Now gins this goodly frame of Temperance i

Fairely to rise, and her adorned hed

To pricke of highest praise forth to aduance,

Formerly[825] grounded, and fast setteled

On firme foundation of true bountihed;

And this braue knight, that for that[826] vertue fights,

Now comes to point of that same perilous sted,

Where Pleasure dwelles in sensuall delights,

Mongst thousand dangers, and ten thousand magick mights.

Two dayes now in that sea he sayled has, ii

Ne euer land beheld, ne liuing wight,

Ne ought saue perill, still as he did pas:

Tho when appeared the third Morrow bright,

Vpon the waues to spred her trembling light,

An hideous roaring farre away they heard,

That all their senses filled with affright,

And streight they saw the raging surges reard

Vp to the skyes, that them of drowning made affeard.

Said then the Boteman, Palmer stere aright, iii

And keepe an euen course; for yonder way

We needes must passe (God do vs well acquight,)

That is the Gulfe of Greedinesse, they say,

That deepe engorgeth all this worldes pray:

Which hauing swallowd vp excessiuely,

He soone in vomit vp againe doth lay,

And belcheth forth his superfluity,

That all the seas for feare do[827] seeme away to fly.

On th’other side an hideous Rocke is pight, iv

Of mightie Magnes stone, whose craggie clift

Depending from on high, dreadfull to sight,

Ouer the waues his rugged armes doth lift,

And threatneth downe to throw his ragged rift

On who so commeth nigh; yet nigh it drawes

All passengers, that none from it can shift:

For whiles they fly that Gulfes deuouring iawes,

They on this rock are rent, and sunck in helplesse wawes.

Forward they passe, and strongly he them rowes, v

Vntill they nigh vnto that Gulfe arriue,

Where streame more violent and greedy growes:

Then he with all his puissance doth striue

To strike his oares, and mightily doth driue

The hollow vessell through the threatfull waue,

Which gaping wide, to swallow them aliue,

In th’huge abysse of his engulfing graue,

Doth rore at them in vaine, and with great terror raue.

They passing by, that griesly mouth did see, vi

Sucking the seas into his entralles deepe,

That seem’d more horrible then hell to bee,

Or that darke dreadfull hole of Tartare steepe,

Through which the damned ghosts doen often creepe

Backe to the world, bad liuers to torment:

But nought that falles into this direfull deepe,

Ne that approcheth nigh the wide descent,

May backe returne, but is condemned to be drent.

On th’other side, they saw that perilous Rocke, vii

Threatning it selfe on them to ruinate,

On whose sharpe clifts the ribs of vessels broke,

And shiuered ships, which had bene wrecked late,

Yet stuck, with carkasses exanimate

Of such, as hauing all their substance spent

In wanton ioyes, and lustes intemperate,

Did afterwards make shipwracke violent,

Both of their life, and fame for euer fowly blent.

For thy, this hight The Rocke of vile Reproch, viii

A daungerous and detestable place,

To which nor fish nor fowle did once approch,

But yelling Meawes, with Seagulles hoarse and bace,

And Cormoyrants, with birds of rauenous race,

Which still sate waiting[828] on that wastfull clift,

For spoyle of wretches, whose vnhappie cace,

After lost credite and consumed thrift,

At last them driuen hath to this despairefull drift.

The Palmer seeing them in safetie past, ix

Thus said; Behold[829] th’ensamples in our sights,

Of lustfull luxurie and thriftlesse wast:

What now is left of miserable wights,

Which spent their looser daies in lewd delights,

But shame and sad reproch, here to be red,

By these rent reliques, speaking their ill plights?

Let all that liue, hereby be counselled,

To shunne Rocke of Reproch, and it as death to dred.

So forth they rowed, and that Ferryman x

With his stiffe oares did brush the sea so strong,

That the hoare waters from his frigot ran,

And the light bubbles daunced all along,

Whiles the salt brine out of the billowes sprong.

At last farre off they many Islands spy,

On euery side floting the floods emong:

Then said the knight, Loe I the land descry,

Therefore old Syre thy course do thereunto apply.

That may not be, said then the Ferryman xi

Least we vnweeting hap to be fordonne:

For those same Islands, seeming now and than,

Are not firme lande, nor any certein wonne,

But straggling plots, which to and fro do ronne

In the wide waters: therefore are they hight

The wandring Islands. Therefore doe them shonne;

For they haue oft drawne many a wandring wight

Into most deadly daunger and distressed plight.

Yet well they seeme to him, that farre doth vew, xii

Both faire and fruitfull, and the ground dispred[830]

With grassie greene of delectable hew,

And the tall trees with leaues apparelled,

Are deckt with blossomes dyde in white and red,

That mote the passengers thereto allure;

But whosoeuer once hath fastened

His foot thereon, may neuer it recure,

But wandreth euer more vncertein and vnsure.

As th’Isle of Delos whylome men report xiii

Amid th’Aegæan sea long time did stray,

Ne made for shipping any certaine port,

Till that Latona traueiling that way,

Flying from Iunoes wrath and hard assay,

Of her faire twins was there deliuered,

Which afterwards did rule the night and day;

Thenceforth it firmely was established,

And for Apolloes honor[831] highly herried.

They to him hearken, as beseemeth meete, xiv

And passe on forward: so their way does ly,

That one of those same Islands, which doe fleet

In the wide sea, they needes must passen by,

Which seemd so sweet and pleasant to the eye,

That it would tempt a man to touchen there:

Vpon the banck they sitting did espy

A daintie damzell, dressing of her heare,

By whom a litle skippet floting did appeare.

She them espying, loud to them can[832] call, xv

Bidding them nigher draw vnto the shore;

For she had cause to busie them withall;

And therewith loudly laught: But nathemore

Would they once turne, but kept on as afore:

Which when she saw, she left her lockes vndight,

And running to her boat withouten ore

From the departing land it launched light,

And after them did driue with all her power and might.

Whom ouertaking, she in merry sort xvi

Them gan to bord, and purpose diuersly,

Now faining dalliance and wanton sport,

Now throwing forth lewd words immodestly;

Till that the Palmer gan full bitterly

Her to rebuke, for being loose and light:

Which not abiding, but more scornefully

Scoffing at him, that did her iustly wite,

She turnd her bote about, and from them rowed quite.

That was the wanton Phœdria, which late xvii

Did ferry him ouer the Idle lake:

Whom nought regarding, they kept on their gate,

And all her vaine allurements did forsake,

When them the wary Boateman thus bespake;

Here now behoueth vs well to auyse,

And of our safetie good heede to take;

For here before a perlous passage lyes,

Where many Mermayds haunt, making false melodies.

But by the way, there is a great Quicksand, xviii

And a whirlepoole of hidden ieopardy,

Therefore, Sir Palmer, keepe an euen hand;

For twixt them both the narrow way doth ly.

Scarse had he said, when hard at hand they spy

That quicksand nigh with water couered;

But by the checked waue they did descry

It plaine, and by the sea discoloured:

It called was the quicksand of Vnthriftyhed.

They passing by, a goodly Ship did see, xix

Laden from far with precious merchandize,

And brauely furnished, as ship might bee,

Which through great disauenture, or mesprize[833],

Her selfe had runne into that hazardize;

Whose mariners and merchants with much toyle,

Labour’d in vaine, to haue recur’d their prize,

And the rich wares to saue from pitteous spoyle,

But neither toyle nor trauell might her backe recoyle.

On th’other side they see that perilous Poole, xx

That called was the Whirlepoole of decay,

In which full many had with haplesse doole

Beene suncke, of whom no memorie did stay:

Whose circled waters rapt with whirling sway,

Like to a restlesse wheele, still running round,

Did couet, as they passed by that way,

To draw their[834] boate within the vtmost bound

Of his wide Labyrinth, and then to haue them dround.

But th’heedfull[835] Boateman strongly forth did stretch xxi

His brawnie armes, and all his body straine,

That th’vtmost sandy breach they shortly fetch,

Whiles the dred daunger does behind remaine.

Suddeine they see from midst of all the Maine,

The surging waters like a mountaine rise,

And the great sea puft vp with proud disdaine,

To swell aboue the measure of his guise,

As threatning to deuoure all, that his powre despise.

The waues come rolling, and the billowes rore xxii

Outragiously, as they enraged were,

Or wrathfull Neptune did them driue before

His whirling charet, for exceeding feare:

For not one puffe of wind there did appeare,

That all the three thereat woxe much afrayd,

Vnweeting, what such horrour straunge did reare.

Eftsoones they saw an hideous hoast arrayd,

Of huge Sea monsters, such as liuing sence dismayd.

Most vgly shapes, and horrible aspects, xxiii

Such as Dame Nature selfe mote feare to see,

Or shame, that euer should so fowle defects

From her most cunning hand escaped bee;

All dreadfull pourtraicts of deformitee:

Spring-headed Hydraes, and sea-shouldring Whales,

Great whirlpooles, which all fishes make to flee,

Bright Scolopendraes, arm’d with siluer scales,

Mighty Monoceroses[836], with immeasured tayles.

The dreadfull Fish, that hath deseru’d the name xxiv

Of Death, and like him lookes in dreadfull hew,

The griesly Wasserman, that makes his game

The flying ships with swiftnesse to pursew,

The horrible Sea-satyre, that doth shew

His fearefull face in time of greatest storme,

Huge Ziffius, whom Mariners eschew

No lesse, then rockes, (as trauellers informe,)

And greedy Rosmarines with visages deforme.

All these, and thousand thousands many more, xxv

And more deformed Monsters thousand fold,

With dreadfull noise, and hollow rombling rore,

Came rushing in the fomy waues enrold,

Which seem’d to fly for feare, them to behold:

Ne wonder, if these did the knight appall;

For all that here on earth we dreadfull hold,

Be but as bugs to fearen babes withall,

Compared to the creatures in the seas entrall.

Feare nought, (then said the Palmer well auiz’d;) xxvi

For these same Monsters are not these in deed,

But are into these fearefull shapes disguiz’d

By that same wicked witch, to worke vs dreed,

And draw from on this iourney to proceede.

Tho lifting vp his vertuous staffe on hye,

He smote the sea, which calmed was with speed,

And all that dreadfull Armie fast gan flye

Into great Tethys bosome, where they hidden lye.

Quit from that daunger, forth their course they kept, xxvii

And as they went, they heard a ruefull cry

Of one, that wayld and pittifully[837] wept,

That through the sea the resounding[838] plaints did fly:

At last they in an Island did espy

A seemely Maiden, sitting by the shore,

That with great sorrow and sad agony,

Seemed some great misfortune to deplore,

And lowd to them for succour called euermore.

Which Guyon hearing, streight his Palmer bad, xxviii

To stere the boate towards that dolefull Mayd,

That he might know, and ease her sorrow sad:

Who him auizing better, to him sayd;

Faire Sir, be not displeasd, if disobayd:

For ill it were to hearken to her cry;

For she is inly nothing ill apayd,

But onely womanish fine forgery,

Your stubborne hart t’affect with fraile infirmity.

To which when she your courage hath inclind xxix

Through foolish pitty, then her guilefull bayt

She will embosome deeper in your mind,

And for your ruine at the last awayt.

The knight was ruled, and the Boateman strayt

Held on his course with stayed stedfastnesse,

Ne euer shruncke, ne euer sought to bayt

His tyred armes for toylesome wearinesse,

But with his oares did sweepe the watry wildernesse.

And now they nigh approched to the sted, xxx

Where as those Mermayds dwelt: it was a still

And calmy bay, on th’one side sheltered

With the brode shadow of an hoarie hill,

On th’other side an high rocke toured still,

That twixt them both a pleasaunt[839] port they made,

And did like an halfe Theatre fulfill:

There those fine sisters had continuall trade,

And vsd to bath[840] themselues in that deceiptfull[841] shade.

They were faire Ladies, till they fondly striu’d xxxi

With th’Heliconian maides for maistery;

Of whom they ouer-comen, were depriu’d

Of their proud beautie, and th’one moyity

Transform’d to fish, for their bold surquedry,

But th’vpper halfe their hew retained still,

And their sweet skill in wonted melody;

Which euer after they abusd to ill,

T’allure weake trauellers, whom gotten they did kill.

So now to Guyon, as he passed by, xxxii

Their pleasaunt tunes they sweetly thus applide;

O thou faire sonne of gentle Faery,

That[842] art in mighty armes most magnifide

Aboue all knights, that euer battell tride,

O turne thy rudder hither-ward a while:

Here may thy storme-bet vessell safely ride;

This is the Port of rest from troublous toyle,

The worlds sweet In, from paine and wearisome turmoyle.

With that the rolling sea resounding soft, xxxiii

In his big base them fitly answered,

And on the rocke the waues breaking aloft,

A solemne Meane vnto them measured,

The whiles sweet Zephirus lowd whisteled

His treble, a straunge kinde of harmony;

Which Guyons senses softly tickeled,

That he the boateman bad row easily,

And let him heare some part of their rare melody.

But him the[843] Palmer from that vanity, xxxiv

With temperate aduice discounselled,

That they it past, and shortly gan descry

The land, to which their course they leueled;

When suddeinly a grosse fog ouer spred

With his dull vapour all that desert has,

And heauens chearefull face enueloped,

That all things one, and one as nothing was,

And this great Vniuerse seemd one confused mas.

Thereat they greatly were dismayd, ne wist xxxv

How to direct their way in darkenesse wide,

But feard to wander in that wastfull mist,

For tombling into mischiefe vnespide.

Worse is the daunger hidden, then descride.

Suddeinly an innumerable flight

Of harmefull fowles about them fluttering, cride,

And with their wicked wings them oft did smight,

And sore annoyed, groping in that griesly night.

Euen all the nation of vnfortunate xxxvi

And fatall birds about them flocked were,

Such as by nature men abhorre and hate,

The ill-faste Owle, deaths dreadfull messengere,

The hoars Night-rauen, trump of dolefull drere,

The lether-winged Bat, dayes enimy,

The ruefull Strich, still waiting on the bere,

The Whistler shrill, that who so heares, doth dy,

The hellish Harpies, prophets of sad destiny.

All those, and all that else does horrour breed, xxxvii

About them flew, and fild their sayles with feare:

Yet stayd they not, but forward did proceed,

Whiles th’one did row, and th’other stifly steare;

Till that at last the weather gan to cleare,

And the faire land it selfe did plainly show.

Said then the Palmer, Lo where does appeare

The sacred soile, where all our perils grow;

Therefore, Sir knight, your ready armes about you throw.

He hearkned, and his armes about him tooke, xxxviii

The whiles the nimble boate so well her sped,

That with her crooked keele the land she strooke,

Then forth the noble Guyon sallied,

And his sage Palmer, that him gouerned;

But th’other by his boate behind did stay.

They marched fairly forth, of nought ydred,

Both firmely armd for euery hard assay,

With constancy and care, gainst daunger and dismay.

Ere long they heard an hideous bellowing xxxix

Of many beasts, that roard outrageously,

As if that hungers point, or Venus sting

Had them enraged with fell surquedry;

Yet nought they feard, but past on hardily,

Vntill they came in vew of those wild beasts:

Who all attonce, gaping full greedily,

And rearing fiercely their vpstarting[844] crests,

Ran towards, to deuoure those vnexpected guests.

But soone as they approcht[845] with deadly threat,[846] xl

The Palmer ouer them his staffe vpheld,

His mighty staffe, that could all charmes defeat:

Eftsoones their stubborne courages were queld,

And high aduaunced crests downe meekely feld,

In stead of fraying, they them selues did feare,

And trembled, as them passing they beheld:

Such wondrous powre did in that staffe appeare,

All monsters to subdew to him, that did it beare.

Of that same wood it fram’d was cunningly, xli

Of which Caduceus whilome was made,

Caduceus the rod of Mercury,

With which he wonts the Stygian realmes inuade,

Through ghastly horrour, and eternall shade;

Th’ infernall feends with it he can asswage,

And Orcus tame, whom nothing can perswade,

And rule the Furyes, when they most do rage:

Such vertue in his staffe had eke this Palmer sage.

Thence passing forth, they shortly do arriue, xlii

Whereas the Bowre of Blisse was situate;

A place pickt out by choice of best aliue,

That natures worke by art can imitate:

In which what euer in this worldly state

Is sweet, and pleasing vnto liuing sense,

Or that may dayntiest[847] fantasie aggrate,

Was poured forth with plentifull dispence,

And made there to abound with lauish affluence.

Goodly it was enclosed round about, xliii

Aswell their entred guestes to keepe within,

As those vnruly beasts to hold without;

Yet was the fence thereof but weake and thin;

Nought feard their[848] force, that fortilage to win,

But wisedomes powre, and temperaunces might,

By which the mightiest[849] things efforced bin:

And eke the gate was wrought of substaunce light,

Rather for pleasure, then for battery or fight.

Yt framed was of precious yuory, xliv

That seemd a worke of admirable wit;

And therein all the famous history

Of Iason and Medæa was ywrit;

Her mighty charmes, her furious louing fit,

His goodly conquest of the golden fleece,

His falsed faith, and loue too lightly flit,

The wondred Argo, which in venturous peece

First through the Euxine seas bore all the flowr of Greece.

Ye might haue seene the frothy billowes fry xlv

Vnder the ship, as thorough them she went,

That seemd the waues were into yuory,

Or yuory into the waues were sent;

And other where the snowy substaunce sprent

With vermell, like the boyes bloud therein shed,

A piteous spectacle did represent,

And otherwhiles with gold besprinkeled;

Yt seemd th’enchaunted flame, which did Creüsa wed.

All this, and more might in that goodly gate xlvi

Be red; that euer open stood to all,

Which thither came: but in the Porch there sate

A comely personage of stature tall,

And semblaunce pleasing, more then naturall,

That trauellers to him seemd to entize;

His looser garment to the ground did fall,

And flew about his heeles in wanton wize,

Not fit for speedy pace, or manly exercize.

They in that place him Genius did call: xlvii

Not that celestiall powre, to whom the care

Of life, and generation of all

That liues, pertaines in charge particulare,

Who wondrous things concerning our welfare,

And straunge phantomes doth let vs oft forsee,

And oft of secret ill bids vs beware:

That is our Selfe, whom though we do not see,

Yet each doth in him selfe it well perceiue to bee.

Therefore a God him sage Antiquity xlviii

Did wisely make, and good Agdistes call:

But this same was to that quite contrary,

The foe of life, that good enuyes to all,

That secretly doth vs procure to fall,

Through guilefull semblaunts, which he makes vs see.

He of this Gardin had the gouernall,

And Pleasures porter was deuizd to bee,

Holding a staffe in hand for more formalitee.

With diuerse flowres he daintily was deckt, xlix

And strowed round about, and by his side

A mighty Mazer bowle of wine was set,

As if it had to him bene sacrifide;

Wherewith all new-come guests he gratifide:

So did he eke Sir Guyon passing by:

But he his idle curtesie defide,

And ouerthrew his bowle disdainfully;

And broke his staffe, with which he charmed semblants sly.

Thus being entred, they behold around l

A large and spacious plaine, on euery side

Strowed with pleasauns, whose faire grassy ground

Mantled with greene, and goodly beautifide

With all the ornaments of Floraes pride,

Wherewith her mother Art, as halfe in scorne

Of niggard Nature, like a pompous bride

Did decke her, and too lauishly adorne,

When forth from virgin bowre she comes in th’early morne.

Thereto[850] the Heauens alwayes Iouiall, li

Lookt on them louely, still in stedfast state,

Ne suffred storme nor frost on them to fall,

Their tender buds or leaues to violate,

Nor scorching heat, nor cold intemperate

T’afflict the creatures, which therein did dwell,

But the milde aire with season moderate

Gently attempred, and disposd so well,

That still it breathed forth sweet spirit and holesome smell.

More sweet and holesome, then the pleasaunt hill lii

Of Rhodope, on which the Nimphe, that bore

A gyaunt babe, her selfe for griefe did kill;

Or the Thessalian Tempe, where of yore

Faire Daphne Phœbus hart with loue did gore;

Or Ida, where the Gods lou’d to repaire,

When euer they their heauenly bowres forlore;

Or sweet Parnasse, the haunt of Muses faire;

Or Eden selfe, if ought[851] with Eden mote compaire.

Much wondred Guyon at the faire aspect liii

Of that sweet place, yet suffred no delight

To sincke into his sence, nor mind affect,

But passed forth, and lookt still forward right,

Bridling his will, and maistering his might:

Till that he came vnto another gate;

No gate, but like one, being goodly dight

With boughes and braunches, which did broad dilate

Their clasping armes, in wanton wreathings intricate.