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XXIV.

Then did he fet her by that snowy one,
Like the true faint befide the image fet;
Of both their beauties to make paragone
And triall, whether should the honor get.
Streightway fo foone as both together met,
Th'enchaunted damzell vanisht into nought :
Her fnowy substance melted as with heat,
Ne of that goodly hew remayned ought,

But th'emptie girdle which about her waft was wrought.

XXV.

As when the daughter of Thaumantes faire,

Hath in a watry cloud displayed wide

Her goodly bow, which paints the liquid ayre;
That all men wonder at her colours pride;

All fuddenly, ere one can looke afide,

The glorious picture vanisheth away, token doth thereof abide :

Ne

any
So did this ladies goodly forme decay,

And into nothing goe, ere one could it bewray.
XXVI.

Which whenas all that present were beheld, n
They ftricken were with gre
great astonishment,
And their faint harts with fenfeleffe horrour queld,
To fee the thing that feem'd fo excellent,
So ftolen from their fancies wonderment';
That what of it became none understood:
And Braggadochio felfe with dreriment
So daunted was in his defpeyring mood,
That like a lifeleffe corfe immoveable he stood.
XXVII.

But Artegall that golden belt uptooke,

The which of all her fpoyle was onely left;
Which was not hers, as many it miftooke,
But Florimells owne girdle, from her reft
While fhe was flying, like a weary weft,
From that foule monfter which did her compell
To perils great; which he unbuckling eft
Prefented to the fayreft Florimell';

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Who round about her tender waft it fitted well.

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Such power it had, that to no womans waft !!
By any skill or labour it would fit,

Unleffe that fhe were continent and chaft;
But it would lofe or breake, that many had disgraft.

XXIX.

Whileft thus they bufied were bout Florimell,
And boaftfull Braggadochio to defame,
Sir Guyon as by fortune then befell,

Forth from the thickest preaffe of people came,
His owne good fteed, which he had ftolne, to clame;
And th❜one hand feizing on his golden bit,

With th'other drew his fword; for with the same
He ment the thiefe there deadly to have finit:
And had he not bene held, he nought had fayld of it.
: XXX.
Thereof great hurly burly moved was

Throughout the hall for that same warlike horse:
For Braggadochio would not let him pas;
And Guyon would him algates have perforfe,
Or it approve upon his carrion corfe.

Which troublous stirre when Artegall perceived,
He nigh them drew to stay th'avengers forfe;
And gan inquire how was that fteed bereaved,
Whether by might extort, or elfe by flight deceaved.
XXXI.

Who all that piteous ftorie, which befell

About that wofull couple which were flaine,
And their young bloodie babe to him gan tell

With whom whiles he did in the wood remaine,

His horse purloyned was by fubtill traine;
For which he chalenged the thiefe to fight:
But he for nought could him thereto constraine;
For as the death he hated fuch despight,

And rather had to lose then trie in armes his right.

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XXXII.

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Which Artegall well hearing (though no more
By law of armes there neede ones right to trie,
As was the wont of warlike knights of yore,
Then that his foe fhould him the field denie)
Yet further right by tokens to descrie,
He afkt, what privie tokens he did beare.
If that, faid Guyon, may you fatisfie,
Within his mouth a blacke pot doth appeare,
Shapt like a borfes fhoe, who lift to feeke it there.
XXXIII.

Whereof to make due tryall one did take

The horse in hand within his mouth to looke:
But with his heeles fo forely he him strake,
That all his ribs he quite in peeces broke,
That never word from that day forth he spoke.
Another that would feeme to have more wit,
Him by the bright embrodered hedstall tooke:
But by the fhoulder him fo fore he bit,

That he him maymed quite, and all his shoulder split.
XXXIV.

Ne he his mouth would open unto wight,
Untill that Guyon selfe unto him spake,
And called Brigadore (fo was he hight)
Whofe voice fo foone as he did undertake,
Eftfoones he stood as ftill as any ftake,
And fuffred all his fecret marke to fee;
And whenas he him nam'd, for ioy he brake
His bands, and follow'd him with gladfull glee,
And friskt, and flong aloft, and louted low on knee.
XXXV.

Thereby fir Artegall did plaine areed,

That unto him the horse belong'd, and fayd,
Lo there, fir Guyon, take to you the feed,

As he with golden faddle is arayd;
And let that lofell, plainely now difplayd,
Hence fare on foot, till he an horfe have gayned.
But the proud boafter gan his doome upbrayd,
And him revil'd, and rated, and disdayned,
That iudgement fo uniuft against him had ordayned.

XXXVI. Much

XXXVI.

Much was the knight incenft with his lewd word,
To have revenged that his villeny;

And thrice did lay his hand upon his fward,
To have him flaine, or dearely doen aby:
But Guyon did his choler pacify,
Saying, Sir knight, it would dishonour bee
that are our iudge of equity,

To you

To wreake your wrath on fuch a carle as hee : It's punishment enough that all his shame doe fee. XXXVII.

So did he mitigate fir Artegall;

But Talus by the backe the boafter hent,
And drawing him out of the, open halk
Upon him did inflict this punishment:
First he his beard did fhave, and fowly fhent;
Then from him reft his fhield, and it renverit,
And blotted out his armes with falfhood blent;
And himselfe baffuld, and his armes unherst, :
And broke his fword in twaine, and all his armour sperst.
XXXVII.

The whiles his guilefull groome was fled away;

But vaine it was to thinke from him to flie :
Who overtaking him did difaray,

And all his face deform'd with infamie,
And out of court him scourged openly.

So ought all faytours, that true knighthood shame,
And armes difhonour with base villanie,

From all brave knights be banisht with defame :
For oft their lewdnes blotteth good deserts with blame.

XXXIX.

Now when these counterfeits were thus uncafed:

Out of the forefide of their, forgerie,

And in the fight of all men cleane disgraced,
All gan to ieft and gibe full merilie

At the remembrance of their knaverie:
Ladies can laugh at ladies, knights at knights,
To thinke with how great vaunt of braverie
He them abused through his fubtill flights,

And what a glorious fhew he made in all their fights.

XL. There

XL.

There leave we them in pleasure and repast,
Spending their ioyous dayes and gladfull nights,
And taking ufurie of time forepast,
With all deare delices and rare delights,
Fit for fuch ladies and fuch lovely knights:
And turne were here to this faire furrowes end
Our wearie yokes, to gather fresher sprights,
That whenas time to Artegall fhall tend,
We on his first adventure may him forward fend.

CANTO III.

Artegall dealeth right betwixt
Two brethren that doe ftrive:
Saves Terpine from the gallow tree,
And doth from death reprive.

1.

W

HOSO

upon

himselfe will take the fill

True iuftice unto people to divide,

Had need have mightie hands for to fulfill
That which he doth with righteous doome decide,
And for to maifter wrong and puiffant pride:
For vaine it is to deeme of things aright,
And makes wrong doers iuftice to deride,
Unleffe it be perform'd with dreadleffe might:
For powre is the right hand of iuftice truely hight.
II.

Therefore whylome to knights, of great emprise
The charge of iuftice given was in trust,
That they might execute her iudgements wife,
And with their might beat downe licentious luft,
Which proudly did impugne her sentence iuft:
Whereof no braver prefident this day
Remaines on earth, preferv'd from yron.ruft
Of rude oblivion, and long times decay,

Then this of Artegall, which here we have to fay,

III. Who

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