The God obayde; and calling forth straight way
A diverse dreame out of his prison darke,
Delivered it to him, and downe did lay
His heavie head, devoide of careful carke;
Whofe fences all were straight benumbd and starke.
He backe returning by the yvorie dore,
Remounted up as light as chearefull larke;
And on his litle winges the dreame he bore
In haft unto his lord, where he him left afore.
Who all this while, with charmes and hidden artes,
Had made a lady of that other spright,
And fram'd of liquid ayre her tender partes,
So lively, and fo like in all mens fight,
That weaker fence it could have ravisht quight :
The maker felfe, for all his wondrous witt,
Was nigh beguiled with fo goodly fight.
Her all in white he clad, and over it
Caft a black ftole, moft like to feeme for Una fit.
Now when that ydle dreame was to him brought,
Unto that elfin knight he bad him fly,
Where he slept foundly void of evil thought,
And with falfe fhewes abufe his fantasy;
In fort as he him schooled privily.
And that new creature, borne without her dew,
Full of the makers guyle, with usage fly
He taught to imitate that lady trew,
Whose semblance fhe did carrie under feigned hew.
Thus well instructed to their worke they haste;
And comming where the knight in flomber lay,
The one upon his hardie head him plaste,
And made him dreame of loves and luftfull play ;
That nigh his manly hart did melt away,
Bathed in wanton blis and wicked joy.
Then seemed him his lady by him lay,
And to him playnd, how that falfe winged boy
Her chaste hart had fubdewd to learne dame Pleasures toy.
And the her felfe, of beautie foveraigne queene,
Fayre Venus, feemde unto his bed to bring
Her, whom he waking evermore did weene
To bee the chafteft flowre, that aye did fpring
On earthly braunch, the daughter of a king,
Now a loose leman to vile service bound:
And eke the Graces feemed all to fing,
Hymen iö Hymen, dauncing all around;
Whylft freshest Flora her with yvie girlond crownd.
In this great paffion of unwonted luft,
Or wonted feare of doing ought amifs,
He starteth up, as seeming to mistrust
Some fecret ill, or hidden foe of his :
Lo there before his face his ladie is,
Under blacke stole hyding her bayted hooke;
And as halfe blushing offred him to kis,
With gentle blandishment and lovely looke,
Most like that virgin true, which for her knight him took.
All cleane dismayd to see so uncouth fight,
And halfe enraged at her shamelesse guise,
He thought have flaine her in his fierce despight:
But hastie heat tempring with fufferance wife,
He stayde his hand, and gan himselfe advise
Το prove his sense, and tempt her feigned truth.
Wringing her hands, in wemens pitteous wife,
Tho can fhe weepe, to stirre up gentle ruth
Both for her noble blood, and for her tender youth.
And fayd, Ah fir, my liege lord, and my
Shall I accufe the hidden cruell fate,
And mightie caufes wrought in heaven above,
Or the blind God, that doth me thus amate,
For hoped love to winne me certaine hate?
Yet thus perforce he bids me do, or die.
Die is my dew; yet rew my wretched ftate
You, whom my hard avenging deftinie
Hath made judge of my life or death indifferently.
Your owne deare fake forft me at firft to leave
My fathers kingdom,-there the ftopt with teares;
Her fwollen hart her speech feemd to bereave:
And then againe begun, My weaker yeares,
Captiv'd to fortune and frayle worldly feares,
Fly to your fayth for fuccour and fure ayde:
Let me not die in languor and long teares.
Why, dame, quoth he, what bath ye thus difmay'd?
What frayes ye, that were wont to comfort me affrayd?
Love of your felfe, fhe faide, and deare constraint
Lets me not fleepe, but waste the wearie night
In fecret anguish and unpittied plaint,
Whiles you in carelesse fleepe are drowned quight.
Her doubtfull words made that redoubted knight
Sufpect her truth; yet fince no' untruth he knew,
Her fawning love with foule disdainefull spight
He would not fhend, but faid, Deare dame, I rew,
That for my fake unknowne fuch griefe unto you grew.
LIV.
Affure your felfe, it fell not all to ground;
For all fo deare as life is to my hart,
I deeme your love, and hold me to you bound:
Ne let vaine fears procure your needlesse smart,
Where caufe is none; but to your reft depart.
Not all content, yet seemd fhe to appease
Her mournefull plaintes, beguiled of her art,
And fed with words, that could not chose but please:
So flyding foftly forth she turnd as to her ease.
Long after lay he mufing at her mood,
Much griev'd to thinke that gentle dame fo light,
For whose defence he was to fhed his blood.
At last dull wearines of former fight
Having yrockt afleep his irkesome spright,
That troublous dreame gan freshly toffe his braine
With bowres, and beds, and ladies deare delight:
But when he saw his labour all was vaine,
With that misformed fpright he backe returnd againe.
The guilefull great enchaunter parts
The redcroffe knight from Truth:
Into whofe ftead faire Falfhood fteps,
And workes him woefull ruth..
Y this the northerne wagoner had fet
His fevenfold teme behind the stedfast starre,,
That was in ocean waves yet never wet;
But firme is fixt, and fendeth light from farre
To all, that in the wide deepe wandring arre:
And chearefull chaunticlere with his note fhrill.
Had warned once, that Phoebus fiery carre
In haft was climbing up the easterne hill,
Full envious that night so long his roome did fill:-
When those accurfed meffengers of hell,
That feigning dreame, and that faire-forged spright,
Came to their wicked maifter, and
Their booteleffe paines, and ill-fucceeding night:
Who all in rage to fee his skilfull might
Deluded fo, gan threaten hellish paine
And fad Proferpines wrath, them to affright.
But when he saw his threatning was but vaine,
He cast about, and fearcht his baleful bokes againe..
Eftfoones he tooke that miscreated faire,
And that falfe other spright, on whom he spred
A feeming body of the fubtile aire,
Like a young fquire, in loves and luftyhed
His wanton daies that ever loosely led,
Without regard of armes and dreaded fight:
Those two he tooke, and in a fecrete bed,
Covered with darkenes and misdeeming night,
Them both together laid, to joy in vaine delight.
Forthwith he runnes with feigned-faithfull haft
Unto his guest, who after troublous fights
And dreames gan now to take more sound repast;
Whom fuddenly he wakes with fearful frights,
As one aghast with feends or damned sprights,
And to him calls, Rife, rife, unhappy fwaine,
That here wex old in fleepe, whiles wicked wights
Have knit themselves in Venus shameful chaine :
Come fee where your falfe lady doth her honor ftaine.
All in amaze he fuddenly up ftart
With fword in hand, and with the old man went;
Who foone him brought into a fecret part,
Where that falfe couple were full closely ment
In wanton luft and leud enbracement:
Which when he faw, he burnt with gealous fire
The eie of reason was with rage yblent;
And would have flaine them in his furious ire,
But hardly was reftreined of that aged fire.
Retourning to his bed in torment great,
And bitter anguish of his guilty fight,
He could not reft, but did his stout heart eat,
And waft his inward gall with deepe despight,
Yrkefome of life, and too long lingring night.
At last faire Hesperus in highest skie
Had spent his lampe, and brought forth dawning light;
Then up he rose, and clad him hastily;
The dwarfe him brought his steed; so both away do fly.
Now when the rofy-fingred Morning faire,
Weary of aged Tithones faffron bed,
Had spread her purple robe through deawy aire;
And the high hils Titan discovered;
The royall virgin fhooke off drousyhed :
And rifing forth out of her bafer bowre,
Lookt for her knight, who far away was fled,
And for her dwarfe, that wont to wait each howre:
Then gan fhe wail and weepe to fee that woeful ftowre.
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