He cryde, as raging seas are wont to rore, xxi When wintry storme his wrathfull wreck does threat, The rolling billowes beat the ragged shore, As they the earth would shoulder from her seat, And greedie gulfe does gape, as he would eat His neighbour element in his reuenge: Then gin the blustring brethren boldly threat, To moue the world from off his stedfast henge, And boystrous battell make, each other to auenge. The steely head stucke fast still in his flesh, xxii Till with his cruell clawes he snatcht the wood, And quite a sunder broke. Forth flowed fresh A gushing riuer of blacke goarie blood, That drowned all the land, whereon he stood; The streame thereof would driue a water-mill. Trebly augmented was his furious mood With bitter sense of his deepe rooted ill, That flames of fire he threw forth from his large nosethrill. His hideous tayle then hurled he about, xxiii And therewith all enwrapt the nimble thyes Of his froth-fomy steed, whose courage stout Striuing to loose the knot, that fast him tyes, Himselfe in streighter bandes too rash implyes, That to the ground he is perforce constraynd To throw his rider: who can quickly ryse From off[379] the earth, with durty bloud distaynd, For that reprochfull fall right fowly he disdaynd. And fiercely tooke his trenchand blade in hand, xxiv With which he stroke so furious and so fell, That nothing seemd the puissance could withstand: Vpon his crest the hardned yron fell, But his more hardned crest was armd so well, That deeper dint therein it would not make; Yet so extremely did the buffe him quell, That from thenceforth he shund the like to take, But when he saw them come, he did them still forsake. The knight was wrath[380] to see his stroke beguyld, xxv And smote againe with more outrageous might; But backe againe the sparckling steele recoyld, And left not any marke, where it did light; As if in Adamant rocke it had bene pight. The beast impatient of his smarting wound, And of so fierce and forcible despight, Thought with his wings to stye aboue the ground; But his late wounded wing vnseruiceable found. Then full of griefe and anguish vehement, xxvi He lowdly brayd, that like was neuer heard, And from his wide deuouring ouen sent A flake of fire, that flashing in his beard, Him all amazd, and almost made affeard: The scorching flame sore swinged[381] all his face, And through his armour all his bodie seard, That he could not endure so cruell cace, But thought his armes to leaue, and helmet to vnlace.