For during Saturnes ancient raigne it 's sayd
That all the world with goodnesse did abound;
All loved vertue, no man was affrayd

Of force, ne fraud in wight was to be found;

No warre was knowne, no dreadful trompets sound;
Peace universal rayn'd mougst men and beasts:
And all things freely grew out of the ground:
Justice sate high ador'd with solemne feasts,
And to all people did divide her dred behcasts:

Most sacred Vertue she of all the rest,
Resembling God in his imperiall might;
Whose soveraine powre is herein most exprest,
That both to good and bad he dealeth right,
And all bis workes with iustice hath bedight.
That powre he also doth to princes lend,
And makes them like himselfe in glorious sight
To sit in his own seate, his cause to end,
And rule his people right, as he doth recommend.

Dread soverayne goddesse, that doest highest sit
In seate of judgement in th' Almighties stead,
And with magnificke might and wondrous wit
Doest to thy people righteous doome aread,
That furthest nations filles with awfull dread,
Pardon the boldnesse of thy basest thrall,
That dare discourse of so divine a read,
As thy great iustice praysed over all;

The instrument whereof loe here thy Artegall.

CANTO I

Artegall trayn'd in Iustice lore
Irenaes quest pursewed;
He doeth avenge on Sanglier

His ladies bloud embrewed.

THOUGH Vertue then were held in highest price,
In those old times of which I doe intreat,
Yet then likewise the wicked seede of vice
Began to spring; which shortly grew full great,
And with their boughes the gentle plants did beat:
But evermore some of the vertuous race
Rose up, inspired with heroicke heat,
That cropt the branches of the sient base,

Whiles through the world she walked in this sort,
Upon a day she found this gentle childe
Amongst his peres playing his childish sport;
Whom seeing fit, and with no crime defilde,
She did allure with gifts and speaches milde
To wend with her: so thence him farre she brought
Into a cave from companie exilde,

In which she noursled him, till yeares he raught;
And all the discipline of iustice there him taught.

There she him taught to weigh both right and wrong
In equall ballance with due recompence,
And equitie to measure out along
According to the line of conscience,
Whenso it needs with rigour to dispence:
Of all the which, for want there of mankind,
She caused him to make experience
Upon wyld beasts, which she in woods did find,
With wrongfull powre oppressing others of their kind.

Thus she him trayned, and thus she him taught
In all the skill of deeming wrong and right,
Untill the ripenesse of mans yeares he raught;
That even wilde beasts did feare his awfull sight,
And men admyr'd his over-ruling might;
Ne any liv'd on ground that durst withstand
His dreadfull heast, much lesse him match in fight,

And with strong hand their fruitfull ranknes did de- Or bide the horror of his wreakfull hand,

face.

Such first was Bacchus, that with furious might
All th' east before untam'd did over-ronne,
And wrong repressed, and establisht right,
Which lawlesse men had formerly fordonne:
There Iustice first her princely rule begonne.
Next Hercules his like ensample shewed,
Who all the west with equall conquest wonne,
And monstrous tyrants with his club subdewed;
The club of Iustice dread with kingly powre endewed.

And such was he of whom I have to tell,
The champion of true Justice, Artegall:
Whom (as ye lately mote remember well)
An hard adventure, which did then befall,
Into redoubted perill forth did call;
That was, to succour a distressed dame
Whom a strong tyrant did uniustly thrall,
And from the heritage, which she did clame,

Whenso he list in wrath lift up his steely brand:

Which steely brand, to make him dreaded more,
She gave unto him, gotten by her slight
And earnest search, where it was kept in store
In loves eternall house, unwist of wight,
Since he himselfe it us'd in that great fight
Against the Titans, that whylome rebelled
Gainst highest Heaven; Chrysaor it was hight;
Chrysaor, that all other swords excelled,
Well prov'd in that same day when love those gyants
quelled:

For of most perfect metall it was made,
Tempred with adamant amongst the same,
And garnisht all with gold upon the blade
In goodly wise, whereof he tooke his name,
And was of no lesse vertue then of fame:
For there no substance was so firme and hard,
But it would pierce or cleave whereso it came;

Did with strong hand withhold; Grantorto was his Ne any armour could his dint out-ward;

name.

But wheresoever it did light, it throughly sheard

Now when the world with sinne gan to abound,
Astræa loathing lenger here to space
Mongst, wicked men, in whom no truth she found,
Return'd to Heaven, whence she deriv'd her race;
Where she hath now an everlasting place
Mongst those twelve signes, which nightly we do see
The Heavens bright-shining baudricke to enchace;
And is the Virgin, fixt in her degree,
[bee.
And next herselfe her righteous ballance hanging

But when she parted hence she left her groome,
An yron man, which did on her attend
Always to execute her stedfast doome,
And willed him with Artegall to wend,
And doe whatever thing he did intend:
His name was Talus, made of yron mould,
Immoveable, resistlesse, without end;
Who in his hand an yron flale did hould,

"Which when his ladie saw, she follow'd fast,
And on him catching hold gan loud to crie
Not so to leave her nor away to cast,
But rather of his hand besought to die:
With that his sword he drew all wrathfully,
And at one stroke cropt off her head with scorne,
In that same place whereas it now doth lie.
So he my love away with him hath borne,
And left me here both his and mine owne love to
morne."

"Aread," sayd he; "which way then did he make?
And by what markes may he be knowne againe?"
"To hope," quoth he, "him soone to overtake,
That hence so long departed, is but vaine:
But yet he pricked over yonder plaine,
And as I marked bore upon his shield,
By which it 's easie him to know againe,

With which he thresht out falshood, and did truth A broken sword within a bloodie field;

unfould.

He now went with him in this new inquest,
Him for to aide, if aide he chaunst to neede,
Against that cruell tyrant, which opprest
The faire Irena with his foule misdeede,

And kept the crowne in which she should succeed;
And now together on their way they bin,
Whenas they saw a squire in squallid weed
Lamenting sore his sorrowfult sad tyne

With many bitter teares shed from his blubbred eyne.

To whom as they approched, they espide
A sorie sight as ever seene with eye,
An headlesse ladie lying him beside
In her owne blood all wallow'd wofully,
That her gay clothes did in discolour die.
Much was he moved at that ruefull sight;
And flam'd with zeale of vengeance inwardly
He askt who bad that dame so fouly dight,

Or whether his owne hand, or whether other wight?

"Ah! woe is me, and well away," quoth hee
Bursting forth teares like springs out of a banke,
"That ever I this dismall day did see!
Full farre was I from thinking such a pranke;
Yet litle losse it were, and mickle thanke,
If I should graunt that I have doen the same,
That I mote drinke the cup whereof she dranke;
But that I should die guiltie of the blame,
The which another did who now is fled with shame."

"Who was it then," sayd Artegall, "that wrought?
And why? doe it declare unto me trew."
"A knight," said he, "if knight he may be thought,
That did his hand in ladies bloud embrew,
And for no cause, but as I shall you shew.
This day as I in solace sate hereby
With a fayre love whose losse I now do rew,
There came this knight, having in companie [lie.
This lucklesse ladie which now here doth headlesse

"He, whether mine seem'd fayrer in his eye,
Or that he wexed weary of his owne,
Would change with me; but I did it denye,
So did the ladies both, as may be knowne:
But he, whose spirit was with pride upblowne,
Would not so rest contented with his right;
But, having from his courser her downe throwne,
Fro me reft mine away by lawlesse might,
And on his steed her set to beare her out of sight.

Expressing well his nature which the same did wield."

No sooner sayd, but streight he after sent
His yron page, who him pursew'd so light,
As that it seem'd above the ground he went:
For he was swift as swallow in her flight,
And strong as lyon in his lordly might.
It was not long before he overtooke
Sir Sanglier, (so cleeped was that knight)
Whom at the first he ghessed by his looke,
And by the other markes which of his shield he tooke,
He bad him stay and backe with him retire;
Who, full of scorne to be commaunded so,
The lady to alight did eft require,

Whilest he reformed that uncivill fo;

And streight at him with all his force did go:
Who mov'd no more therewith, then when a rocke
Is lightly stricken with some stones throw;
But to him leaping lent him such a knocke,
That on the ground he layd him like a sencelesse
blocke.

But, ere he could himselfe recure againe,
Him in his iron paw he seized had;
That when he wak't out of his warelesse paine,
He found himself unwist so ill bestad,
That lim he could not wag: thence he him lad,
Bound like a beast appointed to the stall:
The sight whereof the lady sore adrad,
And fain'd to fly for feare of being thrall;
But he her quickly stayd, and forst to wend withall.
When to the place they came where Artegall
By that same carefull squire did then abide,
He gently gan him to demaund of all
That did betwixt him and that squire betide:
Who with sterne countenance and indignant pride
Did aunswere, that of all he guiltlesse stood,
And his accuser thereuppon defide;
For neither he did shed that ladies bloud,

Nor tooke away his love, but his owne proper good.

Well did the squire perceive himselfe too weake
To aunswere his defiaunce in the field,
And rather chose his challenge off to breake
Then to approve his right with speare and shield,
And rather guilty chose himselfe to yield.
But Artegall by signes perceiving plaine
That he it was not which that lady kild,
But that strange knight, the fairer love to gaine,
Did cast about by sleight the truth thereout to
straine;

"His name is hight Pollentè, rightly so,
For that he is so puissant and strong,
That with his powre he all doth over-go,
And makes them subiect to his mighty wrong;
And some by sleight he eke doth underfong:
For on a bridge he custometh to fight,
Which is but narrow, but exceeding long;
And in the same are many trap-fals pight,
Through which the rider downe doth fall through
oversight.

"And underneath the same a river flowes,
That is both swift and dangerous deepe withall;
Into the which whomso he overthrowes,
All destitute of helpe doth headlong fall;
But he himselfe through practise usuall
Leapes forth into the floud, and there assaies
His foe confused through his sodaine fall,
That horse and man he equally dismaies,

And either both them drownes, or trayterously slaies.

"Then doth he take the spoile of them at will,
And to his daughter brings, that dwells thereby:
Who all that comes doth take, and therewith fill
The coffers of her wicked threasury;
Which she with wrongs hath heaped up so hy
That many princes she in wealth exceedes,
And purchast all the countrey lying ny
With the revenue of her plenteous meedes:
Her name is Munera, agreeing with her deedes.

"Thereto she is full faire, and rich attired,
With golden hands and silver feete beside,
That many lords have her to wife desired;
But she them all despiseth for great pride."
"Now by my life," sayd he," and God to guide,
None other way will I this day betake,
But by that bridge whereas he doth abide:
Therefore me thither lead." No more he spake,
But thitherward forthright his ready way did make.

Unto the place he came within a while,
Where on the bridge he ready armed saw
The Sarazin, awayting for some spoile:
Who as they to the passage gan to draw,
A villaine to them came with scull all raw,
That passage-money did of them require,
According to the custome of their law:
To whom he aunswerd wroth, "Loe there thy hire;"
And with that word him strooke, that streight he did
expire.

Which when the Pagan saw he wexed wroth,
And streight himselfe unto the fight addrest;
Ne was sir Artegall behinde: so both
Together ran with ready speares in rest.
Right in the midst, whereas they brest to brest
Should meete, a trap was letten downe to fall
Into the floud: streight leapt the carle unblest,
Well weening that his foe was falue withall:
But he was well aware, and leapt before his fall.

There being both together in the floud,
They each at other tyrannously flew ;
Ne ought the water cooled their whot bloud,
But rather in them kindled choler new :
But there the Paynim, who that use well knew
To fight in water, great advantage had,
That oftentimes him nigh he overthrew :

And eke the courser whereuppon he rad

Which oddes whenas sir Artegall espide,
He saw no way but close with him in hast;
And to him driving strongly downe the tide
Uppon his iron coller griped fast,

That with the straint his wesand nigh he brast.
There they together strove and struggled long,
Either the other from his steed to cast;
Ne ever Artegall his griple strong

For any thinge wold slacke, but still upon him hong.

As when a dolphin and a sele are met
In the wide champian of the ocean plaine,
With cruell chaufe their courages they whet,
The maysterdome of each by force to gaine,
And dreadfull battaile twixt them do darraine;
They snuf, they snort, they bounce, they rage, they
That all the sea, disturbed with their traine, [rore,
Doth frie with fome above the surges hore:
Such was betwixt these two the troublesome uprore.

So Artegall at length him forst forsake
His horses backe for dread of being drownd,
And to his handy swimming him betake.
Eftsoones himselfe he from his hold unbownd,
And then no ods at all in him he fownd;
For Artegall in swimming skilfull was,
And durst the depth of any water sownd.
So ought each knight, that use of perill has,
In swimming be expert, through waters force to pas.

Then very doubtfull was the warres event,
Uncertaine whether had the better side:
For both were skild in that experiment,
And both in armes well traind and throughly tride.
But Artegall was better breath'd beside,
And towards th' end grew greater in his might,
That his faint foe no longer could abide
His puissance, ne beare himselfe upright;
But from the water to the land betooke his flight.

But Artegall pursewd him still so neare
With bright Chrysaor in his cruell hand,
That, as his head he gan a litle reare
Above the brincke to tread upon the land,
He smote it off, that tumbling on the strand
It bit the earth for very fell despight,
And gnashed with his teeth, as if he band
High God, whose goodnesse he despaired quight,
Or curst the hand which did that vengeance on him
dight.

His corps was carried downe along the lee,
Whose waters with his filthy bloud it stayned:
But his blasphemous head, that all might see,
He pitcht upon a pole on high ordayned;
Where many years it afterwards remayned,
To be a mirrour to all mighty men,
In whose right hands great power is contayned,
That none of them the feeble over-ren,
But alwaies doe their powre within iust compasse pen.

That done, unto the castle he did wend,
In which the Paynims daughter did abide,
Guarded of many which did her defend :
Of whom he entrance sought, but was denide,
And with reprochfull blasphemy defide,
Beaten with stones downe from the battilment,
That he was forced to withdraw aside;
And bad his servant Talus to invent

Could swim like to a fish whiles he his backe bestrad. Which way he enter might without endangerment.