Great shame and sorrow of that fall he tooke; vii For neuer yet, sith[862] warlike armes he bore, And shiuering speare in bloudie field first shooke, He found himselfe dishonored so sore. Ah gentlest knight, that euer armour bore, Let not thee grieue dismounted to haue beene, And brought to ground, that neuer wast before; For not thy fault, but secret powre vnseene, That speare enchaunted was, which layd thee on the greene. But weenedst thou what wight thee ouerthrew, viii Much greater griefe and shamefuller regret For thy hard fortune then thou wouldst renew, That of a single damzell thou wert met On equall plaine, and there so hard beset; Euen the famous _Britomart_ it was, Whom straunge aduenture did from _Britaine_ fet, To seeke her louer (loue farre sought alas,) Whose image she had seene in _Venus_ looking glas. Full of disdainefull wrath, he fierce vprose, ix For to reuenge that foule reprochfull shame, And snatching his bright sword began to close With her on foot, and stoutly forward came; Die rather would he, then endure that same. Which when his Palmer saw, he gan to feare His toward perill and vntoward blame, Which by that new rencounter he should reare: For death sate on the point of that enchaunted speare. And hasting towards him gan faire perswade, x Not to prouoke misfortune, nor to weene His speares default to mend with cruell blade; For by his mightie Science he had seene The secret vertue of that weapon keene, That mortall puissance mote not withstond: Nothing on earth mote alwaies happie beene. Great hazard were it, and aduenture fond, To loose long gotten honour with one euill hond. By such good meanes he him discounselled, xi From prosecuting his reuenging rage; And eke the Prince like treaty handeled, His wrathfull will with reason to asswage, And laid the blame, not to his carriage, But to his starting steed, that swaru’d asyde, And to the ill purueyance of his page, That had his furnitures not firmely tyde: So is his angry courage fairely pacifyde. Thus reconcilement was betweene them knit, xii Through goodly temperance, and affection chaste, And either vowd with all their power and wit, To let not others honour be defaste, Of friend or foe, who euer it embaste, Ne armes to beare against the others syde: In which accord the Prince was also plaste, And with that golden chaine of concord tyde. So goodly all agreed, they forth yfere did ryde.