So when that Knight from perill cleare was freed,
He drawing neare began to greete them faire,
And yeeld great thankes for their so goodly deed,
In saving him from daungerous despaire
Of those which sought his life for to empaire:
Of whom Sir Artegall gan then enquere
The whole occasion of his late misfare,
And who he was, and what those Villaines were, The which with mortall malice him pursu'd so nere.
To whom he thus ; My name is Burbon hight,
Well knowne, and far renowmed heretofore,
Untill late mischiefe did uppon me light,
That all my former praise hath blemisht sore:
And that faire Lady, which in that uprore
Ye with those caytives saw, Flourdelis hight,
Is mine owne Love, though me she have forlore;
Whether withheld from me by wrongfull might,
Or with her owne good will, I cannot read aright.
"But sure to me her faith she first did plight
To be my Love, and take me for her Lord;
Till that a Tyrant, which Grandtorto hight,
With golden giftes and many a guilefull word
Entyced her to him for to accord.
O, who may not with gifts and words be tempted!
Sith which she hath me ever since abhord,
And to my foe hath guilefully consented :
Ay me, that ever guyle in wemen was invented!
"And now he hath this troupe of Villains sent
By open force to fetch her quite away:
Gainst whom myselfe I long in vaine have bent
To rescue her, and daily meanes assay,
Yet rescue her thence by no meanes I may;
For they doe me with multitude oppresse,
And with unequall might doe overlay,
That oft I driven am to great distresse,
And forced to forgoe th' attempt remédilesse."
"But why have ye," said Artegall, "forborne
Your owne good shield in daungerous dismay?
That is the greatest shame and foulest scorne,
Which unto any Knight behappen may,
To loose the badge that should his deedes display." To whom Sir Burbon, blushing halfe for shame; "That shall I unto you," quoth he, “bewray; Least ye therefore mote happily me blame, And deeme it doen of will, that through inforcement came.
"True is that I at first was dubbed Knight
By a good Knight, the Knight of the Red-crosse ; Who, when he gave me armes in field to fight, Gave me a shield, in which he did endosse His deare Redeemers Badge upon the bosse : The same long while I bore, and therewithall Fought many battels without wound or losse ; Therewith Grandtorto selfe I did appall, And made him oftentimes in field before me fall.
“ But for that many did that shield envie,
And cruell enemies increased more;
To stint all strife and troublous enmitie,
That bloudie scutchin being battred sore
I layd aside, and have of late forbore
Hoping thereby to have my Love obtayned:
Yet can I not my Love have nathëmore;
For she by force is still fro me detayned,
And with corruptfull brybes is to untruth mistrayned."
To whom thus Artegall; "Certes, Sir Knight,
Hard is the case the which ye doe complaine;
Yet not so hard (for nought so hard may light
That it to such a streight mote you constraine)
As to abandon that which doth containe
Your honours stile, that is, your warlike shield.
All perill ought be lesse, and lesse all paine
Then losse of fame in disaventrous field:
Dye, rather then doe ought that mote dishonour yield!"
"Not so," quoth he; " for yet, when time doth serve, My former shield I may resume againe : To temporize is not from truth to swerve, Ne for advantage terme to entertaine, Whenas necessitie doth it constraine." "Fie on such forgerie," said Artegall,
"Under one hood to shadow faces twaine:
Knights ought be true, and truth is one in all; Of all things, to dissemble, fouly may befall!"
"Yet let me you of courtesie request,”
Said Burbon, "to assist me now at need
Against these Pesants which have me opprest,
And forced me to so infámous deed,
That yet my Love may from their hands be freed."
Sir Artegall, albe he earst did wyte
His wavering mind, yet to his aide agreed,
And buckling him eftsoones unto the fight
Did set upon those troupes with all his powre and might.
Who flocking round about them, as a swarme
Of flyes upon a birchen bough doth cluster,
Did them assault with terrible allarme,
And over all the fields themselves did muster,
With bils and glayves making a dreadfull luster;
That forst at first those Knights backe to retyre;
As when the wrathfull Boreas doth bluster,
Nought may abide the tempest of his yre,
Both man and beast doe fly, and succour doe inquyre.
But, whenas overblowen was that brunt,
Those Knights began afresh them to assayle,
And all about the fields like squirrels hunt;
But chiefly Talus with his yron flayle,
Gainst which no flight nor rescue mote avayle,
Made cruell havocke of the baser crew,
And chaced them both over hill and dale:
The raskall manie soone they overthrew ;
But the two Knights themselves their Captains did subdew.
At last they came whereas that Ladie bode,
Whom now her keepers had forsaken quight
To save themselves, and scattered were abrode :
Her halfe dismayd they found in doubtfull plight,
As neither glad nor sorie for their sight;
Yet wondrous faire she was, and richly clad
In roiall robes, and many iewels dight;
But that those Villens through their usage bad
Them fouly rent, and shamefully defaced had.
But Burbon, streight dismounting from his steed,
Unto her ran with greedie great desyre,
And catching her fast by her ragged weed
Would have embraced her with hart entyre:
But she, backstarting, with disdainefull yre
Bad him avaunt, ne would unto his lore
Allured be for prayer nor for meed:
Whom when those Knights so froward and forlore Beheld, they her rebuked and upbrayded sore.
Sayd Artegall; "What foule disgrace is this
To so faire Ladie, as ye seeme in sight,
To blot your beautie, that unblemisht is,
With so foule blame as breach of faith once plight,
Or change of love for any worlds delight?
Is ought on earth so pretious or deare
As prayse and honour? or is ought so bright
And beautifull as glories beames appeare,
Whose goodly light then Phoebus lampe doth shine more cleare?
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