And now by this fir Calepine, so hight,
Came to the place where he his lady found
In dolorous dismay and deadly plight,
All in gore bloud there tumbled on the ground,
Having both fides through grypt with griefly wound :
His weapons foone from him he threw away,
And ftouping downe to her in drery swound
Uprear'd her from the ground whereon she lay,
And in his tender armes her forced up to stay.
XXVIII.
So well he did his bufie paines apply,
That the faint fpright he did revoke againe
To her fraile manfion of mortality:
Then up he tooke her twixt his armes twaine,
And setting on his steede her did sustaine
With carefull hands, fofting foot her befide;
Till to fome place of reft they mote attaine,
Where the in fafe affuraunce mote abide,
Till the recured were of thofe her woundes wide.
XXIX.
Now whenas Phoebus with his fiery waine
Unto his inne began to draw apace;
Tho wexing weary of that toylesome paine
In travelling on foote fo long a space,
Not wont on foote with heavy armes to trace,
Downe in a dale forby a rivers fyde
He chaunst to spie a faire and stately place,
To which he ment his weary steps to guyde,
In hope there for his love fome fuccour to provyde:
But comming to the rivers fide he found
That hardly paffable on foote it was;
Therefore there ftill he ftood as in a stound,
Ne wift which way he through the foord mote pas :
Thus whileft he was in this diftreffed cafe,
Devifing what to doe, he nigh efpyde
An armed knight approaching to the place
With a faire lady lincked by his fyde,
The which themselves prepard thorough the foord to ride.
Whom Calepine faluting, as became,
Befought of courtefie in that his neede
(For fafe conducting of his fickely dame
Through that fame perillous foord with better heede)
To whom that other did this taunt returne;
Perdy, thou peafant knight mightft rightly reed
Me then to be full bafe and evill borne,
If I would beare behinde a burden of such scorne.
XXXII.
But as thou haft thy fleed forlorne with fhame,
So fare on foote till thou another gayne,
And let thy laly likewife doe the fame,
Or beare her on thy backe with pleafing payne,
And prove thy manhood on the billowes vayne.
With which rude speach his lady much displeased
Did him reprove, yet could him not reftrayne,
And would on her owne palfrey him have eased
For pitty of his dame whom the faw fo diseased.
XXXIII.
Sir Calepine her thanckt; yet inly wroth
Against her knight her gentleneffe refused,
And carelefly into the river goth,
As in defpight to be fo fowle abused
Of a rude churle, whom often he accused
Of fowle difcourtefie, unfit for knight;
And ftrongly wading through the waves unused,
With fpeare in th'one hand, stayd himselfe upright,
With th'other ftaide his lady up with fteddy might.
And all the while that fame discourteous knight
Stood on the further bancke beholding him;
At whofe calamity, for more defpight,
He laught, and mockt to fee him like to swim:
But whenas Calepine came to the brim,
And faw his carriage past that perill well,
Looking at that fame carle with count'nance grim
His heart with vengeaunce inwardly did swell,
And forth at last did breake in fpeaches sharpe and fell;
Unknightly knight, the blemish of that name,
And blot of all that armes uppon them take,
That is the badge of honour and of fame,
Loe I defie thee, and here challenge make,
That thou for ever doe thofe armes forfake,
And be for ever held a recreant knight,
Unleffe thou dare for thy deare ladies fake
And for thine owne defence on foote alight,
To iuftifie thy fault gainft me in equall fight.
XXXVI.
The daftard, that did heare himselfe defyde,
Seem'd not to weigh his threatfull words at all,
But laught them out, as if his greater pryde
Did scorne the challenge of fo base a thrall;
Or had no courage, or elfe had no gall.
So much the more was Calepine offended,
That him to no revenge he forth could call,
But both his challenge and himselfe contemned,
Ne cared as a coward so to be condemned.
But he nought weighing what he fayd or did,
Turned his fteede about another way,
And with his lady to the caftle rid,
Where was his won; ne did the other stay,
But after went directly as he may,
For his ficke charge some harbour there to seeke
Where he arriving with the fall of day
Drew to the gate, and there with prayers meeke
And myld entreaty lodging for her did befeeke.
XXXVIII.
But the rude porter that no manners had
Did shut the gate against him in his face,
And entraunce boldly unto him forbad :
Natheleffe the knight now in fo needy cafe
Gan him entreat even with fubmiffion base,
And humbly praid to let them in that night:
Who to him aunswer'd, that there was no place
Of lodging fit for any errant knight,
Unleffe that with his lord he formerly did fight.
Full loth am I, quoth he, as now at earst,
When day is spent and reft us needeth most,
And that this lady, both whofe fides are pearf
With wounds, is ready to forgo the ghoft;
Ne would I gladly combate with mine hoft,
That should to me fuch curtefie afford,
Unleffe that I were thereunto enforft:
But yet aread to me, how hight thy lord,
That doth thus ftrongly ward the castle of the ford.
His name, quoth he, if that thou lift to learne,
Is hight fir Turpine, one of mickle might
And manhood rare, but terrible and fearne
In all affaies to every errant knight,
Because of one that wrought him fowle defpight.
Ill feemes, fayd he, if he fo valiaunt be,
That he should be fo fterne to ftranger wight:
For feldome yet did living creature fee
That curtefie and manhood ever difagree.
But go thy waies to him, and fro me fay
That here is at his gate an errant knight,
That boufe-rome craves, yet would be loth t'affay
The proofe of battell now in doubtfull night,
Or curtefie with rudeneffe to requite:
Yet if he necdes will fight, crave leave till morne,
And tell withall the lamentable plight
In which this lady languifheth forlorne,
That pitty craves, as he of woman was yborne.
The groome went ftreightway in, and to his lord
Declar'd the message which that knight did move;
Who fitting with his lady then at bord
Not onely did not his demaund approve,
But both himfelfe revil'd and eke his love;
Albe his lady, that Blandina hight,
Him of ungentle ufage did
And earnestly entreated that they might
Finde favour to be lodged there for that fame night.
Yet would he not perfwaded be for ought,
Ne from his currish will awhit reclame.
Which answer when the groome returning brought
To Calepine, his heart did inly flame
With wrathfull fury for fo foule a shame,
That he could not thereof avenged bee:
But most for pitty of his deareft dame,
Whom now in deadly daunger he did fee;
Yet had no meanes to comfort, nor procure her glee.
XLIV.
But all in vaine; for why? no remedy
He saw the present mischiefe to redresse,
But th'utmost end perforce for to aby,
Which that nights fortune would for him addreffe.
So downe he tooke his lady in diftreffe,
And layd her underneath a bush to sleepe,
Cover'd with cold, and wrapt in wretchedneffe;
Whiles he himselfe all night did nought but weepe,
And
wary watch about her for her fafegard keepe.
The morrow next, fo foone as ioyous day
Did shew itselfe in funny beames bedight,
Serena full of dolorous dismay,
Twixt darkeneffe dread and hope of living light,
Uprear'd her head to fee that cherefull fight.
Then Calepine, however inly wroth,
And greedy to avenge that vile defpight,
Yet for the feeble ladies fake, full loth
To make there lenger stay, forth on his iourney goth.
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