"But what I was it irkes me to reherse,
66 Daughter unto a lord of high degree,
"That ioyd in happy peace, till Fates perverse,
"With guilefull Love, did secretly agree
"To overthrow my state and dignitie.
"It was my lot to love a gentle swaine,
"Yet was he but a squire of low degree;
"Yet was he meet, unless mine eye did faine,
"By any ladies side for leman to have laine.
XVI.
"But for his meannesse and disparagement,
"My sire, who me too dearely well did love,
"Unto my choise by no meanes would assent,
"But often did my folly fowle reprove :
"Yet nothing could my fixed mind remove,
"But whether will'd or nilled, friend or foe,
"I me resolv'd the utmost end to prove,
"And rather then my love abandon so,
"Both sire and friends, and all for ever, to forgo. XVII.
"Thenceforth I sought by secret meanes to worke "Time to my will, and from his wrathfull sight "To hide th' intent which in my heart did lurke, "Till I thereto had all things ready dight. "So on a day unweeting unto wight, "I with that squire agreede away to flit, "And in a privy place, betwixt us hight, "Within a grove appointed him to meete; "To which I boldly came upon my feeble feete.
"But ah! unhappy houre me thither brought, "For in that place where I him thought to find, "There was I found, contrary to my thought, "Of this accursed carle of hellish kind,
“The shame of men, and plague of womankind; "Who trussing me, as eagle doth his pray, "Me hether brought with him as swifte as wind, "Where yet untouched till this present day, "I rest his wretched thrall, the sad Aemylia." XIX.
"Ah! sad Aemylia," then sayd Amoret, "Thy ruefull plight I pitty as mine owne;
"But read to me by what devise or wit
"Hast thou in all this time from him unknowne
"Thine honour sav'd, tho' into thraldome throwne."
"Thro' helpe," quoth she," of this old woman here
"I have so done, as she to me hath showne;
"For ever when he burnt in lustfull fire,
"She in my stead supplide his bestiall desire."
XX.
Thus of their evils as they did discourse,
And each did other much bewaile and mone,
Loe where the villaine selfe, their sorrowes sourse,
Came to the cave, and rolling thence the stone
Which wont to stop the mouth thereof, that none
Might issue forth, came rudely rushing in,
And spredding over all the flore alone,
Gan dight himselfe unto his wonted sinne, [ginne.
Which ended, then his bloudy banket should be-
Which whenas fearefull Amoret perceived,
She staid not th' utmost end thereof to try,
But like a ghastly gelt, whose wits are reaved,
Ran forth in hast with hideous outcry,
For horrour of his shamefull villany;
But after her full lightly he uprose,
And her pursu'd as fast as she did flie ;
Full fast she flies, and farre afore him goes,
Ne feels the thorns and thickets pricke her tender
[toes.
Nor hedge, nor ditch, nor hill, nor dale, she staies,
But over-leapes them all, like robucke light,
And through the thickest makes her nighest waies;
And evermore, when with regardfull sight
She looking backe espies that griesly wight
Approching nigh, she gins to mend her pace,
And makes her fear a spur to hast her flight;
More swift then Myrrh' or Daphne in her race,
Or any of the Thracian nimphes in salvage chace.
XXIII.
Long so she fled, and so he follow'd long;
Ne living aide for her on earth appeares,
But if the heavens helpe to redresse her wrong,
Moved with pity of her plenteous teares.
It fortuned Belphoebe with her peares,
The woody nimphs, and with that lovely boy,
Was hunting then the libbards and the beares
In these wild woods, as was her wonted ioy,
To banish sloth that oft doth noble mindes annoy.
It so befell, as oft it fals in chace,
That each of them from other sundred were,
And that same gentle squire arriv'd in place
Where this same cursed caytive did appeare
Pursuing that faire lady full of feare:
And now he her quite overtaken had,
And now he her away with him did beare
Under his arme, as seeming wondrous glad; [rad.
That by his grenning laughter mote farre off be
XXV.
Which drery sight the gentle squire espying,
Doth hast to cross him by the nearest way,
Led with that wofull ladies piteous crying,
And him assailes with all the might he may;
Yet will not he the lovely spoile downe lay,
But with his craggy club in his right hand
Defends himselfe, and saves his gotten pray;
Yet had it bene right hard him to withstand,
But that he was full light and nimble on the land.
XXVI.
Thereto the villaine used craft in fight;
For ever when the squire his iavelin shooke,
He held the lady forth before him right,
And with her body, as a buckler, broke
The puissaunce of his intended stroke;
And if it chaunst (as needs it must in fight)
Whilest he on him was greedy to be wroke,
That any little blow on her did light,
Then would he laugh aloud, and gather great delight.
Which subtill sleight did him encumber much,
And made him oft, when he would strike, forbeare;
For hardly could he come the carle to touch,
But that he her most hurt, or hazard neare:
Yet he his hand so carefully did beare,
That at the last he did himselfe attaine,
And therein left the pike-head of his speare;
A streame of cole-blacke bloud thence gusht amaine,
That all her silken garments did with bloud bestaine.
XXVIII.
With that he threw her rudely on the flore,
And laying both his hands upon his glave,
With dreadfull strokes let drive at him so sore,
That forst him flie abacke, himselfe to save;
Yet he therewith so felly still did rave,
That scarce the squire his hand could once upreare,
But for advantage ground unto him
gave, Tracing and traversing, now here, now there; For bootlesse thing it was to think such blowes to
Whilest thus in battell they embusied were,
Belphoebe, raunging in that forest wide,
The hideous noise of their huge strokes did heare,
And drew thereto, making her eare her guide;
Whom when that theefe approching nigh espide,
With bow in hand and arrowes ready bent,
He by his former combate would not bide,
But fled away with ghastly dreriment,
Well knowing her to be his death's sole instrument.
Volume IV.
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