Or of their upper garment which they weare:

Yet doest thou not with manhood, but with guile, Maintaine this evil use, thy foes thereby to foile.

XXXV.

"And lastly, in approvance of thy wrong,
To shew such faintnesse and foule cowardize
Is greatest shame; for oft it falles, that strong
And valiant Knights doe rashly enterprize
Either for fame, or else for exercize,

A wrongfull quarrell to maintaine by fight;
Yet have through prowesse and their brave emprize
Gotten great worship in this worldës sight:

For greater force there needs to maintaine wrong then right.

XXXVI.

"Yet, since thy life unto this Ladie fayre
I given have, live in reproch and scorne!
Ne ever armes ne ever knighthood dare
Hence to professe; for shame is to adorne
With so brave badges one so basely borne;
But onely breath, sith 2 that I did forgive!
So having from his craven bodie torne
Those goodly armes, he them away did give,
And onely suffred him this wretched life to live.

XXXVII.

There whilest he thus was setling things above,
Atwene that Ladie myld and recreant Knight,

3

To whom his life he graunted for her love,

He

gan bethinke him in what perilous plight He had behynd him left that salvage wight Amongst so many foes, whom sure he thought By this quite slaine in so unequall fight:

1 Then, than.

2 Sith, since.

3 Atwene, between.

If

Therefore descending backe in haste he sought yet he were alive, or to destruction brought.

XXXVIII.

There he him found environed about

With slaughtred bodies, which his hand had slaine
And laying yet afresh with courage stout
Upon the rest that did alive remaine;

Whom he likewise right sorely did constraine,
Like scattred sheepe, to seeke for safëtie,
After he gotten had with busie paine

Some of their weapons which thereby did lie,
With which he layd about, and made them fast to flie.

XXXIX.

Whom when the Prince so felly saw to rage, Approaching to him neare, his hand he stayd, And sought, by making signes, him to asswage: Who them perceiving, streight to him obayd, As to his Lord, and downe his weapons layd, As if he long had to his heasts1 bene trayned. Thence he him brought away, and up convayd Into the chamber, where that Dame remayned With her unworthy Knight, who ill him entertayned.

XL.

Whom when the Salvage saw from daunger free,
Sitting beside his Ladie there at ease,

He well remembred that the same was hee,
Which lately sought his Lord for to displease:

2

Tho all in rage he on him streight did seaze,

As if he would in peeces him have rent;

And, were not that the Prince did him appeaze, He had not left one limbe of him unrent: But streight he held his hand at his commaundëment.

XLI.

Thus having all things well in peace ordayned,
The Prince himselfe there all that night did rest;
Where him Blandina fayrely entertayned

With all the courteous glee and goodly feast
The which for him she could imagine best:
For well she knew the wayes to win good will
Of every wight, that were not too infest,1

[skill.

And how to please the minds of good and ill, Through tempering of her words and lookes by wondrous

XLII.

Yet were her words and lookes but false and fayned,

To some hid end to make more easie way,

Or to allure such fondlings 2 whom she trayned 3

Into her trap unto their owne decay:

Thereto, when needed, she could weepe and pray,
And when her listed she could fawne and flatter;
Now smyling smoothly like to sommers day,

Now glooming sadly, so to cloke her matter;

Yet were her words but wynd, and all her tears but water.

XLIII.

Whether such grace were given her by kynd,5
As women wont their guilefull wits to guyde;
Or learnd the art to please, I doe not fynd:

6

This well I wote, that she so well applyde

Her pleasing tongue, that soon she pacifyde

The wrathfull Prince, and wrought her husbands peace : Who nathëlesse, not therewith satisfyde,

His rancorous despight did not releasse

Ne secretly from thought of fell revenge surceasse:

1 Infest, hostile.

2 Fondlings, fools.

4 Thereto, also.

5 Kynd, nature.

3 Trayned, allured, drew.

• Wote, know.

XLIV.

For all that night, the whyles the Prince did rest
In carelesse couch not weeting1 what was ment,
He watcht in close awayt with weapons prest,2
Willing to worke his villenous intent

On him, that had so shamefully him shent 3:
Yet durst he not for very cowardize

Effect the same, whylest all the night was spent.
The morrow next the Prince did early rize,
And passed forth to follow his first enterprize.

1 Weeting, knowing.

2 Prest, ready.

3 Shent, rebuked, disgraced.

VOL. IV.

10

CANTO VII.

Turpine is baffuld; his two Knights
Doe gaine their treasons meed.
Fayre Mirabellaes punishment
For Loves disdaine decreed.

1.

LIKE as the gentle hart itselfe bewrayes In doing gentle deedes with franke delight, Even so the baser mind itselfe displayes In cancred malice and revengefull spight: For to maligne, t' envie, t' use shifting slight, Be arguments1 of a vile donghill mind; Which, what it dare not doe by open might, To worke by wicked treason wayes doth find, By such discourteous deeds discovering his base kind.2

II.

That well appears in this discourteous Knight,
The coward Turpine, whereof now I treat;
Who notwithstanding that in former fight

He of the Prince his life received late,
Yet in his mind malitious and ingrate

He gan devize to be aveng'd anew

For all that shame, which kindled inward hate:

1 Arguments, indications.

2 Base kind, low nature.

Arg. 1.- Turpine is baffuld.] Baffled, or disgraced.—For the manner of his disgrace, see stanza XXVII.