That singing of thy wars and dreadful fight, My notes may thunder out thy conqu❜ring might; And 'twixt the golden stars cut out her tow'ring flight. IX. The Mighty General mov'd with the news Of those four famous Knights so near decay, And cut the slavish cords from their captived hands, And for the Knights were faint, he quickly sent For she in sev'ral baths their wounds did steep; Wherewith she quickly swag'd the rankling pain: Thus she the knights rescu'd, and wash'd from sinful stain. XII. Mean time the fight now fiercer grows than ever : (For all his troops the Dragon hither drew) The two Twin-Loves whom no place mought dissever ; And Knowledge with his train begins anew To strike fresh summons up and hot alarms : So when the Sun shines in bright Taurus' head, And still successive storms fresh mustered, The country's vows and hopes swim on the drowned plain. The lovely twins ride 'gainst the Cyprian bands, And Cosmo's hated bands, with Ecthros fly, Elpinus, mighty enemies assail; But Doubt of all the other most infested; That oft his fainting courage 'gan to fail, More by his craft than odds of force molested; And sudden alter'd his first kind of fight; And oft himself and shape transform'd with cunning slight. XVI. So that great river, with Alcides striving In Oeneus' court for the Etolian maid, To divers shapes his fluent limbs contriving, Sweeping with speckled breast the dusty land; His hanging dewlap trail'd along the golden sand. XVII. Such shapes and changing fashions much dismay'd him, That oft he stagger'd with unusual fright; And but his brother Fido oft did aid him, There had he fell in unacquainted fight: But he would still his wavering strength maintain, Yet him more strong and cunning foes withstand, And fond Suspect, and thousand other foes; As when blood-guilty Earth for vengeance cries, Dark clouds spread out their sable curtains o'er him; And angels on their flaming wings up bore him : Mean time the guilty Heav'ns for fear fly fast before him. XX. There while he on the wind's proud pinions rides, Or on some church bis three-fork'd dart bestows, (Which yet his sacred worship, foul mistakes,) With Fido, Knowledge went, who order'd right Out of his gorge a hellish smoke he drew That all the field with foggy mist enwraps : Black smothering flames, roll'd in loud thunder claps ; And bring dull night upon the smiling day : XXIII. Yet could his bat-ey'd legions eas❜ly see In this dark Chaos :-they the seed of night : XXIV. Of one pure Diamond, celestial fair, That heav'nly shield by cunning hand was made; Whose light divine, spread through the misty air, To brightest morn would turn the western shade And lightsome day beget before his time; Framed in Heaven, without all earthly crime, Dipp'd in the fiery Sun, which burnt the baser slime. XXV. As when from fenny moors the lumpish clouds So this bright shield the dismal darkness tears, And giving back the day, dissolves their former fears. XXVI. Which when afar, the fiery Dragon spies His slights deluded with so little pain; To his last refuge now at length he flies: Long time his pois'nous gorge he seem'd to strain; And now with loathly sight, he up doth speed From stinking paunch, a most deformed crew; That Heav'n itself did fly from their most ugly view. XXVII. The first that crept from his detested maw, Was Hamartia*, foul, deformed wight; More foal, deform'd, the Sun yet never saw; Therefore she hates the all-betraying light : A woman seem'd she in her upper part : To which she could such lying gloss impart, That thousands she had slain with her deceiving art. XXVIII. The rest (tho' hid) in serpent's form array'd, With iron scales, like to a plaited mail; Over her back her knotty tail display'd, Along the empty air did lofty sail; * Sin. |