The Faerie Queene (95 page)

Ne Kesars spared he a whit, nor Kings,

But either blotted them with infamie,

Or bit them with his banefull teeth of iniury,

29
But
Calidore
thereof no whit afrayd,

Rencountred him with so impetuous might,

That th'outrage of his violence he stayd,

And bet abacke, threatning in vaine to bite,

And spitting forth the poyson of his spight,

That fomed all about his bloody iawes.

Tho rearing vp his former feete on hight,

He rampt vpon him with his rauenous pawes,

As if he would haue rent him with his cruell clawes.

30
But he right well aware, his rage to ward,

Did cast his shield atweene, and therewithall

Putting his puissaunce forth, pursu'd so hard,

That backeward he enforced him to fal1,

And being downe, ere he new helpe could call,

His shield he on him threw, and fast downe held,

Like as a bullocke, that in bloudy stall

Of butchers balefull hand to ground is feld,

Is forcibly kept downe, till he be throughly queld.

31
Full cruelly the Beast did rage and rore,

To be downe held, and maystred so with might,

That he gan fret and fome out bloudy gore,

Striuing in vaine to rere him selfe vpright.

For still the more he stroue, the more the Knight

Did him suppresse, and forcibly subdew;

That made him almost mad for fell despight.

He grind, hee bit, he scratcht, he venim threw,

And fared like a feend, right horrible in hew.

32
Or like the hell-borne
Hydra,
which they faine

That great
Alcides
whilome ouerthrew,

After that he had labourd long in vaine,

To crop his thousand heads, the which still new

Forth budded, and in greater number grew.

Such was the fury of this hellish Beast,

Whilest
Calidore
him vnder him downe threw;

Who nathemore his heauy load releast,

But aye the more he rag'd, the more his powre increast

33
Tho when the Beast saw, he mote nought auaile,

By force, he gan his hundred tongues apply,

And sharpely at him to reuile and raile,

With bitter termes of shamefull infamy;

Oft interlacing many a forged lie,

Whose like he neuer once did speake, nor heare,

Nor euer thought thing so vnworthily:

Yet did he nought for all that him forbeare,

But strained him so streightly, that he chokt him neare.

34
At last when as he found his force to shrincke,

And rage to quaile, he tooke a muzzell strong

Of surest yron, made with many a lincke;

Therewith he mured vp his mouth along,

And therein shut vp his blasphemous tong,

For neuer more defaming gentle Knight,

Or vnto louely Lady doing wrong:

And thereunto a great long chaine he tight,

With which he drew him forth, euen in his own despight

35
Like as whylome that strong
Tirynthian
swaine,

Brought forth with him the dreadfull dog of hell,

Against his will fast bound in yron chaine,

And roring horribly, did him compell

To see the hatefull sunne, that he might tell

To griesly
Pluto,
what on earth was donne,

And to the other damned ghosts, which dwell

For aye in darkenesse, which day light doth shonne.

So led this Knight his captyue with like conquest wonne.

36
Yet greatly did the Beast repine at those

Straunge bands, whose like till then he neuer bore,

Ne euer any durst till then impose,

And chauffed inly, seeing now no more

Him liberty was left aloud to rore;

Yet durst he not draw backe; nor once withstand

The proued powre of noble
Calidore,

But trembled vnderneath his mighty hand,

And like a fearefull dog him followed through the land.

37
Him through all Faery land he follow'd so,

As if he learned had obedience long,

That all the people where so he did go,

Out of their townes did round about him throng,

To see him leade that Beast in bondage strong,

And seeing it, much wondred at the sight;

And all such persons, as he earst did wrong,

Reioyced much to see his captiue plight,

And much admyr'd the Beast, but more admyr'd the Knight

38
Thus was this Monster by the maystring might

Of doughty
Calidore,
supprest and tamed,

That neuer more he mote endammadge wight

With his vile tongue, which many had defamed,

And many causelesse caused to be blamed:

So did he eeke long after this remaine,

Vntill that, whether wicked fate so framed,

Or fault of men, he broke his yron chaine,

And got into the world at liberty againe.

39
Thenceforth more mischiefe and more scath he wrought

To mortall men, then he had done before;

Ne euer could by any more be brought

Into like bands, ne maystred any more:

Albe that long time after
Calidore,

The good Sir
Pelleas him
tooke in hand,

And after him Sir
Lamoracke
of yore,

And all his brethren borne in Britaine land;

Yet none of them could euer bring him into band.

40
So now he raungeth through the world againe,

And rageth sore in each degree and state;

Ne any is, that may him now restraine,

He growen is so great and strong of late,

Barking and biting all that him doe bate,

Albe they worthy blame, or cleare of crime:

Ne spareth he most learned wits to rate,

Ne spareth he the gentle Poets rime,

But rends without regard of person or of time.

41
Ne may this homely verse, of many meanest,

Hope to escape his venemous despite,

More then my former writs, all were they clearest

From blamefull blot, and free from all that wite,

With which some wicked tongues did it backebite,

And bring into a mighty Peres displeasure,

That neuer so deserued to endite.

Therfore do you my rimes keep better measure,

And seeke to please, that now is counted wisemens threasure.

WHICH, BOTH FOR FORME AND MATTER,
APPEARS TO BE PARCELL OF SOME FOLLOWING
BOOKE OF THE FAERIE QVEBNE
UNDER THE LEGEND
OF
CONSTANCIE.

Neuer before imprinted.

Proud Change (not pleasd, in mortall things,
   beneath the Moone, to raigne)
Pretends, as well of Gods, as Men,
   to be the Soueraine.

1
What man that sees the euer-whirling wheele

Of
Change, the
which all mortall dungs doth sway,

But that therby doth find, & plainly feele,

How MVTABILITY in them doth play

Her cruell sports, to many mens decay?

Which that to all may better yet appeare,

I will rehearse that whylome I heard say,

How she at first her selfe began to reare,

Gainst all the Gods, and th'empire sought from them to beare.

2
But first, here falleth fittest to vnfold

Her antique race and linage ancient,

As I haue found it registred of old,

In
Faery
Land mongst records permanent:

She was, to weet, a daughter by descent

Of those old
Titans,
that did whylome striue

With
Saturnes
sonnc for heauens regiment

Whom, though high
Ioue
of kingdome did depriue,

Yet many of their stemme long after did surviue.

3
And many of them, afterwards obtain'd

Great power
of Ioue,
and high authority;

As
Hecaté,
in whose almighty hand,

He plac't all rule and principality,

To be by her disposed diuersly,

To Gods, and men, as she them list diuide:

And drad
Bellona,
that doth sound on hie

Warres and allarums vnto Nations wide,

That makes both heauen & earth to tremble at her pride.

4
So likewise did this
Titanesse
aspire,

Rule and dominion to her selfe to gaine;

That as a Goddesse, men might her admire,

And heauenly honours yield, as to them twaine.

And first, on earth she sought it to obtaine;

Where she such proofe and sad examples shewed

Of her great power, to many ones great paine,

That not men onely (whom she soone subdewed)

But eke all other creatures, her bad dooings rewed.

5
For, she the face of earthly things so changed,

That all which Nature had establisht first

In good estate, and in meet order ranged,

She did pervert, and all their statutes burst:

And all the worlds faire frame (which none yet durst

Of Gods or men to alter or misguide)

She alter'd quite, and made them all accurst

That God had blest; and did at first prouide

In that still happy state for euer to abide.

6
Ne shee the lawes of Nature onely brake,

But eke of Iustice, and of Policie;

And wrong of right, and bad of good did make.

And death for life exchanged foolishlie:

Since which, all liuing wights haue learn'd to die,

And all this world is woxen daily worse.

O pittious worke of
MVTABILITIE
!

By which, we all are subiect to that curse,

And death in stead of life haue sucked from our Nurse.

7
And now, when all the earth she thus had brought

To her behest, and thralled to her might,

She gan to cast in her ambitious thought,

T'attempt th'empire of the heauens hight,

And
Ioue
himselfe to shoulder from his right

And first, she past the region of the ayre,

And of the fire, whose substance thin and slight,

Made no resistance, ne could her contraire,

But ready passage to her pleasure did prepaire.

8
Thence, to the Circle of the Moone she clambe,

Where
Cynthia
raignes in euerlasting glory,

To whose bright shining palace straight she came,

All fairely deckt with heauens goodly story;

Whose siluer gates (by which there sate an hory

Old aged Sire, with hower-glasse in hand,

Hight
Tyme)
she entred, were he liefe or sory:

Ne staide till she the highest stage had scand,

Where
Cynthia
did sit, that neuer still did stand.

9
Her sitting on an Iuory throne shee found,

Drawne of two steeds, th'one black, the other white,

Environd with tenne thousand starres around,

That duly her attended day and night;

And by her side, there ran her Page, that hight

Vesper,
whom we the Euening-starre intend:

That with his Torche, still twinkling like twylight;

Her lightened all the way where she should wend,

And ioy to weary wandring trauailers did lend:

10
That when the hardy
Titanesse
beheld

The goodly building of her Palace bright,

Made of the heauens substance, and vp-held

With thousand Crystall pillors of huge hight,

Shee gan to burne in her ambitious spright,

And t'envie her that in such glorie raigned.

Eftsoones she cast by force and tortious might,

Her to displace, and to her selfe to haue gained

The kingdome of the Night, and waters by her wained.

11
Boldly she bid the Goddesse downe descend,

And let her selfe into that Ivory throne;

For, shee her selfe more worthy thereof wend,

And better able it to guide alone:

Whether to men, whose fall she did bemone,

Or vnto Gods, whose state she did maligne,

Or to th'infernall Powers, her need giue lone

Of her faire light, and bounty most benigne,

Her selfe of all that rule shee deemed most condigne.

12
But shee that had to her that soueraigne seat

By highest
Ioue
assign'd, therein to beare

Nights burning lamp, regarded not her threat,

Ne yielded ought for fauour or for feare;

But with sterne countenaunce and disdainfull cheare,

Bending her horned browes, did put her back:

And boldly blaming her for comming there,

Bade her attonce from heauens coast to pack,

Or at her perill bide the wrathfull Thunders wrack.

13
Yet nathemore the
Giantesse
forbare:

But boldly preacing-on, raught forth her hand

To pluck her downe perforce from off her chaire;

And there-with lifting vp her golden wand,

Threatned to strike her if she did with-stand.

Where-at the starres, which round about her blazed,

And eke the Moones bright wagon, still did stand,

All beeing with so bold attempt amazed,

And on her vncouth habit and sterne looke still gazed.

14
Meane-while, the lower World, which nothing knew

Of all that chaunced here, was darkned quite;

And eke the heauens, and all the heauenly crew

Of happy wights, now vnpurvaide of light,

Were much afraid, and wondred at that sight;

Fearing least
Chaos
broken had his chaine,

And brought againe on them eternall night:

But chiefely
Mercury,
that next doth raigne,

Ran forth in haste, vnto the king of Gods to plaine.

15
All ran together with a great out-cry,

To
Ioues
faire Palace, fixt in heauens hight;

And beating at his gates full earnestly,

Gan call to him aloud with all their might,

To know what meant that suddaine lack of light.

The father of the Gods when this he heard,

Was troubled much at their so strange affright,

Doubting least
Typhon
were againe vprear'd,

Or other his old foes, that once him sorely fear'd.

16
Eftsoones the sonne of
Maia
forth he sent

Downe to the Circle of the Moone, to knowe

The cause of this so strange astonishment,

And why shee did her wonted course forslowe;

And if that any were on earth belowe

That did with charmes or Magick her molest,

Him to attache, and downe to hell to throwe:

But, if from heauen it were, then to arrest

The Author, and him bring before his presence prest.

17
The wingd-foot God, so fast his plumes did beat,

That soone he came where-as the
Titanesse

Was striuing with faire
Cynthia
for her seat:

At whose strange sight, and haughty hardinesse,

He wondred much, and feared her no lesse.

Yet laying feare aside to doe his charge,

At last, he bade her (with bold stedfastnesse)

Ceasse to molest the Moone to walke at large,

Or come before high
Ioue,
her dooings to discharge.

18
And there-with-all, he on her shoulder laid

His snaky-wreathed Mace, whose awfull power

Doth make both Gods and hellish fiends affraid:

Where-at the
Titanesse
did sternely lower,

And stoutly answer'd, that in euill hower

He from his
Ioue
such message to her brought,

To bid her leaue faire
Cynthias
siluer bower;

Sith shee his
Ioue
and him esteemed nought,

No more then
Cynthias
selfe; but all their kingdoms sought.

19
The Heauens Herald staid not to reply,

But past away, his doings to relate

Vnto his Lord; who now in th'highest sky,

Was placed in his principall Estate,

With all the Gods about him congregate:

To whom when
Hermes
had his message told,

It did them all exceedingly amate,

Saue
Ioue;
who, changing nought his count'nance bold,

Did vnto them at length these speeches wise vnfold;

20
Harken to mee awhile yee heauenly Powers;

Ye may remember since th'Earths cursed seed

Sought to assaile the heauens eternal towers,

And to vs all exceeding feare did breed:

But how we then defeated all their deed,

Yee all doe knowe, and them destroied quite;

Yet not so quite, but that there did succeed

An off-spring of their bloud, which did alite

Vpon the fruitfull earth, which doth vs yet despite.

21
Of that bad seed is this bold woman bred,

That now with bold presumption doth aspire

To thrust faire
Phoebe
from her siluer bed,

And eke our selues from heauens high Empire,

If that her might were match to her desire:

Wherefore, it now behoues vs to advise

What way is best to driue her to retire;

Whether by open force, or counsell wise,

Areed ye sonnes of God, as best ye can deuise.

22
So hauing said, he ceast; and with his brow

(His black eye-brow, whose doomefull dreaded beck

Is wont to wield the world vnto his vow,

And euen the highest Powers of heauen to check)

Made signe to them in their degrees to speake:

Who straight gan cast their counsell graue and wise.

Meane-while, th'Earths daughter, thogh she nought did reck

Of Hermes
message; yet gan now advise,

What course were best to take in this hot bold emprize.

23
Eftsoones she thus resolv'd; that whil'st the Gods

(After returne of
Hermes
Embassie)

Were troubled, and amongst themselues at ods,

Before they could new counsels re-allie,

To set vpon them in that extasie;

And take what fortune time and place would lend:

So, forth she rose, and through the purest sky

To
Ioues
high Palace straight cast to ascend,

To prosecute her plot: Good on-set boads good end.

24
Shee there arriuing, boldly in did pass;

Where all the Gods she found in counsell close,

All quite vnarm'd, as then their manner was.

At sight of her they suddaine all arose,

In great amaze, ne wist what way to chose.

But
Ioue,
all fearelesse, forc't them to aby;

And in bis soueraine throne, gan straight dispose

Himselfe more full of grace and Maiestie,

That mote encheare his friends, & foes mote terrific.

25
That, when the haughty
Titanesse
beheld,

All were she fraught with pride and impudence,

Yet with the sight thereof was almost queld;

And inly quaking, seem'd as reft of sense,

And voyd of speech in that drad audience,

Vntill that
Ioue
himselfe, her selfe bespake:

Speake thou fraile woman, speake with confidence,

Whence art thou, and what doost thou here now make?

What idle errand hast thou, earths mansion to forsake?

26
Shee, halfe confused with his great commaund,

Yet gathering spirit of her natures pride,

Him boldly answer'd thus to his demaund:

I am a daughter, by the mothers side,

Of her that is Grand-mother magnifide

Of all the Gods, great
Earth,
great
Chaos
child:

But by the fathers (be it not envide)

I greater am in bloud (whereon I build)

Then all the Gods, though wrongfully from heauen exil'd.

27
For,
Titan
(as ye all acknowledge must)

Was
Saturnes
elder brother by birth-right;

Both, sonnes of
Vranus:
but by vniust