The Faerie Queene · Book II · Canto 2 12 (3/3)

Upon a bed of Roses she was layd,

As faint through heat, or dight to pleasant sin;

And was arayd, or rather disarayd,

All in a vele of silke and silver thin,

That hid no whit her alablaster skin,

But rather shewd more white, if more might bee:

More subtile web Arachne cannot spin;

Nor the fine nets, which oft we woven see

Of scorched deaw, do not in th’ayre more lightly flee.

Her snowy brest was bare to ready spoyle

Of hungry eies, which n’ote therewith be fild;

And yet, through languour of her late sweet toyle,

Few drops, more cleare then Nectar, forth distild,

That like pure Orient perles adowne it trild;

And her faire eyes, sweet smyling in delight,

Moystened their fierie beames, with which she thrild

Fraile harts, yet quenched not; like starry light,

Which, sparckling on the silent waves, does seeme more bright.

The young man, sleeping by her, seemd to be

Some goodly swayne of honorable place,

That certes it great pitty was to see

Him his nobility so fowle deface:

A sweet regard and amiable grace,

Mixed with manly sternesse, did appeare,

Yet sleeping, in his well proportiond face;

And on his tender lips the downy heare

Did now but freshly spring, and silken blossoms beare.

His warlike Armes, the ydle instruments

Of sleeping praise, were hong upon a tree;

And his crave shield, full of old moniments,

Was fowly ras’t, that none the signes might see:

Ne for them ne for honour cared hee,

Ne ought that did to his advauncement tend;

But in lewd loves, and wastfull luxuree,

His dayes, his goods, his bodie, he did spend:

O horrible enchantment, that him so did blend!

The noble Elfe and carefull Palmer drew

So nigh them, minding nought but lustfull game

That suddein forth they on them rusht, and threw

A subtile net, which only for that same

The skilfull Palmer formally did frame:

So held them under fast; the whiles the rest

Fled all away for feare of fowler shame.

The faire Enchauntresse, so unwares opprest,

Tryde all her arts and all her sleights thence out to wrest.

And eke her lover strove, but all in vaine;

For that same net so cunningly was wound,

That neither guile nor force might it distraine.

They tooke them both, and both them strongly bound

In captive bandes, which there they readie found:

But her in chaines of adamant he tyde;

For nothing else might keepe her safe and sound:

But Verdant (so he hight) he soone untyde,

And counsell sage in steed thereof to him applyde.

But all those pleasaunt bowres, and Pallace brave,

Guyon broke downe with rigour pittilesse;

Ne ought their goodly workmanship might save

Them from the tempest of his wrathfulnesse,

But that their blisse he turn’d to balefulnesse.

Their groves he feld; their gardins did deface;

Their arbers spoyle; their Cabinets suppresse;

Their banket houses burne; their buildings race;

And, of the fayrest late, now made the fowlest place.

Then led they her away, and eke that knight

They with them led, both sorrowfull and sad.

The way they came, the same retourn’d they right,

Till they arrived where they lately had

Charm’d those wild-beasts that rag’d with furie mad;

Which, now awaking, fierce at them gan fly,

As in their mistresse reskew whom they lad;

But them the Palmer soone did pacify.

Then Guyon askt, what meant those beastes which there did ly?

Sayd he; “These seeming beasts are men indeed,

Whom this Enchauntresse hath transformed thus;

Whylome her lovers, which her lustes did feed,

Now turned into figures hideous,

According to their mindes like monstruous.”

“Sad end,” (quoth he) “of life intemperate,

And mourneful meed of joyes delicious!

But, Palmer, if it mote thee so aggrate,

Let them returned be unto their former state.”

Streight way he with his vertuous staffe them strooke,

And streight of beastes they comely men became;

Yet being men they did unmanly looke,

And stared ghastly; some for inward shame,

And some for wrath to see their captive Dame:

But one above the rest in speciall

That had an hog beene late, hight Grylle by name,

Repyned greatly, and did him miscall

That had from hoggish forme him brought to naturall.

Saide Guyon; “See the mind of beastly man,

That hath so soone forgot the excellence

Of his creation, when he life began,

That now he chooseth with vile difference

To be a beast, and lacke intelligence!”

To whom the Palmer thus: “The donghill kinde

Delightes in filth and fowle incontinence:

Let Gryll be Gryll, and have his hoggish minde;

But let us hence depart whilest wether serves and winde.”