Yet did her face and former parts professe
A faire young Mayden, full of comely glee;
But all her hinder parts did plaine expresse
A monstrous Dragon, full of fearefull uglinesse.
“To her the Gods, for her so dreadfull face,
In fearefull darkenesse, furthest from the skie
And from the earth, appointed have her place
Mongst rocks and caves, where she enrold doth lie
In hideous horrour and obscurity,
Wasting the strength of her immortall age:
There did Typhaon with her company;
Cruell Typhaon, whose tempestuous rage
Makes th’heavens tremble oft, and him with vowes asswage.
“Of that commixtion they did then beget
This hellish Dog, that hight the Blatant Beast;
A wicked Monster, that his tongue doth whet
Gainst all, both good and bad, both most and least,
And pours his poysnous gall forth to infest
The noblest wights with notable defame:
Ne ever Knight that bore so lofty creast,
Ne ever Lady of so honest name,
But he them spotted with reproch, or secrete shame.
“In vaine therefore it were with medicine
To goe about to salve such kynd of sore,
That rather needes wise read and discipline,
Then outward salves that may augment it more.”
“Aye me!” (sayd then Serena, sighing sore)
“What hope of helpe doth then for us remaine,
If that no salves may us to health restore?”
“But sith we need good counsell,” (sayd the swaine)
“Aread, good Sire, some counsell that may us sustaine.”
“The best” (sayd he) “that I can you advize,
Is to avoide the occasion of the ill:
For when the cause, whence evill doth arize,
Removed is, th’effecl surceaseth still.
Abstaine from pleasure, and restraine your will;
Subdue desire, and bridle loose delight;
Use scanted diet, and forbeare your fill;
Shun secresie, and talke in open sight:
So shall you soone repaire your present evill plight.”
Thus having sayd, his sickely patients
Did gladly hearken to his grave beheast,
And kept so well his wise commaundements,
That in short space their malady was ceast,
And eke the biting of that harmefull Beast
Was throughly heal’d. Tho when they did perceave
Their wounds recur’d, and forces reincreast,
Of that good Hermite both they tooke their leave,
And went both on their way, ne ech would other leave:
But each the other vow’d t’accompany:
The Lady, for that she was much in dred,
Now left alone in great extremity;
The Squire, for that he courteous was indeed,
Would not her leave alone in her great need.
So both together traveld, till they met
With a faire Mayden clad in mourning weed,
Upon a mangy jade unmeetely set,
And a lewd foole her leading thorough dry and wet.
But by what meanes that shame to her befell,
And how thereof her selfe she did acquite,
I must awhile forbeare to you to tell;
Till that, as comes by course, I doe recite
What fortune to the Briton Prince did lite,
Pursuing that proud Knight, the which whileare
Wrought to Sir Calepine so foule despight;
And eke his Lady, though she sickely were,
So lewdly had abusde, as ye did lately heare.
The Prince, according to the former token
Which faire Serene to him delivered had,
Pursu’d him streight; in mynd to bene ywroken
Of all the vile demeane and usage bad,
With which he had those two so ill bestad:
Ne wight with him on that adventure went,
But that wylde man; whom though he oft forbad,
Yet for no bidding, nor for being shent,
Would he restrayned be from his attendement.
Arriving there, as did by chaunce befall,
He found the gate wyde ope, and in he rode,
Ne stayd, till that he came into the hall;
Where soft dismounting, like a weary lode,
Upon the ground with feeble feete he trode,
As he unable were for very neede
To move one foote, but there must make abode:
The whiles the salvage man did take his steede,
And in some stable neare did set him up to feede.
Ere long to him a homely groome there came,
That in rude wise him asked, what he was
That durst so boldly, without let or shame,
Into his Lords forbidden hall to passe?
To whom the Prince, him fayning to embase,
Mylde answer made, he was an errant Knight,
The which was fall’n into this feeble case
Through many wounds, which lately he in fight
Received had, and prayd to pitty his ill plight.
But he, the more outrageous and bold,
Sternely did bid him quickely thence avaunt,
Or deare aby; for-why his Lord of old
Did hate all errant Knights which there did haunt,
Ne lodging would to any of them graunt;
And therefore lightly bad him packe away,
Not sparing him with bitter words to taunt,
And therewithall rude hand on him did lay,
To thrust him out of dore doing his worst assay.
Which when the Salvage, comming now in place,
Beheld, eftsoones he all enraged grew,
And, running streight upon that villaine base,
Like a fell Lion at him fiercely flew,
And with his teeth and nailes, in present vew,
Him rudely rent and all to peeces tore;
So miserably him all helpelesse slew,
That with the noise, whilest he did loudly rore,
The people of the house rose forth in great uprore.
Who when on ground they saw their fellow slaine,
And that same Knight and Salvage standing by,
Upon them two they fell with might and maine,
And on them layd so huge and horribly,
As if they would have slaine them presently:
But the bold Prince defended him so well,
And their assault withstood so mightily,
That, maugre all their might, he did repell
And beat them back, whilest many underneath him fell.
Yet he them still so sharpely did pursew,
That few of them he left alive, which fled
Those evill tidings to their Lord to shew:
Who, hearing how his people badly sped,
Came forth in hast; where, when as with the dead
He saw the ground all strow’d, and that same Knight
And salvage with their bloud fresh steeming red,
He woxe nigh mad with
