XXXV.
Full many mischiefs follow cruel Wrath;
Abhorred bloodshed, and tumultuous ftrife,
Unmanly murder, and unthrifty scath,
Bitter delpight, with rancours rufty knife:
And fretting grief the enemy of life:
All these, and many evils more haunt ire,
The fwelling fpleen, and phrenzy raging rife,
The fhaking palfey, and Saint Francis fire:
Such one was Wrath, the laft of this ungodly tire.
XXXVI.
And after all upon the wagon beam
Rode Satan, with a fmarting whip in hand,
With which he forward lafht the lazie team,
So oft as Sloth ftill in the mire did stand.
Huge routs of people did about them band,
Shouting for joy, and ftill before their way
A foggy mift had cover'd all the land;
And underneath their feet, all fcattred lay
Dead fculls and bones of men, whofe life had gone aftray.
XXXVII.
So forth they marchen in this goodly fort,
To take the folace of the open air,
And in fresh flowing fields themfelves to fport;
Emongst the rest rode that falfe Lady fair,
The foul Duelfa, next unto the chair
Of proud Lucifra, as one of the train:
But that good Knight would not fo nigh repair, Himself eftranging from their joyance vain, Whose fellowship feem'd far unfit for warlike fwain. XXXVIII.
So having folaced themfelves a space,
With pleasance of the breathing fields yfed, They back returned to the princely place; Whereas an errant Knight in arms ycled, And heath'nifh fhield, wherein with letters red Was writ Sans-joy, they new arrived find: Enflam'd with fury and fierce hardy-head, He feem'd in heart to harbour thoughts unkind, And nourish bloody vengeance in his bitter mind.
Who when the fhamed fhield of flain Sans-foy
He spide with that fame fairy champion's page,
Bewraying him that did of late destroy
His eldest brother, burning all with rage
He to him leapt, and that fame envious gage
Of Victor's glory from him fnatcht away:
But th' Elfin Knight, which ought that warlike wage,
Difdain'd to lose the meed he won in fray,
And him rencountring fierce, reskew'd the noble prey.
XL.
Therewith they 'gan to hurtlen greedily,
Redoubted battle ready to darrain,
And clash their shields, and shake their fwords on high,
That with their ftur they troubled all the train;
Till that great Queen upon eternal pain
Of high difpleasure, that enfewen might,
Commanded them their fury to refrain,
And if that either to that shield had right,
In equal lifts they fhould the morrow next it fight.
XLI.
Ah deareft Dame (quoth then the Paynim bold)
Pardon the error of enraged wight,
Whom great grief made forget the reins to hold
Of reafon's rule, to fee this recreant Knight;
No Knight but treachour full of falfe defpight
And shameful treafon, who through guile hath flain
The proweft Knight that ever field did fight,
Even ftout Sans-foy (O! who can then refrain ?)
Whose shield he bears renverft, the more to heap disdain.
XLII.
And to augment the glory of his guile,
His dearest love the fair Fidella loe
Is there poffeffed of the traitour vile,
Who reaps the harvest fowen by his foe,
Sowen in bloody field, and bought with woe:
That brother's hand fhall dearly well requight,
So be, O Queen, you equal favour fhow.
Him little answered th' angry Elfin Knight;
He never meant with words, but fwords, to plead his right.
VOL. I.
But threw his gauntlet, as a facred pledge
His caufe in combat the next day to try:
So been they parted both, with hearts on edge,
To be aveng'd each on his enemy.
That night they pafs in joy and jollity,
Feafting and courting both in bowre and hall;
For fteward was exceffive Gluttony,
That of his plenty poured forth to all;
Which doen, the chamberlain Sloth did unto reft them call.
XLIV.
Now whenas darkfome night had all difplaid
Her coal-black curtain over brightest sky,
The warlike youths on dainty couches laid,
Did chace away fweet fleep from fluggish eye,
To mufe on means of hoped victory.
But whenas Morpheus had with leaden mace
Arrested all that courtly company,
Up-rofe Duefa from her refting place,
And to the Paynims lodging comes with filent pace.
Whom broad awake fhe finds in troublous fit,
Forecafting how his foe he might annoy,
And him amoves with speeches feeming fit:
Ah dear Sans-joy, next dearest to Sans-foy,
Caufe of my new grief, caufe of my new joy;
Joyous, to fee his image in mine eye,
And griev'd, to think how foe did him deftroy,
That was the flowre of grace and chevalry;
Lo, his Fideffa, to thy fecret faith I fly.
With gentle words he 'gan her fairly greet,
And bade fay on the fecret of her heart.
Then fighing foft, I learn that little sweet
Oft tempred is (quoth fhe) with muchell fmart:
For fince my breast was launct with lovely dart
Of dear Sans-foy, I never joyed howre,
But in eternal woes my weaker heart
Have wafted, loving him with all my powre,
And for his fake have felt full many an heavy ftowre.
XLVII.
At last, when perils all I weened past,
And hop'd to reap the crop of all my care,
Into new woes unweeting I was caft,
By this falfe faytor, who unworthy were
His worthy fhield, whom he with guileful fnare
Entrapped flew, and brought to fhameful
Me filly maid away with him he bare,
And ever fince hath kept in darkfome cave,
For that I would not yield, that to Sans-foy I gave.
XLVIII.
But fince fair fun hath fperft that louring cloud,
And to my loathed life now fhews fome light,
Under your beams I will me fafely shroud,
From dreaded storm of his difdainful spight:
To you th' inheritance belongs by right
Of brothers praife, to you eke longs his love.
Let not his love, let not his restless spright
Be unreveng'd, that calls to you above
From wandring Stygian fhores, where it doth endless move.
XLIX.
Thereto faid he, fair Dame be nought difmaid
For forrows paft; their grief is with them gone:
Ne yet of prefent peril be affraid;
For, needlefs fear did never vantage none:
And helpless hap it booteth not to mone.
Dead is Sans-foy, his vital pains are past,
Though grieved ghoft for vengeance deep doth grone :
He lives that fhall him pay his duties laft,
And guilty Elfin blood fhall facrifice in hafte.
O! but I fear the fickle freaks (quoth fhe)
Of fortune falfe, and odds of arms in field.
Why Dame (quoth he) what odds can ever be,
Where both do fight alike, to win, or yield?
Yea, but (quoth fhe) he bears a charmed fhield,
And eke enchaunted arms, that none can pierce,
Ne none can wound the man that does them wield.
Charm'd or enchaunted (anfwerd he then fierce)
Į no whit reck, ne you the like need to rehearse.
But fair Fidessa, fithence fortune's guile,
Or enemies powre hath now captived you,
Return from whence ye came, and rest awhile
Till morrow next, that I the Elf subdew,
And with Sans-foyes dead dowry you endew.
Ay me, that is a double death (fhe faid)
With proud foes fight my forrow to renew :
Where ever yet I be, my fecret ayd
So pafting forth, the him obey'd.
The faithful Knight in equal field
Subdues his faithlefs foe:
Whom falfe Dueffa faves, and for
His cure to bell does go.
HE noble heart, that harbours virtuous thought,
And is with child of glorious great intent,
Can never reft, until it forth have brought
Th' eternal brood of glory excellent: Such restless paffion did all night torment The flaming courage of that Fairy Knight, Devifing, how that doughty turnament With greatest honour he atchieven might; Still did he wake, and still did watch for dawning light. II.
At laft, the golden oriental gate
Of greatest heaven 'gan to open fair,
And Phebus fresh, as bridegroom to his mate,
Came dauncing forth, fhaking his dewy hair:
And hurld his gliftring beams through gloomy air.
Which when the wakeful Elfe perceiv'd, ftraightway
He started up, and did himself prepare.
In fun-bright arms, and battailous array:
For with that Pagan proud he combat will that day.
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