And oft, when Coridon unto her brought
Or litle fparrowes ftolen from their neft,
Or wanton fquirrels in the woods farre fought,
Or other daintie thing for her addrest,
He would commend his guift, and make the best:
Yet fhe no whit his prefents did regard,
Ne him could find to fancie in her breft:
This new-come fhepheard had his market mard.
Old love is litle worth when new is more prefard.
XLI.
One day whenas the fhepheard fwaynes together
Were met, to make their sports and merrie glee,
As they are wont in faire funfhynie weather,
The whiles their flockes in fhadowes fhrouded bee,
They fell to daunce; then did they all agree
That Colin Clout fhould pipe, as one most fit,
And Calidore fhould lead the ring, as hee
That most in Pastorellaes grace did fit:
Thereat frown'd Coridon, and his lip clofely bit.
But Calidore of courteous inclination
Tooke Coridon, and fet him in his place,
That he should lead the daunce, as was his fashion
For Coridon could daunce, and trimly trace:
And whenas Paftorella, him to grace,
Her flowry garlond tooke from her owne head,
And plast on his, he did it foone difplace,
And did it put on Coridons instead:
Then Coridon woxe frollicke, that earft feemed dead.
Another time, whenas they did dispose
To practise games and maisteries to try,
They for their iudge did Paftorella chofe;
A garland was the meed of victory:
There Coridon forth ftepping openly
Did chalenge Calidore to wrestling game;
For he through long and perfect industry
Therein well practifd was, and in the fame
Thought fure t'avenge his grudge, and worke his foe great shame.
But Calidore he greatly did mistake;
For he was strong and mightily stiffe pight,
That with one fall his necke he almost brake;
And had he not upon him fallen light,
His dearest ioynt he fure had broken quight.
Then was the oaken crowne by Pastorell
Given to Calidore as his due right;
But he, that did in courtefie excell,
Gave it to Coridon, and said he wonne it well.
XLV.
Thus did the gentle knight himselfe abeare
Amongst that rufticke rout in all his deeds,
That even they, the which his rivals were,
Could not maligne him, but commend him needs:
For courtefie amongst the rudest breeds
Good will and favour: so it surely wrought
With this faire mayd, and in her mynde the feeds
Of perfect love did fow, that last forth brought
The fruite of ioy and bliffe, though long time dearely bought..
XLVI.
Thus Calidore continu'd there long time,
To winne the love of the faire Paftorell;
Which having got, he used without crime
Or blamefull blot; but menaged fo well
That he of all the reft which there did dwell:
Was favoured, and to her grace commended::
But what ftraunge fortunes unto him befell,
Ere he attain'd the point by him intended,
Shall more conveniently in other place be ended..
Calidore fees the Graces daunce
To Colins melody:
The whiles his Paftorell is led
Into captivity.
HO now does follow the foule Blatant beast,
Whileft Calidore does follow that faire mayd,
Unmyndfull of his vow and high beheast,
Which by the faery queene was on him layd,
That he should never leave, nor be delayd
From chacing him, till he had it attchieved?
But now, entrapt of love which him betrayd,
He mindeth more how he may be relieved
With grace from her, whofe love his heart hath fore engrieved.
That from henceforth he meanes no more to few
His former queft, fo full of toile and paine;
Another quest, another game in vew
He hath, the guerdon of his love to gaine;
With whom he myndes for ever to remaine,
And set his reft amongst the rufticke sort,
Rather then hunt ftill after shadowes vaine
Of courtly favour, fed with light report
Of every blaste, and fayling alwaies in the port.
III.
Ne certes mote he greatly blamed be
From fo high step to ftoupe unto fo low;
For who had tafted once, as oft did he,
The happy peace which there doth overflow,
And prov'd the perfect pleasures which doe grow
Amongst poore hyndes, in hils, in woods, in dales,
Would never more delight in painted show
Of fuch false bliffe, as there is set for stales
T'entrap unwary fooles in their eternall bales.
For what hath all that goodly glorious gaze
Like to one fight which Calidore did vew?
The glaunce whereof their dimmed eies would daze,
That never more they should endure the shew
Of that shunne-fhine, that makes them looke askew:
Ne ought in all that world of beauties rare
(Save onely Glorianaes heavenly hew,
To which what can compare?) can it compare;
The which, as commeth now by courfe, I will declare.
Of matchleffe hight, that feem'd th'earth to difdaine;
In which all trees of honour stately stood,
And did all winter as in fummer bud,
Spredding pavilions for the birds to bowre,
Which in their lower braunches fung aloud;
And in their tops the foring hauke did towre,
Sitting like king of fowles in maiefty and
And at the foote thereof a gentle flud
His filver waves did foftly tumble downe,
Unmard with ragged moffe or filthy mud;
Ne mote wylde beaftes, ne mote the ruder clowne
Thereto approch, ne filth mote therein drowne;
But Nymphes and Faeries by the bancks did fit
In the woods fhade which did the waters crowne,
Keeping all noysome things away from it,
And to the waters fall tuning their accents fit:
And on the top thereof a fpacious plaine
Did fpred itselfe, to ferve to all delight,
Either to daunce, when they to daunce would faine,
Or else to course-about their bases light;
Ne ought there wanted, which for pleasure might
Defired be, or thence to banish bale :
So pleasauntly the hill with equall hight
Did feeme to overlooke the lowly vale;
Therefore it rightly cleeped was mount Acidale.
They say that Venus, when she did dispose
Herselfe to pleasaunce, used to resort
Unto this place, and therein to repose
And reft herselfe as in a gladfome port,
Or with the Graces there to play and sport;
That even her owne Cytheron, though in it
She used most to keepe her royall court,
And in her foveraine majefty to fit,
She in regard hereof refusde, and thought unfit.
Unto this place whenas the elfin knight
Approcht, him seemed that the merry found
Of a fhrill pipe he playing heard on hight,
And many feete faft thumping th'hollow ground,
That through the woods their eccho did rebound.
He nigher drew, to weete what mote it be:
There he a troupe of ladies dauncing found
Full merrily, and making gladfull glee,
And in the midst a shepheard piping he did fee.
He durft not enter into th' open greene,
For dread of them unwares to be deferyde,
For breaking of their daunce, if he were seene;
But in the covert of the wood did byde,
Beholding all, yet of them unespyde :
There he did fee, that pleased much his fight,
That even he himselfe his eyes envyde,
An hundred naked maidens lilly white
All raunged in a ring and dauncing in delight.
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