XIX.

;

Certes, fayd fhe, fith ye fo well have Spide
The troublous paffion of my penfive mind,
I will not feeke the fame from you to hide
But will my cares unfolde, in hope to find
Your aide to guide me out of errour blind.
Say on, quoth he, the fecret of your bart :
For by the holy vow which me doth bind,
I am adiur'd beft counsell to impart

To all that shall require my comfort in their smart.
XX.

Then gan fhe to declare the whole discourse
Of all that vifion which to her appeard,
As well as to her minde it had recourse.
All which when he unto the end had heard,
Like to a weake faint-hearted man he fared
Through great astonishment of that strange fight;
And with long locks up-standing stifly, stared
Like one adawed with some dreadfull spright :
So fild with heavenly fury thus he her behight;
XXI.

Magnificke virgin, that in queint difguife
Of British armes doeft mafke thy royall blood,
So to pursue a perillous emprize,

How coulft thou weene through that difguized hood
To hide thy ftate from being underflood?
Can from th' immortall gods ought hidden bee?
They doe thy linage, and thy lordly brood,
They doe thy fire lamenting fore for thee,

They doe thy love forlorne in womens thraldome fee.

XXII.

The end whereof, and all the long event,
They do to thee in this fame dreame difcover:
For that fame crocodile doth reprefent

The righteous knight that is thy faithfull lover,
Like to Ofyris in all iuft endever:
For that fame crocodile Ofyris is,

That under Ifis feete doth fleepe for ever;
To shew that clemence oft in things amis

Reftraines thofe fterne behefts and cruell doomes of his.

XXIII. That

XXIII.

That knight shall all the troublous formes affwage
And raging flames, that many foes fhall reare
To hinder thee from the iuft heritage

Of thy fires crowne, and from thy countrey deare:
Then shalt thou take him to thy loved fere,
And ioyne in equall portion of thy realme :
And afterwards a fonne to him shalt beare,
That lion-like fhall fhew his powre extreame.
So bleffe thee God, and give thee ioyance of thy dreame.
XXIV.

All which when the unto the end had heard,
She much was eased in her troublous thought,
And on those priests bestowed rich reward;
And royall gifts of gold and filver wrought
She for a present to their goddeffe brought.
Then taking leave of them the forward went
To feeke her love, where he was to be fought;
Ne refted till fhe came without relent

Unto the land of Amazons, as she was bent.

XXV.

Whereof when newes to Radigund was brought,
Not with amaze, as women wonted bee,
She was confused in her troublous thought;
But fild with courage and with ioyous glee,
As glad to heare of armes, the which now fhe
Had long furceaft, fhe bad to open bold,
That the the face of her new foe might fee:
But when they of that yron man had told,

Which late her folke had flaine, fhe bad them forth to hold.

XXVI.

So there without the gate, as feemed beft,
She caused her pavilion be pight;

In which ftout Britomart herfelfe did rest,
Whiles Talus watched at the dore all night.
All night likewise they of the towne in fright
Uppon their wall good watch and ward did keepe.
The morrow next fo foone as dawning light
Bad doe away the dampe of drouzie fleepe,
The warlike Amazon out of her bowre did peepe:

L 2

XXVII. And

XXVII.

And caused streight a trumpet loud to shrill,
To warne her foe to battell foone be prest:
Who long before awoke (for she full ill
Could fleepe all night, that in unquiet breft
Did closely harbour fuch a iealous gueft)
Was to the battell whilome ready dight.
Eftfoones that warrioureffe with haughty creft
Did forth iffue all ready for the fight:
On th❜other fide her foe appeared foone in fight.
XXVIII,

But ere they reared hand, the Amazone

Began the ftreight conditions to propound,
With which she used ftill to tye her fone,
To serve her fo, as she the rest had bound:
Which when the other heard, she sternly frownd
For high disdaine of fuch indignity,

And would no lenger treat, but bad them found:
For her no other termes fhould ever tie
Then what prescribed were by lawes of chevalrie.
XXIX.

The trumpets found, and they together run

With greedy rage, and with their faulchins fmot;
Ne either fought the others ftrokes to shun,
But through great fury both their skill forgot,
And practicke ufe in armes; ne spared not
Their dainty parts, which nature had created
So faire and tender without ftaine or spot
For other uses then they them translated;
Which they now hackt and hewd as if such use they hated.
XXX.

As when a tygre and a lionesse

Are met at fpoyling of fome hungry pray,
Both challenge it with equall greedineffe:
But first the tygre clawes thereon did lay;
And therefore loth to loose her right away
Doth in defence thereof full ftoutly stond:
To which the lion strongly doth gainesay,
That the to hunt the beast first tooke in hond
And therefore ought it have wherever she it fond.

XXXI. Full

XXXI.

Full fiercely layde the Amazon about,
And dealt her blowes unmercifully fore;
Which Britomart withstood with courage ftout,
And them repaide againe with double more.
So long they fought, that all the graffie flore
Was fild with bloud which from their fides did flow,
And gushed through their armes, that all in gore
They trode, and on the ground their lives did ftrow,
Like fruitles feede, of which untimely death fhould grow.
XXXII.

At laft proud Radigund with fell despight,
Having by chaunce efpide advantage neare,
Let drive at her with all her dreadfull might,
And thus upbrayding faid, This token beare
Unto the man whom thou doeft love fo deare;
And tell him for his fake thy life thou gavest.
Which spitefull words she fore engriev'd to heare
Thus answer'd; Lewdly thou my love depraveft,
Who shortly must repent that now fo vainely braveft.
XXXIII.
Nath'leffe that ftroke fo cruell paffage found,
That glauncing on her shoulder plate it bit
Unto the bone, and made a griefly wound,
That she her shield through raging smart of it
Could scarfe uphold; yet foone fhe it requit:
For having force increaft through furious paine,
She her fo rudely on the helmet smit
That it empierced to the very braine,

And her proud perfon low proftrated on the plaine.
XXXIV.

Where being layd, the wrothfull Britoneffe
Stayd not till fhe came to herselfe againe ;
But in revenge both of her loves diftreffe
And her late vile reproch, though vaunted vaine,
And also of her wound which fore did paine,
She with one ftroke both head and helmet cleft:
Which dreadfull fight when all her warlike traine
There present saw, each one of fence bereft
Fled faft into the towne, and her fole victor left :

XXXV. But

Like to an hideous ftorme, which nothing may empeach.
XXXVI.

And now by this the noble conquereffe

Herfelfe came in her glory to partake;

Where though revengefull vow she did profeffe,
Yet when she saw the heapes which he did make
Of flaughtred carkasses, her heart did quake

For very ruth, which did it almost rive,
That the his fury willed him to flake:
For else he fure had left not one alive;
But all in his revenge of spirite would deprive.
XXXVII.

Tho when she had his execution stayd,

She for that yron prifon did enquire,

In which her wretched love was captive layd:
Which breaking open with indignant ire,
She entred into all the partes entire :

Where when she faw that lothly uncouth fight
Of men disguiz'd in womanishe attire,
Her heart gan grudge for very deepe despight
Of fo unmanly maske in misery misdight.
XXXVIII.

At laft whenas to her owne love fhe came,
Whom like disguize no leffe deformed had,
At fight thereof abasht with fecrete shame
She turned her head afide, as nothing glad
To have beheld a spectacle so fad;

And then too well believ'd that which tofore
Iealous fufpect as true untruely drad :

Which vaine conceipt now nourishing no more,

She fought with ruth to falve his fad misfortunes fore.

XXXIX. Not