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

CANTO XII.] THE FAERIE QUEEN. 54r
leave it there-stealing behind the bushes, to tant Beast " by the trace of his outrageous
know the little one's fate. Led by the infant's spoil."
cries, a shepherd drew near, pitied the babe, Through all estates 6 he found that he had past,
and took it home to his honest wife, who nur- In which he many massacres had left,
tured and named it as her own. Meantime, t t
Claribell and Bellamour lingered in captivity, -n to t C no wa c a last;
Claribell and Bellamour lingered in captivity, In which such spoil, such havoc, and such theft
till the lady's father died, and left unto them T X
till the lady's father died, and left unto them He wrought, that thence all goodness he bereft,
all; so they dwelt secure from the storms of That endlesswere totell. The Elfin night
Fortune, in perfect confidence and love, till Who now no place besides unsought had left
Calidore brought Pastorella thither. Struck At lengh ino a monas'ry did light,
with shame for the negligence with which he A leh io a m r despoiling all with ma
had pursued the enterprise entrusted to him by and mi
the Faery Queen, Calidore now resolved, all
peril being past, to leave his love with Claribell, Into their cloisters now he broken had,
while he sought the monster through the world. Through which the monks he chasid here and
" So, taking leave of his fair Pastorell," he went there,
forth on his quest. The poet lingers, to tell the And them pursued into their dortours 7 sad,8
story of the maiden; on whose snowy breast, And searchid all their cells and secrets near;
one morning while she was dressing, Melissa- In which what filth and ordure did appear,
the handmaid who had exposed her-espied Were irksome to report; yet that foul Beast,
"the rosy mark, which she remember'd well." Naught sparing them, the more did toss and tear,
Straightway she ran to her mistress, to assure And ransack all their dens from most to least,
her that " the heavens had her grac'd, to save Regarding naught religion nor their holy heast.9
her child, which in Misfortune's mouth was From thence into the sacred church he broke,
plac'd." A few words were sufficient to set And robb'd the chancel, and the desks down
Claribella's maternal feelings all in flame: threw,
The matron stay'd no longer to enquire, And altars fouled, and blasphemy spoke,
But forth in haste ran to the stranger maid; And th' images, for all their goodly hue,
Wrhom catching greedily, for great desire Did cast to ground, whilst none was them to
Rent up her breast, and bosom open laid, rue;'
In which that rose she plainly saw display'd: So all confounded and disorder'd there:
Then, her embracing'twixt her armes twain, Bt, seeing Calidore, away he flew,
She long so held, and softly weeping said; Knowing his fatal hand by former fear;
" And livest thou, my daughter, now again? But he him fast pursuing soon approached near.
And art thou yet alive, whom dead I long did Him in a narrow place he overtook,
feign? "1 And, fierce assailing, forc'd him turn again:
Then farther asking her of sundry things, Sternly he turn'd again, when he him. strook n
And times comparing with their accidents, With his sharp steel, and ran at him amain
She found at last, by very certain signs, With open mouth, tha seemd to contain
And speaking narks of passed monuments, A full good peck within the outmost brim,
That this young maid, whom chance to her pre-All set with iron teeth in ranges twain,
sents, That terrified his foes, and armed him,
Is her own daughter, her own infant dear. Appearing like the mouth of Orcus12 grislygrim:
Then, wond'ring long at those so strange events, And therein were a thousand tongues empight,13
A thousand times she her embraced near, Of sundry kinds and sundry quality;
With many a joyful kiss and many a melting Some were of dogs, that barked day and night;
tear. And some of cats, that wrawling 14 still did cry;
WThoever is the mother of one child, And some of bears, that groin'd 15 continually;
Which, having thought long dead, she finds alive, And some of tigers, that did seem to gren 16
Let her, by proof of that which she hath fild 2 And snarl at all that ever passed by:
In her own breast, this mother's joy descrive: 3 But most of them were tongues of mortal men,
For other none such passion can contrive4 Which spake reproachfully, not caring where
In perfect form, as this good lady felt, nor when.
When she so fair a daughter saw survive And them amongst were mingled here and there
As Pastorella was; that nigh she swelt The tongues of serpents, with three-forkdd
For passing joy, which did all into pity melt. stings,
Running to her loved lord, she recounted to That spat out poison, and gore-bloody gear,l7
him all that had happened; and he joyfully At all that came within his ravenings;
acknowledged fair Pastorella for his own. All And spake licentious words and hateful things
this time Calidore had been pursuing the Bla- Of good and bad alike, of low and high;
1 Imagine. 2 Felt. 9 Office, duty (as those who had taken vows).
3 Describe. 4 Conceive. 10 Lament. 11 Struck.
5 Fainted. 6 Ranks, orders of society. 12 Hell; the Lower World.
7 Dormitories; French, " dortoirs." 13 Placed, infixed. 14 Mewing, wauling.
8 Gloomy, sombre. 15 Growled. 16 Grin. 17 Matter.