XII.

Whom Guyon feeing ftoop, purfued fast
The present offer of fair victory,

And foon his dreadful blade about he caft,
Wherewith he fmote his haughty creft fo high,
That ftrait on ground made him full low to lie ;
Then on his breaft his victor foot he thrust:
With that he cry'd, mercy, do me not dye,
Ne deem thy force by fortunes doom unjust,
That hath (maugre her spight) thus low me laid in dust,
XIII.

Eftfoons his cruel hand Sir Guyon ftaid,

Tempring the paffion with advisement flow,
And maiftring might on enemy difmaid:
For th' equal dye of war he well did know :
Then to him faid, live, and allegiance owe
To him that gives thee life and liberty:
And henceforth, by this days enfample trow,
That hafty wrath and heedlefs hazardry,
Do breed repentance late, and lasting infamy.
XIV.

So up he let him rife; who with grim look
And count'nance ftern upftanding, 'gan to grind
His grated teeth for great difdain, and fhook
His fandy locks, long hanging down behind,
Knotted in blood and duft, for grief of mind,
That he in odds of arms was conquered;
Yet in himself fome comfort he did find,
That him fo noble Knight had maistered,
Whose bounty more than might, yet both he wondered,

XV.

Which Guyon marking, faid, be nought agriev'd,
Sir Knight, that thus you now fubdued are:
Was never man, who moft conquefts atchiev'd
But fometimes had the worse and loft by war,
⚫ Yet fhortly gain'd, that lofs exceeded far:
Lofs is no fhame, nor to be lefs than foe;
But to be leffer than himself doth mar
Both loofers lot, and victors praise also.

Vain others overthrows, who felf doth overthrow

XVI.

Fly, O Pyrochles, fly the dreadful war,
That in thyfelf, thy leffer parts do move:
Outrageous anger and woe-working jar,
Direful impatience, and heart-murdring love;
Thofe, thofe thy foes, thofe warriors far remove;
Which thee to endless bale captived lead.

But fith in might thou didst my mercy prove,

Of courtefie to me the cause aread,

That thee against me drew with fo impetuous dread.
XVII.

Dreadlefs, faid he, that fhall I foon declare:

It was complain'd, that thou hadft done great tort
Unto an aged woman, poor and bare;

And thralled her in chains with ftrong effort,
Void of all fuccour and needful comfort:
That ill befeems thee, fuch as I thee fee,
To work fuch fhame. Therefore I thee exhort
To change thy will, and fet Occafion free,
And to her captive fon yield his first liberty.
XVIII.

Thereat Sir Guyon fmil'd: and is that all
Said he, that thee fo fore difpleased hath?
Great mercy fure for to enlarge a thrall,
Whose freedom fhall thee turn to greatest fcath.
Nath❜lefs now quench thy hot emboyling wrath:
Lo there they be; to thee I yield them free.
Thereat he wondrous glad, out of the path
Did lightly leap, where he them bound did fee,'
And 'gan to break the bands of their captivity.

XIX.

Soon as Occafion felt herself unty'd,

Before her Son could well affoiled be,
She to her use return'd, and ftrait defy'd
Both Guyon and Pyrochles: th'one (said she)
Because he won; the other, because he
Was won fo matter did fhe make of nought,
To ftir up ftrife, and garre them disagree.
But foon as Furor was enlarg'd, fhe fought

To kindle his quencht fire, and thousand caufes wrought.

XX.

It was not long ere fhe enflam'd him fo,
That he would algates with Pyrochles fight;
And his redeemer challeng'd for his foe,
Because he had not well maintain'd his right,
But yielded had to that fame stranger Knight:
Now 'gan Pyrocbles wex as wood as he,
And him affronted with impatient might:
So both together fierce engrasped be,

While Guyon standing by their uncouth ftrife does fee.
XXI.

Him all that while Occafion did provoke

Against Pyrocbles, and new matter fram'd

Upon the old, him ftirring to be wroke

Of his late wrongs, in which fhe oft him blam'd
For fuffering fuch abuse as Knighthood sham'd,
And him difabled quite. But he was wife,
Ne would with vain occafions be inflam'd;
Yet others fhe more urgent did devise :
Yet nothing could him to impatience entise.
XXII.

Their fell contention ftill encreased more,
And more thereby encreased Furor's might;
That he his foe has hurt, and wounded fore,
And him in blood and dirt deformed quight.
His Mother eke (more to augment his (pight)
Now brought to him a flaming fier-brond,
Which the in Stygian lake (ay burning bright)
Had kindled: that she gave into his hond,
That arm'd with fire more hardly he mote him withstond.
XXIII.

Tho gan that villain wex fo fierce and strong,
That nothing might sustain his furious force;
He caft him down to ground, and all along
Drew him through dirt and mire without remorse,
And fouly battered his comely corfe;
That Guyon much disdain'd so loathly fight.
At laft he was compell'd to cry perforce,
Help (O Sir Guyon) help most noble Knight,
To rid a wretched man from hands of hellish wight,

XXIV.

The Knight was greatly moved at his plaint,
And 'gan him dight to fuccour his distress,
Till that the Palmer, by his grave restraint,
Him ftaid from yielding pitiful redrefs;
And faid, dear Son, thy caufless ruth repress,
Ne let thy ftout heart melt in pity vain:
He that his forrow fought through wilfulness,
And his foe fettred would release again,
Deferves to taste his follies fruit, repented pain.
XXV.

Guyon obey'd; So him away he drew
From needless trouble of renewing fight
Already fought, his voyage to pursue.
But rafh Pyrochles varlet, Atin hight,
When late he faw his Lord in heavy plight,
Under Sir Guyon's puiffant ftroke to fall,

Him deeming dead, as then he feem'd in fight,
Fled faft away, to tell his funeral

Unto his brother, whom Cymochles men did call.
XXVI.

He was a man of rare redoubted might,

Famous throughout the world for warlike praife, And glorious spoils, purchaft in perilous fight: Full many doughty Knights he in his days Had done to death, fubdu'd in equal frays; Whose carcafes, for terrour of his name, Of fowls and beafts he made the pitious preys, And hung their conquer'd arms for more defame On gallow-trees, in honour of his dearest Dame. XXVII.

His dearest Dame is that Enchanterefs,

The vile Acrafia that with vain delights,
And idle pleafures in her Bowre of blifs,

Does charm her Lovers, and the feeble sprights
Can call out of the bodies of frail wights:
Whom then she does transform to monftrous hews,
And horrible mishapes with ugly fights,

Captiv'd eternally in iron mews;

And darkfome dens, where Titan his face never fhews:

XXVIII.

There Atin found Cymockles fojourning,

To ferve his Lemans love: for he by kind,
Was given all to luft and loofe living,
Whenever his fierce hands he free mote find:
And now he has pour'd out his idle mind
In dainty delices, and lavish joys,

Having his warlike weapons caft behind,
And flows in pleafures, and vain pleafing toys.
Mingled emongst loofe Ladies and lafcivious boys.
XXIX.

And over him, art ftriving to compare
With nature, did an arbour green diffpred,
Framed of wanton Ivy, flowring fair,

Through which the fragrant eglantine did spred
His pricking arms, entrail'd with Rofes red,
Which dainty odours round about them threw,
And all within with flowres was garnished,
That when mild Zephyrus emongst them blew,
Did breathe out bounteous fmells, and paintedcoloursfhew.

XXX.

And fast befide, there trickled foftly down

A gentle ftream, whofe murmuring wave did play
Emongst the pumy stones, and made a foun',
To lull him foft afleep, that by it lay;
The weary traveller, wandring that way.
Therein did often quench his thirsty heat,
And then by it his weary limbs difplay,
Whiles creeping flumber made him to forget
His former pain, and wipt away his toilfome fweat.
XXXI.

And on the other fide a pleasant grove
Was fhot up high full of the ftately tree,
That dedicated is t'Olympick Jove,
And to his Son Alcides, whenas he
Gain'd in Nemea goodly victory;
Therein the merry birds, of every fort,
Chaunted aloud their chearful harmony:
And made emongst themselves a fweet confort
That quickned the dull fpright with mufical comfort.