40.

"Ah Lady deare," qd. then the gentle knight, "Well may I ween your griefe is wondrous great; For wondrous great griefe groneth in my spright, Whiles thus I heare you of your forrowes treat. But, woefull Lady, let me you intrete For to unfold the anguish of your hart: Mishaps are maiftred by advice difcrete,

And counsell mitigates the greatest smart: Found never help who never would his hurts impart."

4I.

"O! but," (qd. fhe) "great griefe will not be tould, And can more easily be thought then faid."

Right fo," (qd. he) "but he that never would Could never will to might gives greatest aid." "But griefe," (qd. fhe) "does greater grow difplaid, If then it find not helpe, and breeds despaire." "Despaire breeds not," (qd. he)" where faith is staid." "No faith so fast," (qd. fhe) "but flesh does paire." "Flesh may empaire," (qd. he) " but reason can repaire."

42.

His goodly reason, and well-guided speach,
So deepe did settle in her gracious thought,
That her perfwaded to disclose the breach

Which love and fortune in her heart had wrought;
And faid; "Faire Sir, I hope good hap hath brought
You to inquere the fecrets of my griefe;

Or that your wifedome will direct my thought,

Or that your proweffe can me yield reliefe: Then, heare the story fad, which I shall tell

43.

you

briefe.

"The forlorne Maiden, whom your eies have seene

The laughing stocke of fortunes mockeries,
Am th' onely daughter of a King and Queene,
Whose parents deare, whiles equal deftinies

Did ronne about, and their felicities

The favourable heavens did not envy,

Did fpred their rule through all the territories,
Which Phison and Euphrates floweth by,
And Gehons golden waves' doe wash continually:

44.

"Till that their cruell curfed enemy,

An huge great Dragon, horrible in fight,
Bred in the loathly lakes of Tartary,

With murdrous ravine, and devouring might,

Their kingdome spoild, and countrey wasted quight: Themselves, for feare into his jawes to fall,

He forft to castle strong to take their flight; Where, fast embard in mighty brasen wall, He has them now fowr years befiegd to make them thrall.

45.

"Full many knights, adventurous and ftout,
Have enterpriz'd that Monster to fubdew:
From every coaft that heaven walks about
Have thither come the noble Martial crew,
That famous harde atchievements ftill purfew;
Yet never any could that girlond win,

But all still shronke, and still he greater grew :
All they, for want of faith, or guilt of sin,
The pitteous pray of his fiers cruelty have bin.

Did ronne about.] It is "come about" in the 4to. 1590, but amended to 66 ronne about" in the errata at the end; otherwise we might have preferred "come about" in the sense of accomplished. C. Which Phifon and Euphrates floweth by,

And Gehons golden waves doe wash continually.] Pifon is one of the rivers of Paradife, Gen. ii. 11. "The name of the second river is Gibon," ver. 13. "And the fourth river is Euphrates," ver. 14. He omits the name of one of the rivers: and fpells (according to his cuftom) scarce any according to modern or the ufual spelling. UPTON.

S

66

loathly lakes of Tartary.] For Tartarus; but as Jortin, Warton, and Todd fhowed, Tartar or Tartary was the common name for Hell in Spenfer's age. Shakespeare, in " Henry V." A. ii. Sc. 2, speaks of " vafty Tartar," as the abode of fiends. C.

46.

"At last, yled with far reported praise,

Which flying fame throughout the world had fpred,
Of doughty knights, whom Fary land did raise,
That noble order hight of maidenhed,
Forthwith to court of Gloriane I fped,
Of Gloriane, great Queene of glory bright,
Whofe kingdomes feat Cleopolis is red;

There to obtaine fome fuch redoubted knight,
That Parents deare from tyrants powre deliver might.

47.

"Yt was my chaunce (my chaunce was faire and good) There for to find a fresh unproved knight;

Whose manly hand imbrewd in guilty blood
Had never beene, ne ever by his might
Had throwne to ground the unregarded right:
Yet of his proweffe proofe he fince hath made
(I witnes am) in many a cruell fight;

The groning ghosts of
many one dismaide
Have felt the bitter dint of his avenging blade.

48.

"And ye, the forlorne reliques of his powre,
His biting sword, and his devouring speare,'
Which have endured many a dreadfull stowre,
Can fpeake his proweffe that did earst you beare,
And well could rule; now he hath left you
To be the record of his ruefull loffe,
And of my dolefull difaventurous deare.
O! heavie record of the good Redcroffe,

heare

Where have yee left your lord that could fo well you toffe?

His biting fword, and his devouring Speare.] This apostrophe of Una to her knight's sword and spear is not without its elegance and pathos. "His biting fword," is from Horace, L. iv. Od. 6. "Ille mordaci velut icta ferro." "His devouring fpear," from Scripture. My sword shall devour flesh," Deut. xxxii. 42. UPTON.

49.

"Well hoped I, and faire beginnings had,
That he my captive languor fhould redeeme:
Till, all unweeting, an Enchaunter bad
His fence abufd, and made him to misdeeme
My loyalty, not fuch as it did feeme,

That rather death defire then such despight.

Be judge, ye heavens, that all things right esteeme, How I him lov'd, and love with all my might. So thought I eke of him, and think I thought aright. 50.

"Thenceforth me defolate he quite forfooke,

To wander where wilde fortune would me lead,
And other bywaies he himselfe betooke,

Where never foote of living wight did tread,
That brought not backe the balefull body dead:
In which him chaunced falfe Dueffa meete,
Mine onely foe, mine onely deadly dread;
Who with her witchcraft, and miffeeming sweete,
Inveigled him to follow her defires unmeete.

51.

"At last, by fubtile fleights fhe him betraid
Unto his foe, a Gyaunt huge and tall;
Who him difarmed, diffolute, dismaid,
Unwares furprised, and with mighty mall"
The monster mercileffe him made to fall,
Whofe fall did never foe before behold:
And now in darkesome dungeon, wretched thrall,
Remedileffe for aie he doth him hold.

This is

my cause of griefe, more great then may be told."

52.

Ere she had ended all fhe gan to faint:

and with mighty mall.] i. e. mighty mallet,-ufed by many old writers, and still known as "mall" among fhipwrights. C.

But he her comforted, and faire bespake :

Certes, Madame, ye have great cause of plaint, That ftouteft heart, I weene, could cause to quake: But be of cheare, and comfort to you take; For till I have acquitt* your captive knight, Affure your felfe I will you not forfake."

His chearefull words reviv'd her chearelesse spright, So forth they went, the Dwarfe them guiding ever right.

* For till I have acquitt.] Releafed. Fr. acquitter: fee the first Stanza of the next Canto. CHURCH. Prisoners, when acquitted, are released; freed from crime as well as from durance. Shakespeare, and perhaps he only, makes acquittance a verb in "Richard III.” A. iii. Sc. 7. In St. 10 of the next Canto, Spenfer ufes to "quight" in the sense of release,—" his combred clubbe to quight." C.