Then bad the knight his Lady yede aloofe, And to an hill her selfe withdraw aside: From whence she might behold that battailles proof, And eke be safe from daunger far descryde: 40 She him obayd, and turnd a little wyde. Now O thou sacred muse,° most learned Dame, Faire ympe of Phoebus and his aged bride, The Nourse of time and everlasting fame, That warlike hands ennoblest with immortall name; 45
O gently come into my feeble brest Come gently, but not with that mighty rage, Wherewith the martiall troupes thou doest infest, And harts of great Heroës doest enrage, That nought their kindled courage may aswage, 50 Soone as thy dreadfull trompe begins to sownd, The God of warre with his fiers equipage Thou doest awake, sleepe never he so sownd, All scared nations doest with horrour sterne astownd.
Faire Goddesse, lay that furious fit aside, 55 Till I of warres° and bloody Mars do sing, And Briton fields with Sarazin bloud bedyde, Twixt that great Faery Queene, and Paynim king, That with their horrour heaven and earth did ring; A worke of labour long and endlesse prayse: 60 But now a while let downe that haughtie string° And to my tunes thy second tenor rayse, That I this man of God his godly armes may blaze.
By this the dreadfull Beast drew nigh to hand, Halfe flying, and halfe footing in his haste, 65 That with his largenesse measured much land, And made wide shadow under his huge wast, As mountaine doth the valley overcast. Approching nigh, he reared high afore His body monstrous, horrible, and vaste, 70 Which to increase his wondrous greatnesse more, Was swoln with wrath, and poyson, and with bloudy gore.
And over, all with brasen scales was armd, Like plated coate of steele, so couched neare, That nought mote perce, ne might his corse be harmd 75 With dint of sword, nor push of pointed speare; Which, as an Eagle, seeing pray appeare, His aery plumes doth rouze, full rudely dight; So shaked he, that horrour was to heare, For as the clashing of an Armour bright, 80 Such noyse his rouzed scales did send unto the knight.
His flaggy wings when forth he did display, Were like two sayles, in which the hollow wynd Is gathered full, and worketh speedy way: And eke the pennes, that did his pineons bynd, 85 Were like mayne-yards, with flying canvas lynd; With which whenas him list the ayre to beat, And there by force unwonted passage find, The cloudes before him fled for terrour great, And all the heavens stood still amazed with his threat. 90