Her children dear, whom he away had won : In ivory sheath, yearv'd with curious slights;
The lion whelps she saw how he did bear,

Whose hilts were burnish'd gold, and handle strong And lull in rugged arms, withouten childish fear. Of mother pearl, and buckled with a golden tongue. The fearful dame all quaked at the sight,

His haughty helmet, horrid all with gold, And turning back, gan fast to fly away,

Both glorious brightness and great terror bred; Untill with love revok'd from vain affright

For all the crest a dragon did enfold She hardly yet persuaded was to stay,

With greedy paws, and over all did spread And then to him these womanish words gan say ; His golden wings; his dreadful hideous head “Ah, Satyrane, my darling and my joy,

Close couched on the beaver, seem'd to throw For love of me leave off this dreadful play; From flaming mouth bright sparkles fiery red, To dally thus with death is no fit toy, [boy." | That sudden horror to faint hearts did show ; Go find some other playfellows, mine own sweet And scaly tail was stretch'd adown his back full low. In these and like delights of bloody game . Upon the top of all his lofty crest He trained was, till riper years he raught;

A bunch of hairs discolour'd diversely, And there abode whilst any beast of name

With sprinkled pearl, and gold full richly dress’d, Walk'd in that forest whom he had not taught Did shake, and seem'd to dance for jollity, To fear his force: and then his courage haught Like to an almond tree ymounted high Desir’d of foreign foemen to be known,

On top of green Selinis all alone, And far abroad for strange adventures sought; With blossoms brave bedecked daintilys In which his might was never overthrown, [blown. Whose tender locks do tremble every one But through all fairy land his famous worth was At every little breath that under heaven is blown. Yet evermore it was his manner fair, After long labours and adventures spent, Unto those native woods for to repair,

DESCRIPTION OF BELPHEBE. To see his sire and offspring ancient.

Her face so fair as flesh it seemed not, And now he thither came for like intent;

But heavenly portrait of bright angels' hue, Where he unwares the fairest Una found,

Clear as the sky, withouten blame or blot, Strange lady, in so strange habiliment,

Through goodly mixture of complexions due ; Teaching the Satyrs, which her sat around, [dound. And in her cheeks the vermeil red did shew True sacred lore, which from her sweet lips did re- Like roses in a bed of Jilies shed,

The which ambrosial odours from them threw, He wonder'd at her wisdom heavenly rare,

And gazers' sense with double pleasure fed, Whose like in women's wit he never knew ;

Able to heal the sick, and to revive the dead. And when her courteous deeds he did compare, Gan her admire, and her sad sorrows rue,

In her fair eyes two living lamps did flame, Blaming of fortune, which such troubles threw, Kindled above at th' heavenly maker's light, And joy'd to make proof of her cruelty

And darted fiery beams out of the same, On gentle dame, so hurtless and so true:

So passing piercing, and so wondrous bright, Thenceforth he kept her goodly company,

That quite bereav'd the rash beholders' sight; And learn'd her discipline of faith and verity. In them the blinded god his lustful fire

To kindle oft essay’d, but had no might;

For with dread Majesty, and awful ire, (sire. DESCRIPTION OF PRINCE ARTHUR.

She broke his wanton darts, and quenched base deAt last she chanced by good hap to meet

Her ivory forehead, full of bounty brave, A goodly knight, fair marching by the way, Like a broad table did itself dispread, Together with his squire, arrayed meet:

For love his lofty triumphs to engrave, His glittering armour shined far away,

And write the battles of his great godhead; Like glancing light of Phæbus' brightest ray; All good and honour might therein be read: From top to toe no place appeared bare,

For there their dwelling was. And when she spake, That deadly dint of steel endanger may:

Sweet words, like dropping honey, she did shed,
Athwart his breast a bauldric brave he ware, And twixt the pearls and rubies softly brake
That shin'd like twinkling stars, with stones most A silver sound, that heavenly music seem'd to make,

[precious rare.
And in the midst thereof one precious stone Upon her eyelids many graces sate,
Of wondrous worth, and eke of wondrous mights, Under the shadow of her even brows,
Shap'd like a lady's head, exceeding shone, Working belgards, and amorous retreat,
Like Hesperus amongst the lesser lights,

And every one her with a grace endows:
And strove for to amaze the weaker sights ;

And every one with meekness to her bows. Thereby his mortal blade full comely hung

So glorious mirror of celestial grace,

And sovereign monument of mortal vows,

Behaves with cares, cannot so easy niiss.
How shall frail pen describe her heavenly face, Abroad in arms, at home in studious kind [find.
For fear, through want of skill, her beauty to dis- Who seeks with painful toil, shall honour soonest

[grace? So fair, and thousand thousand times more fair

In woods, in waves, in wars, she wonts to dwell, She seem'd, when she presented was to sight.

And will be found with peril and with pain; And was yclad (for heat of scorching air)

Nor can the man chat moulds in idle cell, All in a silken camus, lily white,

Unto her happy mansion attain; Purfled upon with many a folded plight

Before her gate high God did Sweat ordain, Which all above besprinkled was throughout

And wakeful Watches ever to abide: With golden agulets, that glistered bright,

But easy is the way, and passage plain Like twinkling stars, and all the skirt about To pleasure’s palace; it may soon be spied, Was hemmed with golden fringe.

And day and night her doors to all stand open wide.

a

Nor cared she her course for to apply:
For it was taught the way, which she would have,
And both from rocks and fats itself could wisely

[save:
And all the way, the wanton damsel found
New mirth, her passenger to entertain :
For, she in pleasant purpose did abound,
And greatly joyed merry tales to feign,
Of which a storehouse did with her remain :
Yet seemed, nothing well they her became ;
For, all her words she drown'd with laughter vain,
And wanted grace in utt'ring of the same,
That turned all her pleasance to a scoffing game.
And other whiles vain lays she would devise,
As her fantastic wit did most delight.
Sometimes her head she fondly would aguise
With gaudy garlands, or fresh flowrets dight
About her neck, or rings of rushes plight;
Sometimes to do him laugh, she would essay
To laugh at shaking of the leaves light,
Or to behold the water work, and play
About her little frigate therein making way.
Her light behaviour, and loose dalliance,
Gave wondrous great contentment to the knight,
That of his way he had no souvenance,
Nor care of vow'd revenge, and cruel fight,
But to weak wench did yield his martial might.
So easy was to quench his flamed mind
With one sweet drop of sensual delight:
So easy is t'appease the stormy wind
Of malice in the calm of pleasant womankind.
Divers discourses in their way they spent;
Mongst which Cymochles of her questioned,
Both what she was, and what that usage meant,
Which in her cot she daily practised.
Vain man, said she, that would'st be reckoned
A stranger in thy home, and ignorant
Of Phedria (for so my name is read)
Of Phedria, thine own fellow servant;
For thou to serve Acrasia thyself dost vaunt.

It was a chosen plot of fertile land,
Amongst wide waves set like a little nest;
As if it had by Nature's cunning hand,
Been choicely picked out from all the rest,
And laid forth for ensample of the best :
No dainty flower or herb that grows on ground,
No arboret with painted blossoms drest,
And smelling sweet, but there it might be found
To bud out fair, and her sweet smells throw all

(around.
No tree, whose branches did not bravely spring ;
No branch, whereon a fine bird did not sit ;
No bird, but did her shrill notes sweetly sing;
No song, but did contain a lovely dit:
Trees, branches, birds, and songs, were framed fit
For to allure frail mind to careless ease;
Careless the man soon wax, and his weak wit
Was overcome of thing that did him please ;
So pleased, did his wrathsul purpose fair appease.
Thus when she had his eyes and senses fed
With false delights, and fill'd with pleasures väin,
Into a shady dale she soft him led,
And laid him down upon a grassy plain ;
And her sweet self, without dread or disdain,
She set beside, laying his head disarın'd
In her loose lap, it softly to sustain,
Where soon he slumber'd, fearing not be harmid,
The while with a loud lay she thus him sweetly

(charm’d.
“ Behold! O man, that toilsome pains dost take,
The flowers, the fields, and all that pleasant grows,
How they themselves do thine ensample make,
While nothing envious Nature them forth throws
Out of her fruitful lap; how, no man knows,
They spring, they bud, they blossom fresh and fair,
And deck the world with their rich pompous shows;
Yet no man for them taketh pains or care,
Yet no man to them can his careful pains compare.
“ The lily, lady of the flowering field,
The flower de luce her lovely paramour,
Bid thee to them thy fruitless labours yield,
And soon leave off this toilsome weary stour ;
Lo, lo, how brave she decks her bounteous bower,
With silken curtains and gold coverlets,
Therein to shroud her sumptuous belamour,
Yet neither spins nor cards, nor cares nor frets,
But to her mother Nature all her care she lets.

In this wide inland sea, that hight by name
The Idle Lake, my wandring ship I rove,
That knows her port, and thither sails by aim,
Nor care, nor fear I, how the wind do blow,
Or whether swift I wend, or whether slow :
Both slow and swift alike do serve my turn,
Nor swelling Neptnne, nor loud thund’ring Jove,
can change my cheer, or make me ever mourn ;
My little boat can safely pass this perilous bourne.
While thus she talked, and while thus she toy'd,
They were far past the passage which he spake,
And came unto an island waste and void,
That floated in the midst of that great lake:
There her smart gondola her port did make,
And that gay pair issuing on the shore
Disburdened her. Their way they forward take,
Into the land that lay them fair before, [store.
Whoxe pleasanceshe him shew'd, and plentiful great

“ Why then dost thou, O man, that of them all
Art lord, and eke of nature sovereign,
Wilfully make thyself a wretched thrall,
And waste thy joyous hours in needless pain,
Seeking for danger and adventures vain ?
What boots it all to have, and nothing use?
Who shall him rue, that swimming in the main,
Will die for thirst, and water doth refuse?
Refuse such fruitless toil, and present pleasures

[chuse,"
By this, she had him lulled fast asleep,
That of no worldly thing care did take ;
Then she with liquors strong his eyes did steep,

They forward

pass, nor Guyon yet spake word, Till that they came unto an iron door, Which to them opened of its own accord, And shew'd of riches such exceeding store, As eye of man did never see before; Nor ever could within one place be found,