Tyll that we came unto a manour place,

Moted about under a woode syde.

Alyght, she sayde, for by ryght long space.

I payne and wo you did ever abyde.

After an ebbe there commeth a flowyng tyde.

So downe I lyght from my goodly stede,

After my payne to have rest for my mede.

Then dame Perceverance on the way me ledde

Into the place, where did us gentilly mete

The Lady Comfort without any dredde,

With countenaunce that was demure and swete;

In goodly maner she dyd us then grete,

Leadyng us to a chamber precious,

Dulcet of odoure and most solacious.

And pryvely she asked a question,

Of Perceverance, what I called was?

La Graunde Amoure, without abusion,

Cosen, quod she: he doth all lovers passe;

Like as dothe Phebus in the pure glasse,

So doth his dedes extolle the soverayntie

Of the darke gyauntes by highe aucthoritie.

When she it knewe, she was of me ryght fayne;

Nothyng I lacked that was to my plesaunce,

After my travayle and my wofull payne:

Good meate and drynke I had to sustenaunce;

We sate together by long continaunce,

But evermore Comfort gave exhortation

To me of pacience in tribulacion.

Thinke well, quod she, that in the worlde is none

Whiche can have pleasure without wo and care;

Joye cometh after, when the payne is gone:

Was never man that was devoyde or bare

Alway of joye after his wofull snare;

Who knoweth payne and hath bene in trouble,

After his wo his joye is to him double.

It may so fortune that La Bell Pucell

Hath divers frendes, that be not content

That her favoure ye should attayne so well;

For you of them she may often be shent,

But what for that? she shall not her repent,

And if her frendes be with you angry,

Suffer their wordes and take it paciently.

Agaynst their yll do unto them good,

Them for to please be alwaye diligent;

So shall you swage the tempesteous floode

Of their stormy myndes so impacient,

And inwardly they shall them selves repent

That they to you have bene contrarious,

In suche fyry anger hote and furious.

Thus by your wisdome ye shall them so wynne

Unto your frendes that dyd you so hate;

For it is reason you should obeye your kynne,

As by obedience both early and late

Make them your frendes without the debate;

For evermore the spirite of pacience

Doth overcome the angry violence.

Be hardy, bolde, and couragious;

For after that ye be gone from hence,

You shall mete with a gyaunt rigorious,

Havyng seven heades of yll experience.

You shall subdue him with your prudence;

And other adventures shall unto you fall,

Whiche Fame shall cause to be memoriall.

When it was tyme, I was brought to bedde,

So all the long nyght I endured in rest;

With suche a slouth i-taken was my heade,

That my soft pyllowe founde a good gest.

For long before I was so opprest

With inwarde trouble that I myght not slepe,

But oft wake and syghe with teares depe.

CAP. XXXV.

HOWE HE VAINQUYSHED A GYAUNT WITH SEVEN HEADES, AND WAS RECEIVED OF

VI. LADYES.

When mornyng came, up anone I rose,

And armed me as fast as I myght,

Forth for to travaile unto my purpose.

I toke my leave and on my stede I lyght;

Thankyng dame Comforte of her chere that nyght;

So, with Perceveraunce, in my company,

Forth on the way we rode full merely

Over the hethe, tyll we sawe from farre

A royall castell ryght strongly fortified,

Bulwarkes about accustomed for warre;

On a craggy roche it was so edified,

Walled with gate so clerely purified,

To whiche we rode, and drewe nere and nere,

Till in our syght did openly appeare

A myghty gyaunt, xv. fote of length,

With heades seven, and armed full sure;

He semed well to be a man of strength.

Then quod Perceveraunce: Ye must put in ure

This daye your power, in honour to endure,

Against this gyaunt your mortall enemy.

Be of good cheare, you shall have victory.

Besydes this gyaunt, upon every tree

I did se hang many a goodly shelde

Of noble knyghtes, that were of hye degre,

Whiche he had slayne and murdred in the fielde.

From farre this gyaunt I ryght well behelde;

And towarde hym as I rode my waye,

On his first head I sawe a banner gay,

Wherin was written Dissimulation,

Whose nature false is full of flatery,

That, onder a fayned commendacion,

Can cloke a mocke and fraude full subtilly;

So doth he love deceyve oft pryvely,

For the blinde love doth perceyve ryght nought

That under hony the poyson is wrought.

And on the seconde heade was a banner blewe,

In whiche was written, in letters ryght white,

Delay my name is, that can long eschue

As true lover with my fatall respite,

That love for love shall not him acquite;

For evermore I lye oft in a wayte,

Love to delay and cast hym from consayte.

On the thirde head, in a banner square,

All of reade was wrytten Discomfort,

Causyng a lover for to drowne in care,

That he of love shall have no report,

But loke hye his hart to transport,

And I my selfe shall him so assayle

That he in love shall nothyng prevayle.

On the fourth head, on the helmet crest

There was a stremer ryght white, large and long,

Wheron was written with vyse of the best,

My name is Variaunce, that ever among

The mynde of love doth chaunge with great wrong,

That a true lover can not be certayne

Love for his mede right stedfast to retayne.

And yet aloft on the fift helmet

In a blacke banner was written Envy,

Whose hart ever inwardly is fret

When Graund Amour should attayne his lady.

He museth oft in hym selfe inwardly,

To let the lady for to set her harte

On Graund Amour for to release his smarte.

In a russet banner on the sixt heade

There was wrytten this worde, Detraction,

That can open in a covert stede

His subtile male replete with treason,

To cause a lady to have suspection

Unto her true lover wyth his bytter tale,

That she her love from him than dyd hale.

On the vii. hede, in a baner of ryches,

Was wrytten, with letters all of Grewe,

My name truly is called Doublenes,

Whyche I do owe unto all ladyes true,

At a tyme unware my dette shal be dewe,

To Graunde Amoure for to make him repente,

That he his love on La Bell Pucell spente.

Whan in my minde I had well agregate

Every thinge that I in hym had sene,

Bothe of his head and of his hye estate,

I called for helpe unto the heaven quene.

The day was fayre, the sunne was bright and shene;

Besyde a ryver and a craggy roche

This gyaunt was whyche spyed me approche.

He hurtled aboute, and kest his shelde afore,

And toke his axe of myghty fortytude,

That was of length xx. fote and more,

Whiche he had used by longe consuetude

To daunte true lovers and theyr power exclude.

I toke my spere and did it well charge,

And with hardines I made my force enlarge.

I toke my course and to the gyaunt ranne,

On his seconde head brekyng than asunder

My mighty spere, that he to rore began

Wyth so base a crye that I had great wonder;

His seven heades so rored lyke the thunder.

Ryght frome my stede I light to the grounde,

And drewe Clara Prudence, that was hole and sounde.

The mighty gyaunte his axe did up lyfte,

Upon my head that the stroke should fall.

But I of him was ful ware, and swyfte;

I lept asyde, so that the stroke wythall

In the grounde lyghted besyde a stone wall,

Thre fote and more, and anone than I

Dyd lepe unto hym, strykinge full quyckly.

But above me he had suche altytude

That I at him coulde have no ful stroke.

He stroke at me with many strokes rude,

And called me boye, and gave me many a mocke.

At the last he sayd: I shall geve the a knocke

That wyth thy braynes I shall the trees depaynte.

Abyde, quod I, thou shalt be fyrst ful faynte.

And right anone I bye me spyed

On the rockes syde xii. steppes ful sure,

And than right fast I uppon theim hyed

That we were bothe about one stature:

My strength I doubled, and put so in ure

The great strokes, that I cut of anone

Syxe of his heades, levynge him but one.

Whan he felt him selfe hurt so grevously,

He stretched hym up and lyft his axe a lofte,

Strikinge at me with strokes wondersly;

But I ful swyftly dyd geve backe ful oft.

For to devoyde his great strokes unsoft.

When he sawe thys, he thought him forlore;

Wyth a hedious voyce he began to rore.

The battayle dured betwene us right long,

Tyll I sawe Phebus declinyng full lowe.

I avaunced my swerde that was sure and strong,

And with my myght I gave hym suche a blowe

On his seventh heade, that he dyd overthrowe.

When he was downe he gan to crye and yell,

Ful lyke a serpent or a fende of hell.

When I sawe this, as fast as myght be

Adowne I came, and did then unlace

His seventh helmet, ryght ryche for to see,

And hym beheaded in a ryght shorte space.

And then full soone there came to the place

Perceveraunce and my verlet also;

Alas! they sayde, we were for you ryght wo.

But we were glad when ye had forsaken

The lowe vale, and up the craggy fayre

For your advauntage the hye waye had taken.

Thus as we talked we did se ladies fayre,

Seven in number, that were debonayre,

Upon white palfreys eche of them dyd ryde,

For us ryght gentylly from the castell syde.

The first of them was named Stedfastnes;

And the seconde Amerous Purveyaunce;

The thirde was Joye after great heavines;

The fourth of them was dame Continuaunce;

And the fift of them called dame Plesaunce;

The syxte was called Report Famous;

The seventh, Amitie to lovers dolorous.

And ryght anone, with all humilitie,

They lyght adowne, and then incontinent

Eche after other they came unto me;

I kyssed them with all my whole entente.

Hayle, knyght! they sayde, so clere and excellent,

Whiche of this gyaunt, our hydeous enemy,

So worthely hath wonne the victory.

Ladies, he sayde, I am muche unworthy

So to accept your great prayse and fame.

They prayed me to kepe them company:

I will, quod I, or elles I were to blame.

They prayed me to shewe them my name.

La Graunde Amoure it is, I sayde, in dede;

And then sayde they, No wonder though ye spede.

No doubte it is but ye shall obtayne

La Bell Pucell so ryght fayre and clere;

We were with her exiled by Disdayne,

And then besyeged in this castell here,

With this great gyaunt, more then a whole yeare;

And you this nyght, if it do you please,

In this pore castell shall take your ease.

I thanked them, and so I rode anone

Into the castell of olde foundacion,

Walled about with the blacke touche stone.

I toke there then my recreacion,

Among these ladies with commendacion;

And when tyme came that they thought best,

To a royall bedde I was brought to rest.

After my wery and troublous travayle

I toke my ease tyll that it was day;

Then up arose without any fayle,

And made me ready for to ride my waye.

But then anone into the chamber gaye

The seven ladies came with Perceveraunce,

Saiyng they would geve me attendaunce,

And bryng me to La Bell Pucell,

Where that she is in her court royall;

And lykewyse as Phebus doth hye excell

In bryghtnes truely the fayre starres all,

So in beauty and vertue speciall

She doth excede any earthly creature,

That is nowe made by fayre dame Nature.

We brake our fast, and we made us ready

To La Bell Pucell on our way to ryde;

My stede was brought, I lept up shortly,

So did the ladies, they would nothyng abyde.

Thus forth we rode at the morowe tyde

Out of the castell with all joye and pleasure,

Forth on our way at all adventure.

CAP. XXXVI.

HOW HE MADE OBLACYON TO THE GODES PALLAS, AND SAYLED OVER THE

TEMPESTUOUS FLODE.

So long we rode over hill and valey,

Tyll that we came into a wyldernes,

On every syde there wylde beastes laye,

Ryght straunge and fierce in sundry likenes;

It was a place of dissolute darkenes.

The ladies and I were in feare and doubt,

Tyll at the last that we were gotten out

Of the great woode upon a craggy roche,

When cleare Dyana in the Scorpion

Agaynst fayre Phebus began to approche,

For to be at her whole opposition,

We sawe from farre a goodly region,

Where stode a palayce hye and precious,

Beyonde an haven full tempestuous.

Then sayd Perceveraunce; Beholde ye and se,

Yonder is the palays gay and glorious

Of La Bell Pucelles great humilitie;

A place of pleasure most solacious.

But then we spied a fende fallicious,

Beyond the haven at sure entres

Blowyng out fyre by marveilous wydnes.

The fyre was great, it made the ylande lyght,

He rored loude, it semeth lyke the thonder;

But, as me thought, he was of great myght,

To knowe his likenes we were farre asonder;

But of the fyre we did often wonder;

We asked Perceveraunce what that it myght be.

Alas! quod she, with fraude and subtiltie

Of dame Strangenes and of dame Disdayne

When La Bell Pucell did them so abjecte,

Because that they myght not revert agayne,

With mortall Envie they did then conjecte

To make a fende in lykewyse to directe

Syr Graunde Amoure, with the fervent fyre

Of evill treason to let his desyre.

For dame Disdayne, the crafty sorceres,

With arte magyke hath wrought full craftely

Of the vii. metalles a dragon doubtles,

And dame Strangenes, by her nygromancy,

Hath closed therin a fende ryght subtilly,

That the fyre encenseth by great outrage.

But Graunde Amoure shall it well asswage.

Benethe this roche there is well fortified

An olde temple, to the laude and glory

Of wyse dame Pallas it was so edified;

We will ryde unto it full lyghtly,

And do oblacion unto her truely;

She wyll us tell by good experience

Howe we may scape the brennynge vyolence.

So to the temple of dame Pallas

Anone we rode, and did lyght adowne.

Of depured cristall her whole ymage was,

The temple walles were ryght olde and browne;

And then ryght sone before her hyghe renowne

Prostrate we fell mekely to the grounde,

And sodaynly we were cast in a sounde.

Thus as we laye in a deadly chaunce,

We thought to her we made peticion,

And all in Englyshe with long circumstaunce

She shewed us all the whole condicion

Of the marveylous serpentes operacion,

And did shewe us a perfyte remedy

To withstande all the crafte of sorcery.

And in lykewyse as the maner foloweth,

In depured verses of crafty eloquence,

Every thyng unto us she sheweth;

And first of all with all our diligence

These verses we sayed unto her excellence,

But she with crafty verses eloquent

Gave us an aunswere full expedient.

When golden Phebus in the first houre

Of his owne daye began to domine,

The sorceresse, the false roote of doloure,

All of golde that was so pure and fyne,

Of the best made the head serpentyne,

And eke therof she dyd make his face;

Full lyke a mayde it was, a wonders case!

And every houre, as the planettes raygned,

She made the serpent of the metalles seven;

Till she her purpose had fully attayned,

And when fyve bodies above on the heaven

Wente retrogarde, marveylously to neven,

With divers quartils and the more combust,

In the dragons tayle, to let a lovers lust.

These cursed witches, Disdayne and Straungenes,

Made the monster of a subtile kynde,

To let my purpose and all my gladnes,

But that dame Pallas of her gentle mynde

Of marveylous herbes a remedy did fynde;

And anone a boxe of marveylous oyntment

She toke to me to withstande the serpent.

Thus al esmarveyled we dyd then awake,

And in my hande I had the oyntment,

Closed in a boxe, of whiche I should take

To anoynt my harneis for the serpent,

Whiche shall devoyde his fyre so fervent,

And my swerde also to cause to departe

Astrothe the fende, so set with magykes arte.

Then when the sunne with his beames mery

Began to ryse in the fayre morowe gray,

All about lightyng our emispery,

Exiling mistes and darke clowdes away,

And when we sawe that it was bryght daye,

Nere by the ryvage at the last we spied

A goodly shyppe whiche unto us fast hied.

And ryght by anone the rivage syde,

She cast an anker and did us than hayle

With a peale of gunnes, at the morowe tyde

Her bonet she vayled, and gan to stryke sayle.

She was right large, of thre toppes without fayle;

Her boate she made out, and sent to the lande,

What that we were to knowe and understande,

That so did walke by the ryver coast.

And with two ladyes we sodaynly mette;

So when that they were come to us almoste,

From their shyppe boate curiously counterfayte,

Hayle, knyght! they sayde, nowe from a lady great,

Called dame Pacience, we are hether sent,

To knowe your name and all the whole entent

What you make here, and the ladies all?

Truely, quod I, over this stormy flowde

We woulde have passage nowe in speciall.

Tary, she sayde, it were to you not good:

There is a serpent evill, ryght fierce and woode,

On the other syde, whiche will you devoure.

Nay then, quod I, my name is Graunde Amoure:

I have disconfited the giauntes terrible,

For La Bell Pucell the most fayre ladye;

And for her sake shalbe invincible

Of this great monster to have the victory.

You have, quod they, demeaned you nobly,

And we anone to our lady Pacience

Will geve of you perfyte intelligence.

Thus they departed, and to their boate they went,

And the royall shyppe, yclipped Perfitenes,

They dyd aborde and then incontinent

Unto dame Pacience they gan to expresse

Myne name, mine actes, and all my prowes.

Ha, ha! quod she, howe glad may I nowe be,

Whiche in this place may him both heare and se.

And in great haste she made them rowe agayne

Towarde the lande, with all due reverence

For to receyve me and the ladies certayne.

And so we then, with all our diligence,

Entred the boate without resistence,

And did aborde then perfitenes so sure,

Whiche the great waves might ryght well endure.

And Pacience, with great solemnitie,

Did me receyve, and the ladies also.

Welcome! she sayd, by hye aucthoritie,

I am ryght gladde that it hath happened so,

That La Bell Pucell must redresse your wo,

And on your selfe, with your worthy dedes,

Of fame and her hath wonne ryght hie medes.

And then their anker they weyed in haste,

And hoyst their sayle, when many a clarion

Began to blowe; the mornyng was past,

But Afrycus Auster made surreccion,

Blowyng his bellowes by great occasion;

So forthe we sayled right playne southwest,

On the other syde where the serpent did rest.

CAP. XXXVII.

HOWE GRAUNDE AMOURE DISCOMFITED THE WONDERFULL MONSTER OF THE SEVEN

METALLES, MADE BY ENCHAUNTMENT.

And at the lande we aryved than,

With all the ladies in my company,

Whiche for to pray for me sodaynly began

To the God Mars, lodestarre of chyvalrye.

I toke my leave of them full gentylly,

And ryght anone to fynde out my fo,

This mortall dragon, I went to and fro.

Tyll at the last, beside a craggy roche,

I sawe the dragon whiche did me espie,

And nere and nere, as I gan to approche,

I behelde his head with his great body,

Which was mishaped ful right wonderly;

Of gold so shene was both his head and face;

Full lyke a mayden; it was a mervaylous cace!

His necke silver, and thicke as a bull;

His breste stele, and like an olyphant;

His forelegges latyn, and of fethers full;

Ryght lyke a grype was every tallaunt;

And as of strength he nothing did want,

His backe afore, lyke brystles of a swyne,

Of the fine copper did moost clerely shyne.

His hinder legges was like to a catte,

All of tynne, and like a scorpion;

He had a tayle wyth a head therat,

All of leade, of plyaunt facion;

His herte stele, without menission.

Toward me he came, roring like the thonder,

Spyttyng out fyre, for to se greate wonder.

In his forehead, with letters of Grewe,

Was wrytten: My name is Malyce prevy,

That olde debate can full sone renewe

Betwene true lovers wyth colour crafty.

Agaynst Graund Amoure I shall so fortefy

My evell subtell power, and cursed courage,

To let hym trulye of his hye passage.

I toke my boxe, as Pallas commaunded,

And my sworde and sheld, with al my armure,

In every place I right well anoynted,

To hardines she toke my herte in cure;

Makinge me redy, and whan I thought me sure,

I toke my swerde, and with an hardy herte

Towarde the dragon I began to sterte.

And as I gan my grete stroke to charge,

He blew out so much fyre innumerable,

That on the ground I did my might discharge;

The smoke was derke, full gretely domageable,

And the hote fyre was so intollerable,

Above me fleying, that unneth I might

Through my visure cast abrode my sight.

But the swete oyntmente had suche a vertue,

That the wilde fyre might nothing endomage

Me through hete, for it did extue

The magikkes arte with greate advantage,

Causing the fyre right wel to asswage;

And wyth my swerde, as nothing agast,

Upon the serpente I did stryke full fast.

His body was great as any tunne,

The devyll about did his body beare;

He was as egre as grype or lyon,

So was his tallantes he did my herneys tere,

That ofte he put me in a mortall fere.

Tyll at the last I did his body perce

With my good swerde, he might it not reverce.

Ryght ther wythall the dragon to-brast,

And out there flew, ryght blacke and tedyous,

A foule Ethyope, which such smoke did cast,

That all the ylond was full tenebrous;

It thondred loude wyth clappes tempestious.

Then all the ladyes were full sore adred,

They thought none other but that I was ded.

The spiryte vanished, the ayre wexed clere;

Then did I loke and beholde aboute

Wher was the toure of my lady so dere;

Tyll at the last I had espyed it oute,

Set on a rocke right hie, without doubte,

And all the ladies, wyth Perseveraunce,

To me did come with joye and pleausaunce.

Forsoth, quod they, you are muche fortunate,

So to subdue the serpent venimous,

Which by sorcery was surely ordinate

You for to sle with fyre so vicious.

Blessed be Pallas, the goddes glorious,

Which that thou taught a perfyte remedy,

For to devoyde the crafte of sorcery.

It was no wonder though that I was glad,

After the payne and tribulacion

That in many places I right often had,

For to attayne the hye promocion

Of La Bell Pucelles dominacion;

Considering in my passage daungerous

All I subdued to me contrarious.

And than right sone, with great solempnite,

So forth we rode to the solempne mancion

Of La Belle Pucelles worthy dignite;

Whiche was a toure of mervaylous facion,

Replete with joy without suggestion,

Walled with sylver, and many a story

Upon the wall enameled ryally.

So at the last we came unto the gate,

Whiche all of sylver was knotted proprely;

Where was a lady of ryght hye estate,

Whiche us receyved well and nobly.

And than Perceveraunce went full shortly

To La Belle Pucell, shewynge every thynge

Of myne adventure and sodayne comynge.

CAP. XXXVIII.

HOW GRAUNDE AMOURE WAS RECEYVED OF LA BELLE PUCELL.

Whan she it knewe, than right incontynente

She called to her Peace and dame Mercy,

With Justice, and Reason the lady excellent,

Pleasaunce, Grace, wyth good dame Memory,

To wayte upon her full ententyfely;

Me to receyve wyth all solempne joye,

Adowne her chamber she went on her waye.

And in the meane while the gentle porteres,

Called Countenaunce, on my way then me lede,

Into the basse courte of greate wydenes,

Where all of golde there was a conduyte hede,

With many dragons enameled with reed,

Whiche dyde spoute oute the dulcet lycoure,

Lyke cristall clere, with aromatyke odoure.

Alofte the basse toure foure ymages stode,

Whiche blewe the clarions well and wonderly.

Alofte the toures the golden fanes goode

Dyde with the wynde make full swete armony,

Them for to here it was great melody.

The golden toures with cristall clarefied

About were glased moost clerely purefyed.

And the gravell whereupon we wente,

Ful lyke the gold that is moost pure and fyne,

Withouten spotte of blacke encombremente

Aboute oure fete it dyde ryghte clerely shyne;

It semed more lyke a place celestyne,

Than an erthly mansion, whiche shall away

By longe tyme and proces an other day.

And towarde me I dyde se than comynge

La Belle Pucell, the moost fayre creature

Of ony fayre erthely person lyvyng,

Whiche with me mette with chere so demure.

Of the shynynge golde was all her vesture;

I dyd my duty, and ones or twyse ywys

Her lyppes soft I did full swetely kys.

Aha! quod she, that I am very fayne

That you are come, for I have thought long

Sithen the time that we parted in twayne,

And for my sake you have had often wronge;

But your courage so hardy and strong,

Hath caused you for to be victorious

Of your enmyes so much contrarious.

Wyth her fayre hand, white as ony lilly,

She dyd me lede into a ryall hall,

With knottes kerved full right craftely,

The windowes fayre glased with crystall,

And all about, upon the golden wall,

There was enameled, with figures curious,

The syege of Troye so hard and dolorous.

The flore was paved with precious stones,

And the rofe of mervaylous geometry,

Of the swete sypres wrought for the nones,

Encencing out the yll odours mysty;

Amyddes the rofe there shone full wonderly

A poynted dyamonde of mervaylous bygnes,

With many other greate stones of ryches.