Shee soone left off her mirth and wanton play, And bad her Knight addresse him to the fray; His foe was nigh at hand. He, prickte with pride,

And hope to winne his Ladies hearte that day, L'orth spurred fast; adowne his coursers side The red bloud trickling staind the way, as he did ride.

XV.

The Knight of the Redcrosse, when him he spide
Spurring so hote with rage dispiteous,
Gan fairely couch his speare, and towards ride:
Soone meete they both, both fell and furious,
That, daunted with their forces hideous,
Their steeds doe stagger, and amazed stand;
And eke themselves, too rudely rigorous,
Astonied with the stroke of their owne hand,
Doe backe rebutte, and each to other yealdeth land.

XVI.

As when two rams, stird with ambitious pride, Fight for the rule of the rich-fleeced flocke, Their horned fronts so fierce on either side Doe meete, that, with the terror of the shocke Astonied, both stand sencelesse as a blocke, Forgetfull of the hanging victory:

So stood these twaine, unmoved as a rocke, Both staring fierce, and holding idely The broken reliques of their former cruelty.

XVII.

The Sarazin, sore daunted with the buffe, Snatcheth his sword, and fiercely to him flies; Who well it wards, and quyteth cuff with cuff : Each others equall puissance envíes,

And through their iron sides with cruell spies Does seeke to perce; repining courage yields No foote to foe: the flashing fiër flies, As from a forge, out of their burning shields; And streams of purple bloud new die the verdant fields.

XVIII.

"Curse on that Crosse," quoth then the Sarazin, "That keeps thy body from the bitter fitt; Dead long ygoe, I wote, thou haddest bin, Had not that charme from thee forwarned itt: But yet I warn thee now assured sitt, And hide thy head Therewith upon his crest With rigor so outrageous he smitt, That a large share it hewd out of the rest, And glauncing downe his shield from blame him fairly blest.

XIX.

Who, thereat wondrous wroth, the sleeping spark Of native vertue gan eftsoones revive; And, at his haughty helmet making mark, So hugely stroke, that it the steele did rive, And cleft his head: He, tumbling downe alive, XVII. 5. And through their iron sides with cruell spies Does seeke to perce;] The meaning is, each envies the other's equal valour, and each does seek with cruell eyes, (sortitus fortunam oculis,) to pierce through the other's sides, which are armed with iron. UPTON. XVIII. 8. —a large share it hewd] The substantive share is here used in the sense of the Saxon verb share, to eut or divide. TODD.

XVIII 9.—from blame him fairly blest.] That is, acquitted him of having given but an indifferent blow.

CHURCH.

With bloudy mouth his mother earth did kis, Greeting his grave: his grudging ghost did strive With the fraile flesh; at last it flitted is, Whether the soules doe fly of men, that live amis

ΧΧ.

The Lady, when she saw her champion fall,
Like the old ruines of a broken towre,
Staid not to waile his woefull funerall;
But from him fled away with all her powre:
Who after her as hastily gan scowre,
Bidding the Dwarfe with him to bring away
The Sarazins shield, signe of the conqueroure:
Her soone he overtooke, and bad to stay;
For present cause was none of dread her to dismay

XXI.

Shee turning backe, with ruefull countenaunce,
Cride, "Mercy, mercy, Sir, vouchsafe to show
On silly Dame, subiect to hard mischaunce,
And to your mighty will." Her humblesse low
In so ritch weedes, and seeming glorious show,
Did much emmove his stout heroicke heart;
And said, "Deare dame, your suddein overthrow
Much rueth me; but now put feare apart,
And tel, both who ye be, and who that tooke your
part."

XXII.

Melting in teares, then gan shee thus lament;
"The wretched woman, whom unhappy howre
Hath now made thrall to your commandement,
Before that angry heavens lift to lowre,
And fortune false betraide me to your powre,
Was, (O what now availeth that I was!)
Borne the sole daughter of an emperour;
He that the wide west under his rule has,
And high hath set his throne where Tiberis dot)
pas.
"He, in the first flowre of my freshest age,
Betrothed me unto the onely haire
Of a most mighty king, most rich and sage;
Was never prince so faithfull and so faire,
Was never prince so meeke and debonaire !
But, ere my hoped day of spousall shone,
My dearest lord fell from high honors staire
Into the hands of hys accursed fone,
And cruelly was slaine; that shall I ever mone!

XXIII.

"The divelish hag, by chaunges of my cheare, Perceiv'd my thought; and, drownd in sleepie night,

XI. 4.. that day is everie Prime,] Morning: constantly so used by Spenser. The sense here is, "Till one morning, &c." CHURCH.

XL 7. Bathing herselfe in origane and thyme :] "Orga nie healeth scabs, itchings, and scuruinesse, being used in bathes." Gerarde's Herball. Thyme is deemed of similar virtue with organie, in Langham's Garden of Health. ToDD.

With wicked herbes and oyntments did besmeare My body, all through charmes and magicke might, That all my senses were bereaved quight: Then brought she me into this desert waste, And by my wretched lovers side me pight; Where now enclosd in wooden wals full faste, Banisht from living wights, our wearie daies we waste."

XLIII.

"But how long time," said then the Elfin Knight, "Are you in this misformed hous to dwell?" "We may not chaunge," quoth he, "this evill plight,

Till we be bathed in a living Well: That is the terme prescribed by the spell." "O how," sayd he, "mote I that Well out find, That may restore you to your wonted well?" "Time and suffised fates to former kynd Shall us restore; none else from hence may us unbynd."

"The lyon, lord of everie beast in field,"

Quoth she, "his princely puissance doth abate,
And mightie proud to humble weake does yield,
Forgetfull of the hungry rage, which late
Him prickt, in pittie of my sad estate :-
But he, my lyon, and my noble lord,
How does he find in cruell hart to hate
Her, that him lov'd, and ever most adord

As the god of my life? why hath he me abhord ?”

m. 3. Far from all peoples preace,] Press or crowd. TODD.

xx. 2. His bleeding hart is in the vengers hand;; i. e. His bleeding heart is in the pawes of the lion, which revenged her cause. UPTON.

XXI. 5.that long-wandring Greeke,] Ulyssos. UPTON.