44 Mad man, (said then the palmer) that does seeke
Occasion to wrath, and cause of strife;
She comes unsought, and shonned followes eke.
Happy, who can abstaine, when rancour rife
Kindles revenge, and threats his rusty knife;
Woe never wants, where every cause is caught,
And rash Occasion makes unquiet life.
Then loe, where bound she sits, whom thou hast sought, (Said Guyon) let that message to thy lord be brought.
45 That when the varlet heard and saw, streight way
He wexed wondrous wroth, and said, Vile knight,
That knights and knighthood doest with shame upbray,
And shewst th' ensample of thy childish might,
With silly weake old woman thus to fight.
Great glory and gay spoile sure hast thou got,
And stoutly prov'd thy puissaunce here in sight;
That shall Pyrochles well requite, I wot,
And with thy blood abolish so reprochfull blot.
46 With that one of his thrillant darts he threw,
Headed with ire and vengeable despight:
The quivering steele his aymed end well knew,
And to his brest itselfe intended right:
But he was warie, and, ere it empight
In the meant marke, advaunst his shield atweene,
On which it seizing, no way enter might,
But backe rebounding left the forckhead keene;
Eftsoones he fled away, and might no where be seene.
Pyrocbles does with Guyon fight,
And Furors chayne untyes,
Who bim sore wounds; whiles Atin to
Cymocbles for ayd flyes.
WHOEVER doth to temperaunce apply
His stedfast life, and all his actions frame,
Trust me, shall find no greater enimy,
Then stubborne perturbation, to the same;
To which right well the wise do give that name,
For it the goodly peace of stayed mindes
Does overthrow, and troublous warre proclame:
His owne woes authour, who so bound it findes,
As did Pyrochles, and it wilfully unbindes.
2 After that varlets flight, it was not long,
Ere on the plaine fast pricking Guyon spide
One in bright armes embatteiled full strong,
That, as the sunny beames do glaunce and glide
Upon the trembling wave, so shined bright,
And round about him threw forth sparkling fire,
That seemd him to enflame on every side:
His steed was bloudy red, and fomed ire,
When with the maistring spur he did him roughly stire.
3 Approching nigh, he never staid to greete,
Ne chaffar words, prowd corage to provoke,
But prickt so fiers, that underneath his feete
The smouldring dust did rownd about him smoke,
Both horse and man nigh able for to choke;
And fayrly couching his steele-headed speare,
Him first saluted with a sturdy stroke;
It booted nought sir Guyon comming neare
To thinke such hideous puissaunce on foot to beare;
4 But lightly shunned it, and passing by,
With his bright blade did smite at him so fell,
That the sharpe steele arriving forcibly
On his broad shield, bit not, but glauncing fell
On his horse necke before the quilted sell,
And from the head the body sundred quight.
So him dismounted low, he did compell
On foot with him to matchen equall fight;
The truncked beast fast bleeding did him fowly dight.
5 Sore bruzed with the fall, he slow uprose,
And all enraged, thus him loudly shent;
Disleall knight, whose coward courage chose
To wreake it selfe on beast all innocent,
And shund the marke, at which it should be ment,
Therby thine armes seem strong, but manhood fraile;
So hast thou oft with guile thine honor blent;
But litle may such guile thee now availe,
If wonted force and fortune doe me not much faile.
6 With that he drew his flaming sword, and strooke
At him so fiercely, that the upper marge
Of his sevenfolded shield away it tooke,
And glauncing on his helmet, made a large
And open gash therein were not his targe,
That broke the violence of his intent,
The weary soule from thence it would discharge;
Nathelesse so sore a buff to him it lent,
That made him reele, and to his brest his bever bent.
7 Exceeding wroth was Guyon at that blow,
And much ashamd, that stroke of living arme
Should him dismay, and make him stoup so low,
Though otherwise it did him litle harme:
Tho hurling high his yron braced arme,
He smote so manly on his shoulder plate,
That all his left side it did quite disarme;
Yet there the steel stayd not, but inly bate
Deepe in his flesh, and opened, wide a red floodgate.
8 Deadly dismayd with horror of that dint
Pyrochles was, and grieved eke entyre;
Yet nathemore did it his fury stint,
But added flame unto his former fire,
That welnigh molt his hart in raging yre,
Ne thenceforth his approved skill, to ward,
Or strike, or hurtle rownd in warlike gyre,
Remembred he, ne car'd for his saufgard,
But rudely rag'd, and like a cruell tygre far'd.
9 He hewd, and lasht, and foynd, and thundred blowes, And every way did seeke into his life,
Ne plate, ne male could ward so mighty throwes,
But yielded passage to his cruell knife.
But Guyon, in the heat of all his strife,
Was warie wise, and closely did awayt
Avauntage, whilest his foe did rage most rife;
Sometimes a thwart, sometimes he strooke him strayt, And falsed oft his blowes, t'illude him with such bayt.
10 Like as a lyon whose imperiall powre
A prowd rebellious unicorn defyes,
T'avoide the rash assault and wrathful stowre
Of his fiers foe, him to a tree applies,
And when him running in full course he spies,
He slips aside; the whiles that furious beast
His precious horne, sought of his enimies,
Strikes in the stocke, ne thence can be releast,
But to the mighty victour yields a bounteous feast.
II With such faire sleight him Guyon often faild,
Till at the last all breathlesse, wearie, faint,
Him spying, with fresh onset he assaild,
And, kindling new his courage seeming queint,
Strooke him so hugely, that through great constraint
He made him stoup perforce unto his knee,
And do unwilling worship to the saint,
That on his shield depainted he did see;
Such homage till that instant never learned hee.
12 Whom Guyon seeing stoup, pursewed fast The present offer of faire victory,
And soone his dreadfull blade about he cast, Wherewith he smote his haughty crest so hye, That streight on grownd made him full low to lye; Then on his brest his victour foote he thrust: With that he cryde; Mercy, doe me not dye, Ne deeme thy force by fortunes doome unjust, That hath (maugre her spight) thus low me laid in dust.
13 Eftsoones his cruell hand Sir Guyon stayd,
Tempring the passion with advizement slow And maistring might on enimy dismayd; For th' equall dye of warre he well did know; Then to him said, Live, and allegaunce owe To him, that gives thee life and libertie, And henceforth by this dayes ensample trow, That hasty wroth, and heedlesse hazardie, Do breede repentaunce late, and lasting infamie. 14 So up he let him rise, who with grim looke And count'naunce sterne upstanding, gan to grind His grated teeth for great disdeigne, and shooke His sandy lockes, long hanging downe behind, Knotted in bloud and dust, for griefe of mind That he in ods of armes was conquered; Yet in himselfe some comfort he did find, That him so noble knight had maistered,
Whose bounty more then might, yet both he wondered.
15 Which Guyon marking said, Be nought agriev'd,
Sir knight, that thus ye now subdewed arre:
Was never man, who most conquestes atchiev'd
But sometimes had the worse, and lost by warre,
Yet shortly gaynd, that losse exceeded farre;
Losse is no shame, nor to bee lesse then foe,
But to bee lesser, then himselfe, doth marre
Both loosers lot, and victour's prayse alsoe:
Vaine others overthrowes, who selfe doth overthrowe.
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