But foone as fhe her fence recover'd had,
She fiercely towards him herselfe gan dight,
Through vengeful wrath and fdeignfull pride half mad;
For never had she suffred such despight:
But ere she could ioyne hand with him to fight,
Her warlike maides about her flockt so fast,
That they difparted them, maugre their might,
And with their troupes did far asunder cast :
But mongst the rest the fight did untill evening last.
XLIV.
And every while that mighty yron man
With his strange weapon, never wont in warre,
Them forely vext, and courft, and over-ran,
And broke their bowes, and did their shooting marre,
That none of all the many once did darre
Him to affault, nor once approach him nie;
But like a fort of sheepe dispersed farre,
For dread of their devouring enemie,
Through all the fields and vallies did before him flie.
But whenas daies faire fhinie beame, yclowded
With fearefull shadowes of deformed night,
Warn'd man and beast in quiet rest be fhrowded,
Bold Radigund with found of trumpe on hight
Caufd all her people to furcease from fight;
And gathering them unto her citties gate,
Made them all enter in before her fight;
And all the wounded, and the weake in ftate,
To be convayed in, ere the would once retrate.
XLVI.
away,
When thus the field was voided all
And all things quieted, the elfin knight,
Weary of toile and travell of that day,
Caufd his pavilion to be richly pight
Before the city-gate in open fight;
Where he himselfe did reft in fafety
Together with fir Terpin all that night:
But Talus ufde in times of ieopardy
To keepe a nightly watch for dread of treachery.
But Radigund, full of heart-gnawing griefe
For the rebuke which she sustain'd that day,
Could take no reft, ne would receive reliefe ;
But toffed in her troublous minde what way
She mote revenge that blot which on her lay.
There she refolv'd herfelfe in fingle fight
To try her fortune, and his force affay,
Rather then see her people spoiled quight,
As she had seene that day, a disadventerous fight.
XLVIII.
She called forth to her a trufty mayd,
Whom she thought fittest for that businesse,
Her name was Clarin, and thus to her fayd,
Goe, damzell, quickly, doe thyfelfe addresse
To doe the message which I shall expresse :
Goe thou unto that ftranger faery knight,
Who yesterday drove us to fuch diftreffe,
Tell that to morrow I with him will fight,
And try in equall field whether hath greater might.
XLIX.
But thefe conditions doe to him propound,
That if I vanquishe him, he shall obay
My law, and ever to my lore be bound;
And fo will I, if me he vanquish may ;
Whatever he shall like to doe or fay:
Goe freight, and take with thee to witnesse it
Sixe of thy fellowes of the beft array,
And beare with you both wine and iuncates fit,
And bid him eate: henceforth be oft fhall hungry fit.
The damzell streight obayd; and putting all
In readineffe forth to the town-gate went;
Where founding loud a trumpet from the wall,
Unto those warlike knights she warning fent.
Then Talus forth iffuing from the tent
Unto the wall his way did feareleffe take,
To weeten what that trumpets founding ment:
Where that fame damzell lowdly him befpake,
And shew'd that with his lord she would emparlaunce make.
So he them ftreight conducted to his lord;
Who, as he could, them goodly well did greete,
Till they had told their message word by word:
Which he accepting well, as he could weete,
Them fairely entertaynd with curt'fies meete,
And gave them gifts and things of deare delight:
So backe againe they homeward turn'd their feete :
But Artegall himselfe to rest did dight,
That he mote fresher be against the next daies fight.
Artegall fights with Radigund,
And is fubdew'd by guile:
He is by ber emprisoned,
But wrought by Clarins wile.
O foone as day forth dawning from the east
Nights humid curtaine from the heavens withdrew,
And earely calling forth both man and beast
Commaunded them their daily workes renew;
These noble warriors, mindeiull to purfew
The last daies purpose of their vowed fight,
Themselves thereto preparde in order dew ;
The knight, as beft was feeming for a knight,
And th’Amazon, as best it likt herselfe to dight.
All in a camis light of purple filke
Woven uppon with filver, fubtly wrought,
And quilted uppon fattin white as milke,
Trayled with ribbands diverfly distraught,
Like as the workeman had their courses taught;
Which was short tucked for light motion
Up to her ham; but when the lift, it raught
Downe to her lowest heele, and thereuppon
She wore for her defence a mayled habergeon.
And on her legs the painted bufkins wore,
Bafted with bends of gold on every side,
And mailes betweene, and laced close afore
Uppon her thigh her cemitare was tide
With an embrodered belt of mickell pride;
And on her shoulder hung her shield, bedeckt
Uppon the boffe with ftones that shined wide,
As the faire moone in her most full aspect;
That to the moone it mote be like in each respect.
IV.
So forth fhe came out of the citty-gate
With stately port and proud magnificence,
Guarded with many damzels that did waite
Uppon her perfon for her fure defence,
Playing on fhaumes and trumpets, that from hence
Their found did reach unto the heavens hight:
So forth into the field the marched thence,
Where was a rich pavilion ready pight
Her to receive, till time they should begin the fight.
Then forth came Artegall out of his tent,
All arm'd to point, and first the lifts did enter:
Soone after eke came fhe with fell intent
And countenaunce fierce, as having fully bent her
That battels utmost triall to adventer.
The lifts were clofed faft, to barre the rout
From rudely preffing to the middle center;
Which in great heapes them circled all about,
Wayting how fortune would resolve that dangerous dout.
The trumpets founded, and the field began;
With bitter ftrokes it both began and ended.
She at the first encounter on him ran
With furious rage, as if she had intended
Out of his breast the very heart have rended:
But he that had like tempefts often tride,
From that first flaw himselfe right well defended.
The more she rag'd, the more he did abide;
She hewd, the foynd, fhe lafht, fhe laid on every
Yet fill her blowes he bore, and her forbore,
Weening at laft to win advantage new;
Yet ftill her crueltie increased more,
And though powre faild, her courage did accrew;
Which fayling he gan fiercely her pursew :
Like as a fmith that to his cunning feat
The ftubborne mettall feeketh to fubdew,
Soone as he feeles it mollifide with heat,
With his great yron sledge doth strongly on it beat.
So did fir Artegall upon her lay,
As if she had an yron andvile beene,
That flakes of fire, bright as the funny ray,
Out of her steely armes were flashing feene,
That all on fire
ye would her furely weene :
But with her fhield fo well herselfe she warded
From the dread daunger of his weapon keene,
That all that while her life fhe fafely garded;
But he that helpe from her against her will discarded:
For with his trenchant blade at the next blow
Halfe of her shield he shared quite away,
That halfe her fide itfelfe did naked fhow,
And thenceforth unto daunger opened way.
Much was she moved with the mightie sway
Of that fad stroke, that halfe enrag'd fhe grew;
And like a greedie beare unto her pray
With her sharpe cemitare at him she flew,
That glauncing downe his thigh the purple bloud forth drew.
Thereat she gan to triumph with great boast,
And to upbrayd that chaunce which him misfell,
As if the prize she gotten had almost,
With fpightfull fpeaches, fitting with her well;
That his great hart gan inwardly to fwell
With indignation at her vaunting vaine,
And at her ftrooke with puiffance fearefull fell;
Yet with her fhield she warded it againe,
That shattered all to pieces round about the plaine.
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