62
The first Booke of
Cant. V.
The Sarazin was stout, and wondrous strong,And heaped blowes like yron hammers great:For after blood and vengeance he did long.The knight was fiers, and full of youthly heat,And doubled strokes, like dreaded thunders threat:For all for praise and honour he did fight.Both stricken stryke, and beaten both doe beat,That from their shields forth flyeth firie light,And hewen helmets deepe shew marks of eithers might.
So th'one for wrong, the other striues for right:As when a Gryfon seized of his pray,A Dragon fiers encountreth in his flight,Through widest ayre making his ydle way,That would his rightfull rauine rend away:With hideous horror both together smight,And souce so sorc, that they the heauens affray:The wise Southsayer seeing so sad sight,Th'amazed vulgartelles of warres and mortall fight.
So th'onc for wrong the other striues for right,And each to deadly shame would driue his foe:The cruell steele so greedily doth bightIn tender flesh, that streames of blood down flow,With which the armes, that earst so bright did showInto a pure vermillion now are dyde:Great ruth in all the gazers harts did grow,Seeing the gored woundes to gape so wyde,That victory they dare not wish to either side.
At last the Paynim chaunst to cast his eye,His suddein eye, flaming with wrathfull fyre,Vpon his brothers shield, which hong thereby:Therewith redoubled was his raging yre,
And
