LXXVIII.

Her snowy brest was bare to ready spoyle

Of hungry eies, which n'ote therewith be fild; And yet through languour of her late sweet toyle, Few drops, more cleare then nectar, forth distild, That like pure orient perles adowne it trild; And her faire eyes, sweet smyling in delight, Moystened their fierie beames, with which she thrild Fraile harts, yet quenched not; like starry light, Which, sparckling on the silent waves, does seeme more bright.

The

LXXIX.

young man, sleeping by her, seemd to be Some goodly swayne of honorable place;

That certes it great pitty was to see
Him his nobility so fowle deface:

A sweet regard and amiable grace,
Mixed with manly sternesse, did appeare,
Yet sleeping, in his well-proportiond face;
And on his tender lips the downy heare

Did now but freshly spring, and silken blossoms beare.

LXXX.

His warlike armes, the ydle instruments

Of sleeping praise, were hong upon a tree ;
And his brave shield, full of old moniments,
Was fowly ras't, that none the signes might see;
Ne for them ne for honour cared hee,
Ne ought that did to his advauncement tend;
But in lewd loves, and wastfull luxuree,
His dayes, his goods, his bodie he did spend:
O horrible enchantment, that him so did blend!

LXXXI.

The noble Elfe and carefull Palmer drew

So nigh them, minding nought but lustfull game, That suddeine forth they on them rusht, and threw A subtile net, which only for that same

The skilfull Palmer formally did frame :

So held them under fast; the whiles the rest away for feare of fowler shame.

Fled all

The faire Enchauntresse, so unwares opprest,

Tryde all her arts and all her sleights thence out to wrest

LXXXII.

And eke her lover strove; but all in vaine:

For that same net so cunningly was wound,
That neither guile nor force might it distraine.

They tooke them both, and both them strongly bound
In captive bandes, which there they readie found:
But her in chaines of adamant he tyde;

For nothing else might keepe her safe and sound:
But Verdant (so he hight) he soone untyde,
And counsell sage in steed thereof to him applyde.

LXXXIII.

But all those pleasaunt bowres, and pallace brave,
Guyon broke downe with rigour pittilesse :
Ne ought their goodly workmanship might save
Them from the tempest of his wrathfulnesse,
But that their blisse he turn'd to balefulnesse,
Their groves he feld; their gardins did deface;
Their arbers spoyle; their cabinets suppresse;
Their banket-houses burne; their buildings race;
And, of the fayrest late, now made the fowlest place.

LXXXIV.

Then led they her away, and eke that Knight
They with them led, both sorrowfull and sad:
The
way they came, the same retourn'd they right,
Till they arrived where they lately had

Charm'd those wild beasts that rag'd with furie mad;
Which, now awaking, fierce at them gan fly,

As in their Mistresse reskew, whom they lad;
But them the Palmer soone did pacify.

[did ly. Then Guyon askt, what meant those beastes which there

LXXXV.

Sayd he; "These seeming beasts are men in deed,
Whom this Enchauntresse hath transformed thus;
Whylome her lovers, which her lustes did feed,
Now turned into figures hideous,

According to their mindes like monstruous."
"Sad end," quoth he, "of life intemperate,
And mourneful meed of ioyes delicious!
But, Palmer, if it mote thee so aggrate,
Let them returned be unto their former state."

LXXXVI.

Streightway he with his vertuous staffe them strooke,
And streight of beastes they comely men became;
Yet being men they did unmanly looke,

And stared ghastly; some for inward shame,
And some for wrath to see their captive Dame:

But one above the rest in speciall

That had an hog beene late, hight Grylle by name, Repyned greatly, and did him miscall

That had from hoggish forme him brought to naturall.

LXXXVII.

Saide Guyon; "See the mind of beastly man,
That hath so soone forgot the excellence
Of his creation, when he life began,

That now he chooseth with vile difference
To be a beast, and lacke intelligence!"

To whom the Palmer thus; "The donghill kinde
Delightes in filth and fowle incontinence:

Let Gryll be Gryll, and have his hoggish minde; But let us hence depart whilest wether serves a winde."

THE THIRDE BOOKE OF

THE FAERIE QUEENE

CONTAYNING

THE LEGEND OF BRITOMARTIS, OR OF CHASTITY.

I.

It falls me here to write of Chastity,

That fayrest vertue, far above the rest:
For which what needes me fetch from Faëry
Forreine ensamples it to have exprest?
Sith it is shrined in my Soveraines brest,
And formd so lively in each perfect part,
That to all Ladies, which have it profest,
Need but behold the pourtraict of her hart;
If pourtrayd it might bee by any living art :

II.

But living art may not least part expresse,
Nor life-resembling pencill it can paynt:
All were it Zeuxis or Praxiteles,

His dædale hand would faile and greatly faynt,
And her perfections with his error taynt:
Ne poets witt, that passeth painter farre
In picturing the parts of beauty daynt,
So hard a workemanship adventure darre,

For fear through want of words her excellence to marre.