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XXVI.

In this fad plight, friendlefs, unfortunate,
Now miferable I Fidella dwell,
Craving of you in pity of my ftate,

To do none ill, if pleafe ye not do well.
He in great paffion all this while did dwell,
More bufying his quick eyes, her face to view,
Than his dull ears, to hear what fhe did tell;
And faid; Fair Lady, heart of flint would rew
The undeserved woes and forrows which ye fhew.
XXVII.

Henceforth in fafe affurance may ye reft,
Having both found a new friend you to aid,
And loft an old foe, that did you moleft:
Better new friend than an old foe, is faid.
With change of chear, the feeming fimple maid
Let fall her eyen, as fhamefact to the earth;
And yielding foft, in that the nought gain-faid.
So forth they rode, he feigning feemly mirth,
And the coy looks: fo, dainty they fay maketh dearth,
XXVIII.

Long time they thus together travelled;

Till weary of their way, they came at last,
Where grew two goodly trees, that fair did fpred
Their arms abroad, with gray mofs over-caft;
And their green leaves trembling with every blast,
Made a calm fhadow far in compass round:
The fearful Shepherd often there aghaft

Under them never fate, ne wont there found
His merry oaten pipe, but fhun'd th'unlucky ground."
XXIX.

But this good Knight, foon as he them 'gan fpy,
For the cool fhadow thither haft❜ly got :
For, golden Phebus now ymounted high,
From fiery wheels of his fair chariot,
Hurled his beam fo fcorching cruel hot,
That living creature mote it not abide;
And his new Lady it endured not.

There they alight, in hope themselves to hide

From the fierce heat, and reft their weary limbs a tide.

XXX.

Fair feemly pleafance each to other makes;
With goodly purposes there as they fit:
And in his falfed fancy he her takes
To be the fairest wight that lived yit;
Which to exprefs, he bends his gentle wit:
And thinking of those branches green to frame
A girlond for her dainty forehead fit,

He pluckt a bough: out of whose rift there came Small drops of gory blood, that trickled down the fame. XXXI.

Therewith a pitious yelling voice was heard,
Crying, O fpare with guilty hands to tear
My tender fides in this rough rind embar'd:
But fly, ah fly far hence away, for fear
Left to you hap, that hapned to me here,
And to this wretched Lady, my dear love;
O too dear love! love bought with death too dear.
Aftond he stood, and up his hair did hove,
And with that fuddain horror could no member move.
XXXII.

At laft, whenas the dreadful paffion

Was over-paft, and manhood well awake:
Yet mufing at the ftrange occafion,

And doubting much his fenfe, he thus befpake;
What voice of damned ghost from Limbo lake,
Or guileful sprite wandring in empty ayre
(Both which frail men do oftentimes mistake)
Sends to my doubtful ears thefe fpeeches rare,
And rueful plaints, me bidding guiltless blood to fpare?
XXXIII

Then groaning deep, nor damned ghoft, quoth he,
Nor guileful fprite to thee thefe words doth speak;
But once a man, Fradubio, now a tree:

Wretched man, wretched tree, whofe nature weak,
A cruel Witch (her curled will to wreak)
Hath thus transform'd, and plact in open plains,
Where Boreas doth blow full bitter bleak,
And fcorching fun does dry my fecret veins :

For though a tree I feem, yet cold and heat me pains,

XXXIV.

Say on Fradubio then, or man, or tree,

Quoth then the Knight, by whofe mifchievous arts
Art thou mishaped thus, as now I fee?
He oft finds medcine who his grief imparts;
But double griefs afflict concealing hearts,
As raging flames who striveth to fupprefs.
The author then, faid he, of all my fmarts,
Is one Duessa a falfe forceress,

That many errant Knights hath brought to wretchedness.
XXXV.

In prime of youthly years, when courage hot
The fire of love and joy of chevalree
First kindled in my breaft; it was my lot
To love this gentle Lady whom ye fee,
Now not a Lady, but a feeming tree;
With whom as once I rode accompanide,
Me chanced of a Knight encountred be,
That had a like fair Lady by his fide;
Like a fair Lady, but did foul Dueffa hide.
XXXVI.

Whofe forged beauty he did take in hand,

All other Dames to have exceeded far:

I in defence of mine did likewife ftand;
Mine, that did then shine as the morning star
So both to battle fierce arranged are:
In which his harder fortune was to fall
Under my spear: fuch is the dye of war:
His Lady, left as a prize martial,

Did yield her comely perfon, to be at my call.
XXXVII.

So doubly lov'd of Ladies unlike fair,

Th' one seeming fuch, the other fuch indeed,
One day in doubt I caft for to compare,

Whether in beauties glory did exceed;
A rofie girlond was the victors meed:

Both feem'd to win, and both feem'd won to be,
So hard the difcord was to be agreed.
Fralia was as fair, as fair mote be:
And ever falfe Duela feem'd as fair as the.

XXXVIII.

The wicked Witch, now feeing all this while
The doubtful ballance equally to fway,
What not by right, fhe caft to win by guile,
And by her hellish science rais'd straitway
A foggy mift that over-caft the day,

And a dull blaft, that breathing on her face,
Dimmed her former beauties fhining ray,
And with foul ugly form did her difgrace:
Then was fhe fair alone, when none was fair in place.
XXXIX.

Then cryd fhe out, fie, fie, deformed wight,
Whofe borrow'd beauty now appeareth plain
To have before bewitched all mens fight;
O leave her foon, or let her foon be flain.
Her loathly vifage viewing with disdain,
Eftfoons I thought her fuch, as she me told,

And would have kill'd her; but, with feigned pain; The falfe Witch did my wrathful hand with-hold: So left her, where the now is turnd to tre-en mould. XL.

Thenceforth I took Duella for my Dame,
And in the Witch unweeting joyd long time:
Ne ever wift, but that the was the fame;
Till on a day (that day is every prime,
When Witches wont do penance for their crime)
I chanct to fee her in her proper hew,
Bathing her felf in origane and thyme:
A filthy foul old woman I did view,
That ever to have toucht her, I did deadly rew.
XLI.

Her neather parts misfhapen, monftruous,
Were hid in water, that I could not see:
But they did feem more foul and hideous,
Than womans fhape man would believe to be.
Then forth from her most beaftly company
I 'gan refrain, in mind to flip away,
Soon as appeard fafe opportunity:
For danger great, if not affur'd decay,

faw before mine eyes, if I were known to ftray.

XLII.

The develish hag by changes of my chear

Perceiv'd my thought; and drownd in fleepy night;
With wicked herbs and oyntments did befmear
My body all, through charms and magick might;
That all my fenfes were bereaved quight:
Then brought the me into this defert vaft,
And by my wretched Lovers fide me pight;
Where now inclos'd in wooden walls full faft,
Banisht from living wights, our weary days we wast.
XLIII.

But how long time, faid then the Elfin Knight,
Are you in this misformed houfe to dwell?
We may not change, quoth he, this evil plight,
Till we be bathed in a living Well;
That is the term prescribed by the spell.
O! how, faid he, mote I that Well out-find,
That may restore you to your wonted well?
Time and fuffifed Fates to former kind

Shall us reftore: none elfe from hence may us unbind.
XLIV.

The falfe Dueffa, now Fideffa hight,

Heard how in vain Fradubio did lament,
And knew well all was true. But the good Knight
Full of fad fear and ghaftly dreriment,

When all this fpeech the living tree had spent,
The bleeding bough did thruft into the ground,
That from the blood he might be innocent,

And with fresh clay did close the wooden wound: Then turning to his Lady, dead with fear her found. XLV.

Her feeming dead he found with feigned fear,
As all unweeting of that well fhe knew,
And pain'd himself with bufie care to rear
Her out of carelefs fwoune. Her eye-lids blue
And dimmed fight, with pale and deadly hue,
At laft fhe 'gan up-lift: with trembling chear
Her up he took, too fimple and too true,
And oft her kift. At length, all paffed fear,
He fet her on her fteed, and forward forth did bear.

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