XXXV.

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 funne, that he might tell
To griefly Pluto what on earth was donne,
And to the other damned ghosts, which dwell
For aye in darkeneffe, which day light doth shonne :
So led this knight his captyve with like conqueft wonne.
XXXVI.

Yet greatly did the beast repine at those

Straunge bands, whofe like till then he never bore,
Ne ever any durft till then impofe;

And chauffed inly, feeing now no more

Him liberty was left aloud to rore:

Yet durft he not draw backe, nor once withstand

The proved powre of noble Calidore

But trembled underneath his mighty hand,

And like a fearefull dog him followed through the land.
XXXVII.

Him through all faery land he follow'd so,

As if he learned had obedience long,
That all the people, wherefo he did go,

Out of their townes did round about him throng,
To fee him leade that beast in bondage ftrong;
And feeing it, much wondred at the fight:
And all fuch persons, as he earst did wrong,
Reioyced much to fee his captive plight,

And much admyr'd the beast, but more admyr'd the knight.

XXXVIII.

Thus was this monster by the maystring might

Of doughty Calidore fuppreft and tamed,

That never more he mote endammadge wight
With his vile tongue, which many had defamed,
And many caufeleffe caufed to be blamed:
So did he eeke long after this remaine,
Untill that, whether wicked fate fo framed
Or fault of men, he broke his yron chaine,
And got into the world at liberty againe.
VOL. II.

PP

XXXIX Thenceforth

XXXIX.

Thenceforth more mischiefe and more fcath he wrought,

To mortall men then he had done before;
Ne ever could by any more be brought
Into like bands, ne maystred any more:
Albe that long time after Calidore

The good fir Pelleas him tooke in hand,
And after him fir Lamoracke of

yore,

;

And all his brethren borne in Britaine land
Yet none of them could ever bring him into band.
XL.

So now he raungeth through the world againe,
And rageth fore in each degree and state;
Ne any is that may him now restraine,
He growen is fo great and strong of late,
Barking and biting all that him doe bate,
Albe they worthy blame, or cleare of crime;
Ne fpareth he most learned wits to rate,
Ne fpareth he the gentle poets rime;
But rends without regard of perfon or of time.

XLI.

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 fome wicked tongues did it backebite,
And bring into a mighty peres displeasure,

That never fo deferved to endite.

Therefore do you, my rimes, keep better measure,

And feeke to please; that now is counted wife mens threasure.

TWO

3 D

TWO CANTOS

OF MUTABILITIE:

Which both for Forme and Matter appeare to be parcell of fome following Booke of the FAERIE QUEENE,

HAT man that fees the ever-whirling wheele
Of Change, the which all mortall things doth fway,

But that thereby doth find and plainly feele

How Mutability in them doth play
Her cruell fports to many mens decay?
Which that to all may better yet appeare,

I will rehearse that whylome I heard fay,

How she at first herselfe began to reare

Gainst all the gods, and th'empire fought from them to beare.

But first here falleth fittest to unfold

II.

Her antique race and linage ancient,
As I have found it registred of old,
In faery land mongft records permanent.
She was, to weet, a daughter by descent
Of thofe old Titans, that did whylome strive
With Saturnes fonne for heavens regiment;
Whom though high Iove of kingdome did deprive,

Yet many of their stemme long after did furvive:
Pp 2

III. And

III.

And many of them afterwards obtain'd
Great power of love, and high authority:
As Hecate, in whose almighty hand,
He plac't all rule and principality,
To be by her difpofed diverfly

To gods and men, as fhe them lift divide;

And drad Bellona, that doth found on hie
Warres and allarums unto nations wide,

That makes both heaven and earth to tremble at her pride.

So likewife did this Titaneffe afpire

IV.

Rule and dominion to herselfe to gaine;

That as a goddeffe men might her admire,
And heavenly honours yield, as to them twaine :
And first on earth he fought it to obtaine;
Where the fuch proofe and fad examples fhewed
Of her great power, to many ones great paine,
That not men onely (whom the foone fubdewed)
But eke all other creatures her bad dooings rewed.

V.

For the the face of earthly things fo changed,
That all which Nature had establisht first

In good eftate, and in meet order ranged,
She did pervert, and all their ftatutes burft:

And all the worlds faire frame (which none yet durft

Of gods or men to alter or misguide)

She alter'd quite, and made them all accurft
That God had bleft, and did at first provide

In that still happy state for ever to abide.

VI.

Ne fhee the lawes of Nature onely brake,

Eut eke of iuftice, and of policie ;

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

And death for life exchanged foolishlie:

Since which all living wights have learn'd to die,
And all this world is woxen daily worse.

O pittious worke of Mutabilitie!

By which we all are fubiect to that curse,

And death inftead of life have fucked from our nurse.

VII. And

VII.

And when all the earth she thus' had brought

now,

To her beheft and thralled to her might,
She gan to caft in her ambitious thought
T'attempt th'empire of the heavens hight,
And love himselfe to shoulder from his right:
And first she past the region of the ayre,
And of the fire, whose substance thin and flight
Made no refiftance, ne could her contraire,
But ready paffage to her pleasure did prepaire :
VIII.

Thence to the circle of the moone fhe clambe,
Where Cynthia raignes in everlasting glory,
To whose bright shining palace ftraight fhe came,
All fairely deckt with heavens goodly story;
Whose filver gates (by which there fate an hory
Old aged fire with hower-glaffe in hand,
Hight Tyme) fhe entred, were he liefe or fory;
Ne staide till she the highest stage had scand,
Where Cynthia did fit, that never ftill did stand:

IX.

Her fitting on an ivory 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 fide there ran her page, that hight
Vefper, whom we the evening-starre intend;
That with his torche, ftill twinkling like twylight,
Her lightened all the way where she should wend,
And ioy to weary wandring travailers did lend.

· X. Tho when the hardy Titaneffe beheld

The goodly building of her palace bright,
Made of the heavens fubftance, and up-held
With thousand crystall pillors of huge hight,
Shee gan to burne in her ambitious spright,
And t'envie her that in fuch glorie raigned:
Eftfoones fhe caft by force and tortious might
Her to difplace, and to herselfe t'have gained
The kingdome of the Night, and waters by her wained.

XI. Boldly