The Canterbury tales and Faerie queene &c., &c., &c., ed. for popular perusal with current illustrations and explanatory notes, by D. Laing Purves.

CANTO Vuil.] THE FAERIE QUEEN. 345
Could make a stony heart his hap to rue;1 A loathly, wrinkled hag, ill-favour'd, old,
His raw-bone arms, whose mighty brawned Whose secret filth good manners biddeth not be
bow'rs a told.
Were wont to rive steel plates, and helmets hew, Her crafty head was altogether bald,
Were clean consum'd; and all his vital pow'rs And, as in hate of honourable eld,10
Decay'd; and all his flesh shrunk up like Was overgrown with scurf and filthy scald; "
wither'd flow's. Her teeth out of her rotten gums were fell'd,l
Whom when his lady saw, to him she ran And her sour breath abominably smell'd;
With hasty joy: to see him made her glad, Her dried dugs, like bladders lacking wind,
And sad to view his visage pale and wan; Hung down, and filthy matter from them well'd;
Who erst 3 in flow'rs of freshest youth was clad. Her wrizzled 13 skin, as rough as maple rind,
Then, when her well of tears she wasted4 had, So scabby was, that would have loath'd all
She said; "Ah, dearest Lord! what evil star woman kind
On you hath frown'd, and pour'd his influence Her nether parts, the shame of all her kind,
bad, My chaster Muse for shame doth blush to write:
That of yourself ye thus berobbed 5 are, But at her rump she growing had behind
And this misseeming hue your manly looks doth A fox's tail, with dung all foully dight:
mar? And eke her feet most monstrous were in sight;14.But welcome now, my lord, in weal or woe, For one of them was like an eagle's claw,
" But welcome now, my lord, in weal or woe,.
Whose presence I have lack'd too long a day: lth griing talons arm'd to greedy ght;.And fie-on Fortune, mine a.vowdd foe, The other like a bear's uneven paw:
And fie on Fortune, mine avowid foe,
Whose wrathful wreaks themselves do now More ugly shape yet never living creature saw.
allay, Which when the knights beheld, amaz'd they
And for these wrongs shall treble penance pay were,
Of treble good: good grows of evil's prefe."7 And wonder'd at so foul deformed wight.
The cheerless man, whom sorrow did dismay, " Such, then," said Una, " as she seemeth here,
Had no delight to treaten of his grief; Such is the face of Falsehood; such the sight
His long-endured famine needed more relief. Of foul Duessa, when her borrow'd light........ Is laid away, and counterfeasance 15 known."
Fair Lady," then said that victorious knight, Is laid away, and counterfeasance15 known."
" FaTr eady," then tad that g vetordous rmght, Thus when they had the witch disrobed quite,
",The things that grievous were to do or bear, And all her filthy feature open shown,
And all her filthy feature open shown,
Them to renew, I wot, breeds no delight;
Them to renew, I wot, breeds i no deligh; They let her go at will, and wander ways unBest music breeds dislike in loathing ear: known
But th' only good, that grows of passed fear,
Is to be wise, and ware of like again. She, flying fast from heaven's hated face,
This day's ensample hath this lesson dear And from the world that her discover'd wide,
Deep written in my heart with iron pen, Fled to the wasteful wilderness apace,
That bliss may not abide in state of mortal From living eyes her open shame to hide;
men. And lurk'd in rocks and caves, long unespied.
But that fair crew 16 of knights, and Una fair,
"Henceforth, Sir Knight, take to you wonted Did in that castle afterwards abide,
strength, To rest themselves, and weary powers repair:
And master these mishaps with patient might: Where store they found of all that dainty was
Lo! where your foe lies stretch'd in monstrous and rare.
length;
And lo! that wicked woman in your sight,
The root of all your care and wretched plight,
Now in your pow'r, to let 8 her live, or die." CANTO IX.
"To do 8 her die," quoth Una, " were despite,
And shamet' avenge so weak an enemy; $His loves and lineage Arthur tells:
But spoil her of her scarlet robe, and let her The knights knitfriendly bands:
fly." Sir Treistanfiiesfrom Despair,
Whonm Recross Knight withstands.
So, as she bade, that witch they disarray'd,
And robb'd of royal robes, and purple pall, O! GOODLY golden chain, wherewith y-fere 1
And ornaments that richly were display'd; The virtues linked are in lovely wise;
Nor spared they to strip her naked all. And noble minds of yore allied were
Then, when they had despoil'd her tire and In brave pursuit of chivalrous emprise,
caul,9 That none did other's safety despise,
Such as she was, their eyes might her behold, Nor aid envy 1 to him in need that stands;
That her misshapdd parts did them appal; But friendly each did other's praise devise
1 To pity his fate. used for clothing or covering generally, the phrase has
2 Muscles; so poetically entitled from their rounded here the force of "utterly."
or arched appearance. 3 Before. 10 Old age. 13 Scab.
4 Exhausted, completely shed. 5 Robbed; 1 Fallen. i3 Wrinkled.
6 Revenges. 7 Proof. 8 Make. 14 To see. 15 Counterfeiting. 16 Company.
9 Tiara and head-dress; perhaps, as both words are 17 Together. 18 Begrudge.