Cant. II.
the Faery Queene.
211
The noyse thereof cald forth that straunger knight,To weet, what dreadfull thing was there in hand;Where when as two braue knightes in bloody fightWith deadly rancour he enraunged fond,His sunbroad shield about his wrest he bond,And shyning blade vnsheathd, with which he ranVnto that stead, their strife to vnderstond;And at his first arriuall, them beganWith goodly meanes to pacifie, well as he can.
But they him spying, both with greedy forseAttonce vpon him ran, and him besetWith strokes of mortall steele without remorse,And on his shield like yron sledges bet:As when a Beare and Tygre being metIn cruell fight on lybicke Ocean wide,Espye a traueiler with feet surbet,Whom they in equall pray hope to diuide,They stint their strife, and him assayle on euerie side.
But he, not like a weary traueilere,Their sharp assault right boldly did rebut,And suffred not their blowes to byte him nere,But with redoubled buffes them backe did put:Whose grieued mindes, which choler did englut,Against themselues turning their wrathfull spight,Gan with new rage their shieldes to hew and cut;But still when Guyon came to part their fight,With heauie load on him they freshly gan to smight.
As a tall ship tossed in troublous seas,Whom raging windes threatning to make the prayOf the rough rockes, doe diuersly disease,Meetes two contrarie billowes by the way,
That
