The Faerie Queene (79 page)

29
Seemed those litle Angels did vphold

The cloth of state, and on their purpled wings

Did beare the pendants, through their nimblesse bold:

Besides a thousand more of such, as sings

Hymnes to high God, and carols heauenly things,

Encompassed the throne, on which she sate:

She Angel-like, the heyre of ancient kings

And mightie Conquerors, in royall state,

Whylest kings and kesars at her feet did them prostrate.

30
Thus she did sit in souerayne Maiestie,

Holding a Scepter in her royall hand,

The sacred pledge of peace and clemencie,

With which high God had blest her happie land,

Maugre so many foes, which did withstand.

But at her feet her sword was likewise layde,

Whose long rest rusted the bright steely brand;

Yet when as foes enforst, or friends sought ayde,

She could it sternely draw, that all the world dismayde.

31
And round about, before her feet there sate

A beuie of faire Virgins clad in white,

That goodly seem'd t'adorne her royall state,

All louely daughters of high
Ioue,
that hight,

Litœ
by him begot in loues delight,

Vpon the righteous
Themis:
those they say

Vpon
loues
iudgement seat wayt day and night,

And when in wrath he threats the worlds decay,

They doe his anger calme, and cruell vengeance stay.

32
They also doe by his diuine permission

Vpon the thrones of mortall Princes tend,

And often treat for pardon and remission

To suppliants, through frayltie which offend.

Those did vpon
Mercillaes
throne attend:

lust
Dice,
wise
Eunomie,
myld
Eirene,

And them amongst, her glorie to commend,

Sate goodly
Temperance
in garments clene,

And sacred
Reuerence,
yborne of heauenly strene.

33
Thus did she sit in royall rich estate,

Admyr'd of many, honoured of all,

Whylest vnderneath her feete, there as she sate,

An huge great Lyon lay, that mote appall

An hardie courage, like captiued thrall,

With a strong yron chaine and coller bound,

That once he could not moue, nor quich at all;

Yet did he murmure with rebellions sound,

And softly royne, when saluage choler gan redound.

34
So sitting high in dreaded souerayntie,

Those two strange knights were to her presence brought;

Who bowing low before her Maiestie,

Did to her myld obeysance, as they ought,

And meekest boone, that they imagine mought.

To whom she eke inclyning her withall,

As a faire stoupe of her high soaring thought,

A chearefull countenance on them let fall,

Yet tempred with some maiestie imperiall.

35
As the bright sunne, what time his fierie teme

Towards the westerne brim begins to draw,

Gins to abate the brightnesse of his beme,

And feruour of his flames somewhat adaw:

So did this mightie Ladie, when she saw

Those two strange knights such homage to her make,

Bate somewhat of that Maiestie and awe,

That whylome wont to doe so many quake,

And with more myld aspect those two to entertake.

36
Now at that instant, as occasion fell,

When these two stranger knights arriu'd in place,

She was about affaires of common wele,

Dealing of Iustice with indifferent grace,

And hearing pleas of people meane and base.

Mongst which as then, there was for to be heard

The tryall of a great and weightie case,

Which on both sides was then debating hard:

But at the sight of these, those were a while debard.

37
But after all her princely entertayne,

To th'hearing of that former cause in hand,

Her selfe eftsoones she gan conuert againe;

Which that those knights likewise mote vnderstand,

And witnesse forth aright in forrain land,

Taking them vp vnto her stately throne,

Where they mote heare the matter throughly scand

On either part, she placed th'one on th'one,

The other on the other side, and neare them none.

38
Then was there brought, as prisoner to the barre,

A Ladie of great countenance and place,

But that she it with foule abuse did marre;

Yet did appeare rare beautie in her face,

But blotted with condition vile and base,

That all her other honour did obscure,

And titles of nobilitie deface:

Yet in that wretched semblant, she did sure

The peoples great compassion vnto her allure.

39
Then vp arose a person of deepe reach,

And rare in-sight, hard matters to reuele;

That well could charme his tongue, & time his speach

To all assayes; his name was called
Zele
:

He gan that Ladie strongly to appele

Of many haynous crymes, by her enured.

And with sharpe reasons rang her such a pele,

That those, whom she to pitie had allured,

He now t'abhorre and loath her person had procured.

40
First gan he tell, how this that seem'd so faire

And royally arayd,
Duessa
hight

That false
Duessa,
which had wrought great care,

And mickle mischiefe vnto many a knight,

By her beguyled, and confounded quight:

But not for those she now in question came,

Though also those mote question'd be aright,

But for vyld treasons, and outrageous shame,

Which she against the dred
Mercilla
oft did frame.

41
For she whylome (as ye mote yet right well

Remember) had her counsels false conspyred,

With faithlesse
Blandamour
and
Paridell,

(Both two her paramours, both by her hyred,

And both with hope of shadowes vaine inspyred)

And with them practiz'd, how for to depryue

Mercilla
of her crowne, by her aspyred,

That she might it vnto her selfe deryue,

And tryumph in their blood, whom she to death did dryue.

42
But through high heauens grace, which fauour not

The wicked driftes of trayterous desynes,

Gainst loiall Princes, all this cursed plot,

Ere proofe it tooke, discouered was betymes,

And th'actours won the meede meet for their cryines.

Such be the meede of all, that by such mene

Vnto the type of kingdomes title clymes.

But false
Duessa
now vntided Queene,

Was brought to her sad doome, as here was to be seene.

43
Strongly did
Zele
her haynous fact enforce,

And many other crimes of foule defame

Against her brought, to banish all remorse,

And aggrauate the horror of her blame.

And with him to make part against her, came

Many graue persons, that against her pled;

First was a sage old Syre, that had to name

The
Kingdomes care,
with a white siluer hed,

That many high regards and reasons gainst her red.

44
Then gan
Authority
her to appose

With peremptorie powre, that made all mute;

And then the law of
Nations
gainst her rose,

And reasons brought, that no man could refute;

Next gan
Religion
gainst her to impute

High Gods beheast, and powre of holy lawes;

Then gan the Peoples cry and Commons sute,

Importune care of their owne publicke cause;

And lastly
Iustice
charged her with breach of lawes.

45
But then for her, on the contrarie part,

Rose many aduocates for her to plead:

First there came
Pittie,
with full tender hart,

And with her ioyn'd
Regard
of womanhead;

And then came
Daunger
threading hidden dread,

And high alliance vnto forren powre;

Then came
Nobilitie
of birth, that bread

Great ruth through her misfortunes tragicke stowre;

And lastly
Griefe
did plead, & many teares forth powre.

46
With the neare touch whereof in tender hart

The Briton Prince was sore empassionate,

And woxe inclined much vnto her part,

Through the sad terror of so dreadfull fate,

And wretched mine of so high estate,

That for great ruth his courage gan relent.

Which when as
Zele
perceiued to abate,

He gan his earnest feruour to augment,

And many fearefull obiects to them to present.

47
He gan t'effbrce the euidence anew,

And new accusements to produce in place:

He brought forth that old hag of hellish hew,

The cursed
Ate,
brought her face to face,

Who priuie was, and partie in the case:

She, glad of spoyle and ruinous decay,

Did her appeach, and to her more disgrace,

The plot of all her practise did display,

And all her traynes, and all her treasons forth did lay.

48
Then brought he forth, with griesly grim aspect,

Abhorred
Murder,
who with bloudie knyfe

Yet dropping fresh in hand did her detect,

And there with guiltie bloudshed charged ryfe:

Then brought he forth
Sedition,
breeding stryfe

In troublous wits, and mutinous vprore:

Then brought he forth
Incontinence
of lyfe,

Euen foule
Adulterie
her face before,

And lewd
Impietie,
that her accused sore.

49
All which when as the Prince had heard and seene,

His former fancies ruth he gan repent,

And from her partie eftsoones was drawen cleene.

But
Artegall
with constant firme intent,

For zeale of Iustice was against her bent.

So was she guiltie deemed of them all.

Then
Zele
began to vrge her punishment,

And to their Queene for iudgement loudly call,

Vnto
Mercilla
myld for Iustice gainst the thrall.

50
But she, whose Princely breast was touched nere

With piteous ruth of her so wretched plight,

Though plaine she saw by all, that she did heare,

That she of death was guiltie found by right,

Yet would not let iust vengeance on her light;

But rather let in stead thereof to fall

Few perling drops from her faire lampes of light;

The which she couering with her purple pall

Would haue the passion hid, and vp arose withall.

Prince Arthur takes the enterprize
   for Belgee for to fight,
Gerioneos Seneschall
   he slayes in Belges right.

1
Some Clarkes doe doubt in their deuicefull art,

Whether this heauenly thing, whereof I treat,

To weeten
Merck,
be of Iustice part,

Or drawne forth from her by diuine extreate.

This well I wote, that sure she is as great,

And meriteth to haue as high a place,

Sith in th'Almighties euerlasting seat

She first was bred, and borne of heauenly race;

From thence pour'd down on men, by influence of grace.

2
For if that Vertue be of so great might,

Which from iust verdict will for nothing start,

But to preserue inuiolated right,

Oft spilles the principall, to saue the part;

So much more then is that of powre and art,

That seekes to saue the subiect of her skill,

Yet neuer doth from doome of right depart:

As it is greater prayse to saue, then spill,

And better to reforme, then to cut off the ill.

3
Who then can thee,
Mercilla,
throughly prayse,

That herein doest all earthly Princes pas?

What heauenly Muse shall thy great honour rayse

Vp to the skies, whence first deriu'd it was,

And now on earth it selfe enlarged has,

From th'vtmost brinke of the
Armericke
shore,

Vnto the margent of the
Molucas
?

Those Nations farre thy iustice doe adore:

But thine owne people do thy mercy prayse much more.

4
Much more it praysed was of those two knights;

The noble Prince, and righteous
Artegall,

When they had seene and heard her doome a rights

Against
Duessa,
damned by them all;

But by her tempred without griefe or gall,

Till strong constraint did her thereto enforce.

And yet euen then ruing her wilfull fall,

With more then needfull naturall remorse,

And yeelding the last honour to her wretched corse.

5
During all which, those knights continu'd there,

Both doing and receiuing curtesies,

Of that great Ladie, who with goodly chere

Them entertayn'd, fit for their dignities,

Approuing dayly to their noble eyes

Royall examples of her mercies rare,

And worthie paterns of her clemencies;

Which till this day mongst many liuing are,

Who them to their posterities doe still declare.

6
Amongst the rest, which in that space befell,

There came two Springals of full tender yeares,

Farre thence from forrein land, where they did dwell,

To seeke for succour of her and her Peares,

With humble prayers and intreatfull teares;

Sent by their mother, who a widow was,

Wrapt in great dolours and in deadly feares,

By a strong Tyrant, who inuaded has

Her land, and slaine her children ruefully alas.

7
Her name was
Beigœ,
who in former age

A Ladie of great worth and wealth had beene,

And mother of a frutefull heritage,

Euen seuenteene goodly sonnes; which who had seene

In their first flowre, before this fatall teene

Them ouertooke, and their faire blossomes blasted,

More happie mother would her surely weene,

Then famous
Niobe,
before she tasted

Latonaes
childrens wrath, that all her issue wasted.

8
But this fell Tyrant, through his tortious powre,

Had left her now but fiue of all that brood:

For twelue of them he did by times deuoure,

And to his Idols sacrifice their blood,

Whylest he of none was stopped, nor withstood.

For soothly he was one of matchlesse might,

Of horrible aspect, and dreadfull mood,

And had three bodies in one wast empight,

And th'armes and legs of three, to succour him in fight.

9
And sooth they say, that he was borne and bred

Of Gyants race, the sonne of
Geryon,

He that whylome in Spaine so sore was dred,

For his huge powre and great oppression,

Which brought that land to his subiection,

Through his three bodies powre, in one combynd;

And eke all strangers in that region

Arryuing, to his kyne for food assynd;

The fayrest kyne aliue, but of the fiercest kynd.

10
For they were all, they say, of purple hew,

Kept by a cowheard, bight
Eurytion,

A cruell carle, the which all strangers slew,

Ne day nor night did sleepe, t'attend them on,

But walkt about them euer and anone,

With his two headed dogge, that
Orthrus
hight;

Orthrus
begotten by great
Typhoon,

And foule
Echidna,
in the house of night;

But
Hercules
them all did ouercome in fight.

11
His sonne was this,
Geryoneo
hight,

Who after that his monstrous father fell

Vnder
Alcides
club, streight tooke his flight

From that sad land, where he his syre did quell,

And came to this, where
Belge
then did dwell,

And flourish in all wealth and happinesse,

Being then new made widow (as befell)

After her Noble husbands late decesse;

Which gaue beginning to her woe and wretchednesse.

12
Then this bold Tyrant, of her widowhed

Taking aduantage, and her yet fresh woes,

Himselfe and seruice to her offered,

Her to defend against all forrein foes,

That should their powre against her right oppose.

Whereof she glad, now needing strong defence,

Him entertayn'd, and did her champion chose:

Which long he vsd with carefull diligence,

The better to confirme her fearelesse confidence.

13
By meanes whereof, she did at last commit

All to his hands, and gaue him soueraine powre

To doe, what euer he thought good or fit.

Which hauing got, he gan forth from that howre

To stirre vp strife, and many a Tragicke stowre,

Giuing her dearest children one by one

Vnto a dreadfull Monster to deuoure,

And setting vp an Idole of his owne,

The image of his monstrous parent
Geryone.

14
So tyrannizing, and oppressing all,

The woefull widow had no meanes now left,

But vnto gratious great
Mercilla
call

For ayde, against that cruell Tyrants theft,

Ere all her children he from her had reft.

Therefore these two, her eldest sonnes she sent,

To seeke for succour of this Ladies gieft:

To whom their sute they humbly did present,

In th'hearing of full many Knights and Ladies gent.

15
Amongst the which then fortuned to bee

The noble Briton Prince, with his braue Peare;

Who when he none of all those knights did see

Hastily bent, that enterprise to heare,

Nor vndertake the same, for cowheard feare,

He stepped forth with courage bold and great,

Admyr'd of all the rest in presence there,

And humbly gan that mightie Queene entreat,

To graunt him that aduenture for his former feat

16
She gladly graunted it: then he straight way

Himselfe vnto his iourney gan prepare,

And all his armours readie dight that day,

That nought the morrow next mote stay his fare.

The morrow next appear'd, with purple hayre

Yet dropping fresh out of the
Indian
fount,

And bringing light into the heauens fayre,

When he was readie to his steede to mount;

Vnto his way, which now was all his care and count.

17
Then taking humble leaue of that great Queene,

Who gaue him roiall giftes and riches rare,

As tokens of her thankefull mind beseene,

And leauing
Artegall
to his owne care;

Vpon his voyage forth he gan to fare,

With those two gentle youthes, which him did guide,

And all his way before him still prepare.

Ne after him did
Artigall
abide,

But on his first aduenture forward forth did ride.

18
It was not long, till that the Prince arriued

Within the land, where dwelt that Ladie sad,

Whereof that Tyrant had her now depriued,

And into moores and marshes banisht had,

Out of the pleasant soyle, and citties glad,

In which she wont to harbour happily:

But now his cruelty so sore she drad,

That to those fennes for fastnesse she did fly,

And there her selfe did hyde from his hard tyranny.

19
There he her found in sorrow and dismay,

All solitarie without liuing wight;

For all her other children, through affray,

Had hid themselues, or taken further flight:

And eke her selfe through sudden strange affright,

When one in armes she saw, began to fly;

But when her owne two sonnes she had in sight,

She gan take hart, and looke vp ioyfully:

For well she wist this knight came, succour to supply.

20
And running vnto them with greedy ioyes,

Fell straight about their neckes, as they did kneele,

And bursting forth in teares; Ah my sweet boyes,

(Sayd she) yet now I gin new life to feele,

And feeble spirits, that gan faint and reele,

Now rise againe, at this your ioyous sight.

Alreadie seemes that fortunes headlong wheele

Begins to turne, and sunne to shine more bright,

Then it was wont, through comfort of this noble knight.

21
Then turning vnto him; And you Sir knight

(Said she) that taken haue this toylesome paine

For wretched woman, miserable wight,

May you in heauen immortall guerdon gaine

For so great trauell, as you doe sustaine:

For other meede may hope for none of mee,

To whom nought else, but bare life doth remaine,

And that so wretched one, as ye do see

Is liker lingring death, then loathed life to bee.

22
Much was he moued with her piteous plight,

And low dismounting from his loftie steede,

Gan to recomfort her all that he might,

Seeking to driue away deepe rooted dreede,

With hope of helpe in that her greatest neede.

So thence he wished her with him to wend,

Vnto some place, where they mote rest and feede,

And she take comfort, which God now did send:

Good hart in euils doth the euils much amend.

23
Ay me (sayd she) and whether shall I goe?

Are not all places full of forraine powres?

My pallaces possessed of my foe,

My cities sackt, and their sky-threating towres

Raced, and made smooth fields now full of flowres?

Onely these marishes, and myrie bogs,

In which the fearefull ewftes do build their bowres,

Yeeld me an hostry mongst the croking frogs,

And harbour here in safety from those rauenous dogs.

24
Nathlesse (said he) deare Ladie with me goe,

Some place shall vs receiue, and harbour yield;

if not, we will it force, maugre your foe,

And purchase it to vs with speare and shield:

And if all fayle, yet farewell open field:

The earth to all her creatures lodging lends.

With such his chearefull speaches he doth wield

Her mind so well, that to his will she bends

And bynding vp her locks and weeds, forth with him wends.

25
They came vnto a Citie farre vp land,

The which whylome that Ladies owne had bene;

But now by force extort out of her hand,

By her strong foe, who had defaced cleene

Her stately towres, and buildings sunny sheene;

Shut vp her hauen, mard her marchants trade,

Robbed her people, that full rich had beene,

And in her necke a Castle huge had made,

The which did her commaund without needing perswade.

26
That Castle was the strength of all that state,

Vntill that state by strength was pulled downe,

And that same citie, so now ruinate,

Had bene the keye of all that kingdomes crowne;

Both goodly Castle, and both goodly Towne,

Till that th'offended heauens list to lowre

Vpon their blisse, and balefull fortune frowne.

When those gainst states and kingdomes do coniure,

Who then can thinke their hedlong mine to recure.

27
But he had brought it now in seruile bond,

And made it beare the yoke of inquisition,

Stryuing long time in vaine it to withstond;

Yet glad at last to make most base submission,

And life enioy for any composition.

So now he hath new lawes and orders new

Imposd on it, with many a hard condition,

And forced it, the honour that is dew

To God, to doe vnto his Idole most vntrew.

28
To him he hath, before this Castle greene,

Built a faiire Chappell, and an Altar framed

Of costly Iuory, full rich beseene,

On which that cursed Idole farre proclamed,

He hath set vp, and him his God hath named,

Offing to him in sinfull sacrifice

The flesh of men, to Gods owne likenesse framed,

And powring forth their bloud in brutishe wize,

That any yron eyes, to see it would agrize.