It forth fhe call'd, and gave it ftreight in charge,
Through thick and thin her to purfue apace,
Ne once to stay to reft, or breathe at large,
Till her he had attain'd, and brought in place,
Or quite devour'd her beauties fcornful grace.
The monfter, fwift as word that from her went,
Went forth in hafte, and did her footing trace
So fure and swiftly, through his perfect fcent,
And paffing speed, that fhortly he her over-hent.
XXIV.
Whom when the fearful damzel nigh efpide,
No need to bid her faft away to flie;
That ugly fhape fo fore her terrifide,
That it the fhun'd no lefs, than dread to die :
And her flit palfrey did fo well apply
His nimble feet to her conceived fear,
That whilft his breath did ftrength to him fupply, From peril free he her away did bear:
But when his force 'gan fail, his pace 'gan wex arear.
XXV.
Which whenas fhe perceiv'd, fhe was difmaid
At that fame laft extremity full fore,
And of her fafety greatly grew afraid;
And now fhe 'gan approch to the sea shore,
As it befel, that fhe could flie no more,
But yield her felf to fpoil of greediness.
Lightly fhe leaped, as a wight forlore,
From her dull horfe, in defperate diftrefs,
And to her feet betook her doubtful fickernefs.
XXVI.
Not half fo faft the wicked Myrrha fed
From dread of her revenging fathers hond :
Nor half fo faft to fave her maidenhead,
Fled fearful Daphne on th'Egaan ftrond,
As Florimell fed from the monster yond,
To reach the fea, ere fhe of him were raught:
For in the fea to drown her felf the fond,
Rather than of the tyrant to be caught:
Thereto fear gave her wings, and need her courage taught.
It fortuned (high God did fo ordain)
As fhe arrived on the roaring fhore,
In mind to leap into the mighty main,
A little boat lay hoving her before,
In which there flept a fifher old and poor,
The whiles his nets were drying on the fand:
Into the fame fhe leapt, and with the oar,
Did thrust the shallop from the floating ftrand:
So fafety found at fea, which fhe found not at land,
XXVIII.
The monster, ready on the prey to feize,
Was of his forward hope deceived quight;
Ne durft affay to wade the perlous feas,
But greedily long gaping at the fight,
At last in vain was forft to turn his flight,
And tell the idle tidings to his Dame:
Yet to avenge his divelifh defpight,
He fet upon her palfrey tired lame,
And flew him cruelly ere any refkew came.
XXIX.
And after having him embowelled,
To fill his hellish gorge, it chaunft a Knight
To pass that way, as forth he travelled;
It was a goodly fwain, and of great might,
As ever man that bloody field did fight;
But in vain fhews, that wont young Knights bewitch,
And courtly fervices took no delight,
But rather joyd to be, than feemen fich :
For both to be and feem to him was labour lich.
XXX.
It was to weet, the good Sir Satyrane,
That rang'd abroad, to feek adventures wild,
As was his wont in foreft, and in plain;
He was all arm'd in rugged fteel unfil'd,
As in the fmoaky forge it was compil'd,
And in his fcutchin bore a Satyrs head:
He coming prefent, where the monster vild
Upon that milk-white palfreys carcass fed,
Unto his refkew ran, and greedily him fped.
There well perceiv'd he, that it was the horse,
Whereon fair Florimel was wont to ride,
That of that fiend was rent without remorse :
Much feared he, left ought did ill betide
To that fair maid, the flowre of womens pride;
For her he dearly loved, and in all
His famous conquefts highly magnifide:
Befides her golden girdle, which did fall
From her in flight he found, that did him fore appall.
XXXII.
Full of fad fear, and doubtful agony,
Fiercely he flew upon that wicked fiend;
And with huge ftrokes, and cruel battery
Him forft to leave his prey, for to attend
Himself from deadly danger to defend :
Full many wounds in his corrupted flesh
He did engrave, and muchell blood did fpend,
Yet might not do him die; but aye more fresh
And fierce he ftill appear'd, the more he did him thresh.
XXXIII.
He wift not how him to defpoil of life,
Ne how to win the wifhed victory,
Sith him he saw still stronger grow through ftrife,
And himself weaker through infirmity;
Greatly he grew enrag'd, and furiously
Hurling his fword away, he lightly lept
Upon the beast, that with great cruelty
Roared and raged to be under-kept:
Yet he perforce him held, and strokes upon him hept.
XXXIV.
As he that strives to ftop a fuddain flood,
And in strong banks his violence enclose,
Forceth it fwell above his wonted mood,
And largely overflow the fruitful plain,
That all the country feems to be a main,
And the rich furrows float, all quite fordone :
The woeful hufbandman doth loud complain,
To see his whole years labour loft fo foon,
For which to God he made fo many an idle boon:
So him he held, and did through might amate.
So long he held him, and him beat fo long,
That at the last his fiercenefs 'gan abate,
And meekly stoop unto the victor strong :
Who to avenge the implacable wrong,
Which he supposed done to Florimell,
Sought by all means his dolour to prolong,
Sith dint of steel his carcass could not quell;
His maker with her charms had framed him fo well.
XXXVI.
The golden ribband, which that virgin wore
About her flender waifte, he took in hand,
And with it bound the beast that loud did rore
For great defpight of that unwonted band,
Yet dared not his victor to withstand,
But trembled like a lamb, fled from the prey,
And all the way him follow'd on the strand,
As he had long been learned to obey;
Yet never learned he fuch fervice, till that day.
XXXVII.
Thus as he led the beaft along the way,
He spide far off a mighty Giantess,
Faft flying on a courfer dapled gray,
From a bold Knight, that with great hardiness
Her hard purfu'd, and fought for to fupprefs:
She bore before her lap a doleful Squire,
Lying athwart her horfe in great diftrefs,
Faft bounden hand and foot with cords of wire, Whom she did mean to make the thrall of her defire. XXXVIII.
Which whenas Satyrane beheld, in hafte
He left his captive beast at liberty,
And croft the nearest way, by which he caft
Her to encounter ere fhe paffed by:
But the the way fhund nathemore forthy,
But forward gallopt faft; which when he fpide,
His mighty fpear he couched warily,
And at her ran fhe, having him defcride,
Her felf to fight addreft, and threw her load afide.
XXXIX.
Like as a Gofhawk, that in foot doth bear
A trembling Culver, having fpide on height
An Eagle, that with plumy wings doth fhear
The fubtile air, ftooping with all his might,
The quarry throws to ground with fell defpight,
And to the battle doth her felf prepare:
So ran the Giantess unto the fight;
Her firy eyes with furious fparks did stare,
And with blafphemous banns high God in pieces tare.
XL.
She caught in hand a huge great iron mace,
Wherewith the many had of life depriv'd:
But ere the stroke could feize his aimed place,
His fpear amids her fun-broad fhield arriv'd;
Yet nathemore the steel afunder riv'd,
All were the beam in bignefs like a mast,
Ne her out of the ftedfast saddle driv'd,
But glancing on the tempred metal, brast
In thousand fhivers, and fo forth beside her past.
XLI.
Her fteed did ftagger with that puiffant stroke;
But the no more was moved with that might,
Than it had lighted on an aged Oke;
Or on the marble pillour, that is pight
Upon the top of mount Olympus hight,
For the brave youthly champions to affay,
With burning charet wheels it nigh to fmight:
But who that fmites it, marrs his joyous play,
And is the fpectacle of ruinous decay.
Yet therewith fore enrag'd, with ftern regard
Her dreadful weapon fhe to him addrest,
Which on his helmet martelled fo hard,
That made him low incline his lofty creft,
And bow'd his battred vifour to his breast:
Wherewith he was fo ftun'd, that he n'ote ride,
But reeled to and fro from eaft to weft:
Which when his cruel enemy efpide,
She lightly unto him adjoined fide to fide;
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