XIII
As when that divelish yron Engin° wrought In deepest Hell, and framd by Furies skill, 105 With windy Nitre and quick Sulphur fraught, And ramd with bullet round, ordaind to kill, Conceiveth fire, the heavens it doth fill With thundring noyse, and all the ayre doth choke, That none can breath, nor see, nor heare at will, 110 Through smouldry cloud of duskish stincking smoke, That th' onely breath° him daunts, who hath escapt the stroke.
XIV
So daunted when the Geaunt saw the knight, His heavie hand he heaved up on hye, And him to dust thought to have battred quight, 115 Untill Duessa loud to him gan crye; O great Orgoglio, greatest under skye, O hold thy mortall hand for Ladies sake, Hold for my sake, and do him not to dye,° But vanquisht thine eternall bondslave make, 120 And me, thy worthy meed, unto thy Leman take.
XV
He hearkned, and did stay from further harmes, To gayne so goodly guerdon, as she spake: So willingly she came into his armes, Who her as willingly to grace did take, 125 And was possessed of his new found make. Then up he tooke the slombred sencelesse corse, And ere he could out of his swowne awake, Him to his castle brought with hastie forse, And in a Dongeon deepe him threw without remorse. 130
XVI
From that day forth Duessa was his deare, And highly honourd in his haughtie eye, He gave her gold and purple pall to weare, And triple crowne set on her head full hye, And her endowd with royall majestye: 135 Then for to make her dreaded more of men, And peoples harts with awfull terrour tye, A monstrous beast° ybred in filthy fen He chose, which he had kept long time in darksome den.°
XVII
Such one it was, as that renowmed Snake° 140 Which great Alcides in Stremona slew, Long fostred in the filth of Lerna lake, Whose many heads out budding ever new Did breed him endlesse labour to subdew: But this same Monster much more ugly was; 145 For seven great heads out of his body grew, An yron brest, and back of scaly bras,° And all embrewd in bloud, his eyes did shine as glas.
XVIII
His tayle was stretched out in wondrous length, That to the house of heavenly gods it raught,° 150 And with extorted powre, and borrow'd strength, The ever-burning lamps from thence it braught, And prowdly threw to ground, as things of naught; And underneath his filthy feet did tread The sacred things, and holy heasts foretaught.° 155 Upon this dreadfull Beast with sevenfold head He sett the false Duessa, for more aw and dread.
XIX
The wofull Dwarfe, which saw his maisters fall, Whiles he had keeping of his grasing steed, And valiant knight become a caytive thrall, 160 When all was past, tooke up his forlorne weed,° His mightie armour, missing most at need; His silver shield, now idle maisterlesse; His poynant speare, that many made to bleed, The rueful moniments° of heavinesse, 165 And with them all departes, to tell his great distresse.
XX
He had not travaild long, when on the way He wofull Ladie, wofull Una met, Fast flying from that Paynims greedy pray, Whilest Satyrane him from pursuit did let: 170 Who when her eyes she on the Dwarfe had set, And saw the signes, that deadly tydings spake, She fell to ground for sorrowfull regret, And lively breath her sad brest did forsake, Yet might her pitteous hart be seene to pant and quake. 175
XXI
The messenger of so unhappie newes, Would faine have dyde: dead was his hart within, Yet outwardly some little comfort shewes: At last recovering hart, he does begin To rub her temples, and to chaufe her chin, 180 And everie tender part does tosse and turne. So hardly° he the flitted life does win, Unto her native prison to retourne: Then gins her grieved ghost thus to lament and mourne.
XXII
Ye dreary instruments of dolefull sight, 185 That doe this deadly spectacle behold, Why do ye lenger feed on loathed light, Or liking find to gaze on earthly mould, Sith cruell fates the carefull threeds unfould, The which my life and love together tyde? 190 Now let the stony dart of senselesse cold Perce to my hart, and pas through every side, And let eternall night so sad sight fro me hide.
XXIII
O lightsome day, the lampe of highest Jove, First made by him, mens wandring wayes to guyde, 195 When darkenesse he in deepest dongeon drove, Henceforth thy hated face for ever hyde, And shut up heavens windowes shyning wyde: For earthly sight can nought but sorrow breed, And late repentance, which shall long abyde. 200 Mine eyes no more on vanitie shall feed, But seeled up with death,° shall have their deadly meed.
XXIV
Then downe againe she fell unto the ground; But he her quickly reared up againe: Thrise did she sinke adowne in deadly swownd 205 And thrise he her reviv'd with busie paine, At last when life recover'd had the raine, And over-wrestled his strong enemie, With foltring tong, and trembling every vaine, Tell on (quoth she) the wofull Tragedie, 210 The which these reliques sad present unto mine eie.
XXV
Tempestuous fortune hath spent all her spight, And thrilling sorrow throwne his utmost dart; Thy sad tongue cannot tell more heavy plight, Then that I feele, and harbour in mine hart: 215 Who hath endur'd the whole, can beare each part. If death it be, it is not the first wound, That launched hath my brest with bleeding smart. Begin, and end the bitter balefull stound;° If lesse then that I feare,° more favour I have found. 220
XXVI
Then gan the Dwarfe the whole discourse declare, The subtill traines of Archimago old; The wanton loves of false Fidessa faire, Bought with the blood of vanquisht Paynim bold; The wretched payre transformed to treen mould; 225 The house of Pride, and perils round about; The combat, which he with Sansjoy did hould; The lucklesse conflict with the Gyant stout, Wherein captiv'd, of life or death he stood in doubt.
XXVII
She heard with patience all unto the end, 230 And strove to maister sorrowfull assay,° Which greater grew, the more she did contend, And almost rent her tender hart in tway; And love fresh coles unto her fire did lay: For greater love, the greater is the losse. 235 Was never Lady° loved dearer day, Then she did love the knight of the Redcrosse; For whose deare sake so many troubles her did tosse.
XXVIII
At last when fervent sorrow slaked was, She up arose, resolving him to find 240 Alive or dead: and forward forth doth pas, All as the Dwarfe the way to her assynd: And evermore, in constant carefull mind, She fed her wound with fresh renewed bale; Long tost with stormes, and bet with bitter wind, 245 High over hills, and low adowne the dale, She wandred many a wood, and measurd many a vale.
XXIX
At last she chaunced by good hap to meet A goodly knight,° faire marching by the way Together with his Squire, arrayed meet: 250 His glitterand armour shined farre away, Like glauncing light of Phoebus brightest ray; From top to toe no place appeared bare, That deadly dint of steele endanger may: Athwart his brest a bauldrick brave he ware, 255 That shynd, like twinkling stars, with stons most pretious rare.
XXX
And in the midst thereof one pretious stone Of wondrous worth, and eke of wondrous mights, Shapt like a Ladies head,° exceeding shone, Like Hesperus° emongst the lesser lights, 260 And strove for to amaze the weaker sights: Thereby his mortall blade full comely hong In yvory sheath, ycarv'd with curious slights; Whose hilts were burnisht gold, and handle strong Of mother pearle, and buckled with a golden tong. 265
XXXI
His haughtie helmet, horrid all with gold, Both glorious brightnesse, and great terrour bred; For all the crest a Dragon° did enfold With greedie pawes, and over all did spred His golden wings: his dreadfull hideous hed 270 Close couched on the bever, seem'd to throw From flaming mouth bright sparkles fierie red, That suddeine horror to faint harts did show, And scaly tayle was stretcht adowne his backe full low.