And ragged ribs of mountaines molten new,

Enwrapt in coleblacke clowds and filthy smoke, That al the land with ftench and heven with horror choke.

45.

The heate whereof, and harmefull peftilence,

So fore him noyd, that forst him to retire
A little backeward for his beft defence,
To fave his body from the fcorching fire,
Which he from hellish entrailes did expire.
It chaunft, (eternall God that chaunce did guide)
As he recoiled backeward, in the mire

His nigh foreweried feeble feet did slide,

And downe he fell, with dread of shame fore terrifide. 46.

There grew a goodly tree him faire befide,
Loaden with fruit and apples rofy redd,
As they in pure vermilion had been dide,
Whereof great vertues over all were redd;
For happy life to all which thereon fedd,
And life eke everlasting did befall :

Great God it planted in that blessed stedd
With his Almighty hand, and did it call
The tree of life, the crime of our firft fathers fall.

47.

In all the world like was not to be fownd,

Save in that foile, where all good things did grow,
And freely fprong out of the fruitfull grownd,
As incorrupted Nature did them sow,
Till that dredd Dragon all did overthrow.
Another like faire tree eke grew thereby,
Whereof whofo did eat, eftfoones did know

Both good and ill. O mournfull memory!

That tree through one mans fault hath doen us all to dy.

48.

From that first tree forth flowd, as from a well,

A trickling ftreame of Balme, most foveraine
And dainty deare, which on the ground ftill fell,
And overflowed all the fertile plaine,

As it had deawed bene with timely raine :

Life and long health that gracious ointment gave,
And deadly wounds could heale; and reare againe
The fenceleffe corfe appointed for the grave:

Into that fame he fell, which did from death him save. 49.

For nigh thereto the ever damned Beast

Durft not approch, for he was deadly made,
And al that life preserved did detest ;
Yet he it oft adventur'd to invade.

By this the drouping day-light gan to fade,
And yield his rowme to fad fucceeding night,
Who with her fable mantle gan to fhade
The face of earth and wayes of living wight,
And high her burning torch fet up in heaven bright.
50.

When gentle Una faw the second fall

Of her deare knight, who, weary of long fight
And faint through loffe of blood, moov'd not at all,
But lay, as in a dreame of deepe delight,

Besmeard with pretious Balme, whofe vertuous might
Did heale his woundes, and fcorching heat alay;
Againe fhe ftricken was with fore affright,

And for his fafetie gan devoutly pray,

And watch the noyous night, and wait for joyous day. 51.

The joyous day gan early to appeare;

And fayre Aurora from the deawy bed

Of aged Tithone gan herfelfe to reare

With rofy cheekes, for fhame as blushing red:
Her golden locks for haft were loosely fhed
About her eares, when Una her did marke

Clymbe to her charet, all with flowers fpred,

From heven high to chace the cheareleffe darke; With mery note her lowd falutes the mounting larke. 52.

Then freshly up arose the doughty knight,

All healed of his hurts and woundes wide,
And did himselfe to battaile ready dight;
Whofe early foe awaiting him beside
To have devourd, fo foone as day he spyde,
When now he saw himselfe fo freshly reare,
As if late fight had nought him damnifyde,
He woxe dismaid, and gan his fate to feare:
Nathleffe with wonted rage he him advaunced neare.
53.

And in his first encounter, gaping wyde,

He thought attonce him to have swallowd quight,
And rufht upon him with outragious pryde;
Who him rencountring fierce, as hauke in flight,
Perforce rebutted back. The weapon bright,
Taking advantage of his open jaw,

Ran through his mouth with fo importune might,
That deepe emperft his darkfom hollow maw,

And, back retyrd, his life blood forth with all did draw.

54.

So downe he fell, and forth his life did breath,

That vanifht into smoke and cloudes swift;
So downe he fell, that th' earth him underneath
Did grone, as feeble fo great load to lift;

So downe he fell, as an huge rocky clift,"

& Who bim rencountring.] Todd printed it rencounting, which does not at all convey the poet's meaning: in order, perhaps, to make it quite clear, the folio 1611 thus represents the word,-" r'encountring," i. e. of course re-encountering: we have "encounter" above. C.

So downe he fell, as an huge rocky clift, &c.] This fimile originally belongs to Homer; but almost all the poets have imitated it, with ad

Whofe falfe foundacion waves have washt away,
With dreadfull poyse is from the mayneland rift,
And rolling downe great Neptune doth dismay :
So downe he fell, and like an heaped mountaine lay.
55.

The knight him felfe even trembled at his fall,
So huge and horrible a masse it seemd;

And his deare Lady, that beheld it all,

Durft not approch for dread which she misdeemd;
But yet at laft, whenas the direfull feend
She faw not stirre, of-fhaking vaine affright
She nigher drew, and faw that joyous end:

Then God she prayfd, and thankt her faithfull knight, That had atchievde fo great a conqueft by his might.

ditions, or alterations, as their fubject required. Our poet says, " With dreadfull poyfe," that is, force or weight. None of the editions read pub, as Homer, Virgil, and Milton, in their fimilitude, exprefs it. See Homer, Il. v. 137, Virg. Æn. xii. 685, Milton, " Par. L." vi. 195. UPTON.

EHOLD! I fee the haven nigh at hand,

To which I meane my wearie course to

bend;

Vere the maine fhete, and beare

the land,

The which afore is fayrly to be kend,

And feemeth fafe from ftorms that may offend :
There this fayre virgin wearie of her way
Muft landed bee, now at her journeyes end;
There eke my feeble barke a while may stay,
Till mery wynd and weather call her thence away.

2.

Scarfely had Phoebus in the glooming East

Yett harnessed his fyrie-footed teeme,
Ne reard above the earth his flaming creaft,
When the last deadly smoke aloft did steeme,
That figne of laft outbreathed life did feeme
Unto the watchman on the castle-wall;

Who thereby dead that balefull Beaft did deeme,
And to his Lord and Lady lowd gan call,

To tell how he had feene the Dragons fatall fall.