That when the knight he spide, he gan advance With huge force and insupportable mayne, And towardes him with dreadfull fury praunce; Who haplesse, and eke hopelesse, all in vaine Did to him pace, sad battaile to darrayne, 90 Disarmd, disgrast, and inwardly dismayde, And eke so faint in every joynt and vaine, Through that fraile fountaine, which him feeble made, That scarsely could he weeld his bootlesse single blade. XII The Geaunt strooke so maynly mercilesse, 95 That could have overthrowne a stony towre, And were not heavenly grace, that did him blesse, He had beene pouldred all, as thin as flowre: But he was wary of that deadly stowre, And lightly lept from underneath the blow: 100 Yet so exceeding was the villeins powre, That with the wind it did him overthrow, And all his sences stound, that still he lay full low. XIII As when that divelish yron Engin[*] wrought In deepest Hell, and framd by Furies skill, 105 With windy Nitre and quick Sulphur fraught, And ramd with bullet round, ordaind to kill, Conceiveth fire, the heavens it doth fill With thundring noyse, and all the ayre doth choke, That none can breath, nor see, nor heare at will, 110 Through smouldry cloud of duskish stincking smoke, That th' onely breath[*] him daunts, who hath escapt the stroke. XIV So daunted when the Geaunt saw the knight, His heavie hand he heaved up on hye, And him to dust thought to have battred quight, 115 Untill Duessa loud to him gan crye; O great Orgoglio, greatest under skye, O hold thy mortall hand for Ladies sake, Hold for my sake, and do him not to dye,[*] But vanquisht thine eternall bondslave make, 120 And me, thy worthy meed, unto thy Leman take. XV He hearkned, and did stay from further harmes, To gayne so goodly guerdon, as she spake: So willingly she came into his armes, Who her as willingly to grace did take, 125 And was possessed of his new found make. Then up he tooke the slombred sencelesse corse, And ere he could out of his swowne awake, Him to his castle brought with hastie forse, And in a Dongeon deepe him threw without remorse. 130 XVI From that day forth Duessa was his deare, And highly honourd in his haughtie eye, He gave her gold and purple pall to weare, And triple crowne set on her head full hye, And her endowd with royall majestye: 135 Then for to make her dreaded more of men, And peoples harts with awfull terrour tye, A monstrous beast[*] ybred in filthy fen He chose, which he had kept long time in darksome den.[*] XVII