He finds himself in the house of Care (IV. v.).
The strength of his nature appears in the description of his grief at the loss of Amoret :
His face upon the grownd did groveling ly,
As if he had beene slombring in the shade ;
That the brave mayd would not for courtesy
Out of his quiet slomber him abrade
Nor seeme too suddeinly him to invade.
Still as she stood, she heard with grievous throb
Him grone, as if his heart were peeces made,
And with most painefull pangs to sigh and sob,
That pitty did the Virgins heart of patience rob.
III. xi. 8.
There an huge heape of singults did oppresse
His strugling soule, and swelling throbs empeach
His foltring toung with pangs of drerinesse,
Choking the remnant of his plaintife speach,
As if his dayes were come to their last reach :
Which when she heard, and saw the ghastly fit
Threatening into his life to make a breach,
Both with great ruth and terrour she was smit,
Fearing least from her cage the wearie soule would fit.
Ibid. 12.
He is consoled by Britomart (the Queen) in lines most applicable to Ralegh's fortunes :
'Ah, gentle knight ! whose deepe conceived griefe
Well seemes t'exceede the powre of patience,
Yet, if that hevenly grace some goode reliefe
You send, submit you to high providence ;
And ever in your noble hart prepense,
That all the sorrow in the world is lesse
Then vertues might and values confidence :
For who will bide the burden of distresse,
Must not here thinke to live ; for life is wretchednesse.'
He fights with Britomart in rivalry with Arthegal (IV. vi.), and they are both worsted by her. They both adore her as a goddess (22, 24). This can only refer to the rivalry of Essex and Ralegh for the Queen's favour. She takes Arthegal as her Lord (41). Her reluctance to let him go away is described in terms which apply precisely to the Queen's reluctance
to lose sight of her favourites or to risk their running into danger, especially in the case of Essex (42-45). Scudamore is persuaded to relate how he won Amoret. Here follows Canto X., with its superb close, in which the hardships of Ralegh's early life, his audacity in winning the Queen's favour, and the unpopularity,hatred and jealousy by which he was surrounded, are all plainly alluded to. Amoret," as I have explained in my book, is the Queen. “Venus” is evidently also the Queen, but in the capacity of the sovereign.
Scudamour doth his conquest tell
Of vertuous Amoret :
Great Venus Temple is describ'd;
And lovers life forth set.
i
• True he it said, what ever man it sayd,
That love with gall and hony doth abound;
But if the one be with the other wayd,
For every dram of hony therein found
A pound of gall doth over it redound :
That I too true by triall have approved ;
For since the day that first with deadly wound
My heart was launcht, and learned to have loved,
I never joyed howre, but still with care was moved.
ii
And yet such grace is given them from above,
That all the cares and evill which they meet
May nought at all their setled mindes remove,
But seeme, gainst common sence, to them most sweet ;
As bosting in their martyrdome unmeet.
So all that ever yet I have endured
I count as naught, and tread downe under feet,
Since of my love at length I rest assured,
That to disloyalty she will not be allured.
Long were to tell the travell and long toile
Through which this shield of love I late have wonne,
And purchased this peerelesse beauties spoile,
That harder may be ended, then begonne :
But since ye so desire, your will be donne.
Then hearke, ye gentle knights and Ladies free,
My hard mishaps that ye may learne to shonne ;
For though sweet love to conquer glorious bee,
Yet is the paine thereof much greater then the fee.
iv
• What time the fame of this renowmed prise
Flew first abroad, and all mens eares possest,
I, having armes then taken, gan avise
To winne me honour by some noble gest,
And purchase me some place amongst the best.
I boldly thought, (so young mens thoughts are bold),
That this same brave emprize for me did rest,
And that both shield and she whom I behold
Might be my lucky lot; sith all by lot we hold.
So on that hard adventure forth I went,
And to the place of perill shortly came :
That was a temple faire and auncient,
Which of great mother Venus bare the name,
And farre renowmed through exceeding fame,
Much more then that which was in Paphos built,
Or that in Cyprus, both long since this same,
Though all the pillours of the one were guilt,
And all the others pavement were with yvory spilt.
• Before that Castle was an open plaine,
And in the midst thereof a piller placed ;
On which this shield, of many sought in vaine,
The shield of Love, whose guerdon me hath graced,
Was hangd on high with golden ribbands laced ;
And in the marble stone was written this,
With golden letters goodly well enchaced ;
Blessed the man that well can use his blis :
Whose ever be the shield, faire Amoret be his.
• Which when I red, my heart did inly earne, And pant with hope of that adventures hap: Ne stayed further newes thereof to learne, But with my speare upon the shield did rap, That all the castle ringed with the clap. Streight forth issewd a Knight all arm'd to proofe, And bravely mounted to his most mishap: Who, staying nought to question from aloofe, Ran fierce at me that fire glaunst from his horses hoofe.
• Whom boldly I encountred (as I could)
And by good fortune shortly him unseated.
Eftsoones outsprung two more of equall mould ;
But I them both with equall hap defeated.
So all the twenty I likewise entreated,
And left them groning there upon the plaine :
Then, preacing to the pillour, I repeated
The read thereof for guerdon of my paine,
And taking downe the shield with me did it retaine.
. So forth without impediment I past,
Till to the Bridges utter gate I came;
The which I found sure lockt and chained fast.
I knockt, but no man aunswred me by name ;
I cald, but no man answred to my clame :
Yet I persever'd still to knocke and call,
Till at the last I spide within the same
Where one stood peeping through a crevis small,
To whom I cald aloud, halfe angry therewithall.
"That was to weet the Porter of the place, Unto whose trust the charge thereof was lent: His name was Doubt, that had a double face, Th'one forward looking, th'other backeward bent, Therein resembling Janus auncient Which hath in charge the ingate of the yeare : And evermore his eyes about him went, As if some proved perill he did feare, Or did misdoubt some ill whose cause did not appeare.
. On th' one side he, on th' other sate Delay,
Behinde the gate that none her might espy ;
Whose manner was all passengers to stay
And entertaine with her occasions sly:
Through which some lost great hope unheedily,
Which never they recover might againe ;
And others, quite excluded forth, did ly
Long languishing there in unpittied paine,
And seeking often entraunce afterwards in vaine.
xiv
'Me when as he had privily espide
Bearing the shield which I had conquerd late,
He kend it streight, and to me opened wide.
So in I past, and streight he closd the gate :
But being in, Delay in close awaite
Caught hold on me, and thought my steps to stay,
Feigning full many a fond excuse to prate,
And time to steale, the threasure of mans day,
Whose smallest minute lost no riches render may.
• But by no meanes my way I would forslow For ought that ever she could doe or say ; But from my lofty steede dismounting low Past forth on foote, beholding all the way The goodly workes, and stones of rich assay, Cast into sundry shapes by wondrous skill, That like on earth no where I reckon may : And underneath, the river rolling still With murmure soft, that seem'd to serve the workmans will.
|