Thence forth they paffed with that gentle mayd
To fee her ladie, as they did agree:
To which when the approched, thus fhe fayd,
Loe now, right noble knights, arriv'd ye bee
Nigh to the place which ye defir'd to fee:
There shall ye fee my foverayne lady queene,
Moft facred wight, moft debonayre and free,
That ever yet upon this earth was feene,
Or that with diademe hath ever crowned beene.
XXI.
The gentle knights reioyced much to heare
The prayses of that prince so manifold
And paffing litle further, commen were
Where they a stately pallace did behold
Of pompous show, much more then she had told,
With many towres and tarras mounted hye,
And all their tops bright glistering with gold,
That seemed to out-shine the dimmed skye,
And with their brightnesse daz'd the ftraunge beholders eye.
There they alighting, by that damzell were
Directed in, and fhewed all the fight:
Whose porch, that most magnificke did appeare,
Stood open wyde to all men day and night;
Yet warded well by one of mickle might
That fate thereby, with gyant-like resemblance,
To keepe out guyle and malice and despight;
That under fhew oft-times of fayned femblance
Are wont in princes courts to worke great scath and hindrance :
His name was Awe; by whom they paffing in
the hall, that was a large wyde roome,
All full of people making troublous din
And wondrous noyfe, as if that there were fome
Which unto them was dealing righteous doome:
By whom they paffing through the thickest preaffe,
The marshall of the hall to them did come,
His name hight Order; who commaunding peace
Them guyded through the throng, that did their clamors ceaffe.
They ceaft their clamors upon them to gaze;
Whom feeing all in armour bright as day,
Straunge there to fee, it did them much amaze,
And with unwonted terror halfe affray :
For never faw they there the like array;
Ne ever was the name of warre there spoken,
But ioyous peace and quietneffe alway
Dealing iuft iudgments, that mote not be broken
For any brybes, or threates of any to be wroken.
XXV.
There as they entred at the scriene they saw
Some one whofe tongue was for his trefpaffe vyle
Nayld to a poft adiudged fo by law;
For that therewith he falfely did revyle,
And foule blafpheme that queene for forged guyle,
Both with bold fpeaches which he blazed had,
And with lewd poems which he did compyle;
For the bold title of a poet bad
He on himselfe had ta'en, and rayling rymes had fprad.
Thus there he stood, whyleft high over his head
There written was the purport of his fin
In cyphers strange, that few could rightly read,
BON FONS; but BON that once had written bin
Was raced out, and MAL was now put in:
So now MALFONT was plainely to be red;
Eyther for th'evill which he did therein,
Or that he likened was to a welhed
Of evill words, and wicked fclaunders by him shed.
XXVII.
They paffing by, were guyded by degree
Unto the prefence of that gratious queene:
Who fate on high that the might all men see,
And might of all men royally be seene,
Upon a throne of gold full bright and sheene,
Adorned all with gemmes of endleffe price,
As either might for wealth have gotten beene,
Or could be fram'd by workmans rare device;
And all embost with lyons and with flourdelice.
All over her a cloth of ftate was fpred,
Not of rich tiffew nor of cloth of gold,
Nor of ought elfe that may be richest red,
But like a cloud, as likeft may be told,
That her brode-fpreading wings did wyde unfold;
Whose skirts were bordred with bright funny beames,
Gliftring like gold amongst the plights enrold,
And here and there fhooting forth filver ftreames,
Mongst which crept litle angels through the glittering gleames.
XXIX.
Seemed those litle angels did uphold
The cloth of state, and on their purpled wings
Did beare the pendants through their nimbleffe bold;
Besides a thousand more of such as fings
Hymns to high God, and carols heavenly things,
Encompaffed the throne on which she fate
She angel-like, the heyre of ancient kings
And mightie conquerors, in royall state,
Whyleft kings and kesars at her feet did them proftrate.
Thus she did fit in foverayne maieftie,
Holding a scepter in her royall hand,
The facred pledge of peace and clemencie,
With which high God had bleft her happie land
Maugre so many foes which did withstand:
But at her feet her fword was likewise layde,
Whose long reft rufted the bright steely brand;
Yet whenas foes enforft, or friends fought ayde,
She could it fternely draw, that all the world dismayde.
XXXI.
And round about before her feet there fate
A bevie of faire virgins clad in white,
That goodly feem'd t'adorne her royall state
All lovely daughters of high love, that hight
Litae, by him begot in loves delight
Upon the righteous Themis; thofe they fay
Upon loves iudgment-feat wayt day and night;
And when in wrath he threats the worlds decay,
They doe his anger calme, and cruell vengeance stay.
They alfo doe by his divine permiffion
Upon the thrones of mortall princes tend,
And often treat for pardon and remiffion
To fuppliants, through frayltie which offend:
Thofe did upon Mercillaes throne attend,
Iuft Dice, wife Eunomie, myld Eirene;
And them amongft, her glorie to commend,
Sate goodly Temperance in garments clene,
And facred Reverence yborne of heavenly ftrene.
XXXIII.
Thus did the fit in royall rich estate,
Admyr'd of many, honoured of all;
Whyleft underneath her feete, there as she fate,
An huge great lyon lay, that mote appall
An hardie courage, like captived thrall,
With a strong yron chaine and coller bound,
That once he could not move, nor quich at all;
Yet did he murmure with rebellious found,
And foftly royne, when falvage choler gan redound.
So fitting high in dreaded foverayntie,
Those two ftraunge knights were to her prefence brought
Who bowing low before her maiestie
Did to her myld obeyfance, as they ought,
And meekest boone, that they imagine mought:
To whom she eke inclyning her withall,
As a faire ftoupe of her high-foaring thought,
A chearefull countenance on them let fall,
Yet tempred with fome maieftie imperiall.
XXXV.
As the bright funne, what time his fierie teme
Towards the wefterne brim begins to draw,
Gins to abate the brightneffe of his beme,
And fervour of his flames fomewhat adaw:
So did this mightie ladie, when she saw
Those two strange knights fuch homage to her make,
Bate fomewhat of that maieftie and awe,
That whylome wont to doe fo many quake,
And with more myld afpect thofe two to entertake.
Now at that inftant, as occafion fell,
When these two stranger knights arriv'd in place,
She was about affaires of common-wele,
Dealing of iuftice with indifferent grace,
And hearing pleas of people meane and base:
Mongft which, as then, there was for to be heard
The tryall of a great and weightie case,
Which on both fides was then debating hard:
But at the fight of these those were awhile debard.
XXXVII.
But after all her princely entertayne,
To th' hearing of that former caufe in hand
Herfelfe eftfoones fhe gan convert againe :
Which that those knights likewife mote understand,
And witneffe forth aright in forrain land,
Taking them up unto her stately throne,
Where they mote heare the matter throughly scand
On either part, she placed th'one on th' one
The other on the other fide, and neare them none.
XXXVIII.
Then was there brought, as prisoner to the barre,
A ladie of great countenance and place,
But that the it with foule abufe did marre ;
Yet did appeare rare beautie in her face,
But blotted with condition vile and base,
That all her other honour did obfcure,
And titles of nobilitie deface;
Yet in that wretched femblant fhe did fure
The peoples great compaffion unto her allure.
arofe a person of deepe reach,
And rare in-fight, hard matters to revele;
That well could charme his tongue, and time his speach
To all affayes; his name was called Zele:
that ladie ftrongly to appele
Of many haynous crymes by her enured;
And with sharp reasons rang her fuch a pele,
That thofe, whom the to pitie had allured,
He now t'abhorre and loath her perfon had procured.
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