Anon fhe gan perceiue the houfe to quake,

And all the dores to rattle round about;
Yet all that did not her difmaied make,
Nor flacke her threatfull hand for daungers dout,
But still with ftedfaft eye and courage ftout
Abode, to weet what end would come of all.
At last that mightie chaine, which round about
Her tender wafte was wound, adowne gan fall,
And that great brafen pillour broke in peeces fmall.

The cruell steele, which thrild her dying hart,
Fell foftly forth, as of his owne accord,
And the wyde wound, which lately did difpart
Her bleeding brest, and riuen bowels gor'd,
Was/clofed vp, as it had not bene bor'd,
And euery part to fafety full found,
As fhe were neuer hurt, was foone restor❜d:
Tho when fhe felt her felfe to be vnbound,
And perfect hole, proftrate she fell vnto the ground,

Before faire Britomart, fhe fell proftrate,

330

340

350

Saying, Ah noble knight, what worthy meed Can wretched Lady, quit from wofull ftate, Yield you in liew of this your gratious deed? Your vertue selfe her owne reward fhall breed, Euen immortall praife, and glory wyde, Which I your vaffall, by your proweffe freed, Shall through the world make to be notifyde, And goodly well aduance, that goodly well was tryde.

1. 333, 'Лack': 1. 334., after 'out': 1. 335,, after 'weet,' not 'Abode': 1. 343, 'beene ford': 1. 344, Townd,' and so 'w' in stanza's rhyme-words: 1. 349, 'meede': 1. 350, 'quitt': 1. 351, 'lieu . . . gracious': 1. 353, 'prayfe.'

t

But Britomart vprearing her from ground,
Said, Gentle Dame, reward enough I weene
'For many labours more, then I haue found,
This, that in fafety now I haue you feene,
And meane of your deliuerance haue beene :
Henceforth faire Lady comfort to you take,
And put away remembrance of late teene;
Instead thereof know, that your louing Make,
Hath no leffe griefe endured for your gentle fake.

360

She was much cheard to heare him mentiond,
Whom of all liuing wights fhe loued beft.
Then laid the noble Championeffe ftrong hond
Vpon th'enchaunter, which had her diftreft
So fore, and with foule outrages oppreft:
With that great chaine, wherewith not long ygo
He bound that pitteous Lady prifoner, now relest,
Himfelfe fhe bound, more worthy to be fo,
And captiue with her led to wretchednesse and wo.

370

Returning backe, thofe goodly roomes, which erst
She faw fo rich and royally arrayd,
Now vanifht vtterly, and cleane fubuerft
She found, and all their glory quite decayd,
That fight of fuch a chaunge her much difmayd.
Thence forth defcending to that perlous Porch, 380
Thofe dreadfull flames fhe alfo found delayd,

1. 357, 'grownd': 1. 360, 'fafetie': 1. 362, 'Lad'—sic: 1. 363, 'remembraunce' 1. 364, 'In fled': 1. 367, 'wightes': 1. 371, 'ygoe': 1. 375, 'back rowmes': 1. 376, He,' but corrected in Faults efcaped,' and so 1. 378: ib.,'arayd': 1. 379, him,' but also corrected in 'Faults efcaped.'

And quenched quite, like a consumed torch, That erft all entrers wont fo cruelly to fcorch.

More eafie iffew now, then entrance late

She found for now that fained dreadfull flame,
Which chokt the porch of that enchaunted gate,
And paffage bard to all, that thither came,
Was vanifht quite, as it were not the fame,
And gaue her leaue at pleasure forth to passe.

Th' Enchaunter felfe, which all that fraud did frame, To have efforft the loue of that faire laffe, 391 Seeing his worke now wafted deepe engrieued was.

But when the victoreffe arriued there,

Where late fhe left the penfife Scudamore,
With her owne trufty Squire, both full of feare,
Neither of them fhe found where the them lore:
Thereat her noble hart was stonisht fore;
But most faire Amoret, whofe gentle spright
Now gan to feede on hope, which she before
Conceiued had, to fee her owne deare knight,
Being thereof beguyld was fild with new affright.

But he fad man, when he had long in drede
Awayted there for Britomarts returne,

400

11. 384-410 in 1596 took the place of the stanzas which we add as an appendix to this last canto of Book III. It will be observed that originally Sir Scudamore and Amoret had a happy meeting; but in '96, when the Poet reprinted Books I.—III. to go along with the new volume of that year, he left out (ut supra) the last five stanzas of '90, and replaced them with the three new ones, ll. 384-410. This was meant to connect the third book better with the fourth, and otherwise to improve the story. On this and the other alterations in 1596 edition from 1590, see our Life in Vol. I.

Yet faw her not nor figne of her good speed, His expectation to defpaire did turne, Mifdeeming sure that her those flames did burne; And therefore gan aduize with her old Squire, Who her deare nourflings loffe no leffe did mourne, Thence to depart for further aid t'enquire: 409 Where let them wend at will, whileft here I doe respire.

STANZAS IN 1590 REPLACED IN 1596 WITH OTHERS.

(See Foot-note on l. 384, p. 35.)

AT last she came vnto the place, where late
She left Sir Scudamour in great distresse,
Twixt dolour and defpight halfe defperate,
Of his loues fuccour, of his owne redresse,
And of the hardie Britomarts fucceffe :
There on the cold earth him now thrown fhe found,
In wilful anguish, and dead heauinesse,

And to him cald; whofe voices knowen found Soone as he heard, himself he reared light from ground.

There did he fee, that most on earth him ioyd,
His dearest loue, the comfort of his dayes,
Whofe too long absence him had fore annoyd,
And wearied his life with dull delayes:
Straight he vpstarted from the loathed layes,

And to her ran with hafty egerneffe,

Like as a Deare, that greedily embayes

In the coole foile, after long thirstineffe,

ΙΟ

Which he in chace endured hath, now nigh breathlesse.

Lightly he clipt her twixt his armes twaine,

And ftreightly did embrace her body bright,
Her body, late the prifon of fad paine,
Now the sweet lodge of loue and deare delight:/

1. 4, 'fuccour,' but corrected in 'Faults escaped.'

20