At last resolving forward still to fare,
Till that some end they finde or in or out,
That path they take, that beaten seemd most
bare,
And like to lead the labyrinth about;
Breedes dreadfull doubts: Oft fire is without smoke,
And peril without show: therefore your stroke, Sir Knight, with-hold, till further triall made. Ab Ladie, (said he) shame were to revoke The forward footing for an hidden shade: Vertue gives her selfe light, through darkenesse for to wade19.
Yea but (quoth she) the perill of this place
I better wot then you, though now too late
To wish you backe returne with foule disgrace,
Yet wisdome warnes, whilest foot is in the
gate20,
To stay the steppe, ere forced to retrate.
This is the wandring wood21, this Errours den,
A monster vile, whom God and man does hate:
Therefore I read22 beware. Fly, fly (quoth then
The fearcfull Dwarfe) this is no place for
living men.
But full of fire and greedy hardiment,
The youthfull knight could not for ought be
staide,
But forth unto the darksome hole he went,
And looked in: his glistring armor made
A litle glooming light, much like a shade,
By which he saw the ugly monster plaine,
Halfe like a serpent horribly displaide,
But th'other halfe did womans shape retaine,
Most lothsom, filthie, foule, and full of vile
disdaine23.
And as she lay upon the durtie ground, Her huge long taile her den all overspred, Yet was in knots and many boughtes24 upwound, Pointed with mortall sting. bred
Which when by tract they hunted had A thousand yong ones25, which she dayly fed,
At length it brought them to a hollow cave Amid the thickest woods. The Champion stout Eftsoones18 dismounted from his courser brave. And to the Dwarfe awhile his needlesse spere
Sucking upon her poisnous dugs, eachone
Of sundry shapes, yet all ill favored:
Soone as that uncouth light upon them shone.
Into her mouth they crept, and suddain all
were gone.
She lookt about, and seeing one in mayle
Armed to point 26, sought backe to turne
againe;
For light she hated as the deadly bale,
Ay wont in desert darknesse to remaine,
Where plain none might her see, nor she see
any plaine.
His Ladie seeing all that chaunst, from farre
Approcht in hast to greet his victorie,
And said, Faire knight, borne under happy
starre,
Who see your vanquisht foes before you lye:
Well worthie be you of that Armorie32,
Wherein ye have great glory wonne this day,
And proov'd your strength on a strong enimie,
Which when the valiant Elfe perceiv'd, he lept Your first adventure: many such I pray,
As Lyon fierce upon the flying pray,
And with his trenchand blade her boldly kept
From turning backe, and forced her to stay:
Therewith enrag'd she loudly gan to bray,
And turning fierce, her speckled taile advaunst,
Threatning her angry sting, him to dismay:
Who nought aghast his mightie hand
haunst27:
The stroke down from her head unto her shoulder glaunst.
Much daunted with that dint28, her sence was
dazd,
Yet kindling rage, her selfe she gathered round,
And all attonce her beastly body raizd
With doubled forces high above the ground:
Tho29 wrapping up her wrethed sterne arownd,
Lept fierce upon his shield, and her huge traine
All suddenly about his body wound,
That hand or foot to stirre he strove in vaine:
And henceforth ever wish that like succeed it
Then mounted he upon his Steede againe,
And with the Lady backward sought to wend;
That path he kept which beaten was most
plaine,
Ne33 ever would to any by-way bend,
But still did follow one unto the end,
The which at last out of the wood them
So forward on his way (with God to frend)
He passed forth, and new adventure sought;
Long way he travelled, before he heard of
ought.
At length they chaunst to meet upon the way
An aged Sire34, in long blacke weedes yclad,
His feete all bare, his beard all hoarie gray,
And by his belt his booke he hanging had;
Sober he seemde, and very sagely sad,
God helpe the man so wrapt in Errours end. And to the ground his eyes were lowly bent,
Simple in shew, and voyde of malice bad,
And all the way he prayed, as he went,
And often knockt his brest, as one that did
repent.
Whose double gates55 he findeth locked fast,
The one faire fram'd of burnisht Yvory,
The other all with silver overcast;
And wakeful dogges before them farre do lye,
Watching to banish Care their enimy,
Who oft is wont to trouble gentle Sleepe.
By them the Sprite doth passe in quietly,
And unto Morpheus comes, whom drowned
deepe
In drowsie fit he findes: of nothing he takes keepe56.
And more, to lulle him in his slumber soft, A trickling streame from high rock tumbling downe,
The God obayde, and, calling forth straight
A diverse dreame out of his prison darke,
His heavie head, devoide of carefull carke5o,
Delivered it to him, and downe did lay
Whose sences all were straight benumbed and
He backe returning by the Yvorie dore,
Remounted up as light as chearefull Larke,
And on his litle winges the dreame he bore
In hast unto his Lord, where he him left
afore.
Who all this while with charmes and hidden artes,
Had made a Lady of that other Spright, And fram'd of liquid ayre her tender partes
And ever-drizzling raine upon the loft,
Mixt with a murmuring winde, much like the So lively60, and so like in all mens sight,
Of swarming Bees, did cast him in a swowne: No other noyse, nor peoples troublous cryes, As still are wont t'annoy the walled towne, Might there be heard: but carelesse Quiet lyes. Wrapt in eternall silence farre from enemyes.*
The messenger approching to him spake,
But his wast wordes returnd to him in vaine:
So sound he slept, that nought mought him
awake.
That weaker sence it could have ravisht quight:
The maker selfe, for all his wondrous witt,
Was nigh beguiled with so goodly sight:
Her all in white he clad, and over it
Cast a black stole, most like to seeme for
Una fit.
Now when that ydle dreame was to him brought,
Unto that Elfin knight he bad him fly,
Where he slept soundly void of evil thought,
And with false shewes abuse his fantasy,
In sort as he him schooled privily:
Then rudely he him thrust, and pusht with And that new creature, borne without her
Whereat he gan to stretch: but he againe Shooke him so hard, that forced him to speake. As one then in a dreame, whose dryer57 braine Is tost with troubled sights and fancies weake, He mumbled soft, but would not all his silence breake.
Full of the makers guile, with usage sy
He taught to imitate that Lady trew,
Whose semblance she did carrie under feigned hew.
[The knight, deceived by the dream into thinking his lady Una false, flees with the Dwarf, until meeting on the way a Sarazin
The Sprite then gan more boldly him to wake, (Saracen, Pagan), named Sansfoy (Faithless).
Through envies snares, or fortunes freakes un- His bloody rage asswaged with remorse, kind.
I, whether lately through her brightnesse blind,
Or through alleageance and fast fealtie,
Which I do owe unto all woman kind.
Feele my heart perst with so great agonie,
When such I see, that all for pittie I could
die.
And with the sight amazd, forgat his furious forse.
In stead thereof he kist her wearie feet,
And lickt her lilly hands with fawning tong,
As he her wronged innocence did weet1.
O how can beautie maister the most strong,
And simple truth subdue avenging wrong?
Whose yeelded pride and proud submission,
Still dreading death, when she had marked
long,
Her hart gan melt in great compassion,
And drizling teares did shed for pure affec-
tion.
The Lyon Lord of every beast in field,
Quoth she, his princely puissance doth abate,
And mightie proud to humble weake does yield,
Forgetfull of the hungry rage, which late
Him prickt, in pittie of my sad estate:
But he my Lyon, and my noble Lord,
How does he find in cruell hart to hate,
Her that him lov'd, and ever most adord,
As the God of my life? why hath he me
abhord?
Redounding teares did choke th' end of her
plaint,
Which softly ecchoed from the neighbour wood;
And sad to see her sorrow full constraint
The kingly beast upon her gazing stood;
With pittie calmd, downe fell his angry mood.
At last in close hart shutting up her paine,
Arose the virgin borne of heavenly brood,
And to her snowy Palfrey got againe,
To seeke her strayed Champion, if she might
attaine.
The Lyon would not leave her desolate,
But with her went along, as a strong gard
Of her chast person, and a faithfull mate
Of her sad troubles and misfortunes hard:
Still when she slept, he kept both watch and
ward,
And when she wakt, he waited diligent,
With humble service to her will prepard:
From her faire eyes he tooke commaundement,
And ever by her lookes conceived her in-
tent.
[Una is overtaken by Archimago, disguised as the Redcross Knight, and accompanies him therefore trustingly. But they are met by Sansloy (Lawless, a brother of Sansfoy), who overcomes both Archimago and the Lion and takes Una as his prey.]
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