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326
Through all three bodieshe himstrooke attonce,
That all the three attonce fell on the plaine
Else should he thnse haue needed, forthe nonce
Them to haue stricken, and thnse to haue
slame
So now all three one sencelesse lumpe remaine,
Enwallow'd m his owne blacke bloudy gore,
And byting th'earth for very deaths disdame,
Who with a cloud of night him couenng, bore
Downe to the house of dole, his daies there to
deplore
Which when the Lady from the Castle saw,
Where she with her two sonnes did looking
stand,
She towards him in hast her selfe did draw,
To greet him the good fortune of his hand
And all the people both of towne and land
Which there stood gazing from the Citties wall
Vppon these warnours, greedy t'vnderstand,
To whether should the victorv befall,
ow when they saw it hi ne, they eke him greeted
all 16
But Beige with her sonnes prostrated low
Before his feete, in all that peoples sight,
Mongst ioves mixing some tears, mongst wele
some wo
Him thus bespake, 0 most redoubted Knight,
The which hast me, of all most w retched wight,
That earst was dead, rcstor'd to life agame,
And these weake impes replanted by thy might,
What guerdon can I giue thee for thv pame,
But euen that which thou sauedst, thine still
to remaine ? 17
He tooke her vp forby the lilly hand,
And her recomforted the best he might, |
Saying, DeareLady,deedesoughtnotbescand
By th'authors manhood, nor the doers might,
But by their trueth and by the causes right
That same is it, which fought for you this day
What other meed then need me to requight,
But that which veeldeth vertues meed alway ?
That is the vertue selfe, which her reward doth
Pay ,8
She humbly thankthim for that wondrous grace,
And further sayd , Ah Sir, but mote ye please,
Sith ye thus farre haue tendred mypoorecase,!
As from my chiefest foe me to release,
That your victorious arme will not yet cease,
Till ve haue rooted all the rehckes out
Of that vilde race, and stabhshed my peace
What is there else (sayd he) left of their rout
Declare it boldly Dame, and doe not stand in
dout
THE V BOOKE OF THE Cant XI
19
Then wote you, Sir, that in this Church hereby,
There stands an Idole of great note and name,
The which this Gyant reared first on hie,
And of hisowne vamefanciesthoughtdidf rame
To whom for endlesse horrour of his shame,
He offred vp for daily sacrifize
My children and my people, burnt in flame ,
With all the tortures, that he could deuize,
The more t'aggrate his God with such his
blouddy guize
And Anderneath this Idoll there doth he
An hideous monster, that doth it defend,
And feedes on all the carkasses, that die
In sacrifize vnto that cursed feend
Whose vgly shape none euer saw, nor kend,
That euer scap'd for of a man they say
It his the voice, that speaches forth doth send,
Euen blasphemous words, which she doth bra
Out of her poysnous entrails, fraught with
dire decay
21
Which when the Prince heard tell, his heart
gan earne
For great desire, that Monster to assay,
And prayd the place of her abode to learne
Which being shewVI, he gan him selfe streight
way
Thereto addresse,and hisbnght shielddisplay,
So to the Church he came, where it was told,
The Monster vnderneath the Altar 1 ly ,
There he that Idoll saw of massy gold
Most richly made, but there no Monster did
behold
22
Vpon the Image with his naked blade
Three times, as in defiance, there he strooke ,
And the third time out of an hidden shade,
There forth issewd, from vndtr th'Altars
smooke,
A dreadfull feend, with fow le deformed looke.
That stretcht it selfe, as it had long lyen still
And her long taile and fethers strongly shooke,
That all the Temple did with terrour fill,
Yet him nought ternfide,that fearednothing ill
23
An huge great Beast it was, when it m length
Was stretched forth, that nighfild all the place,
And seem'd to be of infinite great strength ,
Horrible, hideous, and of hellish race,
Borne of the brooding of hchtdna base,
Or other like infemail furies kmde
For of a Mayd she had the outward face,
To hide the horrour, which did lurke behmde,
The better to beguile, whom she so fond did
finde