choose to live in Hela, where they performed again their deeds of might and fell without fear.

At length the woman took Hadding towards a place which was surrounded by a high wall. He had already gazed from afar off, as he descended the hills, upon the beauties of the enclosure, where grew the flowers which were plucked in midwinter and stately beings in robes of purple had blissful dwelling.

The old woman tried to leap over the wall, but was unable to do so. She, however, showed Hadding that the place within was indeed the land of life.

She seized

a fowl which she carried with her, and flung its head, which he wrung off, over the wall. The head was speedily restored again, and the bird crowed loudly.

Hadding thereafter returned again unto his own land, and he endured many perils upon the way.

Spenser's Mimer

Guyon finds Mammon in a delve
Sunning his treasure hoar,
Is by him tempted and led down
To see his secret store.

At last he came upon a gloomy glade,

Covered with boughs and shrubs from heaven's light,
Whereas he sitting found in secret shade
An uncouth, savage and uncivil wight,1
Of grisly hue and foul ill-favoured sight;

His face with smoke was tann'd and eyes were bleared,
His head and beard with soot were ill bedight,

His coal-black hands did seem to have been seared

In smith's fire-spitting forge, and nails like claws appeared.

1This is Spenser's Mammon. He resembles very closely Gudmund-Mimer, the chief of elfin smiths who in Norse mythology produce the vast stores of treasure accursed.

His iron coat, all overgrown with rust,
Was underneath envelopèd with gold;
Whose glittering gloss, darkened with filthy dust,
Well yet appeared to have been of old
A work of rich entail and curious mould,
Woven with antiques and wild imag❜ry:
And in his lap a mass of coin he told
And turned upside down, to feed his eye
And covetous desire with his huge treasury

And round about him lay on every side
Great heaps of gold that never could be spent ;
Of which some were rude ore, not purified
Of Mulciber's devouring element;

Some others were new driven, and distent
Into great ingots and to wedges square;
Some in round plates withouten moniment1;
But most were stampt, and in their metal bare
The antique shapes of Kings and Kesars strong and rare.

"What secret place," quoth he,2 " can safely hold
So huge a mass, and hide from heaven's eye?
Or where hast thou thy wonne3, that so much gold
Thou canst preserve from wrong and robbery?"
"Come thou," quoth he, "and see." So by and by
Through that thick covert he him led, and found
A darksome way, which no man could descry,
That deep descended through the hollow ground,
And was with dread and horror compassèd around.

So soon as Mammon there1 arrived, the door
To him did open and afforded way:
Him followed eke Sir Guyon evermore,
Ne darkness him ne danger might dismay.

Soon as he entered was, the door straightway

1 Superscription, image.

3 Dwelling.

2 The Knight Guyon.

4 The gate of hell.

Did shut, and from behind it forth there leapt
An ugly fiend, more foul than dismal day;
The which with monstrous stalk behind him stept;
And ever as he went due watch upon him kept.

Both roof, and floor, and walls, were all of gold,
But overgrown with dust and old decay,
And hid in darkness, that none could behold.
The hue thereof; for view of cheerful day
Did never in that house itself display,
But a faint shadow of uncertain light,
Such as a lamp, whose life does fade away;

Or as the moon, cloathed with cloudy night,

Does shew to him that walks in fear and sad affright.

In all that room was nothing to be seen

But huge great iron chests, and coffers strong,

All barr'd with double bends, that none could weene Them to enforce with violence or wrong;

Cn every side they placed were along,

But all the ground with skulls was scattered

And dead men's bones, which round about were flung
Whose lives, it seemed, whilome there were shed,
And their vile carcases now left unburied

They forward pass; ne Guyon yet spoke word,
Till that they came unto an iron door
Which to them opened of its own accord,
And showed of riches such exceeding store,
As eye of man did never see before,
Ne ever could within one place be found,

Though all the wealth, which is or was of yore,
Could gathered be through all the world around,
And that above were added to that underground.

The charge thereof unto a covetous spright
Commanded was, who thereby did attend,
And warily awaited day and night,
From other covetous fiends it to defend,