Whom soone as faire Emylia beheld
And Placidas, they both unto him ran,
And him embracing fast betwixt them held,
Striving to comfort him all that they can,
And kissing oft his visage pale and wan:
That faire Pocana, them beholding both,
Gan both envy, and bitterly to ban;
Through jealous passion weeping inly wroth,
To see the sight perforce that both her eyes
were loth.
Then did he take that chaced Squire, and layd
Before the ryder, as he captive were, [ayd,
And made his Dwarfe, though with unwilling But when awhile they had together beene,
To guide the beast that did his maister beare, And diversly conferred of their case,
Till to his castle they approched neare; [ward, She, though full oft she both of them had
Whom when the watch, that kept continuall Asunder, yet not ever in one place,
Saw comming home, all voide of doubtfull feare,
He, running downe, the gate to him unbard;
Whom straight the Prince ensuing in together
far'd.
Began to doubt, when she them saw embrace,
Which was the captive Squire she lov'd so
Deceived through great likenesse of their face:
For they so like in person did appeare,
That she uneath discerned whether whether
And eke the Prince, when as he them avized,
Their like resemblaunce much admired there,
And mazd how nature had so well disguized
Her worke, and counterfet her selfe so nere,
As if that by one patterne, seene somewhere,
She had them made a paragone to be,
Or whether it through skill or errour were.
Thus gazing long at them much wondred he:
So did the other Knights and Squires which
them did see.
Then gan they ransacke that same Castle
strong,
[sure,
Her owne deare sire, she cald to him for aide;
But when of him no auns were she received,
But saw him sencelesse by the Squire upstaide,
She weened well that then she was betraide: In which he found great store of hoorded threa-
Then gan she loudly cry, and weepe, and waile, The which that tyrant gathered had by wrong
And that same Squire of treason to upbraide; And tortious powre, without respect or mea-
But all in vaine: her plaints might not prevaile,
Ne none there was to reskue her, ne none to
Upon all which the Briton Prince made seasure,
And afterwards continu'd there a while
To rest him selfe, and solace in soft pleasure
Then tooke he that same Dwarfe, and him Those weaker Ladies after weary toile;
To open unto him the prison dore,
To whom he did divide part of his purchast spoile.
Who all the while beheld their wrathfull
moode,
And wondred at their impacable stoure,
Whose like they never saw till that same houre
So dreadfull strokes each did at other drive,
And laid on load with all their might and
As if that every dint the ghost would rive Out of their wretched corses, and their lives deprive.
Thenceforth they much more furiously gan
As if but then the battell had begonne; [fare,
Ne helmets bright ne hawberks strong did
spare,
[sponne,
That through the clifts the vermeil bloud out
And all adowne their riven sides did ronne.
Such mortall malice wonder was to see
In friends profest, and so great outrage donne:
But sooth is said, and tride in each degree,
Faint friends when they fall out most cruell
fomen bee.
As when Dan Eolus, in great displeasure
For losse of his deare love by Neptune hent,
Sends forth the winds out of his hidden threa-Thus they long while continued in fight;
Upon the sea to wreake his fell intent; [sure Till Scudamcur and that same Briton maide
They breaking forth with rude unruliment By fortune in that place did chance to light:
From all foure parts of heaven doe rage full sore, Whom soone as they with wrathfull eie be-
And tosse the deepes, and teare the firmament,
And all the world confound with wide uprore, They gan remember of the fowle upbraide,
As if instead thereof they Chaos would restore. The which that Britonesse had to them donne
In that late Turney for the snowy maide;
Where she had them both shamefully fordonne,
And eke the famous prize of beauty from them
Eftsoones all burning with a fresh desire
Of fell revenge, in their malicious mood [ire,
And cruell blades, yet steeming with whot
They from them selves gan turne their furious
Cause of their discord and so fell debate
Was for the love of that same snowy maid,
Whome they had lost in Turneyment of late;
And, seeking long to weet which way she
straid,
[braide
Met here together, where, through lewd up-
Of Atè and Duessa, they fell out;
And each one taking part in others aide
This cruell conflict raised thereabout, [doubt: Against those two let drive, as they were wood:
Whose dangerous successe depended yet in Who wondring much at that so sodaine fit,
Yet nought dismayd, them stoutly well with-
For sometimes Paridell and Blandamour
The better had, and bet the others backe;
Eftsoones the others did the field recoure,
And on his foes did worke full cruell wracke:
Yet neither would their fiendlike fury slacke,
But evermore their malice did augment;
Till that uneath they forced were, for lacke
Of breath, their raging rigour to relent,
And rest themselves for to recover spirits spent.
The warlike Dame was on her part assaid Of Claribell and Blandamour attone; And Paridell and Druon fiercely laid At Scudamour, both his professed fone: Foure charged two, and two surcharged one; Yet did those two them selves so bravely beare, That th' other litle gained by the lone, But with their owne repayed duely weare, Then gan they change their sides, and new And usury withall: such gaine was gotten
For Paridell did take to Druons side,
For old despight which now forth newly brake
Gainst Blandamour, whom alwaies he envide;
And Blandamour to Claribell relide:
Full oftentimes did Britomart assay
To speake to them, and some emparlance move;
But they for nought their cruell hands would
stay,
So all afresh gan former fight renew. [tide,
As when two Barkes, this caried with the Ne lend an eare to ought that might behove.
That with the wind, contrary courses sew, As when an eager mastiffe once doth prove
If wind and tide doe change, their courses The tast of bloud of some engored beast,
No words may rate, nor rigour him remove
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