Whylest thus she in these hellish dens remayned,
Wrapped in wretched cares and heart's unrest,
It so befell, as Fortune had ordayned,
That he which was their capitaine profest,
And had the chiefe commaund of all the rest,
One day as he did all his prisoners vew,
With lustfull eyes beheld that lovely guest,
Faire Pastorella, whose sad mournefull hew,
Like the faire morning clad in misty fog did shew.
IV.
At sight whereof his barbarous heart was fired,
And inly burnt with flames most raging whot,
That her alone he for his part desired
Of all the other pray which they had got,
And her in mynde did to himselfe allot :
From that day forth he kyndnesse to her showed,
And sought her love by all the meanes he mote;
With looks, with words, with gifts, he oft her wowed,
And mixed threats among, and much unto her vowed.
V.
But all that ever he could doe or say,
Her constant mynd could not a whit remove,
Nor draw unto the lure of his lewd lay,
To graunt him favour or afford him love;
Yet ceast he not to sew, and all waies prove,
By which he mote accomplish his request,
Saying and doing all that mote behove;
Ne day nor night he suffred her to rest,
But her all night did watch, and all the day molest.
At last, when him she so importune saw,
Fearing least he at length the raines would lend
Unto his lust, and make his will his law,
Sith in his powre she was to foe or friend,
She thought it best for shadow to pretend
Some shew of favour, by him gracing small,
That she thereby mote either freely wend,
Or at more ease continue there his thrall:
A little well is lent that gaineth more withall.
VII.
So from thenceforth, when love he to her made,
With better tearmes she did him entertaine,
Which gave him hope, and did him halfe perswade
That he in time her ioyaunce should obtaine;
But when she saw, through that small favour's gaine,
That further then she willing was he prest,
She found no meanes to barre him, but to faine
A sodaine sicknesse, which her sore opprest,
And made unfit to serve his lawlesse mindes behest.
VIII.
By meanes whereof she would not him permit
Once to approach to her in privity,
But onely mongst the rest by her to sit,
Mourning the rigour of her malady,
And seeking all things meete for remedy;
But she resolv'd no remedy to fynde,
Nor better cheare to shew in misery,
Till Fortune would her captive bonds unbynde;
Her sickenesse was not of the body, but the mynde.
During which space that she thus sicke did lie,
It chaunst a sort of merchants, which were wount
To skim those coastes for bondmen there to buy,
And by such trafficke he after gaines to hunt,
Arrived in this isle, though bare and blunt,
T'inquire for slaves; where being readie met
By some of these same theeves, at th' instant brunt
Where brought unto their captaine, who was set
By his faire patient's side with sorrowfull regret:
To whom they shewed how those marchants were
Arriv'd in place their bondslaves for to buy;
And therefore prayd that those same captives there
Mote to them for their most commodity
Be sold, and mongst them shared equally.
This their request
the captaine much appalled, Yet could he not their iust demaund deny,
And willed streight the slaves should forth be called,
And sold for most advantage not to be forstalled.
XI.
Then forth the good old Melibee was brought,
And Coridon, with many other moe,
Whom they before in diverse spoyles had caught,
All which he to the merchants sale did showe;
Till some, which did the sundry prisoners knowe,
Gan to inquire for that faire shepherdesse,
Which with the rest they tooke not long agoe,
And gan her forme and feature to expresse,
The more t'augment her price through praise of
comlinesse.
To whom the captaine in full angry wize
Made answere, that the mayd of whom they spake
Was his owne purchase and his onely prize,
With which none had to doe, ne ought partake,
But he himselfe, which did that conquest make;
Litle for him to have one silly lasse;
Besides through sicknesse now so wan and weake,
That nothing meet in merchandize to passe: [was.
So shew'd them her, to prove how pale and weak she
The sight of whom, though now decayd and mard,
And eke but hardly seene by candle-light,
Yet like a diamond of rich regard,
In doubtfull shadow of the darksome night
With starrie beames about her shining bright,
These merchants fixed eyes did so amaze,
That what through wonder, and what through delight,
A while on her they greedily did gaze,
And did her greatly like, and did her greatly praize.
XIV.
At last when all the rest them offred were,
And prises to them placed at their pleasure,
They all refused in regard of her,
Ne ought would buy, however prisd with measure,
Withouten her, whose worth above all threasure
They did esteeme, and offred store of gold :
But then the captaine, fraught with more displeasure,
Bad them be still, his love should not be sold;
The rest take if they would, he her to him would hold.
Therewith some other of the chiefest theeves
Boldly him bad such iniurie forbeare,
For that same mayd, however it him greeves,
Should with the rest be sold before him theare,
To make the prises of the rest more deare:
That with great rage he stoutly doth denay,
And fiercely drawing forth his blade, doth sweare
That whoso hardie hand on her doth lay,
It dearely shall aby, and death for handsell pay.
XVI.
Thus as they words amongst them multiply,
They fall to strokes, the frute of too much talke,
And the mad steele about doth fiercely fly,
Not sparing wight, ne leaving any balke,
But making way for Death at large to walke;
Who in the horror of the griesly night
In thousand dreadful shapes doth mongst them stalke,
And makes huge havocke; whiles the candle-light
Out-quenched leaves no skill nor difference of wight.
XVII.
Like as a sort of hungry dogs, ymet
About some carcase by the common way,
Do fall together, stryving each to get
The greatest portion of the greedie pray ;
All on confused heapes themselves assay,
And snatch, and bite, and rend, and tug, and teare,
That who them sees would wonder at their fray,
And who sees not would be affrayd to heare ;
Such was the conflict of those cruell Brigants there.
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