On man and beast that commeth in her path.
There they doe say that she transformed was
Into a Tygre, and that Tygres fcath
In crueltie and outrage fhe did pas,

To prove her furname true, that the impofed has."
50.

Then Artegall, himselfe discovering plaine,
Did iffue forth gainst all that warlike rout
Of knights and armed men, which did maintaine
That Ladies part, and to the Souldan lout: "
All which he did affault with courage ftout,
All were they nigh an hundred knights of name,
And like wyld Goates them chaced all about,
Flying from place to place with cowheard fhame;
So that with finall force them all he overcame.

51.

Then caused he the gates be opened wyde;
And there the Prince, as victour of that day,
With tryumph entertayn'd and glorifyde,
Presenting him with all the rich array

And roiall pompe, which there long hidden lay, Purchaft through lawleffe powre and tortious wrong Of that proud Souldan whom he earft did flay. So both for reft there having ftayd not long, Marcht with that mayd; fit matter for another fong.

To prove her furname true, that fhe impofed bas.] That is, 'Adixia [Injustice]. In this transformation he feems to have in view that of Hecuba. See Ovid, " Met.” xiii. Fab. 2; Euripides," Hecub." 1265. Edit. Barnes. And Plautus," Menæch."

"Ob rabiem nempe, quâ in Græcos invehebatur, canis dicta eft.” UPTON. The fame figure is carried on to the next Canto, St. 1. C.

and to the Souldan lout.] And did bow down to the Souldan. UPTON. A lout may be fo called from his awkward bowing. C.

• Purchaft, &c.] That is, gotten through the oppreffive power of that proud Souldan, &c. CHURCH. "Purchaft" is here used in the fame fenfe as the fubftantive purchase, F. Q. i. iii. 16 [vol. i. p. 216], that is, plundered. TODD.

mell,'

CANTO IX.

Arthur and Artegall catch Guyle,
whom Talus doth difmay:
They to Mercillaes pallace come,
and fee her rich array.

I.

HAT Tygre, or what other falvage wight,
Is fo exceeding furious and fell

As wrong, when it hath arm'd it felfe
with might?

Not fit mongst men that doe with reason

But mongst wyld beafts, and falvage woods, to dwell; Where still the stronger doth the weake devoure, And they that most in boldneffe doe excell

Are dreadded moft, and feared for their powre; Fit for Adicia there to build her wicked bowre.

2.

There let her wonne, farre from refort of men,
Where righteous Artegall her late exyled;
There let her ever keepe her damned den,

that doe with reafon mell.] "Mell" is meddle, of which it is an abbreviation. We meet with the participle "melling" in C. xii. St. 35 of this book. "Mell" occurs in Shakespeare and in many other poets: Chaucer and Gower ufe "mell" as well as meddle. C.

Where none may be with her lewd parts defyled,
Nor none but beafts may be of her defpoyled;
And turne we to the noble Prince, where late
We did him leave, after that he had foyled
The cruell Souldan, and with dreadfull fate
Had utterly fubverted his unrighteous state.

3.

Where having with Sir Artegall a space
Well folaft in that Souldans late delight,
They both, refolving now to leave the place,
Both it and all the wealth therein behight
Unto that Damzell in her Ladies right,
And fo would have departed on their way;
But she them woo'd, by all the meanes she might,
And earnestly befought to wend that day
With her to see her Ladie, thence not farre away.

4.

By whofe entreatie both they overcommen
Agree to goe with her; and by the way,
(As often falles) of fundry things did commen:
Mongst which that Damzell did to them bewray
A ftraunge adventure, which not farre thence lay;
To weet, a wicked villaine, bold and ftout,
Which wonned in a rocke not farre away,
That robbed all the countrie there about,
And brought the pillage home, whence none could get
it out.

5.

Thereto both his owne wylie wit, (fhe fayd)

the wealth therein behight.] Committed, or entrusted. See F. Q. i. x. 50 [vol. ii. p. 39]. TODD.

с

of fundry things did commen.] This expreffion is frequent in Scripture, Luke xxiv. 15. "While they communed together, &c." Milton ufes it," Par. L." B. ix. 201: "Then commune, how, &c." The reader is not to be put in mind, perhaps, that the spelling is for the fake of the rhyme. UPTON. The word was of old fpelt comyn, and in various other ways. C.

And eke the faftneffe of his dwelling place,
Both unaffaylable, gave him great ayde:
For he fo crafty was to forge and face,
So light of hand, and nymble of his pace,
So fmooth of tongue, and subtile in his tale,
That could deceive one looking in his face:
Therefore by name Malengin they him call,
Well knowen by his feates, and famous over all.
6.

Through these his flights he many doth confound:
And eke the rocke, in which he wonts to dwell,
Is wondrous ftrong and hewen farre under ground,
A dreadfull depth; how deepe no man can tell,
But some doe fay it goeth downe to hell:
And all within it full of wyndings is

And hidden wayes, that scarse an hound by smell
Can follow out thofe falfe footsteps of his,

Ne none can backe returne that once are gone amis.

7.

Which when thofe knights had heard, their harts gan

earne

To understand that villeins dwelling place,

And greatly it defir'd of her to learne,

And by which way they towards it should trace. "Were not" (fayd fhe) " that it should let your pace Towards my Ladies prefence, by you ment,

I would you guyde directly to the place." "Then let not that " (faid they) "ftay your intent;

d Therefore by name Malengin.] Ill Intent. See Cotgrave in v. Malengin; or Le Duchet, to whom Mr. Upton refers: "Malengin, dolus malus: c'est l'action d'une perfonne ingenieuse à mal faire." Guile is therefore properly denominated Malengin. TODD. In vol. ii. p. 356, we have had "malengine" employed as a fubftantive for ill intention: here it is perfonified, as one who is not only disposed, but qualified to as much mischief as poffible; and we are therefore to take" Malengin to be evil genius. C.

For neither will one foot, till we that carle have hent."

8.

So forth they paft, till they approched ny

Unto the rocke where was the villains won:
Which when the Damzell neare at hand did spy,
She warn'd the knights thereof; who thereupon
Gan to advize what best were to be done.
So both agreed to fend that mayd afore,
Where the might fit nigh to the den alone,
Wayling, and rayfing pittifull uprore,
As if she did some great calamitie deplore.

9.

With noyse whereof when as the caytive carle
Should iffue forth, in hope to find fome spoyle,
They in awayt would closely him enfnarle,
Ere to his den he backward could recoyle,
And fo would hope him eafily to foyle.
The Damzell straight went, as fhe was directed,
Unto the rocke; and there, upon the foyle
Having her felfe in wretched wize abjected,

Gan weepe and wayle, as if great griefe had her
affected.

The

IO.

cry whereof entring the hollow cave

Eftfoones brought forth the villaine, as they ment,
With hope of her fome wishfull boot to have.
Full dreadfull wight he was as ever went
Upon the earth, with hollow eyes deepe pent,
And long curld locks that downe his shoulders fhagged;
And on his backe an uncouth veftiment

Made of ftraunge ftuffe, but all to worne and ragged, And underneath his breech was all to torne and jagged.

e till we that carle have hent.] i.e. have taken, as frequently before. See, among other places, vol. ii. p. 108. C.