XXVIII.

With that aloude she gan to bray and yell,
And fowle blafphemous fpeaches forth did caft,
And bitter curfes, horrible to tell;

That even the temple, wherein she was plast,
Did quake to heare, and nigh asunder brast:
Tho with her huge long taile she at him strooke,
That made him ftagger and ftand halfe aghaft
With trembling ioynts, as he for terrour shooke;
Who nought was terrifide, but greater courage tooke.
XXIX.

As when the maft of fome well-timbred hulke
Is with the blaft of fome outragious storme

་

Blowne downe, it shakes the bottome of the bulke,
And makes her ribs to cracke as they were torne ;

Whileft ftill fhe ftands asftonifht and forlorne:

So was he found with ftroke of her huge taile :
But ere that it she backe againe had borne,

He with his sword it ftrooke, that without faile
He ioynted it, and mard the swinging of her flaile.
XXX.

Then gan fhe cry much louder than afore,

That all the people, there without, it heard,
And Belge felfe was therewith stonied fore,
As if the onely found thereof she feard:
But then the feend herselfe more fiercely reard
Uppon her wide great wings, and strongly flew
With all her body at his head and beard,

That had he not foreseene with heedfull vew,

And thrown his fhield atween, she had him done to rew:
XXXI.

But as she preft on him with heavy sway,

Under her wombe his fatall fword he thruft,

And for her entrailes made an open way
To iffue forth; the which, once being bruft,
Like to a great mill-damb forth fiercely gusht,
And powred out of her infernall finke

Moft ugly filth, and poyfon therewith rusht,
That him nigh choked with the deadly ftinke:

Such loathly matter were fmall luft to fpeake or thinke.

XXXII. Then

XXXII.

Then downe to ground fell that deformed maffe,
Breathing out clouds of fulphure fowle and blacke,
In which a puddle of contagion was,

More loathd then Lerna, or then Stygian lake,
That any man would nigh awhaped make:
Whom when he faw on ground, he was full glad,
And ftreight went forth his gladnesse to partake
With Belge, who watcht all this while full fad,
Wayting what end would be of that fame daunger drad.
XXXIII.

Whom when she saw so ioyously come forth,
She gan reioyce and fhew triumphant chere,
Lauding and prayfing his renowmed worth
By all the names that honorable were.
Then in he brought her, and her fhewed there
The present of his paines, that monsters spoyle,
And eke that idoll deem'd fo coftly dere
Whom he did all to peeces breake, and foyle
In filthy durt, and left fo in the loathely foyle.
XXXIV.

Then all the people which beheld that day
Gan fhout aloud, that unto heaven it rong;
And all the damzels of that towne in ray
Came dauncing forth, and ioyous carrols fong:
So him they led through all their streetes along,
Crowned with girlonds of immortall baies;
And all the vulgar did about them throng
To see the man, whofe everlasting praise
They all were bound to all pofterities to raise.
XXXV.

There he with Belge did awhile remaine,
Making great feast and ioyous merriment;
Untill he had her fettled in her raine
With fafe affuraunce and establishment:
Then to his first emprize his mind he lent,
Full loath to Belge and to all the reft;

Of whom yet taking leave thenceforth he went,
And to his former iourney him addrest;

On which long way he rode, ne ever day did reft,

XXXVI. But

XXXVI.

But turne we now to noble Artegall;

Who having left Mercilla ftreightway went
On his first queft, the which him forth did call,
To weet, to worke Irenaes franchisement,
And eke Grantortoes worthy punishment.
So forth he fared, as his manner was,
With onely Talus wayting diligent,

Through many perils, and much way did pas,
Till nigh unto the place at length approcht he has.
XXXVII.

There as he traveld by the way he met

An aged wight, wayfaring all alone,
Who through his yeares long fince afide had fet
The use of armes, and battell quite forgone :
To whom as he approcht, he knew anone
That it was he which whilome did attend
On faire Irene in her affliction,

When first to faery court he saw her wend,
Unto his foveraine queene her fuite for to commend.
XXXVIII.

Whom by his name faluting, thus he gan;
Haile, good fir Sergis, trueft knight alive,
Well tride in all thy ladies troubles than
When her that tyrant did of crowne deprive ;
What new occafion doth thee hither drive,
Whiles fhe alone is left, and thou here found?
Or is fhe thrall, or doth she not furvive?
To whom he thus; She liveth fure and found;
But by that tyrant is in wretched thraldome bound:
XXXIX.

For fhe prefuming on th'appointed tyde,
In which ye promift, as ye were a knight,
To meete her at the falvage ilands fyde,
And then and there for triall of her right
With her unrighteous enemy to fight,
Did thither come, where she afrayd of nought,
By guilefull treafon and by fubtill flight
Surprized was and to Grantorto brought,
Who her imprifond bath, and her life often fought.

XL. And

XL.

And now he hath to her prefixt a day,
By which if that no champion doe appeare,
Which will her caufe in battailous array
Against him iuftifie, and prove her cleare
Of all thofe crimes that he gainst her doth reare
She death fhall fure aby. Thofe tidings fad
Did much abash fir Artegall to heare,

And grieved fore, that through his fault she had
Fallen into that tyrants hand and ufage bad.
XLI.

Then thus replide; Now fure and by my life,
Too much am I to blame for that faire maide,
That have her drawne to all this troublous ftrife,
Through promife to afford ber timely aide,
Which by default I have not yet defraide:
But witnesse unto me, ye heavens, that know
How cleare I am from blame of this upbraide :
into like thraldome me did throw,

For ye
And kept from complishing the faith which I did owe.
XLII.

But now aread, fir Sergis, how long Space

Hath be her lent a champion to provide.

Ten daies, quoth he, be graunted hath of grace,
For that he weeneth well before that tide
None can have tidings to affift her fide :
For all the fhores, which to the fea accofte,
He day and night doth ward both farre and wide,
That none can there arrive without an hofte:
So ber be deemes already but a damned ghofte.
XLIII.

Now turne againe, fir Artegall then fayd,
For if I live till thofe ten daies have end,
Affure yourselfe, fir knight, she shall have ayd,
Though I this dearest life for her doe Spend.
So backeward he attone with him did wend.
Tho as they rode together on their way,
A rout of people they before them kend,
Flocking together in confusde array;

As if that there were fome tumultuous affray.

XLIV. Do

XLIV.

To which as they approcht the cause to know,
They faw a knight in daungerous diftreffe
Of a rude rout him chafing to and fro,
That fought with lawleffe powre him to oppreffe,
And bring in bondage of their brutishneffe:
And farre away, amid their rakehell bands,
They fpide a lady left all fuccourlesse,
Crying, and holding up her wretched hands
To him for aide, who long in vaine their rage
XLV.

Yet still he strives, ne any perill spares,

withftands.

To refkue her from their rude violence;
And like a lion wood amongst them fares,
Dealing his dreadfull blowes with large difpence,
Gainst which the pallid death findes no defence:
But all in vaine; their numbers are fo
That naught may boot to banishe them from thence;
For foone as he their outrage backe doth beat,
They turne afresh, and oft renew their former threat.
XLVI.

And now they doe so sharpely him assay,

great

That they his shield in peeces battred have,
And forced him to throw it quite away,
Fro dangers dread his doubtfull life to fave;
Albe that it most safety to him gave,
And much did magnifie his noble name:
For from the day that he thus did it leave,
Amongst all knights he blotted was with blame,
And counted but a recreant knight with endles shame.
XLVII.

Whom when they thus diftreffed did behold,

They drew unto his aide; but that rude rout
Them alfo gan affaile with outrage bold,
And forced them, however ftrong and ftout
They were, as well approv'd in many a doubt,
Backe to recule; untill that yron man

With his huge flaile began to lay about;

From whofe fterne prefence they diffused ran,

Like scattred chaffe, the which the wind away doth fan.

XLVIII. So