CANTO III.

Forsaken Truth long seeks her love,
and makes the Lyon mylde;

Marres blind Devotions mart, and fals
in hand of treachour vylde.

Nought is there under heav'ns wide hollownesse,
That moves more cleare compassion of mind,
Then beautie brought t' unworthie wretchednesse
Through envies snares, or fortunes freakes unkind.
I, whether lately through her brightnes blynd,
Or through alleageance and fast fealty,
Which I do owe unto all woman kynd,
Feele my hart perst with so great agony,
When such I see, that all for pitty I could dy.

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II.

And now it is empassioned so deepe,

For fairest Unaes sake, of whom I sing,

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That my fraile eyes these lines with teares do steepe,
To thinke how she through guileful handeling,
Though true as touch, though daughter of a king,
Though faire as ever living wight was fayre,
Though nor in word nor deede ill meriting,
Is from her Knight devorced in despayre,

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And her dew loves deryv'd to that vile witches shayre.

III.

Yet she, most faithfull ladie, all this while
Forsaken, wofull, solitairie mayd,

Far from all peoples preace, as in exile,

In wildernesse and wastfull deserts strayd,

To seeke her Knight; who subtily betrayd Through that late vision, which th' enchanter wrought, Had her abandoned. She of naught affrayd, 25 Through woods and wastness wide him daily sought; Yet wished tydinges none of him unto her brought.

IV.

One day, nigh wearie of the yeksome way,
From her unhastie beast she did alight;
And on the grasse her dainty limbs did lay
In secrete shadow, far from all mens sight;
From her fayre head her fillet she undight;
And layd her stole aside. Her angels face,
As the great eye of heaven, shyned bright,
And made a sunshine in the shady place;
Did never mortall eye behold such heavenly grace.

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V.

It fortuned, out of the thickest wood
A ramping lyon rushed suddeinly,

Hunting full greedy after salvage blood;
Soone as the royall Virgin he did spy,
With gaping mouth at her ran greedily,
To have attonce devoured her tender corse.
But to the pray when as he drew more ny,
His bloody rage aswaged with remorse,

And, with the sight amazd, forgat his furious forse.

VI.

Instead thereof he kist her wearie feet,

And lickt her lilly hands with fawning tong;
As he her wronged innocence did weet.
O how can beautie maister the most strong,

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And simple truth subdue avenging wrong!
Whose yielded pryde and proud submission,
Still dreading death, when she had marked long,
Her hart gan melt in great compassion;
And drizling teares did shed for pure affection.

VII.

"The lyon, lord of everie beast in field,"
Quoth she, "his princely puissance doth abate,
And mightie proud to humble weake does yield,
Forgetfull of the hungry rage, which late
Him prickt, in pittie of my sad estate:-
But he, my lyon, and my noble lord,
How does he find in cruell hart to hate

Her that him lov'd, and ever most adord,

As the God of my life? why hath he me abhord?"

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VIII.

Redounding teares did choke th' end of her plaint, Which softly ecchoed from the neighbour wood; 65 And, sad to see her sorrowful constraint,

The kingly beast upon her gazing stood;

With pittie calmd, downe fell his angry mood.
At last, in close hart shutting up her payne,
Arose the Virgin borne of heavenly brood,
And to her snowy palfrey got agayne

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To seeke her strayed champion, if she might attayne.

IX.

The lyon would not leave her desolate,
But with her went along, as a strong gard
Of her chast person, and a faythfull mate
Of her sad troubles and misfortunes hard:

Still, when she slept, he kept both watch and ward; And, when she wakt, he wayted diligent, With humble service to her will prepard: From her fayre eyes he took commandement, And ever by her lookes conceived her intent.

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[Archimago, learning of the whereabouts of Una, assumes the arms and appearance of the Red Cross Knight, and,-being too fearful of the lion to join her, -approaches near enough to her to be seen. Una seeing, as she supposes, him whom she has sought through wide deserts, and with great toil and peril, goes up to him in joy and humbleness, while Archimago, feigning to be her Knight, greets her with words of welcome and vows of faithful service.]

XXX.

His lovely words her seemd due recompence
Of all her passed paines; one loving howre
For many yeares of sorrow can dispence;
A dram of sweete is worth a pound of sowre.
Shee has forgott how many woful stowre
For him she late endurd; she speakes no more
Of past: true is, that true love hath no powre
To looken backe; his eies be fixt before.

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Before her stands her Knight, for whom she toyld so

sore.

XXXI.

Much like, as when the beaten marinere,
That long hath wandred in the ocean wide,
Ofte soust in swelling Tethys saltish teare;
And long time having tand his tawney hide

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With blustring breath of heaven, that none can bide,

And scorching flames of fierce Orions hound;
Soone as the port from far he has espide,

His chearfull whistle merily doth sound,

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And Nereus crownes with cups; his mates him pledg around.

XXXII.

Such ioy made Una, when her Knight she found; And eke th' Enchanter ioyous seemde no lesse 290 Then the glad marchant, that does vew from ground His ship far come from watrie wildernesse; He hurles out vowes, and Neptune oft doth blesse. So forth they past; and all the way they spent Discoursing of her dreadful late distresse, In which he askt her, what the lyon ment; Who told her all that fell, in iourney as she went.

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XXXIII.

They had not ridden far, when they might see
One pricking towards them with hastie heat,
Full strongly armd, and on a courser free

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That through his fiersenesse fomed all with sweat, And the sharpe yron did for anger eat,

When his hot ryder spurd his chauffed side;

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His looke was sterne, and seemed still to threat 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