The Faerie Queene · Book IV · Canto 4 10 (2/2)

“An hundred Altars round about were set,

All flaming with their sacrifices fire,

That with the steme thereof the Temple swet,

Which rould in clouds to heaven did aspire,

And in them bore true lovers vowes entire:

And eke an hundred brasen caudrons bright,

To bath in joy and amorous desire,

Every of which was to a damzell hight;

For all the Priests were damzels in soft linnen dight.

“Right in the midst the Goddesse selfe did stand

Upon an altar of some costly masse,

Whose substance was uneath to understand:

For neither pretious stone, nor durefull brasse,

Nor shining gold, nor mouldring clay it was;

But much more rare and pretious to esteeme,

Pure in aspect, and like to christall glasse,

Yet glasse was not, if one did rightly deeme;

But, being faire and brickle, likest glasse did seeme.

“But it in shape and beautie did excell

All other Idoles which the heathen adore,

Farre passing that, which by surpassing skill

Phidias did make in Paphos Isle of yore,

With which that wretched Greeke, that life forlore,

Did fall in love: yet this much fairer shined,

But covered with the slender veile afore;

And both her feete and legs together twyned

Were with a snake, whose head and tail were fast combyned.

“The cause why she was covered with a vele

Was hard to know, for that her Priests the same

From peoples knowledge labour’d to concele:

But sooth it was not sure for womanish shame,

Nor any blemish which the worke mote blame;

But for, they say, she hath both kinds in one,

Both male and female, both under one name:

She syre and mother is her selfe alone,

Begets and eke conceives, ne needeth other none.

“And all about her necke and shoulders flew

A flocke of litle loves, and sports, and joyes,

With nimble wings of gold and purple hew;

Whose shapes seem’d not like to terrestriall boyes,

But like to Angels playing heavenly toyes,

The whilest their eldest brother was away,

Cupid their eldest brother; he enjoyes

The wide kingdome of love with lordly sway,

And to his law compels all creatures to obay.

“And all about her altar scattered lay

Great sorts of lovers piteously complayning,

Some of their losse, some of their loves delay,

Some of their pride, some paragons disdayning,

Some fearing fraud, some fraudulently fayning,

As every one had cause of good or ill.

Amongst the rest some one, through Loves constrayning

Tormented sore, could not containe it still,

But thus brake forth, that all the temple it did fill.

“ ‘Great Venus! Queene of beautie and of grace,

The joy of Gods and men, that under skie

Doest fayrest shine, and most adorne thy place;

That with thy smyling looke doest pacifie

The raging seas, and makst the stormes to flie;

Thee, goddesse, thee the winds, the clouds doe feare,

And, when thou spredst thy mantle forth on hie,

The waters play, and pleasant lands appeare,

And heavens laugh, and al the world shews joyous cheare.

“ ‘Then doth the dædale earth throw forth to thee

Out of her fruitfull lap aboundant flowres;

And then all living wights, soone as they see

The spring breake forth out of his lusty bowres,

They all doe learne to play the Paramours;

First doe the merry birds, thy prety pages,

Privily pricked with thy lustfull powres,

Chirpe loud to thee out of their leavy cages,

And thee their mother call to coole their kindly rages.

“ ‘Then doe the salvage beasts begin to play

Their pleasant friskes, and loath their wonted food:

The Lyons rore; the Tygres loudly bray;

The raging Buls rebellow through the wood,

And breaking forth dare tempt the deepest flood

To come where thou doest draw them with desire.

So all things else, that nourish vitall blood,

Soone as with fury thou doest them inspire,

In generation seeke to quench their inward fire.

“ ‘So all the world by thee at first was made,

And dayly yet thou doest the same repayre;

Ne ought on earth that merry is and glade,

Ne ought on earth that lovely is and fayre,

But thou the same for pleasure didst prepayre:

Thou art the root of all that joyous is:

Great God of men and women, queene of th’ayre,

Mother of laughter, and welspring of blisse,

O graunt that of my love at last I may not misse!’

“So did he say: but I with murmure soft,

That none might heare the sorrow of my hart,

Yet inly gronmg deepe and sighing oft,

Besought her to graunt ease unto my smart,

And to my wound her gratious help impart.

Whilest thus I spake, behold! with happy eye

I spyde where at the Idoles feet apart

A bevie of fayre damzels close did lye,

Wayting when as the Antheme should be sung on hye.

“The first of them did seeme of ryper yeares

And graver countenance then all the rest;

Yet all the rest were eke her equall peares,

Yet unto her obayed all the best.

Her name was Womanhood; that she exprest

By her sad semblant and demeanure wyse:

For stedfast still her eyes did fixed rest,

Ne rov’d at randon, after gazers guyse,

Whose luring baytes oftimes doe heedlesse harts entyse.

“And next to her sate goodly Shamefastnesse,

Ne ever durst her eyes from ground upreare,

Ne ever once did looke up from her desse,

As if some blame of evill she did feare,

That in her cheekes made roses oft appeare:

And her against sweet Cherefulnesse was placed,

Whose eyes, like twinkling stars in evening cleare,

Were deckt with smyles that all sad humors chaced,

And darted forth delights the which her goodly graced.

“And next to her sate sober Modestie,

Holding her hand upon her gentle hart;

And her against sate comely Curtesie,

That unto every person knew her part;

And her before was seated overthwart

Soft Silence, and submisse Obedience,

Both linckt together never to dispart;

Both gifts of God, not gotten but from thence,

Both girlonds of his Saints against their foes offence.

“Thus sate they all around in seemely rate:

And in the midst of them a goodly mayd

Even in the lap of Womanhood there sate,

The which was all in lilly white aray’d,

With silver streames amongst the linnen stray’d;

Like to the Morne, when first her shyning face

Hath to the gloomy world itselfe bewray’d:

That same was fayrest Amoret in place,

Shyning with beauties light and heavenly vertues grace.

“Whom soone as I beheld, my hart gan throb

Andvwade in doubt what best were to be donne;

For sacrilege me seem’d the Church to rob,

And folly seem’d to leave the thing undonne

Which with so strong attempt I had begonne.

Tho, shaking off all doubt and shamefast feare

Which Ladies love, I heard, had never wonne

Mongst men of worth, I to her stepped neare,

And by the lilly hand her labour’d up to reare.

“Thereat that formost matrone me did blame,

And sharpe rebuke for being over bold;

Saying, it was to Knight unseemely shame

Upon a recluse Virgin to lay hold,

That unto Venus services was sold.

To whom I thus: ‘Nay, but it fitteth best

For Cupids man with Venus mayd to hold,

For ill your goddesse services are drest

By virgins, and her sacrifices let to rest.’

“With that my shield I forth to her did show,

Which all that while I closely had conceld;

On which when Cupid, with his killing bow

And cruell shafts, emblazond she beheld,

At sight thereof she was with terror queld,

And said no more: but I, which all that while

The pledge of faith, her hand, engaged held,

Like warie Hynd within the weedie soyle,

For no intreatie would forgoe so glorious spoyle.

“And evermore upon the Goddesse face

Mine eye was fixt, for feare of her offence;

Whom when I saw with amiable grace

To laugh at me, and favour my pretence,

I was emboldned with more confidence;

And nought for nicenesse nor for envy sparing,

In presence of them all forth led her thence,

All looking on, and like astonisht staring,

Yet to lay hand on her not one of all them daring.

“She often prayd, and often me besought,

Sometime with tender teares to let her goe,

Sometime with witching smyles; but yet, for nought

That ever she to me could say or doe,

Could she her wished freedome fro me wooe:

But forth I led her through the Temple gate,

By which I hardly past with much adoe:

But that same Ladie, which me friended late

In entrance, did me also friend in my retrate.

“No lesse did Daunger threaten me with dread,

Whenas he saw me, maugre all his powre,

That glorious spoyle of beautie with me lead,

Then Cerberus, when Orpheus did recoure

His Leman from the Stygian Princes boure:

But evermore my shield did me defend

Against the storme of every dreadfull stoure:

Thus safely with my love I thence did wend.”

So ended he his tale, where I this Canto end.