And forth he comes into the commune[174] hall, iii Where earely waite him many a gazing eye, To weet what end to straunger knights may fall. There many Minstrales maken melody, To driue away the dull melancholy, And many Bardes, that to the trembling chord Can tune their timely voyces cunningly, And many Chroniclers, that can record Old loues, and warres for Ladies doen by many a Lord. Soone after comes the cruell Sarazin, iv In wouen maile all armed warily, And sternly lookes at him, who not a pin Does care for looke of liuing creatures eye. They bring them wines of _Greece_ and _Araby_, And daintie spices fetcht from furthest _Ynd_, To kindle heat of corage priuily: And in the wine a solemne oth they bynd T’obserue the sacred lawes of armes, that are assynd. At last forth comes that far renowmed Queene, v With royall pomp and Princely maiestie; She is ybrought vnto a paled greene, And placed vnder stately canapee, The warlike feates of both those knights to see. On th’other side in all mens open vew _Duessa_ placed is, and on a tree _Sans-foy_ his shield is hangd with bloudy hew: Both those the lawrell girlonds to the victor dew. A shrilling trompet sownded from on hye, vi And vnto battaill bad them selues addresse: Their shining shieldes about their wrestes[175] they tye, And burning blades about their heads do blesse, The instruments of wrath and heauinesse: With greedy force each other doth assayle, And strike so fiercely, that they do impresse Deepe dinted furrowes in the battred mayle; The yron walles to ward their blowes are weake and fraile. The Sarazin was stout, and wondrous strong, vii And heaped blowes like yron hammers great: For after bloud and vengeance he did long. The knight was fiers, and full of youthly heat: And doubled strokes, like dreaded thunders threat: For all for prayse and honour he did fight. Both stricken strike, and beaten both do beat, That from their shields forth flyeth firie light, And helmets hewen[176] deepe, shew marks of eithers might. So th’one for wrong, the other striues for right: viii As when a Gryfon seized of his pray, A Dragon fiers encountreth in his flight, Through widest ayre making his ydle way, That would his rightfull rauine rend away: With hideous horrour both together smight, And souce so sore, that they the heauens affray: The wise Southsayer seeing so sad sight, Th’amazed vulgar tels of warres and mortall fight.