5.

"But he is old, and withered like hay,
Unfit faire Ladies fervice to fupply;

The privie guilt whereof makes him alway
Sufpect her truth, and keepe continuall spy
Upon her with his other blincked eye;
Ne fuffreth he refort of living wight

Approch to her, ne keepe her company,

But in close bowre her mewes from all mens fight, Depriv'd of kindly joy and naturall delight.

6.

"Malbecco he, and Hellenore fhe hight;
Unfitly yokt together in one teeme.
That is the cause why never any knight
Is fuffred here to enter, but he seeme
Such as no doubt of him he neede misdeeme."
Thereat Sir Satyrane gan fmyle, and fay;
"Extremely mad the man I furely deeme,

That weenes with watch and hard restraynt to stay A womans will, which is difpofd to go aftray.

7.

"In vaine he feares that which he cannot fhonne;
For who wotes not, that womans fubtiltyes
Can guylen Argus, when she list misdonne?
It is not yron bandes, nor hundred eyes,
Nor brafen walls, nor many wakefull spyes,
That can withhold her wilfull wandring feet;
But faft goodwill, with gentle courtesyes,

And timely service to her pleasures meet,

May her perhaps containe, that else would algates fleet."

8.

"Then is he not more mad," (fayd Paridell)
"That hath himselfe unto such service fold,
In dolefull thraldome all his dayes to dwell?
For fure a foole I doe him firmely hold,

That loves his fetters, though they were of gold.
But why doe wee devife of others ill,

Whyles thus we fuffer this fame dotard old

To keepe us out, in fcorne of his owne will,

And rather do not ranfack all, and him felfe kill?”

9.

Nay, let us firft" (fayd Satyrane) "entreat
The man by gentle meanes to let us in,
And afterwardes affray with cruell threat,
Ere that we to efforce it doe begin :
Then, if all fayle, we will by force it win,
And eke reward the wretch for his mesprife,
As may be worthy of his haynous fin."

That counsell pleafd: then Paridell did rise,
And to the Castle gate approcht in quiet wife.

IO.

Whereat foft knocking entrance he defyrd.

The good man felfe, which then the Porter playd,
Him answered, that all were now retyrd
Unto their reft, and all the keyes convayd
Unto their maister, who in bed was layd,
That none him durft awake out of his dreme;
And therefore them of patience gently prayd.
Then Paridell began to chaunge his theme,

And threatned him with force and punishment extreme:

II.

But all in vaine, for nought mote him relent.

C

And now fo long before the wicket fast

They wayted, that the night was forward spent,
And the faire welkin fowly overcast

Gan blowen up a bitter stormy blast,

before the wicket faft.] i. e. before the wicket which had been made faft. Todd rendered the paffage nonsense by printing wicked for wicket," as if it had reference to the "cancred carl," and not to the gate of his castle. C.

With showre and hayle fo horrible and dred,
That this faire many were compeld at last
To fly for fuccour to a little shed,

The which befide the gate for fwyne was ordered.

12.

It fortuned, foone after they were gone,

Another knight, whom tempeft thether brought,
Came to that Castle, and with earnest mone,
Like as the reft, late entrance deare befought:
But, like fo as the reft, he prayd for nought;
For flatly he of entrance was refusd.
Sorely thereat he was displeasd, and thought
How to avenge himselfe fo fore abufd,
And evermore the Carle of courtefie accufd.*

13.

But, to avoyde th' intollerable ftowre,

He was compeld to feeke fome refuge neare,
And to that shed, to fhrowd him from the showre,
He came, which full of guests he found whyleare,
So as he was not let to enter there:

Whereat he gan to wex exceeding wroth,

And swore that he would lodge with them yfere,
Or them dislodg, all were they liefe or loth;
And fo defyde them each, and fo defyde them both.

14.

Both were full loth to leave that needfull tent,
And both full loth in darkneffe to debate;
Yet both full liefe him lodging to have lent,

d this faire many.] Company. Spenfer repeatedly uses "many" in this fenfe. TODD. It was common to all the poets of the day. C. of courtefie accufd.] The commentators have mifspent time and fpace upon this very intelligible expreffion, which is merely elliptical: he accused the Carl of want of courtesy. C.

с

fall were they liefe or loth.] That is, were they willing, or unwilling. The expreffion occurs again in F. Q. vi. i. 44, and is frequent in our old poets. UPTON.

And both full liefe his boafting to abate:
But chiefely Paridell his hart did grate
To heare him threaten so despightfully,
As if he did a dogge in kenell rate

That durft not barke; and rather had he dy Then, when he was defyde, in coward corner ly. 15.

Tho hastily remounting to his steed

He forth iffew'd: like as a boyftrous winde,
Which in th' earthes hollow caves hath long ben hid
And shut up faft within her prifons blind,
Makes the huge element, against her kinde,
To move and tremble as it were aghast,
Untill that it an iffew forth may finde:

Then forth it breakes, and with his furious blast Confounds both land and feas, and fkyes doth overcast.

16.

Their fteel-hed fpeares they ftrongly coucht, and met Together with impetuous rage and forse,

That with the terrour of their fierce affret

g

They rudely drove to ground both man and horse, That each awhile lay like a fenceleffe corfe.

But Paridell fore brufed with the blow

Could not arise, the counterchaunge to scorse," Till that young Squyre him reared from below; Then drew he his bright fword, and gan about him throw. 17.

But Satyrane forth stepping did them stay,

And with faire treaty pacifide their yre.

Then, when they were accorded from the fray,

their fierce affret.] Rencounter, hafty meeting, &c. See alfo F. Q. iv. ii. 15; iv. iii. 6. Affrettare, Ital. To haften, to be in a fret and hafte. UPTON.

h Could not arife, the counterchaunge to fcorfe.] Render il contracambio, to be even with him, to give him like for like; faire un contrechange. UPTON. "Scorfe" is exchange: fee vol. ii. p. 258. C.

Against that Castles Lord they gan confpire, To heape on him dew vengeaunce for his hire. They beene agreed; and to the gates they goe To burn the fame with unquenchable fire, And that uncurteous Carle, their commune foe, To doe fowle death to die, or wrap in grievous woe. 18.

Malbecco, seeing them refolvd in deed

To flame the gates, and hearing them to call
For fire in earnest, ran with fearfull speed,
And to them calling from the castle wall,
Befought them humbly him to beare withall,
As ignorant of servants bad abuse

And flacke attendaunce unto ftraungers call. The knights were willing all things to excuse, Though nought belev'd, and entraunce late did not refuse. 19.

They beene ybrought into a comely bowre,

And servd of all things that mote needfull bee
Yet fecretly their hofte did on them lowre,
And welcomde more for feare then charitee;
But they diffembled what they did not fee,
And welcomed themselves. Each
Each gan undight
Their garments wett, and weary armour free,
To dry them felves by Vulcanes flaming light,
And eke their lately bruzed parts to bring in plight.

20.

And eke that ftraunger knight emongst the rest
Was for like need enforft to disaray:

Tho, whenas vailed was her lofty crest,
Her golden locks, that were in tramells gay
Upbounden, did them felves adowne display
And raught unto her heeles; like funny beames,
That in a cloud their light did long time stay,
Their vapour vaded, fhewe their golden gleames,