What you make here, and the ladies all? Truely, quod I, over this stormy flowde We woulde have passage nowe in speciall. Tary, she sayde, it were to you not good: There is a serpent evill, ryght fierce and woode, On the other syde, whiche will you devoure. Nay then, quod I, my name is Graunde Amoure: I have disconfited the giauntes terrible, For La Bell Pucell the most fayre ladye; And for her sake shalbe invincible Of this great monster to have the victory. You have, quod they, demeaned you nobly, And we anone to our lady Pacience Will geve of you perfyte intelligence. Thus they departed, and to their boate they went, And the royall shyppe, yclipped Perfitenes, They dyd aborde and then incontinent Unto dame Pacience they gan to expresse Myne name, mine actes, and all my prowes. Ha, ha! quod she, howe glad may I nowe be, Whiche in this place may him both heare and se. And in great haste she made them rowe agayne Towarde the lande, with all due reverence For to receyve me and the ladies certayne. And so we then, with all our diligence, Entred the boate without resistence, And did aborde then perfitenes so sure, Whiche the great waves might ryght well endure. And Pacience, with great solemnitie, Did me receyve, and the ladies also. Welcome! she sayd, by hye aucthoritie, I am ryght gladde that it hath happened so, That La Bell Pucell must redresse your wo, And on your selfe, with your worthy dedes, Of fame and her hath wonne ryght hie medes. And then their anker they weyed in haste, And hoyst their sayle, when many a clarion Began to blowe; the mornyng was past, But Afrycus Auster made surreccion, Blowyng his bellowes by great occasion; So forthe we sayled right playne southwest, On the other syde where the serpent did rest. CAP. XXXVII. HOWE GRAUNDE AMOURE DISCOMFITED THE WONDERFULL MONSTER OF THE SEVEN METALLES, MADE BY ENCHAUNTMENT. And at the lande we aryved than, With all the ladies in my company, Whiche for to pray for me sodaynly began To the God Mars, lodestarre of chyvalrye. I toke my leave of them full gentylly, And ryght anone to fynde out my fo, This mortall dragon, I went to and fro. Tyll at the last, beside a craggy roche, I sawe the dragon whiche did me espie, And nere and nere, as I gan to approche, I behelde his head with his great body, Which was mishaped ful right wonderly; Of gold so shene was both his head and face; Full lyke a mayden; it was a mervaylous cace! His necke silver, and thicke as a bull; His breste stele, and like an olyphant; His forelegges latyn, and of fethers full; Ryght lyke a grype was every tallaunt; And as of strength he nothing did want, His backe afore, lyke brystles of a swyne, Of the fine copper did moost clerely shyne.