At which his uncouth guise and usage quaint
The prince did wonder much, yet could not gheffe
The cause of that his forrowfull constraint;
Yet weend by fecret fignes of manlineffe,
Which close appeard in that rude brutishneffe,
His own deare lord, Prince Arthuré, came that That he whilome fome gentle fwaine had beene,
Seeking adventures where he mote heare tell;
And as he through the wandring wood did ftray,
Having cfpide his cabin far away,
He to it drew, to weet who there did wonne,
Weening therein fome holy hermit lay,
That did refort of finfull people fhonne,
Or else fome woodman fhrowded there
fcorching funne.
XLIII.
Traind up in feats of armes and knightlineffe,
Which he obferv'd by that he him had feene
To weld his naked fword, and try the edges keenë
And eke by that he faw on every tree,
How he the name of one engraven had,
Which likly was his liefeft love to be,
from From whom he now fo forely was beftad,
Which was by him BELPHOEBE rightly rad;
Ye: who was that Belphoebe he ne wift,
Yet faw he often how he wexed glad
When he it heard, and how the ground he kift,
Wherein it written was, and how himfelfe he
blift:
Arriving there he found this wretched man,
Spending his daies in dolour and despaire,
And through long fafting woxen pale and wan,
All over-growen with rude and rugged haire;
That albeit his owne dear fquire he were,
Yet he him knew not, ne aviz'd at all,
Tho when he long had marked his demeanor,
But like strange wight, whom he had feene no And faw that all he faid and did was vaine, where,
Saluting him, gan into fpeach to fall,
Ne ought mote make him chaunge his wonted
And pitty much his plight, that liv'd like out-caft Ne ought mote cease to mitigate his paine,
But to his fpeach he aunswered no whit,
But flood still mute, as if he had beene dum,
Ne figuè of fence did shew, ne common wit,
He left them there in languor to remaine,
Till time for him should remedy provide,
And him restore to former grace againe ;
Which, for it is too long here to abide,
I will defer the end untill another tide.
Le fame he tooke, and with a riband new,
in which his ladies colours were, did bind
About the turtle's necke, that with the vew
Did greatly folace his engrieved mind.
All unawares the bird, when the did find
Herfelfe fo deckt, her nimble wings difplaid,
And flew away as lightly as the wind;
Which fodaine accident him much dismaid,
He her beholding at her feete downe fell,
And kift the ground on which her fole did tread,
And washt the fame with water, which did well
From his moift eies, and like two fireames pro
cead;
Yet fpake no word, whereby the might aread
What mister wight he was, or what he ment;
But as one daunted with her presence dread,
And looking after long did marke which way she │| Onely few ruefull lookes unto her sent
As meffengers of his true meaning and intent.
"Ne any but yourself, O dearest dred!
"Hath done this wrong, to wreake on worthleffe
"wight
"Your high difpleasure, through misdeeming
"bred;
"That when your pleasure is to deeme aright,
"Ye may redreffe, and me reftore to light."
Which fory words her mightie hart did mate
With mild regard to fee his ruefull plight,
That her in-burning wrath the gan abate,
And him receiv'd againe to former favours start.
XVIII.
In which he long time afterwards did lead
An happy life with grace and good accord,
Feareleffe of Fortune's chaunge or Envies dread,
And eke all mindleffe of his own deare lord
The noble prince, who never heard one word
And evermore he greatly did defire
To know what virgin did them thence unbind;
And oft of them did carneftly inquire
Where was her won, and how he mote her find?
But whenas nought according to his mind
He could out-learne, he them from ground did Then all that evening (welcomed with cold
(No fervice loathfome to a gentle kind) And on his warlike beaft them both did beare, Himfelfe by them on foot to fuccour them from feare.
So when that forreft they had paffed well,
A litle cotage farre away they fpide,
To which they drew ere night upon them fell,
And entring in, found none therein abide,
But one old woman fitting there befide
Upon the ground in ragged rude attyre,
With filthy lockes about her fcattered wide,
Gnawing her nayles for felreffe and for yre,
And there out fucking venime to her parts en-
tyre,
And cheareleffe hunger) they together spent ;
Yet found no fault, but that the hag did fcold
And rayle at them with grudgefuli difcontent,
For lodging there without her owne confent :
Yet they endured all with patience milde,
And unto reft themselves all onely lent,
Regardleffe of that queane so bafe and vilde,
To be uniuftly blamd, and bitterly revilde.
Here well I weene, whenas thefe rimes be red
With misregard, that fome rafh-witted wight,
Whofe loofer thought will fightly be mifled,
Thefe gentle ladies will miideeme too light,
For thus converfing with this noble knight,
Sith now of dayes fuch temperance is rare
And hard to finde, that heat of youthfull spright
The lyon there did with the lambe confort,
And eke the dove fate by the faulcon's fide,
Ne each of other feared fraud or tort,
But did in fafe fecuritie abide,
Withouten perill of the ftronger pride;
But when the world woxe old, it woxe warre old,
(Whereof it hight) and having fhortly tride
The traines of wit, in wickedneffe woxe bold,
And dared of all finnes the fecrets to unfold.
XXXII.
Then beautie, which was made to reprefent
The great Creatour's owne refemblance bright,
Unto abuse of lawleffe luft was lent,
And made the baite of beftiall delight:
Then faire grew foule, and foule grewe faire in fight,
And that which wont to vanquish God and man,
Was made the vaffall of the victor's might;
Then did her glorious flowre wex dead and wan,
Defpifd and troden downe of all that over-ran.
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Tho foone as day discovered heaven's face
To finfull men with darknes over-dight,
This gentle crew gan from their eye-lids chace
The drowzie humour of the dampith night,
And did themfelves unto their iourney dight.
So forth they yode, and forward foftly paced,
That them to view had bene an uncouth fight,
How all the way the prince on foot-pace traced,
The ladies both on horfe together faft embraced.
XXXV.
Soone as they thence departed were afore,
That fhamefull bag, the flaunder of her fexe,
Them follow'd faft, and them reviled fore,
Him calling theefe, them whores, that much did
His noble hart; thereto she did annexe
Falfe crimes and facts, fuch as they never ment,
A fquire came gallopping, as he would flie,
Bearing a little dwarfe before his steed,
That all the way full loud for aide did crie,
That feem'd his fhrikes would rend the brafen
Whom after did a mightie man pursew,
Ryding upon a dromedare on hie,
Of itature huge, and horrible of hew,
That would have maz'd a man his dreadfull face to vew.
For from his fearefull eyes two fierie beames, More sharpe then points of needles, did proceede,
Shooting forth farre away two flaming streames,
Full of fad powre, that poyfnous bale did breede
To all that on him lookt without good heed,
And fecretly his enemies did flay :
Like as the bafilifke, of ferpent feede,
From powrefull eyes clofe venim doth convay
Into the looker's hart, and killeth farre away.
He all the way did rage at that fame fquire,
And after him full many threatnings threw,
With curfes vaine, in his avengefull ire;
But none of them (fo faft away he flew)
Him overtooke before he came in vew :
Where when he faw the prince in armour bright,
He cald to him aloud his cafe to rew,
And rescue him, through fuccour of his might, From that his cruell foe that him purfewd in fight.
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