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And fram'd of liquid ayre her tender partes, So lively, and so like in all mens sight,

That weaker sence it could have ravisht quight:

The maker selfe, for all his wondrous witt, 465
Was nigh beguiled with so goodly sight.
Her all in white he clad, and over it

Cast a black stole, most like to seeme for Una fit.

XLVI

Now when that ydle Dreame was to him brought,

470

Unto that Elfin Knight he bad him fly,
Where he slept soundly, void of evil thought,
And with false shewes abuse his fantasy,
In sort as he him schooled privily.
And that new creature, borne without her
dew, 27

Full of the makers guyle, with usage sly, 475
He taught to imitate that Lady trew,
Whose semblance she did carrie under feigned
hew.

[This phantom, in the outward semblance of Una, conducts herself with such lightness that the Knight is perplexed with doubts of her goodness and truthfulness. At last, restless and tormented by evil delusions conjured up by Archimago, the Knight mounts his steed and flies with the dwarf. Thus parted from Una, or Truth, by the wiles of the Enchanter, the deluded Knight falls into peril in a meeting with Duessa, or Falsehood.

Meanwhile the heavenly Una, his true bride, missing her Knight, sets out in search of him, alone and sorrowful. The poet then tells how the lion comes to guard her in her need.]

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One pricking towards them with hastie heat,

Full strongly armd, and on a courser free 300 That through his fiersenesse fomed all with sweat,

And the sharpe yron did for anger eat,
When his hot ryder spurd his chauffed side;
His looke was sterne, and seemed still to
threat

304

Cruell revenge, which he in hart did hyde; And on his shield Sans loy in bloody lines was dyde.

[Archimago, in the guise of the Red Cross Knight, thus journeying with Una meets a Paynim, or Saracen, named Sansloy. Sansloy attacks Archimago, who is overthrown. When he is unhelmed, Una sees to her surprise the face of Archimago instead of that of the Red Cross Knight. The Paynim, leaving Archimago dying, rudely approaches Una and drags her from her palfrey. The poet then describes the combat of the Paynim with the lion.]

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Her selfe a yielded pray to save or spill! He now, lord of the field, his pride to fill, With foule reproches and disdaineful spright Her vildly entertaines; and, will or nill Beares her away upon his courser light: Her prayers naught prevaile; his rage is more of might.

XLIV

405

And all the way, with great lamenting paine, And piteous plaintes she filleth his dull eares, That stony hart could riven have in twaine; And all the way she wetts with flowing teares; But he, enrag'd with rancor, nothing heares. Her servile beast yet would not leave her so, But followes her far of, ne ought he feares 412 To be partaker of her wandring woe, More mild in beastly kind, then that her beastly foe.

[After many mishaps and adventures the Book ends with the happy union of the Red Cross Knight and Una;-the marriage of Holiness and Truth.]

BOOK II

CANTO VI

THE STORY OF SIR GUYON, OR THE KNIGHT OF TEMPERANCE

Guyon is of immodest Merth

Led into loose desyre;

Fights with Cymochles, whiles his bro-
ther burnes in furious fyre.

I

A harder lesson to learne Continence In ioyous pleasure then in grievous paine; For sweetnesse doth allure the weaker sence So strongly, that uneathes it can refraine From that which feeble nature covets faine; But griefe and wrath, that be her enemies, And foes of life, she better can abstaine: Yet Vertue vauntes in both her victories; And Guyon in them all shewes goodly mysteries.

7

[Cymochles having met a damsel who represents intemperate pleasure, is tempted by her to neglect duty in inglorious idleness and self-indulgence. He falls under the spell of her blandishments and his coming under her allurements to the Idle Lake, the home of pleasure, is thus described:]

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