XL.

Firft gan he tell how this that feem'd fo faire
And royally arayd, Duessa hight,

That falfe Dueffa which had wrought great care,
And mickle mifchiefe unto many a knight
By her beguyled and confounded quight:
But not for those the now in question came,
Though alfo thofe mote queftion'd be aright,
But for vyld treafons and outrageous fhame,
Which she against the dred Mercilla oft did frame.
XLI.

For the whylome (as ye mote yet right well
Remember) had her counfels falfe confpyred
With faithleffe Blandamour and Paridell,
(Both two her paramours, both by her hyred,
And both with hope of fhadowes vaine inspyred)
And with them practiz'd how for to depryve
Mercilla of her crowne, by her afpyred;
That she might it unto herfelfe deryve,

And tryumph in their blood whom she to death did dryve.

XLII.

But through high heavens grace, which favour not
The wicked driftes of trayterous defynes

Gainst loiall princes, all this curfed plot

Ere proofe it tooke discovered was betymes,

And th'actours won the meede meet for their crymes :
Such be the meede of all that by fuch meane
Unto the type of kingdomes title clymes:
But falfe Dueffa, now untitled queene,

Was brought to her fad doome, as here was to be seene.

XLIII.

Strongly did Zele her haynous fact enforce,
And many other crimes of foule defame
Against her brought, to banish all remorse,
And aggravate the horror of her blame;
And with him to make part against her came
Many grave perfons that against her pled:
First was a fage old fyre, that had to name
The Kingdomes Care, with a white filver hed,
That many high regards and reasons gainst her red.

XLIV. Then

Then gan Authority her to oppose

XLIV.

With peremptorie powre, that made all mute;
And then the Law of Nations gainst her rofe,
And reasons brought, that no man could refute;
Next
gan Religion gainst her to impute

High Gods beheast, and powre of holy lawes;
Then gan the peoples cry and commons fute
Importune care of their owne publicke cause;
And lastly Iuftice charged her with breach of lawes.
XLV.

But then for her on the contrarie part

Rofe many advocates for her to plead :

First there came Pittie with full tender hart,
And with her ioyn'd Regard of Womanhead;

And then came Daunger threatning hidden dread,
And high alliance unto forren powre;

Then came Nobilitie of birth, that bread

Great ruth through her misfortunes tragicke ftowre; And lastly Griefe did plead, and many teares forth powre.

He gan

XLVII.

t'efforce the evidence anew,
And new accufements to produce in place:
He brought forth that old hag of hellish hew,
The curfed Ate, brought her face to face,
Who privie was and partie in the cafe :
She glad of spoyle and ruinous decay
Did her appeach, and to her more disgrace
The plot of all her practise did display,

And all her traynes and all her treafons forth did lay.

XLVIII. Then

XLVIII.

Then brought he forth with griefly grim afpect
Abhorred Murder, who with bloudie knyfe
Yet dropping fresh in hand did her detect,
And there with guiltie bloudshed charged ryfe:
Then brought he forth Sedition, breeding ftryfe
In troublous wits and mutinous uprore :
Then brought he forth Incontinence of lyfe,
Even foule Adulterie her face before,

And lewd Impietie, that her accused sore.
XLIX.

All which whenas the prince had heard and feene,
His former fancies ruth he gan repent,

And from her partie eftfoones was drawen cleene :
But Artegall with conftant firme intent
For zeale of iuftice was against her bent:
So was the guiltie deemed of them all.
Then Zele began to urge her punishment,
And to their queene for iudgement loudly call,
Unto Mercilla myld for iuftice gainst the thrall.

L.

But fhe, whose princely breast was touched neare
With piteous ruth of her fo wretched plight,
Though plaine fhe faw by all that she did heare,
That the of death was guiltie found by right,
Yet would not let iuft vengeance on her light;
But rather let instead thereof to fall

Few perling drops from her faire lampes of light;
The which the covering with her purple pall
Would have the paffion hid, and up arose withall.

CANTO

OME clarkes doe doubt in their devicefull art Whether this heavenly thing whereof I treat, To weeten mercie, be of iuftice

part,

Or drawne forth from her by divine extreate:
This well I wote, that fure fhe is as great,
And meriteth to have as high a place,

Sith in th'Almighties everlasting feat

She first was bred, and borne of heavenly race;

From thence pour'd down on men by influence of grace.

III.

Who then can thee, Mercilla, throughly prayfe,
That herein doeft all earthly princes pas ?

What heavenly Mufe fhall thy great honour rayfe
Up to the skies, whence first deriv'd it was,

And now on earth itselfe enlarged has

From th' utmost brinke of the Armericke shore
Unto the margent of the Molucas?

Those nations farre thy iuftice doe adore ;

But thine owne people do thy mercy prayfe much more.

P 2

IV. Much

IV.

Much more it praysed was of those two knights,
The noble prince and righteous Artegall,

When they had feene and heard her doome arights
Against Dueffa, damned by them all;

But by her tempred without griefe or gall,
Till strong constraint did her thereto enforce :
And yet even then ruing her wilfull fall
With more then needfull naturall remorse,
And yeelding the last honour to her wretched corfe.

V.

During all which those knights continu'd there
Both doing and receiving curtefies

Of that great ladie, who with goodly chere
Them entertayn'd, fit for their dignities,
Approving dayly to their noble eyes
Royall examples of her mercies rare,
And worthie paterns of her clemencies;
Which till this day mongst many living are,
Who them to their pofterities doe still declare.

VI.

Amongst the rest, which in that space befell,

There came two fpringals of full tender yeares
Farre thence from forrein land where they did dwell
To feeke for fuccour of her and of her peares,
With humble prayers and intreatfull teares;
Sent by their mother, who a widow was
Wrapt in great dolours and in deadly feares
By a strong tyrant, who invaded has

Her land, and flaine her children ruefully, alas!

VII.

Her name was Belge; who in former age

A ladie of great worth and wealth had beene,
And mother of a frutefull heritage,

Even feventeene goodly fonnes; which who had seene
In their first flowre, before this fatall teene

Them overtooke and their faire bloffomes blafted,

More happie mother would her furely weene
Then famous Niobe, before she tasted

Latonaes childrens wrath, that all her iffue wafted.

VIII. But