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76 THE II
Palmer (quoth he) death is an equall doome
To good and bad, the common Inne of rest,
But after death the tryall is to come,
When best shall be to them, that hued best
But both alike, when death hath both supprest,
Religious reuerence doth bunall teene,
Which who so wants, wants so much of his rest
For all so great shame after death I weene,
\s selfe to dyen bad, vnbuned bad to beene
60
So both agree their bodies to engraue ,
The great earthes wombe they open to the sky,
And with sad Cypresse seemely it embraue,
Then couenng with a clod their closed eye,
They lay therein those corses tenderly,
And bid them sleepe in euerlasting peace
But ere they did their vtmost obsequy,
Sir Guyon more affection to increace,
Bynempt a sacred vow, which none should aye
releace 61
Thedeadknightsswordoutofhissheath hedrew,
With which he cut a locke of all their heare,
Which medling with their bloud and earth, he
threw
Into the graue, and gan deuoutly sweare,
Such and such euill God on Guyon reare,
And worseand worse young Orphane be thy painc,
If I or thou dew vengeance doe forbeare,
Till guiltie bloud her guerdon doe obtaine
So shedding many teares, they closd the earth
agame
Cant II
Babes bhudie hands may not be clensd
the face 0f golden Meane
Her sisters two Extremities
strtue her to banish cleane
1
Thus when Sir Guyon with his faithfull guide
Had with due rites and dolorous lament
The end of their sad Tragedie vptyde,
The litle babe vp in his armes he hent,
Who with sweet pleasance and bold blandish
ment
Gan smyle on them, that rather ought toweepe,
As carelesse of his woe, or innocent
Of that was doen, that ruth emperced deepe
In that knights heart, and wordes with bitter
teares did steepe
3KE OF THE Cant
2
Ah lucklesse babe, borne vnder cruell starre,
And in dead parents balefull ashes bred,
Full litle weenest thou, what sorrowes are
Left thee for portion of thy liuelihed,
Poore Orphane in the wide world scattered,
As budding braunch rent from the natiue tree,
And throwen forth, till it be withered
Such is the state of men thus enter wee
Into this life with woe, and end with miseree
3
Then soft himselfe lnclyning on his knee
Downe to that well, did in the water weene
(So loue does loath disdainfull mcitee)
His guiltie hands from bloudie gore to cleene
Hewashtthemoftandoft,yetnoughttheybeene
For all his washing cleaner Still he stroue,
I Yet still the litle hands were bloudie seene ,
The which him into great amaz'ment droue,
And into diuerse doubt his wauenng wonder
cloue
4
He wist not whether blot of foule offence
I Might not be purgd with water nor with bath ,
I Or that high God, in lieu of innocence,
Imprinted had that token of his wrath,
To shew how sore bloudguiltinesse he hat'th ,
[Or that the charme and venim, which they
druncke,
Their bloud with secret filth infected hath,
Being diffused through the senselesse truncke,
[That through the great contagion direfull
I deadly stunck,
I Whom thus at gaze, the Palmer gan to bord
With goodly reason, and thus faire bespake ,
Ye bene right hard amated, gratious Lord,
And of your ignorance great maruell make,
Whiles cause not well conceiued ye mistake
But know, that secret vertues are infusd
In euery fountame, and in euery lake,
Which who hath skill them rightly to haue
chusd,
To proofeof passing wonders hath full often vsd
!
6
Of those some were so from their sourse indewd
BygreatDameNature,fromwhosefruitfullpap
Their welheads spring, and are with moisture
deawd,
Which feedeseach liuing plant with liquid sap,
Andfilles with flowresfaireFloraes paintedlap
But other some by gift of later grace,
Or by good prayers, or by other hap,
Had vertue pourd into their waters bace,
And thenceforth were renowmd, and sought
from place to place