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To which as he now was uppon the way,

He chaunft to meet a dwarfe in hafty course;
Whom he requir'd his forward hast to stay,
Till he of tidings mote with him discourse.
Loth was the dwarfe, yet did he stay perforfe,
And
gan of fundry newes his store to tell,

As to his memory they had recourse;

But chiefly of the fairest Florimell,

How she was found againe, and spousde to Marinell

III.

For this was Dony, Florimels owne dwarfe,

Whom having loft (as ye have heard whyleare)
And finding in the way the scattred scarfe,
The fortune of her life long time did feare:
But of her health when Artegall did heare,
And fafe returne, he was full inly glad,

And afkt him where and when her bridale cheare
Should be folemniz'd; for if time he had,

He would be there, and honor to her spoufall ad.

IV. Within

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V..

What mifer wight, quoth he,, and how far bence
Is he, that doth to travellers fuch barmés ?
He is, faid he, a man of great defence;
Expert in battell and in deedes of armes ;
And more emboldned by the wicked charmes,
With which his daughter doth him still support ;
Having great lordships got and goodly farmes
Through ftrong oppreffion of his powre extort ;
By which be ftil them holds, and keepes with strong effort.

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VII.

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His name is hight Pollente, rightly fo,
For that he is fo puissant and strong,
That with his powre be all doth over-go,
And makes them fubject to his mighty wrong;
And fome by fleight he eke doth underfong :
For on a bridge he cuftometh to fight,
Which is but narrow, but exceeding long;
And in the fame are many trap-fals pight,

Through which the rider downe doth fall through overfight.

VIII. And

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Thereto fhe is full faire, and rich attired,
With golden bands and filver feete befide,
That many lords have her to wife defired;
But fhe them all defpifeth for great pride.
Now by my life, fayd he, and God to guide,
None other way will I this day betake,
But by that bridge whereas he doth abide :
Therefore me thither lead. no more he spake,
But thitherward forthright his ready way did make.
XI.

Unto the place he came within a while,
Where on the Bridge he ready armed saw
The Sarazin, awayting for some spoile:
Who as they to the paffage gan to draw,
A villaine to them came with fcull all raw,
That paffage-money did of them require,
According to the custome of their law:

To whom he aunswerd wroth, Loe there thy hire.

And with that word him frooke, that ftreight he did expire.

VOL. II.

C

XII. Which

XII.

Which when the pagan faw he wexed wroth,
And ftreight himfelfe unto the fight addreft;
Ne was fir Artegall behinde: fo both
Together ran with ready speares in rest.
Right in the midft, whereas they breft to breft
Should meete, a trap was letten downe to fall
Into the floud: ftreight leapt the carle unblest,
Well weening that his foe was falne withall:
But he was well aware, and leapt before his fall.
XIII.

There being both together in the floud,

They each at other tyrannoufly flew ;

Ne ought the water cooled their whot bloud,
But rather in them kindled choler new:
But there the paynim, who that ufe well knew
To fight in water, great advantage had,
That oftentimes him nigh he overthrew :
And eke the courfer whereuppon he rad

Could fwim like to a fifh whiles he his backe beftrad.

XIV.

Which oddes whenas fir Artegall espide,

He saw no way but close with him in hast
And to him driving ftrongly downe the tide
Uppon his iron coller griped fast,

;

That with the ftraint his wefand nigh he braft.
There they together ftrove and struggled long,
Either the other from his fteed to caft;

Ne ever Artegall his griple ftrong

For any thinge wold flacke, but still upon him hong.

XV.

As when a dolphin and a fele are met,

In the wide champian of the ocean plaine,
With cruell chaufe their courages they whet,
The mayfterdome of each by force to gaine,
And dreadfull battaile twixt them do darraine;

They fnuf, they fnort, they bounce, they rage, they rore,
That all the fea, disturbed with their traîne,

Doth frie with fome above the furges hore:

Such was betwixt these two the troublesome uprore.

XVI. So

XVI.

So Artegall at length him forst forfake
His horfes backe for dread of being drownd,
And to his handy swimming him betake.
Eftfoones himselfe he from his hold unbownd,
And then no ods at all in him he fownd;
For Artegall in fwimming fkilfull was,
And durft the depth of any water fownd.
So ought each knight, that use of perill has,

In swimming be expert, through waters force to pas.

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Uncertaine whether had the better fide :

For both were skild in that experiment,

And both in armes well traind and throughly tride.
But Artegall was better breath'd befide,
And towards th'end grew greater in his might,
That his faint foe no longer could abide
His puiffance, ne beare himselfe upright;
But from the water to the land betooke his flight.
XVIII.

But Artegall purfewd him still so neare

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With bright Chryfaor in his cruell hand,
That as his head he gan a litle reare
Above the brincke to tread upon the land,
He smote it off, that tumbling on the strand
It bit the earth for very fell defpight,

And gnashed with his teeth, as if he band

High God, whofe goodneffe he despaired quight,

Or curft the hand which did that vengeance on him dight.
XIX.

His corps was carried downe along the lee,

Whose waters with his filthy bloud it stayned:
But his blafphemous head, that all might fee,
He pitcht upon a pole on high ordayned;
Where many years it afterwards remayned,
To be a mirrour to all mighty men,

In whofe right hands great power is contayned,
That none of them the feeble over-ren,

But alwaies doe their powre within iuft compaffe pen.

C 2

XX. That

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