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266 THE IIII BOOKE OF THE Cant X.
55
With that my shield I forth to her did show,
Which all that while I closely had conceld ,
On which when Cupid with his killing bow
And cruell shafts emblazond she beheld,
At sight thereof she was with terror queld,
And said no more but I which all that
while
The pledge of faith, her hand engaged held,
Like wane Hynd within the weedie soyle,
For no mtreatie would forgoe so glorious spoyle
56
And euermore vpon the Goddesse face
Mine eye was fixt, for feare of her offence,
Whom when I saw with amiable grace
To laugh at me, and fauour my pretence,
I was emboldned with more confidence,
And nought for nicenesse nor for enuy sparing,
In presence of them all forth led her thence,
All looking on, and like astomsht staring,
Yet to lay hand on her, not one of all them
daring
57
She often prayd, and often me besought,
Somet me with tender teares to let her goe,
Sometime with witching smyles but yet for
nought,
That euer she to me could say or doe,
Cculd she her wished freedome fro me wooe,
But forth I led her through the Temple
gate,
By which I hardly past with much adoe
But that same Ladie which me friended late
In entrance, did me also friend in my retrate
58
No lesse did Daunger threaten me with dread,
When as he saw me, maugre all his powre,
That glorious spoyle of beautie with me lead,
Then Cerberus, when Orpheus did recoure
His Leman from the Stygian Princes boure
But euermore my shield did me defend,
Against the storme of euery dreadfull stoure
Thus safely with my loue I thence did wend
So ended he his tale, where I this Canto end
Cant XI
Marinells farmer wound is heald,
he comes to Proteus hall,
Where Thames doth the Medway wedd,
and feasts the Sea gods all
I
Bvt ah for pittie that I haue thus long
Left a fayre Ladie languishing in payne
Now well away, that I haue doen such wrong
To let faire Florimell in bands remayne,
In bands of loue, and in sad thraldomeschayne,
From which vnlesse some heauenly powre her
By miracle, not yet appearing playne, [free
She lenger yet is like captiu'd to bee
That euen to thinke thereof, it inly pitties mee
2
Here neede you to remember, how erewhile
Vnlouely Proteus, missing to his mind
That Virgmb loue to win by wit or wile,
Her threw into a dongeon deepe and blind,
And there in chaynes her cruelly did bind,
In hope thereby her to his bent to draw
For when as neither gifts nor graces kind
Her constant mind could moue at all he saw,
He thought her to compell by crueltie and awe
3
Deepe in the bottome of an huge great rocke
The dongeon was, in which her bound he left,
That neither yron barres, nor brasen locke
Did neede to gard from force, or secret theft
Of all her louers, which would her haue reft
For wall'd it was with waues, which rag'd
and ror'd
As they the chffe m peeces would haue cleft,
Itesides ten thousand monsters foule abhor'd
Did waite about it, gaping gnesly all begor'd
4
And in the midst thereof did horror dwell,
And darkenesse dredd, that neuer viewed day
Like to the balefull house of lowest hell,
In which old Styx her aged bones alway,
Old Styx the Grandame of the Gods, doth lay
There did this lucklesse mayd seuen months
abide,
Ne euer euening saw, ne mornings ray,
Ne euer from the day the night descnde,
But thought it all one night, that did no houres
diuide