalt thou take him to thy loued fere,

And ioyne in equall portion of thy realme:

And afterwards a sonne to him shalt beare,

That Lion-like shall shew his powre extreame.

So blesse thee God, and giue thee ioyance of thy dreame.

24
All which when she vnto the end had heard,

She much was eased in her troublous thought,

And on those Priests bestowed rich reward:

And royall gifts of gold and siluer wrought,

She for a present to their Goddesse brought.

Then taking leaue of them, she forward went,

To seeke her loue, where he was to be sought;

Ne rested till she came without relent

Vnto the land of Amazons, as she was bent.

25
Whereof when newes to
Radigund
was brought,

Not with amaze, as women wonted bee,

She was confused in her troublous thought,

But fild with courage and with ioyous glee,

As glad to heare of armes, the which now she

Had long surceast, she bad to open bold,

That she the face of her new foe might see.

But when they of that yron man had told,

Which late her folke had skine, she bad them forth to hold.

26
So there without the gate (as seemed best)

She caused her Pauilion be pight;

In which stout
Britomart
her selfe did rest,

Whiles
Talus
watched at the dore all night.

All night likewise, they of the towne in fright,

Vppon their wall good watch and ward did keepe.

The morrow next, so soone as dawning light

Bad doe away the dampe of drouzie sleepe,

The warlike Amazon out of her bowre did peepe.

27
And caused streight a Trumpet loud to shrill,

To warne her foe to battell soone be prest:

Who long before awoke (for she ful ill

Could sleepe all night, that in vnquiet brest

Did closely harbour such a iealous guest)

Was to the battell whilome ready dight.

Eftsoones that warriouresse with haughty crest

Did forth issue, all ready for the fight:

On th'other side her foe appeared soone in sight.

28
But ere they reared hand, the Amazone

Began the streight conditions to propound,

With which she vsed still to tye her fone;

To serue her so, as she the rest had bound.

Which when the other heard, she sternly frownd

For high disdaine of such indignity,

And would no lenger treat, but bad them sound.

For her no other termes should euer tie

Then what prescribed were by lawes of cheualrie.

29
The Trumpets sound, and they together run

With greedy rage, and with their faulchins smot;