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THE KNIGHT OF THE RED CROSS AT THE HOUSE | That every breath of heaven shaked it:
OF PRIDE. FROM BOOK I, CANTO IV.

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Great troupes of people traveild thitherward
Both day and night, of each degree and place,
But few returned, having scaped hard,
With balefull beggerie, or foule disgrace;
Which ever after in most wretched case,
Like loathsome lazars,1 by the hedges lay.
Thither Duessa bad him bend his pace:
For she is wearie of the toilesome way,

And all the hinder parts, that few could spie, Were ruinous and old, but painted cunningly.

6

Arrived there, they passed in forth right;
For still to all the gates stood open wide:
Yet charge of them was to a Porter hight1
Cald Malvenù,* who entrance none denide:
Thence to the hall, which was on every side
With rich array and costly arras dight:
Infinite sorts of people did abide
There waiting long, to win the wished sight
Of her that was the Lady of that Pallace
bright.

7

By them they passe, all gazing on them round, And to the Presence mount; whose glorious

vew3

Their frayle amazed senses did confound:
In living Princes court none ever knew
Such endlesse richesse, and so sumptuous shew;
Ne Persia selfe, the nourse of pompous pride
Like ever saw. And there a nobel crew

Of Lordes and Ladies stood on every side, Which with their presence faire the place much beautifide.

8

High above all a cloth of State was spred,
And a rich throne, as bright as sunny day,
On which there sate most brave embellished
With royall robes and gorgeous array,

A mayden Queene, that shone as Titans ray,
In glistring gold, and peerelesse pretious stone:
Yet her bright blazing beautie did assay

And also nigh consumed is the lingring day. To dim the brightnesse of her glorious throne,

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And sitting high; for lowly she did hate:

Lo underneath her scornefull feete was layne A dreadfull Dragon with an hideous trayne, And in her hand she held a mirrhour bright,* Wherein her face she often vewed fayne,

And in her selfe-lov'd semblance tooke delight;

Some frounce their curled haire in courtly guise,

Some prancke their ruffes, and others trimly dight

Their gay attire: each others greater pride does spight.

15

For she was wondrous faire, as any living Goodly they all that knight do entertaine, wight.

11

Of griesly Pluto she the daughter was,
And sad Proserpina the Queene of hell;
Yet did she thinke her pearlesse worth to pas
That parentage, with pride so did she swell;
And thundring Jove, that high in heaven doth
dwell,

And wield the world, she claymed for her syre,
Or if that any else did Jove excell:

For to the highest she did still aspyre,

Right glad with him to have increast their

crew:

But to Duess' each one himselfe did paine
All kindnesse and faire courtesie to shew;
For in that court whylome her well they knew:
Yet the stout Faerie mongst the middest crowd
Thought all their glorie vaine in knightly vew,
And that great Princesse too exceeding prowd,
That to strange knight no better counte-
nance allowd.

[Sansjoy (Joyless, third of the pagan broth

Or if ought higher were then that, did it erhood) appears, seeking vengeance for the desyre.

12

And proud Lucifera men did her call,

death of Sansfoy, and, secretly encouraged by Duessa, challenges the Knight to combat.]

That made her selfe a Queene, and crowned to THE COMBAT BETWEEN THE KNIGHT OF THE

be,

Yet rightfull kingdome she had none at all,
Ne heritage of native soveraintie,
But did usurpe with wrong and tyrannie
Upon the scepter, which she now did hold:
Ne ruld her Realmes with lawes, but pollicie,
And strong advizement of six wizards old,t
That with their counsels bad her kingdome
did uphold.

13

Soone as the Elfin knight in presence came,
And false Duessa seeming Lady faire,
A gentle Husher, Vanitie by name
Made rowme, and passage for them did pre-
paire:

So goodly brought them to the lowest staire
Of her high throne, where they on humble
knee

Making obeyssance, did the cause declare, Why they were come, her royall state to see, To prove the wide report of her great Majestee.

14

With loftie eyes, halfe loth to looke so low,
She thanked them in her disdaine full wise;
Ne other grace vouchsafed them to show
Of Princesse worthy, scarse them bad arise.
Her Lordes and Ladies all this while devise
Themselves to setten forth to straungers sight:

Court ladies used to carry mirrors.

Pride and her six counsellors, Idleness, Gluttony. Lechery, Avarice, Envy, and Wrath, constitute the "seven deadly sins."

RED CROSS AND SANSJOY. FROM BOOK I, CANTO V.

1

The noble hart, that harbours vertuous thought,
And is with child of glorious great intent,
Can never rest, untill it forth have brought
Th' eternall brood of glorie excellent.
Such restlesse passion did all night torment
The flaming corage1 of that Faery knight,
Devizing, how that doughtie turnament
With greatest honour he atchieven might;
Still did he wake, and still did watch for
dawning light.

2

At last the golden Orientall gate,
Of greatest heaven gan to open faire,
And Phoebus fresh, as bridegrome to his mate,
Came dauncing forth, shaking his deawie haire:
And hurls his glistring beams through gloomy
aire.

Which when the wakeful Elfe perceiv 'd, streightway

He started up, and did him selfe prepaire,
In sunbright armes, and battailous array:

For with that Pagan proud he combat will that day.

3

And forth he comes into the commune hall, To weet what end to straunger knights may Where earely waite him many a gazing eye,

fall.

There many Minstrales maken melody,

1 heart

To drive away the dull melancholy,

8

And many Bardes, that to the trembling chord So th' one for wrong, the other strives for
Can tune their timely voyces cunningly,
And many Chroniclers that can record

right;

As when Gryfon seized of his pray,

Old loves, and warres for Ladies doen by A Dragon fiers encount reth in his flight,

many a Lord.

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Through widest ayre making his ydle way,
That would his rightfull ravine rend away;
With hideous horror both together smight.
And souces so sore that they the heavens affray:
The wise Soothsayer seeing so sad sight,
Th' amazed vulgar tels of warres and mor
tall fight.

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Not all so satisfide, with greedie eye
He sought all round about, his thristie
To bath in bloud of faithlesse enemy;
Who all that while lay hid in secret shade:
He standes amazed, how he thence should fade.
At last the trumpets Triumph sound on hie,
And running Heralds humble homage made,
Greeting him goodly with new victorie,

So marcheth home, and by her takes the knight, Whom all the people follow with great glee, Shouting, and clapping all their hands on hight,

That all the aire it fils, and flyes to heaven bright.

17

Home is he brought, and laid in sumptuous bed:

Where many skilfull leaches him abide,
To salve his hurts, that yet still freshly bled.
In wine and oyle they wash his woundes wide,
And softly can1+ embalme on every side.
And all the while, most heavenly melody
About the bed sweet musicke did divide,15
Him to beguile of griefe and agony:

And all the while Duessa wept full bitterly.

[The Knight and the Dwarf escape from the house of Pride, but the Knight is captured by the giant Orgoglio (another impersonator of Pride) and thrown into a dungeon. Meanwhile Una, having escaped from Sansloy, meets the Dwarf, who tells her what has befallen. Just then appears Prince Arthur, seeking the court of the Faerie Queene. He hears their story, fights with Orgoglio, and frees his prisoner. Reunited, the Knight and Una proceed on their way. After further trial in the Cave of Despair, and wholesome discipline at the House of Holiness, they reach the goal of their journeythe wasted kingdom, and the brazen tower where Una's parents are imprisoned by the Dragon. The Knight engages in a desperate conflict with the Dragon, and only on the third day succeeds in conquering him.]

THE DRAGON SLAIN. THE BETROTHAL OF UNA. FROM BOOK I, CANTO XII.

1

Behold I see the haven nigh at hand,

To which I meane my wearie course to bend; Vere the maine shete, and beare up with the land,

And to him brought the shield, the cause of The which afore is fairely to be kend,

enmitie.

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2

Scarsely had Phoebus in the glooming East Yet harnessed his firie-footed teeme,

Ne reard above the earth his flaming creast; When the last deadly smoke aloft did steeme That signe of last outbreathed life did seeme Unto the watchman on the castle wall,

As fresh as flowres in medow greene do grow, When morning deaw upon their leaves doth light:

And in their hands sweet Timbrels all upheld on hight.

17

Who thereby dead that balefull Beast did Then sayd the royall Pere in sober wise;

deeme,

And to his Lord and Ladie lowd gan call, To tell how he had seene the Dragons fatall fall.

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Deare Sonne, great beene the evils which yo bore

From first to last in your late enterprise,
That I note whether prayse, or pitty more:
For never living man, I weene, so sore
In sea of deadly daungers was distrest;
But since now safe ye seised have the shore,
And well arrived are, (high God be blest)
Let us devize of ease and everlasting rest.

18

Ah, dearest Lord, said then that doughty knight,

Of ease or rest I may not yet devize,

For by the faith, which I to armes have plight,
I bounden am streight after this emprize,
As that your daughter can ye well advize,
Backe to returne to that great Faerie Queene,
And her to serve six yeares in warlike wize,
Gainst that proud Paynim king that workes her
teene":

Therefore I ought crave pardon, till I there have beene.

19

Unhappie falles that hard necessitie, (Quoth he) the troubler of my happie peace, And vowed foe of my felicitie;

Ne I against the same can justly preace: 8 But since that band ye cannot now release,

Forth came that auncient Lord and aged Nor doen undo;9 (for vowes may not be vaine),

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Soone as the terms of those six yeares shall

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