Whom when the Briton Prince a farre beheld xxxii With ods of so vnequall match opprest, His mighty heart with indignation sweld, And inward grudge fild his heroicke brest: Eftsoones him selfe he to their aide addrest, And thrusting fierce into the thickest preace, Diuided them, how euer loth to rest, And would them faine from battell to surceasse, With gentle words perswading them to friendly peace. But they so farre from peace or patience were, xxxiii That all at once at him gan fiercely flie, And lay on load, as they him downe would beare; Like to a storme, which houers vnder skie Long here and there, and round about doth stie, At length breakes downe in raine, and haile, and sleet, First from one coast, till nought thereof be drie; And then another, till that likewise fleet; And so from side to side till all the world it weet. But now their forces greatly were decayd, xxxiv The Prince yet being fresh vntoucht afore; Who them with speaches milde gan first disswade From such foule outrage, and them long forbore: Till seeing them through suffrance hartned more, Him selfe he bent their furies to abate, And layd at them so sharpely and so sore, That shortly them compelled to retrate, And being brought in daunger, to relent too late. But now his courage being throughly fired, xxxv He ment to make them know their follies prise, Had not those two him instantly desired T’asswage his wrath, and pardon their mesprise. At whose request he gan him selfe aduise To stay his hand, and of a truce to treat In milder tearmes, as list them to deuise: Mongst which the cause of their so cruell heat He did them aske, who all that passed gan repeat. And told at large how that same errant Knight, xxxvi To weet faire _Britomart_, them late had foyled In open turney, and by wrongfull fight Both of their publicke[165] praise had them despoyled, And also of their priuate loues beguyled, Of two full hard to read the harder theft. But she that wrongfull challenge soone assoyled, And shew’d that she had not that Lady reft, (As they supposd) but her had to her liking left. To whom the Prince thus goodly well replied; xxxvii Certes sir Knight[166], ye seemen much to blame, To rip vp wrong, that battell once hath tried; Wherein the honor both of Armes ye shame, And eke the loue of Ladies foule defame; To whom the world this franchise euer yeelded, That of their loues choise they might freedom clame, And in that right should by all knights be shielded: Gainst which me seemes this war ye wrongfully haue wielded.