And as I marked bore upon his shield, By which it's eafie him to know againe, A broken fword within a bloodie field; Expreffing well his nature which the fame did wield."

XX.

No fooner fayd, but ftreight he after fent
His yron Page, who him purfew'd fo light,
As that it feem'd above the ground he

went:

For he was swift as swallow in her flight, And strong as lyon in his lordly might. It was not long before he overtooke Sir Sanglier, (fo cleeped was that Knight,) Whom at the firft he gheffed by his looke, And by the other markes which of his fhield he tooke.

XXI.

He bad him stay and backe with him retire; Who, full of fcorne to be commaunded fo, The Lady to alight did eft require,

Whileft he reformed that uncivill fo;

And ftreight at him with all his force did go: Who mov❜d no more therewith, then when a rocke

Is lightly ftricken with fome ftones throw; But to him leaping lent him fuch a knocke,

That on the ground he layd him like a fence

XXII.

But, ere he could himfelfe recure againe,
Him in his iron paw he feized had;

That when he wak't out of his wareleffe paine,
He found himself unwift fo ill beftad,
That lim he could not wag: thence he
him lad,

Bound like a beaft appointed to the ftall:
The fight whereof the Lady fore adrad,
And fain'd to fly for feare of being thrall ;
But he her quickly ftayd, and forst to wend
withall.

XXIII.

When to the place they came where Artegall By that fame carefull Squire did then abide, He gently gan him to demaund of all

That did betwixt him and that Squire betide: Who with fterne countenance and indignant pride

Did aunfwere, that of all he guiltleffe ftood, And his accufer thereuppon defide;

For neither he did fhed that Ladies bloud, Nor tooke away his Love, but his owne proper good.

XXIV.

Well did the Squire perceive himselfe too weake To aunfwere his defiaunce in the field,

XXII. 3.

his wareleffe paine,] His CHURCH.

pain of which he was not aware.

And rather chofe his challenge off to

breake

Then to approve his right with speare and fhield,

And rather guilty chofe himselfe to yield. But Artegall by fignes perceiving plaine That he it was not which that Lady kild, But that strange Knight, the fairer Love to gaine,

Did caft about by fleight the truth thereout to ftraine ;

And fayd; right

XXV.

"Now fure this doubtfull caufes

Can hardly but by facrament be tride,
Or elfe by ordele, or by blooddy fight;
That ill perhaps mote fall to either fide:
But if
ye please that I
your caufe decide,

XXV. 2. Can hardly but by facrament be tride,

iii. ver. 1048.

Or else by ordele,] So Chaucer, Tr. and Cr. B.

"Wherefo you lift by ordal, or by othe." Sacrament is the oath of purgation. T. WARTON.

The military oath among the Romans, as Mr. Church has obferved, was called facramentum. Concerning the ordeal, or method of purgation by fire or water, fee Kilian, in V. Oor-deel, and particularly Spelman. See alfo an account" Of Ordeal in general, and the feveral forts of it," in the Hift. of the Moft Remarkable Tryals in Great Britain, &c. 8vo. 1715, Ch. 1. Spenfer adds, or by blooddy fight," i. e. the trial by combat," the allowed method of fettling difputes, if the party to whom THE OATH was tendered refused to take it, Hift. ut fupr. Ch. 3. TODD.

66

Perhaps I may all further quarrell end,

So

ye will fweare my iudgement to abide.” Thereto they both did franckly condifcend, And to his doome with liftfull eares did both attend.

XXVI.

"Sith then," fayd he, " ye both the dead deny,

And both the living Lady claime your right, Let both the dead and living equally Devided be betwixt you here in fight, And each of either take his fhare aright. But looke, who does diffent from this my read, He for a twelve moneths day fhall in defpight Beare for his penaunce that fame Ladies head ; To witneffe to the world that she by him is dead."

XXVII.

Well pleased with that doome was Sangliere, And offred ftreight the Lady to be slaine: But that fame Squire to whom fhe was more dere,

Whenas he faw fhe fhould be cut in twaine, Did yield the rather should with him remaine Alive then to himfelfe be shared dead;

And rather then his Love should suffer paine,

XXVI. 1. Sith then, fayd he, ye both the dead deny, &c.] Copied from Solomon's judgement, I Kings iii. 16. JORTIN.

He chofe with fhame to beare that Ladies

head:

True love defpifeth fhame when life is cald in

dread.

XXVIII.

Whom when fo willing Artegall perceaved;
Not fo, thou Squire," he fayd, " but thine
I deeme

The living Lady, which from thee he reaved :
For worthy thou of her doeft rightly feeme.
And you, Sir Knight, that love fo light
esteeme,

As that

ye

would for little leave the fame, Take here your owne that doth you best

befeeme,

And with it beare the burden of defame; Your owne dead Ladies head, to tell abrode your fhame."

XXIX.

But Sangliere difdained much his doome,
And sternly gan repine at his beheast ;

Ne would for ought obay, as did become,

To beare that Ladies head before his breast:

Untill that Talus had his pride represt,

And forced him, maulgrè, it up to reare.

XXVIII. 8. And with it beare the burden of defame;] In the history of Prince Arthur, Chap. cxviii, a knight is doomed to carry the head of a lady, whom he had unjustly flain.

XXIX. 6. or not. CHURCH.

UPTON. maulgrè,] Whether he would