His cunning hand gan to his wounds to lay
And all things els the which his art did teach:
Which having feene. from thence arose away
The mother of dredd Darknesse, and let stay
Aveugles fonne there in the leaches cure;
And bake retourning took her wonted way,
To ronne her timely race, whilst Phoebus pure,
In westerne waves his weary wagon did rccure.
The falfe Dueffa, leaving noyous Night,
Returnd to stately palace of dame Pryde,
Where when the came, fhe found the Faery knight
Departed thence; albee (his woundes wyde
Not thoroughly heald) unready were to ryde.
Good cause he had to haften thence away;
For on a day his wary dwarfe had spyde
Where in a dungeon deep huge nombers lay
Of caytive wretched thralls, that wayled night and
day;
A ruefull fight as could be seen with eie;
Of whom he learned had in fecret wife
The hidden caufe of their captivitie;
How, mortgaging their lives to Covetife;
Through waftfull pride and wanton riotise,
They were by law of that proud tyranneffe,
Provokt with wrath, and Envyes falfe furmise,
Condemned to that dongeon mercileffe,
Where they should live in wo, and dye in wretch-
edneffe.
There was that great proud king of Babylon,
That would compell all nations to adore,
And him as onely God to call upon,
Whose case whenas the carefull dwarfe had tould,
And made enfample of their mournfull fight
Till through celestiall doome, thrown out of dore, Unto his maister, he no lenger would
Into an oxe he was transformd of yore:
There also was king Crafus, that enhaunst
His hart too high through his great richelle store;
And proud Antiochus, the which advanst
His curfed hand gainst God, and on his altares
daunft:
And them long time before, great Nimrod was,
That first the world with sword and fire warrayd;
And after him old Ninus far did pas
In princely pomp, of all the world obayd:
There alfo was that mightie monarch layd
Low under all, yet above all in pride,
That name of native fyre did fowle upbrayd,
And would as Ammon's fonne be magnifide,
Till fcornd of God and man a fhamefull death he
dide.
There dwell in perill of like painefull plight,
But early rofe, and ere that dawning light
Difcovered had the world to heaven wyde,
He by a privy posterne tooke his flight,
That of no envious eyes he mote be spyde;
For doubtleffe death enfewd if any him descryde,
Scarfe could he footing find in that fowle way,
For many corfes, like a great lay-stall,
Of murdred men which therein ftrowed lay,
Without remorfe of decent funerall,
Which al through that great princesse pride di' fall,
And came to fhamefull end: and them befyde,
Forth ryding underneath the caftell wall,
A donghill of dead carcafes he spyde,
The dreadfull spectacle of that fad house of Pryde
A filly man, in fimple weeds forworne,
And folid with duft of the long dried way;
His fandales were with toilfome travell torne,
And face all tand with fcorching funny ray,
As he had traveild many a fommer's day
Through boyling fands of Arabie and Ynde,
And in his hand a lacob's ftaffe, to stay
His weary limbs upon; and eke behind
His fcrip did hang, in which his needments he did And faid, " Arife thou curfed mifcreant, bind.
The knight approaching nigh, of him inquerd
Tidings of warre, and of adventures new;
But warres nor new adventures none he herd.
'Then Una gan to aske if ought he knew,
Or heard abroad, of that her champion trew
That in his armour bare a croflet red.
Ay me! deare Dame!" quoth he, " well may I
"To tell the fad fight which mine eies have red;
"Thefe eies did fee that knight both living and
"eke ded."
"That haft with knightleffe guile and trecherous "Faire knighthood fowly shamed, and doeft vaunt "That good knight of the Red-croffe to have flain: "Arife, and with like treafon now maintain
And drawing nigh him faid, " Ah! misborn elfe, "In evill houre thy foes thee hither fent, "Another's wrongs to wreak upon thy felfe; "Yet ill thou blameft me for having blent "My name with guile and traiterous intent: That fuddein cold did run.c through every veine," That Red-croffe knight, perdic, I never flew
That cruel word her tender hart so thrild,
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