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102 THE II BOOKE OF THE Cant VII.
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And ower them sad Horrour with grim hew, That houses forme within was rude and strong,
Did alwayes sore, beating his yron wings , Like an huge caue, hewne out of rocky clift,
And after him Owles and Night rauens flew From whose rough vaut the ragged breaches
The hatefull messengers of heauy things, bong,
Of death and dolour telling sad tidings, Embost with massy gold of glorious gift,
Whiles sad Celeno sitting on a clift, And with rich metall loaded euery rift,
A song of bale and bitter sorrow sings, That heauy ruine they did seeme to threat,
That hart of flint a sunder could haue rift ' And ouer them,Arachne high did lift
Which hauing ended, after him she flyeth swift Her cunning web, and spred her subtle net,
Enwrapped in fowle smoke and clouds more
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blacke then let
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All these before the gates of Pluto lay,
Both roofe, and floore, and wals were all of gold,
By whom they passing, spake vnto them
But ouergrowne with dust and old decay,
nought
And hid in darkenesse, that none could behold
But th'Elfin knight with wonder all the way
The hew thereof for vew of chearefull day
Did feed his eyes, and fild his inner thought
At last him to a litle dore he brought,
Did neuer in that house it selfe display,
That to the gate of Hell, which gaped wide,
But a faint shadow of vncertam light,
Was next adioymng, ne them parted ought
Such as a lamp, whose life does fade away
Betwixt them both was but a title stride,
Oras the Moone cloathed with clowdy night,
That did the house of Richesse from hell mouth
Does shew to him, that walkes in feare and sad
diuide
affright 30
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in all that rowme was nothing to be seene,
Before the dore sat selfe-consuming Care, But huge great yron chests and coffers strong,
Day and night keeping wary watch and ward, All bard with double bends, that none could
For feare least Force or Fraud should vnaware weene
Breakein,andspoilethe treasure there ingard Them to eforce by violence or wrong,
Ne would he suffer Sleepe once thither ward On euery side they placed were along
Approch, albe his drowsie den were next, But all the ground with sculs was scattered,
For next to death is Sleepe to be compard And dead mens bones, which round about were
Therefore his house is vnto his annext, flong,
Here Sleep, there Richesse, and Hel-gate them Whose hues, it seemed, whilome there were
both betwext
shed,
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And their vile carcases now left vnbuned
So soone as Mammon there arnu'd, the dore
To him did open, and affoorded way,
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Him followed eke Sir Guyon euermore, They forward passe, ne Guyon yet spoke word,
Ne darkenesse him, ne daunger might dismay Till that they came vnto an yron dore,
Soone as he entred was, the dore streight way Which to them opened of his. owne accord,
Did shut, and from behind it forth there lept And shewd of richesse such exceeding store,
An vgly feend, more fowle then dismall day, As eye of man did neuer see before,
The which with monstrous stalke behind him Ne euer could within one place be found,
stept,
Though all the wealth, which is, or was of yore,
And euer as he went, dew watch vpon him kept Could gathered be through all the world around,
And that aboue were added to that vnder
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Well hoped he, ere long that hardy guest, The charge thereof vnto a couetous Spright
If euer couetous hand, or lustfull eye, Commaunded was, who thereby did attend,
Or lips he layd on thing, that likt him best, And warily awaited day and night,
Or euer sleepe his eye-strings did vntye, From other couetous feends it to defend,
Should be his pray And therefore still on hye Who it to rob and ransacke did intend
He ouer him did hold his crueli clawes, Then Mammon turning to that warnour, said,
Threatmng with greedy gripe to do him dye Loe here the worldes blis, loe here the end,
And rend in peeces with his rauenous pawes, To which all men do ayme, rich to be made
If euer he transgrest the fatall Styzian lawes Such grace now to be happy, is before thee laid