Contents -BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD

Edmund Spenser (1552?–1599). The Complete Poetical Works. 1908.

The Faerie Queene

Book VI. The Legend of Sir Calidore. Canto V

O WHAT an easie thing is to descry

The gentle bloud, how ever it be wrapt

In sad misfortunes foule deformity,

And wretched sorrowes, which have often hapt!

For howsoever it may grow mis-shapt,

Like this wyld man, being undisciplynd,

That to all vertue it may seeme unapt,

Yet will it shew some sparkes of gentle mynd,

And at the last breake forth in his owne proper kynd.

That plainely may in this wyld man be red,

Who, though he were still in this desert wood,

Mongst salvage beasts, both rudely borne and bred,

Ne ever saw faire guize, ne learned good,

Yet shewd some token of his gentle blood

By gentle usage of that wretched dame.

For certes he was borne of noble blood,

How ever by hard hap he hether came;

As ye may know, when time shall be to tell the same.

Who, when as now long time he lacked had

The good Sir Calepine, that farre was strayd,

Did wexe exceeding sorrowfull and sad,

As he of some misfortune were afrayd:

And leaving there this ladie all dismayd,

Went forth streightway into the forrest wyde,

To seeke if he perchance a sleepe were layd,

Or what so else were unto him betyde:

He sought him farre and neare, yet him no where he spyde.

Tho, backe returning to that sorie dame,

He shewed semblant of exceeding mone,

By speaking signes, as he them best could frame;

Now wringing both his wretched hands in one,

Now beating his hard head upon a stone,

That ruth it was to see him so lament.

By which she well perceiving what was done,

Gan teare her hayre, and all her garments rent,

And beat her breast, and piteously her selfe torment.

Upon the ground her selfe she fiercely threw,

Regardlesse of her wounds, yet bleeding rife,

That with their bloud did all the flore imbrew,

As if her breast new launcht with murdrous knife

Would streight dislodge the wretched wearie life.

There she long groveling and deepe groning lay,

As if her vitall powers were at strife

With stronger death, and feared their decay:

Such were this ladies pangs and dolorous assay.

Whom when the salvage saw so sore distrest,

He reared her up from the bloudie ground,

And sought, by all the meanes that he could best,

Her to recure out of that stony swound,

And staunch the bleeding of her dreary wound.

Yet nould she be recomforted for nought,

Ne cease her sorrow and impatient stound,

But day and night did vexe her carefull thought,

And ever more and more her owne affliction wrought.

At length, when as no hope of his retourne

She saw now left, she cast to leave the place,

And wend abrode, though feeble and forlorne,

To seeke some comfort in that sorie case.

His steede, now strong through rest so long a space,

Well as she could, she got, and did bedight,

And being thereon mounted, forth did pace,

Withouten guide, her to conduct aright,

Or gard, her to defend from bold oppressors might.

Whom when her host saw readie to depart,

He would not suffer her alone to fare,

But gan himselfe addresse to take her part.

Those warlike armes, which Calepine whyleare

Had left behind, he gan eftsoones prepare,

And put them all about himselfe unfit,

His shield, his helmet, and his curats bare;

But without sword upon his thigh to sit:

Sir Calepine himselfe away had hidden it.

So forth they traveld, an uneven payre,

That mote to all men seeme an uncouth sight;

A salvage man matcht with a ladie fayre,

That rather seem’d the conquest of his might,

Gotten by spoyle, then purchaced aright.

But he did her attend most carefully,

And faithfully did serve both day and night,

Withouten thought of shame or villeny,

Ne ever shewed signe of foule disloyalty.

Upon a day, as on their way they went,

It chaunst some furniture about her steed

To be disordred by some accident:

Which to redresse, she did th’ assistance need

Of this her groome, which he by signes did reede,

And streight his combrous armes aside did lay

Upon the ground, withouten doubt or dreed,

And in his homely wize began to assay

T’amend what was amisse, and put in right aray.

Bout which whilest he was busied thus hard,

Lo where a knight together with his squire,

All arm’d to point, came ryding thetherward,

Which seemed by their portance and attire,

To be two errant knights, that did inquire

After adventures, where they mote them get.

Those were to weet (if that ye it require)

Prince Arthur and young Timias, which met

By straunge occasion, that here needs forth be set.

After that Timias had againe recured

The favour of Belphebe, (as ye heard)

And of her grace did stand againe assured,

To happie blisse he was full high uprear’d,

Nether of envy nor of chaunge afeard,

Though many foes did him maligne therefore,

And with unjust detraction him did beard;

Yet he himselfe so well and wisely bore,

That in her soveraine lyking he dwelt evermore.

But of them all which did his ruine seeke,

Three mightie enemies did him most despight,

Three mightie ones, and cruell minded eeke,

That him not onely sought by open might

To overthrow, but to supplant by slight.

The first of them by name was cald Despetto,

Exceeding all the rest in powre and hight;

The second, not so strong, but wise, Decetto;

The third, nor strong nor wise, but spightfullest, Defetto.

Oftimes their sundry powres they did employ,

And severall deceipts, but all in vaine:

For neither they by force could him destroy,

Ne yet entrap in treasons subtill traine.

Therefore conspiring all together plaine,

They did their counsels now in one compound;

Where singled forces faile, conjoynd may gaine.

The Blatant Beast the fittest meanes they found,

To worke his utter shame, and throughly him confound.

Upon a day, as they the time did waite,

When he did raunge the wood for salvage game,

They sent that Blatant Beast to be a baite,

To draw him from his deare beloved dame

Unwares into the daunger of defame.

For well they wist that squire to be so bold,

That no one beast in forrest, wylde or tame,

Met him in chase, but he it challenge would,

And plucke the pray oftimes out of their greedy hould.

The hardy boy, as they devised had,

Seeing the ugly monster passing by,

Upon him set, of perill nought adrad,

Ne skilfull of the uncouth jeopardy;

And charged him so fierce and furiously,

That, his great force unable to endure,

He forced was to turne from him and fly:

Yet, ere he fled, he with his tooth impure

Him heedlesse bit, the whiles he was thereof secure.

Securely he did after him pursew,

Thinking by speed to overtake his flight;

Who through thicke woods and brakes and briers him drew,

To weary him the more, and waste his spight,

So that he now has almost spent his spright:

Till that at length unto a woody glade

He came, whose covert stopt his further sight;

There his three foes, shrowded in guilefull shade,

Out of their ambush broke, and gan him to invade.

Sharpely they all attonce did him assaile,

Burning with inward rancour and despight,

And heaped strokes did round about him haile

With so huge force, that seemed nothing might

Beare off their blowes from percing through quite.

Yet he them all so warily did ward,

That none of them in his soft flesh did bite,

And all the while his backe for best safegard

He lent against a tree, that backeward onset bard.

Like a wylde bull, that, being at a bay,

Is bayted of a mastiffe and a hound

And a curre-dog, that doe him sharpe assay

On every side, and beat about him round;

But most that curre, barking with bitter sownd,

And creeping still behinde, doth him incomber,

That in his chauffe he digs the trampled ground,

And threats his horns, and bellowes like the thonder:

So did that squire his foes disperse and drive asonder.

Him well behoved so; for his three foes

Sought to encompasse him on every side,

And dangerously did round about enclose.

But most of all Defetto him annoyde,

Creeping behinde him still to have destroyde;

So did Decetto eke him circumvent;

But stout Despetto, in his greater pryde,

Did front him face to face against him bent:

Yet he them all withstood, and often made relent.

Till that at length, nigh tyrd with former chace,

And weary now with carefull keeping ward,

He gan to shrinke, and somewhat to give place,

Full like ere long to have escaped hard;

When as unwares he in the forrest heard

A trampling steede, that with his neighing fast

Did warne his rider be uppon his gard;

With noise whereof the squire, now nigh aghast,

Revived was, and sad dispaire away did cast.

Eftsoones he spide a knight approching nye,

Who, seeing one in so great daunger set

Mongst many foes, him selfe did faster hye,

To reskue him, and his weake part abet,

For pitty so to see him overset.

Whom soone as his three enemies did vew,

They fled, and fast into the wood did get:

Him booted not to thinke them to pursew,

The covert was so thicke, that did no passage shew.

Then turning to that swaine, him well he knew

To be his Timias, his owne true squire:

Whereof exceeding glad, he to him drew,

And him embracing twixt his armes entire,

Him thus bespake: ‘My liefe, my lifes desire,

Why have ye me alone thus long yleft?

Tell me, what worlds despight, or heavens yre,

Hath you thus long away from me bereft?

Where have ye all this while bin wandring, where bene weft?’

With that he sighed deepe for inward tyne:

To whom the squire nought aunswered againe,

But shedding few soft teares from tender eyne,

His deare affect with silence did restraine,

And shut up all his plaint in privy paine.

There they awhile some gracious speaches spent,

As to them seemed fit time to entertaine.

After all which up to their steedes they went,

And forth together rode, a comely couplement.

So now they be arrived both in sight

Of this wyld man, whom they full busie found

About the sad Serena things to dight,

With those brave armours lying on the ground,

That seem’d the spoile of some right well renownd.

Which when that squire beheld, he to them stept,

Thinking to take them from that hylding hound:

But he it seeing, lightly to him lept,

And sternely with strong hand it from his handling kept.

Gnashing his grinded teeth with griesly looke,

And sparkling fire out of his furious eyne,

Him with his fist unwares on th’ head he strooke,

That made him downe unto the earth encline;

Whence soone upstarting, much he gan repine,

And laying hand upon his wrathfull blade,

Thought therewithall forth with him to have slaine;

Who it perceiving, hand upon him layd,

And greedily him griping, his avengement stayd.

With that aloude the faire Serena cryde

Unto the knight, them to dispart in twaine:

Who to them stepping did them soone divide,

And did from further violence restraine,

Albe the wyld-man hardly would refraine.

Then gan the Prince of her for to demand,

What and from whence she was, and by what traine

She fell into that salvage villaines hand,

And whether free with him she now were, or in band.

To whom she thus: ‘I am, as now ye see,

The wretchedst dame, that live this day on ground,

Who both in minde, the which most grieveth me,

And body have receiv’d a mortall wound,

That hath me driven to this drery stound.

I was erewhile the love of Calepine,

Who whether he alive be to be found,

Or by some deadly chaunce be done to pine,

Since I him lately lost, uneath is to define.

‘In salvage forrest I him lost of late,

Where I had surely long ere this bene dead,

Or else remained in most wretched state,

Had not this wylde man in that wofull stead

Kept and delivered me from deadly dread.

In such a salvage wight, of brutish kynd,

Amongst wilde beastes in desert forrests bred,

It is most straunge and wonderfull to fynd

So milde humanity and perfect gentle mynd.

‘Let me therefore this favour for him finde,

That ye will not your wrath upon him wreake,

Sith he cannot expresse his simple minde,

Ne yours conceive, ne but by tokens speake:

Small praise to prove your powre on wight so weake.’

With such faire words she did their heate asswage,

And the strong course of their displeasure breake,

That they to pitty turnd their former rage,

And each sought to supply the office of her page.

So having all things well about her dight,

She on her way cast forward to proceede,

And they her forth conducted, where they might

Finde harbour fit to comfort her great neede.

For now her wounds corruption gan to breed;

And eke this squire, who like wise wounded was

Of that same monster late, for lacke of heed,

Now gan to faint, and further could not pas

Through feeblenesse, which all his limbes oppressed has.

So forth they rode together all in troupe,

To seeke some place, the which mote yeeld some ease

To these sicke twaine, that now began to droupe:

And all the way the Prince sought to appease

The bitter anguish of their sharpe disease,

By all the courteous meanes he could invent;

Somewhile with merry purpose fit to please,

And otherwhile with good encouragement,

To make them to endure the pains did them torment.

Mongst which, Serena did to him relate

The foule discourt’sies and unknightly parts,

Which Turpine had unto her shewed late,

Without compassion of her cruell smarts,

Although Blandina did with all her arts

Him otherwise perswade, all that she might;

Yet he of malice, without her desarts,

Not onely her excluded late at night,

But also trayterously did wound her weary knight.

Wherewith the Prince sore moved, there avoud

That, soone as he returned backe againe,

He would avenge th’ abuses of that proud

And shamefull knight, of whom she did complaine.

This wize did they each other entertaine,

To passe the tedious travell of the way;

Till towards night they came unto a plaine,

By which a little hermitage there lay,

Far from all neighbourhood, the which annoy it may.

And nigh thereto a little chappell stoode,

Which being all with yvy overspred,

Deckt all the roofe and shadowing the roode,

Seem’d like a grove faire braunched over hed:

Therein the hermite, which his life here led

In streight observaunce of religious vow,

Was wont his howres and holy things to bed;

And therein he likewise was praying now,

Whenas these knights arriv’d, they wist not where nor how.

They stayd not there, but streight way in did pas.

Whom when the hermite present saw in place,

From his devotion streight he troubled was;

Which breaking of, he toward them did pace,

With stayed steps and grave beseeming grace:

For well it seem’d that whilome he had beene

Some goodly person, and of gentle race,

That could his good to all, and well did weene,

How each to entertaine with curt’sie well beseene.

And soothly it was sayd by common fame,

So long as age enabled him thereto,

That he had bene a man of mickle name,

Renowmed much in armes and derring doe:

But being aged now and weary to

Of warres delight and worlds contentious toyle,

The name of knighthood he did disavow,

And hanging up his armes and warlike spoyle,

From all this worlds incombraunce did himselfe assoyle.

He thence them led into his hermitage,

Letting their steedes to graze upon the greene:

Small was his house, and like a little cage,

For his owne turne, yet inly neate and clene,

Deckt with greene boughes and flowers gay beseene.

Therein he them full faire did entertaine,

Not with such forged showes, as fitter beene

For courting fooles, that curtesies would faine,

But with entire affection and appearaunce plaine.

Yet was their fare but homely, such as hee

Did use his feeble body to sustaine;

The which full gladly they did take in gree,

Such as it was, ne did of want complaine,

But being well suffiz’d, them rested faine.

But faire Serene all night could take no rest,

Ne yet that gentle squire, for grievous paine

Of their late woundes, the which the Blatant Beast

Had given them, whose griefe through suffraunce sore increast.

So all that night they past in great disease,

Till that the morning, bringing earely light

To guide mens labours, brought them also ease,

And some asswagement of their painefull plight.

Then up they rose, and gan them selves to dight

Unto their journey; but that squire and dame

So faint and feeble were, that they ne might

Endure to travell, nor one foote to frame:

Their hearts were sicke, their sides were sore, their feete were lame.

Therefore the Prince, whom great affaires in mynd

Would not permit to make there lenger stay,

Was forced there to leave them both behynd,

In that good hermits charge, whom he did pray

To tend them well. So forth he went his way,

And with him eke the salvage, that whyleare,

Seeing his royall usage and array,

Was greatly growne in love of that brave pere,

Would needes depart, as shall declared be elsewhere.