For from thofe outward fenfes, ill affected,
The feede of all this evill first doth spring,
Which at the firft, before it had infected,
Mote eafie be fuppreft with little thing;
But being growen ftrong, it forth doth bring
Sorrow, and anguish, and impatient paine
In thinner parts, and laftly fcattering
Contagious poyfon clofe through every vaine,
It never refts, till it have wrought his finall bane.
IX.
For that beaftes teeth, which wounded you tofore,
Are fo exceeding venemous and keene,
Made all of rufty yron, ranckling fore,
That where they bite, it booteth not to weene
With falve, or antidote, or other mene,
It ever to amend: ne marvaile ought ;
For that fame beast was bred of hellish ftrene,
And long in darkfome Stygian den upbrought,
Begot of foule Echidna, as in bookes is taught.
X.
Echidna is a monfter direfull dred,
Whom gods doe hate, and heavens abhor to see ;
So hideous is her shape, fo huge her bed,
That even the hellish fiends affrighted bee
At fight thereof, and from her prefence flee:
Yet did ber face and former parts profeffe
A faire young mayden, full of comely glee ;
But all her binder parts did plaine expresse
A monftrous dragon, full of fearfull uglinesse :
To her the gods, for her so dreadfull face,
In fearefull darknesse, furthest from the skie
And from the earth, appointed have her place
Mongft rocks and caves, where he enrold doth lie
In bideous borrour and obscurity,
Wafting the ftrength of her immortall age:
There did Typhaon with her company;
Cruell Typhaon, whofe tempestuous rage
Makes th'heavens tremble oft, and him with vowes afwage.
Thus having fayd, his fickely patients
Did gladly hearken to his
grave beheaft,
And kept fo well his wife commaundements,
That in short space their malady was ceaft,
And eke the biting of that harmefull beaft
Was throughly heal'd. tho when they did
Their wounds recur'd, and forces reincreaft,
Of that good hermite both they tooke their leave,
And went both on their way, ne ech would other leave :
But each th❜other vow'd t'accompany :
The lady, for that she was much in dred,
Now left alone in great extremity;
The fquire, for that he courteous was indeed,
Would not her leave alone in her great need.
So both together traveld, till they met
With a faire mayden clad in mourning weed,
Upon a mangy iade unmeetely set,
And a lewd foole her leading thorough dry and wet.
XVII.
But by what meanes that shame to her befell,
And how thereof herselfe she did acquite,
I must awhile forbeare to you to tell;
Till that, as comes by course, I doe recite
What fortune to the Briton prince did lite,
Pursuing that proud knight, the which whileare
Wrought to fir Calidore fo foule despight;
And eke his lady, though fhe fickly were,
So lewdly had abufde, as ye did lately heare.
XVIII.
The prince, according to the former token,
Which faire Serene to him delivered had,
Purfu'd him ftreight, in mynd to bene ywroken
Of all the vile demeane and ufage bad,
With which he had those two fo ill beftad:
Ne wight with him on that adventure went,
But that wylde man; whom though he oft forbad,
Yet for no bidding, nor for being shent,
Would he restrained be from his attendement.
XIX.
Arriving there, as did by chaunce befall,
He found the gate wyde ope, and in he rode,
Ne stayd, till that he came into the hall;
Where foft difmounting like a weary lode,
Upon the ground with feeble feete he trode,
As he unable were for very neede
To move one foote, but there must make abode;
The whiles the salvage man did take his steede,
And in some stable neare did fet him up to feede.
Ere long to him a homely groome
That in rude wife him asked what he was,
That durft fo boldly, without let or shame,
Into his lords forbidden hall to paffe:
To whom the prince, him fayning to embase,
Mylde answer made, he was an errant knight,
The which was fall'n into this feeble cafe
Through many wounds, which lately he in fight
Received had, and prayd to pitty his ill plight.
But he, the more outrageous and bold,
Sternely did bid him quickely thence avaunt,
Or deare aby; for why? his lord of old
Did hate all errant knights which there did haunt,
Ne lodging would to any of them graunt;
And therefore lightly bad him packe away,
Not sparing him with bitter words to taunt;
And therewithall rude hand on him did lay
To thrust him out of dore, doing his worst affay.
XXII.
Which when the falvage coming now in place
Beheld, eftfoones he all enraged grew,
And running ftreight upon that villaine base,
Like a fell lion at him fiercely flew,
And with his teeth and nailes in prefent vew
Him rudely rent and all to peeces tore;
So miferably him all helpeleffe flew,
That with the noise, whileft he did loudly rore,
The people of the house rose forth in great uprore.
Who when on ground they faw their fellow flaine,
And that fame knight and salvage standing by,
Upon them two they fell with might and maine,
And on them layd fo huge and horribly,
As if they would have flaine them presently:
But the bold prince defended him so well,
And their affault withstood fo mightily,
That maugre all their might, he did repel
And beat them back, whilst many underneath him fell.
Yet he them still fo fharpely did purfew,
That few of them he left alive, which fled,
Those evill tidings to their lord to fhew:
Who hearing how his people badly sped
Came forth in haft; where whenas with the dead
He saw the ground all strow'd, and that fame knight
And falvage with their bloud fresh-steeming red,
He woxe nigh mad with wrath and fell despight,
And with reproachfull words him thus bespake on hight;
XXV.
Art thou be, traytor, that with treafon vile
Haft flaine my men in this unmanly maner,
And now triumpheft in the piteous fpoile
Of thefe poore folk, whofe foules with black dishonor
And foule defame doe decke thy bloudy baner?
The meede whereof shall fhortly be thy fhame,
And wretched end, which fill attendeth on her.
With that himselfe to battell he did frame
So did his forty yeomen, which there with him came.
XXVI.
With dreadfull force they all did him affaile,
And round about with boyftrous strokes oppresse,
That on his fhield did rattle like to haile
In a great tempeft; that in such distresse
He wift not to which fide him to addreffe:
And evermore that craven cowherd knight
Was at his backe with heartleffe heedineffe,
Wayting if he unwares him murther might:
For cowardize doth still in villany delight.
XXVII.
Whereof whenas the prince was well aware,
He to him turnd with furious intent,
And him against his powre gan to prepare;
Like a fierce bull, that being bufie bent
To fight with many foes about him ment,
Feeling fome curre behinde his heeles to bite,
Turnes him about with fell avengement:
So likewise turnde the prince upon the knight,
And layd at him amaine with all his will and might.
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