30 taking leave of that fame gentle swaine,
He backe returned to his rufticke wonne,
Where his faire Paftorella did remaine :
To whome in fort, as he at first begonne,
He daily did apply himselfe to donne
All dewfull fervice, voide of thoughts impure;
any paines ne perill did he shonne,
By which he might her to his love allure,
And liking in her yet untamed heart procure :
XXXIII.
And evermore the fhepheard Coridon,
Whatever thing he did her to aggrate,
Did strive to match with strong contention,
And all his paines did closely emulate;
Whether it were to caroll, as they fate
Keeping their sheepe, or games to exercize,
Or to present her with their labours late;
Through which if any grace chaunst to arize
To him, the shepheard straight with iealoufie did frize.
XXXIV.
One day, as they all three together went
To the greene wood to gather strawberies,
There chaunft to them a dangerous accident;
A tigre forth out of the wood did rise,
That with fell clawes full of fierce gourmandize,
And greedy mouth wide-gaping like hell-gate,
Did runne at Paftorell her to furprize;
Whom she beholding, now all defolate,
Gan cry to them aloud to helpe her all too late.
XXXV,
Which Coridon first hearing ran in hast
To reskue her; but when he saw the feend,
Through cowherd feare he fled away as faft,
Ne durft abide the daunger of the end;
His life he fteemed dearer then his frend:
But Calidore foone comming to her ayde,
When he the beast saw ready now to rend
His loves deare spoile, in which his heart was prayde,
He ran at him enraged, instead of being frayde.
Who fcarcely yet from former feare exempted
A thousand times him thankt, that had her death prevented.
From that day forth fhe gan him to affect,
And daily more her favour to augment;
But Coridon for cowherdize reiect,
Fit to keepe sheepe, unfit for loves content:
The gentle heart fcornes base disparagement:
Yet Calidore did not despise him quight,
But ufde him friendly for further intent,
That by his fellowship he colour might
Both his estate and love from skill of any wight.
XXXVIII.
So well he wood her, and fo well he wrought her,
With humble service, and with daily fute,
That at the last unto his will he brought her;
Which he fo wifely well did profecute,
That of his love he reapt the timely frute,
And ioyed long in close felicity:
Till fortune fraught with malice, blinde and brute,
That envies lovers long profperity,
Blew up a bitter storme of foule adversity.
It fortuned one day, when Calidore
Was hunting in the woods, as was his trade,
A lawleffe people, Brigants hight of yore,
That never ufde to live by plough nor fpade,
But fed on spoile and booty, which they made
Upon their neighbours, which did nigh them border,
The dwelling of these shepheards did invade,
And spoyld their houses, and themselves did murder,
And drove away their flocks, with other much diforder.
VOL. II.
Amongst the rest, the which they then did pray,
They fpoyld old Melibee of all he had,
And all his people captive led away;
Mongst which this luckleffe mayd away was lad,
Faire Paftorella, forrowfull and fad,
Moft forrowfull, most fad, that ever fight,
Now made the spoile of theeues and Brigants bad, Which was the conqueft of the gentleft knight That ever liv'd, and th'onely glory of his might. XLI.
With them alfo was taken Coridon,
And carried captive by those theeves away;
Who in the covert of the night, that none
Mote them defcry, nor reskue from their pray,
Unto their dwelling did them close convay:
Their dwelling in a little island was,
Covered with shrubby woods, in which no way
Appeared for people in nor out to pas,
Nor any footing fynde for over-growen gras:
XLII.
For underneath the ground their way was made,
Through hollow caves, that no man mote discover
For the thicke fhrubs, which did them alwaies fhade
From view of living wight, and covered over;
But darkeneffe dred and daily night did hover
Through all the inner parts, wherein they dwelt;
Ne lightned was with window, nor with lover,
But with continuall candle-light, which delt
A doubtfull sense of things, not fo well feene, as felt.
XLIII.
Hither those Brigants brought their present pray,
And kept them with continuall watch and ward;
Meaning fo foone as they convenient may
For flaves to fell them for no fmall reward
To merchants, which them kept in bondage hard,
Or fold againe: now when faire Paftorell
Into this place was brought, and kept with gard
Of griefly theeves, fhe thought herself in hell,
Where with fuch damned fiends she should in darkneffe dwell.
But for to tell the dolefull dreriment
And pittifull complaints which there she made,
(Where day and night she nought did but lament
Her wretched life shut up in deadly shade,
And waste her goodly beauty, which did fade
Like to a flowre that feeles no heate of funne,
Which may her feeble leaves with comfort glade)
And what befell her in that theevish wonne,
Will in an other canto better be begonne.
The theeves fall out for Paftorell,
Whileft Melibee is flain:
Her Calidore from them redeemes,
And bringeth backe againe.
HE ioys of love, if they should ever last
Without affliction or difquietneffe,
That worldly chaunces doe amongst them cast,
Would be on earth too great a blessednesse,
Liker to heaven then mortall wretchedneffe:
Therefore the winged god, to let men weet
That here on earth is no fure happineffe,
A thousand fowres hath tempred with one sweet,
To make it seeme more deare and dainty, as is meet.
Like as is now befalne to this faire mayd,
Faire Paftorell, of whom is now my fong:
Who being now in dreadfull darkneffe layd
Amongst those theeves, which her in bondage strong
Detaynd, yet fortune not with all this wrong
Contented greater mischiefe on her threw,
And forrowes heapt on her in greater throng;
That whofo heares her heavineffe, would rew
And pitty her fad plight, so chang'd from pleasaunt hew.
Whyleft thus she in these hellish dens remayned,
Wrapped in wretched cares and hearts unrest,
It fo befell, as fortune had ordayned,
That he which was their capitaine profeft,
And had the chiefe commaund of all the reft,
One day as he did all his prifoners vew,
With luftfull eyes beheld that lovely guest,
Faire Paftorella, whofe fad mournefull hew
Like the faire morning clad in mifty fog did shew.
IV.
At fight whereof his barbarous heart was fired,
And inly burnt with flames most raging whot,
That her alone he for his part defired
Of all the other pray which they had got,
And her in mynde did to himselfe allot :
From that day forth he kyndneffe to her showed,
And fought 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.
But all that ever he could doe or fay
Her conftant mynd could not a whit remove,
Nor draw unto the lure of his lewd lay,
To graunt him favour or afford him love:
Yet ceaft he not to few, and all waies prove,
By which he mote accomplish his request,
Saying and doing all that mote behove;
Ne day nor night he fuffred her to rest,
But her all night did watch, and all the day molest.
At last when him the fo importune faw,
Fearing least he at length the raines would lend
Unto his luft, and make his will his law,
Sith in his powre fhe was to foe or friend;
She thought it beft, for shadow to pretend
Some fhew of favour, by him gracing small,
That the thereby mote either freely wend,
Or at more ease continue there his thrall.
A little well is lent that gaineth more withall.
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