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

CANTO I.] T - Q483
Who in his hand an' iron flail did hold, "Not so, thou Squire," he said;- "bu thine I
With which he thresh'd out falsehood, and did deem
truth unfold. The living lady, which from thee he reavd 2
Talus attended Artegall on his enterprise; For worthy thou ofher dost rightly seem.
and the twain were on their way, when they And you, irnight, that lovesolight esteem
descried a squire in squalid garb, weeping and As that ye would for little leave the same,
lamenting bitterly. Approaching, they saw a Take here your own, that doth you best beseem,
headless lady lie beside him, wallowing in her Andwithitbeartheburdenofdefa
blood; and Artegall, flaming with zeal of ven-Your own dead lady's head, to tell abroad your
geance, asked who had so cruelly treated the shame.
lady. The sad squire said that the malefactor But Sanglier disdainid much his doom,
was a knight, who, accompanied by the now And sternly gan repine at his behest; 4
headless dame, had come upon him as he sat in Nor would for aught obey, as did become,
solace with a fair love whose loss he deplored. To bear that lady's head before his breast;
The knight insisted on exchanging ladies; and, Until that Talus had his pride represt,
throwing down his own dame from his courser, And forced him, malgre,5 it up to rear.
took up on his steed the squire's love, to bear Who when he saw it bootless to resist,
her away by force. But his own lady followed He took it up, and thence with hii did bear;
him, entreating him not to forsake her, but As rated spaniel takes his burden up for fear.
rather to slay her; and he, wrathfully drawing The squire, much admiring the great justice
his sword, "at one stroke cropp'd off her head of Artegall, offered him perpetual service; but
with scorn," and rode away. He had'"pricked the Knight would have no attendant save Talus;
over yonder plain;" and in his shield he bore with whom he passed on his way-"they two
"a broken sword within a bloody field." Arte- enough t' encounter a whole regiment."
gall instantly sent his iron page after the profligate and cruel knight (supposed to indicate
Shan O'Neal, leader of the Irish rebellion of
1567, who was conspicuous for his profligacy);
and soon Talus, who was " swift as swallow in
her flight, and strong as lion in his lordly CANTO II.
might," overtook and brought back to his master
Artegall hears of FlorimZl;
the knight-who was called Sir Sanglier-and Does wall the Paan fight:
Does eith the Pagaon ig h:ht
the lady whom he had carried off. Artegall lnm slays; drowns Lady Munera;
gently asked the captive what had taken place Does raze her castle quite.
between him and the squire; but Sir Sanglier
sternly and proudly answered, that he was guilt- As he journeyed, Artegall met Dony, the dwarf
less, for he had not shed the lady's blood, nor of Florimell, hasting to the wedding-feast, which
taken away the squire's love, "but his own was to take place in three days at the Castle of
proper good." Knowing himself too weak to the Strand-but fearful lest his progress should
meet the knight's defiance in the field, the squire be arrested " a little there-beyond " by a cursed
rather chose to confess himself guilty; but Arte- cruel Saracen, who kept the passage of a bridge
gall plainly perceived the truth, and contrived by the strong hand, and had there brought to
a'method of getting at the facts. Exacting a ruin many errant knights. He was " a man of
promise that they would abide by his judgment, great defence, expert in battle and in deeds of
he proposed that the living and the dead lady arms;" and all the more emboldened by the
should be divided between the knight and the wicked charms with which his daughter aided
squire in equal shares; and that whosoever dis- him. He had gained great property by his exsented from his judgment should bear for tortions, and daily increased his wrongs, letting
twelve months the lady's head, "to witness to none go by, rich or poor, that did not pay his
the world that she by him is dead." passage-penny. To poll and pill the poor, he
kept "a groom of evil guise, whose scalp is
Well- pleased with that doom was Sanglier,
Well pleasd with that doom was Sanglier, bare, that bondage doth bewray;" but he himAnd offer'd straight the lady to be slain: selftyrannised over the rih. is name was
But that same squire, to whom she Was more Pollent6; and he was accustomed to fight on a
dear, narrow bridge, exceeding long, and full of trapWhen as he saw she should be cut in twain, doors, through which riders often fell. Beneath
Did yield she rather should with him remain
d ield she rather shold iremain the bridge ran a swift and deep river, in which,
-Alive, than to himself be shareid dead; through practice, he could easily manage his
And, rather than his love should suffer pain, hrow the confused enemy; then
steed, and overthrow the confused enemy; then
He chose with shame to bear that lady's head:,
he took the victims' soil at will, and brought
True love despiseth shame when life is call'd in dauhter Munera, who dwelt at hand.
to his daughter Munera, who dwelt at hand.
dread.' Not only was she surprisingly rich with his gifts
Whom when so willing Artegall perceiv'd, won by wrong; but, Dony adds,
1 Placed in doubt. 2 Took by force.; 4 Rebel against his command.
3 Disgrace. 5 Against his will.