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Caput. X.

Argument.

Penardo by a visione warn'd
Does pas trough Pluto's Port
He kild a Gyant, when to him
A Virgine does resort
Who leids him throw a dreidfall caue
Wheir fearfull ghosts abyde
He finds a deing Knight that shous
What thair should him betyde.

1

The mightie mynd that harbours hautie deid's
And is conceau'd with, child of glorious gaine
Can rest no wheir but to the birth proceids
Of glorious act's brought furth with endles paine
Such restles thought's Penardo did torment
Still longing whil the night were over spent.

2

At last Aurora shews wheir she was layd
In aiged Tithons arm's and vp did spring
Blushing for shame that she so long had stayde
Her goldin loks for haist did lously hing
Her crimsone chariot made no longer stay
From criestal heaun's to chace dark night away.

3

As Pilot one the seas has stay'd his sight
Vpone the fixed Pole his course to guyde
Whill foggie smook and tempests cloudie night
The burnisht light of that bright lamp doeth hyde
Then to his compas has recourse, wheirby
He guyds his hollow veshell stedfastly.

4

Eu'ne so Penardo that was all alone
Who hade no seruand nor no trustie guyde
One hope he setts his stayd opinione
And with that compas constant does abyde
And furthe vpone his waye he still proceids
Fed with desyre of heighe & glorious deids.

5

Three dayes he traueld finding nought, at last
With wearie bones he layde him doune to sleip
Whill as with sudden fear he was agast
A visione in his restles braine did creip
The Lady whiche he saw before tormented
Was with those pains agane opprest, presented.

6

This was the ghost of the enchaunted fair
Laissa whom Penardo must releeue
Eune that fair Mayde who to him did repair
Before the battells, to preuent mischeive
So much her wrong and her desyre so iust
That pitie bad him ayde, & ayde he must

7

And now for to performe his promeis past
She comes agane for to emploir his ayde.
Requesting him that he wold come at last
To end the ceasles torments of a Mayde
Whom he within the burning caue shall fynd
Eune at the foote of proud Parnassus pynd.

8

The Prince awaking from his sleip arose
From of the grasse wheiron he softly lay
And wheir his horse was feidding their he goes
While as Aurora gane, to light the day
He trauel'd still till that the Caue he seis
Led with reuenge, hope, valour, victories.

9

Whose sulphur flams would fearfull hairts haue stayd
The mounting smook such trembling terrour shows
But he who was not borne to be effrayde
Still in the greattest dangers did reioyse
And since he saw no entrie but by fyre
Valour bred hope, and courage bred desyre.

10

Resolving thus his murdring blade he drawes
And thrusts him self withe furie throgh ye same
His swords sharpe point directing fordwart shawes
His braue assault against the sulphur flamme
Which geueing place diuyds it selfe in tuo
As if it feird his ualour for to know.

11

Now on he goes till he has past the light
Throgh caues wheir glomie darknes still abyds
Which seem'd the pallace of eternall Night
Wheir she her store of sable treasure hyds
And eeke from whence her mantles black she brings.
Whoes dreidfull terrour tams all leiuing things.

12

Yet this our Prince Penardo nothing letts
But on he goes, at last he heirs a noyis
Lyik to the opning vp of brasin gatts
Wheirfro their came this dreidfull sounding voyce
Who past throgh Plotos, port without paynes,
His due in fyrie Phlegiton remains.

13

Then ishew'd from a deip and hollow Caue
Tuo Dwarfs that held in eurie hand a torche
By whoes great light the Prince might weel perceaue
A moustrous Gyant mounting from a porche
Great lyk a tour that braithd furthe smooke and ire
His eyes no eyes but tuo great flamm's of fyre.

14

The Prince was not amaized at the sight
But rather was desyrous of renoune
With sword and sheild him self he brauelie dight
With courage braue to him descending doune
whose mass, lyke to anc irone Bolt on hight
He rair'd, with wraith, powre, furie, strength & might.

15

And beatts with force the Prince his sheild aback.
Vpone his face till with that mightie bloe
He forcd him tumbling doune the steps, to mack
Homage vpone his face vnto his foe
Then with ane other bloe vpon his creist
He made his lyuevish breath forsaik his breist.

16

Thus being sensles layd vpon the ground
His mightie hand his murdring blade forsook
The Gyant (that perceaud him in that stound)
Vp under his left arme him lightlie took,
So go shalks doe who ceasing on their pray
Mounts in the aer and lightlie flies away.

17

He caries him throw many fearfull wayes
Till he arryu'd vnto a pleasant plaine
Wheir stoode a pallace poynting at the skyes
Whoes loftie turretts seem'd for to disdaine
The basest earthe and beautifie'd the acr,
With brightest Alabastre tours so fair.

18

Then drawing neir vnto the castell gett
The Gyant wearie of this burthen strong
Threw him to ground and doun him self he sees
To breathe a whyle who had not rested long
When by the fall the Prince agane reueiu'd
Aer brought him breath, breath lyfe from death releu'd

19

And being weel awaked frome his dreame
He wounde that these wounderfull euents
When memorie returnd he blusht for shame
All his confused thoughts bred discontents
And when he soght vp from the ground to cleir him
The gyant with his masse agane drew neir him.

20

Which lighted one his shoulder with such force
That one his hands agane he stoupt to ground
Who by this rude intreatment raiging worse
Raige brought him strength and strength his courage found
His armed fist aloft he stronglie rears
And beats the Gyants brains about his ears.

21

The gyant fell with such a fearfull noyes
As when a thunderbolt from heaune does fall
Whoes lightning seems to rent the azure skyes
And shaks the powr's of heaune and earth withall
Or lyk a wind whoes furious devastatione
Doune throw the aer does shak the earth fundatione.

22

Eune with such noyes the Gyant fell to ground
While presentlie the earth did him deuour
Receaueing him within her hollow wound
Then clos'd agane lyke as she was before
Wheir at great Iasons Neuoy was amazd
And deim'd he was sum feind by magick rais'd.

23

While he in this amazed moode did stand
Hard at his feitt his sworde he did espy
The which how some he gotte into his hand
He marrched forwart most couragiouslye
But neirer to the pallace when he came
He thought him ay the farther from the same.

24

So thinks the courious man that wold attaine
By trauell to heaune threatning Atlas tope
Mounting as far as first his eyes hade sein
It seems ane other Atlas ryseth upe
Whoes tope did aeirs thrid regione proudlie threat
Compast with clouds & skoartch'd with Phœbus heate

25

Then is his hope accompanied with doubt
Such hope such doubt dwelt in Penardos thought
He staid him self and looking round about
His gaizing eyes vnto his vew sune brought
A Mayd who towards him directs her pase
And first saluts him with a modest grace.

26

Then ax'd him whither he was mynd'tt to goe
He sayd that galant fortres for to sie
Quod she thow finds no entres their but loo
If thow would enter thow must goe with me
Content was he to goe, to know, to proue,
To end the pains of death of lyfe, of loue.

38

At last she came vnto a vault or groat
Whoes greislienes was fearfull to behold
But he who onlie had vnto his lott
A braue vndanted Spreit with courage bold
Straight followed her from light of day to darknes
And lost her in that vnaquanted marknes.

28

Where he does heir a dreidfull sounding voyce
Lyik to the skritching of the nights blak Houle
Hissing of serpents, and the greislie noyes
Of ghostly spreits in Plutoes court so foule
Who if his armours vertue had not saift him
Of lyfe, of fame, of glorie, wold had reft him.

29

Whom they begin to buffet heir and their
Him beat thay oft vnto the ground agane
Yet could he nothing find but filthie aer
Whoes smook might weell consume a world of men
Such filthie smook it was such vglie blasts
As Aetna from his dreidfull mouth forth casts.

30

He drawes his sword and forward still he goes
Vowing to sie the end of these euents
The further in, the thicker grow the bloes
At last a fearfull noyes to him presents
A thundring sound a fearfull trembling shak
Whoes dreidfull voice made all the earth to quak.

31

Yet he procids and thinks them all but toyes
And stumbling doune at last to ground he fell
While as he hard a piteous groneing voice
Lyk to the sore tormented soulls in hell
That in this greislie caue, this darksum shade
A houling and a yowling sound still made.

32

The deing grones of sum tormented wight
He seemd to heir amongs these fearfull sounds
Their Sorow dwelt, and their eternall Night
Of euerlasting horror still resounds
But he no terrour fear's nor daunger dreids
But forward goes and throw the dark proceids.

33

As does the blind in desert forrests wyde
Ow'r hazards roks caues, craiges & montanes wander
While fear of death has chast his faithfull guyde
Eune feir of tempests lightning storme and thunder
When as he heirs a noyes, a sound a cry
Hope throw the danger guyds him hastilye,

34

So wanders he stout hardy fearles bold
Att last vpone a deing Knight he fell
Skarce could he speik bott zett this much he told
Ah tho thou seiks for death Dispair and Hell
Heir duells sad death plagues, torments, heir remains
Hell brings from this her euerlasting Pains.

35

Ah crewell death, ah blak dispair alace
Wo wo and with the word wo chokd his breath
The Prince that pitied such a wofull cace
Heau'd vp his heid and said relent from Death
Perhaps some hope sum hap, sum help remain
He answerd, (nocht but this one word) In vane.

36

Why (quod the Prence) is thy releife in vaine
If God so pleas his grace and mercie lend
But to this house and to this hell of paine
How cams't thow in, or wast thow heir in send
Faine would I know wheir with the deing Knight
Breathd furth these words thoght weakly as he might:

37

Within this caue their is a virgin Mayde
Loue dairteth lightning from her glorious eyes
Her beautie bright does all their hairts invade
(With death, loue, furie, passione) that her seis
Muche is the force, the strength, the vigour much
Who seis her, deis for loue, th' enchantments such,

38

Many attempt's this aduenture to end
But still they end themselfs and it remains
Which I poore I has too too suirlie kend,
And now must pay my lyf for these my pains
My bosume keips her beauties burning fyre
That tears my hairt in peeces with desyre.

39

Ah pitie (said the Prence) is their remeid
To saue thy lyfe and quensh youths loueing flamme
No no (sayd he) theirs naine till I be deid
Heir many mo lies buried for the same
Wheirfore go back, leaue of, returne againe
Heir is no heyre bot death for all thy paine

40

Then sai'd the Prince I surelie wer to blame
Not seing danger, for to leaue it soe
Quod he then since thow cairs so muche for shame
I pray the tak my counsall or thow goe
Aboue this dreidfull Caue their stands a laik
Whoes restles waues this thundring noyes does mak.

41

The Mayde is on ane altar sacrafeizd
With sulpher flamms of fyre to Pluto's Deitie
Tuelf hours within that fyre sho's, martyrizd
And tuelf houres dround in blood with out all pitie
Before her burnes a Taper will not slaik
Bot in the water of that thundring laik,

42

This Taper yow must win with mightie force
Syne drinsh it in the forsaid laik & lo
Her flamm's ar quenshed then with great remorce
But how to quenshe the blood yow their shall kno
Yet if yow be intangled by her beautie
Thy hairt thy eyes thy hands shall leaue their duetie.

43

Now if the burning Tapre thou obtein
To get it back shall many wayes be sought
As soone as it thou wants by any mein
As soone shall she from lyf to death be brought
Bot if thow be intangled with her loue
The Tapre frome his place thow can not moue.

44

Thus fair you weell, and with the word the Knight
Sunck doune with sleip of leaddin death opprest
Greif woe, and pitie, did the Prince affright
His valour, courage, hope, they muche distrest
He goes but confort, whill his guyde was cair
His manlie hairt assayld with cold dispair.

45

Though he was still turmoyld with cair and greif
Though daunger still forbids his interpryse
Tough sad dispair threat's death without releif
And though Dreid, fame and conquest both denyes
Yet fordward still he goes but cair or paine
And hops ane happie succes for to gaine.
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