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And after many bitter throbs did throw; With lips full pale, and foltring tong oppreft Thefe words fhe breathed forth from riven cheft; "Leave, ah! leave off, whatever wight thou bee, "To lett a weary wretch from her dew reft, "And trouble dying foules tranquilitee: "Take not away now got, which none would give

"to me."

XLVIII.

"Ah! far be it," faid he, "deare Dame, fro mee, "To hinder foule from her delired relt, "Or hod fad life in long captivitee; "For all I feeke is but to have redreft "The bitter pangs that doth your heart infest. "Tell then, O Lady! tell what fatall priefe "Hath with so huge misfortunes you oppreft, "That I may caft to compas your reliefe, "Or die with you in forrow, and partake your griefe."

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XLIX.

With feeble hands then stretched forth on hye, As Heven accufing guilty of her death, And with dry drops congealed in her eye, In thefe fad wordes the ipent her utmost breath; "Heare, then, O Man! the forrows that uneath "My tong can tell, fo far all fence they pas; "Loe this dead corpfe, that lies here underneath, "The gentleft knight that ever or greee gras "Gay fleed with fpurs did pricke, the good Sir "Mordant was.

L.

"Was (ay the while, that he is not fo now!) "My lord, my love, my deare lord, my deare love, "So long as Hevens iuft with equall brow "Vouchfafed to behold us from above. "One day when him high corage did emmove, "(As wont ye knightes to feeke adventures wilde) "He pricked forth his puiffant force to prove, "Me then he left enwombed of this childe, "This lucklefs childe, whom thus ye fee with blood "defild.

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LIII.

"Now had fayre Cynthia by even tournes Full measured three quarters of her yeare, "And thrife three tymes had filld her crooked "hornes,

"Whenas my wombe her burdein would forbeare, And bad me call Lucina to me neare. "Lucina came: a manchild forth I brought; "The woods, the nymphes, my bowres, my mid"wives I weare,

("Robs Reason of her dew regaletie,

"And makes it fervaunt to her basest part: "The ftrong it weakens with infirmitie, "And with bold furie armes the weakest hart: "The strong through pleasure foonest falles, the "weake through smart."

LVIII.

"But Temperaunce," said he," with golden squire, "Betwixt them both can measure out a meane, "Nether to melt in pleasures whott defyre,

"Hard help at need. So deare thee, Babe! I" Nor frye in hartlesse griefe and dolefuil tene : "bought; "Thrife happy man! who fares them both atweene.

"Yet nought too dear I deemd, while fo my deare" But fith this wretched woman, overcome

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THE FAERY QUEEN E.

BOOK II. CANTO IL

Babes bloody handes may not be clenfe.

The face of golden Meane;

Her filters, two Extremities,

Strive her to banish cleane.

1.

IV.

Taos when Sir Guyon, with his faithful guyde, He wift not whether blot of fowle offence

Had with dew rites and dolorous lament
The end of their fad tragedie uptyde,
The little babe up in his armes he hent,

Who with sweet pleasaunce and bold blandishment
Gan fmyle on them, that rather ought to weepe,
As careleffe of his woe, or innocent

Of that was doen; that truth emperced deepe In that knightes hart, and wordes with bitter teares did steepe;

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Then foft himselfe inclyning on his knee
Downe to that well, did in the water weene
(So love does loath difdainfull nicitee)
His guilty handes from bloody gore to cleene:

Might not be purgd with water nor with bath;
Or that high God, in lieu of innocence,
Imprinted had that token of his wrath,
To fhew how fore blood-guiltineffe he hat'th;
Or that the charme and veneme which they
dronck,

Their blood with fecret filth infected hath,
Being diffused through the fenceless tronck,
That through the great contagion direful deadly
ftonck.

Whom thus at gaze the palmer gan to bord With goodly reason, and thus fayre befpake; "Ye bene right hard amated, gratious Lord, "And of your ignorance great marveill make, "Whiles cause not well conceived ye mistake: "But know that fecret vertues are infusd "In every fountaine and in everie lake, "Which who hath skill them rightly to have "chusd,

"To proofe of paffing wonders hath full often "usd:

VI.

"Of those fome were fo from the fourfe indewd

He want them oft and oft, yet nought they" By great Dame Nature, from whose fruitfull

beene

For all his washing cleaner: ftill he strove,
Yet ftill the litle hands were bloody feene:
The which him into great amazement drove,
And into diverfe doubt his wavering wonder
clove.

66 pap [deawd, “Their wel-heads spring, and are with moisture "Which feeds each living plant with liquid fap, "And filles with flowres fayre Floraes painted "But other fome by guifte of later grace, [lap: "Or by good prayers, or by other hap,

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"Low now fhe is that ftone; from whofe two "heads, [flow, "As from two weeping eyes, fresh ftreames do "Yet calde through feare and old conceived "dreads:

"And yet the ftone her femblance fecmes to "show, [know; "Shapt like a maide, that fuch you may her "And yet her vertues in her water byde, "For it is chafte and pure as pureft fnow, "Ne lets her waves with any filth be dyde, [tryde. "But ever, like herfelfe, unftayned hath been

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He hearkned to his reafon; and the childe
Uptaking, to the palmer gave to beare;
But his fad father's armes with bloode defylde
An heavic load) himfelfe did lightly reare;
And turning to that place, in which whyleare
He left his loftie fteed with golden fell,
And goodly gorgeous barbes, him found not theare:
By other accident, that carft befell,

[t 1. He is convaide; but how or where, here fits not

Which when Sir Guyon faw, all were he wroth, Yet algates mote he foft himfelfe appeale,

And fairly fair on foot, however loth;
His double burden di! him fore difeafe.
So long they traveiled with little cafe,
Till that at laft they to a caftle came,
Built on a rocke adioining to the feas;
It was an auncient worke of antique fame,
And wondrous ftrong by nature and by fki
frame..

XIII.

Therein three fifters dwelt of fundry fort,
The children of one fyre by mothers three,
Who dying whyl me, did divide this fort
To them by equall fhares in equall fee;
But ftryfull mind and divers qualitee
Drew them in partes, and each made others foc
Still did they ftrive and daily disagree;
The eldest did against the youngest goe,
And both against the middeft meant to work

woe.

XIV.

Where when the knight arriv'd, he was right w
Receiv'd, as knight of fo much worth became,
Of fecond fifter, who did far excell
The other two; Medina was her name,
A fober fad and comely courteous dame;
Who rich arayd, and yet in modeft guize,
In goodly garments, that her well became,
Fayre marching forth in honorable wize,
Him at the threshold mett, and well did ent
prize.

XV

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Whilest she herselfe thus busily did frame
Seemely to entertaine her new-come guckt,
Newes hereof to her other fifters came,
Who all this while were at their wanton reft,
Accourting each her frend with lavish feft;
They were two knights of pereleffe puiffauna.
And famous far abroad for warlike geft,
Which to thefe ladies love did countenance;
And to his miftrefle each himselfe ftrove to

vaunce.

XVII.

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But cre they could proceede unto the place
Where he abode, themselves at difcord fell,
And cruell combat ioynd in middle space:
With horrible affault and fury fell

They heapt huge strokes, the fcorned life to quell,
That all on uprore from her fettled feat
The house was rayfd and all that in did dwell;
Seemd that lowde thunder with amazement great
Did rend the rattling skies with flames of fould-
ring heat.

XXI.

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Straunge fort of fight, three valiaunt knights to
fee

Three combats ioine in one, and to darraine
A triple warre with triple enmitee.

All for their ladies froward love to gaine,
Which gotten was but hate. So love does raine
In ftouteft minds, and maketh monftrous warre;
He maketh warre, he maketh peace againe,

The noyfe thereof cald forth that ftraunger And yet his peace is but continual iarre.

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