Upon his steede, whiles fhe no whit gaine-sayd; So bore her quite away, nor well nor ill apayd.
Nathleffe the yron man did still purfew That raskall many with unpittied spoyle; Ne ceafed not, till all their scattred crew Into the fea he drove quite from that foyle,
The which they troubled had with great tur moyle;
But Artegall, feeing his cruell deed,
Commaunded him from flaughter to recoyle,
And to his voyage gan againe proceed,
For that the terme approching fast require speed.
To weete if fhipping readie he mote there defery. Of their arrivall; wherewith troubled fore,
He all his forces freight to him did reare, And forth iffing with his fcouts afore,
But comming to the place, and finding there Sir Artegall in battailous array
Meant them to have incountred ere they left the Wayting his foe, it did her dead hart cheare,
But ere he marched farre he with them met, And fiercely charged them with all his force; But Talus fternely did upon them fet,
And brufht and battred them without remorse, That on the ground he left full many a corfe; Ne any able was him to withstand,
But he them overthrew both man and horse, That they lay fcattred over all the land,
And new life to her lent in midst of deadly feare.
Like as a tender rofe in open plaine,
That with untimely drought nigh withered was,
And hung the head, foone as few drops of raine
Thereon diftill and deaw her daintie face,
Gins to look up, and with fresh wonted grace
Difpreds the glorie of her leaves gay;
Such was Irena's countenance, fuch her cafe,
When Artegall fhe faw in that array,
As thicke as doth the seede after the fower's hand: There wayting for the tyrant till it was farre day:
Her hands were foule and dirtie, never washt
In all her life, with long nayles over-raught
Like puttocks clawes; with th' one of which the
fcratcht
Her curfed head, although it itched naught :
The other held a fnake, with venime fraught,
On which the fed and gnawed hungrily,
As if that long she had not eaten ought,
That round about her iawes one might defery
The bloudie gore and poyfon dropping loth-
fomely.
Her name was Envie, knowen well thereby,
Whose nature is to grieve and grudge at all
That ever the fees doen prays-worthily,
Whofe fight to her is greateft croffe may fall,
And vexeth fo, that makes her eate her gall;
For when she wanteth other thing to eat,
She feedes on her owne maw unnaturall,
And of her owne foule entrayles makes her meat;
Meat fit for fuch a monster's monsterous dyeat :
And if the hapt of any good to heare,
That had to any happily betid,
Then would fhe inly fret, and grieve, and teare
Her flesh for felneffe, which the inward hid;
But if she heard of ill that any did,
Or harme that any had, then would she make
Great cheare, like one unto a banquet bid;
And in another's loffe great pleasure take,
As fhe had got thereby, and gayned a great ftake,
The other nothing better was then shee,
Agreeing in bad will and cancred kynd,
But in bad maner they did difagree;
For whatfo Envie good or bad did fynd,
She did conceale, and murder her owne mynd;
But this, whatever evill fhe conceived,
Did fpred abroad and throw in th' open wynd;
Yet this in all her words might be perceived,
That all she fought was mens good name to have
bercaved.
For whatsoever good by any fayd
In mischiefe; for herselfe the onely vext, But this fame both herfelfe and others eke perplext.
Her face was ugly, and her mouth distort,
Foming with poyson round about her gils,
In which her curfed tongue, full sharpe and short,
Appear'd like afpis fting, that closely kils,
Or cruelly does wound whomfo fhe wils:
Her diftaffe in her other hand she had,
Upon the which fhe litle fpinnes, but spils,
And faynes to weave falfe tales and leafings bad,
To throw amongst the good which others had
disprad.
These two now had themselves combynd in one,
And linckt together gainst Sir Artegall,
For whom they wayted as his mortall fone,
How they might make him into mischiefe fall,
For freeing from their fnares Irena thrall:
Befides unto themselves they gotten had
A monster, which the Blatant Beaft men call,
A dreadfull feend, of gods and men ydrad,
Whom they by flights allur'd, and to their pur
pofe lad.
Such were these hags, and fo unhandsome dreft;
Who when they nigh approaching had efpyde
Sir Artegall return'd from his late quest,
They both arofe, and at him loudly cryde,
As it had bene two fhepheards curres had feryde
A ravenous wolfe amongst the scattered flockes;
And Envie first, as fhe that first him eyde,
Towardes him runs, and with rude flaring lockes
About her eares, does beat her breft, and forhead
knockes.
Then from her mouth the gobbet she does take,
The which whyleare fhe was fo greedily
Devouring, even that halfe-gnawen snake,
And at him throws it most despightfully :
The cursed serpent, though she hungrily
Earft chawd thereon, yet was not all so dead,
But that fome life remained fecretly;
And as he paft afore withouten dread,
Or doen she heard, fhe would ftreightwayes in- Bit him behind, that long the marke was to be
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