The Faerie Queene, Book VI, Canto X

THE SIXTE BOOKE OF THE FAERIE QUEENE
Contayning
THE LEGEND OF S. CALIDORE
OR OF COURTESIECANTO X
     Calidore sees the Graces daunce,
        To Colins melody:
    The whiles his Pastorell is led,
        Into captivity.

i
    Who now does follow the foule Blatant Beast,
    Whilest Calidore does follow that faire Mayd,
    Unmyndfull of his vow and high beheast,
    Which by the Faery Queene was on him layd,
    That he should never leave, nor be delayd
   From chacing him, till he had it attchieved?
   But now entrapt of love, which him betrayd,
   He mindeth more, how he may be relieved
   With grace from her, whose love his heart hath sore engrieved.

ii

   That from henceforth he meanes no more to sew
   His former quest, so full of toile and paine;
   Another quest, another game in vew
   He hath, the guerdon of his love to gaine:
   With whom he myndes for ever to remaine,
   And set his rest amongst the rusticke sort,
   Rather then hunt still after shadowes vaine
   Of courtly favour, fed with light report
   Of every blaste, and sayling alwaies on the port.

iii

   Ne certes mote he greatly blamed be,
   From so high step to stoupe unto so low.
   For who had tasted once (as oft did he)
   The happy peace, which there doth overthow,
   And prov'd the perfect pleasures, which doe grow
   Amongst poore hyndes, in hils, in woods, in dales,
   Would never more delight in painted show
   Of such false blisse, as there is set for stales,
   T'entrap unwary fooles in their eternall bales.

iv

   For what hath all that goodly glorious gaze
   Like to one sight, which Calidore did vew?
   The glaunce whereof their dimmed eies would daze,
   That never more they should endure the shew
   Of that sunne-shine, that makes them looke askew.
   Ne ought in all that world of beauties rare,
   (Save onely Glorianaes heavenly hew
   To which what can compare?) can it compare;
   The which as commeth now, by course I will declare.

v

   One day as he did raunge the fields abroad,
   Whilest his faire Pastorella was elsewhere,
   He chaunst to come, far from all peoples troad,
   Unto a place, whose pleasaunce did appere
   To passe all others, on the earth which were:
   For all that ever was by natures skill
   Devized to worke delight, was gathered there,
   And there by her were poured forth at fill,
   As if this to adorne, she all the rest did pill.

vi

   It was an hill plaste in an open plaine,
   That round about was bordered with a wood
   Of matchlesse hight, that seem'd th'earth to disdaine,
   In which all trees of honour stately stood,
   And did all winter as in sommer bud,
   Spredding pavilions for the birds to bowre,
   Which in their lower braunches sung aloud;
   And in their tops the soring hauke did towre,
   Sitting like King of fowles in majesty and powre.

vii

   And at the foote thereof, a gentle flud
    His silver waves did softly tumble downe,
   Unmard with ragged mosse or filthy mud,
   Ne mote wylde beastes, ne mote the ruder clowne
   Thereto approch, ne filth mote therein drowne:
   But Nymphes and Faeries bythe bancks did sit,
   In the woods shade, which did the waters crowne,
   Keeping all noysome things away from it,
   And to the waters fall tuning their accents fit.

viii

   And on the top thereof a spacious plaine
   Did spred it selfe, to serve to all delight,
   Either to daunce, when they to daunce would faine,
   Or else to course about their bases light;
   Ne ought there wanted, which for pleasure might
   Desired be, or thence to banish bale:
   So pleasauntly the hill with equall hight,
   Did seeme to overlooke the lowly vale;
   Therefore it rightly cleeped was mount Acidale.

ix

   They say that Venus, when she did dispose
   Her selfe to pleasaunce, used to resort
   Unto this place, and therein to repose
   And rest her selfe, as in a gladsome port,
   Or with the Graces there to play and sport;
   That even her owne Cytheron, though in it
   She used most to keepe her royall court,
   And in her soveraine Majesty to sit,
   She in regard thereof refusde and thought unfit.

x

   Unto this place when as the Elfin Knight
   Approcht, him seemed that the merry sound
   Of a shrill pipe he playing heard on hight,
   And many feete fast thumping th'hollow ground,
   That through the woods their Eccho did rebound.
   He nigher drew, to weete what mo