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Cant VII FAERIE QVEENE 247
20
Thus of their euils as they did discourse,
And each did other much bewaile and mone ,
Loe where the villaine selfe, their sorrowes
sourse,
Came to the caue, and rolling thence the stone,
Which wont to stop the mouth thereof, that
none
Might issue forth, came rudely rushing in,
And spreddmg ouer all the flore alone,
Gan dight him selfe vnto his wonted smne
Which ended, then his bloudy banket should
begmne
Which when as fearefull Amaret perceiued,
She staid not the vtmost end thereof to try,
But like a ghastly Gelt, whose wits are reaued,
Ran forth in hast with hideous outcry,
For horrour of his shamefull villany
But after her full lightly he vprose,
And her pursu'd as fast as she did me
Full fast she flies, and farre afore him goes,
Ne feeles the thorns and thickets pncke her
tender toes
22
Nor hedge, nor ditch, nor hill, nor daleshestaies,
But ouerleapes them all, like Robucke light,
And through the thickest makes her nighest
waies,
And euermore when with regardfull sight
She looking backe, espies that griesly wight
Approchmg nigh, she gins to mend her pace,
And makes her feare a spur to hast her flight
More swift then Myrrh' or Daphne in her race,
OranyoftheThracianNimphesinsaluagcchase
23
Long so she fled, and so he follow'd long,
Ne lining aide for her on earth appeares,
But if the heauens helpe to redresse her wrong,
Moued with pity of her plenteous teares
It fortuned Belpkebe with her peares
The woody Nimphs, and with that louely boy,
Washuntmg then theLibbardsand the Beares,
In these wild woods, as was her wonted loy,
To banish sloth, that oft doth noble mindes
annoy 24
It so befell, as oft it fals in chace,
That each of them from other sundred were,
And that same gentle Squire arriu'd in place
Where this same cursed cavtiue did appeare,
Pursuing that faire Lady full of feare,
And now he her quite ouertaken had ,
And now he her away with him did beare
Vnder his arme, as seeming wondrous glad,
That by his grenning laughter mote farre off be
rad
25 ,
Which drery sight the gentle Squire espying,
Doth hast to crosse him by the nearest way,
Led with that wofull Ladies piteous crying,
And him assailes with all the might he may,
Yet will not he the louely spoile downe lay,
But with his craggy club in his right hand,
Defends him selfe, and saues his gotten pray
Yet had it bene right hard him to withstand,
But that he was fulllight and nimble on the land,
26
Thereto the villaine vsed craft in fight,
For euer when the Squire his lauelin shooke,
He held the Lady forth before him right,
And with her body, as a buckler, broke
The puissance of his mtended stroke
And if it chaunst, (as needs it must in fight)
Whilest he on him was greedy to be wroke,
That any little blow on her did light,
Then would he laugh aloud, and gather great
delight 27
Which subtill sleight did him encumber much,
And made him oft, when he would strike, for
beare,
For hardly could he come the carle to touch,
But that he her must hurt, or hazard neare
Yet he his hand so carefully did beare,
That at the last he did himselfe attame,
And therein left the pike head of his speare
A streame of coleblacke bloud thence gusht
amaine,
That all her silken garments did with bloud bestame
28
With that he threw her rudely on the flore,
And laying both his hands vpon his glaue,
With dreadfull strokes let dnue at him so sore,
That forst him flie abacke, himselfe to saue
Yet he therewith so felly still did raue,
That scarse the Squire his hand could once
vpreare,
But for aduantage ground vnto him gaue,
Tracing and trauersing, now here, now there,
For bootlesse thing it was to think such blowes
to beare
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Whilest thus m battell they embusied were,
Belphebe raungmg in that forrest wide,
The hideous noise of their huge strokes did
heare,
And drew thereto, making her eare her guide
Whom when that theefe approchmgnighespide,
With bow in hand, and arrowes ready bent,
He by his former combate would not bide,
But fled away with ghastly drenment,
Wellknowinghertobehisdeathssolemstrument