"Palmer," him answered the Red-croffe knight, "His be the praife that this atchiev'ment wrought, "Who made my hand the organ of his might; "More than goodwill to me attribute nought, "For all I did, I did but as I ought.'

"But you, faire Sir! whofe pageant next en"fewes,

"Wellmote yee thee, as well can wish your thought, "That home ye may report thrife happy newes; "For well ye worthy bene for worth and gentle "thewes."

XXXVI.

"But if that careleffe hevens," quoth she, “de"spise

"The doome of iuft revenge, and take delight "To fee fad pageaunts of men's miferies, "As bound by them to live in lives defpight, "Yet can they not warne death from wretched "wight.

"Come then, come foone, come, sweetest Death,

to me,

"And take away this long lent loathed light: "Sharpe be thy wounds, but fweete the medicines "be,

"That long captived foules from weary thraldome "free.

XXXVII.

"But thou, fweete Babe! whom frowning froward

"Fate

"Hath made fad witneffe of thy father's fall, "Sith heven thee deignes to hold in living state,

Long maift thou live, and better thrive withall, "Then to thy luckleffe parents did befall: "Live thou, and to thy mother dead attest, "That cleare she dide from blemish criminall; "Thy little hands embrewd in bleeding brest "Loe I for pledges leave. So give me leave to "reft."

XXXVIII.

With that a deadly fhricke she forth did throw,
That through the wood re-echoed againe,
And after gave a grone fo deepe and low,
That feemd her tender heart was rent in twaine,
Or thrild with point of thorough-piercing paine:
As gentle hynd, whofe fides with cruell fteele
Through launched, forth her bleeding life does
raine,

Whiles the fad pang approaching she does feele, Braies out her latest breath, and up her eies doth feele.

XXXIX.

Which when that warriour heard, difmounting ftraict

From his tall feed, he rusht into the thick,
And foone arrived where that fad pourtraict
Of death and dolour lay, halfe dead, halfe quick;
In whose white alabaster brest did stick
A cruell knife, that made a griefly wownd,
From which forth gusht a ftream of gore blood
thick,

That all her goodly garments ftaind arownd,
And into a deepe fanguine dide the graffy grownd.

XL.

Pitifull spectacle of deadly fmart,
Befide a bubling fountaine low fhe lay,
Which fhe increafed with her bleeding hart,
And the cleane waves with purple gore did ray;
Als in her lap a lovely babe did play
His cruel fport inftead of forrow dew;
For in her streaming blood he did embay
His litle hands and tender joints embrew;
Pitifull fpectacle, as ever eie did vew.

XLI.

Befides them both, upon the foiled gras,
The dead corfe of an armed knight was fpred

Whofe armour all with blood befprincled was;
His ruddy lips did fmyle, and rofy red
Did paint his chearefull cheekes, yett being ded;
Seemd to have beene a goodly perfonage,
Now in his fresheft flowre of luftyhed,
Fitt to enflame faire lady with loves rage;

But that fiers Fate did crop the bloffome of his age.
XLI.

Whom when the good Sir Guyon did behold,
His hart gan wexe as starke as marble stone,
And his fresh blood did frieze with fearefull cold,
That all his fences feem'd bereft attone :
At laft his mighty ghost gan deepe to grone,
As lion, grudging in his great difdaine,
Mournes inwardly, and makes to himselfe mone;
Til ruth and fraile affection did constraine
His ftout courage to floupe, and fhew his inward
paine.

"Ah! far be it," said he, " deare Dame, fro mee, "To hinder foule from her defired reft, "Or hold fad life in long captivitee; "For all I feeke is but to have redrest "The bitter pangs that doth your heart infest. "Tell then, O Lady! tell what fatall priefe "Hath with fo huge misfortunes you oppreft, "That I may caft to compas your reliefe, "Or die with you in forrow, and partake your griefe."

(Weake wretch) I wrapt myfelfe in palmer's "weed, [great dreed. "And caft to feek him forth through danger and

beene

For all his washing cleaner: ftill he strove,
Yet ftill the litle hands were bloody feene:
The which him into great amazement drove,

And into diverfe doubt his wavering wonder clove.

66 pap [deawd, "Their wel-heads spring, and are with moisture "Which feeds each living plant with liquid fap, "And filles with flowres fayre Floraes painted "But other fome by guifte of later grace, [lap: "Or by good prayers, or by other hap,

"Low now fhe is that ftone; from whofe two 66 heads, [flow, "As from two weeping eyes, fresh ftreames do Yet calde through feare and old conceived "dreads:

"And yet the ftone her femblance fecmes to "show, [know; "Shapt like a maide, that fuch you may her "And yet her vertues in her water byde, "For it is chafte and pure as pureft fnow,

Ne lets her waves with any filth be dyde, [tryde. "But ever, like herselfe, unstayned hath been

X.

"From thence it comes, that this babe's bloody "hand

"May not be clenfd with water of this well : "Ne certes, Sir, ftrive you it to withstand, "But let them ftill be bloody, as befell, "That they his mother's innocence may tell, "As the bequeathd in her laft teftament; "That as a facred symbole it may dwell "In her fonnes flesh, to mind revengement, "And be for all chafte dames an endleffe moni"ment."

ΧΙ.

He hearkned to his reafon; and the childe
Uptaking, to the palmer gave to beare;
But his fad father's armes with bloode defylde
(An heavic load) himfelfe did lightly reare;
And turning to that place, in which whyleare
He left his loftie fteed with golden fell,
And goodly gorgeous barbes, him found not theare:
By other accident, that earft befell, [t. 1.
He is convaide; but how or where, here fits not

XII.

Which when Sir Guyon faw, all were he wroth, Yet algates mote he soft himselfe appease,

And fairly fair on foot, however loth;
His double burden dil him fore difcafe.
So long they traveiled with little cafe,
Till that at laft they to a castle came,
Built on a rocke adioining to the seas;
It was an auncient worke of antique fame,
And wondrous ftrong by nature and by fkilf
frame.

XIII.

Therein three fifters dwelt of fundry fort,
The children of one fyre by mothers three,
Who dying whylome, did divide this fort
To them by equall fhares in cquall fee;
But ftryfull mind and divers qualitee
Drew them in partes, and each made others foc
Still did they frive and daily disagree;
The eldest did against the youngest goe,
And both against the middeft meant to worke

woe.

XIV.

Where when the knight arriv'd, he was right we
Receiv'd, as knight of fo much worth became,
Of fecond fifter, who did far excell
The other two; Medina was her name,
A fober fad and comely courteous dame;
Who rich arayd, and yet in modeft guize,
In goodly garments, that her well became,
Fayre marching forth in honorable wize,
Him at the threshold mett, and well did enter
prize.

XV.

She led him up into a goodly bowre,
And comley courted with meet modestie,
Ne in her speach, ne in her haviour,
Was lightneffe feene or loofer vanitie,
But gratious womanhood and gravitie
Above the reason of her youthly yeares';
Her golden lockes fhe roundly did uptyé
In braided tramels, that no loofer heares
Did out of order itray about her daintie eares.

XVI.

Whileft the herfelfe thus bufily did frame
Seemely to entertaine her new-come guest,
Newes hereof to her other fifters came,
Who all this while were at their wanton reft,
Accourting each her frend with lavish fest';
They were two knights of pereleffe puissaunce,
And famous far abroad for warlike geft,
Which to thefe ladies love did countenaunce;
And to his mistreffe each himselfe ftrove to ad

vaunce.

XVIL.

He that made love unto the eldest dame
Was hight Sir Huddibras, an hardy man ;
Yet not fo good of deedes as great of name,
Which he by many rash adventures wan,
Since errant armes to few he first began :
More huge in ftrength than wife in workes he
And reafon with foole-hardize over-ran;
(Was
Sterne melancholy did his courage pas, [bras
And was, for terrour more, all armd in fhyning

XVIII.

But he that lov'd the youngest was Sanfloy, He that faire Una late fowle outraged,