The Poetical Works of - OUDL Home

Cant VIII FAERIE QVEENE 315
48
But Artegall being thereof aware,
Did stay her cruell hand, ere she her raught,
And as she did her selfe to strike prepare,
Out of her fist the wicked weapon caught
With that like one enfelon'd or distraught,
She forth did rome, whether her rage her bore,
With franticke passion, and with furie fraught,
And breaking forth out at a posterne dore,
Vnto the wyld wood ranne, her dolours to
deplore
49
As a mad bytch, when as the franticke fit
Her burning tongue with rage inflamed hath, •
Doth runne at randon, and with furious bit
Snatchmgateuery thmg,doth wreake her wrath
On man and beast, that commeth m her path
There they doe say, that she transformed was
Into a Tygre, and that Tygres scath
In crueltie and outrage she did pas,
To prouehersurnametrue,thatsheimposedhas
50
Then ArtegaU himselfe discouenng plame,
Did issue forth gainst all that warlike rout i
Of knights and armed men, which did main
taine
That Ladies part, and to the Souldan lout
All which he did assault with courage stout
All were they nigh an hundred knights of name,
And like wyld Goates them chaced all about,
Flying from place to place with cowheard
shame,
So that with finall force them all he ouercame
Then caused he the gates be opened wyde,
And there the Prince, as victour of that day,
With tryumph entertayn'd and glonfyde,
Presenting him with all the rich array,
And roiall pompe, which there long hidden lay,
Purchast through lawlesse powre and tortious
wrong
Of that proud Souldan,whom he earst did slay
So both for rest there hauing stayd not long,
Marcht with that mayd, fit matter for another
song
Cant IX
Arthur and Artegall catch Guyh
whom Talus doth dismay',
They to Mercillaes pallace come,
and see her rich array
I
What Tygre, or what other saluage wight
Is so exceeding furious and fell,
Aswrong,when ithatharm'ditselfewithmigh?
Not fit mongst men, that doe with reason mell,
But mongst wyld beasts and saluage woods to
dwell,
Where stillthe stronger doth the weakedeuoure,
And they that most in boldnesse doe excell,
Are dreadded most,and feared for their powre
Fit for Adicia, there to build her wicked bowre
2
There let her wonne farre from resort of men,
Where righteous Artegall her late exyled
There let her euer keepe her damned den,
Where none may be with her lewd parts
defyled,
Nor none but beasts may be of her despoyled
And turne we to the noble Prince, where late
We did him leaue, after that he had foyled
The cruell Souldan, and with dreadfull fate
Had vtterly subuerted his vnnghteous state
3
Where hauing with Sir ArtegaU a space
Well solast m that Souldans late delight,
They both resolumg now to leaue the place,
Both it and all the wealth therein behight
Vnto that Damzell in her Ladies right,
And so would haue departed on their way
Butshe them woo'd byallthemeanesshemight,
And earnestly besought, to wend that day
With her, to see her Ladie thence not farre away
4
By whose entreatie both they ouercommen,
Agree to goe with her, and by the way,
(As often falles) of sundry things did commen
Mongst which that Damzelldid to them bewray
A straunge aduenture, which not farre thence
lay,
To weet a wicked villame, bold and stout,
Which wonned in a rocke not farre away,
That robbed all the countrie there about,
And brought the pillage home, whence none
could get it out