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After that Timias had againe recured

XII.

The favour of Belphebe, as ye heard,
And of her grace did ftand againe affured,
To happie bliffe he was full high uprear'd,
Nether of envy nor of chaunge afeard,
Though many foes did him måligne therefore,
And with uniuft detraction him did beard;
Yet he himselfe fo well and wifely bore,
That in her foveraine lyking he dwelt evermore.
XIII.

But of them all which did his ruine feeke,

Three mightie enemies did him most despight,
Three mightie ones, and cruell minded eeke,
That him not onely fought by open might
To overthrow, but to fupplant by flight:
The first of them by name was cald Defpetto,
Exceeding all the rest in powre and hight;
The second not fo ftrong but wife, Decetto;
The third nor strong nor wife but spightfulleft, Defetto.
XIV.

Oftimes their fundry powres they did employ,
And severall deceipts, but all in vaine;
For neither they by force could him destroy,
Ne yet entrap in treasons fubtill traine:
Therefore confpiring all together plaine,
They did their counfels now in one compound;
Where fingled forces faile, conioynd may gaine:
The Blatant beast the fittest meanes they found
To worke his utter shame and throughly him confound.
XV.

Upon a day, as they the time did waite

When he did raunge the wood for falvage game,

They fent that Blatant beast to be a baite

To draw him from his deare beloved dame

Unwares into the daunger of defame:
For well they wift that squire to be fo bold,
That no one beast in forrest wylde or tame
Met him in chase, but he it challenge would,

Aud plucke the pray oftimes out of their greedy hould.

XVI. The

XVI.

The hardy boy, as they devised had,
Seeing the ugly monfter paffing by,
Upon him fet, of perill nought adrad,
Ne skilfull of the uncouth ieopardy;
And charged him so fierce and furiously,
That his great force unable to endure,

He forced was to turne from him and fly:

Yet ere he fled, he with his tooth impure

Him heedleffe bit the whiles he was thereof secure.

Securely he did after him purfew,

XVII.

Thinking by speed to overtake his flight;

Who through thicke woods and brakes and briers him drew,

To weary him the more and waste his fpight,

So that he now has almost spent his spright :
Till that at length unto a woody glade

He came, whose covert ftopt his further fight;
There his three foes fhrowded in guilefull fhade
Out of their ambush broke, and gan him to invade.
XVIII.

Sharpely they all attonce did him affaile,

Burning with inward rancour and despight,
And heaped strokes did round about him haile
With fo huge force, that feemed nothing might
Beare off their blowes from percing thorough quite:
Yet he them all fo warily did ward,

That none of them in his foft flesh did bite

And all the while his backe for best safegard
He lent against a tree, that backeward onfet bard.

XIX.

Like a wylde bull, that being at a bay,
Is bayted of a mastiffe and a hound
And a curre-dog; that doe him sharpe affay
On every fide, and beat about him round;
But most that curre, barking with bitter fownd,
And creeping ftill behinde, doth him incomber,
That in his chauffe he digs the trampled ground,
And threats his horns, and bellowes like the thonder:
So did that fquire his foes difperfe and drive afonder.

XX. Him

XX.

Him well behoved fo; for his three foes
Sought to encompasse him on every fide,
And dangerously did round about enclose :
But most of all Defetto him annoyde,
Creeping behinde him still to have destroyde;
So did Decetto eke him circumvent:

But ftout Defpetto in his greater pryde

Did front him face to face, against him bent:
Yet he them all withstood, and often made relent.
XXI.

Till that at length nigh tyrd with former chace,
And weary now with carefull keeping ward,
He gan to fhrinke and somewhat to give place,
Full like ere long to have escaped hard;
Whenas unwares he in the forrest heard
A trampling steede, that with his neighing faft
Did warne his rider be uppon his gard;
With noise whereof the squire, now nigh aghast,
Revived was, and fad difpaire away did caft.

XXII.

Eftfoones he spide a knight approching nye,
Who seeing one in fo great daunger set
Mongst many foes, himself did fafter hye
To refkue him, and his weake part abet,
For pitty so to see him overfet ;

Whom foone as his three enemies did vew,
They fled, and faft into the wood did get :
Him booted not to thinke them to pursew;
The covert was fo thicke that did no paffage fhew.
XXIII.

Then turning to that swaine, him well he knew
To be his Timias, his owne true squire;
Whereof exceeding glad, he to him drew
And him embracing twixt his armes entire,
Him thus bespake; My liefe, my lifes defire,
Why have ye me alone thus long yleft?
Tell me what worlds defpight, or heavens yre
Hath you thus long away from me bereft?

Where have ye all this while bin wandring, where bene weft?

VOL. II.

Dd

XXIV. With

XXIV.

With that he fighed deepe for inward tyne :
To whom the fquire nought aunfwered againe,
But fhedding few foft teares from tender eyne,
His deare affect with filence did restraine,
And shut up all his plaint in privy paine.
There they awhile fome gracious speeches spent,
As to them feemed fit, time to entertaine :
After all which up to their steedes they went,
And forth together rode, a comely couplement.
XXV.

So now they be arrived both in fight

Of this wyld man, whom they full bufie found
About the fad Serena things to dight,

With those brave armours lying on the ground,
That seem'd the spoile of some right well renownd.
Which when that squire beheld, he to them stept
Thinking to take them from that hylding hound;
But he it feeing lightly to him lept,

And sternely with strong hand it from his handling kept:

XXVI.

Gnashing his grinded teeth with griefly looke,

And sparkling fire out of his furious eyne,

Him with his fift unwares on th' head he ftrooke,
That made him downe unto the earth encline;
Whence foone upstarting much he gan repine,
And laying hand upon his wrathfull blade
Thought therewithall forthwith him to have flaine;
Who it perceiving hand upon him layd,

And greedily him griping his avengement stayd.
XXVII.

With that aloude the faire Serena cryde
Unto the knight, them to difpart in twaine :
Who to them stepping did them foone divide,
And did from further violence reftraine,
Albe the wyld-man hardly would refraine.
Then gan the prince of her for to demand

What and from whence fhe was, and by what traine
She fell into that falvage villaines hand,

And whether free with him fhe now were or in band.

XXVIII. Te

XXVIII.

To whom she thus; I am, as now ye fee,
The wretchedft dame that live this day on ground,
Who both in minde, the which moft grieveth me,
And body have receiv'd a mortall wound,
That hath me driven to this drery found.
I was erewhile the love of Calepine,
Who whether be alive be to be found,
Or by fome deadly chaunce be done to pine,
Since I him lately loft, uneath is to define.
XXIX.

In falvage forreft I him loft of late,
Where I had furely long ere this bene dead,
Or else remained in moft wretched ftate,
Had not this wylde man in that woful ftead
Kept and delivered me from deadly dread.
In fuch a falvage wight, of brutish kynd,
Among ft wilde beaftes in defert forrefts bred,
It is moft ftraunge and wonderful to fynd
So milde humanity and perfect gentle mynd.

XXX.

Let me therefore this favour for him finde,

That ye
Sith he cannot expreffe bis fimple minde,
Ne yours conceive, ne but by tokens fpeake:
Small praise to prove your powre on wight fo weake.
With fuch faire words fhe did their heate affwage,
And the strong course of their displeasure breake,
That they to pitty turnd their former rage,
And each fought to fupply the office of her page.
XXXI.

will not your wrath upon him wreake,

So having all things well about her dight,
She on her way caft forward to proceede;
And they her forth conducted, where they might
Finde harbour fit to comfort her great neede;
For now her wounds corruption gan to breed :
And eke this squire, who likewife wounded was
Of that fame monster late, for lacke of heed
Now gan to faint, and further could not pas
Through feebleneffe, which all his limbes oppreffed has.

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XXXII. S.

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