They ceast their clamors upon them to gaze;
Whom seeing all in armour bright as day,
Straunge there to see, it did them much amaze,
And with unwonted terror halfe affray:
For never saw they there the like array;
Ne ever was the name of warre there spoken,
But ioyous peace and quietnesse alway
Dealing iust iudgments, that mote not be broken
For any brybes, or threates of any to be wroken.

There, as they entred at the scriene, they saw
Some one, whose tongue was for his trespasse vyle
Nayld to a post, adiudged so by law;
For that therewith he falsely did revyle
And foule blaspheme that queene for forged guyle,
Both with bold speaches which he blazed had,
And with lewd poems which he did compyle;
For the bold title of a poet bad

[sprad. He on himselfe had ta'en, and rayling rymes had

Thus there he stood, whilest high over his head
There written was the purport of his sin,
In cyphers strange, that few could rightly read,
Bon Fons; but Bon, that once had written bin,
Was raced out, and Mal was now put in:
So now Malfont was plainely to be red;
Eyther for th' evill which he did therein,
Or that he likened was to a welhed

And round about before her feet there sate
A bevie of faire virgins clad in white,
That goodly seem'd t' adorne her royall state;
All lovely daughters of high love, that hight
Litæ, by him begot in loves delight

Upon the righteous Themis; those they say
Upon loves iudgment-seat wayt day and night;
And, when in wrath he threats the worlds decay,
They doe his anger calme and cruell vengeance stay,

They also doe, by his divine permission,
Upon the thrones of mortall princes tend,
And often treat for pardon and remission
To suppliants, through frayltie which offend:
Those did upon Mercillaes throne attend,
Iust Dice, wise Eunomie, myld Eirene;
And them amongst, her glorie to commend,
Sate goodly Temperance in garments clene,
And sacred Reverence yborne of heavenly strene,

Thus did she sit in royall rich estate,
Admyr'd of many, honoured of all;
Whylest underneath her feete, there as she state,
An huge great lyon lay, (that mote appall
An hardíe courage) like captived thrall
With a strong yron chaine and coller bound,
That once he could not move, nor quich at all;
Yet did he murmure with rebellious sound,

They, passing by, were guyded by degree
Unto the presence of that gratious queene;
Who sate on high, that she might all men see
And might of all men royally be seene,
Upon a throne of gold full bright and sheene,
Adorned all with gemmes of endlesse price,
As either might for wealth have gotten beene,
Or could be fram'd by workmans rare device;
And all embost with lyons and flourdelice.

So sitting high in dreaded soverayntie, Those two strange knights were to her presence brought;

Who, bowing low before her maiestie,

Did to her myld obeysance, as they ought,
And meekest boone that they imagine monght:
To whom she eke inclyning her withall,
As a faire stoupe of her high-soaring thought,
A chearefull countenance on them let fall,
Yet tempred with some maiestie imperiall.

As the bright Sunne, what time his fierie teme
Towards the westerne brim begins to draw,
Gins to abate the brightnesse of his beme,
And fervour of his flames somewhat adaw;
So did this mightie ladie, when she saw

tering gleames.

Seemed those litle angels did uphold.
The cloth of state, and on their purpled wings
Did beare the pendants through their nimblesse bold;
Besides, a thousand more of such as sings
Hymns to high God, and carols heavenly things,
Encompassed the throne on which she sate;
She, angel-like, the beyre of ancient kings
And mightie conquerors, in royall state;

[tráte.

Those two strange knights such homage to her make, Bate somewhat of that maiestie and awe

And with more myld aspect those two to entertake,

Now at that instant, as occasion fell,
When these two stranger knights arriv'd in place,
She was about affaires of common-wele,
Dealing of justice with indifferent grace,
And hearing pleas of people mean and base:
Mongst which, as then, there was for to be heard
The tryall of a great and weightie case,
Which on both sides was then debating hard:

Thus she did sit in soverayne maiestie,
Holding a sceptre in her royall hand,
The sacred pledge of peace and elemencie,
With which high God had blest her happie land,
Maugre so many foes which did withstand:
But at her feet her sword was likewise layde,
Whose long rest rusted the bright steely brand;
Yet whenas foes enforst, or friends sought ayde,
She could it sternely draw, that all the world
mayde.

Th' other on th' other side, and neare them noņe,

The wicked driftes of trayterous desynes

Gainst loiall princes, all this cursed plot
Ere proofe it tooke discovered was betymes,
And th' actours won the meede meet for their crymes:
Such be the meede of all that by such meane
Unto the type of kingdomes title clymes!
But false Duessa, now untitled queene, [seene.
Was brought to her sad doome, as here was to be

Strongly did Zele her haynous fact enforce,
And many other crimes of foule defame
Against her brought, to banish all remorse,
And aggravate the horror of her blame:
And with him, to make part against her, came
Many grave persons that against her pled.
First was a sage old syre, that had to name
The Kingdomes Care, with a white silver hed,
That many high regards and reasons gainst her
red,

Then gan Authority her to oppose

With peremptorie powre, that made all mute;
And then the Law of Nations gainst her rose,
And reasons brought, that no man could refute;
Next gan Religion gainst her to impute
High Gods beheast, and powre of holy lawes;
Then gan the peoples cry and commons sute
Importune care of their owne publicke cause;
And lastly Justice charged her with breach of lawes.
VOL. III.

All which whenas the prince had heard and seene,
His former fancies ruth he gan repent,
And from her partie eftsoones was drawn cleene:
But Artegall, with constant firme intent
For zeale of iustice, was against her bent:
So was she guiltie deemed of them all.
Then Zele began to urge her punishment,
And to their queene for iudgement loudly eali,
Unto Mercilla myld, for iustice gainst the thrall.

But she, whose princely breast was touched neare
With piteous ruth of her so wretched plight,
Though plaine she saw, by all that she did heare,
That she of death was guiltie found by right,
Yet would not let iust vengeance on her light;
But rather let, instead thereof, to fall
Few perling drops from her faire lampes of light;
The which she covering with her purple pall
Would have the passion hid, and up arose withall,

T

CANTO X.

Prince Arthur takes the enterprize

For Belgee for to fight:

Gerioneos seneschall

He slayes in Belges right,

SOME clarkes doe doubt in their devicefull art
Whether this heavenly thing whereof I treat,
To weeten Mercie, be of Justice part,

Or drawne forth from her by divine extreate:
This well I wote, that sure she is as great,
And meriteth to have as high a place,
Sith in th' Almighties everlasting seat

She first was bred, and borne of heavenly race; From thence pour'd down on men by influence of grace.

For if that vertue be of so great might
Which from iust verdict will for nothing start,
But, to preserve inviolated right,

Oft spilles the principall to save the part;
So much more then is that of powre and art
That seekes to save the subiect of her skill,
Yet never doth from doome of right depart;
As it is greater prayse to save then spill,
And better to reforme then to cut off the ill.

Who then can thee, Mercilla, throughly prayse,
That herein doest all earthly princes pas?
What heavenly Muse shall thy great honour rayse
Up to the skies, whence first deriv'd it was,
And now on Earth itselfe enlarged has,
From th' utmost brinke of the Armericke shore,
Unto the margent of the Molucas?

Those nations farre thy iustice doe adore; [more.
But thine owne people do thy mercy prayse much

Much more it praysed was of those two knights,
The noble prince and righteous Artegall,
When they had seene and heard her doome arights
Against Duessa, damned by them all;
But by her tempred without griefe or gall,
Till strong constraint did her thereto enforce :
And yet even then ruing her wilfull fall
With more then needfull naturall remorse,
And yeelding the last honour to her wretched corse.

During all which, those knights continu'd there
Both doing and receiving curtesies
Of that great ladie, who with goodly chere
Them entertayn'd, fit for their dignities,
Approving dayly to their noble eyes
Royall examples of her mercies rare
And worthic paterns of her clemencies;
Which till this day mongst many living are,
Who them to their posterities doe still declare,

Amongst the rest, which in that space befell,
There came two springals of full tender yeares,
Farre thence from forrein land where they did dwell,
To seeke for succour of her and her peares,
With humble prayers and intreatfull teares;
Sent by their mother who, a widow, was
Wrapt in great dolours and in deadly feares
By a strong tyrant, who invaded has

Her land, and slaine her children ruefully, alas!

Hor name was Belgè; who in former age
A ladie of great worth and wealth had beene,
And mother of a frutefull heritage,

[seene
Even seventeene goodly sonnes; which who had
In their first flowre, before this fatall teene
Them overtooke and their faire blossomes blasted,
More happie mother would her surely weene
Then famous Niobe, before she tasted
Latonaes childrens wrath that all her issue wasted.

But this fell tyrant, through his tortious powre,
Had left her now but five of all that brood:
For twelve of them he did by times devoure,
And to his idols sacrifice their blood,
Whylest he of none was stopped nor withstood:
For soothly he was one of matchlesse might,
Of horrible aspect and dreadfull mood,
And had three bodies in one wast empight, [fight.
And th' armes and legs of three to succour him in

And sooth they say that he was borne and bred
Of gyants race, the sonne of Geryon ;
He that whylome in Spaine so sore was dred
For his huge powre and great oppression,
Which brought that land to his subiection,
Through his three bodies powre in one combyn'd;
And eke all strangers, in that region
Arryving, to his kyne for food assynd;
The fayrest kyne alive, but of the fiercest kynd:

For they were all, they say, of purple hew,
Kept by a cowheard, hight Eurytion,
A cruell carle, the which all strangers slew,
Ne day nor night did sleepe t' attend them on,
But walkt about them ever and anone
With his two-headed dogge that Orthrus hight;
Orthrus begotten by great Typhaon

And foule Echidna in the house of Night:
But Hercules them all did overcome in fight.

His sonne was this Geryoneo hight;
Who, after that his monstrous father fell
Under Alcides club, streight tooke his flight
From that sad land, where he his syre did quell,
And came to this, where Belgè then did dwell
And flourish in all wealth and happinesse,
Being then new made widow, as befell,
After her poble husbands late decesse;
Which gave beginning to her woe and wretched-

nesse.

Then this bold tyrant, of her widowhed
Taking advantage and her yet fresh woes,
Himselfe and service to her offered,
Her to defend against all forrein foes
That should their powre against her right oppose :
Wherefore she glad, now needing strong defence,
Him entertayn'd and did her champion chose;
Which long he usd with carefull diligence,
The better to confirme her fearelesse confidence.

By meanes whereof she did at last commit
All to his hands, and gave him soveraine powre
To doe whatever he thought good or fit:
Which having got, he gan forth from that howre
To stirre up strife and many a tragicke stowre;
Giving her dearest children one by one
Unto a dreadfull monster to devoure,
And setting up an idole of his owne,
The image of his monstrous parent Geryone.

To him he hath before this castle greene
Built a faire chappell, and an altar framed
Of costly ivory full rich beseene,

On which that cursed idole, farre proclamed,
He hath set up, and him his god hath named;
Offring to him in sinfull sacrifice

The flesh of men, to Gods owne likenesse framed,
And powring forth their bloud in brutishe wize,
That any yron eyes, to see, it would agrize.

And, for more horror and more crueltie,
Under that cursed idols altar-stone

An hideous monster doth in darknesse lie,
Whose dreadfull shape was never seene of none
That lives on Earth; but unto those alone
The which unto him sacrificed bee:
Those he devoures, they say, both flesh and bone;
What else they have is all the tyrants fee:
So that no whit of them remayning one may see.

There eke he placed a strong garrisone,
And set a seneschall of dreaded might,
That by his powre oppressed every one,
And vanquished all venturous knights in fight;
To whom he wont shew all the shame he might,
After that them in battell he had wonne:
To which when now they gan approch in sight,
The ladie counseld him the place to shonne,
Whereas so many knights had fouly bene fordonne.

Her fearefull speaches nought he did regard;
But, ryding streight under the castle wall,
Called aloud unto the watchfull ward
Which there did wayte, willing them forth to call
Into the field their tyrants seneschall:
To whom when tydings thereof came, he streight
Cals for his armes, and arming him withall
Eftsoones forth pricked proudly in his might,
And gan with courage fierce addresse him to the
fight.

They both encounter in the middle plaine,

And their sharpe speares doe both together smite
Amid their shields with so huge might and maine,
That seem'd their soules they would have ryven
Out of their breasts with furious despight: [quight
Yet could the seneschals no entrance find
Into the princes shield where it empight,
(So pure the metall was and well refynd)

So all attonce they on the prince did thonder;
Who from his saddle swarved nought asyde,
Ne to their force gave way, that was great wonder;
But like a bulwarke firmely did abyde,
Rebutting him, which in the midst did ryde,
With so huge rigour, that his mortall speare [syde;
Past through his shield and pierst through either
That downe he fell uppon his mother deare,
And powred forth his wretched life in deadly dreare.

Whom when his other fellowes saw, they filed
As fast as feete could carry them away;
And after them the prince as swiftly sped,
To be aveng'd of their unknightly play.

There, whilest they entring th' one did th' other stay,
The hindmost in the gate he overhent,
And, as he pressed in, him there did slay:
His carkasse tumbling on the threshold sent
His groning soule unto her place of punishment.
The other which was entred laboured fast
To sperre the gate; but that same lumpe of clay,
Whose grudging ghost was thereout fled and past,
Right in the middest of the threshold lay,
That it the posterne did from closing stay:
The whiles the prince hard preased in betweene,
And entraunce wonne: streight th` other fled away,
And ran into the hall, where he did weene
Himselfe to save; but he there slew him at the
skreene.

Then all the rest which in that castle were,
Seeing that sad ensample them before,
Durst not abide, but fled away for feare,
And them convayd out at a posterne dore.
Long sought the prince; but when he found no more
T'oppose against his powre, he forth issued
Unto that lady, where he her had lore,
And her gan cheare with what she there had vewed,
And, what she had not seene within, unto her shewed:

Who with right humble thankes him goodly greeting
For so great prowesse as he there bad proved,
Much greater then was ever in her weeting,
With great admiraunce inwardly was moved,
And honourd him with all that her behoved.
Thenceforth into that castle he her led
With her two sonnes right deare of her beloved;
Where all that night themselves they cherished,

Not so the princes, but with restlesse force
Into his shield it readie passage found,
Both through his habericon and eke his corse;
Which tombling downe upon the senselesse ground
Gave leave unto his ghost from thraldome bound
To wander in the griesly shades of night:
There did the prince him leave in deadly swound,
And thence unto the castle marched right,
To see if entrance there as yet obtaine he might.

But, as he nigher drew, three knights he spyde,
All arm'd to point issuing forth apace,
Which towards him with all their powre did ryde,
And meeting him right in the middle race
Did all their speares attonce on him enchace.
As three great culverings for batterie bent,
And leveld all against one certaine place,
Doe all attouce their thunders rage forthrent,
That makes the wals to stagger with astonishment:

CANTO XI.

Prince Arthure overcomes the great Gerioneo in fight:

Doth slay the monster, and restore Belge unto her right.

Ir often fals, in course of common life,
That right long time is overborne of wrong
Through avarice, or powre, or guile, or strife,
That weakens her, and makes her party strong :
But Iustice, though her dome she doe prolong,
Yet at the last she will her owne cause right:
As by sad Belgè seemes; whose wrongs though long
She suffred, yet at length she did requight,
And sent redresse thereof by this brave Briton knight.