The whiles his guilefull groome was fled away :
But vaine it was to thinke from him to flie.
Who ouertaking him did difaray,
And all his face deform'd with infamie,
And out of court him fcourged openly.
So ought all faytours, that true knighthood shame, And armes difhonour with base villanie,
From all braue knights be banisht with defame : For oft their lewdnes blotteth good deserts with blame.
Now when these counterfeits were thus vncafed
Out of the forefide of their forgerie,
And in the fight of all men cleane difgraced,
All gan to ieft and gibe full merilie
At the remembrance of their knauerie.
Ladies can laugh at Ladies, Knights at Knights,
To thinke with how great vaunt of brauerie
He them abused, through his fubtill flights,
And what a glorious fhew he made in all their fights.
There leaue we them in pleasure and repast,
Spending their ioyous dayes and gladfull nights,
And taking vfurie of time forepast,
With all deare delices and rare delights,
Fit for fuch Ladies and fuch louely knights:
And turne we here to this faire furrowes end
Our wearie yokes, to gather fresher sprights,
That when as time to Artegall fhall tend,
We on his first aduenture may him forward fend./
1. 357 in '96 not brought out as usual: 1. 362, we here'-accepted for 'were here' of '96.
Artegall dealeth right betwixt
two brethren that doe ftriue,
Saues Terpine from the gallow tree,
and doth from death repriue.
Ho fo vpon him felfe will take the skill
True Iuftice vnto people to diuide,
Had neede haue mightie hands, for to fulfill
That, which he doth with righteous doome decide,
And for to maifter wrong and puiffant pride,
For vaine it is to deeme of things aright,
And makes wrong doers iuftice to deride,
Vnleffe it be perform'd with dreadleffe might.
For powre is the right hand of Iuftice truely hight.
Therefore whylome to knights of great emprise
The charge of Iuftice giuen was in trust,
That they might execute her iudgements wife,
And with their might beat downe licentious luft,
Which proudly did impugne her sentence iuft.
Whereof no brauer prefident this day
Remaines on earth, preferu'd from yron rust
1, 8, 'haue '-1611 needlessly 'improves' into 'of.'
Of rude obliuion, and long times decay,
Then this of Artegall, which here we haue to say.
Who hauing lately left that louely payre,
Enlincked faft in wedlockes loyall bond,
Bold Marinell with Florimell the fayre,
With whom great feast and goodly glee he fond,
Departed from the Caftle of the ftrond,
To follow his aduentures first intent,
Which long agoe he taken had in hond:
Ne wight with him for his assistance went,
But that great yron groome, his gard and gouernment.
With whom as he did passe by the sea shore,
He chaunft to come, whereas two comely Squires,
Both brethren, whom one wombe together bore,
But stirred vp with different desires,
Together ftroue, and kindled wrathfull fires :
And them beside two feemely damzels ftood,
By all meanes seeking to affwage their ires,
Now with faire words; but words did little good, 40 Now with sharpe threats; but threats the more increaft their mood.
And there before them stood a Coffer ftrong,
Faft bound on euery fide with iron bands,
But seeming to haue fuffred mickle wrong,
Either by being wreckt vppon the fands,
Or being carried farre from forraine lands.
Seem'd that for it these Squires at ods did fall,
And bent against them felues their cruell hands.
But euermore, those Damzels did foreftall
Their furious encounter, and their fiercenesse pall.
But firmely fixt they were, with dint of fword,
And battailes doubtfull proofe their rights to try,
Ne other end their fury would afford,
But what to them Fortune would iuftify.
So stood they both in readinesse thereby
To ioyne the combate with cruell intent;
When Artegall arriuing happily,
Did stay a while there greedy bickerment,
Till he had queftioned the cause of their diffent. /
To whom the elder did this aunfwere frame;
Then weete ye Sir, that we two brethren be,
To whom our fire, Milefio by name,
Did equally bequeath his lands in fee,
Two Ilands, which ye there before you fee
Not farre in fea; of which the one appeares
But like a little Mount of fmall degree;
Yet was as great and wide ere many yeares,
As that fame other Ifle, that greater bredth now beares.
But tract of time, that all things doth decay,
And this deuouring Sea, that naught doth spare, 70
The most part of my land hath washt away,
And throwne it vp vnto my brothers fhare :
So his encreased, but mine did empaire.
Before which time I lou'd, as was my lot,
That further mayd, hight Philtera the faire,
1. 55, ' in readinesse there-by.'
With whom a goodly doure I should haue got, And should haue ioyned bene to her in wedlocks knot.
Then did my younger brother Amidas
Loue that fame other Damzell, Lucy bright,
To whom but little dowre allotted was;
Her vertue was the dowre, that did delight.
What better dowre can to a dame be hight?
But now when Philtra faw my lands decay,
And former liuelod fayle, fhe left me quight,
And to my brother did ellope streight way:
Who taking her from me, his owne loue left aftray.
She seeing then her felfe forfaken so,
Through dolorous despaire, which she conceyued, Into the Sea her felfe did headlong throw, Thinking to haue her griefe by death bereaued. But/fee how much her purpose was deceaued. Whileft thus amidst the billowes beating of her Twixt life and death, long to and fro fhe weaued, She chaunft vnwares to light vppon this coffer, Which to her in that daunger hope of life did offer.
The wretched mayd that earft defir'd to die,
When as the paine of death she tasted had,
And but halfe feene his vgly vifnomie,
Gan to repent that she had beene so mad,
For any death to chaunge life though most bad:
And catching hold of this Sea-beaten chest,
The lucky Pylot of her passage sad,
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