Turpine is baffled; his two knights
Do gain their treason's meed.
Fair Mirabella's punishment
For Love's disdain decreed.
LIKE as the gentle heart itself bewrays
In doing gentle deeds with frank delight,
Even so the baser mind itself displays
In canker'd malice and revengeful spite:
For to malign, t' envý, t' use shifting sleight,
Be arguments1 of a vile dunghill mind;
Which, what it dare not do by open might,
To work by wicked treason ways doth find,
By such discourteous deeds discovering his base kind.2 Nature.
That well appears in this discourteous knight,
The coward Turpine, whereof now I treat;
Who notwithstanding that in former fight
He of the Prince his life receivéd late,
Yet in his mind malicious and ingrate
He gan devise to be aveng'd anew
For all that shame, which kindled inward hate:
Therefore, so soon as he was out of view,
Himself in haste he arm'd, and did him fast pursue.
Well did he track his steps as he did ride,
Yet would not near approach in danger's eye,
But kept aloof for dread to be descried,
Until fit time and place he might espy,
Where he might work him scathe and villany.
At last he met two knights to him unknown,
to him cried,
False traitour knight,
or he him defied.
ce with equal spite
both with equal might
one did miss his mark,
force forthright
that heavenly spark,
r lights all the heavens
r, did him smite impetuous power, shiver'd quite,
l on the flowre:1
uch more steady stowre 2, ground.
strike so sore,
h piercing did devour he ground him bore, his own bloody gore.
ns make their flight es aloft on wing,
him with heedless might, oth backward wring;
force her first doth bring,
he body doth engore, ound like senseless thing;
ift as she before,
sing by doth hurt no more. Stoop.
h was passed by, s return'd to fight; is fellow lifeless lie,
The which were armed both agreeably,1
And both combin'd, whatever chance were blown, Betwixt them to divide and each to make his own.
To whom false Turpine coming courteously,
To cloak the mischief which he inly meant,
Gan to complain of great discourtesy,
Which a strange knight, that near afore him went,
Had done to him, and his dear lady shent;2
Which if they would afford him aid at need
For to avenge in time convenient,
They should accomplish both a knightly deed,
And for their pains obtain of him a goodly meed.
The knights believ'd that all he said was true;
And, being fresh and full of youthly sprite,
Were glad to hear of that adventure new,
In which they might make trial of their might
Which never yet they had approv'd in fight,
And eke desirous of the offer'd meed:
Said then the one of them; Where is that wight,
The which hath done to thee this wrongful deed,
That we may it avenge, and punish him with speed?'
'He rides,' said Turpine, 'there not far afore,
With a Wild Man soft footing by his side;
That, if ye list to haste a little more,
Ye may him overtake in timely tide.'s
Eftsoons they prickéd forth with forward pride;
And, ere that little while they ridden had,
The gentle Prince not far away they spied,
Riding a softly pace with portance1 sad,
Dreaded. Devising5 of his love more than of danger drad.
Then one of them aloud unto him cried,
Bidding him turn again; False traitour knight,
Foul woman-wronger!'-for he him defied.
With that they both at once with equal spite
Did bend their spears, and both with equal might
Against him ran; but th' one did miss his mark,
And being carried with his force forthright
Glanc'd swiftly by; like to that heavenly spark,
Which gliding through the air lights all the heavens
But th' other, aiming better, did him smite
Full in the shield with so impetuous power,
That all his lance in pieces shiver'd quite,
And scatter'd all about fell on the flowre: 1
But the stout Prince with much more steady stowre2, ground. Full on his beaver did him strike so sore, That the cold steel through piercing did devour His vital breath, and to the ground him bore, Where still he bathéd lay in his own bloody gore.
As when a cast3 of falcons make their flight
At an hernshaw, that lies aloft on wing,
The whiles they strike at him with heedless might,
The wary fowl his bill doth backward wring;
On which the first, whose force her first doth bring,
Herself quite through the body doth engore,
And falleth down to ground like senseless thing;
But th' other, not so swift as she before,
Fails of her souse,5 and passing by doth hurt no more. Stoop.
By this the other, which was passed by,
Himself recovering, was return'd to fight;
Where when he saw his fellow lifeless lie,
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