LI
At last by subtill sleights she him betraid Unto his foe, a Gyant huge and tall, Who him disarmed, dissolute, dismaid, Unwares surprised, and with mighty mall The monster mercilesse him made to fall, 450 Whose fall did never foe before behold; And now in darkesome dungeon, wretched thrall, Remedilesse, for aie he doth him hold; This is my cause of griefe, more great then may be told.
LII
Ere she had ended all, she gan to faint: 455 But he her comforted and faire bespake, Certes, Madame, ye have great cause of plaint, The stoutest heart, I weene, could cause to quake. But be of cheare, and comfort to you take: For till I have acquit your captive knight, 460 Assure your selfe, I will you not forsake. His chearefull wordes reviv'd her chearelesse spright, So forth they went, the Dwarfe them guiding ever right.
* * * * *
CANTO VIII
Faire virgin, to redeeme her deare brings Arthur to the fight: Who slayes that Gyant, woundes the beast, and strips Duessa quight.
I
Ay me, how many perils doe enfold The righteous man, to make him daily fall, Were not that heavenly grace doth him uphold, And stedfast truth acquite him out of all. Her love is firme, her care continuall, 5 So oft as he through his owne foolish pride, Or weaknesse is to sinfull bands made thrall: Else should this Redcrosse knight in bands have dydd For whose deliverance she this Prince doth thither guide.
II
They sadly traveild thus, until they came 10 Nigh to a castle builded strong and hie: Then cryde the Dwarfe, Lo yonder is the same, In which my Lord my liege doth lucklesse lie, Thrall to that Gyants hateful tyrannie: Therefore, deare Sir, your mightie powres assay. 15 The noble knight alighted by and by From loftie steede, and bad the Ladie stay, To see what end of fight should him befall that day.
III
So with the Squire, th' admirer of his might, He marched forth towards that castle wall; 20 Whose gates he found fast shut, ne living wight To ward the same, nor answere commers call. Then tooke that Squire an horne° of bugle small. Which hong adowne his side in twisted gold And tassels gay. Wyde wonders over all 25 Of that same hornes great vertues weren told, Which had approved bene in uses manifold.
IV
Was never wight that heard that shrilling sownd, But trembling feare did feel in every vaine; Three miles it might be easie heard around, 30 And Ecchoes three answerd it selfe againe: No false enchauntment, nor deceiptfull traine, Might once abide the terror of that blast, But presently was voide and wholly vaine: No gate so strong, no locke so firme and fast, 35 But with that percing noise flew open quite, or brast.
V
The same before the Geants gate he blew, That all the castle quaked from the ground, And every dore of freewill open flew. The Gyant selfe dismaied with that sownd, 40 Where he with his Duessa dalliance fownd, In hast came rushing forth from inner bowre, With staring countenance sterne, as one astownd, And staggering steps, to weet, what suddein stowre, Had wrought that horror strange, and dar'd his dreaded powre. 45
VI
And after him the proud Duessa came High mounted on her many-headed beast; And every head with fyrie tongue did flame, And every head was crowned on his creast, And bloody mouthed with late cruell feast.° 50 That when the knight beheld, his mightie shild Upon his manly arme he soone addrest, And at him fiercely flew, with courage fild, And eger greedinesse through every member thrild.
VII
Therewith the Gyant buckled him to fight, 55 Inflam'd with scornefull wrath and high disdaine, And lifting up his dreadfull club on hight, All arm'd with ragged snubbes and knottie graine, Him thought at first encounter to have slaine. But wise and wary was that noble Pere, 60 And lightly leaping from so monstrous maine, Did faire avoide the violence him nere; It booted nought to thinke such thunderbolts to beare.
VIII
Ne shame he thought to shunne so hideous might: The idle stroke, enforcing furious way, 65 Missing the marke of his misaymed sight Did fall to ground, and with his heavie sway So deepely dinted in the driven clay, That three yardes deepe a furrow up did throw: The sad earth wounded with so sore assay, 70 Did grone full grievous underneath the blow, And trembling with strange feare, did like an earthquake show.
IX
As when almightie Jove, in wrathfull mood,° To wreake the guilt of mortall sins is bent, Hurles forth his thundring dart with deadly food, 75 Enrold in flames, and smouldring dreriment, Through riven cloudes and molten firmament; The fierce threeforked engin making way Both loftie towres and highest trees hath rent, And all that might his angry passage stay, 80 And shooting in the earth, casts up a mount of clay.
X
His boystrous club, so buried in the ground, He could not rearen up againe so light, But that the knight him at avantage found, And whiles he strove his combred clubbe to quight 85 Out of the earth, with blade all burning bright He smote off his left arme, which like a blocke Did fall to ground, depriv'd of native might; Large streames of bloud out of the truncked stocke Forth gushed, like fresh water streame from riven rocke. 90
XI
Dismayed with so desperate deadly wound, And eke impatient of unwonted paine, He lowdly brayd with beastly yelling sound, That all the fields rebellowed againe; As great a noyse, as when in Cymbrian plaine° 95 An heard of Bulles, whom kindly rage° doth sting, Do for the milkie mothers want complaine, And fill the fields with troublous bellowing, The neighbour woods around with hollow murmur ring.
XII
That when his deare Duessa heard, and saw 100 The evil stownd, that daungerd her estate, Unto his aide she hastily did draw Her dreadfull beast, who swolne with blood of late Came ramping forth with proud presumpteous gate, And threatned all his heads like flaming brands.° 105 But him the Squire made quickly to retrate, Encountring fierce with single sword in hand, And twixt him and his Lord did like a bulwarke stand.
XIII
The proud Duessa, full of wrathfull spight, And fierce disdaine, to be affronted so, 110 Enforst her purple beast with all her might That stop out of the way to overthroe, Scorning the let of so unequall foe: But nathemore would that courageous swayne To her yeeld passage, gainst his Lord to goe, 115 But with outrageous strokes did him restraine, And with his bodie bard the way atwixt them twaine.
XIV
Then tooke the angrie witch her golden cup,° Which still she bore, replete with magick artes; Death and despeyre did many thereof sup, 120 And secret poyson through their inner parts, Th' eternall bale of heavie wounded harts; Which after charmes and some enchauntments said She lightly sprinkled on his weaker parts; Therewith his sturdie courage soone was quayd, 125 And all his senses were with suddeine dread dismayd.
XV
So downe he fell before the cruell beast, Who on his neck his bloody clawes did seize, That life nigh crusht out of his panting brest: No powre he had to stirre, nor will to rize. 130 That when the carefull knight gan well avise, He lightly left the foe, with whom he fought, And to the beast gan turne his enterprise; For wondrous anguish in his hart it wrought, To see his loved Squire into such thraldome brought. 135
XVI
And high advauncing his blood-thirstie blade, Stroke one of those deformed heads so sore, That of his puissance proud ensample made; His monstrous scalpe downe to his teeth it tore, And that misformed shape mis-shaped more: 140 A sea of blood gusht from the gaping wound, That her gay garments staynd with filthy gore, And overflowed all the field around; That over shoes in bloud he waded on the ground.
XVII
Thereat he roared for exceeding paine, 145 That to have heard great horror would have bred, And scourging th' emptie ayre with his long traine, Through great impatience° of his grieved hed His gorgeous ryder from her loftie sted Would have cast downe, and trod in durtie myre, 150 Had not the Gyant soone her succoured; Who all enrag'd with smart and franticke yre, Came hurtling in full fierce, and forst the knight retyre.