Doth sober Alma dwell,
Besiegd of many foes, whom straunger
knightes to flight compell.
I
OF all Gods workes, which doe this world adorne,
There is no one more faire and excellent,
Then is mans body both for powre and forme,
Whiles it is kept in sober government;
But none then it more fowle and indecent, 5
Distempred through misrule and passions bace:
It growes a monster, and incontinent
Doth loose his dignity and native grace.
Behold, who list, both one and other in this place.
II
After the Paynim brethren conquer’d were, 10
The Briton Prince recov’ring his stolne sword,
And Guyon his lost shield, they both yfere
Forth passed on their way in fayre accord,
Till him the Prince with gentle court did bord:
‘Sir knight, mote I of you this court’sy read, 15
To weet why on your shield, so goodly scord,
Beare ye the picture of that ladies head?
Full lively is the semblaunt, though the substance dead.’
III
‘Fayre sir,’ sayd he, ‘if in that picture dead
Such life ye read, and vertue in vaine shew, 20
What mote ye weene, if the trew lively-head
Of that most glorious visage ye did vew?
But yf the beauty of her mind ye knew,
That is, her bounty and imperiall powre,
Thousand times fairer then her mortal hew, 25
O how great wonder would your thoughts devoure,
And infinite desire into your spirite poure!
IV
‘Shee is the mighty Queene of Faery,
Whose faire retraitt I in my shield doe beare;
Shee is the flowre of grace and chastity, 30
Throughout the world renowmed far and neare,
My liefe, my liege, my soveraine, my deare,
Whose glory shineth as the morning starre,
And with her light the earth enlumines cleare:
Far reach her mercies, and her praises farre, 35
As well in state of peace, as puissaunce in warre.’
V
‘Thrise happy man,’ said then the Briton knight,
‘Whom gracious lott and thy great valiaunce
Have made thee soldier of that princesse bright,
Which with her bounty and glad countenaunce 40
Doth blesse her servaunts, and them high advaunce.
How may straunge knight hope ever to aspire,
By faithfull service and meete amenaunce,
Unto such blisse? Sufficient were that hire
For losse of thousand lives, to die at her desire.’ 45
VI
Said Guyon, ‘Noble lord, what meed so great,
Or grace of earthly prince so soveraine,
But by your wondrous worth and warlike feat
Ye well may hope, and easely attaine?
But were your will, her sold to entertaine, 50
And numbred be mongst Knights of May-denhed,
Great guerdon, well I wote, should you remaine,
And in her favor high bee reckoned,
As Arthegall and Sophy now beene honored.’
VII
‘Certes,’ then said the Prince, ‘I God avow, 55
That sith I armes and knighthood first did plight,
My whole desire hath beene, and yet is now,
To serve that Queene with al my powre and might.
Now hath the sunne with his lamp-burning light
Walkt round about the world, and I no lesse, 60
Sith of that goddesse I have sought the sight,
Yet no where can her find: such happinesse
Heven doth to me envy, and Fortune favourlesse.’
VIII
‘Fortune, the foe of famous chevisaunce,
Seldome,’ said Guyon, ‘yields to vertue aide, 65
But in her way throwes mischiefe and mischaunce,
Whereby her course is stopt and passage staid.
But you, faire sir, be not herewith dismaid,
But constant keepe the way in which ye stand;
Which were it not that I am els delaid 70
With hard adventure, which I have in hand,
I labour would to guide you through al Fary Land.’
IX
‘Gramercy, sir,’ said he; ‘but mote I weete
What straunge adventure doe ye now pursew?
Perhaps my succour or advizement meete 75
Mote stead you much your purpose to subdew.’
Then gan Sir Guyon all the story shew
Of false Acrasia, and her wicked wiles,
Which to avenge, the palmer him forth drew
From Faery court. So talked they, the whiles 80
They wasted had much way, and measurd many miles.
X
And now faire Phoebus gan decline in haste
His weary wagon to the westerne vale,
Whenas they spide a goodly castle, plaste
Foreby a river in a pleasaunt dale; 85
Which choosing for that evenings hospitale,
They thether marcht: but when they came in sight,
And from their sweaty coursers did avale,
They found the gates fast barred long ere night,
And every loup fast lockt, as fearing foes despight. 90
XI
Which when they saw, they weened fowle reproch
Was to them doen, their entraunce to forstall,
Till that the squire gan nigher to approch,
And wind his horne under the castle wall,
That with the noise it shooke, as it would fall. 95
Eftsoones forth looked from the highest spire
The watch, and lowd unto the knights did call,
To weete what they so rudely did require:
Who gently answered, they entraunce did desire.
XII
‘Fly, fly, good knights,’ said he, ‘fly fast away, 100
If that your lives ye love, as meete ye should;
Fly fast, and save your selves from neare decay;
Here may ye not have entraunce, though we would:
We would and would againe, if that we could;
But thousand enemies about us rave, 105
And with long siege us in this castle hould:
Seven yeares this wize they us besieged have,
And many good knights slaine, that have us sought to save.’
XIII
Thus as he spoke, loe! with outragious cry
A thousand villeins rownd about them swarmd 110
Out of the rockes and caves adjoyning nye:
Vile caitive wretches, ragged, rude, deformd,
All threatning death, all in straunge manner armd;
Some with unweldy clubs, some with long speares,
Some rusty knifes, some staves in fier warmd. 115
Sterne was their looke, like wild amazed steares,
Staring with hollow eies, and stiffe upstanding heares.
XIV
Fiersly at first those knights they did assayle,
And drove them to recoile: but, when againe
They gave fresh charge, their forces gan to fayle, 120
Unhable their encounter to sustaine;
For with such puissaunce and impetuous maine
Those champions broke on them, that forst them fly,
Like scattered sheepe, whenas the shepherds swaine
A lyon and a tigre doth espye, 125
With greedy pace forth rushing from the forest nye.
XV
A while they fled, but soone retournd againe
With greater fury then before was fownd;
And evermore their cruell capitaine
Sought with his raskall routs t’ enclose them rownd, 130
And ov
erronne to tread them to the grownd.
But soone the knights with their bright-burning blades
Broke their rude troupes, and orders did confownd,
Hewing and slashing at their idle shades;
For though they bodies seem, yet substaunce from them fades. 135
XVI
As when a swarme of gnats at eventide
Out of the fennes of Allan doe arise,
Their murmuring small trompetts sownden wide,
Whiles in the aire their clustring army flies,
That as a cloud doth seeme to dim the skies; 140
Ne man nor beast may rest, or take repast,
For their sharpe wounds and noyous injuries,
Till the fierce northerne wind with blustring blast
Doth blow them quite away, and in the ocean cast.
XVII
Thus when they had that troublous rout disperst, 145
Unto the castle gate they come againe,
And entraunce crav’d, which was denied erst.
Now when report of that their perlous paine,
And combrous conflict which they did sustaine,
Came to the ladies eare, which there did dwell, 150
Shee forth issewed with a goodly traine
Of squires and ladies equipaged well,
And entertained them right fairely, as befell.
XVIII
Alma she called was, a virgin bright,
That had not yet felt Cupides wanton rage; 155
Yet was shee wooed of many a gentle knight,
And many a lord of noble parentage,
That sought with her to lincke in marriage,
For shee was faire, as faire mote ever bee,
And in the flowre now of her freshest age; 160
Yet full of grace and goodly modestee,
That even heven rejoyced her sweete face to see.
XIX
In robe of lilly white she was arayd,
That from her shoulder to her heele downe raught;
The traine whereof loose far behind her strayd, 165
Braunched with gold and perle, most richly wrought,
And borne of two faire damsels, which were taught
That service well. Her yellow golden heare
Was trimly woven, and in tresses wrought,
Ne other tire she on her head did weare, 170
But crowned with a garland of sweete rosiere.
XX
Goodly shee entertaind those noble knights,
And brought them up into her castle hall;
Where gentle court and gracious delight
Shee to them made, with mildnesse virginall, 175
Shewing her selfe both wise and liberall.
There when they rested had a season dew,
They her besought, of favour speciall,
Of that faire castle to affoord them vew:
Shee graunted, and them leading forth, the same did shew. 180
XXI
First she them led up to the castle wall,
That was so high as foe might not it clime,
And all so faire and fensible withall;
Not built of bricke, ne yet of stone and lime,
But of thing like to that Ægyptian slime, 185
Whereof King Nine whilome built Babell towre:
But O great pitty that no lenger time
So goodly workemanship should not endure!
Soone it must turne to earth: no earthly thing is sure.
XXII
The frame thereof seemd partly circulare, 190
And part triangulare: O worke divine!
Those two the first and last proportions are;
The one imperfect, mortall, fœminine,
Th’ other immortall, perfect, masculine:
And twixt them both a quadrate was the base, 195
Proportioned equally by seven and nine;
Nine was the circle sett in heavens place:
All which compacted made a goodly diapase.
XXIII
Therein two gates were placed seemly well:
The one before, by which all in did pas, 200
Did th’ other far in workmanship excell;
For not of wood, nor of enduring bras,
But of more worthy substance fram’d it was:
Doubly disparted, it did locke and close,
That, when it locked, none might thorough pas, 205
And when it opened, no man might it close;
Still open to their friendes, and closed to their foes.
XXIV
Of hewen stone the porch was fayrely wrought,
Stone more of valew, and more smooth and fine,
Then jett or marble far from Ireland brought; 210
Over the which was cast a wandring vine,
Enchaced with a wanton yvie twine.
And over it a fayre portcullis hong,
Which to the gate directly did incline,
With comely compasse and compacture strong, 215
Nether unseemly short, nor yet exceeding long.
XXV
Within the barbican a porter sate,
Day and night duely keeping watch and ward;
Nor wight nor word mote passe out of the gate,
But in good order, and with dew regard: 220
Utterers of secrets he from thence debard,
Bablers of folly, and blazers of cryme:
His larumbell might lowd and wyde be hard,
When cause requyrd, but never out of time;
Early and late it rong, at evening and at prime. 225
XXVI
And rownd about the porch on every syde
Twise sixteene warders satt, all armed bright
In glistring steele, and strongly fortifyde:
Tall yeomen seemed they, and of great might,
And were enraunged ready still for fight. 230
By them as Alma passed with her guestes,
They did obeysaunce, as beseemed right,
And then againe retourned to their restes:
The porter eke to her did lout with humble gestes.
XXVII
Thence she them brought into a stately hall, 235
Wherein were many tables fayre dispred
And ready dight with drapets festivall,
Against the viaundes should be ministred
Downe to the ground, a comely personage, 240
That in his hand a white rod menaged:
He steward was, hight Diet; rype of age,
And in demeanure sober, and in counsell sage.
XXVIII
And through the hall there walked to and fro
A jolly yeoman, marshall of the same, 245
Whose name was Appetite: he did bestow
Both guestes and meate, when ever in they came,
And knew them how to order without blame,
As him the steward badd. They both attone
Did dewty to their lady, as became; 250
Who, passing by, forth ledd her guestes anone
Into the kitchin rowme, ne spard for nicenesse none.
XXIX
It was a vaut ybuilt for great dispence,
With many raunges reard along the wall,
And one great chimney, whose long tonnell thence 255
The smoke forth threw: and in the midst of all
There placed was a caudron wide and tall,
Upon a mightie fornace, burning whott,
More whott then Aetn’, or flaming Mongiball:
For day and night it brent, ne ceased not, 260
So long as any thing it in the caudron gott.
XXX
But to delay the heat, least by mischaunce
It might breake out, and set the whole on fyre,
There added was by goodly ordinaunce
An huge great payre of bellowes, which did styre 265
Continually, and cooling breath inspyre.
About
the caudron many cookes accoyld,
With hookes and ladles, as need did requyre:
The whyles the viaundes in the vessell boyld,
They did about their businesse sweat, and sorely toyld. 270
XXXI
The maister cooke was cald Concoction,
A carefull man, and full of comely guyse.
The kitchin clerke, that hight Digestion,
Did order all th’ achates in seemely wise,
And set them forth, as well he could devise. 275
The rest had severall offices assynd:
Some to remove the scum, as it did rise;
Others to beare the same away did mynd;
And others it to use according to his kynd.
XXXII
But all the liquour, which was fowle and waste, 280
Not good nor serviceable elles for ought,
They in another great rownd vessel plaste,
Till by a conduit pipe it thence were brought:
And all the rest, that noyous was and nought,
By secret wayes, that none might it espy, 285
Was close convaid, and to the backgate brougt,
That cleped was Port Esquiline, whereby
It was avoided quite, and throwne out privily.
XXXIII
Which goodly order and great workmans skill
Whenas those knightes beheld, with rare delight 290
And gazing wonder they their mindes did fill;
For never had they seene so straunge a sight.
Thence backe againe faire Alma led them right,
And soone into a goodly parlour brought,
That was with royall arras richly dight, 295
In which was nothing pourtrahed nor wrought,
Not wrought nor pourtrahed, but easie to be thought.
XXXIV
And in the midst thereof upon the floure,
A lovely bevy of faire ladies sate,
Courted of many a jolly paramoure, 300
The which them did in modest wise amate,
And eachone sought his lady to aggrate:
And eke emongst them litle Cupid playd
His wanton sportes, being retourned late
From his fierce warres, and having from him layd 305
His cruel bow, wherewith he thousands hath dismayd.
XXXV
Diverse delights they fownd them selves to please;
Some song in sweet consort, some laught for joy,
Some plaid with strawes, some ydly satt at ease;
But other some could not abide to toy, 310
All pleasaunce was to them griefe and annoy:
This fround, that faund, the third for shame did blush,
Another seemed envious, or coy,
Another in her teeth did gnaw a rush:
But at these straungers presence every one did hush. 315
XXXVI
Soone as the gracious Alma came in place,
They all attonce out of their seates arose,