XIX
Long he them bore above the subject plaine, So far as Ewghen bow a shaft may send, Till struggling strong did him at last constraine 165 To let them downe before his flightes end: As hagard hauke,° presuming to contend With hardie fowle, above his hable might,° His wearie pounces all in vaine doth spend To trusse the pray too heavy for his flight; 170 Which comming downe to ground, does free it selfe by fight.
XX
He so disseized° of his gryping grosse, The knight his thrillant speare again assayd In his bras-plated body to embosse, And three mens strength unto the stroke he layd; 175 Wherewith the stiffe beame quaked, as affrayd, And glauncing from his scaly necke, did glyde Close under his left wing, then broad displayd: The percing steele there wrought a wound full wyde, That with the uncouth smart the Monster lowdly cryde. 180
XXI
He cryde, as raging seas are wont to rore, When wintry storme his wrathfull wreck does threat The roaring billowes beat the ragged shore, As they the earth would shoulder from her seat, And greedy gulfe does gape,° as he would eat 185 His neighbour element in his revenge: Then gin the blustring brethren° boldly threat To move the world from off his steadfast henge, And boystrous battell make, each other to avenge.
XXII
The steely head stucke fast still in his flesh, 190 Till with his cruell clawes he snatcht the wood, And quite a sunder broke. Forth flowed fresh A gushing river of blacke goarie blood, That drowned all the land, whereon he stood; The streame thereof would drive a water-mill: 195 Trebly augmented was his furious mood With bitter sence of his deepe rooted ill, That flames of fire he threw forth from his large nosethrill.
XXIII
His hideous tayle then hurled he about, And therewith all enwrapt the nimble thyes 200 Of his froth-fomy steed, whose courage stout Striving to loose the knot that fast him tyes, Himselfe in streighter bandes too rash implyes, That to the ground he is perforce constraynd To throw his rider: who can quickly ryse 205 From off the earth, with durty blood distaynd, For that reprochfull fall right fowly he disdaynd.
XXIV
And fiercely tooke his trenchand blade in hand, With which he stroke so furious and so fell, That nothing seemd the puissaunce could withstand: 210 Upon his crest the hardned yron fell, But his more hardned crest was armd so well, That deeper dint therein it would not make; Yet so extremely did the buffe him quell, That from thenceforth he shund the like to take, 215 But when he saw them come, he did them still forsake.
XXV
The knight was wroth to see his stroke beguyld, And smote againe with more outrageous might; But backe againe the sparckling steele recoyld, And left not any marke, where it did light, 220 As if in Adamant rocke it had bene pight. The beast impatient of his smarting wound, And of so fierce and forcible despight, Thought with his wings to stye above the ground; But his late wounded wing unserviceable found. 225
XXVI
Then full of griefe and anguish vehement, He lowdly brayd, that like was never heard, And from his wide devouring oven° sent A flake of fire, that, flashing in his beard, Him all amazd, and almost made affeard: 230 The scorching flame sore swinged all his face, And through his armour all his body seard, That he could not endure so cruell cace, But thought his armes to leave, and helmet to unlace.
XXVII
Not that great Champion° of the antique world, 235 Whom famous Poetes verse so much doth vaunt, And hath for twelve huge labours high extold, So many furies and sharpe fits did haunt, When him the poysond garment did enchaunt, With Centaures bloud and bloudie verses charm'd; 240 As did this knight twelve thousand dolours daunt, Whom fyrie steele now burnt, that earst him arm'd, That erst him goodly arm'd, now most of all him harm'd.
XXVIII
Faint, wearie, sore, emboyled, grieved, brent° With heat, toyle, wounds, armes, smart, and inward fire, 245 That never man such mischiefes did torment; Death better were, death did he oft desire, But death will never come, when needes require. Whom so dismayd when that his foe beheld, He cast to suffer him no more respire, 250 But gan his sturdy sterne about to weld, And him so strongly stroke, that to the ground him feld.
XXIX
It fortuned, (as faire it then befell,) Behind his backe unweeting, where he stood, Of auncient time there was a springing well, 255 From which fast trickled forth a silver flood, Full of great vertues, and for med'cine good. Whylome, before that cursed Dragon got That happy land, and all with innocent blood Defyld those sacred waves, it rightly hot 260 _The well of life_,° ne yet his vertues had forgot.
XXX
For unto life the dead it could restore, And guilt of sinfull crimes cleane wash away, Those that with sicknesse were infected sore It could recure, and aged long decay 265 Renew, as one were borne that very day. Both Silo° this, and Jordan did excell, And th' English Bath,° and eke the German Spau; Ne can Cephise,° nor Hebrus match this well: Into the same the knight back overthrowen, fell. 270
XXXI
Now gan the golden Phoebus for to steepe His fierie face in billowes of the west, And his faint steedes watred in Ocean deepe, Whiles from their journall labours they did rest, When that infernall Monster, having kest 275 His wearie foe into that living well, Can high advance his broad discoloured brest Above his wonted pitch, with countenance fell, And clapt his yron wings, as victor he did dwell.
XXXII
Which when his pensive Ladie saw from farre, 280 Great woe and sorrow did her soule assay, As weening that the sad end of the warre, And gan to highest God entirely pray, That feared chance from her to turne away; With folded hands and knees full lowly bent, 285 All night she watcht, ne once adowne would lay Her daintie limbs in her sad dreriment, But praying still did wake, and waking did lament.
XXXIII
The morrow next gan early to appeare, That Titan rose to runne his daily race; 290 But early ere the morrow next gan reare Out of the sea faire Titans deawy face, Up rose the gentle virgin from her place, And looked all about, if she might spy Her loved knight to move° his manly pace: 295 For she had great doubt of his safety, Since late she saw him fall before his enemy.
XXXIV
At last she saw, where he upstarted brave Out of the well, wherein he drenched lay: As Eagle° fresh out of the Ocean wave, 300 Where he hath left his plumes all hoary gray, And deckt himselfe with feathers youthly gay, Like Eyas hauke up mounts unto the skies, His newly budded pineons to assay, And marveiles at himselfe, still as he flies: 305 So new this new-borne knight to battell new did rise.
XXXV
Whom when the damned feend so fresh did spy, No wonder if he wondred at the sight, And doubted, whether his late enemy It were, or other new supplied knight. 310 He, now to prove his late renewed might, High brandishing his bright deaw-burning blade,° Upon his crested scalpe so sore did smite, That to the scull a yawning wound it made; The deadly dint his dulled senses all dismaid. 315
XXXVI
I wote not, whether the revenging steele Were hardned with that holy water dew, Wherein he fell, or sharper edge did feele, Or his baptized hands now greater grew; Or other secret vertue did ensew; 320 Else never could the force of fleshly arme, Ne molten mettall in his blood embrew°; For till that stownd could never wight him harme, By subtilty, nor slight, nor might, nor mighty charme.
XXXVII
The cruell wound enraged him so sore, 325 That loud he yelded for exceeding paine; As hundred ramping Lyons seem'd to rore, Whom ravenous hunger did thereto constraine: Then gan he tosse aloft his stretched traine, And therewith scourge the buxome aire so sore, 330 That to his force to yeelden it was faine; Ne ought his sturdy strokes might stand afore, That high trees overthrew, and rocks in peeces tore.