The Faerie Queene · Book III · Canto 3 9 (2/2)

Then, sighing soft awhile, at last she thus:

“O lamentable fall of famous towne!

Which raignd so many yeares victorious,

And of all Asie bore the soveraine crowne,

In one sad night consumd and throwen downe:

What stony hart, that heares thy haplesse fate,

Is not empierst with deepe compassiowne,

And makes ensample of mans wretched state,

That floures so fresh at morne, and fades at evening late?

“Behold, Sir, how your pitifull complaint

Hath fownd another partner of your payne;

For nothing may impresse so deare constraint

As countries cause, and commune foes disdayne.

But if it should not grieve you backe agayne

To turne your course, I would to heare desyre

What to Aeneas fell; sith that men sayne

He was not in the cities wofull fyre

Consum’d, but did him selfe to safety retyre.”

“Anchyses sonne, begott of Venus fayre,”

Said he, “out of the flames for safegard fled,

And with a remnant did to sea repayre;

Where he through fatall errour long was led

Full many yeares, and weetlesse wandered

From shore to shore emongst the Lybick sandes,

Ere rest he fownd. Much there he suffered,

And many perilles past in forreine landes,

To save his people sad from victours vengefull handes.

“At last in Latium he did arryve,

Where he with cruell warre was entertaind

Of th’inland folke, which sought him backe to drive,

Till he with old Latinus was constraind

To contract wedlock, (so the fates ordaind)

Wedlocke contract in blood, and eke in blood

Accomplished, that many deare complaind:

The rivall slaine, the victour, through the flood

Escaped hardly, hardly praisd his wedlock good.

“Yet, after all, he victour did survive,

And with Latinus did the kingdom part;

But after, when both nations gan to strive

Into their names the title to convart,

His sonne Iülus did from thence depart

With all the warlike youth of Trojans bloud,

And in long Alba plast his throne apart;

Where faire it florished and long time stoud,

Till Romulus, renewing it, to Rome remoud.”

“There; there,” (said Britomart) “afresh appeard

The glory of the later world to spring,

And Troy againe out of her dust was reard

To sitt in second seat of soveraine king

Of all the world, under her governing.

But a third kingdom yet is to arise

Out of the Trojans scattered ofspring,

That in all glory and great enterprise,

Both first and second Troy shall dare to equalise.

“It Troynovant is hight, that with the waves

Of wealthy Thamis washed is along,

Upon whose stubborne neck, (whereat he raves

With roring rage, and sore him selfe does throng)

That all men feare to tempt his billowes strong,

She fastned hath her foot; which stands so hy,

That it a wonder of the world is song

In forreine lands; and all which passen by,

Beholding it from farre, doe thinke it threates the skye.

“The Trojan Brute did first that citie fownd,

And Hygate made the meare thereof by West,

And Overt gate by North: that is the bownd

Toward the land; two rivers bownd the rest.

So huge a scope at first him seemed best,

To be the compasse of his kingdomes seat:

So huge a mind could not in lesser rest,

Ne in small meares containe his glory great,

That Albion had conquered first by warlike feat.”

“Ah! fairest Lady knight,” (said Paridell)

“Pardon, I pray, my heedlesse oversight,

Who had forgot that whylome I heard tell

From aged Mnemon; for my wits beene light.

Indeed he said, (if I remember right)

That of the antique Trojan stocke there grew

Another plant, that raught to wondrous hight,

And far abroad his mightie braunches threw

Into the utmost Angle of the world he knew.

“For that same Brute, whom much he did advaunce

In all his speach, was Sylvius his sonne,

Whom having slain through luckles arrowes glaunce,

He fled for feare of that he had misdonne,

Or els for shame, so fowle reproch to shonne,

And with him ledd to sea an youthly trayne;

Where wearie wandring they long time did wonne,

And many fortunes prov’d in th’Ocean mayne,

And great adventures found, that now were long to sayne.

“At last by fatall course they driven were

Into an Island spatious and brode,

The furthest North that did to them appeare:

Which, after rest, they, seeking farre abrode,

Found it the fittest soyle for their abode,

Fruitfull of all thinges fitt for living foode,

But wholy waste and void of peoples trode,

Save an huge nation of the Geaunts broode

That fed on living flesh, and dronck mens vitall blood.

“Whom he, through wearie wars and labours long,

Subdewd with losse of many Britons bold:

In which the great Goemagot of strong

Corineus, and Coulin of Debon old,

Were overthrowne and laide on th’earth full cold,

Which quaked under their so hideous masse;

A famous history to bee enrold

In everlasting moniments of brasse,

That all the antique Worthies merits far did passe.

“His worke great Troynovant, his worke is eke

Faire Lincolne, both renowmed far away;

That who from East to West will endlong seeke,

Cannot two fairer Cities find this day,

Except Cleopolis: so heard I say

Old Mnemon. Therefore, Sir, I greet you well

Your countrey kin; and you entyrely pray

Of pardon for the strife, which late befell

Betwixt us both unknowne.” So ended Paridell.

But all the while that he these speeches spent,

Upon his lips hong faire Dame Hellenore

With vigilant regard and dew attent,

Fashioning worldes of fancies evermore

In her fraile witt, that now her quite forlore:

The whiles unwares away her wondring eye

And greedy eares her weake hart from her bore;

Which he perceiving, ever privily,

In speaking many false belgardes at her let fly.

So long these knights discoursed diversly

Of straunge affaires, and noble hardiment,

Which they had past with mickle jeopardy,

That now the humid night was farforth spent,

And hevenly lampes were halfendeale ybrent:

Which th’old man seeing wel, who too long thought

Every discourse, and every argument,

Which by the houres he measured, besought

Them go to rest. So all unto their bowres were brought.