The Poetical Works of - OUDL Home

324 THE V BOOKE OF THE Cant X
But as he nigher drew, three knights he spyde,
All arm'd to point, issuing forth a pace,
Which towards him withalltheirpowredidryde,
And meeting him right in the middle race,
Did all their speares attonce on him enchace
As three great Cuiuenngs for battrie bent,
And leueld all against one certame place,
Doe all attonce their thunders rage forth rent,
That makes the wals to stagger with astonish
ment
35
So all attonce they on the Prince did thonder,
Who from his saddle swarued nought asyde,
Netotheirforcegaueway,thatwasgreatwonder,
But like a bulwarke, firmely did abyde,
Rebutting him, which in the midst did ryde,
With so huge rigour, that his mortall speare
Past through his shield, and pierst through
either syde,
That downe he fell vppon his mother deare,
And powred forth his wretched life in deadly
dreare
3 6
Whom when his other fellowes saw, they fled
As fast as feete could carry them away ,
And after them the Prince as swiftly sped,
To be aueng'd of their vnknightly play [stay,
There whilest they entnng, th'one did th'other
The hindmost in the gate he ouerhent,
And as he pressed in, him there did slay
His carkasse tumbling on the threshold, sent
His gronmg soule vnto her place of punishment
37
The other which was entred, laboured fast
39
Who with right humble thankes him goodly
greeting,
For so great prowesse, as he there had proued,
Much greater then was euer in her weetmg,
With great admiraunce inwardly was moued,
And honourd him, with all that her hehoued
Thenceforth into that Castle he her led,
Withhertwosonnes,nghtdeareof her beloued,
Where all that night them selues theychenshed,
And from her balefullmindeallcare he banished
Cant XI
Prince Arthnre outcomes the great
Gertoneo in fight
Do*h slay the Monster, and restore
Beige vnto her right.
I
It often fals m course of common life,
That right long time is ouerborne of wrong,
Through auance, or powre, or guile, or strife,
That weakens her, and makes her party strong
But Iustice, though her dome she doe prolong,
Yet at the last she will her owne cause right
As by sad Beige seemes, whose wrongs though
long
She suffred, yet at length she did requight,
And sent redresse thereof by this braue Briton
Knight
To sperre the gate, but that same lumpe of clay,
Whose grudgingghost was thereout fled and past, WhereofwhenneweswastothatTyrantbrought,
Right in the middest of the threshold lay, How that the Lady Beige now had found
That it the Posterne did from closing stay A Champion, that had with hisChampion fought,
The whiles the Prince hard preased in bet weene, And laid his Seneschall low on the ground,
And entraunce wonne Streight th'other fled And eke him selfe did threaten to confound,
away,
He gan to burne in rage, and friese m feare,
And ran into the Hall, where he did weene Doubting sad end of principle vnsound
Him selfe to saue but he there slew him at the Yet sith he heard but one that did appeare,
skreene 38
He did him selfe encourage, and take better
38
cheare
Then all the rest which in that Castle were,
3
Seeing that sad ensample them before, Nathelesse him selfe he armed all in hast,
Durst not abide, but fled away for feare, And forth he far'd with all his many bad,
And them conuayd out at a Posterne dore Ne stayed step, till that he came at last
Long sought the Prince, but when he found Vnto the Castle, which they conquerd had
no more
There with huge terrour, to be more ydrad,
T'oppose against his powre, he forth issued He sternely marcht before the Castle gate,
Vnto that Lady, where he her had lore, And with bold vaunts, and ydle threatmng bad
And her gan cheare, with what she there had Deliuer him his owne, ere yet too late,
vewed, [shewed To which they had no right, nor any wrongfull
And what she had not seene, within vnto her state