So from thenceforth, when love he to her made,
With better tearmes fhe did him entertaine,
Which gave him hope, and did him halfe perfwade,
That he in time her ioyaunce fhould obtaine:
But when she saw, through that small favours gaine,
That further then the willing was he preft;
She found no meanes to barre him, but to faine
A fodaine fickeneffe, which her fore oppreft,
And made unfit to ferve his lawleffe mindes behest.
VIII.
By meanes whereof she would not him permit
Once to approach to her in privity,
But onely mongst the rest by her to fit,
Mourning the rigour of her malady,
And seeking all things meete for remedy:
But she refolv'd no remedy to fynde,
Nor better cheare to fhew in misery,
Till fortune would her captive bonds unbynde :
Her fickeneffe was not of the body but the mynde.
During which space that she thus ficke did lie,"
It chaunft a fort of merchants, which were wount
To skim those coaftes for bondmen there to buy,.
And by fuch trafficke after gaines to hunt,
Arrived in this isle, though bare and blunt,
T'inquire for flaves; where being readie met
By fome of these fame theeves at th' inftant brunt,
Were brought unto their captaine, who was fet
By his faire patients fide with forrowfull regret.
To whom they shewed how those marchants were
Arriv'd in place their bondslaves for to buy;
And therefore prayd that those same captives there
Mote to them for their most commodity
Be fold, and mongst them shared equally.
This their request the captaine much appalled;
Yet could he not their iuft demaund deny,
And willed ftreight the flaves should forth be called,
And fold for most advantage not to be forstalled,
Then forth the good old Melibee was brought,
And Coridon with many other moe,
Whom they before in diverse spoyles had caught;
All which he to the merchants fale did showe:
Till fome, which did the fundry prisoners knowe,
Gan to inquire for that faire fhepherdeffe,
Which with the reft they tooke not long agoe,
And gan her forme and feature to expreffe,
The more t'augment her price through praise of comlineffe.
XII.
To whom the captaine in full angry wize
Made answere, that the mayd of whom they fpake
Was his owne purchase and his onely prize;
With which none had to doe, ne ought partake,
But he himselfe, which did that conquest make;
Litle for him to have one filly laffe;
Befides through fickneffe now fo wan and weake,
That nothing meet in merchandise to passe :
So fhew'd them her to prove how pale and weake she was.
The fight of whom, though now decayd and mard,
And eke but hardly feene by candle-light,
Yet like a diamond of rich regard,
In doubtfull shadow of the darkesome night
With starrie beames about her fhining bright,
These marchants fixed eyes did fo amaze,
That what through wonder, and what through delight,
Awhile on her they greedily did gaze,
And did her greatly like, and did her greatly praize.
At laft when all the reft them offred were,
And prises to them placed at their pleasure,
They all refused in regard of her,
Ne ought would buy, however prifd with meafure,
Withouten her, whofe worth above all threasure
They did efteeme, and offred ftore of gold:
But then the captaine fraught with more displeasure
Bad them be still, his love fhould not be fold;
The reft take if they would, he her to him would hold.
Therewith fome other of the chiefest theeves
Boldly him bad fuch iniurie forbeare ;
For that fame mayd, however it him greeves,
Should with the rest be fold before him theare,
To make the prises of the reft more deare:
That with great rage he ftoutly doth denay;
And fiercely drawing forth his blade doth sweare
That whofo hardie hand on her doth lay,
It dearely fhall aby, and death for handfell pay.
Thus as they words amongst them multiply,
They fall to strokes, the frute of too much talke,
And the mad fteele about doth fiercely fly,
Not fparing wight, ne leaving any balke,
But making way for death at large to walke,
Who in the horror of the griefly night
In thousand dreadful shapes doth mongst them stalke,
And makes huge havocke; whiles the candle-light
Out-quenched leaves no skill nor difference of wight
Like as a fort of hungry dogs, ymet
About fome carcafe by the common way,
Doe fall together, ftryving each to get
The greatest portion of the greedie pray;
All on confused heapes themselves affay,
And snatch, and byte, and rend, and tug, and teare;
That who them fees would wonder at their fray,
And who fees not would be affrayd to heare :
Such was the conflict of those cruell Brigants there.
XVIII.
But first of all their captives they doe kill,
Leaft they should ioyne against the weaker fide,
Or rise against the remnant at their will;
Old Melibee is flaine, and him befide
His aged wife, with many others wide,
But Coridon, escaping craftily,
Creepes forth of dores, whilst darknes him doth hide,
And flyes away as fast as he can hye,
Ne stayeth leave to take before his friends doe dye.
But Paftorella, wofull wretched elfe,
Was by the captaine all this while defended,
Who minding more her fafety then himselfe,
His target alwayes over her pretended;
By meanes whereof, that mote not be amended,
He at the length was flaine and layd on ground,
Yet holding fast twixt both his armes extended
Fayre Paftorell, who with the felfe fame wound
Launcht through the arme fell down with him in drerie swound.
XX.
There lay the covered with confused preaffe
Of carcafes, which dying on her fell:
Tho, whenas he was dead, the fray gan ceaffe,
And each to other calling did compell
To stay their cruell hands from flaughter fell,
Sith they that were the cause of all were gone :
Thereto they all attonce agreed well,
And lighting candles new gan fearch anone,
How many
of their friends were flaine, how many fone.
XXI.
Their captaine there they cruelly found kild,
And in his armes the dreary dying mayd,
Like a sweet Angell twixt two clouds up-hild;
Her lovely light was dimmed and decayd
With cloud of death upon her eyes displayd;
Yet did the cloud make even that dimmed light
Seeme much more lovely in that darkneffe layd,
And twixt the twinckling of her eye-lids bright
To fparke out litle beames, like starres in foggie night.
XXII.
But when they mov'd the carcafes afide,
They found that life did yet in her remaine;
Then all their helpes they bufily applyde
To call the foule backe to her home againe;
And wrought fo well with labour and long paine,
That they to life recovered her at last:
Who fighing fore, as if her hart in twaine
Had riven bene, and all her hart-ftrings braft,
With drearie drouping eyne lookt up like one aghaft.
There she beheld, that fore her griev'd to see,
Her father and her friends about her lying,
Herfelfe fole left a second spoyle to bee
Of those, that having faved her from dying
Renew'd her death by timely death denying :
What now is left her but to wayle and weepe,
Wringing her hands, and ruefully loud crying?
Ne cared the her wound in teares to steepe,
Albe with all their might those Brigants her did keepe.
XXIV.
But when they saw her now reliv'd againe,
They left her fo, in charge of one the best
Of many worst, who with unkind difdaine
And cruell rigour her did much moleft;
Scarfe yeelding her due food or timely rest,
And scarfely fuffring her infeftred wound,
That fore her payn'd, by any to be drest.
So leave we her in wretched thraldome bound,
And turne we backe to Calidore where we him found.
Who when he backe returned from the wood,
And faw his shepheards cottage fpoyled quight,
And his love reft away, he wexed wood,
And halfe enraged at that ruefull fight;
That even his hart for very fell defpight,
And his owne flesh he readie was to teare:
He chauft, he griev'd, he fretted, and he figh't,
And fared like a furious wyld beare,
Whose whelpes are stolne away, she being otherwhere.
Ne wight he found to whom he might complaine,
Ne wight he found of whom he might inquire;
That more increaft the anguish of his paine :
He fought the woods, but no man could fee there;
He fought the plaines, but could no tydings heare:
The woods did nought but ecchoes vaine rebound;
The playnes all waste and emptie did appeare;
Where wont the fhepheards oft their pypes refound,
And feed an hundred flocks, there now not one he found.
VOL. II.
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