Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

XLVIII.

But that falfe Pilgrim, which that leafing told,
Being indeed old Archimage, did stay
In fecret fhadow, all this to behold,
And much rejoyced in their bloody fray :
But when he saw the Damfel pafs away,
He left his ftond, and her purfu'd apace,
In hope to bring her to her last decay.
But, for to tell her lamentable cafe,

And eke this battles end, will need another place.

What

CANTO VII.

The Redcrofs Knight is captive made
By Giant proud oppreft:

Prince Arthur meets with Una, great-
ly with thofe news distrest.

I.

Hat man fo wife, what earthly wit fo ware,
As to defcry the crafty cunning train,

By which Deceit doth mask in vizour fair,
And caft her colours dyed deep in grain,
To feem like truth, whofe fhape fhe well can feign,
And fitting geftures to her purpose frame,
The guiltless man with guile to entertain?
Great miftrefs of her art was that falfe Dame,
The falfe Dueffa, cloked with Fidella's name.

II.

Who, when returning from the drery Night,
She found not in that perilous houfe of Pride,
Where she had left the noble Redcross Knight,
Her hoped prey; fhe would no longer bide,
But forth fhe went to feek him far and wide.
Ere long the found whereas he weary fate,
To reft himself, foreby a fountain fide,.
Difarmed all of Iron-coated plate,

And by his fide his fteed the graffie forage ate.

III.

He feeds upon the cooling fhade, and bays
His sweating forehead in the breathing wind,
Which through the trembling leaves full gently plays,
Wherein the chearful birds of fundry kind
Do chaunt fweet mufick, to delight his mind:
The Witch approching 'gan him fairly greet,
And with reproach of carelefnefs unkind
Upbraid, for leaving her in place unmeet,

With foul wordstempring fair, foure gall with honey sweet.

IV.

Unkindness past, they 'gan of folace treat,
And bathe in pleafance of the joyous fhade,
Which fhielded them against the boiling heat,
And with green boughs decking a gloomy glade,
About the fountain like a girlond made;
Whose bubling wave did ever freshly well,
Ne ever would through fervent fummer fade:
The facred Nymph, which therein wont to dwell,
Was out of Dians favour as it then befell.

V.

The cause was this: one day when Phabe fair
With all her band was following the chace,
This Nymph quite tyr'd with heat of scorching air,
Sat down to reft in middeft of the race:
The Goddefs, wrath, 'gan foully her difgrace,
And bade the waters, which from her did flow,
Be fuch as the her felf was then in place.
Thenceforth her waters wexed dull and flow,
And all that drink thereof, do faint and feeble grow.
VI.

Hereof this gentle Knight unweeting was;

And lying down upon the fandy grail,
Dronk of the stream, as clear as chrystal glass,
Eftfoons his manly forces 'gan to fail,

And mighty ftrong was turn'd to feeble frail.
His changed powres at first themselves not felt,
Till crudled cold his courage 'gan affail,

And chearful blood in faintnefs chill did melt,
Which like a fever-fit through all his body fwelt.

VII.

Yet goodly court he made still to his Dame,
Pour'd out in loofenefs on the graffie ground;
Both careless of his health and of his fame :
Till at the last he heard a dreadful found,
Which through the wood loud bellowing did rebound,
That all the earth for terror feem'd to shake,
And trees did tremble. Th' Elf therewith astound,
Upftarted lightly from his loofer make,

And his unready weapons 'gan in hand to take.
VIII.

But ere he could his armour on him dight,
Or get his shield, his monftrous enemy
With sturdy steps came ftalking in his fight,
An hideous Giant horrible and high,

That with his tallness seem'd to threat the skye,
The ground eke groaned under him for dreed;
His living like faw never living eye,

Ne durft behold: his ftature did exceed
The height of three the tallest fons of mortal feed.
IX.

The greatest earth his uncouth mother was,

And bluftring Eolus his boafted Sire,

Who with his breath, that through the world doth pass,

Her hollow womb did fecretly infpire,

And fil'd her hidden caves with ftormy ire,

That she conceiv'd; and trebling the due time,
In which the wombs of women do expire,

Brought forth this monftrous maffe of earthly flime, Puft up with empty wind, and fill'd with finful crime. X.

So growing great through arrogant delight

Of th' high defcent, whereof he was yborn,
And through presumption of his matchless might,
All other powres and Knighthood he did fcorn.
Such now he marcheth to this man forlorn,
And left to lofs; his ftalking steps are staid
Upon a fnaggy Oak which he had torn
Out of his mothers bowels, and it made
His mortal mace, wherewith his foemen he difmaid.

XI.

That, when the Knight he spide, he 'gan advaunce
With huge force and infupportable main,
And towards him with dreadful fury praunce;
Who hapless, and eke hopeless, all in vain
Did to him pace, fad battle to darrain,
Difarm'd, difgract, and inwardly dismaid,
And eke fo faint in every joynt and vein,

Through that frail fountain, which him feeble made, That scarcely could he wield his bootlefs fingle blade. XII.

The Giant ftrook fo mainly merciless,

That could have overthrown a ftony towre;
And were not heavenly grace, that him did bless,
He had been pouldred all, as thin as flowre:
But he was wary of that deadly ftowre,
And lightly leapt from underneath the blow:
Yet fo exceeding was the villains powre,
That with the wind it did him overthrow,
And all his fenfes ftound, that ftill he lay full low.
XIII.

As when that develifh iron engine wrought
In deepest hell, and fram'd by Furies kill,
With windy nitre and quick fulphur fraught,
And ram'd with bullet round, ordain'd to kill,
Conceiveth fire, the heavens it doth fill
With thundring noife, and all the air doth choke,
That none can breathe, nor fee nor hear at will,
Through fmouldry cloud of duskish stinking fmoke,
That th' only breath him daunts, who hath escapt the
XIV.
[stroke.

So daunted when the Giant faw the Knight,
His heavy hand he heaved up on high,

And him to duft thought to have battred quite,
Until Duessa loud to him 'gan cry:

O great Orgoglio, greatest under fky,

O hold thy mortal hand for Ladies fake,
Hold for my fake, and do him not to dye:
But vanquifht, thine eternal bondslave make,
And me thy worthy meed unto thy Leman take,
VOL. I.

G

XV.

He hearkned, and did stay from further harms,
To gain fo goodly guerdon, as fhe fpake:
So willingly fhe came into his arms,
Who her as willingly to grace did take,
And was poffeffed of his new found make.
Then up he took the flumbred fenfelefs corfe,
And ere he could out of his fwoune awake,
-Him to his caftle brought with hafty force,
And in a dungeon deep him threw without remorse.
XVI.

From that day forth Duessa was his dear,
And highly honour'd in his haughty eye:
He gave her gold, and purple pall to wear,
And triple crown fet on her head full high,
And her endow'd with royal majefty:
Then for to make her dreaded more of men,
And peoples hearts with awful terror tye,

A monftrous beast ybred in filthy fen

He chofe, which he had kept long time in darkfome den. XVII.

Such one it was, as that renowned snake

Which great Alcides in Stremona flew,
Long foftred in the filth of Lerna lake,
Whofe many heads out-budding ever new,
Did breed him endless labour to fubdew:
But this fame monfter much more ugly was;
For feven great heads out of his body grew,
An iron breast, and back of fcaly brafs,

And all embrew'd in blood, his eyes did thine as glass.
XVIII.

His tail was ftretched out in wondrous length,

That to the houfe of heavenly gods it raught, And with extorted powre, and borrow'd strength, The ever-burning lamps from thence it brought, And proudly threw to ground, as things of nought; And underneath his filthy feet did tread The facred things, and holy heafts fortaught. Upon this dreadful beast with sevenfold head He fet the falfe Duelfa, for more awe and dread.

« AnteriorContinuar »