Yet whenas fit advantage he did spy,
The whiles the curfed felon high did reare
His cruell hand to smite him mortally,
Under his stroke he to him stepping neare,
Right in the flanke him ftrooke with deadly dreare,
That the gore-bloud thence gushing grievously
Did underneath him like a pond appeare,
And all his armour did with purple dye :
Thereat he brayed loud, and yelled dreadfully.
XXI.
Yet the huge stroke, which he before intended,
Kept on his course, as he did it direct,
And with fuch monftrous poise adowne defcended,
That seemed nought could him from death protect:
But he it well did ward with wife refpect,
And twixt him and the blow his fhield did caft,
Which thereon seizing tooke no great effect;
But byting deepe therein did fticke fo faft
That by no meanes it backe againe he forth could wrast.
Long while he tug'd and ftrove to get it out,
And all his powre applyed thereunto,
That he therewith the knight drew all about:
Nathleffe, for all that ever he could doe,
His axe he could not from his fhield undoe.
Which Artegall perceiving, ftrooke no more,
But loofing foone his fhield, did it forgoe;
And whiles he combred was therewith fo fore,
He gan at him let drive more fiercely then afore.
XXIII.
So well he him purfew'd, that at the last
He stroke him with Chryfaor on the hed,
That with the foufe thereof full fore aghaft
He staggered to and fro in doubtfull fted :
Againe whiles he him faw fo ill bested,
He did him fmite with all his might and maine,
That falling on his mother Earth he fed :
Whom when he faw proftrated on the plaine,
He lightly reft his head to ease him of his paine.
Which when the people round about him saw,
They shouted all for ioy of his fucceffe,
Glad to be quit from that proud tyrants awe,
Which with ftrong powre did them long time oppreffe ;
And running all with greedie ioyfulneffe
To faire Irena, at her feet did fall,
And her adored with due humbleneffe
As their true liege and princeffe naturall;
And eke her champions glorie founded over all:
Who ftraight her leading with meete maiestie
Unto the pallace where their kings did rayne,
Did her therein establish peaceablie,
And to her kingdomes feat reftore agayne;
And all fuch perfons, as did late maintayne
That tyrants part with close or open ayde,
He forely punished with heavie payne;
That in short space, whiles there with her he stayd,
Not one was left that durft her once have disobayd.
During which time that he did there remayne,
His ftudie was true iuftice how to deale,
And day and night employ'd his bufie paine
How to reforme that ragged common-wele :
And that fame yron man, which could reveale
All hidden crimes, through all that realme he sent
To search out those that ufd to rob and steale,
Or did rebell gainst lawfull government;
On whom he did inflict moft grievous punishment.
XXVII.
But ere he coulde reforme it thoroughly,
He through occafion called was away
To faerie court, that of neceffity
His course of iuftice he was forst to stay,
And Talus to revoke from the right way,
In which he was that realme for to redreffe:
But envies cloud ftill dimmeth vertues ray:
So having freed Irena from diftreffe,
He tooke his leave of her, there left in heavineffe.
Tho as he backe returned from that land,
And there arriv'd againe whence forth he fet,
He had not paffed farre upon the strand,
Whenas two old ill-favour'd hags he met
By the way-fide being together fet,
Two griefly creatures; and to that their faces
Moft foule and filthie were, their garments yet
Being all rag'd and tatter'd, their disgraces
Did much the more augment, and made most ugly cafes.
The one of them, that elder did appeare,
With her dull eyes did feeme to looke askew,
That her mis-shape much helpt; and her foule heare
Hung loose and loathfomely; thereto her hew
Was wan and leane, that all her teeth arew
And all her bones might through her cheekes be red ;
Her lips were like raw lether, pale and blew :
And as she spake, therewith fhe flavered ;
Yet fpake she seldom, but thought more the leffe she sed:
XXX.
Her hands were foule and durtie, never washt
In all her life, with long nayles over-raught
Like puttocks clawes: with th'one of which she scratcht
Her curfed head, although it itched naught;
The other held a snake with venime fraught,
On which she fed and gnawed hungrily,
As if that long she had not eaten ought;
That round about her iawes one might descry
The bloudie gore and poyfon dropping lothfomely.
Her name was Envie, knowen well thereby;
Whose nature is to grieve and grudge at all
That ever she fees doen prayf-worthily;
Whose fight to her is greatest croffe may
And vexeth so, that makes her eat her gall:
For when she wanteth other thing to eat,
She feedes on her owne maw unnaturall,
And of her owne foule entrayles makes her meat;
Meat fit for fuch a monsters monsterous dyeat :
And if she hapt of any good to heare,
That had to any happily betid,
Then would fhe inly fret, and grieve, and teare
Her flesh for felneffe, which the inward hid:
But if she heard of ill that any did,
Or harme that any had, then would she make
Great cheare, like one unto a banquet bid;
And in anothers loffe great pleasure take,
As she had got thereby and gayned a great stake.
XXXIII.
The other nothing better was then shee;
Agreeing in bad will and cancred kynd,
But in bad maner they did disagree:
For whatso Envie good or bad did fynd
She did conceale, and murder her owne mynd;
But this, whatever evill fhe conceived,
Did fpred abroad and throw in th'open wynd:
Yet this in all her words might be perceived,
That all she fought was mens good name to have bereaved.
XXXIV.
For whatsoever good by any fayd
Or doen fhe heard, fhe would ftreightwayes invent
How to deprave or flaunderously upbrayd,
Or to mifconftrue of a mans intent,
And turne to ill the thing that well was ment:
Therefore she used often to refort
To common haunts, and companies frequent,
To hearke what any one did good report,
To blot the fame with blame, or wreft in wicked fort:
And if that any ill fhe heard of any,
She would it eeke, and make much worse by telling,
And take great ioy to publish it to many;
That every matter worse was for her melling:
Her name was hight Detraction, and her dwelling
Was neare to Envie, even her neighbour next;
A wicked hag, and Envy felfe excelling
In mischiefe; for herfelfe fhe onely vext;
But this fame both herfelfe and others eke perplext.
Her face was ugly, and her mouth distort,
Foming with poyson round about her gils,
In which her curfed tongue full sharpe and short
Appear'd like afpis fting, that closely kils,
Or cruelly does wound whomfo fhe wils:
A diftaffe in her other hand she had,
Upon the which the litle spinnes, but fpils,
And faynes to weave false tales and leasings bad,
To throw amongst the good, which others had difprad.
These two now had themselves combynd in one,
And linckt together gainst fir Artegall;
For whom they wayted as his mortall fone,
How they might make him into mischiefe fall,
For freeing from their fnares Irena thrall :
Befides unto themselves they gotten had
A monster, which the Blatant beast men call,
A dreadfull feend of gods and men ydrad,
Whom they by flights allur'd, and to their purpose lad.
Such were these hags, and fo unhandsome drest:
Who when they nigh approching had espyde
Sir Artegall return'd from his late quest,
They both arose, and at him loudly cryde,
As it had bene two fhepheards curres had fcryde
A ravenous wolfe amongst the scattered flockes:
And Envie first, as she that first him eyde,
Towardes him runs, and with rude flaring lockes
About her eares does beat her breft and forhead knockes.
Then from her mouth the gobbet she does take,
The which whyleare fhe was fo greedily
Devouring, even that halfe-gnawen snake,
And at him throws it most despightfully:
The curfed ferpent, though the hungrily
Earft chawd thereon, yet was not all fo dead,
But that some life remayned fecretly;
And as he past afore withouten dread
Bit him behind, that long the marke was to be read.
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