The Faerie Queene · Book III · Canto 3 1 (2/2)

Lo! where beyond he lyeth languishing,

Deadly engored of a great wilde Bore;

And by his side the Goddesse groveling

Makes for him endlesse mone, and evermore

With her soft garment wipes away the gore

Which staynes his snowy skin with hatefull hew:

But, when she saw no helpe might him restore,

Him to a dainty flowre she did transmew,

Which in that cloth was wrought as if it lively grew.

So was that chamber clad in goodly wize:

And rownd about it many beds were dight,

As whylome was the antique worldes guize,

Some for untimely ease, some for delight,

As pleased them to use that use it might;

And all was full of Damzels and of Squyres,

Dauncing and reveling both day and night,

And swimming deepe in sensuall desyres;

And Cupid still emongest them kindled lustfull fyres.

And all the while sweet Musicke did divide

Her looser notes with Lydian harmony;

And all the while sweet birdes thereto applide

Their daintie layes and dulcet melody,

Ay caroling of love and jollity,

That wonder was to heare their trim consort.

Which when those knights beheld, with scornefull eye

They sdeigned such lascivious disport,

And loath’d the loose demeanure of that wanton sort.

Thence they were brought to that great Ladies vew,

Whom they found sitting on a sumptuous bed

That glistred all with gold and glorious shew,

As the proud Persian Queenes accustomed.

She seemd a woman of great bountihed,

And of rare beautie, saving that askaunce

Her wanton eyes, ill signes of womanhed,

Did roll too lightly, and too often glaunce,

Without regard of grace or comely amenaunce.

Long worke it were, and needlesse, to devize

Their goodly entertainement and great glee.

She caused them be led in courteous wize

Into a bowre, disarmed for to be,

And cheared well with wine and spiceree:

The Redcrosse Knight was soon disarmed there;

But the brave Mayd would not disarmed bee,

But onely vented up her umbriere,

And so did let her goodly visage to appere.

As when fayre Cynthia, in darkesome night,

Is in a noyous cloud enveloped,

Where she may finde the substance thin and light,

Breakes forth her silver beames, and her bright hed

Discovers to the world discomfited:

Of the poore traveiler that went astray

With thousand blessings she is heried.

Such was the beautie and the shining ray,

With which fayre Britomart gave light unto the day.

And eke those six, which lately with her fought,

Now were disarmd, and did them selves present

Unto her vew, and company unsought;

For they all seemed courteous and gent,

And all sixe brethren, borne of one parent,

Which had them traynd in all civilitee,

And goodly taught to tilt and turnament:

Now were they liegmen to this Ladie free,

And her knights service ought, to hold of her in fee.

The first of them by name Gardantè hight,

A jolly person, and of comely vew;

The second was Parlantè, a bold knight;

And next to him Jocantè did ensew;

Basciantè did him selfe most courteous shew;

But fierce Bacchantè seemd too fell and keene;

And yett in armes Noctantè greater grew:

All were faire knights, and goodly well beseene;

But to faire Britomart they all but shadowes beene.

For shee was full of amiable grace

And manly terror mixed therewithall;

That as the one stird up affections bace,

So th’other did mens rash desires apall,

And hold them backe that would in error fall:

As hee that hath espide a vermeill Rose,

To which sharp thornes and breres the way forstall,

Dare not for dread his hardy hand expose,

But wishing it far off his ydle wish doth lose.

Whom when the Lady saw so faire a wight,

All ignorant of her contrary sex,

(For shee her weend a fresh and lusty knight,)

Shee greatly gan enamoured to wex

And with vaine thoughts her falsed fancy vex:

Her fickle hart conceived hasty fyre,

Like sparkes of fire which fall in sclender flex,

That shortly brent into extreme desyre,

And ransackt all her veines with passion entyre.

Eftsoones shee grew to great impatience,

And into termes of open outrage brust,

That plaine discovered her incontinence;

Ne reckt shee who her meaning did mistrust,

For she was given all to fleshly lust,

And poured forth in sensuall delight,

That all regard of shame she had discust,

And meet respect of honor putt to flight:

So shamelesse beauty soone becomes a loathly sight.

Faire Ladies, that to love captived arre,

And chaste desires doe nourish in your mind,

Let not her fault your sweete affections marre,

Ne blott the bounty of all womankind,

’Mongst thousands good one wanton Dame to find:

Emongst the Roses grow some wicked weeds:

For this was not to love, but lust, inclind;

For love does alwaies bring forth bounteous deeds,

And in each gentle hart desire of honor breeds.

Nought so of love this looser Dame did skill,

But as a coale to kindle fleshly flame,

Giving the bridle to her wanton will,

And treading under foote her honest name:

Such love is hate, and such desire is shame.

Still did she rove at her with crafty glaunce

Of her false eies, that at her hart did ayme,

And told her meaning in her countenaunce;

But Britomart dissembled it with ignoraunce.

Supper was shortly dight, and downe they sat;

Where they were served with all sumptuous fare,

Whiles fruitfull Ceres and Lyæus fat

Pourd out their plenty without spight or spare.

Nought wanted there that dainty was and rare,

And aye the cups their bancks did overflow

And aye betweene the cups she did prepare

Way to her love, and secret darts did throw;

But Britomart would not such guilfull message know.

So, when they slaked had the fervent heat

Of appetite with meates of every sort,

The Lady did faire Britomart entreat

Her to disarme, and with delightfull sport

To loose her warlike limbs and strong effort;

But when shee mote not thereunto be wonne,

(For shee her sexe under that straunge purport

Did use to hide, and plaine apparaunce shonne)

In playner wise to tell her grievaunce she begonne.

And all attonce discovered her desire

With sighes, and sobs, and plaints, and piteous griefe,

The outward sparkes of her inburning fire;

Which spent in vaine, at last she told her briefe,

That but if she did lend her short reliefe

And doe her comfort, she mote algates dye:

But the chaste damzell, that had never priefe

Of such malengine and fine forgerye,

Did easely beleeve her strong extremitye.

Full easy was for her to have beliefe,

Who by self-feeling of her feeble sexe,

And by long triall of the inward griefe

Wherewith imperious love her hart did vexe,

Could judge what paines doe loving harts perplexe.

Who meanes no guile be guiled soonest shall,

And to faire semblaunce doth light faith annex:

The bird that knowes not the false fowlers call,

Into his hidden nett full easely doth fall.

Forthy she would not in discourteise wise

Scorne the faire offer of good will profest;

For great rebuke it is love to despise,

Or rudely sdeigne a gentle harts request;

But with faire countenaunce, as beseemed best,

Her entertaynd: nath’lesse shee inly deemd

Her love too light, to wooe a wandring guest;

Which she misconstruing, thereby esteemd

That from like inward fire that outward smoke had steemd.

Therewith a while she her flit fancy fedd,

Till she mote winne fit time for her desire;

But yet her wound still inward freshly bledd,

And through her bones the false instilled fire

Did spred itself, and venime close inspire.

Tho were the tables taken all away;

And every knight, and every gentle Squire,

Gan choose his Dame with Bascimano gay

With whom he ment to make his sport and courtly play.

Some fell to daunce, some fell to hazardry,

Some to make love, some to make meryment,

As diverse witts to diverse things apply;

And all the while faire Malecasta bent

Her crafty engins to her close intent.

By this th’eternall lampes, wherewith high Jove

Doth light the lower world, were halfe yspent,

And the moist daughters of huge Atlas strove

Into the Ocean deepe to drive their weary drove.

High time it seemed then for every wight

Them to betake unto their kindly rest:

Eftesoones long waxen torches weren light

Unto their bowres to guyden every guest.

Tho, when the Britonesse saw all the rest

Avoided quite, she gan her selfe despoile,

And safe committ to her soft fethered nest;

Wher through long watch, and late daies weary toile,

She soundly slept, and carefull thoughts did quite assoile.

Now whenas all the world in silence deepe

Yshrowded was, and every mortall wight

Was drowned in the depth of deadly sleepe;

Faire Malecasta, whose engrieved spright

Could find no rest in such perplexed plight,

Lightly arose out of her wearie bed,

And, under the blacke vele of guilty Night,

Her with a scarlott mantle covered

That was with gold and Ermines faire enveloped.

Then panting softe, and trembling every joynt,

Her fearfull feete towards the bowre she mov’d,

Where she for secret purpose did appoynt

To lodge the warlike maide, unwisely loov’d;

And, to her bed approching, first she proov’d

Whether she slept or wakte: with her softe hand

She softely felt if any member moov’d,

And lent her wary eare to understand

If any puffe of breath or signe of sence shee fond.

Which whenas none she fond, with easy shifte,

For feare least her unwares she should abrayd,

Th’embroder’d quilt she lightly up did lifte,

And by her side her selfe she softly layd,

Of every finest fingers touch affrayd;

Ne any noise she made, ne word she spake,

But inly sigh’d. At last the royall Mayd

Out of her quiet slomber did awake,

And chaunged her weary side the better ease to take.

Where feeling one close couched by her side,

She lightly lept out of her filed bedd,

And to her weapon ran, in minde to gride

The loathed leachour. But the Dame, halfe dedd

Through suddein feare and ghastly drerihedd,

Did shrieke alowd, that through the hous it rong,

And the whole family, therewith adredd,

Rashly out of their rouzed couches sprong,

And to the troubled chamber all in armes did throng.

And those sixe knights, that ladies Champions

And eke the Redcrosse knight ran to the stownd,

Halfe armd and halfe unarmd, with them attons:

Where when confusedly they came, they fownd

Their lady lying on the sencelesse grownd:

On thother side they saw the warlike Mayd

Al in her snow-white smocke, with locks unbownd,

Threatning the point of her avenging blaed;

That with so troublous terror they were all dismayd.

About their Ladye first they flockt arownd;

Whom having laid in comfortable couch,

Shortly they reard out of her frosen swownd;

And afterwardes they gan with fowle reproch

To stirre up strife, and troublous contecke broch:

But by ensample of the last dayes losse,

None of them rashly durst to her approch,

Ne in so glorious spoile themselves embosse:

Her succourd eke the Champion of the bloody Crosse.

But one of those sixe knights, Gardantè hight,

Drew out a deadly bow and arrow keene,

Which forth be sent, with felonous despight

And fell intent, against the virgin sheene:

The mortall steele stayd not till it was seene

To gore her side; yet was the wound not deepe,

But lightly rased her soft silken skin,

That drops of purple blood thereout did weepe,

Which did her lilly smock with staines of vermeil steep.

Wherewith enrag’d she fiercely at them flew,

And with her flaming sword about her layd,

That none of them foule mischiefe could eschew,

But with her dreadfull strokes were all dismayd:

Here, there, and every where, about her swayd

Her wrathfull steele, that none mote it abyde;

And eke the Redcrosse knight gave her good ayd,

Ay joyning foot to foot, and syde to syde;

That in short space their foes they have quite terrifyde.

Tho, whenas all were put to shamefull flight,

The noble Britomartis her arayd,

And her bright armes about her body dight.

For nothing would she lenger there be stayd,

Where so loose life, and so ungentle trade,

Was usd of knightes and Ladies seeming gent:

So earely, ere the grosse Earthes gryesy shade

Was all disperst out of the firmament,

They tooke their steeds, and forth upon their journey went.