Book III.-Cant. XI.

Britomart chaceth Ollyphant,
findes Scudamour diftreft:

Afayes the house of Bufyrane,

where Loues fpoyles are expreft.

O

Hatefull hellish Snake, what furie furst

ΙΟ

Brought thee from balefull house of Proferpine, Where in her bofome fhe thee long had nurft, And foftred vp with bitter milke of tine, Fowle Gealofie, that turnest loue diuine To ioyleffe dread, and mak'st the louing hart With hatefull thoughts to languish and to pine, And feed it felfe with felfe-confuming fmart? Of all the paffions in the mind thou vileft art.

O let him far be banished away,

And in his ftead let Loue for euer dwell,

Sweet Loue, that doth his golding wings embay
In blessed Nectar, and pure Pleasures well,

1. 5, 'loues': 1. 10, 'Gealofy': l. 17, 'fweete': ib., 'golding' is changed to 'golden' in 1609.

Vntroubled of vile feare, or bitter fell.

And ye faire Ladies, that your kingdomes make 20 In th'harts of men, them gouerne wifely well,

And of faire Britomart enfample take,

That was as trew in loue, as Turtle to her make.

Who with Sir Satyrane, as earft ye red,

Forth ryding from Malbeccoes hostlesse hous,
Far off afpyde a young man, the which fled
From an huge Geaunt, that with hideous
And hatefull outrage long him chaced thus;
It was that Ollyphant, the brother deare
Of that Argante vile and vitious,

30

From whom the Squire of Dames was reft whylere ; This all as bad as fhe, and worse, if worfe ought were.

For as the fifter did in feminine

And filthy luft exceede all woman kind,
So he furpaffed his fex masculine,

In beastly vse that I did euer find;
Whom when as Britomart beheld behind
The fearefull boy fo greedily purfew,
She was emmoued in her noble mind,
T'employ her puissaunce to his reskew,

And pricked fiercely forward, where fhe him did vew.

Ne was Sir Satyrane her far behinde,

But with like fierceneffe did enfew the chace :
Whom when the Gyaunt faw, he foone refinde
His former fuit, and from them fled apace;

40

1. 31, 'Squyre': 1. 34. 'womankinde,' and so 'e' in rhyme-words of the stanza : 1. 36, ‘vfe, all that I euer': 1. 38, ‘pourfew.'

They after both, and boldly bad him bace,
And each did ftriue the other to out-goe,
But he them both outran a wondrous space,

For he was long, and fwift as any Roe,

And now made better speed, t'efcape his feared foe. 50

It was not Satyrane, whom he did feare,

But Britomart the flowre of chastity;

For he the powre of chast hands might not beare,
But alwayes did their dread encounter fly:

And now so fast his feet he did apply,
That he has gotten to a forrest neare,
Where he is fhrowded in fecurity.

The wood they enter, and fearch euery where,
They fearched diuerfely, fo both diuided were. /

Faire Britomart so long him followed,

That she at last came to a fountaine fheare,
By which there lay a knight all wallowed
Vpon the graffy ground, and by him neare
His haberieon, his helmet, and his fpeare;
A little off, his fhield was rudely throwne,
On which the winged boy in colours cleare
Depeincted was, full eafie to be knowne,
And he thereby, where euer it in field was showne.

His face vpon the ground did groueling ly,
As if he had bene flombring in the shade,

60

70

That the braue Mayd would not for courtesy,
Out of his quiet flomber him abrade,

1. 47, outgoe': 1. 56, 'has' is 'was' in 1611: 1. 58, euerie'; 1. 60,

Fayre': 1. 65, of': 1. 69, 'grownd': 1, 70, 'beene.'

Nor feeme too suddeinly him to inuade:
Still as fhe ftood, fhe heard with grieuous throb
Him grone, as if his hart were peeces made,

And with most painefull pangs to sigh and sob,
That pitty did the Virgins hart of patience rob.

At laft forth breaking into bitter plaintes

He faid; ô foueraigne Lord that fit'ft on hye,
And raignft in blis emongst thy blessed Saintes,
How fuffreft thou fuch fhamefull cruelty,
So long vnwreaked of thine enimy?

Or haft, thou Lord, of good mens cause no heed?
Or doth thy iuftice fleepe, and filent ly?

80

What booteth then the good and righteous deed, If goodnesse find no grace, nor righteousnesse no meed?

If good find grace, and righteousnesse reward,
Why then is Amoret in caytiue band,

Sith that more bounteous creature neuer far'd
On foot, vpon the face of liuing land?
Or if that heauenly iuftice may withstand
The wrongfull outrage of vnrighteous men,
Why then is Bufirane with wicked hand.
Suffred, these feuen monethes day in fecret den
My Lady and my loue fo cruelly to pen ?

My Lady and my loue is cruelly pend

In dolefull darkeneffe from the vew of day,
Whileft deadly torments do her chaft breft rend,
And the sharpe ftcele doth riue her hart in tway,

90

1. 79, 'fayd, O fouerayne': 1. 86, 'righteousnes,' and so 1. 87: 1. 91, 'heuenly,' and so l. 125: l. 97, ' darkenes': 1. 98, 'doe.'