To climb aloft, and others to excell;

That was Ambition, rafh defire to ftie, And ev'ry link thereof a step of dignitie.

Some thought to raise themselves to high degree By riches and unrighteous reward;

Some by clofe fhould'ring, fome by flatteree; Others through friends, others for bafe reward; And all, by wrong ways, for themfelves prepar'd. Those that were up themselves, kept others lowe;

Those that were lowe themfelves, held others hard, Ne fuffer'd them to rife, or greater growe; But every one did ftrive his fellow down to throwe.

O facred hunger of ambitious mindes, And impotent defire of men to raigne !

Who nether dread of God, that devils bindes, Nor laws of men, that common weals containe, Nor bands of nature, that wild beasts restraine,

Can keep from outrage, and from doing wrong, Where they may hope a kingdom to obtaine.

No faith fo firm, no truft can be fo ftrong, No love fo lafting then, that may enduren long.

Of griefly hew, and foul ill-favour'd fight; His face with fmoake was tann'd, and eyes were blear'd;

His head and beard with foot were ill bedight;

His coale-blackhands did feem tohavebeenfear'd In fmithe's fire-(peting forge, and nails like clawes appear'd.

His iron coat, all overgrown with ruft, Was underneath enveloped with gold,

Whofe gliftring glofs, darkened with filthy duft, Well it appeared to have been of old A work of rich entaile, and curious mould, Woven with anticks, and wild imagery; And in his lap a mafs of coine he told,

And turned up-fide down, to feed his eye,
And covetous defire, with his huge treafury.

And round about him lay, on every fide,
Great heaps of gold, that never could be fpcnt;
Of which, fome were ore not purifide
Of Mulciber's devouring element;
Some others were new driven, and diftent

Into great ingots, and to wedges fquare;
Some in round plates withouten monument;

But moft were ftampt, and in their metall bare The antick fhapes of kings and Cæfars strange and rare.

§ 27. Bafbfulness. THE whiles, the fairie knight did entertaine Another damfel of that gentle crew,

That was right faire, and modeft of demaine, But that too oft the chang'd her native hue. Strange was her tire, and all her garments blue, Clofe round about her tuckt, with many a plight:

Upon her fift, the bird that fhunneth view,

And keeps in coverts clofe from living wight, Did fit, as if afham'd how rude Dan did her diglit.

So long as Guyon with her communed,
Unto the ground the caft her modeft eye,

And ever and anone, with rofie red,
The bashfull blood her flowy cheekes did die,
And her became as polifh'd ivorie,

Which cunning craftsman's hand hath overlaid With fair vermillion, or pure laftery.

Great wonder had the knight to fec the maid
So ftrangely paffioned, and to her gently faid;
Fair damfell, feemeth by your troubled cheare,
That either me too bold yee weene, this wife
You to moleft, or other ill to feare,
That in the fecret of your heart clofe lyes,
From whence it doth, as cloud from Ica, arife.
If it be I, of pardon I you pray;
But if ought elfe that I mote not devife,
I will (if please you it difcrue) afsay
To eafe you of that ill, fo wifely as I may.
She anfwer'd nought, but more abaht for
fhame,

Held down her head, the whiles her lovely face
The flushing blood with blushing did in flame,
And the ftrong paflion marr'd her modeft grace,
3 A
That

That moves more dear compaffion of mind,

And trample th' earth thewhile they may refpire;

nefs

Her face fo fair, as flesh it feemed not,
But heavenly portrait of bright angels hiew,
Clear as the fky, withouten blame or blot,
Thro' goodly mixture of complexions dew,
And in her cheeks the vermill' red did thew
Like roses in a bed of lillies fhed,

The which ambrofial odours from them threw,

And gazers fenfe with double pleasure fed, Able to hear the fick, and to revive the dead.

In her fair eyes two living lamps did flame, Kindled above, at th' heavenly Maker's light, And darted fiery beams out of the fame, So paffing pearceant, and fo wondrous bright, That quite bereav'd the rath beholders of their

fight:

In them the blinded God his luftful fire To kindle oft affay'd, but had no might;

For, with dread majefty, and awful ire, She broke his wanton darts, and quenched bafe

defire.

Nought under heaven fo ftrongly doth allure The fenfe of man, and all his mind poffefs, ́

As beauty's lovely bait, that doth procure Great warriors of their rigour to reprefs, And mighty hands forget their manlinefs, Drawn with the pow'r of an heart-robbing eye, And wrapt in ferters of a golden trefs,

That can with melting pleafance mollify Their harden'd hearts, enur'd to blood and cruelty.

So whilome learn'd that mighty Jewish fwain, Each of whofe locks did match a man of might, To lay his ipoils before his leman's train:

tire.

30. Bower of Blifs. THENCE paffing forth, they fhortly do arrive

Whereat the Bower of Blifs was fituate;

A place pick'd out by choice of beft alive,
That nature's work by art can imitate;
In which whatever in this worldly state

Is fwect and pleafing unto living fenfe,
Or that may daintieft fantafie aggrate,

Was poured forth with plentiful difpenfe,
And made there to abound with lavifh affluence.
Goodly it was enclofed round about,
As well their enter'd guests to keep within,

As thofe unruly beafts to hold without;
Yet was the fence thereof but weak and thin:
Nought fear'd their force that fortilage to win,
But wifdom's powre and temperance's might,
By which the mightieft things efforced bin:

And eke the gate was wrought of fubftance
light,

Rather for pleafure than for battery or fight.
It framed was or pretious yvory,
That feem'd a work of admirable wit;

And therein all the famous hiftorie

of Jafon and Medea was ywrit;
Her mighty charmes, her furious loving fit,
His goodly conqueft of the golden fleece,
His falled faith, and love to lightly fit,

First thro' the Euxian feas bore all the flow'r of
The wondred Argo, which invent'rous peece

Greece.

Ye might have feen the frothy billowes fry Under the hip, as thorough them the west, That feemed waves were into yvory, Or yvory into the waves were fent : And other where the fnowy fubftance fprent, With vermell-like the boyes bloud therein thed, A pitious fpectacle did reprefent;

And otherwhiles with gold hefprinkeled,

It feem'd th' enchanted flame which did Creüfa wed.

All this and more might in this goodly gate Be read; that ever open food to all

A comely perfonage of ftature tall,
And femblance pleafing more than natural,
That travellers to him feem'd to entice;
His loofer garments to the ground did fall,
And flew about his heels in wanton wife,
Not fit for fpeedy pace or manly exercife.

The foe of life, that good envies to all,
That fecretly doth us procure to fall,
Through guileful femblance which he makes us
He of this gardin had the governall, [lee,

And Pleafure's porter was devis'd to be,
Holding a ftafe in hand for more formalitie.
Thus being entred, they behold around
A large and fpatious plaine on ev'ry side
Strow'd with pleafaunce, whofe faire graffie
ground

Mantled with green, and goodly beatifide
With all the ornaments of Floraes pride,

Wherewith her mother Art, as half in fcorne Of niggard Nature, like a pompous bride,

Did deck her, and too lavifhly adorne, When forth from virgin bowre fhe comes in th early morne.

Thereto the heavens always joviall, Lookt on them lovely, ftill in ftedfast state, Ne fufter'd ftorme nor froft on them to fall, Their tender buds or leaves to violate, Nor fcorching heat, nor cold intemperate, T'afflict the creatures which therein did dwell; But the milde air with feafon moderate

Gently attempred and difpos'd fo well, That fill it breathed forth fweet fpirit and wholefome finell.

More fweet and whole fome than the pleafant hill Of Rhodope, on which the nymph that bore

A giant-babe, her felfe for griefe did kill; Or the Theffalian Tempè, where of yore Faire Daphne Phoebus' heart with love did gore; Or Ida, where the Gods lov'd to repaire, When-ever they their heavenly bowres forlore;

Or fweet Parnaffe, the haunt of mufes faire ; Or Eden, if that aught with Eden mote compare. Till that he came unto another gate, No gate, but like one, bering goodly dight With boughes and branches, which did broad dilate

Their clafping armes, in wanton wreathings in

tricate.

So fashioned a porch with rare divife, Archt over head with an embracing vine,

Whole bunches hanging downe, feem'd to entice All paffers by to taste their lufhious wine, And did themfelves into their hands incline, As freely offering to be gathered: Some deep empurpled as the hyacint,

Some as the rubine, laughing fweetly red, Some like faire emerauldes not yet ripened. And them amongst, some were of burnisht gold, So made by art, to beautifie the reft,

Which did themselves emongst the leaves enfold,

That the weak boughes, with fo rich load oppreft,
Did bow adown as over-burthened.
There the most dainty paradife on ground,
It felf doth offer to his fober eve,

In which all pleafures plentiously abound,
And none does others happiness envie :
The painted flowres, the trees upthooting hie,
The dales for fhade, the hills for breathing place,
The trembling groves, the cryftall running by;
And that which all fair works doth moft aggrace,
The art which wrought it all appeared in no
place.

One would have thought (fo cunningly the rude And fcorned parts were mingled with the fine) 1 hat Nature had for wantonnefs enfude Art, and that Art at Nature did repine; So ftriveing cach the other to undermine, Each did the other's worke more beautify; So differing both in willes, agreed in fine: So all agreed through fweet diverfitie, This garden to adorne with all va ietie.

And in the midft of all, a fountaine food, Of richeft fubftance that on earth might be, So pure and fhiny, that the filver flood Through every channell running, one might fee Moft goodly it with pure imagcree

Was over-wrought, and thapes of naked boyes, Of which fome feem'd with lively jollitee

To fly about, playing their wanton toyes, Whiles others did themfelves embay in liquid joyes.

And over all, of pureft gold, was fpred A trayle of ivie in his native hew:

For the rich metall was fo coloured, That wight that did not well advifed view, Would furely deem it to be ivie true:

Lowe his lafcivious armes adowne did creep, That themfelves dipping in the filver dew,

Their fleecie flowres they tenderly did steepe, Which drops of crystall feem'd for wantonnefs to weepe.

Infinite streames continually did well
Out of this fountaine, fweet and faire to fee,
The which into an ample laver feil,
And thortly grew to to great quantitie,
That like a little lake it fem'd to bee;

Whole depth exceeded not three cubits height, That through the waves one night the bottom see, All pav'd beneath with jafper thining bright That feem'd the fountaine in that fea did fayle upright.

And all the margent round about was fet With fhady lawrell-trees, thence to defend

The funny beames, which on the billows bet, And thofe which therein bathcd, mote offend.

§ 31. Bower of Proteus.

HIS bowre is in the bottom of the maine,

Under a mighty rock, 'gainst which doe rave The roring billoes in their proud difdaine; 3 A 2 That

She then the cities fought from gate to gate, And every one did afk, did he him fee;

And every one her anfwer'd, and too late
He had him feen, and felt the crueltie
Of his fharp darts, and hot artillerie;

And every one threw forth reproaches rife
Of his mischievous deeds, and faid, that hee
Was the diftutber of all civil life,
The enemie of peace, and author of all ftrife.

Then in the country fhe abroad him fought, And in the rural cottages enquired;

Yet his own face was dreadful, ne did need Strange horror, to deform his griefly fhade; A net in th' one hand, and a rusty blade

In th' other was: this mifchiefe, that mishap; With th' one his foes he threatned to invade, With th' other he his friends meant to enwrap;

trap.

Keeping their fleecie flocks, as they were hired: Shee fweetly heard complaine, both how and what

Her fonne had to them doen; yet he did fmile thereat.

And at the upper end of the faire towne, There was an altar built of precious stone, Of paffing value, and of great renowne, On which there ftood an image ali alone, Of maffie gold, which with his own light fhone; And wings it had with fundry colours dight, More fundry colours than the proud pavone

Bears in his boafted fan, or Iris bright, When her difcolour'd bow the fpreads thro' heaven bright.

Blindfold he was, and in his cruel fift A mortal bow and arrowes keen did hold,

With which he fhot at random when he lift: Some headed with fad lead, fome with pure gold (Ah, man! beware how thou those darts behold). A wounded dragon under him did lye, Whoes hideous tayle his left foot did enfold,

And with a fhaft was fhot through eyther eye, That no man forth could draw, ne no man rcmedy,

Next after her, the winged God himself Came riding on a lyon ravenous,

Taught to obey the menage of that clfe, That man and beaft with powre imperious Subdueth to his kingdom tyrannous:

His blindfold eyes he had awhile unbind, That his proud fpoyle of that fame dolorous Faire dame he might behold in perfect kind; Which feen he much rejoyceth in his cruel mind. Of which full proud, himfelf up-rearing hyc, He looked round about with fterne difdaine; And did furvey his goodly company: And marshalling the evil ordered traine, Withthat the darts which his right hand did straine,

Full dreadfully he shook, that all did quake, And clapt on high his coloured wings twaine,

Another.

But in the porch did ever more abide An hideous giant, dredful to behold,

That ftopt the entrance with his patious firide; And with the terror of his countenance bold, Full many did affray, that elfe faine enter would.

His name was Danger, dreaded over all, Who day and night did watch and duly ward,

From fearful cowards entrance to forstall, And faint-heart fooles, whom fhew of perill hard Could terrifie from Fortune's faire award:

For, oftentimes, faint hearts at first efpiall Of his grim face, were from approaching fear'd; Unworthy they of grace, whom one deniall Excludes from faire hope, withouten further triall.

Yet many doughty warriors, often tride In greater perills to be flout and bold,

Durft not the fternnefs of his look abide; But foon as they his countenance behold, Began to faint, and feel their courage cold.

Again, fome other, that in hard affaies Were cowards known, and little count did hold, Either through gifts, or guile, or fuch like waies, Crept in by ftooping lowe, or ftcaling of the kates.