Cant. V.
the Faery Queene.
69
With smoake and sulphur hiding all the place,Descends to hell: there creature neuer past,That backe retourned without heauenly grace;But dreadfull Furies, which their chaines haue brast,And damned sprights sent forth to make ill men aghast.
By that same way the direfull dames doe driueTheir mournefull charett, fild with rusty blood,And downe to Plutoes house are come biliue:Which passing through, on euery side them stoodThe trembling ghosts with sad amazed mood,Chattring their iron teeth, and staring wideWith stony eies; and all the hellish broodOf feends infernall flockt on euery side,To gaze on erthly wight, that with the Night durst ride.
They pas the bitter waues of Acheron,Where many soules sit wailing woefully,And come to fiery flood of Phlegeton,Whereas the damned ghosts in torments fry,And with sharp shrilling shriekes doe bootlesse cry,Cursing high Ioue, the which them thither sent.The house of endlesse paine is built thereby,In which ten thousand sorts of punishmentThe cursed creatures doe eternally torment.
Before the threshold dreadfull CerberusHis three deformed heads did lay along,Curled with thousand adders venemous,And lilled forth his bloody flaming tong:At them he gan to reare his bristles strong,And felly gnarre, vntill Dayes enemyDid him appease; then downe his taile he hongAnd suffered them to passen quietly:For she in hell and heauen had power equally.
There
