He wore no armour, ne for none did care,
As no whit dreading any living wight;
But in a jacket, quilted richly rare
Upon checklaton, he was ftraungely dight,
And on his head a roll of linnen plight,
Like to the Mores of Malaber, he wore ;
With which his locks, as blacke as pitchy night,
Were bound about, and voyded from before;
And in his hand a mighty yron club he bore.
XLIV.
This was Difdaine, who led that ladies horfe
Through thick and thin, through mountains and through plains,
Compelling her, where she would not, by force,
Haling her palfrey by the hempen raines:
But that fame foole, which most increaft her paines,
Was Scorne, who having in his hand a whip
Her therewith yirks; and still when she complaines
The more he laughes and does her closely quip,
To fee her fo lament, and bite her tender lip.
XLV.
Whose cruell handling when that squire beheld,
And faw thofe villaines her fo vildely use,
His gentle heart with indignation fweld,
And could no lenger beare fo great abuse,
As fuch a lady fo to beate and bruse;
But to him stepping, such a stroke him lent,
That forft him th'halter from his hand to loose,
And maugre all his might backe to relent:
Elfe had he furely there bene flaine, or fowly shent.
XLVI.
The villaine wroth for greeting him so fore,
Gathered himselfe together foone againe,
And with his yron batton which he bore
Let drive at him so dreadfully amaine,
That for his fafety he did him constraine
To give him ground, and shift to every fide,
Rather then once his burden to sustaine:
For booteleffe thing him seemed to abide
So mighty blowes, or prove the puiffaunce of his pride.
Like as a maftiffe having at a bay
A falvage bull, whofe cruell hornès doe threat
Desperate daunger, if he them affay,
Traceth his ground, and round about doth beat,
To spy where he may fome advantage get;
The whiles the beaft doth rage and loudly tore :
So did the fquire, the whiles the carle did fret
And fume in his difdainefull mynd the more,
And oftentimes by Turmagant and Mahound swore,
XLVIII.
Natheleffe so sharpely still he him purfewd,
That at advantage him at laft he tooke,
When his foote flipt (that flip he dearely rewd)
And with his yron club to ground him strooke;
Where still he lay, ne out of (woune awooke,
Till heavy hand the carle upon him layd,
And bound him faft: tho when he up did looke,
And saw himselfe captiv'd, he was difmayd,
Ne powre had to withstand, ne hope of any ayd.
XLIX.
Then up he made him rife, and forward fare,
Led in a rope which both his hands did bynd;
Ne ought that foole for pitty did him fpare,
But with his whip him following behynd
Him often fcourg'd, and forft his feete to fynd:
And otherwhiles with bitter mockes and mowes
He would him fcorne, that to his gentle mynd
Was much more grievous then the others blowes:
Words sharpely wound, but greatest griefe of fcorning growes.
The faire Serena, when she saw him fall
Under that villaines club, then furely thought
That flaine he was, or made a wretched thrall,
And fled away with all the speede the mought
To feeke for fafety, which long time fhe fought,
And past through many perils by the way,
Ere the againe to Calepine was brought:
The which difcourfe as now I muft delay,
Till Mirabellaes fortunes I doe further fay.
So as they forward on their way did pas,
Him still reviling and afflicting fore,
They met prince Arthure with fir Enias,
(That was that courteous knight, whom he before
Having fubdew'd, yet did to life restore)
To whom as they approcht, they gan augment
Their cruelty, and him to punish more,
Scourging and haling him more vehement ;
As if it them should grieve to see his punishment.
V.
The squire himselfe, whenas he saw his lord
The witneffe of his wretchednesse in place,
Was much asham'd that with an hempen cord
He like a dog was led in captive case,
And did his head for bashfulneffe abafe,
As loth to fee or to be seene at all ;
Shame would be hid : but whenas Enias
Beheld two fuch, of two fuch villaines thrall,
His manly mynde was much emmoved therewithall;
And to the prince thus fayd, See you, fir knight,
The greatest shame that ever eye yet faw,
Yond lady and her squire with foule defpight
Abufde, against all reafon and all law,
Without regard of pitty or of awe:
See how they doe that squire beat and revile;
See how they doe the lady hale and draw:
But if ye pleafe to lend me leave awhile,
I will them foone acquite, and both of blame affoile.
The prince affented: and then he streightway
Dismounting light, his shield about him threw,
With which approaching thus he gan to say,
Abide, ye caytive treachetours untrew,
That have with treafon thralled unto you
These two, unworthy of your wretched bands
And now your crime with cruelty purfew:
Abide, and from them lay your loathly bands;
Or else abide the death that hard before you ftands.
The villaine stayd not aunswer to invent;
But with his yron club preparing way,
His mindes fad meffage backe unto him fent;
The which defcended with fuch dreadfull fway,
That seemed nought the course thereof could ftay,
No more then lightening from the lofty sky:
Ne lift the knight the powre thereof afsay,
Whose doome was death; but lightly flipping by,
Unwares defrauded his intended destiny:
And to requite him with the like againe,
With his sharpe fword he fiercely at him flew,
And strooke so strongly, that the carle with paine
Saved himselfe, but that he there him slew;
Yet fav'd not fo, but that the blood it drew,
And gave his foe good hope of victory :
Who therewith flesht, upon
him fet anew, And with the second stroke thought certainely To have supplyde the first, and paide the ufury:
But fortune aunfwerd not unto his call
For as his hand was heaved up on hight,
The villaine met him in the middle fall,
And with his club bet backe his brond-yron bright
So forcibly, that with his owne hands might
Rebeaten backe upon himselfe againe
He driven was to ground in felfe despight;
From whence ere he recovery could gaine,
He in his necke had set his foote with fell disdaine.
With that the foole, which did that end awayte,
Came running in, and whileft on ground he lay
Laide heavy hands on him, and held fo ftrayte,
That downe he kept him with his fcornefull sway,
So as he could not weld him any way:
The whiles that other villaine went about
Him to have bound, and thrald without delay;
The whiles the foole did him revile and flout,
Threatning to yoke them two and tame their
VOL. II
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