Like as the sacred Oxe, that carelesse stands, xvii With gilden hornes, and flowry girlonds crownd, Proud of his dying honor and deare bands, Whiles th’altars fume with frankincense arownd, All suddenly with mortall stroke astownd, Doth groueling fall, and with his streaming gore Distaines the pillours, and the holy grownd, And the faire flowres, that decked him afore; So fell proud _Marinell_ vpon the pretious shore. The martiall Mayd stayd not him to lament, xviii But forward rode, and kept her readie way Along the strond, which as she ouer-went, She saw bestrowed all with rich aray Of pearles and pretious stones of great assay, And all the grauell mixt with golden owre; Whereat she wondred much, but would not stay For gold, or perles, or pretious stones an howre, But them despised all; for all was in her powre. Whiles thus he lay in deadly stonishment, xix Tydings hereof came to his mothers eare; His mother was the blacke-browd _Cymoent_[943], The daughter of great _Nereus_, which did beare This warlike sonne vnto an earthly peare, The famous _Dumarin_; who on a day Finding the Nymph a sleepe in secret wheare, As he by chaunce did wander that same way, Was taken with her loue, and by her closely lay. There he this knight of her begot, whom borne xx She of his father _Marinell_ did name, And in a rocky caue as wight forlorne, Long time she fostred vp, till he became A mightie man at armes, and mickle fame Did get through great aduentures by him donne: For neuer man he suffred by that same _Rich strond_ to trauell, whereas he did wonne, But that he must do battell with the Sea-nymphes sonne. An hundred knights of honorable name xxi He had subdew’d, and them his vassals made, That through all Farie lond his noble fame Now blazed was, and feare did all inuade, That none durst passen through that perilous glade. And to aduance his name and glorie more, Her Sea-god syre she dearely did perswade, T’endow her sonne with threasure and rich store, Boue all the sonnes, that were of earthly wombes ybore. The God did graunt his daughters deare demaund, xxii To doen his Nephew in all riches flow; Eftsoones his heaped waues he did commaund, Out of their hollow bosome forth to throw All the huge threasure, which the sea below Had in his greedie gulfe deuoured deepe, And him enriched through the ouerthrow And wreckes of many wretches, which did weepe, And often waile their wealth, which he from them did keepe.