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384 THE VI BOOKE OF THE Cant x.
40
Amongst the rest, the which they then did pray,
They spoyld old Melibee of all he had,
And all his people captiue led away,
Mongst which this lucklesse mayd away was lad,
Faire Pastorella, sorrowfull and sad,
Most sorrowfull, most sad, that euer sight,
Now made the spoileof the eues and brigantsbad,
Which was the conquest of the gentlest Knight,
That euer liu'd, and th'onely glory of his might
41
With them also was taken Coridon,
And carried captiue by those theeues away,
Who in the couert of the night, that none
Mote them descry, nor reskue from their pray,
Vnto their dwelling did them close conuay
Their dwelling in a little Island was,
Couered with shrubby woods, m which no way
Appeard for people in nor out to pas,
Nor any footing fynde for ouergrowen gras
42
For vnderneath the ground their way was made,
Through hollow caues, that no man mote
discouer
For the thicke shrubs, which did them ulwaies
shade
From view of liuing wight, and couered ouer
But darkenesse dred and daily night did houer
Through allthe inner parts, wherein they dwelt,
Ne lightned was with window, nor with louer,
But with continuall candlelight, which delt
A doubtfull sense of things, not so well seene,
as felt
43
Hither those Brigants brought their presentpray,
And kept them with continual I watchand ward,
Meaning so soone, as they conuenient may,
For slaues to sell them, for no small reward,
To merchants, which them kept in bondage
hard,
Or sold againe Now when faire Pastorell
Into this place was brought, and kept withgard
Of grieslv theeues, she thought her self in hell,
Where with such damned fiends she should in
dark nesse dwell
44
But for to tell the dolefull dreriment,
And pittifull complaints, which there she made,
Where day and night she nought did but lament
Her wretched life, shut vp in deadly shade,
And waste her goodly beauty, which did fade
Like to a flowre, that feeles no heate of sunne,
Which may her feeble leaues with comfortglade
But what befell her in that theeuish wonne,
Will in an other Canto better be begonne
Cant. XI
The theeuesfall out for Pastorell,
Whilest Melibee is shine
Her Caltdore from them redeems,
And bringeth backe againe
1
The loyes of loue, if they should euer last,
Without affliction or disquietnesse,
That worldly chaunces doe amongst them cast,
Would be on earth too great a blessednesse,
Liker to heauen, then mortall wretchednesse
Therefore the winged God, to let men weet,
That here on earth is no sure happinesse,
A thousand sowres hath tempred with one
sweet,
To make it seeme more deare and dainty, as is
meet
2
Like as is now befalne to this faire Mayd,
Faire Pastorell, of whom is now my song,
Who being now in dreadfull darknesse layd,
Amongst those theeues, which her m bondage
strong
Detaynd, yet Fortune not with all this wrong
Contented, greater mischiefe on her threw,
And sorrowes heapt on her in greater throng ,
That who so heares her heauinesse, would rew
And pitty her sad plight, so chang'd from
pleasaunt hew 3
Why lest thus she in these hellish dens remayned,
Wrapped in wretched cares and hearts vnrest,
It so befell (as Fortune had ordayned)
That he, which was their Capitaine profest,
And had the chiefe commaund of all the rest,
One day as he did all his prisoners vew,
With lustfull eyes, beheld that louely guest,
Faire Pastorella, whose sad mournefull hew
Like the faire Morning clad in misty fog did
shew
4
At sight whereof his barbarous heart was fired,
And inly burnt with flames most raging whot,
That her alone he for his part desired
Of all the other pray, which they had got,
And her in mynde did to him selfe allot
From that day forth hekyndnesse tohershowed,
And sought her loue, by all the meanes he mote,
With looks, with words, with gifts he oft her
wowed,
And mixed threats among, and much vnto her
vowed