The knight with that old Dragon fights two dayes incessantly: The third him ouerthrowes, and gayns most glorious victory.
High time now gan it wex for Vna fayre, To thinke of those her captiue Parents deare, And their for wasted kingdom to repayre: Whereto whenas they now approched neare, With hartie wordes her knight she gan to cheare, And in her modest maner thus bespake; Deare knight, as deare, as euer knight was deare, That all these sorrowes suffer for my sake, High heuen behold the tedious toyle, ye for me take.
Now are we come vnto my natiue soyle, And to the place, where all our perilles dwell; Here hauntes that feend, and does his dayly spoyle, Therefore henceforth bee it your keeping well, And euer ready for your foeman fell. The sparke of noble corage now awake, And striue your excellent selfe to excell; That shall ye euermore renowmed make, Aboue all knights on earth, that batteill vndertake.
With that they heard a roaring hideous sownd, That all the ayre with terror filled wyde, And seemd vneath to shake the stedfast ground. Eftsoones that dreadfull Dragon they espyde, Where stretcht he lay vpon the sunny side, Of a great hill, himselfe like a great hill. But all so soone, as he from far descryde Those glistring armes, that heuen with light did fill, He rousd himselfe full blyth, and hastned them vntill.
Then badd the knight this Lady yede aloof, And to an hill her selfe withdraw asyde, From whence she might behold that battailles proof And ēke be safe from daunger far descryde: She him obayd, and turnd a litle wyde, Now O thou sacred Muse, most learned Dame, Fayre ympe of Phœbus, and his aged bryde, The Nourse of time, and euerlasting fame, That warlike handes ennoblest with immortall name;
O gently come into my feeble brest, Come gently, but not with that mightie rage, Wherewith the martiall troupes thou doest infest, And hartes of great Heroës doest enrage, That nought their kindled corage may aswage, Soone as thy dreadfull trompe begins to sownd; The God of warre with his fiers equipage Thou doest awake, sleepe neuer he so sownd, And feared nations doest with horror sterne astownd.
Fayre Goddesse lay that furious fitt asyde, Till I of warres and bloody Mars doe sing, And Bryton fieldes with Sarazin blood bedyde, Twixt that great faery Queene and Paynim king, That with their horror heuen and earth did ring, A worke of labour long, and endlesse prayse: But now a while lett downe that haughtie string, And to my tunes thy second tenor rayse, That I this man of God his godly armes may blaze.
By this the dreadfull Beast drew nigh to hand, Halfe flying, and halfe footing in his haste, That with his largenesse measured much land, And made wide shadow vnder his huge waste; As mountaine doth the valley ouercaste. Approching nigh, he reared high afore His body monstrous, horrible, and vaste, Which to increase his wondrous greatnes more, Was swoln with wrath, & poyson, & with bloody gore.
And ouer, all with brasen scales was armd, Like plated cote of steele, so couched neare, That nought mote perce, ne might his corse bee harmd With dint of swerd, nor push of pointed speare, Which as an Eagle, seeing pray appeare, His aery plumes doth rouze, full rudely dight, So shaked he, that horror was to heare, For as the clashing of an Armor bright, Such noyse his rouzed scales did send vnto the knight.
His flaggy winges when forth he did display, Were like two sayles, in which the hollow wynd Is gathered full, and worketh speedy way: And eke the pennes, that did his pineons bynd, Were like mayne-yardes, with flying canuas kynd, With which whenas him list the ayre to beat, And there by force vnwonted passage fynd, The clowdes before him fledd for terror great, And all the heuens stood still amazed with his threat.
His huge long tayle wownd vp in hundred foldes, Does ouerspred his long bras-scaly back, Whose wreathed boughtes when euer he vnfoldes, And thick entangled knots adown does slack, Bespotted all with shieldes of red and blacke, It sweepeth all the land behind him farre, And of three furlongs does but litle lacke; And at the point two stinges in fixed arre, Both deadly sharp, that sharpest steele exceeden farr.
But stinges and sharpest steele did far exceed The sharpnesse of his cruel rending clawes; Dead was it sure, as sure as death in deed, What euer thing does touch his rauenous pawes, Or what within his reach he euer drawes. But his most hideous head my tongue to tell, Does tremble: for his deepe deuouring iawes Wyde gaped, like the griesly mouth of hell, Through which into his darke abysse all rauin fell.
And that more wondrous was, in either iaw Three ranckes of yron teeth enraunged were, In which yett trickling blood and gobbets raw Of late deuoured bodies did appeare, That sight thereof bredd cold congealed feare: Which to increase, and all atonce to kill, A cloud of smoothering smoke and sulphure seare Out of his stinking gorge forth steemed still, That all the ayre about with smoke and stench did fill.
His blazing eyes, like two bright shining shieldes, Did burne with wrath, and sparkled liuing fyre; As two broad Beacons, sett in open fieldes, Send forth their flames far of to euery shyre, And warning giue, that enimies conspyre, With fire and sword the region to inuade; So flam'd his eyne with rage and rancorous yre: But far within, as in a hollow glade, Those glaring lampes were sett, that made a dreadfull shade.
So dreadfully he towardes him did pas, Forelifting vp a loft his speckled brest, And often bounding on the brused gras, As for great ioyaunce of his new come guest. Eftsoones he gan aduaunce his haughty crest, As chauffed Bore his bristles doth vpreare, And shoke his scales to battaile ready drest; That made the Redcrosse knight nigh quake for feare, As bidding bold defyaunce to his foeman neare.
The knight gan fayrely couch his steady speare, And fiersely ran at him with rigorous might: The pointed steele arriuing rudely theare, His harder hyde would nether perce, nor bight, But glauncing by foorth passed forward right; Yet sore amoued with so puissaunt push, The wrathfull beast about him turned light, And him so rudely passing by, did brush With his long tayle, that horse and man to ground did rush.
Both horse and man vp lightly rose againe, And fresh encounter towardes him addrest: But th'ydle stroke yet backe recoyld in vaine, And found no place his deadly point to rest. Exceeding rage enflam'd the furious beast, To be auenged of so great despight; For neuer felt his imperceable brest So wondrous force, from hand of liuing wight; Yet had he prou'd the powre of many a puissant knight.
Then with his wauing wings displayed wyde, Himselfe vp high he lifted from the ground, And with strong flight did forcibly diuyde The yielding ayre, which nigh too feeble found Her flitting parts, and element vnsound, To beare so great a weight: he cutting way With his broad sayles, about him soared round: At last low stouping with vnweldy sway, Snatcht vp both horse & man, to beare thē quite away.
Long he them bore aboue the subiect plaine, So far as Ewghen bow a shaft may send, Till struggling strong did him at last constraine, To let them downe before his flightes end: As hagard hauke presuming to contend With hardy fowle, aboue his hable might, His wearie pounces all in vaine doth spend, To trusse the pray too heauy for his flight; Which comming down to ground, does free it selfe by fight.
He so disseized of his gryping grosse, The knight his thrillant speare againe assayd In his bras-plated body to embosse, And three mens strength vnto the stroake he Iayd; Wherewith the stiffe beame quaked, as affrayd, And glauncing from his scaly necke, did glyde Close vnder his left wing, then broad displayd. The percing steele there wrought a wound full wyde, That with the vncouth smart the Monster lowdly cryde.
He cryde, as raging seas are wont to rore, When wintry storme his wrathful wreck does threat, The rolling billowes beat the ragged shore, As they the earth would shoulder from her seat, And greedy gulfe does gape, as he would eat His neighbour element in his reuenge: Then gin the blustring brethren boldly threat, To moue the world from off his stedfast henge, And boystrous battaile make, each other to auenge.
The steely head stuck fast still in his flesh, Till with his cruell clawes he snatcht the wood, And quite a sunder broke. Forth flowed fresh A gushing riuer of blacke gory blood, That drowned all the land, whereon he stood; The streame thereof would driue a water-mill. Trebly angmented was his furious mood With bitter sence of his deepe rooted ill, That flames of fire he threw forth frō his large nosethril.
His hideous tayle then hurled he about, And therewith all enwrapt the nimble thyes Of his froth-fomy steed, whose courage stout Striuing to loose the knott, that fast him tyes, Himselfe in streighter bandes too rash implyes, That to the ground he is perforce constraynd To throw his ryder: who can quickly ryse From of the earth, with durty blood distaynd, For that reprochfull fall right fowly he disdaynd.
And fercely tooke his trenchand blade in hand, With which he stroke so furious and so fell, That nothing seemd the puissaunce could withstand: Vpon his crest the hardned yron fell, But his more hardned crest was armd so well, That deeper dint therein it would not make; Yet so extremely did the buffe him quell, That from thenceforth he shund the like to take, But when he saw them come, he did them still forsake.
The knight was wroth to see his stroke beguyld, And smot againe with more outrageous might; But backe againe the sparcling steele recoyld, And left not any marke, where it did light; As if in Adamant rocke it had beene pight, The beast impatient of his smarting wound, And of so fierce and forcible despight, Thought with his winges to stye aboue the ground; But his late wounded wing vnseruiceable found.
Then full of griefe and anguish vehement, He lowdly brayd, that like was neuer heard, And from his wide deuouring ouen sent A flake of fire, that flashing in his beard, Him all amazd, and almost made afeard: The scorching flame sore swinged all his face, And through his armour all his body seard, That he could not endure so cruell cace, But thought his armes to leaue, and helmet to vnlace.
Not that great Champion of the antique world, Whom famous Poetes verse so much doth vaunt, And hath for twelue huge labours high extold, So many furies and sharpe fits did haunt, When him the poysoned garment did enchaunt With Centaures blood, and bloody verses charmd, As did this knight twelue thousand dolours daunt, Whom fyrie steele now burnt, that erst him armd, That erst him goodly armd, now most of all him harmd.
Faynt, wearie, sore, emboyled, grieued, brent With heat, toyle, wounds, armes, smart, & inward fire That neuer man such mischiefes did torment; Death better were, death did he oft desire, But death will neuer come, when needes require. Whom so dismayd when that his foe beheld, He cast to suffer him no more respire, But gan his sturdy sterne about to weld, And him so strongly stroke, that to the ground him feld.
It fortuned (as fayre it then befell,) Behynd his backe vnweeting, where he stood, Of auncient time there was a springing well, From which fast trickled forth a siluer flood, Full of great vertues, and for med'cine good. Whylome, before that cursed Dragon got That happy land, and all with innocent blood Defyld those sacred waues, it rightly hot The well of life, ne yet his vertues had forgot.
For vnto life the dead it could restore, And guilt of sinfull crimes cleane wash away, Those that with sicknesse were infected sore, It could recure, and aged long decay Renew, as it were borne that very day. Both Silo this, and Iordan did excell, And th'English Bath, and eke the german Spau, Ne can Cephise, nor Hebrus match this well: Into the same the knight back ouerthrowen, fell.
Now gan the golden Phœbus for to steepe His fierie face in billowes of the west; And his faint steedes watred in Ocean deepe, Whiles from their iournall labours they did rest, When that infernall Monster, hauing kest His wearie foe into that liuing well, Can high aduaunce his broad discoloured brest, Aboue his wonted pitch, with countenance sell, And clapt his yron wings, as victor he did dwell.
Which when his pensiue Lady saw from farre, Great woe and sorrow did her soule assay, As weening that the sad end of the warre, And gan to highest God entirely pray, That feared chaunce from her to turne away; With folded hands and knees full lowly bent All night shee watcht, ne once adowne would lay Her dainty limbs in her sad dreriment, But praying still did wake, and waking did lament.
The morrow next gan earely to appeare, That Titan rose to runne his daily tace; But earely ere the morrow next gan reare Out of the sea faire Titans deawy face, Vp rose the gentle virgin from her place, And looked all about, if she might spy Her loued knight to moue his manly pace: For she had great doubt of his safety, Since late she saw him fall before his enimy.
At last she saw, where he vpstarted braue Out of the well, wherein he drenched lay; As Eagle fresh out of the Ocean waue, Where he hath lefte his plumes all hory gray, And deckt himselfe with fethers youthly gay, Like Eyas hauke vp mounts vnto the skies, His newly budded pineons to assay, And merueiles at him selfe, stil as he flies: So new this new-borne knight to battell new did rise.
Whom when the damned feend so fresh did spy, No wonder, if he wondred at the sight, and doubted, whether his late enimy It were, or other new supplied knight. He, now to proue his late renewed might, High brandishing his bright deaw-burning blade, Vpon his crested scalp so sore did smite, That to the scull a yawning wound it made: The deadly dint his dulled sences all dismaid.
I wote not, whether the reuenging steele Were hardned with that holy water dew, Wherein he fell, or sharper edge did feele, Or his baptized hands now greater grew; Or other secret vertue did ensew; Els neuer could the force of fleshly arme, Ne molten mettall in his blood embrew: For till that stownd could neuer wight him harme, By subtilty, nor slight, nor might, nor mighty charme.
The cruell wound enraged him so sore, That loud he yelded for exceeding paine; As hundred ramping Lions seemd to rore, Whom rauenous hunger did thereto constraine: Then gan he tosse aloft his stretched traine, And there with scourge the buxome aire so sore, That to his force to yielden it was faine; Ne ought his sturdy strokes might stand afore, That high trees ouerthrew, and rocks in peeces tore.
The same aduauncing high aboue his head, With sharpe intended sting so rude him smott, That to the earth him droue, as stricken dead, Ne liuing wight would haue him life behott: The mortall sting his angry needle shott Quite through his shield, and in his shoulder seasd, Where fast it stucke, ne would thereout be gott: The griefe thereof him wondrous sore diseasd, Ne might his rancling paine with patience be appeasd.
But yet more mindfull of his honour deare, Then of the grieuous smart, which him did wring, From loathed soile he can him lightly reare, And stroue to loose the far infixed sting: Which when in vaine he tryde with struggeling, Inflam'd with wrath, his raging blade he hefte, And strooke so strongly, that the knotty string Of his huge taile he quite a sonder clefte, Fiue ioints thereof he hewd, & but the stump him lefte.
Hart cannot thinke, what outrage, and what cries, With fowle enfouldred smoake and flashing fire, The hell-bred beast threw forth vnto the skies, That all was couered with darknesse dire: Then fraught with rancour, and engorged yre, He cast at once him to auenge for all, And gathering vp himselfe out of the mire, With his vneuen wings did fiercely fall, Vpon his sunne-bright shield, and grypt it fast withall.
Much was the man encombred with his hold, In feare to lose his weapon in his paw, Ne wist yett, how his talaunts to vnfold; For harder was from Cerberus greedy iaw To plucke a bone, then from his cruell claw To reaue by strength, the griped gage away: Thrise he assayd it from his foote to draw, And thrise in vaine to draw it did assay, It booted nought to thinke, to robbe him of his pray.
Tho when he saw no power might preuaile, His trusty sword he cald to his last aid, Wherewith he fiersly did his foe assaile, And double blowes about him stoutly laid, That glauncing fire out of the yron plaid; As sparckles from the Anduile vse to fly, When heauy hammers on the wedg are swaid; Therewith at last he forst him to vnty One of his grasping feete, him to defend threby.
The other foote, fast fixed on his shield Whenas no strength, nor stroks mote him constraine To loose, ne yet the warlike pledg to yield, He smott thereat with all his might and maine, That nought so wōdrous puissaunce might sustaine; Vpon the ioint the lucky steele did light, And made such way, that hewd it quite in twaine; The paw yett missed not his minisht might, But hong still on the shield, as it at first was pight.
For griefe thereof, and diuelish despight, From his infernall fournace forth he threw Huge flames, that dimmed all the heuens light, Enrold in duskish smoke and brimstone blew; As burning Aetna from his boyling stew Doth belch out flames, and rockes in peeces broke, And ragged ribs of mountaines molten new, Enwrapt in coleblacke clowds and filthy smoke, That al the land with stēch, & heuen with horror choke.
The heate whereof, and harmefull pestilence So sore him noyd, that forst him to retire A litle backeward for his best defence, To saue his body from the scorching fire, Which he from hellish entrailes did expire. It chaunst (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 sore terrifide.
There grew a goodly tree him faire beside, Loaden with fruit and apples rosy redd, As they in pure vermilion had beene dide, Whereof great vertues ouer all were redd: For happy life to all, which thereon fedd, And life eke euerlasting 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 first fathers fall.
In all the world like was not to be fownd, Saue in that soile, where all good things did grow, And freely sprong out of the fruitfull grownd, As incorrupted Nature did them sow, Till that dredd Dragon all did ouerthow. Another like faire tree eke grew thereby, Whereof who so did eat, eftsoones did know Both good and ill: O mournfull memory: That tree through one mās fault hath doen vs all to dy.
From that first tree forth flowd, as from a well, A trickling streame of Balme, most soueraine And dainty deare, which on the ground still fell, And ouerflowed all the fertile plaine, As it had deawed bene with timely raine: Life and long health that gracious ointment gaue, And deadly wounds could heale, and reare againe The sencelesse corse appointed for the graue. Inio that same he fell: which did from death him saue.
For nigh thereto the euer damned Beast Durst not approch, for he was deadly made, And al that life preserued, did detest: Yet he it oft aduentur'd to inuade. By this the drouping day-light gan to fade, And yied his rowme to sad succeeding night, Who with her sable mantle gan to shade The face of earth, and wayes of liuing wight, And high her burning torch set vp in heauen bright.
When gentle Vna saw the second fall Of her deare knight, who weary of long fight, And faint through losse of blood, moou'd not at all, might But lay as in a dreame of deepe delight, Besmeard with pretious Balme, whose vertuous Did heale his woundes, and scorching heat alay, Againe she stricken was with sore affright, And for his safetie gan deuoutly pray; And watch the noyous night, and wait for ioyous day.
The ioyous day gan early to appeare, And fayre Aurora from the deawy bed Of aged Tithone gan her selfe to reare, With rosy cheekes, for shame as blushing red; Her golden locks for hast were loosely marke About her eares, when Vna her did marke Clymbe to her charet, all with flowers spred; From heuen high to chace the chearelesse darke, With mery note her lowd salutes the mounting larke.
Then freshly vp arose the doughty knight, All healed of his hurts and woundes wide, And did himselfe to battaile ready dight; Whose early foe awaiting him beside To haue deuourd, so soone as day he spyde, When now he saw himselfe so freshly reare, As if late fight had nought him damnifyde, He woxe dismaid, and gan his fate to feare; Nathlesse with wonted rage he him aduaunced neare.
And in his first encounter, gaping wyde, He thought attonce him to haue swallowd quight, And rusht vpon him with outragious pryde; Who him rencountring fierce, as hauke in flight, Perforce rebutted backe. The weapon bright Taking aduantage of his open iaw, Ran through his mouth with so importune might, That deepe emperst his darksom hollow maw, And back retyrd, his life blood forth with all did draw.
So downe he fell, and forth his life did breath; That vanisht into smoke and cloudes swift; So downe he fell, that the'arth him vnderneath Did grone, as feeble so great load to lift; So downe he fell, as an huge rocky clift, Whose false foundacion waues haue 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.
The knight him selfe euen trembled at his fall, So huge and horrible a masse it seemd; And his deare Lady, that beheld it all, Durst not approch for dread, which she misdeemd, But yet at last, whenas the direfull feend She saw not stirre, of-shaking vaine affright, She nigher drew, and saw that ioyous end: Then God she praysd, and thankt her faithfull knight, That had atchieude so great a conquest by his might.
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