Did feed his eyes and fild his inner thought.
At last him to a litle dore he brought,

That to the gate of hell, which gaped wide,

Was next adjoyning, ne them parted ought;
Betwixt them both was but a litle stride,

That did the house of Richesse from hell-mouth divide.

Before the dore sat selfe-consuming Care,
Day and night keeping wary watch and ward,
For feare least Force or Fraud should unaware
Breake in, and spoile the treasure there in gard,
Ne would he suffer Sleepe once thether-ward
Approch, albe his drowsy den were next;
For next to Death is Sleepe to be compard,
Therefore his house is unto his annext:

Here Sleep, ther Richesse, and hel-gate them both
betwext.

So soone as Mammon there arrivd, the dore
To him did open and affoorded way:
Him followed eke Sir Guyon evermore;
Ne darknesse him, ne daunger, might dismay.
Soone as he entred was, the dore streight way
Did shutt, and from behind it forth there lept
An ugly feend, more fowle then dismall day;
The which with monstrous stalke behind him stept,

And ever as he went dew watch upon him kept.

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Well hoped hee ere long that hardy guest,
If ever covetous hand, or lustfull eye,
Or lips he layd on thing that likte him best,
Or ever sleepe his eie-strings did untye,
Should be his pray; and therefore still on hye
He over him did hold his cruell clawes,
Threatning with greedy gripe to doe him dye,
And rend in peeces with his ravenous pawes,
If ever he transgrest the fatall Stygian lawes.

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That houses forme within was rude and strong.
Lyke an huge cave hewne out of rocky clifte,
From whose rough vaut the ragged breaches hong,
Embost with massy gold of glorious guifte,

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And with rich metall loaded every rifte,

That heavy ruine they did seeme to threatt;

And over them Arachne high did lifte

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Her cunning web, and spred her subtile nett,

Enwrapped in fowle smoke and clouds more black then jett.

Both roofe and floore and walls were all of gold,

But overgrowne with dust and old decay,

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And hid in darkenes, that none could behold

The hew thereof; for vew of cherefull day
Did never in that house it selfe display,
But a faint shadow of uncertein light,

Such as a lamp whose life does fade away,

Or as the moone, cloathed with clowdy night,

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Does shew to him that walkes in feare and sad affright.

In all that rowme was nothing to be seene

But huge great yron chests and coffers strong,

All bard with double bends, that none could weene
Them to efforce by violence or wrong;

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On every side they placed were along.

But all the grownd with sculs was scattered,

And dead mens bones, which round about were flong;

Whose lives, it seemèd, whilome there were shed,

And their vile carcases now left unburied.

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They forward passe; ne Guyon yet spoke word,
Till that they came unto an yron dore,

Which to them opened of his owne accord,
And shewd of richesse such exceeding store
As eie of man did never see before,

Ne ever could within one place be fownd,
Though all the wealth which is, or was of yore,
Could gathered be through all the world arownd,
And that above were added to that under grownd.

The charge thereof unto a covetous spright
Commaunded was, who thereby did attend,
And warily awaited day and night,
From other covetous feends it to defend,
Who it to rob and ransacke did intend.

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Then Mammon, turning to that warriour, said,

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"Loe, here the worldès blis! loe, here the end

To which al men doe ayme, rich to be made! Such grace now to be happy is before thee laid."

"Certes," sayd he, "I n'ill thine offred grace,
Ne to be made so happy doe intend!
Another blis before mine eyes I place,
Another happines, another end.

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To them that list, these base regardes I lend;

But I in armes and in atchievements brave
Do rather choose my flitting houres to spend,
And to be lord of those that riches have,

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Then them to have my selfe, and be their servile sclave."

Thereat the feend his gnashing teeth did grate,
And grieved so long to lacke his greedie pray,
For well he weenèd that so glorious bayte
Would tempt his guest to take thereof assay;
Had he so doen, he had him snatcht away
More light then culver in the faulcons fist.
Eternall God thee save from such decay!
But whenas Mammon saw his purpose mist,
Him to entrap unwares another way he wist.
1580-90.

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1590.

FROM

CANTO XII

There the most daintie paradise on ground It selfe doth offer to his sober eye, In which all pleasures plenteously abownd, And none does others happinesse envye: The painted flowres, the trees upshooting hye, The dales for shade, the hilles for breathing space, The trembling groves, the christall running by, And, that which all faire workes doth most aggrace, The art which all that wrought appeared in no place.

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One would have thought (so cunningly the rude
And scornèd partes were mingled with the fine)
That Nature had for wantonesse ensude

ΤΟ

Art, and that Art at Nature did repine;
So striving each th' other to undermine,
Each did the others worke more beautify;
So diff'ring both in willes agreed in fine:
So all agreed, through sweete diversity,
This gardin to adorne with all variety.

And in the midst of all a fountaine stood,
Of richest substance that on earth might bee,
So pure and shiny that the silver flood

Through every channel running one might see.
Most goodly it with curious ymageree

Was overwrought, and shapes of naked boyes;
Of which some seemd with lively jollitee
To fly about, playing their wanton toyes,
Whylest others did themselves embay in liquid joyes.

And over all of purest gold was spred
A trayle of yvie in his native hew;
For the rich metall was so colourèd
That wight who did not well avised it vew
Would surely deeme it to bee yvie trew:
Low his lascivious armes adown did creepe,
That, themselves dipping in the silver dew,
Their fleecy flowres they tenderly did steepe,

Which drops of christall seemd for wantones to weep.

Infinit streames continually did well

Out of this fountaine, sweet and faire to see,
The which into an ample laver fell,

And shortly grew to so great quantitie

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That like a litle lake it seemd to bee;

Whose depth exceeded not three cubits hight,

That through the waves one might the bottom see,
All paved beneath with jaspar shining bright,

That seemd the fountaine in that sea did sayle upright.

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Eftsoones they heard a most melodious sound,
Of all that mote delight a daintie eare,
Such as attonce might not on living ground,
Save in this paradise, be heard elswhere.

Right hard it was for wight which did it heare
To read what manner musicke that mote bee;
For all that pleasing is to living eare

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Was there consorted in one harmonee:

Birdes, voices, instruments, windes, waters, all agree.

The joyous birdes, shrouded in chearefull shade,
Their notes unto the voice attempred sweet;
Th' angelicall soft trembling voyces made
To th' instruments divine respondence meet;
The silver-sounding instruments did meet
With the base murmure of the waters fall;
The waters fall, with difference discreet,
Now soft, now loud, unto the wind did call;
The gentle warbling wind low answered to all.

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(Book VI)

CANTO IX

Calidore hostes with Meliboe,
And loves fayre Pastorell;

Coridon envies him, yet he

For ill rewards him well.

Now turne againe my teme, thou jolly swayne,
Backe to the furrow which I lately left.

I lately left a furrow, one or twayne,

Unploughed, the which my coulter hath not cleft,

Yet seemed the soyle both fayre and frutefull eft,
As I it past; that were too great a shame,
That so rich frute should be from us bereft,
Besides the great dishonour and defame

Which should befall to Calidores immortall name.

Great travell hath the gentle Calidore
And toyle endurèd, sith I left him last

Sewing the Blatant Beast; which I forbore

To finish then, for other present hast.
Full many pathes and perils he hath past,

Through hils, through dales, throgh forests, and throgh plaines,

In that same quest which fortune on him cast,

ΤΟ

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