The Faerie Queene

"All she did was but to wear out day. Full oftentimes she leave of him did take; And oft again devised somewhat to say, Which she forgot, whereby excuse to make: So loath she was his company for to forsake."

"Yet was he but a squire of low degree."

"A foul and loathly creature sure in sight, And in conditions to be loathed no less: For she was stuffed with rancour and despite Up to the throat, that oft with bitterness It forth would break and gush in great excess, Pouring out streams of poison and of gall 'Gainst all that truth or virtue do profess; Whom she with leasings lewdly did miscall And wickedly backbite; her name men Slander call."

"For like the stings of Aspes, that kill with smart, Her spightfull words did pricke, & wound the inner part."

"So you great Lord, that with your counsell sway The burdeine of this kingdom mightily, With like delightes sometimes may eke delay, The rugged brow of carefull Policy."

"Fierce warres and faithfull loues shall moralize my song."

"A Gentle Knight was pricking on the plaine."

"And on his brest a bloodie Crosse he bore, The deare remembrance of his dying Lord, For whose sweete sake that glorious badge he wore."

"But of his cheere did seeme too solemne sad; Yet nothing did he dread, but euer was ydrad."

"And all within were pathes and alleies wide, With footing worne, and leading inward farr."

"And foorth they passe, with pleasure forward led, Ioying to heare the birdes sweete harmony, Which therein shrouded from the tempest dred, Seemd in their song to scorne the cruell sky. Much can they praise the trees so straight and hy, The sayling Pine, the Cedar proud and tall, The vine-propp Elme, the Poplar neuer dry, The builder Oake, sole king of forrests all, The Aspine good for staues, the Cypresse funerall.'The Laurell, meed of mightie Conquerours And Poets sage, the Firre that weepeth still, The Willow worne of forlorne Paramours, The Eugh obedient to the benders will, The Birch for shaftes, the Sallow for the mill, The Mirrhe sweete bleeding in the bitter wound, The warlike Beech, the Ash for nothing ill, The fruitfull Oliue, and the Platane round, The caruer Holme, the Maple seeldom inward sound."

"Oft fire is without smoke, And perill without show."

"Vertue giues her selfe light, through darkenesse for to wade."

"His glistring armor made A litle glooming light, much like a shade."

"God helpe the man so wrapt in Errours endlesse traine."

"Add faith vnto your force, and be not faint: Strangle her, els she sure will strangle thee."

"For what so strong, But wanting rest will also want of might? The Sunne that measures heauen all day long, At night doth baite his steedes the Ocean waues emong."

"The noblest mind the best contentment has."

"A bold bad man, that dar'd to call by name Great Gorgon, prince of darknes and dead night."

"The Northerne wagoner had set His seuenfold teme behind the stedfast starre."

"Will was his guide, and griefe led him astray."

"Better new friend then an old foe."

"Her angels face As the great eye of heauen shyned bright, And made a sunshine in the shady place; Did neuer mortall eye behold such heauenly grace."

"O how can beautie maister the most strong, And simple truth subdue auenging wrong?"

"One louing howre For many yeares of sorrow can dispence: A dram of sweete is worth a pound of sowre."

"A stately Pallace built of squared bricke, Which cunningly was without morter laid, Whose wals were high, but nothing strong, nor thick And golden foile all ouer them displaid, That purest skye with brightnesse they dismaid."

"And all the hinder partes, that few could spie, Were ruinous and old, but painted cunningly."

"Idlenesse the nourse of sin."

"From worldly cares himselfe he did esloyne, And greatly shunned manly exercise, From euerie worke he chalenged essoyne, For contemplation sake: yet otherwise, His life he led in lawlesse riotise; By which he grew to grieuous malady; For in his lustlesse limbs through euill guise A shaking feuer raignd continually: Such one was Idlenesse."

"And by his side rode loathsome Gluttony, Deformed creature, on a filthie swyne, His belly was vpblowne with luxury; And eke with fatnesse swollen were his eyne."

"And greedy Auarice by him did ride, Vppon a Camell loaden all with gold; Two iron coffets hong on either side, With precious metall full, as they might hold, And in his lap an heap of coine he told; For of his wicked pelpe his God he made, And vnto hell him selfe for money sold; Accursed vsury was all his trade, And right and wrong ylike in equall ballaunce waide.'His life was nigh vnto deaths dore yplaste, And thred-bare cote, and cobled shoes hee ware, Ne scarse good morsell all his life did taste, But both from backe and belly still did spare, To fill his bags, and richesse to compare; Yet childe ne kinsman liuing had he none To leaue them to; but thorough daily care To get, and nightly feare to lose his owne, He led a wretched life vnto him selfe vnknowne.'Most wretched wight, whom nothing might suffise, Whose greedy lust did lacke in greatest store, Whose need had end, but no end couetise, Whose welth was want, whose plēty made him pore, Who had enough, yett wished euer more."

"He hated all good workes and vertuous deeds, And him no lesse, that any like did vse, And who with gratious bread the hungry feeds, His almes for want of faith he doth accuse; So euery good to bad he doth abuse: And eke the verse of famous Poets witt He does backebite, and spightfull poison spues From leprous mouth on all, that euer writt: Such one vile Enuy was, that first in row did sitt."

"Full many mischiefes follow cruell Wrath; Abhorred bloodshed, and tumultuous strife, Vn manly murder, and vnthrifty scath, Bitter despight, with rancours rusty knife, And fretting griefe the enemy of life; All these, and many euils moe haunt ire, The swelling Splene, and Frenzy raging rife, The shaking Palsey, and Saint Fraunces fire: Such one was Wrath, the last of this vngodly tire."

"The noble hart, that harbours vertuous thought, And is with childe of glorious great intent, Can neuer rest, vntill it forth haue brought Th'eternall brood of glorie excellent."

"At last the golden Orientall gate Of greatest heauen gan to open fayre, And Phoebus fresh, as brydegrome to his mate, Came dauncing forth, shaking his deawie hayre:, And hurls his glistring beams through gloomy ayre."

"A cruell craftie Crocodile, Which in false griefe hyding his harmefull guile, Doth weepe full sore, and sheddeth tender teares."

"Where griesly Night, with visage deadly sad, That Phoebus chearefull face durst neuer vew, And in a foule blacke pitchy mantle clad, She findes forth comming from her darksome mew, Where she all day did hide her hated hew. Before the dore her yron charet stood, Already harnessed for iourney new; And coleblacke steedes yborne of hellish brood, That on their rusty bits did champ, as they were wood."

"But who can turne the streame of destinee, Or breake the chayne of strong necessitee."

"That cruell word her tender hart so thrild, That suddein cold did ronne through euery vaine, And stony horrour all her sences fild With dying fitt, that downe she fell for paine."

"Therewith they gan, both furious and fell, To thunder blowes, and fiersly to assaile Each other, bent his enimy to quell, That with their force they perst both plate & maile, And made wide furrowes in their fleshes fraile, That it would pitty any liuing eie. Large floods of blood adowne their sides did raile; But floods of blood could not them satisfie: Both hongred after death: both chose to win, or die."

"What man so wise, what earthly witt so ware, As to discry the crafty cunning traine, By which deceipt doth maske in visour faire, And cast her coulours died deepe in graine, To seeme like truth, whose shape she well can faine, And fitting gestures to her purpose frame; The guiltlesse man with guile to entertaine?"

"Who hath endur'd the whole, can beare ech part."

"What worlds delight, or ioy of liuing speach Can hart, so plungd in sea of sorrowes deep, And heaped with so huge misfortunes, reach? The carefull cold beginneth for to creep, And in my heart his yron arrow steep, Soone as I thinke vpon my bitter bale."

"let me you intrete, For to vnfold the anguish of your hart: Mishaps are maistred by aduice discrete, And counsell mitigates the greatest smart."

"O but (qd. she) great griefe will not be tould, And can more easily be thought, then said."

"Ay me, how many perils doe enfold The righteous man, to make him daily fall, Were not that heauenly grace doth him vphold, And stedfast truth acquite him out of all."

"As when in Cymbrian plaine An heard of Bulles, whom kindly rage doth sting, Doe for the milky mothers want complaine, And fill the fieldes with troublous bellowing."

"At last with creeping crooked pace forth came An old old man, with beard as white as snow, That on a staffe his feeble steps did frame, And guyde his wearie gate both too and fro; For his eye sight him fayled long ygo, And on his arme a bounch of keyes he bore, The which vnused rust did ouergrow: Those were the keyes of euery inner dore, But he could not them vse, but kept them still in store.'But very vncouth sight was to behold, How he did fashion his vntoward pace, For as he forward mooud his footing old, So backward still was turnd his wrincled face, Vnlike to men, who euer as they trace, Both feet and face one way are wont to lead. This was the auncient keeper of that place, And foster father of the Gyaunt dead; His name Ignaro did his nature right aread."

"Entire affection hateth nicer hands."

"When I awoke, and found her place deuoyd, And nought but pressed gras where she had lyen, I sorrowed all so much, as earst I ioyd, And washed all her place with watry eyen."