Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CANTO II. The guileful great enchanter parts The Red Cross Knight from Truth : Into whose stead fair Falsehood steps, And works him woeful ruth. By this the northern wagoner had set His sevenfold team behind the steadfast star That was in ocean waves yet never wet, But firm is fixt, and sendeth light from far To all that in the wide deep wandring are ; And cheerful chanticlere with his note shrill Had warned once, that Phoebus fiery car, In haste was climbing up the eastern hill, Full envious that Night so long his room did fill: When those accursed messengers of hell, That feigning Dream, and that fair-forged spright, Came to their wicked master, and gan tell Their bootless pains, and ill-succeeding night: Who, all in rage to see his skilful might Deluded so, gan threaten hellish pain And sad Proserpines wrath, them to affright. But, when he saw his threatening was but vain, He cast about, and searcht his baleful books again. The result is another vile deception, in which Duessa is made to wear the form of Una, to the confusion and horror of her true knight. Returning to his bed in torment great, And bitter anguish of his guilty sight, He could not rest; but did his stout heart eat, And waste his inward gall with deep despight, Irksome of life, and too long lingring night. At last fair Hesperus in highest sky Had spent his lamp, and brought forth dawning light; Then up he rose and clad him hastily ; The dwarf him brought his steed: so both away do fly. Now when the rosy-fingered Morning fair, Weary of aged Tithon's saffron bed, Had spread her purple robe through dewy air; And the high hills Titan discovered; The royal virgin shook off drowsy bed: And, rising forth out of her baser bower, ...