LXIV
Then shall I soone (quoth he) so God me grace,
Abet that virgins cause disconsolate,
And shortly backe returne unto this place,
570
To walke this way in Pilgrims poore estate.
But now aread, old father, why of late
Didst thou behight me borne of English
blood,
Whom all a Faeries sonne doen nominate?
That word shall I (said he) avouchen good,
575
Sith to thee is unknowne the cradle of thy blood.
LXV
For well I wote thou springst from ancient race
Of Saxon kings, that have with mightie
hand
And many bloody battailes[*] fought in
place
High reard their royall throne in Britane
land, 580
And vanquisht them, unable to withstand:
From thence a Faerie thee unweeting reft,
There as thou slepst in tender swadling
band,
And her base Elfin brood there for thee
left.
Such men do Chaungelings[*] call, so chang’d
by Faeries theft. 585
LXVI
Thence she thee brought into this Faerie lond,
And in an heaped furrow did thee hyde,
Where thee a Ploughman all unweeting fond,
As he his toylesome teme that way did
guyde,
And brought thee up in ploughmans state
to byde 590
Whereof Georgos[*] he gave thee to name;
Till prickt with courage, and thy forces
pryde,
To Faerie court thou cam’st to seeke
for fame,
And prove thy puissaunt armes, as seemes thee best
became.
LXVII
O holy Sire (quoth he) how shall I quight
595
The many favours I with thee have found,
That hast my name and nation red aright,
And taught the way that does to heaven
bound?
This said, adowne he looked to the ground,
To have returnd, but dazed were his eyne
600
Through passing brightnesse, which did
quite confound
His feeble sence and too exceeding shyne.
So darke are earthly things compard to things divine.
LXVIII
At last whenas himselfe he gan to find,
To Una back he cast him to retire;
605
Who him awaited still with pensive mind.
Great thankes and goodly meed to that
good syre
He thence departing gave for his paines
hyre.
So came to Una, who him joyd to see,
And after little rest, gan him desire
610
Of her adventure mindfull for to bee.
So leave they take of Coelia, and her daughters three.
* * * *
*
The knight with that old Dragon
fights
two dayes incessantly;
The third him overthrowes, and gayns
most glorious victory.
I
