mischiefes follow cruell Wrath;
Abhorred bloodshed and tumultuous strife,
Unmanly murder, and unthrifty scath,[*]
Bitter despight, with rancours rusty knife, 310
And fretting griefe the enemy of life;
All these, and many evils moe haunt ire,
The swelling Splene,[*] and Frenzy raging rife,
The shaking Palsey, and Saint Fraunces fire:[*]
Such one was Wrath, the last of this ungodly tire. 315
XXXVI
And after all, upon the wagon beame
Rode Sathan, with a smarting whip in hand,
With which he forward lasht the laesie teme,
So oft as Slowth still in the mire did stand.
Hugh routs of people did about them band, 320
Showting for joy, and still before their way
A foggy mist had covered all the land;
And underneath their feet, all scattered lay
Dead sculs and bones of men, whose life had gone astray.
XXXVII
So forth they marchen in this goodly sort, 325
To take the solace of the open aire,
And in fresh flowring fields themselves to sport;
Emongst the rest rode that false Lady faire,
The foule Duessa, next unto the chaire
Of proud Lucifera, as one of the traine: 330
But that good knight would not so nigh repaire,
Him selfe estraunging from their joyaunce vaine,
Whose fellowship seemd far unfit for warlike swaine.
XXXVIII
So having solaced themselves a space
With pleasaunce[*] of the breathing fields yfed, 335
They backe retourned to the Princely Place;
Whereas an errant knight in armes ycled,
And heathnish shield, wherein with letters red
Was writ _Sans joy_, they new arrived find:
Enflam'd with fury and fiers hardy-hed 340
He seemd in hart to harbour thoughts unkind,
And nourish bloudy vengeaunce in his bitter mind.
XXXIX
Who when the shamed shield of slaine Sansfoy
He spide with that same Faery champions page,
Bewraying him, that did of late destroy 345
His eldest brother, burning all with rage
He to him leapt, and that same envious gage
Of victors glory from him snatcht away:
But th' Elfin knight, which ought that warlike wage
Disdaind to loose the meed he wonne in fray, 350
And him rencountring fierce, reskewd the noble pray.
XL
Therewit
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