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·III.

Who having lately left that lovely payre,
Enlincked fast in wedlockes loyall bond,
Bold Marinell with Florimell the fayre,
With whom great feaft and goodly glee he fond,
Departed from the caftle of the Strond
To follow his adventures firft intent,
Which long agoe he taken had in hond:
Ne wight with him for his affiftance went,

But that great yron groome, his gard and government:

IV.

With whom, as he did paffe by the fea-shore,

He chaunft to come whereas two comely fquires,
Both brethren whom one wombe together bore,
But ftirred up with different defires,

Together strove, and kindled wrathfull fires :
And them beside two feemely damzels stood,

By all meanes seeking to affwage their ires,

Now with faire words; but words did little good;

Now with sharpe threats; but threats the more increaft their mood.

V.

And there before them stood a coffer strong
Faft bound on every fide with iron bands,
But feeming to have fuffred mickle wrong,
Either by being wreckt uppon the fands,
Or being carried farre from forraine lands:
Seem'd that for it these squires at ods did fall,
And bent against themselves their cruell hands;
But evermore thofe damzels did foreftall
Their furious encounter, and their fierceneffe pall.

VI.

But firmely fixt they were with dint of fword
And battailes doubtfull proofe their rights to try;
Ne other end their fury would afford,
But what to them fortune would iuftify:
So ftood they both in readineffe thereby
To ioyne the combate with cruell intent;
When Artegall arriving happily

Did stay awhile their greedy bickerment,
Till he had queftioned the cause of their diffent.

VII. To

VII.

To whom the elder did this aunfwere frame;
Then weete ye, fir, that we two brethren be,
To whom our fire, Milefio by name,
Did equally bequeath his lands in fee,
Two islands, which ye there before you fee
Not farre in fea; of which the one appeares
But like a little mount of fmall degree;
Yet was as great and wide ere many yeares,
As that fame other ifle, that greater bredth now beares.
VIII.

But tract of time, that all things doth decay,
And this devouring fea, that nought doth spare,
The most part of my land hath washt away,
And throwne it up unto my brothers share:
So bis encreased, but mine did empaire.
Before which time I lov'd, as was my lot,
That further mayd, hight Philtera the faire,
With whom a goodly doure I should have got,
And should have ioyned bene to her in wedlocks knot.

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Where I by chaunce then wandring on the shore
Did her efpy, and through my good endevour
From dreadfull mouth of death, which threatned fore
Her to have fwallow'd up, did helpe to fave her.
She then in recompence of that great favour,
Which I on her bestowed, bestowed on me
The portion of that good which fortune gave her,
Together with herselfe in dowry free;
Both goodly portions, but of both the better she.

XIII.

Yet in this coffer which she with her brought

Great threafure fithence we did finde contained;
Which as our owne we tooke, and fo it thought:
But this fame other damzell fince hath fained
That to herfelfe that threafure appertained;
And that he did transport the fame by fea,
To bring it to her husband new ordained,
But fuffred cruell shipwracke by the way :
But whether it be fo or no, I cannot fay.

XIV,

But whether it indeede be fo or no,
This doe I fay, that whatso good or ill
Or god or fortune unto me did throw,
(Not wronging any other by my will)
I hold mine owne, and fo will hold it ftill.
And though my land he firft did winne away,
And then my love (though now it little skill,)
Yet my good lucke be shall not likewise pray;
But I will it defend whilft ever that I may.

XV. So

XV.

So having fayd, the younger did enfew ;
Full true it is whatfo about our land
My brother here declared bath to you:
But not for it this ods twixt us deth ftand,
But for this threasure throwne uppon his strand;
Which well I prove, as fhall appeare by triall,
To be this maides with whom I faftned hand,
Known by good markes and perfect good efpiall:
Therefore it ought be rendred her without deniall.

XVI.

When they thus ended had, the knight began;
Certes your ftrife were eafe to accord,
Would ye remit it to fome righteous man.
Unto yourfelfe, faid they, we give our word,
To bide what iudgement ye shall us afford.
Then for affurance to my doome to ftand,
Under my foote let each lay downe his fword;
And then you shall my fentence understand.

So each of them layd downe his fword out of his hand.

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XIX.

For equall right in equall things doth stand :
For what the mighty fea hath once possest,
And plucked quite from all poffeffors hand,
Whether by rage of waves that never rest,
Or elfe by wracke, that wretches hath distrest,
He may difpofe by his imperiall might,
As thing at randon left, to whom he lift.
So, Amidas, the land was yours firft hight;
And fo the threafure yours is, Bracidas, by right.

XX.

When he his fentence thus pronounced had,
Both Amidas and Philtra were displeased:
But Bracidas and Lucy were right glad,
And on the threasure by that iudgement feased.
So was their discord by this doome appeased,
And each one had his right. then Artegall,
Whenas their sharpe contention he had ceased,
Departed on his way, as did befall,

To follow his old quest, the which him forth did call.
XXI.

So as he travelled uppon the way,

He chaunft to come, where happily he spide
A rout of many people farre away;

To whom his course he haftily applide,.

To weete the cause of their affemblaunce wide:
To whom when he approched neare in fight
(An uncouth fight) he plainely then descride
To be a troupe of women, warlike dight,
With weapons in their hands, as ready for to fight:
XXII.

And in the midst of them he faw a knight,

With both his hands behinde him pinnoed hard,
And round about his necke an halter tight,
As ready for the gallow tree prepard :
His face was covered, and his head was bar'd,
That who he was uneath was to defcry;
And with full heavy heart with them he far'd,
Griev'd to the foule, and groning inwardly,

That he of womens hands fo base a death fhould dy.

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XXIII. But

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