Arthur and Artegall catch Guyle,
Whom Talus doth dismay:
They to Mercillaes pallace come,
And fee her rich array.
HAT tygre or what other salvage wight
Is fo exceeding furious and fell
As wrong, when it hath arin'd itselfe with might? Not fit mongst men that doe with reafon mell, But mongst wyld beafts and falvage woods to dwell; Where still the stronger doth the weake devoure, And they that most in boldneffe doe excell Are dreadded moft, and feared for their powre; Fit for Adicia there to build her wicked bowre.
There let her wonne farre from resort of men,
Where righteous Artegall her late exyled ;
There let her ever keepe her damned den,
Where none may be with her lewd parts defyled,
Nor none but beafts may be of her defpoyled :
And turne we to the noble prince, where late
We did him leave, after that he had foyled
The cruell Souldan, and with dreadfull fate
Had utterly fubverted his unrighteous state.
III.
Where having with fir Artegall a space
Well folaft in that Souldans late delight,
They both refolving now to leave the place,
Both it and all the wealth therein behight
Unto that damzell in her ladies right,
And fo would have departed on their way :
But she them woo'd by all the meanes she might,
And earnestly befought to wend that day
With her, to see her ladie thence not farre away.
By whofe entreatie both they overcommen
Agree to goe with her; and by the way,
As often falles, of fundry things did commen;
Mongft which that damzell did to them bewray
A ftraunge adventure which not farre thence lay;
To weet, a wicked villaine, bold and ftout,
Which wonned in a rocke not farre away,
That robbed all the countrie thereabout,
And brought the pillage home, whence none could get it out.
Thereto both his owne wylie wit, fhe fayd,
And eke the fastneffe of his dwelling place,
Both unaffaylable, gave him great ayde:
For he fo crafty was to forge and face,
So light of hand, and nymble of his pace,
So fmooth of tongue and fubtile in his tale,
That could deceive one looking in his face:
Therefore by name Malengin they him call,
Well knowen by his feates, and famous over all.
VI.
Through these his flights he many doth confound;
And eke the rocke, in which he wonts to dwell,
Is wondrous strong and hewen farre under ground,
A dreadfull depth, how deepe no man can tell ;
But fome doe fay it goeth downe to hell ;
And all within it full of wyndings is
And hidden wayes, that scarfe an hound by smell
Can follow out thofe falfe footsteps of his,
Ne none can backe returne that once are gone amis.
Which when those knights had heard, their hearts gan earne
To understand that villeins dwelling place,
And greatly it defir'd of her to learne,
And by which way they towards it should trace.
Were not, fayd fhe, that it should let your pace
Towards my ladies prefence by you ment,
I would you guyde directly to the place.
Then let not that, faid they, stay your intent;
For neither will one foot, till we that carle have hent.
So forth they past, till they approched ny
Unto the rocke where was the villains won :
Which when the damzell neare at hand did spy,
She warn'd the knights thereof: who thereupon
Gan to advize what best were to be done.
So both agreed to fend that mayd afore,
Where the might fit nigh to the den alone,
Wayling, and rayfing pittifull uprore,
As if she did some great calamitie deplore.
IX..
With noyfe whereof whenas the caytive carle
Should iffue forth, in hope to find some spoyle,
They in awayt would closely him enfnarle,
Ere to his den he backward could recoyle ;
And fo would hope him eafily to foyle.
The damzell straight went, as fhe was directed,
Unto the rocke; and there upon the foyle
Having herselfe in wretched wize abiected,
and wayle as if great griefe had her affected.
X.
The cry whereof entring the hollow cave
Eftfoones brought forth the villaine, as they ment,
With hope of her fome wishfull boot to have:
Full dreadfull wight he was as ever went
Upon the earth, with hollow eyes deepe pent,
And long curld locks, that downe his shoulders fhagged,
And on his backe an uncouth veftiment
Made of ftraunge stuffe, but all to worne and ragged,
And underneath his breech was all to torne and iagged,
XI.
And in his hand an huge long staffe he held,
Whose top was arm'd with many an yron hooke,
Fit to catch hold of all that he could weld,
Or in the compaffe of his clouches tooke;
And ever round about he caft his looke ;
Als at his backe a great wyde net he bore,
With which he feldom fifhed at the brooke,
But ufd to fish for fooles on the dry fhore,
Of which he in faire weather wont to take great store.
Him when the damzell saw fast by her fide,
So ugly creature, fhe was nigh difmayd;
And now for helpe aloud in earnest cride :
But when the villaine faw her so affrayd
He gan with guilefull words her to perfwade
To banish feare; and with Sardonian smyle
Laughing on her, his false intent to shade,
Gan forth to lay his bayte her to beguyle,
That from herself unwares he might her steale the whyle.
XIII.
Like as the fouler on his guilefull pype
Charmes to the birds full many a pleasant lay,
That they the whiles may take leffe heedie keepe
How he his nets doth for their ruine lay:
So did the villaine to her prate and play,
And many pleasant trickes before her show,
To turne her eyes from his intent away:
For he in flights and iugling feates did flow,
And of legierdemayne the myfteries did know.
XIV.
To which whileft she lent her intentive mind,
He fuddenly his net upon her threw,
That overfprad her like a puffe of wind;
And snatching her foone up, ere well she knew,
Ran with her faft away unto his mew,
Crying for helpe aloud: but whenas ny
He came unto his cave, and there did vew
The armed knights stopping his passage by,
He threw his burden downe and faft away did fly.
But Artegall him after did purfew;
The whiles the prince there kept the entrance ftill:
Up to the rocke he ran, and thereon flew
Like a wyld gote, leaping from hill to hill,
And dauncing on the craggy cliffes at will;
That deadly daunger feem'd in all mens fight
To tempt such steps, where footing was fo ill:
Ne ought avayled for the armed knight
To thinke to follow him that was fo fwift and light.
VOL. II.
Which when he faw, his yron man he fent
To follow him; for he was fwift in chace :
He him purfewd wherever that he went ;
Both over rockes, and hilles, and every place
Wherefo he fled, he followd him apace:
So that he shortly forst him to forsake
The hight, and downe defcend unto the base:
There he him courst afresh, and foone did make
To leave his proper forme, and other shape to take.
XVII.
Into a foxe himfelfe he firft did tourne;
But he him hunted like a foxe full faft:
Then to a bufh himfelfe he did transforme;
But he the bufh did beat, till that at laft
Into a bird it chaung'd, and from him past,
Flying from tree to tree, from wand to wand:
But he then stones at it fo long did caft,
That like a stone it fell upon the land;
But he then tooke it up, and held fast in his hand.
XVIII.
So he it brought with him unto the knights,
And to his lord fir Artegall it lent,
Warning him hold it fast for feare of flights:
Who whileft in hand it gryping hard he hent,
Into a hedgehogge all unwares it went,
And prickt him so that he away it threw :
Then gan it runne away incontinent
Being returned to his former hew;
But Talus foone him overtooke, and backward drew.
But whenas he would to a fnake againe
Have turn'd himselfe, he with his yron flayle
Gan drive at him with fo huge might and maine,
That all his bones as fmall as fandy grayle
He broke, and did his bowels difentrayle,
Crying in vaine for helpe, when helpe was past;
So did deceipt the felfe deceiver fayle :
There they him left a carrion outcast,
For beafts and foules to feede upon for their repast,
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