The second Part of the famous History of the seven Champions of Christendom.  
Likewise showing the Princely prowess of Saint George's three Sons, the lively Spark of Nobility.  
With many other memorial atchivements worthy the golden spurs of Knighthood.   printer's or publisher's device 
LONDON, Printed for Cuthbert Burbie, and are to be sold at his shop, under the Royal Exchange 1597.   

TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE LORD william HOWARD, Richard johnson wisheth increase of all prosperity.  
AS it hath, Right Honourable, of late pleased your most noble brother in kindness to accept of this history, and to grace it with a favourable countenance. So am I now embouldened to dedicate this second part unto your honour, which here I humbly offer to your Lordship's hands, not because I think it a gift worthy the receiver: but rather that it should be, as it were a witness of the love and duty which I bear to your Right Noble House.  
And when it shall please you to bestow the reading of these my rude Discourses, my humble request is, that you would think I I wish your Honour as many happy days, as there be letters contained in this History.  
Thus praying for your honours chief happiness, I end.  
Your Honours in all dutiful love to his poor power. R. I.   

To the Gentle Reader.  
I Have finished the second part of the seven Champions of Christendom, only for thy delight, being thereunto encouraged by thy great courtesy in the kind acceptation of my first part. I have no eloquent phrases to invite thy willingness to read, only a little barren invention, whereof I have no cause to boast, so excellently the wits of many in these days in that kind exceed. Only thy courtesy must be my Buckler, against the carping malice of mocking jesters, that being worst able to do well, scoff commonly at that they cannot mend, censuring all things, doing nothing, but (monkey like) make apish jests at any thing they see in Print: and nothing pleaseth them, except it savour of a scoffing or invective spirit. Well, what those say of me I do not care, thy delight only is my desire: And accept it and I am satisfied, reject it and this shall be my penance never again to come in Print. But having better hope, I boldly lead thee to this main from this doubtful flood of suspicion where I rest. Walk on in the history, as in an overgrown & ill husbanded garden: if among all the weeds thou find one pleasing flower I have my wish.  
Thine Richard johnson.   

The second part of the most honourable History of the seven Champions of Christendom.  
How Sa. George's three sons were entertained into the famous City of London, and after how their Mother was slain in a wood with the pricks of a thorny brake, her blessing she gave her sons, S. George's lamentation over her bleeding body: and likewise of the journey the seven Champions intended to jerusalem to visit the Sepulchre of Christ.  
AFter Saint George with the other six Champions of Christendom (by their invincible conquests) had brought into subjection, all the Eastern Parts, and by dint of bloody wars yoked the stubborn Infidels even to the furthest bounds of India, where the golden Sun beginneth to arise, as you heard discoursed in the former Part of this History, they returned with the conquest of Imperial Diadems, regal crowns and kingly sceptres to the rich and plentiful Country of England: where in the famous City of London they many a day sojourned, a place not only beautified with sumptuous buildings, but graced with a number of valiant Knights and gallant Gentlemen of courtly behaviour, and therewithal adorned with troops of Ladies, of divine and celestial beauties, that trip it up and down the streets like to the Grecian Queens, when as they tied the Phrygian Warriors in the silken snares of love: whereby it seemed rather a paradise for heavenly Angels, than a place for earthly inhabiters.  
Here the Christian Champions laid their Arms aside, here hung they up their weapons on the bowers of peace, here their glistering corselets rusted in their Armouries, here was not heard the warlike sound of drums nor silver trumpets, here stood no Sentinels nor Courts of guard, nor barbed steeds prepared to the battle, but all things tended to a lasting peace, They that had wont in steeled coats to sleep in champion fields, lay dallying now in beds of silk: they that had wont with weary arms to wield the warlike falchion's, sat now embracing lovely Ladies on their knees: and they whose ears had wont to hear the rueful cries of slaughtered soldiers, were now orecloyd with musics pleasant harmony.  
In this delicious manner lived these Champions in the City of London, burying the remembrance of all their former Adventures in the lakes of oblivion, and spending their times in honourable Tiltes and courtly Tournaments: where S. George performed many atchivements in honour of his beloved Lady, & the other Knights in honour of their Mistresses.  
But at last Saint George's three Sons, Guy, Alexander and David, being all three borne at one birth, as you heard before in the wilderness, and sent into three several Kingdoms by their careful Father to be trained up: the one into Rome to the warlike Romans. another unto Wittenberg to the learned Germans, the third into Britain to the valiant English. But now being grown to some ripeness of age and agility of strength, they desired much to visit their parents, whom they had not seen from their infancies lying in their cradles: and to crave at his hands the honour of true Knighthood, and to wear the golden Spur of Christendom.  
This earnest & princely request so highly pleased their Tutors, that they furnished them with a stately train of Knights, and sent them honourably into England where they arrived all three at one time in the famous City of London, where their entertainments were most princely, and their welcomes so honourable, that I want art to describe and memory to express.  
I omit what sumptuous Pageants and delightful Shows the Citizens provided, and how the streets of London were beautified with tapestry, the solemn bells that rung them joyful welcomes, and the silver strained instruments that gave them pleasant entertainment. Also I pass over their father's joy, who prized their sights more precious in his eyes, than if he had been made sole Monarch of the golden mines of rich America: or that every hair that grew upon his head had been equalled with a kingdom, & he to give as many golden diadems in his Arms. Also the Mother's welcomes to her Sons, who gave them more kisses than she breathed forth groans at their deliveries from her painful womb in the wilderness.  
The other Champions courtesies were not the least nor of the smallest in account to these three young Gentlemen: but to be short, Saint George (whose love was dear unto his Children) in his own person conducted them unto their lodgings, whereas they spent that day and the night following in royal banqueting amongst their Princely Frend.  
But no sooner appeared the Morning's Sun upon the Mountain tops, and the clear countenance of the Elements made motion of some ensuing pastime, but S. George commanded a solemn Hunting for the welcome of his Sons.  
Then began his knights to arm themselves in troops, and to mount upon their nimble gennets, and some with well armed Boar-spears in their hands, prepared for the game on foot: but S. George with his Sons clad in green vestments like Adonis, with silver horns hanging at their backs in scarves of coloured silk, were still the foremost in this Exercise. Likewise Sabra (intending to see her sons valours displayed in the field, whether they were in courage like their Father or no) caused a gentle Palfrey to be provided, whereon she mounted her Princely Person to be a witness of these Sylvan sports: she was armed with a curious breastplate wrought like to the scales of a Dolphin, and in her hand she bore a silver bow of the Turkish fashion, like an Amazonian Queen, or Diana hunting in the groves of Arcady.  
Thus in this gallant manner road forth these Hunters to their Princely pastimes, where after they had ridden some six miles from the City of London, fell from Sa. George's nose three drops of purple blood, whereat he suddenly started, and there withal he heard the croaking of a Flight of night Ravens, that hovered by the Forest side, all which he judged to be dismal signs of some ensuing stratagem: but having a princely mind he nothing discouraged thereat, nor little mistrusted the woeful accident that after happened, but with a noble resolution entered the Forest, accounting such foretelling tokens for old wives ceremonies. Wherein they had not passed the compass of half a mile, but they started a wild & swift Stag, at whom they uncoupled their Hounds, and gave bridle to their horses, and followed the game more swifter, than Pirates that pursue the Merchants upon the seas. But now behold how frowning Fortune changed their pleasant pastimes to a sad and bloody tragedy: for Sabra proffering to keep pace with them, delighting to behold the valiant encounters of her young sons, and being careless of herself through the over swiftness of her Steed, she slipped beside her saddle, and so fell directly upon a thorny brake of brambles, the pricks whereof more sharp than spikes of steel entered to every part of her delicate body: some pierced the lovely closerts of her star bright eyes, whereby (in stead of crystal pearled tears) there issued drops of purest blood: her face before that blushed like the morning's radiant countenance, was now exchanged into a crimson red: her milk white hands that lately strained the ivory Lute, did seem to wear a bloody scarlet glove: and her tender paps that had so often fed her Sons with the milk of nature, were all berent and torn with these accursed brambles: from whose deep wounds there issued such a stream of purple gore, that it converted the grass from a lively green to crimson hicu, and the abundance of blood that trickled from her breast, began to enforce her soul to give the world a woeful farewell. Yet notwithstanding, when her beloved Lord, her sorrowful Sons, and all the rest of the woeful Champions, had washed her wounded body with a Spring of fears, and when she perceived that she must of force commit her life to the fury of imperious death, she breathed forth this dying Exhortation.  
Dear Lord (said she) in this unhappy Hunting must you lose the truest Wife that ever lay by Prince's side: yet mourn you not, nor grieve you my Sons, nor you brave Christian Knights, but let your warlike drums convey me royally unto my Tomb, that all the world may write in brazen Books, how I have followed my Lord (the Pride of Christendom) through many a bloody field, and for his sake have left my Parents, Friends, and Country, and have traveled with him through many a dangerous Kingdom: but now the cruel Fates have wrought their latest spites, and finished my life, because I am not able to perform what love he hath deserved of me. And now to you my Sons, this blessing do I leave behind: even by the pains that forty weeks I once endured for your sakes, when as you lay enclosed in my womb, and by my travels in the wilderness, whereas my groans upon your birth day did (in my thinking) cause both trees and stones to drop down tears, when as the merciless Tigers & tamelesse Lions did stand like gentle Lambs, and mourned to hear my lamentations: and by a Mother's love that ever since I have borne you, imitate & follow your Father in all his honourable attempts, harm not the silly Infant, nor the helpless Widow, defend the honour of distressed Ladies, and give freely unto wounded Soldiers: seek not to slain the unspotted virgins with your lusts, and adventure evermore to redeem true Knights from captivity: live ever professed enemies to paganism, and spend your lives in the quarrel and defence of Christ, that Babes (as yet unborn) in time to come may speak of you, and record you in the Books of fame to be true christian Champions. This is my blessing, and this is the Testament I leave behind: for now I feel the chillness of pale death closing the closerts of my eyes: Farewell vain world, dear Lord farewell, sweet Sons, you famous fellows of my George, and all true Christian Knights, adieu.  
These words were no sooner ended, but with a heavy sigh she yielded up the ghost: whereat Saint George (being impatient in his sorrows) fell upon her lifeless body, rending his hair, and tearing his Hunter's attire from his back into a thousand pieces: and at last when his griefs somewhat diminished, he fell into these bitter lamentations.  
Gone is the Star (said he) that lightened all the Northern world, withered is the Rose that beautified our Christian fields, dead is the Dame that for her beauty stained all Christian women: for whom I'll fill the air with everlasting moans. This day henceforth be fatal to all times, and counted for a dismal day of death. Let never the Sun show forth his beams thereon again, but clouds as black as pitch cover the earth with fearful darkness. Let every Tree in this accursed Forest, henceforth be blasted with unkindly winds: let brambles, herbs and flowers consume and wither, let grass and blooming buds perish and decay, and all things near the place where she was slain, be turned to a dismal, black and sable colour, that the Earth itself in mourning garments may lament her loss. Let never Bird sing cheerfully in top of trees, but like the mournful music of the Nightingale, fill all the air with fatal tunes: let bubbling rivers murmur for her loss, & silver Swans that swim thereon sing doleful melody: let all the dales belonging to these fatal woods be covered with green bellied serpents, croaking toads, hissing snakes, and sightkilling cockatrices: in blasted trees let fearful ravens shriek, let howlets cry, and crickets sing, that after this it may be called a place of dead men's wandering ghosts. But fond wretch, why do I thus lament in vain, and bathe her bleeding body with my tears, when grief by no means will recall her life? Yet this shall satisfy her soul, for I will go a Pilgrimage unto jerusalem, & offer up my tears to jesus Christ upon his blessed Sepulchre, by which my stained soul may be washed from this bloody guilt, which was the causer of this sorrowful days mishap.  
These sorrowful words were no sooner ended, but he took her bleeding limbs between his fainting arms, and gave a hundred kisses upon her dying coloured lips, retaining yet the colour of Alabaster new washed in purple blood, and in this ecstasy a while lying, gave way to others to unfold their woes.  
But his Sons whose sorrows were as great as his, protested never to neglect one day, but duly weep a sea of tears upon their Mother's grave, till from the Earth did spring some mournful flower, to bear remembrance of her death, as did the Violet that sprung from chaste Adonis' blood, when Venus wept to see him slain. Likewise the other six Champions (that all the time of their lamentations stood like men drowned in the depth of sorrow) began now a little to recover themselves: and after protested by the honour of true Knighthood, and by the Spur and golden Garter of S. George's leg, to accompany him unto the holy Land, bore footed without either hose or shoe, only clad in russet gaberdines, like the usual Pilgrims of the world, and never to return till they have paid their vows upon that blessed Sepulchre.  
Thus in this sorrowful manner wearied they the time away, filling the woods with Echoes of their lamentations▪ and recording their dolours to the whistling winds: but at last, when black Night began to approach, and with her sable mantles to overspread the crystal firmament, they retired (with her dead body) back to the City of London, where the report of this tragical accident, drowned their friends in a sea of sorrow: for the news of her timeless death was no sooner bruited abroad, but the same caused both old and young to lament the loss of so sweet a Lady. The silver headed age that had wont in scarlet gowns to meet in Council, sat now at home in discontented griefs: the gallant youths and comely virgins that had wont to beautify the streets with costly garments, went drooping up and down in black and mournful vestures: and those remorseless hearts that seldom were oppressed with sorrow, now constrained their eyes like fountains to distill a flood of brinish and pearly tears.  
This general grief of the Citizens continued for the space of thirty days, at the end whereof Saint George with his Sons and the other Champions interred her body very honourably, and erected over the same a ●ith and costly Monument (in sumptuous state like the tomb of Mausolus, which was called one of the Wonders of the World: or like to the Pyramids of Greece, which is a stain to all Architectures): for thereon was portrayed the Queen of Chastity with her Maidens, bathing themselves in a crystal Fountain, as a witness of her wondrous Chastity, against the lustful assailments of many a Knight. Thereon was also most lively pictured a turtle-dove sitting upon a tree of gold, in sign of the true love that she bore to her betrothed husband. Also a silver coloured Swan swimming upon a Crystal river, as a token of her beauty: for as the Swan excelleth all other fowls in whiteness, so she for beauty excelled all Ladies in the world.  
I leave to speak of the curious workmanship of the pinnacles that were framed all of the purest ●eat, the pummels of silver and jasper stones. Also I omit the Pendants of gold, the Scutcheons of Princes, & the Arms of Countries that beautified her Tomb: the discourse whereof requires an Orators eloquence, or a pen of gold dipped in the dew of Helicon or Parnassus Hill, whereas the Muses do inhabit. Her Statue or Picture was carved cunningly in alabaster, and laid (as it were upon a pillow of green silk, like unto Pigmal●ons ivory Image, and directly over the same hung a silver Tablet, whereon in letters of gold was this Epitaph written.  

Here lies the wonder of this worldly age  
For beauty, wit, and princely majesty,  
Whom spiteful death in his imperious rage  
Procured to fall through ruthless cruelty:  
In levy sports within a fragrant wood,  
Upon a thorny brake she spilled her blood.   

Let Virgins pure and Princes of great might,  
With silver perled tears imbalm this tomb,  
Accuse the fatal sisters of despite,  
For blasting thus the pride of nature's bloom:  
For here she sleeps within this earthly grave,  
whose worth deserves a golden tomb to have   

Seven years she kept her sweet Virginity,  
In absence of her true betrothed Knight,  
When thousands did perceive her chastity,  
Whilst he remained in prison day and night:  
But yet we see that things of purest prize,  
Forsakes the earth to dwell above the skies.   

Maidens come mourn with doleful melody  
And make this monument your settled bower  
Here shed your brackish tears eternally,  
Lament both year, month, week, day, hour:  
For here she rests whose like can near be found  
Her beauty's pride lies buried in the ground.   

Her wounded heart that yet doth freshly bleed,  
Hath caused seven knights a journey for to take  
To fair jerusalem in Pilgrims weed,  
The fury of her angry ghost to slake:  
Because their sylvan sports was chiefest guilt,  
And only cause her blood was timeless spilled.   
Thus after the tomb was erected, and the Epitaph engraven in a silver Tablet, and all things performed according to Saint George's direction, he left his Sons in the City of London under the government of the English King: and in company of the other six Champions, he took his journey towards jerusalem.  
They were attired after the manner of Pilgrims, in russet gaberdines down to their foot, in their hands they bore staves of Ebon wood tipped at the ends with silver, the pikes whereof were of the strongest Lydian steel, of such a sharpness that they were able to pierce a target of Tortoise shell: upon their breasts hung Crosses of crimson silk, to signify that they were Christian Pilgrims, traveling to the Sepulchre of Christ.  
In this manner set they forward from England in the Spring time of the year, when Flora had beautified the earth with Nature's tapestry, and made their passages as pleasant as the Gardens of Hesperides, adorned with all kind of odoriferous flowers. When as they crossed the seas, the silver waves seemed to lie as smooth as crystal ice, and the Dolphins to dance above the waters, as a sign of a prosperous journey. In traveling by land, the ways seemed so short and easy, and the chirping melody of birds made them such music as they passed, that in a short season they arrived beyond the borders of Christendom, and had entered the confines of Africa.  
There were they forced in stead of downy beds nightly to rest their weary limbs upon heaps of sun burnt mess: and in stead of silken curtains and curious canopies, they had the clouds of heaven to cover them. Now their naked legs and bare feet, that had wont to stride the stately steeds, and to trample in fields of Pagan's blood, were forced to climb the craggy mountains, and to endure the torments of pricking briars, as they travailed through the desert places and comfortless solitary wildernesses.  
Many were the dangers that happened to them in their journey, before they arrived in judea, and most princely their achievements, and honourable their adventures: which for this time I pass over, leaving the Champions for a time in their travel towards the holy Sepulchre of Christ, and speak what happened to Sa. George's three Sons in visiting their Mother's Tomb in the City of London.  

CHAP. II.  
Of the strange gifts that S. George's sons offered at their Mother's Tomb, and what happened thereupon: how her Ghost appeared to them, and counseled them to the pursuit of their Father: also, how the Ki of England installed them with the honour of knighthood, and furnished them with habiliments of war.  
THe swift foot steeds of Titan's fiery Car had almost finished a year, since Sabraes Funeral was solemnized: in which time Saint George's three Sons had visited their Mother's Tomb oftener than there were days in the year, and had shed as many tears thereon in remembrance of her love, as there were stars in the glistering veil of Heaven: but at last these three young Princes fell at a civil discord and deadly strife, which of them should bear the truest love unto their Mother's dead body, and which of them should be held in greatest esteem. For before many days were expired, they concluded to offer up three several devotions at her Tomb: and he that devised a gift of the rarest prize and of the strangest quality, should be held in the greatest honour, and accounted the noblest of them all. This determination was speedily performed, and in so short a time accomplished, that it is wonderful to discourse.  
The first thinking to exceed his brothers in the strangeness of his Gift, made repair unto a cunning Enchantress, which had her abiding in a secret cave adjoining to the City, whom he procured (through many rich gifts and large promises) by art to devise a mean to get the honour from his brethren, & to have a gift of that strange nature, that all the world might wonder at the report thereof.  
The Enchantress (being won with his promises) by her arts and magic spells, devised a Garland containing all the diversity of flowers that ever grew in earthly Gardens: and though it were in the dead time of winter, when as the silver ysicles had disroabd both herb and flower of their beauties, and the Northern snow lay fréezing on the mountain tops, yet was this Garland contrived after the fashion of a rich Imperial Crown, with as many several Flowers as ever Flora placed upon the downs of rich Arcadia: in diversity of colours like the glistering Rainbow, when as it shineth in her greatest pride: and casting such an odoriferous sent and sweet savour, as though the Heavens had reigned down showers of Campher, Bisse, or Amber-gréece.  
This rare and exceeding Garland was no sooner framed by Enchantment, and delivered into his hands, but he left the Enchantress sitting in her Ebon chair upon a block of steel (practising her fatal arts), with her hair hanging about her shoulders, like wreaths of snakes or envenomed serpents: and so returned to his Mother's tomb, where he hung it upon a pillar of silver that was placed in the middle of the Monument.  
The second Brother likewise repaired to the Tomb, and brought in his hand an ivory Lute, whereon he played such inspiring melody, that it seemed like the harmony of Angels, or the celestial music of Apollo when he descended heaven for the love of Daphne, whom he turned into a bay tree. The music being finished, he tied! is Lute in a damask scarf, and with great humility he hung it at the west end of the Tomb upon a knob of jasper stone.  
Lastly, the third Brother likewise repaired with no outward devotion or worldly gift: but clad in a vesture of white silk, bearing in his hand an instrument of death, like an innocent Lamb going to sacrifice: or one ready to be offered for the love of his mother's soul.  
This strange manner of repair, caused his other brothers to stand attentively, and with vigilant eyes to behold the conclusion.  
First, after he had (submissively and with great humility) let fall a shower of silver tears from the cisterns of his eyes, in remembrance of his Mother's timeless tragedy, he pricked his naked breast with a silver bodkin, the which he brought in his hand, from which there trickeled down some thirty drops of blood, which he after offered up to his Mother's Tomb in a silver basin, as an evident sign that there can be nothing more dearer, nor of more precious price, than to offer up his own blood for her love. This ceremonious gift caused his two other Brothers to swell in hatred like two chased Lions, and with fury to run upon him, intending to catch him by the hair of the head, and to drag him round about their Mother's Tomb, till his brains were dashed against the marble pavement, and his blood sprinkled upon her grave: but this wicked enterprise so moved the Majesty of heaven, that ere they could accomplish their intents, or stain their hands in his blood, they heard (as it were) the noise of dead men's bones rattling in the ground. And thereupon (looking fearfully about) the Tomb seemed of itself to open, and thereout to appear a most terrible and ghastly shap●, pale, like unto ashes, in countenance resembling their Mother with her breast besmeared in blood, and her body wounded with a hundred scars: and so with a dismal & rueful look she spoke unto her desperate Sons in this manner.  
Oh you degenerate from Nature's kind, why do you seek to make a murder of your sel●es? can you endure to see my body rend in twain, my heart split in sunder, and my womb dismembered? Abate this fury, stain not your hands with your own bloods, nor make my Tomb a spectacle of more death. Unite yourselves in concord, that my discontented soul may sleep in peace, and never more be troubled with your unbridled humours. Make hast I say, and arm yourselves in stéeled corselets, and follow your valiant Father to jerusalem, for he is there in danger and distress of life. Away I say, or else my angry ghost shall never leave this world, but haunt you up and down with ghastly visions.  
This being said, she vanished from their sight, like to the brictl● air, whereat for a time they stood amazed and almost distraught of their wits, through the terror of her words: but at last recovering their former senses they all vowed by the eternal Majesty of Heaven, never to proffer the like injury again, but to live in brotherly concord and unity till the dissolution of their earthly bodies. So in all hast they went unto the King, and certified him of all things that had happened: and falling upon their knees before his Majesty, requested at his hands the honour of Knighthood, and leave to departed in the pursuit of their Father and the other Champions, that were fallen in great distress.  
The King purposing to accomplish their desires, and to fulfil their requests, presently condescended, and not only gave them the honour of Knighthood, but furnished them with rich habiliments of war, answerable to their magnanimous minds. First he frankly bestowed upon them three stately Palphryes, bred upon the bright mountains of Sardinia: in colour like to an Irone grey, beautified with silver hairs, and in pace more swifter than the Spanish Ginets, which be a kind of horse engendered by the winds upon the Alps, that be certain craged mountains that divide the Kingdoms of Italy and Spain: in boldness and courage, they were like to Beucephalus the horse of Macedonian Alexander, or to Caesar's steeds that never daunted in the field, for they were trapped with rich trappings of gold after the Morocco fashion with Saddles framed like unto Irone chairs with backs of Steel, and their foreheads were beautified with spangled plumbs of purple feathers, whereon hung many golden pendants: the king likewise bestowed upon them three costly swords wrought of purest Lydian steel, with Lances bound about with plates of brass, at the tops thereof hung silken Streamers beautified with the English Cross, being the crimson b●dge of Knight hood and honour of adventurous champions: Thus in this Royal manner road these three young Knights from the City of London in company of the King with a train of Knights and gallant Gentlemen which conducted them unto the Sea side, where they left them unto their future fortunes and returned back to the English Cou●t.  
Now is Saint George's sons noting 〈…〉 of the Seas, making their first adventures in the world, that after age's might aplaude their atchivement, and enrol their fames in the records of honour, heaven prosper them successfully, and gentle fortune smile upon their travails, for three braver knights did never cross the seas, nor make their adventures into strange Countries.   

CHAP. III.  
How Saint George's sons after they were knighted by the English King, travailed towards Barbary, and how they redeemed the Duke's Daughter of Normandy from ravishment, that was assailed in a wood by three tawny Negroes: and also of the tragical tale of the Virgins strange misery, with other acdents that happened.  
MAny days had not these three magnanimous knights endured the dangers of the swelling waves, but with a prosperous and successful wind, they arrived upon the territories of France: where being no sooner safely set on shore, but they bountifully rewarded their Mariners, & betook themselves to their intended travels.  
Now began their costly trapped S●eeds to place it like the scudding Winds and ●ith their warlike hooves to thunder on the beaten passages: now began true honour to flourish in their princely breasts, and the renown of their Father's achievements to encourage their desires. Although but tender youth sat bunding on their cheeks, yet portly manhood triumphed in their hearts; and although their childish arms as yet never tried the painful adventures of Knighthood, yet b●re they high and princely cogitations in as great est●eme, as when their Father clue the burning Dragon in Egypt, for preservation of their mother's life.  
Thus traveled they to the further Parts of the Kingdom of France (guided only by the direction of fortune) without any adventure worth the noting, till at last riding through a mighty Forest standing on the Borders of Lusitania, they heard (a far off as it were) the rueful cries of a distressed woman: which in this manner filled the air with the Echo of her moans.  
Oh heavens (said she) be kind and pitiful unto a Maiden in distress, and send some happy passengers that may deliver me from these inhumans' monsters.  
This woeful and unexpected noise, caused the Knights to alight from their horses, and to see the event of this accident. So after they had tied their Stéeds to the body of a Pine tree by the reins of their bridles, they walked on foot into the thickest of the Forest with their weapons drawn, reaeie to withstand any assailment whatsoever: & as they drew nearer to the distressed Virgin, they heard her breath forth this pity moving lamentation the second time.  
Come, come, some courteous Knight, or else I must forego that precious jewel, which all the world can never again recover.  
These words caused them to make the more speed, and to run the nearest way for the Maiden's succour. At last, they approached her presence, where they found her tied by the locks of her own hair to the trunk of an orange tree, and three cruel and inhuman Negroes standing ready to despoil her of her chastity, and with their lusts to blast the blooming bud of her sw●ete and unspotted virginity.  
But when Saint George's Sons beheld her lovely countenance besmeare● in dust, that before was as beautiful as roses in milk, and he● crystal eyes the perfed patterns of the Lamps of heaven, inbrewd in floods of tears, at one instance they ran upon the Negroes, and sheathed their angry weapons in their loathsome bowels, the lechers being slain, their bloods sprinkled about the Forest, and their bodies cast out as a pray for ravenous beasts to feed upon: they unbound the Maiden and like courteous Knights demanded the cause of her captivity, and by what means she came into that solitary Forest? Most Noble Knights quoth she, and true renounded men at arms, to tell the cause of my passed miseries were a prick unto my soul, and the discourse thereof will burst my heart with grief, but considering your Nobilities the which I perceive by your Princely behaviours, and your kind courtesies extended towards me, being a Virgin in distress, under the hands of these lustful Negroes, whom you have justly murdered, shall embolden me, though unto my hearts great grief, to discourse the first cause of my miserable fortune.  
My Father (quoth she) whilst gentle fortune smiled upon him, was a Duke and sole commander of the state of Normandy, a country now situated in the kingdom of France, whose lands & revenues in his prosperity was so great that he continually kept as stately a train, both of Knights and gallant gentlemen as any Prince in Europe, whereat the King of France greatly envied, and by bloody wars deposed my Father from his princely dignity, who for safeguard of his life in company of me his only heir and daughter, betook us to these solletarie woods, where ever since we have secretly remained in a poor ●ell or hermitage the which by our industrious pains hath been builded with plants of Uines and ●aken bows, and covered over head with clods of earth, and turfs of grass, seven years we have continued in great extremity sustaining our hungers with the fruits of trees, and quenching our thirsts with the dew of heaven, that falleth nightly upon fragrant flowers here in steed of Princely attire, imbrothered garments and damask vestures, we have been constrained to clad ourselves in flowers, the which we have cunningly woven up together.  
Here instead of music, that had wont each morning to delight our ears; we have the whistling winds resounding in the woods: our clocks to tell the minutes of the wandering nights, are snakes and toads that sleep in roots of rotten trees, our cannopeys to cover us, are not wrought of Median silk, the which the Indian Virgins weave upon their silver looms, but the sable clouds of heaven, when as the cheerful day hath closed her crystal windows ●p.  
Thus in this manner continued we in this solitary wilderness, making both birds and beasts our chief companions, till these merciless Moors (whose hateful beast's you have made like watery fountains to water the parched earth with streams of blood:) who came into our cell, or simple cabinet, thinking to have found some store of treasure. But casting their gazing eyes upon my beauty, they were presently enchanted with a lustful desire, only to crop the sweet bud of my virginity. Then with a furious and dismal countenance, more black than than the sable garments of sad Melpomene, when with her strawberry quill she writes of bloody tragedies: or with a heart more crueler, than was Nero's the tyrannous Roman Emperor when he beheld the entrails of his natural Mother laid open by his inhuman and merciless commandment: or when he stood upon the highest top of a mighty mountain to see that famous and Imperial City of Room set on fire by the remorseless hands of his unrelenting Ministers, that added unhallowed flames to his unholy fury.  
These merciless and wicked minded Negroes with violent hands took my aged Father, and most cruelly bound him to the blasted body of a withered oak, standing before the entry of his Cell: where, neither the reverent honour of his silver hairs, that glisteren like the frozen ysicles upon the Northern Mountains, nor the strained sighs of his breast, wherein the pledge of wisdom was enthronized, nor all my tears or exclamations could any whit abate their cruelties, but like grim dogs of Barbary, they left my Father fast bound unto the tree, and like egregious vipers took me by the trammels of my golden hair, and dragged me like a silly Lamb unto this slaughtering place, intending to satisfy their lusts with the flower of my chastity.  
Here I made my humble supplication to the Majesty of Heaven, to be revenged upon their cruelties: I reported to them the rewards of bloody ravishments by the example of Tereus that lustful King of Thrace, and his furious Wife, that in revenge of her Sister's ravishment caused her Husband to eat the flesh of his own Son. Likewise (to preserve my undefiled honour) I told them, that for the Rape of Lucrece the Roman Matron, Tarqvinius and his name was for ever banished out of Rome: with many other examples, like the Nightingale, whose doleful tunes as yet recordeth nothing but rape and murder. Yet neither the frowns of heaven, nor the terrible threats of hell, could mollify their bloody minds: but they protested to persever in that wickedness, & vowed that if all the leaves of the Trees that grew within the Wood were turned into Indian Pearl, & made as wealthy as the golden Streams of pactolus, where Midas washed his golden Wish away: yet should they not redeem my chastity from the stain of their insatiable and lustful desires.  
This being said, they bond me with the trammels of mine own hair to this Orange tree, and at the very instant they proffered to defile my unspotted body, but by the merciful working of God, you happily approached, & not only redeemed me from their tyrannous desires, but quit the world from three of the wickedest creatures that ever nature framed. For which (most noble and invincible Knights) if ever virgins prayers may obtain favour at the Majesty of Heaven, humbly will I make my supplications, that you may prove as valiant champions, as ever put on helmet: and that your fames may ring to every Prince's ear, as far as bright Hyperion shows his golden face.  
This tragical tale was no sooner ended, but the three Knights (whose remorseful hearts sobbed with sighs) embraced the sorrowful Maiden betwixt their arms, & earnestly requested her to conduct them unto the place, whereas she left her father bound unto the withered oak. To which she willingly consented, and thanked them highly for their kindness: but before they approached to the old man's presence, what for the grief of his banishment and the violent usage of his Daughter, he was forced to yield up his miserable life to the mercies of unavoidable death.  
When Saint George's valiant Sons (in company of this sorrowful Maiden) came to the tree, and (contrary to their expectations) found her Father cold and stiff, both devoid of sense and feeling, also finding his hands & face covered with green moss, which they supposed to be done by the Roben redbreast and other little birds, who naturally cover the bare parts of any body which they find dead in the 〈◊〉, they fell into a new confused extremity of grief.  
But especially his Daughter seeming to have lost all joy and comfort in this World, made both heaven & earth to resound with her exceeding lamentations, and mourned without comfort like weeping Niobe, that was turned into a rock of stone, her grief so abounded for the loss of her children: but when the three young Knights perceived the comfortless sorrow of the Virgin, and how she had vowed never to departed from those solitary groves, but to spend the remnant of her days in company of his deadly body, they courteously assisted her to bury him under a chestnut tree, where they left her continually bathing his senseless grave with her tears and returned back to their horses, where they left them at the entry of the Forest tied unto a lofty pine, & so departed on their journey.  
There we will leave them for a time, and speak of the seven Champions of Christendom, that were gone on Pilgrimage to the City of jerusalem, and what strange adventures happened to them in their travels.   

CHAM FOUR  
Of the Adventure of the Golden Fountain in Damascus: how six of the Christian Champions were taken prisoners by a mighty Giant, and after how they were delivered by Saint George: and also how he redeemed fourteen jews out of prison: with divers other strange accidents that happened.  
LET us now speak of the favourable clemency that smiling Fortune showed to the Christian Champions in their travels to jerusalem. For after they were departed from England, and had iourneied in their Pilgrims attire through many strange Countries, at last they arrived upon the Confines of Damascus, which is a Country not only beautified with sumptuous and costly buildings framed by the curious architectury of man's device, but also furnished with all the precious gifts that Nature in her greatest liberality could bestow.  
In this fruitful Dominion long time the Christian Champions rested their weary steps, and made their abode in the house of a rich and courteous jew, a man that spent his wealth chief for the succour and comfort of travelers, and wandering Pilgrims, his house was not curiously erected up of carved timber work, but framed with quarries of blewstones, and supported by many stately pillows of the purest marble: The gates and entry of his house were continually kept open in sign of his bountiful mind, ever the portal thereof hung a brazen table, whereon was most curiously engraven the picture of Ceres the Goddess of plenty decked with garlands of wheat, wreaths of Olives, bunches of Uines, and with all manner of fruitful things, the chamber wherein these Champions took their nightly reposes and golden sleeps, was garnished with as many windows of Crystal glass, as there were days in the year, and the walls painted with as many stories as there were years since the world began: it was likewise built four square, after the manner of pyramids in Gréece, at the east end whereof was most lively portrayed, bright Phoebus rising from Aurora's golden bed, whose gli●●ering countenance at his departure, distained the elements with a purple colour. At the west side was likewise portrayed how Thetis trips upon the silver sands when as Hiperious car drives to the watery Ocean, and takes his night's repose upon his lovers bosom: on the North side was painted mountains of snow whose ●ops did seem to reach to heaven, & mighty woods over hung with silver Isickles, which is the nature of the Northern Climate.  
Lastly upon the west side of the chamber sat the God of the seas riding upon a Dolphin's back, with an hundred Mermaids following him, with their golden trammels floating upon the silver waves, there the Tritons seemed to dance above the Crystal streams with a number of other silver scaled fishes that made the sea delightful in pleasure.  
Over the roof of the Chamber was most perfectly portrayed the four ages of the World, which seemed to overspread the rest of the curious works.  
First the golden age was pendant over the East: the second being the silver a mettle somewhat hazer than the first, seemed to overspread the fréezing North. The third, which was the brazen age, beautified the western parts: The fourth and last being of Irone, being the basest of them all, seemed to be pendant over the Southern climate.  
Thus in this curious Chamber rested these weary Champions a long season, where their food was not delicious but wholesome, and their services were not curious, but comely: answerable to the brave minds of such heroical Champions: the courteous jew their friendly host whom nature had honoured with seven comely Sons daily kept them company, and not only showed them the curiosity of this habitation, but also described the pleasant situation of his Country, how the towns & Cities were ornefied with all manner of delights, that they seemed like the immortal Palaces of heaven, where celestial Angels do record their Hermonies, and the fields and flowering meadows so beautified with nature's gladsome ornaments, that they seemed for pleasure to exceed the paradise of Eliizum, where crowned souls do live in cudles glory.  
The days were spent away in such manner discourses to the exceeding pleasure of the Christian Knights, and evermore when dark night approached, and the wont time of sleep summoned them to their silent and quiet rests, the jews children being seven of the bravest and comeliest boys that ever dame nature framed, tired the Christian Champions ears with such sweet inspiring Melodies which they strained from their ivory Lutes, that not Arion (when all the Art of music consented with his tune, voice, and han●, when he won mercy of the Dolphin, being forsaken of men) was comparable thereto. Whereby the Christian Champions were enchanted with such delights, that their golden sleeps seemed to be as pleasant as the sweet joys of Paradise.  
But upon a time, after the courteous jew had intelligence how they were Christian Knights, and those admired martial Champions, whom fame had canonised to be the Wonders of the world for martial discipline and Knightly adventures: finding a fit opportunity as he walked in their companies upon an evening under an arbour of vine branches, he revealed to them the secrets of his soul, and the cause of his so sad and solitary dwelling. So standing bareheaded in the middle of the Champions, with his white hairs hanging down to his shoulders in colour like to the silver Swan, and more softer than the down of thistles, or Median silk untwisted, he began with a sober countenance and gallant demeanour to speak as followeth unto them, that settled them attentively to hear.  
I am sure (quoth he) you invincible Knights, that ye marvel at my solitary course of living, and that you greatly muse wherefore I exempt myself from the company of all worldlings, except my seven Sons, whose sights be my chiefest comfort, and the only prolongers of my life. Therefore prepare your ears to entertain the strangest Discourse that ever tongue pronounced, or overwearied aged man in the height of his extremity delivered.  
I was in my former years (whilst Fortune smiled upon my happiness) the principal Commander and chief Owner of a certain Fountain, of such a wonderful & precious virtue, that it was valued to be worth the Kingdom of judea: the water thereof was so strange in operation, that in four and twenty hours it would convert any metal, as of brass, copper, iron, lead or tin, into rich refined gold: the stony flint it would turn into pure silver, and any kind of earth into excellent metal. By the virtue thereof I have made the leaves of Trees more richer than Indian Pearl, and the blades of grass of more value than the jewels that be found in the country of America.  
The richness thereof was no sooner bruited through the world, but it caused many foreign Knights to try the adventure, and by force of arms to bereave me of the honour of this Fountain. But at that time Nature graced me with one and twenty Sons, whereof seven be yet living, and the only comfort of mine age: but the other fourteen (whom frowning Fortune hath bereaved me of) many a day by their valiant prowess and matchless fortitudes defended the Fountain from many furious assailers: for there was no Knight in all the world that was found so hardy nor of such invincible courage, that if they once attempted to encounter with any of my valiant Sons, but they were either taken prisoners, or slain in the combat.  
The fame of their valours, and the riches of the Fountain rung through many strange Countries, and lastly came to the ears of a furious Giant, dwelling upon the Borders of Arabia: who at the report thereof came armed in his stéely coat with a mighty bat of iron on his neck, like to the furious Hercules that burst the brazen gates of Cerberus in twain, and in state and bigness like the Son of jove that bore the mighty mountain Atlas upon his shoulders: he was the conqueror of my sons, and the first causer of my sudden downfall. But when I had intelligence of the overthrow of fourtéen of my sons, and that he had made conquest of the wealthy fountain, I with the rest of my Children, thinking all hope of recovery to be past, betook ourselves to this solitary course of life, where ever since in this mansion or hermitage we have made our abode and residence, spending our wealth to the relief of traveling Knights and wandering Pilgrims▪ hoping once again that smiling Fortune would advance us to some better hap: and to be plain right worthy Champions my hope was never at the height of full perfection till this present time, wherein your excellent presences almost assure me that the hideous monster shallbe conquered, my fountain restored, my sons deaths (for dead sure they are) revenged.  
The Champions with great admiration gave ear to the strange discourse of this reverent jew, and intended in requital of his extraordinary kindness to undertake this adventure. And the more to encourage the other, Saint George began in this manner to deliver his mind, speaking both to the jew their host, and his valiant fellow Champions.  
I have not without great wonder (most reverent and courteous old man) heard the strange discourse of thy admirable fountain, and do not a little lament that one of so kind & liberal a disposition should be dispossessed of so exceeding riches, for that wealth to a liberal nature is alone convenient: neither am I less sorry, that so inhuman a monster and known enemy to all courtesy and kind should have the fruition of so exceeding great Treasure: for to the wicked, wealth is the cause of their more wickedness But that which most grieveth me, is: that having so many valiant Knights to thy Sons, they all were so unfortunate to fall into the hands of that relentless Monster. But be comforted kind old man, for I have hope by the power of heaven we were directed hither to punish that hateful Giant, revenge the injuries offered to thine age, satisfy with his death the death of thy children if they be dead, and restore to thy bounteous possession that admirable rich fountain.  
And now to you my valiant Companions I speak, that with me through many dangers have adventured: let us courageously attempt this rare adventure, wherein such honour to our names, such happiness to our friends, such glory to God consists, in recovering right to the wronged, and punishing rightfully the wronger's of the righteous. And that there be no contention among us who shall begin this adventure, for that I know all of you thirty after honour, let lots be made, and to whom soever the thief lot falleth let him be foremost in assailing the Giant, and God and all good fortune be our guides.  
The exceeding joy which the old jew conceived, at the speeches of Saint George, had near hand bereft him of the use of sense, so above measure was he ouerioyed. But at length recovering use of speech, he thus thankfully broke forth.  
How infinitely I find myself bound unto you, you famous and undoubted Christian Champions, all my ableness is not able to express: only thankfulness from the exchequer of a true heart shall to you be rendered.  
The Champions without more words disrobing themselves from their Pilgrim's attire, every one selected forth an armour fitting to their portly bodies, and in steed of their Ebony staves tipped with silver, they wielded in their hands the steeled blades, and their feet that had wont to endure a painful pilgrimage upon the bare ground, were now ready priest to mount the golden stirrup, but as I said, they purposed not generally to assail the Giant, but singly every one to try his own fortune thereby to obtain the greater honour, and their deeds to merit the higher fame, therefore the lots being cast amongst themselves which of them should begin the adventure. The lot fell first to Saint Denis the Noble Champion of France, who greatly rejoiced at his fortune, and so departed for that night to get things in readiness, but the next morning no sooner had the golden Sun displayed his beauty in the East, but Saint Denis arose from his sluggish bed, and attired himself in costly armour, and mounted upon a steed of Irone grey with a spangled plumb of purple feathers on his burgonet, spangled with stars of gold, resembling the azure firmament beautified with stars.  
After he had taken leave of the other Champions, and had demanded of the jew where the Giant had his residence, he departed forward on his journey: and before the Sun had mounted to the top of heaven, he approached to the Giants presence, which as then sat upon a block of steel directly before the golden Fountain, satisfying his hunger with raw flesh, and quenching his thirst with the juice of ripe grapes.  
The first sight of his ugly and deformed proportion almost daunted the valour of the French Champion, so as he stood in a maze, whether it were better to try the adventure, or to return with dishonour back to his other fellow Knights. But having a heart furnished with true magnanimity, he chose rather to die in the encounter, than to return with infamy: so committing his trust to the unconstant Queen of chance, he spurred forth his horse, and assailed the Giant so furiously, that the strokes of his sword sounded like weighty blows hammered upon an anvil.  
But so smally regarded the Giant the puissant force of this single Knight, that he would scarce rise from the place where he sat: but yet remembering a vision that a little before appeared unto him in his sleep, which revealed unto him, how that a Knight should come from the Northern climates of the earth, which should alone ●nde the adventure of the Fountain, and vanquish him by fortitude: therefore not minding to be taken at advantage, he suddenly started up, and with a grim and furious countenance he ran upon Saint Denis, and took him horse, armour, furniture and all under his left arm, as lightly as a strong man would take a sucking infant from his cradle, and bore him to a hollow rock of stone, bound about with bars of iron, standing near unto the Fountain, in a valley betwixt two mighty mountains. In which prison he closed the French Champion, amongst fourtéen other Knights, that were all Sons to the courteous jew as you heard before discourse●, and being proud of this attempt he returned back to his block of steel, where we will leave him sitting, glorying in his own conceit, and speak of the other champions remaining in the jews house, expecting the French knights fortunate return: but when the sable Curtains of darkness were drawn before the crystal windows of the day, and night had taken possession of the elements, and no news was heard of the Champion's success, they judged presently that either he was slain in the adventure, or discomfited and taken prisoner.  
Therefore they cast lots again which of them, the next morning should try his fortune, and revenge the French knights quarrel, but the lot fell to Saint james the Noble champion of Spain, where at his Princely heart more rejoiced, then if he had been made King of the Western UUorld.  
So upon the next morning by the break of day, he attired himself in rich and costly armour like the other Champion, and mounted upon a Spanish Ginnet, in pace more swifter than the wind, and in portly state like to Beucephalus the proud steed of Macedonian Alexander: his caparison was in colour like to the waves of the Sea, his Burgonet was beautified with a spangled plumb of sable feathers: and upon his breast he bore the arms of Spain.  
Thus in this gallant manner departed he from the jews habitation, leaving the other Champions at their divine contemplations for his happy success, but his fortune chanced contrary to his wishes, for at the Giants first encounter he was likewise born to the rock of stone, to accompany Saint Denis.  
This Giant was the strongest and hardiest knight at arms that ever set foot upon the confines of Damasko, his strength was so invincible, that at one time he durst encounter with a hundred knights: but now return we again to the other champions, whom when night approached, and likewise missing the company of Saint james they cast lots the third time, and it fell to the Noble champion of Italy Saint Anthony, whom on the next morning attired himself in costly habiliments of war, and mounted upon a Barbarian palfrey as richly as did the valiant jason when he adventured into the isle of Colcas, for the golden fleece: and for Medea's love, his Helmet glisteren like an Icy mountain, decked with a plumb of ginger coloured feathers, and beautified with many silver pendants. But his shining glory was soon blemished with a cloud of mischance, although he was as valiant a knight as ever brandished weapon in the fields of Mars, yet he found a disability in his fortitude, to withstand the furious blows of the Giant, that he was forced to yield himself prisoner like the former Champions.  
The next lot that was cast, chanced to Saint Andrew of Scotland, a Knight as highly honoured for martial discipline as any of the rest, his steed was of the breed of the Flemish Mares, clad with a caparison after the manner of the Brecians, his Armour varnished with green oils, like the colour of the Summer fields upon his breast he bore a cross of purple silk, and on his burgonet a plumb of green feathers: but yet fortune so frowned upon his enterprise, that he nothing prevailed, but committed his life to the mercy of the Giant, who likewise imprisoned him with the other Knights.  
The fift lot fell to Saint Pattricke of Ireland, as brave a knight as ever nature created, and as adventurous in his atchivements: I fever Hector upon the Phrygian steed Praunst it up and down the streets of Troy, and made that age admire his fortitude: this Irish knight might countervail his valour.  
For no sooner had the silver Moon forsook the Azure Firmament, and had committed her charge to the golden burnished Sun: But Saint Pattricke approached the sight of the Giant, mounted upon his Irish hobby, clad in a corselet of proof, beautified with silver nails: his plumb of feathers, was of the colour of virgins hair, his horse covered with a vale of Orange tawny silk, and his saddle bound about with plates of Steel, like to an Iron chair.  
The sight of this valiant Champion so daunted the courage of the Giant, that he thought him to be the knight that the vission had revealed, by whom the adventure should be accomplished: therefore with no cowardly fortitude he assailed the Irish knight, who with as Princely valour endured the encounter: but the unkind destinies not intending to give him the honour of the victory, ecompelled the Champion to yield to the Giants forces, and like a Captive to accompany the other imprisoned Champions.  
The next lot fell to Saint David of Wales, who nothing discouraged at the discomfiture of the other Christian knights, but at the morning's Sun's upryse into the azure firmament, glisteren in his silver Armour before the fountain, with a golden Griffon shining on his breast, where he endured long & dangerous combat with the Giant, making the skies to resound with echoes of their strokes, but at last when the Giant perceived that Saint David began to grow almost breathless, in defending the huge and mighty blows of his stéeled bat, and chiefly through the long encounter, the Giant renewed his strength, and so redoubled his strokes that Saint David was constrayed like the other Christian Champions to yield to the giants mercies.  
But now the invincible and heroyecall champion of England Saint George, he that is fames true knight, the map of Honour, and the world's wonder, remaining in the jews pavilion, and pondering in his mind of the bad success of the six Champions, and that it was his turn to try his fortune the next morning in the adventure: he fell upon his knees and made this humble supplication to the Majesty of God. O thou creator of this worldly Globe (quoth he,) O thou that hast fought for thy christian Knights in fields of purple blood, and made the enemies of heaven to swim in streams of Crimson gore, O thou that hast given me still the victory, grant that I may confound this bloody and unhumaine monster, that hath discomfited six of the bravest knights that ever nature framed, even as thou wast my aid when I slew the burning Dragon in Egypt: and when I conquered the terrible Giant that kept the enchanted Castle amongst the Amazonians, even so let me accomplish this dangerous adventure, that all christians and christian Knights may applaud thy name, and in thy defence and just quarrel, may still be honoured with the golden pledge of knighthood.  
In this manner spent he away the night in making his divine orations to heaven, for the happy success of the next days enterprise, whereon he vowed by the honour of his golden Garter, either to return a worthy conqueror, or to die a faithful Martyr. And when the day began to beautify the Eastern Elements with a purple colour, he repaired to the jews armoury, and clad himself in a black Corselet, and mounted upon a pitchy coloured steed, adorned with a blood▪ red caparison, in sign of a bloody and tragical adventure, his plume of feathers was like a flame of fire quenched in blood as a token of speedy revenge, he armed himself not with a sturdy Lance, bound about with plates of brass, but took a javelin made of steel, the one end far more sharper than the point of a needle, the other end a ball of Iron in fashion of a mace of or club.  
Being thus armed according to his wished desires, he took leave of the jew and his seven Sons, who sat attired in black and mournful ornaments, praying for his happy and fortunate success: and so departed speedily to the golden Fountain, where he found the Giant sleeping carelessly upon his block of steel, dreading no ensuing dangers.  
But when the valiant Champion Saint George was alighted from his horse, and had sufficiently beheld the deformed proportion of the Giant: how the hair of his head stood staring upright like to the bristles of a wild Boar, his eyes gazing open like two blazing Comets, his teeth long and sharp like to spikes of steel, the nails of his hands like the talons of an Eagle, yet over them was drawn a pair of iron gloves: and every other limb huge and strongly proportioned like to the body of some mighty Oak, the worthy Champion awakened him in this order.  
Arise (said he) thou unreasonable deformed Monster, and either make delivery of the captive Knights, whom thou wrongfully detainest, or prepare thy ugly self to abide the uttermost force of my warlike arm and death-prepared weapon.  
At which words the furious Giant started up, as one suddenly amazed or affrighted from his sleep: and without making any reply at all, taking his iron Mace fast in both his hands, he did with great terror let drive at the most worthy English Champion, who with exceeding cunning nimbleness defended himself from certain danger by speedy avoiding the blows violence, and withal returned on his adversary a mighty thrust with the pointed or sharp end of his javelin, which rebounded from the Giant's body, as if it had been run against an Adamantine pillar.  
The which the invincible Saint George perceiving, he turned the heavy round ball end of his massy iaveline, and so mightily assailed the Giant, redoubling his heavy blows with such courageous fortitude, that at last he beat his brains out of his deformed head: whereby the Giant was constrained to yield up his ghost, and to give such a hideous roar, as though the whole frame of the Earth had been shaken with the violence of some storm of thunder.  
This being done, Saint George cast his loathsome carcase as a pray for the fowls and ravenous beasts to seize upon: and after very diligently searched up and down, till he found the Rock wherein all the Knights and Champions were imprisoned: the which with his stéely javelin he burst in sunder, and delivered them presently from their servitudes, and after returned most triumphantly back to the jews Pavilion, in as great majesty and royalty as Vespasian with his Roman Nobles and Peers returned into the confines of flourishing Italy▪ from the admired and glorious conquest of jerusalem and judea.  
But when the reverend old jew saw the English champion returned with victory, together with his other six fellow champions, and likewise beheld his fourteen Sons safely delivered, his joy so mightily exceeded the bounds of reason, that he suddenly swonded, and lay for a time in a dead trance, with the exceedingnes of pleasure he conceived.  
But having a little recovered his decayed senses, he gladly conducted them into their several Lodgings, and there they were presently unarmed, and their wounds washed in white wine and new milk, and after banqueted them in the best manner he could devise. At which Banquet there wanted not all the excellency of music that the jews seven younger Sons could devise, extolling in their sweet Sonnets the excellent fortitude of the English champion, that had not only delivered their captived brethren, but restored by that ugly Giants deserved death their aged Father to the repossession of his golden Fountain.  
Thus after Saint George with the other six Champions had sojourned there for the space of thirty days, having placed the jew with his Sons in their former desired dignities, that is in the government of the Golden Fountain, they clothed themselves again in their Pilgrims attire, and so departed forward on their intended journey to visit the holy Sepulchre of our Saviour Christ.  
Of whose noble Adventures you shall hear more in the Chapter following.   

CHAP. V.  
Of the Champions return from jerusalem from the Sepulchre of Christ, and after how they were almost famished in a wood: and and how saint George obtained them food by his valour in a Giants House with other things that happened.  
THe Champions after this never rested traveling till they arrived at the holy Hill of Mount Zion, and had visited the blessed Sepulchre of Christ, the which they found most richly built of the purest marble, garnished curiously by cunning architectury, with many ●arbuncles of jasper, and pillars of ieate. The Temple wherein it was erected, stood seven degrees of stairs within the ground, the gates whereof were of burnished gold, and the portals of refined silver, cut as it did seem out of a most excellent nature beautified Alabaster Rock.  
By it continually burned a sweet smelling Taper, always maintained by twelve of the Noblest Uirgines dwelling in all judea, attending still upon that blessed Sepulchre, clad in silken ornaments in colour like the lilies in the flourishing pride of Summer: the which costly attire, they continually wear, as an evident sign of their unspotted virginities: many days offered up these worthy Champions these ceremonious devotions, to the sacred Tomb of Christ, washing the marble pavement with their unfeigned tears, and witnessing their true and hearty zeals, with their continual volleys of discharged sighs.  
But at last upon an Evening, when Titan's golden beams began to descend the Western Elements, as those Princely minded Champions in company of those twelve admired Maidens, kneeled before the Sepulchre offering up their Evening Orisons, an unseen voice (to the amazement of them all) from a hollow vault in the Temple uttered these words.  
You magnanimous Knights of Christendom, whose true nobilities hath circled the earth upon the wings of fame, whose bare feet for the love of 〈◊〉 sweet Saviour, hath set more weary steps upon the parched earth, than there be stars within the golden Canopy of heaven: return, return into the bloody fields of war, and spend not the honour of your times in this ceremonious manner: for great things by you must be accomplished, such as in time to come shall fill large Chronicles, and cause babes as yet unborn to speak of your honourable atchiuements.  
And you chaste Maidens that spend your lives in service of your God, even by the plighted promise you have made to true virginity, I charge you to furnish forth these warlike Champions with such approved furniture as hath been offered to this blessed Sepulchre, by those traveling Knights, which have fought under the Banner of Christ. This is the pleasure of the heavens great Guider, and this for the redress of wronged Innocents' in earth must be with all immediate dispatch forthwith accomplished.  
This unexpected voice had no sooner ended, but the Temple (in their conceits) seemed full strangely to resound like the melody of celestial Angels▪ or the holy harmony of the heavenly Rubens, as a sign that the Gods were pleased at their proceedings: then the twelve Virgins arose from their divine contemplations and conducted the seven Champions to the farther side of mount Zion, and there bestowed frankly upon them, seven of the bravest steeds that ever they beheld, with Martial furniture answerable thereunto, befitting knights of such esteem: then the christian Champions being proud of their good fortunes, attired themselves in rich and sumptious corselets, and after mounted upon their warlike coursers, kindly bidding the Ladies adieu: they betook them to the world's wide journey. This travel began at that time of the year, when the summers queen began to spread her beauteous mantles amongst the green and fresh boughs of the high and mighty Cedars, when as all kind of small birds flew round about, recreating themselves in the beauty of the day, and with their well tuned notes, making a sweet and heavenly melody: at that time I say, these mighty and well esteemed knights the seven Champions of Christendom, took the way from jerusalem, which they thought to be most used: in which they had not many days traveled through the deserts and ever many a mountain top, but they were marvelously troubled for lack of their accustomed and daily victuals, and could not hide nor dissemble their great hunger, so that the war which they sustained with hunger, was far greater than the battles that they had fought against the enemies of Christ, as you heard discoursed in the first part of this History.  
So upon a summers evening, when they had spent the day in great extremity, and night grew on, being in a thicket of mighty trees, where as the silver Moon with her bright beams glistered most clearly, yet to them it seemed to be as dark as pitch, for they were very sore troubled for lack of that which should sustain them: and their faces did show and declare the perplexities of their stomachs.  
So they sat them down upon the green and fresh herbs, very pensive of their extreme necessity, procuring to take their rests that night: but all was in vain, for that their corporal necessities would not consent thereunto: but without sleeping they walked up and down for that night, till the next day in the morning that they turned to their accustomed travel and journey, thinking to find some food for the cherishing of their stomachs, and had their eyes always gazing about, to espy some village or house, wherein they might satisfy their hunger and take their rests.  
Thus in this helpless manner spent they away the next day, till the closing in of the evenings light, by which time they grew so faint, that they fell to the ground with feebleness: Oh what a sorrow was it to Saint George, not only for himself, but to see the rest of the Champions in such a miserable case, being not able to help themselves, and so parting a little from them, he lamented in this manner following.  
Thou God of judea: in whose hands both life and death remains, and at whose frowns the low foundation of the fastened will tremble and quake: the outrageous Seas swell and rise above their bounds, the woods and wilderness rose with tempestuous guses, and the fruitful earth grow barren. Oh pity me thou most gracious God: thou mightiest amongst the powers of heaven: thou that hast given me so many victories: thou that hast made me conqueror of Kings and kingdoms: and thou by whose invincible power I have tamed the black-faste furies of dark Cositus that masked abroad the world in humane shapes: look down I say from thy Imperial seat, even by my Pilgrimage unto thy Sacred shrine: show me some fovor, and do not consent that I and my company perish for hunger & want of victuals: make no delay to remedy our great necessity: let us not be meat for birds hovering in the air, nor our bodies cast as a pray for ravenous beasts ranging in th●se woods: but rather if we must needs perish, let us die by the hands of the strongest warriors in the universal world, and not ●asely to lose our lives with cowardly hunger.  
These and such like reasons uttered this valiant Champion of England, till such time as the day appeared and the sable curtains of coal black night were withdrawn. Then returned he to the rest of his Company, where he found them very weak and feeble: but he encouraged them in the best manner he could devise to take their horses, and to try the chance of their utmost unkind fortune.  
Although Saint George as they traveled was ready to die by the way, and in great confusion of mind: yet road he first to one then to another, comforting them, and making them ride apace: which they might very well do, for that their horses were not so unprovided as their Masters, by reason of the goodly grass that grew in those Woods, wherewith at pleasure they filled themselves every night.  
The golden Sun had almost mounted to the top of heaven, and the glorious prime of the day began to approach, when they came into a great field very plain, and in the midst of it was a little Mountain, out of the which there appeared a great smoke which gave them to understand that there should be some habitation in that place.  
Then the Princely minded Saint George said to the other Champions: Take comfort with yourselves, and by little and little come forward with an easy pace: for I will ride before to see who shall be our host this ensuing night. And of this brave Knights and Companions, be all assured, whether he be pleased or no, yet shall he give us lodging and entertain us like to traveling Knights, and therewithal he set spurs to his horse, and swiftly scoured away like to a ship with swelling sails upon the marble coloured Ocean: his haste was so speedy that in a short time he approached the mountain, where at the fury & rushing of his horse in running, there arose from the ground a mighty and terrible Giant, of so great height, that he seemed to be a big grown tree, and for hugeness like to a rock of stone: but when he cast his staring eyes upon the English knight: which seemed like two brazen plates or two torches ever flaming, he laid hand upon a mighty club of Iron which lay by him, and came with great lightness to meet Saint George, but when he approached his presence, he thought him to be a Knight but of small valour and fortitude, he threw away his Iron bat, and came towards the champion, intending with his fists and buffets to beat out his brains, but the courage of the English champion so exceeded, that he forgot the extremity of hunger, for like a courageous knight he raised himself in his stirrups, otherwise he could not reach his head, and gave him such a blow upon the forehead with his keen edged falchion, that he cut his head half in sunder, and his brains in great abundance ran down his deformed body: so that amazed he fell to the ground and presently died. His fall seemed to make the ground to shake, as though a stony tower had been overturnd, for as he lay upon the earth, he seemed to be a great oak blown up by the roots with a tempestuous whirlwind.  
At that instant the rest of the champions came to that place, with as much joy at that present, as before they were sad and sorrowful.  
But when Saint Denis with the other knights, did see the greatness of the Giant, and the deformity of his body, they advanced his valour beyond imagination, and deemed him the fortunatest Champion that ever nature framed, holding that adventure in as high honour, as the Grecians held jasons prize when he turned from Colchos with Medea's golden Fleece: and with as great danger accomplished as the twelve fearful labours of Hercules: but after some few speeches passed, Saint George desired the rest of the Champions to go and see what store of victuals the Giant had prepared for them.  
Upon this they concluded, and so generally entered the Giant's house, which was in the manner of a great Barn cut out of the hard stone, and wrought out of the Rock: therein they found a mighty copper Chauldron standing upon a treavet of steel, the feet and supporters thereof, were as big as great Iron pillars: under the same burned such a huge flaming fire, that it sparkeled like the fiery Furnace in burning Acheron:  
Within the Cauldron were boiling the flesh of two f●tte Bullocks, prepared only for the Giants dinner: the sight of this ensuing banquet gave them such comfort, that everyone fell to work, hoping for their travel to eat part of the meat: one turned the beef in the Cauldron, another increased the fire, and some pulled out the coals, so that there was not any idle in hope of the benefit to come.  
The hunger they had, and their desire to eat, caused them to fall to their meat before it was half ready as though that it had been over-sodden; but the two knights of Wales and Ireland, not intending to dine without bread and drink, searched in a secret hollow cave, whereas they found two great loaves of bread, as big in compass as the circle of a well, and two great Flagons full of the best Beer that ever they tasted, the which with great joy and pleasure, they brought from the cave, to the great and exceeding contentment of the other Champions.  
In stead of a knife to cut their victuals, Saint George used his Curtulaxe which lately had been stained with the hateful Giants de●ested blood, and that had been embrewed with his loathsome brains.  
Thus and after this manner qualified they the pinching pains and torments of hunger, whereof they took as joyful a repast as if they had banqueted in the richest Kings Palace in the world.  
So giving thanks to heaven for their good and happy fortunes, Saint George requested the Chompiens to take horse, and mounted himself upon his palfrey, and so traveled from thence thorough a narrow path, which seemed to be used by the Giant: and so with great diligence they traveled all the rest of that day, till night had closed in the beauty of the heavens: at which time they had got to the top of a high mountain, from whence a little before night they did discover marvelous great and plains, the which were inhabited with fair Cities and towns, at which sight these Christian Champions receiu●d great contentment and joy, and so without any staying, they made hast onwards on their journey till such time as they came to a low valley lying betwixt two running rivers: where in the midst of the way they found an Image of fine Crystal, the picture & lively form of a beautiful Virgin, which seemed to be wrought by the hands of some most excellent workman, all to be spotted with blood.  
And it appeared by the wounds that were cunningly form in the same picture, that it was the image of some Lady that had suffered torments, aswell with terrible cuf●ings of irons, as with cruel whip: the Lady's legs and arms did seem as though they had been martyred and wrung with cords: and about the neck, as though she had been forcibly strangled with a napkin or towel: the crystal Picture lay upon a rich adorned bed of black clothes under an arbour of purple Roses: by the curious fair form Image, sat a goodly aged man in a chair of cypress wood, his attire was after the manner of the Arcadian shepherds not curious but comely, yet of a black and s●ble colour, as a sure sign of some deadly discontent▪ his hair hung down below his shoulders, like untwisted silk, in whiteness like down of thistles, his beard over grown dangling down, as it were frozen Isickles upon a hawthorn tree, his face wrinkled and overworn with age and his eyes almost blind in bewraying the griefs and sorrows of his heart.  
Which strange and woeful spectacle, when the christian champions vigilantly beheld, they could not by any manner of means refrain from shedding some sorrowful tears, in seeing before them that a woman of such excellent beauty should be oppressed with cruelty. But the pitiful English Knight had the greatest compassion, when he beheld the counterfeit of this tormented creature, who taking truce with his sorrowful heart, he courteously desired the old Father, sitting by this spectacle, the cause of his sorrow, and the true discourse of that maidens passed fortunes: for whose sake he seemed to spend his days in that solitary order, to whom the old man with a number of sighs thus kindly replied, brave knights, for so you seem by your courtesies and behaviours, to tell the story of my bitter woes, and the causer of my endless sorrows, will constrain a spring of tears to trickle from the Conduits of my aged eyes, and make the mansion of my heart to rive in twain, in remembering of my undeserved miseries: as many drops of blood hath fallen from my heart as there be silver hairs upon my head, and as many sighs have I strained from my breast as there be minutes in a year, for thrice seven hundred times the morning's dew hath wet my silver hairs, and thrice seven hundred times the winter's frosts hath nipped the mountain tops since first I made these rueful lamentations, during all which time I have set before this crystal Image, hourly praying that some courteous Knight would be so kind, as to aid me in my vowed revenge, and now fortune I see hath smiled upon me, in sending you hither to work a just cevenge for the inhuman murder of my daughter, whose perfect Image lieth here carved in fine Crystal, as the continual object of my grief: and because you shall understand the true discourse of her timeless Tragedy, I have writ that down in a paper book with mine own blood, the which my faintful tongue is not able to reveal, and thereupon he pulled from his bosom a golden covered book with silver clasps, and requested Saint George to read it to the rest of the knights, to which he willingly condescended, so sitting down amongst the other Champions upon the green springing grass, he opened the bloody written book and read over the contents, which contained these sorrowful words following.   

CHAP. VI  
What happened to the Champions, after they ha● found an Image of fine Crystal, in the form of a murdered Maiden: where Saint G●orge had a golden Book given him, wherein was written in blood, the true Tragedy's of two Sisters: and likewise how the Champions intended a speedy revenge upon the Knight of the black Castle, for the deaths of the two Ladies.  
IN former times whilst Fortune smiled upon me, I was a wealthy Shepherd, dwelling in this unhappy Country, not only held in great estimation for my wealth, but also for two fair Daughters which nature had mad most excellent in beauty: in whom I took such exceeding joy & delight, that I accounted them my chiefest happiness: but yet in the end, that which I thought should most content me, was the occasion of this my endless sorrows.  
My two Daughters (as I said before) were endued with wonderful beauty, and accompanied with no less honesty: the fame of whose virtues was so blazed into many parts of the world: by reason whereof, there repaired to my shepherds Cottage, divers strange and worthy Knights, with great desire to marry with my Daughters. But above them all, there was one named Leoger, the knight of the black Castle (wherein he now remaineth) being in distance from this place some two hundredth leagues, in an Island encompassed with the sea.  
This Leoger I say, being so entrapped with the beauty of my Daughters, that he desired me to give him one of them in marriage: but ● little mistrusting his treason and cruelty that after followed, but rather considering the great honour that might redound thereof, for that he was a worthy knight and of much fortitude: I quickly fulfilled his desire, and granted to him my eldest Daughter in marriage: where after that H●meus holy rites were solemnized, in great pomp and state she was conducted in company of her new wedded Lord, to the black Castle, more li●●r a Princess in estate then a shepherd's daughter of such degree:  
But yet still I retained in my company the youngest, being of far more beauty than her elder Sister: of which, this traitorous and unnatural knight was informed and her surpassing beauty so extolled, that in a small time he forgot his new married wife, and sweet companion, and wholly surrendered himself to her love, without consideration that he had married her other sister So this disordinate and lustful love, kindled and increased in him every day more and more, and he was so troubled with this new desire, that he daily devised with himself by what means he might obtain her, and keep her in despite of all the World: in the end he used this policy and deceit to get her home into his Castle, for when the time grew on that my eldest daughter his wife, should be delivered, he came in great pomp with a stately train of followers to my cottage, and certified me that his wife was delivered of a goodly ●oy, and thereupon requestest me with very fair and loving words, that I would let my daughter go unto her sister, to give her that contentment which she desired, for she did love her more dear 〈◊〉 then her own soul: Thus his crafty and subtle persuasions so much prevailed, that I could not frame any excuse to the contrary, but must needs consent to his demand, so strait way when he had in his power, that which his soul so much desired, he presently departed, giving me to understand that he would carry her to his wife, for whose sight she had so much desired, and at whose coming she would receive great joy and contentment, her sudden departure bred such sorrow in my heart (●eing the only comfort and stay of my declined age) that the fountains of my eyes reigned down a shower of Salt tears upon my aged breast, so dear is the love of a father unto his child: but to be short, when this lustful minded caitiff with his pompious train came in sight of his Castle, he commanded his company to ride forwards that with my daughter he might secretly confer of serious matters, and so staid lingering behind, till he saw his company almost out of sight▪ and they two alone together, he found opportunity to accomplish his lustful desires, and so road into a little grove, which was hard at hand, close by a rivers side, where without any more tarrying he carried her into the thickest part thereof, where he thought it most convenient to perform so wicked a deed.  
When he beheld the branches of the thick trees to withhold the light of heaven from them, and that it seemed a place overspread with the sable mantles of night, he alighted from his horse, and willed my well-beloved daughter that she should likewise alight: she in whose heart reigned no kind of suspicion, presently alighted, and sat her down by the rivers side, and washed her fair white hands in the streams, and refreshed her mouth with the crystal waters.  
Then this dissembling Traitor could no longer refrain, but with a countenance like the lustful King of Thrace when he intended the ravishment of Progne, or like Tarqvinius of Roam when he deflowered Lucretia, he let her understand by some outward shows, and dark sentences the kindled fire of love that burned in his heart: and in the end he did wholly declare his devilish pretence and determined purpose.  
So my loving daughter being troubled in mind with his lustful assaylements began in manner to reprehend him, will you (said she defile my sister's bed, and stain the honour of your house with lust: will you bereave me of that precious jewel, the which I hold more dearer than my life, and blot my true virginity with your false desires: brought you me from the comfortable sight of my Father, to be a joy unto my Sister, and will you flourish in the spoil of my true chastity? look, look, imoderate Knight, (I will not call thee brother) look I say how the heavens do blush at thy attempts, and see how chaste Diana sits upon the winged firmaments, and threatens vengeance for her virgins sake: wash from thy heart these lustful thoughts with showers of thy repentant tears and seek not thus to wrong thy marriage bed, the which thou oughst not to violate for all the kingdoms in the World.  
Then this accursed Knight, seeing the chaste and virtuous maiden, to stand so boldly in the defence of her virginity, with his rigorous hand he took fast hold by her neck, and with a wrathful countenance he delivered these words: do not think stubborn damsel to preserve thy honour from the stain of my desires, for I swear by the crystal Towers of Heaven, either to accomplish my intent, or put thee unto the cruelest death that ever was devised for any damsel or maid: at which words, the most sorrowful and disstressed Virgin, with a shower of Pearled tears, trickling down her seemly blushing cheeks, replied in this order. Think not false Traitor (quoth she) that fear of death shall cause me to yield to thy filthy desires: no, no, I will account that stroke ten times happy, and more welcome to my soul, than the joys of wedlock: then might I walk in the Elysian fields amongst those dames that died true virgins, and live to behold the bud of my maidens glory, withered with the nipping frosts of thy unnatural desires.  
These words being well understood by the lustful knight, who with a countenance more furious than the savage Lions in the Deserts of Libya, took her by the slender waste, and rigorously dashed her body against the ground, and therewithal spoke these words. Understand s●id he, and be well persuaded, thou unrelenting damsel, that either living or dead, I will perform my will and pretended purpose for in my heart there burns a fire that all the water in the Seas can never quench, nor all the dri●●ing clouds of heaven, if they should drop eternal showers of rain: but it is the water of thy sweet Uirginity that must quench my furious burning love: and thereupon in a madness he cut off a great part of the train of her gown, and bound it very fast to the hair of her head, which glisteren like to golden wires, and dragged her up and down the grove till the green grass turned to a purple colour, with the blood that issued from her body: by which cruelty he thought to enforce her to his pleasure, but she respecting not his wicked cruelty, and the more he procured to torment her, the more earnestly she defended her honour.  
When this cruel and inhuman monster, saw that neither his flattering speeches, nor his cruel threats were of sufficiency to prevail, he began to forget all faith and loyalty he ought unto the honour of Knighthood, and the respect he should bear unto women kind, but blasphemed against heaven, and tearing her clothes all to pieces, he stripped her stark naked, and with the haynes of the bridle of his horse, he cruelly whipped and scourged her white and tender bac●e, that it was full of blue spo●tes, and horrible circles of black and settled blood, with such extreme cruelty that it was a very grievous and sorrowful sight to behold. And yet this did profit him nothing at all, for she continued in her former resolution.  
He seeing that she still perseverd in the defence of her honour, he strait ways like a bloody monster, heaped cruelty upon cruelty: then he took and bound her well proportioned legs and christeline arms▪ grievously unto a withered tree (saying). Oh cruel and more cruel, than any woman in all the world hath ever been: why dost then suffer thyself to be thus tormented, and not g●ue consent to procure my ease? Dost thou think it better to endure this martyrdom, then to live a most loving, sweet and contented life: and therewithal his anger so increased that he stood staring on her face with his accursed eyes, fixed in such sort that he could not withdraw them back.  
The which being perceived by this distressed Virgin, as one far more desirous of death then of life, with a furious voice she said: Oh thou traitor, thou wicked monster, thou utter enemy to all humanity, thou shameless creature more cruel than the Lions in the deserts of Hercania: thou stain of Knighthood and the blondiest wretch that ever nature framed in the world, wherein dost thou contemplate thus thyself? thou fleshly butcher, thou unmerciful Tiger, thou lecherous hog, and dishonorer of thy progen●e: make an end (I say) of these my torments, for it is now too late to repent thee, gore my unspotted breast with thy bloody weapon, and send my soul into the bosom of Di●na, whom I behold sitting in the celestial palace of heaven, accompanied with numberless troops of vestal Virgins, ready to entertain my bleeding ghost into her glorious Mansion.  
This unpitifull knight seeing the steadfastness that she had in the defence of her honour, with a cruel and infernal heart he took a silken scarf which the Damsel had girded at her waste, and with a brutal anger doubled it about her neck, and pinched it so strait that her soul departed from her terrestrical body.  
O you valiant Knights that by your prows comes to the reading of this dismal Tragedy, and comes to the hearing of these bloody lines, contained in this golden book: consider the great constancy and chastity of this unfortunate maiden, and let the grief thereof move you to take vengeance of this cruelty showed without any desert.  
So when this infernal minded Knight saw that she was dead, he took his horse and road after his company, and in a short time he over took them, and looked with so furious and Ireful a countenance, that there was none durst be so hardy to ask him where my daughter was, but one of his Squires that bore me great affection for the kindness and courtesy I ostended to him at his Ladies and my daughter's nuptials, having a suspicion by the great alteration that appeared in his Master: and being very desirous to know what was become of the damsel for that he came alone without bringing the Damsel with him, neither could he have any sight of her: he then presently withdraw himself back, and followed the footings of the horse, he ceased not until he came to the place where this cruelty was wrought, whereas he found the maiden dead, at the view whereof he remained almost beside himself, in such sort that he had almost fallen to the ground: The sorrowful Squire remained a good while before he could speak, but at last when he came again to himself, he began with a dolorous complaint, crying out against the gods and fortune, because they had suffered so great a cruelty to be committed upon this damsel.  
And making this sorrowful lamentation, he unloosed her from the tree, and laid her naked body upon part of her apparel, the which he found lying by, all besmeared in blood, and afterward complained in this pitiful sort.  
O cruel Knight (quoth he) what an infernal heart remained in thy breast, or what hellish fury did bear thee company that thy hands hath committed this inhuman sacrifice? was it not sufficient that this her surmounted beauty might have moved thee to pity, when it is of power to move the bloody Camibal to remorse, and constrain the savage monsters to relent? so with these and other like sorrowful words that the woeful Squire spoke unto the dead corpses, he cut down branches from the trees, and gathered grass from the ground for to cover the body, and left it lying so, that it seemed to be a mountain of green grass, or a thicket of springing trees, and then determined with himself in the best manner that he could, to dissemble the knowledge of the bloody fact, he took his horse and went the way towards the Castle, in which he road so fast that he overtook the Knight and his company at the entering of the gates, whereas the lustful tyrant alighted, and without speaking to any person, he entered into his closet, by reason whereof, this kind and courteous Squire had time to declare all things he had seen to the new married Lady, and the dolorous end of the constant Damsel her Sister. This sudden and unlooked for sorrow mixed with anger and wrath, was such in the Lady that she caused the Squire not to departed from the Castle, until such time as more occasion served, and to keep all things in secret that he had seen, and she herself remained, making marvelous and great lamentations to herself all in secret, for that she would not be perceived, yet with a soft voice she said.  
Oh unfortunate Lady▪ borne in a sorrowful hour, when some blazing and unlucky Comette reigned: oh unhappy Destinies, that made me wife unto so cruel a knight, whose foul mis●déedes hath made the very Elements to blush, but yet I know that Fortune will not be so far unkind, but that she will procure to take a strange revenge upon his purple-stayned soul: oh you immortal Gods, revenge me on this wicked Homicide: if not, I do swear that I will with mine own hands put in practise such an enterprise, and so stain my unspotted heart with wilful murder, that all the Gods above and all the bright celestial powers of heaven, shall look from their immortal Palace and tremble at the terror of my hate.  
This being said, she took in her hand a Dagger of the knights, and in her arms her young son, being but of the age of forty days (saying) now do I wish so much evil unto the world, that I will not leave the son of so wicked a father alive, but I will wash my hands in their accursed bloods, if they were in number to King Priam's children: and so in this ireful order entered she the chamber where the knight her husband was, and finding him tumbling upon his bed from the one side to the other, with out taking any rest, but in his fury renting and tearing the silken Ornaments, with a sorrowful weeping and terrible voice she called him Traitor: and like a fierce Tigress, with the Dagger that she brought in her hand, before his face she cut the throat of the innocent Babe, and threw it to him on the bed, and therewithal said: take there (thou cruel Traitor) the fruit that thy wicked seed created in my body, and then threw she the Dagger after him in hope to have killed him: but Fortune would not that it should take effect, for it struck against the testern of the bed, and rebounded back unto her hands, which when the Lady saw that it nothing prevailed, she returned upon herself her outrageous fury: so taking the bloody Dagger she thrust it to her heart, in such sort, that it parted it in two pieces, and so she fell down dead betwixt his arms, that was the occasion of all this bloody cruelty.  
The great sorrow that this false and unhappy knight received was so strange, that he knew not what counsel to take: but thinking upon a severe vengeance that might succeed these cruel acts, he strait ways procured that the body of the Lady, should be securely buried, which being done by himself in the saddest time of the night, in a solitary garden under his castlewall, where he heard a hollows voice breath from the ●●epest vawltes of the earth, these manner of speeches following.  
That for the bloody fact which he so lately had committed, his life drew near to a shameful end: and that his Castle with all his treasure therein, should be destroyed or fall into the hands of him whose Daughters he had so cruelly murdered.  
After this, he determined to use a secret policy: which was,, to set watch and ward in every passage near unto his Castle, and to arrest all such travelers, as by adventure landed upon that Island, not suffering them to pass until such time as they had promised him by oath to aid and assist him even unto death, against all his enemies:  
In the mean time, the aforenamed Squire which had seen and heard all the tragical dealings that hath been here declared, in the best wise he could, returned again unto my cottage & told me all that you have heard, which was unto me very sorrowful and heavy news: judge here then gentle knights and ye beholders of this woeful tragedy, what sorrow I unfortunate wretch sustained, and what angwish I received: for at the hearing thereof, I fell into a senseless sound, and being come again unto myself, I all to besmeared my milk white hair in dust, that before were as clear as the tried silver, and with my tears being the true sings of sorrow, I bathed the bosom of my mother earth, and sighs pressed with such abundance from my tormented heart, that they staid the passage of my speech, and my tongue could not reveal the grief that my woeful thoughts conceived.  
In this dumb silence and sorrow of mind I remained three days and three nights, numbering my silent passions with the minutes of the day, and my mighty griefs, with the stars of heaven, when frosty bearded winter hath clad the elements with twinkling Diamons': but at last, when my amazed griefs were something abated, my eyes (almost blind with weeping) required some sleep thereby to mitigate the sorrows of my heart: I made my repair into a pleasant meadow adjoining near unto my cottage, where amongst the green springing downs I purposed to take some rest, and to lock up the closerts of my tearful eyes with golden slumbers, thinking it to be the greatest content my sobbing heart required: But before I could settle my senses to a quiet sleep, I was constrained to breathe this woeful lamentation from my oppressed soul: O unhappy chance (quoth I) O cruel fortune: why didst thou not make me pass this bitter and sorrowful life in my childhood, or why did not the heavens permit and suffer me to be strangled in my mother's womb, or to have perished in my cradle, or at my nurse's pap? then had my heart never felt this sorrow, my ears never heard the murder of my children, nor mine eyes never to have wept so many helpless tears.  
O you mountains, you untamed beasts: O you deep Seas, you lustful heavens, and you powers of revengeful hell: come all I say and willingly assist me in this mortal Tragedy, that these my aged hands which never yet practist any heinous crime, may now be stained in his accursed blood, that hath bereaved me of the prop and stay of declined age, my daughters (I mean) whose bleeding ghosts will never be appeased, nor never sleep in quiet upon the joyful banks of Elysian fields, but wander up and down the world, filling each corner of the earth with fearful clamours of murder and revenge, nor never shall the furies of my angry soul be pacified, until my eyes behold a stream of purple gore run trickling from the detestable breast of that accursed ravisher, and that the blood may issue from his guilty heart like a fountain with a hundred springs, whereby the pavements of his Castle may be sprinkled with the fame, and the walls of his Turrettes coloured with a crimson hue, like to the streets of Troy, when as her channels ran with bloud● at the end of this sorrowful lamentation, what for grief, and what for want of natural rest, my eyes closed together and my senses fell into a heavy sleep.  
But as I say: slumbering in the green meadows, I dreamt that there was a great and fierce wild man, which stood before me with a sharp faushion in his hand, making as though he would kill me, whereat me thought I was so frighted, that I gave (in my troublesome dreams) many terrible shréekes, calling for succour to the empty air. Then me thought there apperred before my face a company of courteous Knights, which said unto me, fear not old man, for we be come from the souls of thy daughters to aid and secure thee, but yet for all this, the wild man vanished not away, but stroke with his faushion upon my breast, whereat it s●●med to open, and how that the wild centaur put his hand into the wound and pulled out my heart, so strait at the same instant me thought that one of the Knights likewise laid hold upon my heart, and strove together with much contention who should pull it from the others hands, but in the end each of them remained with a piece in his hand, and my heart parted in two.  
Then the piece which remained in the wild man's power turned into a hard stone, and the piece which remained in the power of the Knight, converted into red blood, and so they vanished away.  
Then strait after this there appeared before my eyes the Image of my murdered daughter in the self same manner and form as you behold her here portrayed, who with a naked body all besmeared in blood, reported unto me the true discourse of her unhappy fortunes, and told me in what place, and where her body lay in the woods dishonoured for want of burial: Also desiring me not of myself to attempt the revengement, for it was impossible, but to entomb her corpses by her mother▪ and cause the picture of her body to be most lively portrayed and wrought of fine crystal in the same manner that I found it in the woods, and after erect it near unto a common passage, where adventurous Knights do usually travail. Also assuring me that thither should come certain christian Champions that should revenge my injuries and inhuman murder.  
Which words being finished, me thought she vanished away, with a grievous and heavy groan, leaving behind her certain drops of blood sprinkled upon the grass: Whereat with great perplexity and more sorrow I awaked out of my dream, bearing it in my grievous mind, not revealing it, not so much as to the brittle air, but with all expedition performing her bleeding souls request.  
Where ever since most courteous and noble Knights, I have here lamented her untimely death and my unhappy fortune, spending the time in writing her doleful Tragedy in blood red lines, the which I know to your great grief, you have read in this book of gold.  
Therefore most courteous Knights if ever honour encouraged you to fight in Noble adventures, I now most earnestly entreat you with your magnanimous fortitudes to assist me to take revengement, for the great cruelty that hath been used against my unfortunate daughter. At the reading of this sorrowful history, Saint George with the other Champions did shed many tears, wherewith there did increase in them a further desire of revengement, and being moved with great compassion, they protested by their promises made to the honour of Knighthood, to persever speedily on their vowed revenge and determined purpose: also calling heaven to be witness to their plighted oaths, protesting that sooner should the lives of all the famous Romans' be raised from death from the time of Romulus to Caeser, and all the rest unto this time, then to be persuaded to return from their promises, and never to travel back into Christendom till they had performed their vows, and thus burning with desire, to see the end of this sorrowful adventure: Saint George clapped up the bloody written book, and gave it again to the Shepherd, and so they proceeded forwards towards the Island where the Knight of the black Castle had his residence, guided only by the direction of the old man, whose aged limbs seemed so lusty in traveling that it prognosticated a lucky event: In which journey we will leave the Champions for a time, with the wonderful provision that the Knight of the black Castle made in his defence, the success whereof will be the strangest that ever was reported, and return and speak of Saint George's three Sons in the pursuit of their Father where we left them (as you heard before) traveling from the Confines of Barbary where they redeemed the Normaine Lady from the Tawny Moors.   

CHAP. VI  
A wonderful and strange adventure that happened to Saint George his Sons, in the pursuit of their Father, by finding certain drops of blood, with Virgin's hair scattered in the fields, and how they were certified of the injurious dealing of the Knight of the black Castle against the Queen of Armenia.  
MAny and dangerous were the adventures of the three valiant Princes in the pursuit of their father Saint George, and many were the Countries, islands, and Princes Courts, that they searched to obtain a wished sight of his martial countenance, but all to small purpose, for fortune neither cast them happily upon that coast, where he with his famous Champions had their residence, nor luckily sounded in their ears the places of their arrivals.  
In which pursuit I omit and pass over many Noble adventures that these three Princes achieved, as well upon the raging ocians as upon the firm Land, and wholly discourse upon an accident that happened to them in an Island bordering upon the confines of Armenia, near unto the Island where the Knight of the black Castle remained as you heard in the last Chapter, upon which coast after they were arrived, they traveled in a broad and strait path until such time as they came to a very fair and delectable forest, where as sundry chirping birds had gathered themselves together, to refresh and shroud themselves from the parching heat of the golden Sun: filling the air with the pleasures of their silver tuned notes.  
In this Forest they traveled almost two hours, and then they went up to a small mountain which was at hand, from the which they discovered very fair and well towered towns with Princely palaces very sumptuous to behold: likewise they discovered from the Hill a fair fountain wrought all of marble like unto a Pill●r, out of which did proceed four spouts running with water, which fell into a great Cistern, and coming to it they washed their hands and ref●eshed their faces, and so departed.  
After they looked round about them on every side, and toward their right hands they espied amongst a company of green trees, a small Tent of black cloth, towards which these young Princes directed their courses with an easy pace, but when they had entered the Tent, and saw no body therein, they remained silent a while, hearkening if they could hear any sturing, but they could neither see nor hear any thing, but only they found the print of certain little feet upon the same, which caused them more earnestly to desire to know whose foot steps they were, for that they seemed to be of some Ladies or Damsels: so finding the trace they followed them▪ and the more the knights followed, the more the Ladies seemed to haste: so long they pursued after the trace, that at the end they approached a little mountain whereas they found scattered about, certain locks of yellow hair, which seemed to be thirds of gold, and stooping to gather them up, they perceived that some of them were wet with spots of blood, whereby they well understood, that in great anger they were pulled from some Lady's head: like wise they saw in divers places how the earth was spotted with drops of crimson blood: then with a more desire than they had before, they went up to the top of that little mountain, and having lost the footsteps, they recovered it again by gathering up the hair, where they had not traveled far up the mountain, but towards the water's side they heard a grievous complaint, which seemed to be the voice of a woman in great distress, and the words which the knights did understand were these: O love, now shalt thou no more rejoice nor have any longer dominion over me, for death I see is ready to cut my third of life and finish these my sorrowful lamentations how often have I asked revengement at the powers of heaven against that wicked wretch that hath been the causer of my banishment, but yet they will not hear my request: how oft have I made my sad complaints to hell? yet hath the fatal furies stopped their ears against my woeful cries. And with this she held her peace, giving a sorrowful sigh: which being done, the three christian knights turned their eyes to the place from whence they heard this complaint, and discovered amongst certain green trees a Lady who was endued with singular beauty, being so excellent that it almost deprived them of their hearts & captivated their senses in the snares of love, which liberty as yet they never lost: she had her hair about her ears, which hung defusedly down her comely shoulders, through the violence she used against herself, and leaning her cheek upon her delicate white hand that was all to be spotted with blood, which was constrained by the scratching of her nails upon her Rosy coloured face: by her stood another damsel which they conjectured to be her daughter for she was clad in virgin coloured silk mor whiter than the lilies of the fields: and as pleasant to behold as the glistering Moon in a clear winter's fréezing night: yet for all this delectable sight, the three princely knights would not discover themselves but stood closely behind the three pine trees which grew near unto the mountain to hear the event of this accident, but as they stood cloaked in silence, they heard her thus to confer with her beautiful daughter. Oh my Rosana (quoth she) the unhappy figure of him, that without pity hath wounded my heart and left me comfortless with the greatest cruelty that ever knight or gentleman left Lady: how hath it been possible that I have had the force to bring up the child of such a father which hath bereaved me of my liberty? O you sovereign gods of heaven, grant that I may establish in my mind the remembrance of the love of thy adulterous father: oh girl borne to a further grief, here do I desire the guider of thy fortunes, that thy glistering beauty may have such force and power, whereby the shining beams thereof may take revengement of the dishonour of thy mother: give ear dear child I say unto thy dying mother, thou that art born in the dishonour of thy generation, by the loss of my virginity, here do I charge thee upon my blessing, even at my hour of death, & swear thee by the omnipotent God of heaven, never to suffer thy beauty to be enjoyed by any one, until thy disloyal father's head be offered up in a sacrifice unto my grave, thereby somewhat to appease the fury of my discontented soul, and recover part of my former glory.  
These and such like words spoke this afflicted queen, to the wonderful amazement of the three young Knights, which as yet intended not to discover themselves, but to mark the event, for they conjectured that her woeful complaints were the induction of some strange accident: Thus as they stood obscurely behind the trees, they saw the young and beautiful Damsel give unto her dying mother, paper, pen and Ink, the which she pulled from her ivory bosom, wherewith the grieved queen subscribed certain sorrowful lines unto him that was the causer of her banishment: and making an end of her writing, they heard her (with a dying breath) speak unto her daughter these sorrowful words following. Come daughter (quoth she) behold thy Mother at her latest gasp, and imprint my dying request in thy heart as a table of brass, that it never may be forgotten, time will not give me longer respite, that with words I might show unto thee my deep affection's, for that I feel my death approaching and the fatal sisters ready to cut my third of life a sunder between the edges of their shires, insomuch that I most miserable creature do feel my soul trembling in my flesh, and my heart quivering at this my last and fatal hour, but one thing (my sweet and tender child) do I desire of thee before I die: which is, that thou wouldst procure that this letter may be given to that cruel knight thy disloyal father, giving him to understand of this my troublesome death, the occasion whereof was his unreasonable cruelty: and making an end of saying this, the miserable Queen fell down, not having any more strength to sit up, but let the letter fall out of her hand, the which her sorrowful daughter presently took up, and falling upon her mother's breast, she replied in this sorrowful manner. O my sweet mother tell me not that you will die, for it adds a torment more grievous unto my soul than the punishments which Danaus' daughters feel in hell, I would rather be torn in pieces by the fury of some merciless monster, or to have my heart parted in twain by the hands of him that is my greatest enemy, then to remain without your company, sweet mother let these my youthful years, and this my green budding beauty encourage you still to revive, and not to leave me comfortless like an exile in the world, but if the gloomy fates do triumph in your death, and abridge your breathing air of life, and that your soul must needs go wander in the Elysian shades with Trufas shadow and with Dido's ghost, here do I protest by the great and tender love I bear you, and by the due obedience that I own unto your age, either to deliver this your letter into the hands of my unkind father, or with these my ruthful fingers rend my heart in sunder, and before I will forget my vow, the silver streamed Tigris shall forsake her course, the sea her tides, and the glistering Queen of night her usual changes: neither shall any forgetfulness be an occasion to withdraw my mind from performing your dying requests: Then this weak Queen whose power and strength was wholly decayed, and that her hour of death drew near at hand, with a feeble voice she said. O you sacred & immortal Gods, and all you bright celestial powers of heaven, into your divine bosoms now do I commend my dying soul, ask no other revengment against the causer of my death, but that he may die like me, for want of love. After this the dead Queen never spoke word more, for at that instant, the cruel destinies gave end unto her life: but when Rosana perceived her to be dead and she left to the world devoid of comfort, she began to tear the golden trammels from her head, and most furiously to beat her white and ivory breast, filling the empty air with clamours of her moans, and making the skies like an echo to resound her lamentations, and at last taking her mother's letter in her hands, washing it with floods of tears, and putting it next unto her naked breast, she said: here lie thou near adjoining to my bleeding heart, never to be removed until I have performed my mother's dying testiment. O work and the last work of those her white and ivory hands: here do I swear by the honour of true Virgins, not to part it from my bleeding bosom until such time as love hath rend the disloyal heart of my unkind father, and in speaking this she kissed it a thousand times, breathing forth millions of sighs and strait with a blushing countenance as radiant as Aurora's glistering beams, she arose & said: what is this Rosana, dost thou think to recall thy mother's life with ceremonious complaints and not perform that which by her was commanded thee, arise, arise I say, gather unto thyself strength and courage, and wander up and down the world till thou hast found thy disloyal Father as thy true heart hath promised to do. These words being no sooner finished but Saint George's Sons like men whose hearts were almost overcome with grief, came from the pine trees and discovered themselves to the Damsel, and courteously requested her to discourse the story of all her passed mizeries, and as they were true christian knights they promised her (if it lay in their powers) to release her sorrows, and to give end unto her mizeries. This Rosana when she beheld these courteous and well d●meanur'd knights▪ which in her conceit carried relenting minds and how kindly they desired to be partners in her griefs, she stood not upon curious terms, nor upon vain exceptions, but most willingly condescended to their requests: so when they had prepared their ears to entertain her sad and sorrowful discourse, with a sober countenance, she began in this manner: Lately I was (quoth she whilst fortune smiled upon me the only child and daughter of this liveles Queen that you behold here lying dead, and she before my birth whilst heaven granted her prosperity was the maiden Queen of a Country called Armenia, adjoining near unto this unhappy Island whom in her young years when her beauty began to flourish, and her high renown to mount upon the wings of fame, she was entrapped with the golden bait of blind Cupid, & so entangled with the love of a disloyal knight, called the Knight of the black Castle, who after he had flourished in the spoil of her virginity, and had left his fruitful seed springing in her womb grew weary of his love, and most discurteously left her as a shame unto her Country, and a stain unto her kindred, and after gave himself to such lustful and lascivious manner of life, that he unlawfully married a shepherds daughter in a foreign land, and likewise ravished her own sister, and after committed her most in human slaughter in a solitary wood: this being done, he fortified himself in his black Castle, only consorted with a cunning Necromancer, whose skill in magic is so excellent, that all the knights in the world can never conquer the Castle, where ever since he hath remained in despite of the whole earth.  
But now speak I of the tragical story of my unhappy mother, when as I her unfortunate babe began first to struggle in her womb, wherein I would I had been strangled: she heard news of her knights ill demeanour, and how he had wholly given himself to the spoil of virginity, and had for ever left her love, never intending to return again, the grief whereof so troubled her mind, that she could not in any wise dissemble it, for upon a time being amongst her Ladies, calling to remembrance her spotted virginity, and the seed of dishonour planted in her womb, she felt into a wonderful and strange trance, as though she had been oppressed with sudden death, which when her Ladies and damsels beheld, they presently determined to unbrace her rich ornaments, and to carry her unto her bed, but she made signs with her hands that they should departed and leave her alone, whose commandment they straight way obeyed, not without great sorrow of them all, their loves were so dear. This afflicted Queen when she saw that she was alone, began to exclaim against her fortune, revealing the fates with bitter exclamations, O unconstant Queen of chance (said she) thou that hast warped such strange webs in my kingdom, thou that gavest my honour to that tyrants lust, which without all remorse hath left me comfortless, 'tis thou that didst constrain me to set my life to sale, & to sell my honour as it were with the crier, compelling me to do that which hath spotted my Princely estate, and stained my bright honour with black infamy: woe is me for my virginity, that which my parents gave me charge to have respect unto: but I have carelessly kept it, & smally regarded i●: I will therefore so chastise my body, for thus forgetting of myself, and be so revenged for the little regard that I have made of my honour, that it shall be an example to all noble Ladies and Princes of high estate.  
Oh miserable Queen, oh fond and unhappy Lady: thy speeches be too too foolish, for although thy desperate hand should pull out thy despised heart from thy bleeding breast, yet can it not make satisfaction for thy dishonour.  
Oh Heavens, why do you not cast some fiery thunderbolt down upon my head? or why doth not the earth gape and swallow my infamous body? Oh false and deceiving Lord, I would thy loving and amorous words had never been spoken: nor thy quick sighted eyes, never gazed upon my beauty: then had I flourished still with glory and renown, and lived a happy Virgin of chaste Diana's train.  
With these and other like lamentations, this grieved Queen passed away the time, till at last she felt her womb to grow big with child: at the which she received double pain, for that it was impossible to cover or hide it, and seeing herself in this case, like a woman hated and abhorred, she determined to discover herself publicly unto her subjects, and deliver her body unto them to be sacrificed unto their Gods: and with this determination, one day she caused certain of her Nobles to be sent for, who straightway fulfilled her commandment▪ but when she perceived her Lords, Knights and Gentlemen of honour came altogether before her, she covered herself with a rich rob and sat upon her bed in her private chamber, being so pale and lean, that all them that saw her had great compassion upon her sorrow: being all set round about her bed and keeping silence, she revealed to them the cause of her grief in this manner.  
My Lords (quoth she) I shame to intytle myself your Queen and Sovereign, in that I have defamed the honour of my Country, and little regarded the welfare of our Common wealth: my glistering crown me thinks is shadded with a cloud of black disgrace, and my Princely attire converted into unchaste habiliments, in which I have both lost the liberty of my heart, and withal my wont joy, and am now constrained to endure perpetual pain, and an ever pining death: For I have lost my honour, and recovered shame and infamy.  
To conclude, I have foregone the liberty of a Queen, and sold myself to a slavish sin, only mine own is the fault, and mine own shall be the punishment. Therefore without making any excuse, I here surrender up my body into your powers, for that you may as an (evil queen) sacrifice me unto our Gods: also that within my accursed womb, for now my Lords you shall understand, that I am dishonoured by the knight of the black Castle: he hath planted a vine within my fruitful garden, and sown a seed that hath made Armenia infamous: heit is that hath committed so many evils in the world: he it is that delights in virgins spoils, and he it is that hath bereaved me of my honour, but with my good will I must needs confess, and left me for a testimony of this my evil deed, big with child, by which my virgin's glory is converted to a monstrous scandal: and with this she made an end of her lamentable speech: And being grievously oppressed with the pain of her burdenous womb, she sat her down upon her rich bed, and attended their wills: but when these Earls, Lords and honourable personages that were present, had understood all that the Queen had said unto them, like men greatly amazed, they changed their colours from red to white, and from white to red, in sign of anger, and looking one upon an other, without speaking any word, but printing in their hearts the fault done by their Queen, to the great disgrace of their country, and so without any further consideration, they deprived her from all princely dignity, both of her Crown and regiment, and pronounced her perpetual banishment from Armenia, like subjects not to be governed by such a defamed Prince, that hath grafted the fruit of of such a wicked tree within her womb.  
So at the time appointed like a woman forlorn and hated of all companies, she stored herself sufficient with tre●sure, and betook herself to her appointed banishment, after whose departure the Armenians, elected them selves an other Prince, and left their lawful Queen windering in unknown islands, big with child devoid of succour and relief, where instead of her Princely bed covered with Canopies of silk, she took her nightly reposes upon the green grass, shadded with the sable curtains of heaven, and the nurses that were provided against her delivery were Nymphs and Fairies dancing in the night by Proserpina's commandment: thus in great grief continued she many days contenting herself with her appointed banishment, making her lamentations to the whispering winds, which seemed in her conceit to reansweare her complaints: at length the glistering moon had ten times borrowed light of the golden Phoebus, and the nights clear candle were now almost extinguished, by which time approached the hour of her laboursome travel, wherein only by the assistance of heaven she was delivered of me her unhappy daughter, where ever since I have been nourished by the divine powers of heaven, for many times when I came to yéeree of discretion, my woeful mother would discourse unto me this lamentable story of both our mizeries, the which I have most truly delared unto you.  
Likewise she told me that many times in my infancy, when she wanted milk in her breasts to nourish me, there would come a Lioness, and sometimes a she Bear and gently give me suck, and contrary to the nature of wild beasts, they would many times sport with, where by she conjectured that the immortal powers had preserved me for some strange fortune: likewise at my birth, nature had pictured upon my breast, directly betwixt my tender Paps ', the lively form of a purple Rose, which as yet doth beautify my bosom with a vermilion colour: and this was the cause that my mother named me Rosana, answerable to nature's mark.  
After this we lived many a year in great distress, penury and want, soliciting heaven to redress our woes, more oftener than we had lived hours: the abundance of our tears might suffice to make a watery sea, and our sighs in number to countervail the stars of heaven: but at last the fatal sisters listed to my mother's moans & to my great sorrow, deprived her of her life, where now I am left a comfortless Orphan to the world, attending the time until that heaven send some courteous Knight that may conduct me to that black Castle where my disloyal father hath his residence, that I might there perform my mother's dying will: these words being finished, Rosana stood silent, for that her extreme grief hindered the passage of her tongue, and her eyes reigned such a shower of pearled tears upon the liveles body of her mother, that it constrained Saint George's Sons to express the like sorrow: but after they had let fall a few salt tears down from their sad eyes, and had taken truce for a time with ●riefe, they took Rosana by the hand, (which before that time never touched the body of any man) and protested never to departed from her company till they had safely delivered her into the black Castle.  
After this when the Christian Knights had pitifully bewailed the mizerie and untimely death of her mother, they took their daggers and digged a deep grave under a bay tree and buried her body, that hungry ravens might never seize upon it, or furious beasts tear it in pieces, nor ravenous Harpies devour it: and after with the point of their daggers they in graved this Epitaph in the rind of the bay tree, which words were these that follow.  

The Epitaph over the grave of the unfortunate Queen of Armenia.  
Hear lies the body of a hapless Queen,  
Whose great goodwill to her, small love did bring:  
Her faithful mind requited was with teen  
Though she deserved for love a regal King.  
And as her corpses enclosed here doth lie,  
Her luckless fate, and fame shall never die.  
So when they had made this Epitaph and covered her grave with green turfs, they departed forward on their journey towards the black Castle, where we will leave them in their travels, and return to the disloyal Leaguer, and how he fortified his Castle by magic art, according to the learned skill of a cunning Necromancer, and of the adventures that happened to Saint George with the other Christian Champions in the same Castle, therefore grant you immortal powers of heaven, that my pen may be dipped in the waters of that learned fountain, where the nine sisters do inhabit, that by the help of that sweet liquor my muse may have a delightful vain, so that mixing the speech of Mercury with the prowess of Mars, I may discourse of the strangest accident that ever happened to wandering Knights.    

CHAP. VIII.  
Of the preparation that the Knight of the black Castle made by magic art, to withstand his enemies, and how the seven Champions entered the same Castle, where they were enchanted into a dead sleep, so long as seven Lamps burned, which could not be quenched but by the water of an enchanted Fountain.  
THe wicked Leoger as you have read of before, being the knight of the black Castle, and one that for wealth and treasure surpassed the mightiest potentate of those countries, when he grew detested and abhorred in every company, as well by noble Knights, as gallant Ladies, for the spoil and murder of those three comely Damsels, whose pitiful stories you heard in the two passed Chapters, and fearing a sudden vengeance to fall upon his head, he fortified himself strongly in his Castle, and with his treasure hired many furious Giants to defend it: likewise it they failed, & should chance to be overcome, he consorted with a wicked Necromancer that with charms and spells should work wonders in his Castle, which magical accomplishments we will pass over till a more convenient time, because I purpose to explain the history in good order to the readers: first speak we of Saint George with the other christian knights that came in revenge of the Shepherd and his unfortunate daughter, who with good success arrived upon the shore of the Island, where this wicked Leoger and the Magician had fortified their black Castle: In which country the Christian Champions, like the invincible followers of Mars, fearing no danger nor the frowns of unconstant fortune, but betook themselves the readiest way towards the Castle, in which journey they were almost ravished with the pleasures of the Island, for entering into a broad and strait lane, garnished on both sides with trees of divers sorts, wherein they heard how the Summer birds recorded their pleasant melodies, and made their sweet and accustomed songs without fear of any man to molest them, in which row of pleasant trees that delighted them on both sides: there wanted not the green laurel, so much extéemed of learned scholars: nor the sweet mertel tree, loved by Ladies: nor the high Cypress so much regarded of Lovers, nor the stately pine, which for his flourishing height is called the prince of trees: whereby they judged it to be a habitation for the Gods than any terestrial country, for that the golden Sun with his glistering beams did pass through those green and pleasant trees without any hindrance of black clouds: for the heavens were as clear as tried silver, likewise the western winds did softly shake the shivering leaves, whereby it made as sweet a harmony as the celestial Cherubins of heaven: a thousand little streamed brooks ran upon the inamelled ground, making sundry fine works by their crooked turnings, and joining one water with another, with a very gentle meeting, making such silver music, that the Champions with the pleasure thereof were almost ravished, and smally regarded whither their horses went right or no: and traveling in this sort, they road forward till they came into a marvelous great and wide meadow, being of so great fairness, that I am not able with any pen to paint out the excellency there of: where as were feeding both wild and tame Hearts, adorned with great and cragged horns: likewise the furious wild Boar, the fierce Lion and the simple Lambs were altogether▪ feeding with so great friendship, as to the contrary by nature they were enemies:  
Whereat the noble Champions were almost overcome in their own conceits, and amazed in their imaginations, to see so strange love clean contrary unto nature, and that there was no difference betwixt the love of wild beasts and tame: in this manner they traveled, till upon a sudden they arrived before the buildings of the black Castle: and casting their eyes towards the same, they beheld near unto the principal Gate, right over the Castle, twelve Marble Pinicles, of such an exceeding height, that the Pyramids of Egypt, were very low, in comparison of them: in such sort, that whosoever would look upon them, was scant able with his sight to comprehend the height thereof: and they were all painted most gorgiouslye with several colours.  
Down below under the Castle there was an Arch with a Gate, which seemed to be of Diamonds, and all was compasse● about with a great meat or ditch, being of so great a depth, that they thought it to rea●h to the midst of the earth and it was almost two hundredth paces broad, and every Gate had his Draw-bridge, all made of red boards, which seemed as though they had been bathed all in blood.  
Then the Champions r●d to the other side of this goodly Castle, wondering at the curious and sumptuous workmanship, where they espied a Pillar of beautiful ●●sper stone all wroughtfull of precious stones of strange work, the which Pillar was of great value, and was garnished with chains of gold, that were made fast unto it by Magic's art, at which Pillar likewise hung a very costly silver Trumpet, with certain letters carved about the same, the which contained these words following.  
If any dare attempt this place to see,  
By sounding this, the Gate shall opened be.  
A Trumpet here inchaind by magic art  
To daunt with fear the proudest champions heart  
Look thou for blows that interest in this gate  
Return in time, repentance comes too late.  
The which when Saint George beheld, and had understood the secrets of these mystical words, without any more tarrying, he set the silver Trumpet to his mouth, and sounded such a vehiment blast, that it thundered in the elements, and seemed to shake the foundation of the Castle: whereat the principal Gate presently opened, and the draw Bridge was let down, without the help of any visible hand, which made the Champions to wonder, and to stand amazed at the strange accident, but yet intending not to return like cowards daunted with a puff of wind, they alighted from their warlike steeds, and delivered them unto the old shepherd's h●nds, to be fed upon the fragrant and green grass, till they had performed the adventure of the Castle, the which they vowed either to accomplish or never to return: so locking down their Beavers and drawing forth their k●ene edged falchion's, they entered the Gates, and being safely within, the champion's looked round about them to see if they could espy any body, but they saw nothing but a pair of winding stairs, whereat they ascended, but they had not gone many 〈◊〉 therein, when as there was so great a darkness, that scarce they could see any light, so that it rather seemed the similitude of hell, than any other worldly place, and so groping by the walls, they kept their going down those narrow and turning stairs, which were very long, and of such length, that they thought they descended into the middle of the earth.  
They spent a great time in descending those stairs, but in the end they came into a very fair and large Court all compassed with Iron grates like unto a prison, or a place provided to keep untamed Lions, wherein casting their eyes up to the top of the Castle they beheld the wicked knight walking with the Necromancer▪ upon a large gallery, supported by huge pillars of brass: likewise there was attending upon them seven Giants, armed in mighty Iron coats, holding in their hands bats of steel: to whom the bold and venturous Champion of England spoke with a haughty courage and loud voice in this manner.  
Come down thou wicked knight, thou spoil of virginity, thou that art environed with those monstrous Giants, those the wondering work of nature, whose daring looks seemeth to scale the heavens, like unto the pride of Nemrod when he offered to build up Babel's confused Tower.  
Come down I say, from thy Brazen gallery, and take to thee thy armour, thou that hast a heart to commit a virgins rape, for whose revenge we come: now likewise have a courage to make thy defence, for we vow never to return out of thy Castle till we have confounded thee and all thy forces.  
At which words he held his peace, and expected an answer. But the wicked knight when he heard these heroical speeches of Saint George, began to fret & fume like to the starved Lion▪ famished with hunger, or the ireful Tiger muzzling in human blood, with a great desire to satisfy his thirst: or like the wrath of dogged Cerberus when as he feasted with Alcides' flesh even so raged Leoger the Knight of the black Castle, threatening forth fury from his sparkling eyes: and in this vile manner he reanswered the noble Champion of England: proud knight (said he) or peasant▪ whatsoever thou art, I pass not the sm●llest hair of my head, for thus upbraiding me with thy vn●uly tongue, I will return thee speechless into hell, for the pavements of my Castle shall all be sprinkled with thy accursed blood, and the bones of those thy unhappy followers shall be buried in the sinks of my channels: if thou hadst brought the army of invincible Caesar, that made all lands to tremble where he came, yet were they but a blast of wind unto my forces: Seest thou not my Giants which stand like oaks upon this brazen gallery? they at my commandment shall take you from the places where you stand, and throw you over the walls of my Castle, in such sort, that they shall make you fly into the air, more than ten fathams high: and for that thou hast upbraided me with the disgrace done unto a virgin: I tell thee, if I had thy mother here, of whom thou tookst first the air of life, my hand should split her womb, that thou mightst see the bed of thy creation as Nero did in Rome: or if thy wife and children were here present before thy face, I would abridge their lives that thy accursed eyes might be witnesses of their bloody murders: so much wrath and ha●e now rageth in my heart, that all the blood in Asia cannot wash it thence.  
At which words, the Giants which he had hired to defend him from his foes, came unto him very strongly armed with sturdy weapons in their hands, and requested him to be quiet, and to abate his unsufferable anger, and they would fetch unto his presence, all those braving knights that were the occasion of his disquietness and anger: and so without tarrying for any answer, they departed down into the Court, and left the knight of the Castle with the Magician, standing still upon the gallery to behold the following encounters:  
But when the Giants approached the Champion's presence, and saw them so well proportioned and furnished, and knights of so mighty statures, they flourished about their knotty clubs, and purposed not to spend the time in words but in blows.  
Then one of the fiercest and cruelest Giants of them all (which was called Brandamond) seeing Saint George to be the forwardest in the enterprise, and judging him to be the Knight that had so braved his Lord, he began with asterne countenance to speak unto him in this manner: Art thou that bold Knight (said the Giant) that with thy witless words haste so angered the mighty Leoger the Lord of this Castle? if thou be, I advise thee by submission, to seek to appease his furious wrath before revengement be taken upon thy person.  
Also I do require thee (that if thou wilt remain with thy life) that thou dost leave thy armour, and yield thyself, with all these thy followers, with their hands fast bound behind them, and go and ask forgiveness at his feet: to which Saint George with a smiling countenance answered, Giant (said he) thy council I do not like, nor his honour will I receive, but rather we hope to send thee and all thy followers without tongues to the infernal King of fiery Phlegethon: and for that you shall not have any more time to speak such folly and foolishness, either return your ways from whence you came, and repent you of this which you have said, or else prepare yourselves to mortal battle.  
The Giants when they heard the Champion's resolutions, and how slightly they regarded their proffers, without any longer tarrance they fell upon Saint George and his company intending with their knotty bats of steel to beat them as small as flesh unto the ●ot, but the Queen of chance so smiled upon the christian Champions, that the Giants smally prevailed, for betwixt them was fought a long and terrible battle, in such danger that the victory hung wavering on both sides not knowing to whom she should fall, the bats and faushions made such a noise upon one another's armours, that they sounded like to the blows of the cyclops working upon their fiery Anuils': and at every blow they gave, fire flew from their steeled Corselets, like sparkles from the flaming furnaces in hell, the skies resounded back the echoes of their strokes, and the ground shook as though it had been oppressed with an earthquake: the pavements of the Court was overspread with an intermixed colour of blood and sweat, and the walls of the Castle was mightily battered with the Giants clubs: but by the time that glistering Apollo the days bright Candle began to declare from the top of heaven, when the Giants (wearied in fight) began for to faint: whereat the Christian Knights with more courage, began to increarse in strength and with such rigour assailed the Giants that before the gold●n Sun had dived to the western world, all the Giants were quite discomfited and stain, some lay with their heads dismembered from their bodies weltering in purple gore, some had their brains sprinkled against the walls, some lay in the channels with their entrails trailing down in streams of blood, and some jointeles with their bodies cut in pieces, so that there was not one left alive to withstand the Christian Champions.  
Whereat Saint George with the other six Knights fell upon their knees and thanked the immortal Rector both of heaven and earth for their victory.  
But when the knight of the black Castle which stood upon the gallery during all the time of the encounter and saw how all h●s Giants were slain by the prowess of those strange Knights, he raged against heaven and earth, wishing that the ground might gape and swallow him, before he were delivered into the hands of his enemies, and presently would have cast himself headlong from the top of the gallery, to have dashed his brains against the stony pavements, but that the Necromancer which stood likewise by him beholding the event of the encounter, intercepted him in his intended drift, and promised that he would perform by art, what the Giants could not do by force.  
So the Necromancer fell to his magic spells & charms, by which the Chrstian Champions were mightily troubled and molestled and brought in danger of their lives, by a terrible and strange manner as shall be hereafter shown.  
For as they stood after their long encounters unbuckling their armours to take the fresh air and to wash their bloody wounds received in their last conflict: the Magician caused by his art and angry spirit in the likeness of a Lady of a marvelous and fair beauty, looking through an iron grate, who seemed to leave her fair face upon her white hand very pencively, and distilled from her crystal eyes great abundance of tears, which when the Champions saw this beautiful creature, they remained in great admiration, thinking with themselves, that by some hard misfortune she was imprisoned in those iron grates, with that this Lady did seem to open her fair and christeline eyes, looking earnestly upon Saint George, and giving a grievous and sorrowful sigh▪ she withdrew herself from the grate, which sudden departure caused the Christian Knights to have a great desire to know who it should be, suspecting that by the force of some enchantment they should be overthrown: and casting up their eyes again to see if they could see her, they could not, but they saw in the very same place a woman of a great and princely stature, who was all armed in silver plates, with a sword girded at her waste, sheathed in ● golden scabbard, and had hanging at her neck an ivory bow and a gilt quiver, this Lady was of so great beauty, that she seemed almost to excel the other, but in the same sort as the other did, upon a sudden she vanished away, leaving the Champions no less troubled in their thoughts then before they were.  
The christian Knights had not long time bewailed the a●sence of the Lady, but that without seeing any body they were stricken with such furious blows upon their backs, that they were constrained to stoop with one knee upon the ground, yet with a trice they arose again, and looking about them to see who they were that struck them, they persuaded them to be the likeness of certain knights which in great haste seemed to run into a door that was at one of the corners of the Court, and with the great anger that the Champions received, seeing themselves so hardly entreated, they followed with their accustomed lightness after the knights, in at the same door: wherein they had not entered three steps, but that they fell down into a deep cave, which was covered over in such subtle sort, that whosoever did tread on it, strait way fell into the cave, except he was advertised thereof before: with in the cave it was as dark as the silent night, and no light at all appeared: but when the Champions saw themselves so treacherously betrayed in the trap, they greatly feared some further mischief would follow, to their utter overthrows, so with their swords drawn, they stood ready charged to make their defence, against what soever should after happen, but by reason of the great darkness they could not see any thing, neither discover wherein they were fallen, they determined to settle themselves against something, either post, pillar or wall: and groping about the cave, they searched in every place for some other door that might bring them forth out of that darksome den, which they compared to the pit of hell.  
And as they went groping and feeling up and down, they found that they trod upon no other things but dead men's bones, which caused them to stand still: and not long after, they espied a secret window, at the which entered much clearness, and gave a great light into the den where they were, by which they espied a bed most richly furnished with curtains of silk, and golden pendants which stood in a secret room of the cave, behung with rich tapestry of a sable colour: which bed when the Champions beheld, and being somewhat weary of their long fight which they had with the Giants in the Court of the Castle, they required some rest and desired some sleep upon the bed, but not all at one instant: for they feared some danger to be at hand, and therefore Saint George as one most willing to be their watchman, and to keep senternell in so dangerous a place, caused the other Champions to take their reposes upon the bed, and he would be as wakeful as the cock against all dangerous accidents: so the six Christian Knights repaired to the bed, whereon they were no sooner laid, but presently they fell into a heavy and dead sleep, in such sort that they could not be awaked by any manner of violence, not all the warlike drums in Europe if they were sounded in their ears, nor the rattling thunder claps of heaven were sufficient to recall them from their sleeps, for indeed the bed was enchanted by the Nigromancers charms, in such manner that whosoever but sat upon the sides, or but the furniture of the bed, were presently cast into as heavy a sleep as if they had drunk the juice of dwaile or the seed of Poppy, where we will leave them for a time like men cast into a trance, and speak of the terrible adventure that happened to S. George in the cave, who little mistrusting of their enchantments, stood like a careful guard keeping the furious wolf from the spoil of the silly sheep: but upon a sudden his heart began to throb, & his hair to stand upright upon his head, yet having a heart fraught with invincible courage, he purposed not to awake the other knights, but of himself to withstand whatsoever happened, so being in his princely cogitation, there appeared to him as he thought the shape of a Magician with a visage lean, pale and full of wrinkles, with locks of black hair hanging down to his shoulders like to wreaths of envenomed Snakes, and his body seemed to have nothing upon it but skin and bones, who spoke unto Saint George in this dispitfull manner: in an evil hour (said the Magician) camest thou hither, and so shall thy lodging be, and thy entertainment worse, for now thou art in a place whereas thou shalt look for no other thing, but to be meat unto some furious beast, and thy surmounted strength shall not be able to make any defence.  
The English Champion whose heart was oppressed with extreme wrath: answered, O false and accursed charmer (said he) whom Gods confound for thy condemned arts, and for whom the fiends hath digged an everlasting tomb in hell, what fury hath inconst thee, that with thy false and devilish charms thou dost practise so much evil against traveling and adventurous Knights, I hope to obtain my liberty in despite of all thy mischief and with my strong arm to break all thy bones in sunder.  
All that thou dost and wilt do will I suffer at thy hands replied the Necromancer, only for the revengement that I will take of thee for the slaughter of the seven Giants, which as yet lies murdered in the court, and that very quickly▪ and therewithal he went invisibly out of the Cave: so not long after at his back he heard a sudden noise, and beheld as it were a window opening by little and little, where as there appeared a clear light, by the which Saint George plainly perceived that the walls of the Cave were washed with blood, and likewise saw that the bones whereon they tread at their first entry into the den were of human bodies, which appeared not to be very long since their flesh was torn off with hard and cruel teeth, but this consideration could not long endure with him, for that he heard a great rumour▪ and looking what it should be, he saw that there was coming forth out of an other den, a mighty serpent with wings, as great in body as an Elephant, he had only two feet which appeared out of that monstrous body but of a span length, and each foot had three claws of three spans in length, she came with her mouth open of so monstrous and huge a bigne, and so deformed, that a whole armed Knight horse and all, might enter in thereat, she had upon her jaws two tusks which seemed to be as sharp as any needles, and all her body was covered with hard scales of divers colours, and with great fury she came with her wings all abroad, Saint George although he had a valiant and an undaunted mind, yet could he not choose but receive some fear in seeing so monstrous a beast.  
But considering with himself, that it was then time, and great need to have courage, and to be expert and valiant for to make his defence, he took his good cutting sword in his hand, and shrouded himself under his hard and strong shield, and tarried the coming of that ugly monster.  
But when the furious beast saw that there was a prey whereon she might employ her sharp teeth, she stroke with her invenomous wings, and with her piercing claws she gripped, and laid fast hold upon Saint George's hard shield, pretending to have swallowed whole this courageous warrior, and fastening her sharp tusks upon his helmet, which when she found so hard, she let go her hold and furiously pulled at his target, with such a strength that she pulled it from his arm: with that the English knight stroke at her head a most mighty and strong blow with his sword, but in no wise it could hurt her, by reason of the hard scales wherewith it was covered, and though he gave her no wound, yet for all that she felt the blow in such sort that it made her to recoil to the ground, and to fall upon her long and hideous tail, than this oppressed Knight made great haste to redouble his force to strike her another blow: but all was in vain, for that upon a sudden she stretched herself so high, that he could not reach her head: but yet kind Fortune so favoured his hand, that he struck her upon the belly, whereas she had no defence with scales, nor any other thing but feathers: whereout issued such abundance of black blood, that it besprinkled all the den about.  
This terrible and furious Serpent, when she felt herself so sore wounded, stroke at Saint George such a terrible a blow with her tail, that if he had not seen it coming it had been sufficient to have parted his body in pieces. The Knight to clear himself from the blow, fell flat upon the ground, for he had no time to make any other defence. But that terrible blow was no sooner passed over him, but strait ways he recovered his feet, at such time as the furious Serpent came towards him. Here Saint George having a great confidence in his strength, performed such a valiant exploit, that all former Adventures that hath been ever done by any Knight, may be put in oblivion, and this kept in perpetual memory: for that he threw his sword out of his hand, and ran unto the Serpent, and embraced her betwixt his mighty arms, & did so squéeze her, that the furious Beast could not help herself with her sharp claws, but only with her wings she beat him on every side. This valiant Champion and noble Warrior would never let her lose, but still remained holding her betwixt his arms, continuing this perilous and dangerous fight, till all his bright armour was imbrued with her bestial blood, by which occasion she lost a great part of her strength, and was not able long to continue.  
Long endured this great and dangerous encounter, and the infernal Serpent remained fast unto the noble and valiant breast of the English Knight, till such time as he plainly perceived that the Monster began to wax faint, and to lose her strength. Likewise it could not be otherwise, but Saint George waxed somewhat weary, considering the former fight he had so lately with the Giants. Notwithstanding when he saw the great weakness of the Serpent, he did animate himself with courage, and having opportunity by reason of the quantity of blood that issued from her wounds, he took his trusty sword & thrust it into her heart with such violence, that he clove it in two pieces: so this infernal Monster fell down dead to the ground, and carried the Christian Champion with her, for for that they were fast closed together, and by reason that the Serpent lacked strength, he quickly cleared himself out of her claws, and recovered his sword. But when he saw certainly that he was clear from the Monster, & that she had yielded up her detested life into the brittle air, he kneeled down and gave thanks to the immortal majesty of God for his safe delivery. The venom was so great that the Serpent threw out to infect the knight, that if his armour had not been of a precious virtue, he had been empoisoned to death.  
After the victory was obtained and the Monster dead, he grew very weary and unquiet, and was constrained to sit and cool himself by a Well which was full of water, standing by in a corner of the Cave, from whence the monstrous Serpent first appeared and came forth. And when he found himself refreshed, he repaired to the Enchanted bed whereupon the other six Champions lay sleeping, dreaming of no such strange accident that had happened to him: to whom he purposed to reveal the true discourse of all the dangers that had befallen him in that accident.  
But no sooner approached he unto that enchanted bed and had set himself down upon the one side thereof, and thinking to begin his discourse, but he presently fell into a heavy and dead slumber.  
There will we leave them sleeping and dreaming upon the enchanted bed, not to be wakened by any means, and return to the Nigr●om●ncer that was busied all the time of the Serpent's encounters, with Leoger in burying of the dead Giants: But now he knew by his art, that the Serpent was slain, and likewise Saint George oppressed with a charmed sleep, in company of the other Champions upon the enchanted bed, from whence he purposed that they never more should awake, but spend their followed fortunes in eternal sleeps.  
Then by his devilish arts he caused seven Lamps to burn continually before the entry of the Cave, the properties whereof were so strange, that so long as the Lamps continued burning, the Champions should never be awaked and the fires should never be quenched but by the water of an enchanted fountain, the which he likewise by magic art had erected in the middle of the court guarded most strongly with fearful shapes, and the water should never be obtained but by a Virgin which at her birth should have the form of a Rose most lively pictured upon her breast.  
These things being performed by the secrets of the Magicians skill added such a pleasure to Leogers' heart, that he thought himself elevated higher than towers of heaven, for he accounted no joy so pleasing unto his soul as to see his mortal enemies captivated in his power, and that the Magician had done more by his arts, than all the Knights in Asia could perform by prowess: we will not now only leave the Champions in their sleeps dreaming of no mishap, but also the Magician with Leoger in the black Castle, spending their time securely, careless of all ensuing danger, and speak now of the old Shepherd whom the Champions at their first entering in at the gates of the Castle, where they left him to look unto their warlike palfreys as they fed upon the green grass: but when this old man could hear no news of the Champions return, he greatly mistrusted their confusion, and that by some treachery they were intercepted in their vowed revengement, therefore he protested secretly with his own soul, in that for his sake so many brave Champions had lost their lives, never to departed out of those fields, but to spend his days in more sorrow than did the hapless King of Babylon, that for seven parching Summers, and as many fréezing Winters was constrained to feed upon the flowers of the fields, and to drink the dew of heaven, till the hairs of his head grew so stiff as eagles feathers, and the nails of his fingers like unto birds claws, the like extremity he vowed to endure, until he either reobtained a wished fight of those invincible knights (the flowers of chivalry) or else were constrained by course of nature to yield up his loathed life, to the fury of those fatal sisters: In this deep distress will my weary muse likewise leave this old shepherd mourning for the long absence of the English Champion and the other Christian Knights, and return unto Saint George's valiant Sons, whom we left traveling from the Queen of Armenia's grave, with her unvappy daughter Rosana: to take revengement for her disloyal Lord, being the Knight of this black Castle, of whose villainies you have heard so much of before.   

CHAP. IX.  
How Saint George's three sons after their departure from the Queen of Armenia's sepulchre, in company of her Daughter Rosana, met with a Wild-man, with whom there happened a strange Adventure: and after how they entered the Black Castle, whereas they quenched the Lamps, and awakened the seven Champions of Christendom, after they had slept seven days upon an enchanted bed, with other things that chanced in the same Castle.  
THe budding Flowers of Chivalry the valiant Sons of S. George to perform their Knightly promises, & to accomplish what they had protested to Rosana at the Queen her Mother's grave, which was to deliver her safely into the Black Castle, where her unkind father had his residence. First they bought her a Palfrey of a silk colour of Spain trained in that Country, with certain chains and jewels that she wore about her neck and wrists, which steed was furnished with black Capparisons, in sign of her heavy and discontented mind, & his forehead beautified with a spangled plume of feathers.  
Thus travailed they day and night from the Confines of Armenia, with successful fortune, till they happily arrived upon the Island of the Black Castle: where they were constrained to rest themselves many nights under the shadows of green leaved trees, where the melody of silver tuned birds brought them to their sweet sleeps: and in steed of delicate fare, they were forced to satisfy their hungers with sweet Oranges and ripe Pomegranades, that grew very plentifully in that Island. But upon a morning, when the skies appeared in their sights very clear and pleasant, and at such time as when the Sun began to spread his glistering beams upon the lofty mountains and stately Cedars, they set forward on their journey, hoping before the cloasing in of the days bright countenance, to arrive at the Black Castle, being their long wished for haven, and desired Port. But entering into an unknown way and narrow path not much used, they were intercepted by a strange and wonderful Adventure. For as they traveled in those untrodden passages, spending the time in pleasant conference, without mistrusting of any thing that should happen to them in that pleasant Island: upon a sudden (not knowing the occasion) their horses started and rose up with their foreféet, and turned backward into the air in such sort, that they had almost unsaddled their Masters: whereat the valiant Knights upon a sudden looked round about them, to see who or what it was that caused so much fear: but when they perceived nothing, nor could conjecture what should be the occasion of such terror, they grew wonderfully troubled in mind. Than one began to encourage the rest, saying: Believe me Brethren, I muse what should be the cause of this alteration in our horses? hath some spirit glided by us, or lodgeth some devil among these bushes? Whatsoever it be, let us by the power and favour of God attempt to know, and with our warlike weapons revenge the frighting of our horses, for our minds are undaunted by the porwes of men, nor feared with the fury of devils.  
These words being spoken with great courage and majesty, caused Rosana to smile with a cheerful countenance, and to embolden her heart against all ensuing accidents: so presently they came unto a river which was both clear and deep, the which they judged to run quite thorough the middle of the Island: and so traveling along by the rivers side, where within a little while their horses began again to stagger and to be wonderfully afraid, and casting about their vigilant eyes, to see if they could perceive what it should be that made their horses so timorous they espied espied a terrible Monster in the shape and form of a Satire or a wild man, which did cross overthwart the Island, of a wonderful great and strange making, who was as big and broad as any Giant, for he was almost four squa●re: his face was three foot in length and had but one eye, & that was in his forehead, which glistered like unto a blazing Comet or a fiery Planet: his body was covered all over with long and shagged hair, like to the empoisoned stings of Serpents: and in his breast, there was as though it had been a glass, out of the which there seemed a great and shining light to proceed.  
This Monster directed his way towards certain Rocks of stone which stood in the Island, and by reason of the straggling and great noise that the horses made, he cast his head aside and espied the three Knights traveling in company of the Lady: upon whom he had no sooner cast his blazing eye, but with a devilish fury he ran towards them, and in steed of a Club, he bore in his hand a mighty great and knotted Maple tree.  
These valiant Knights never dismayed at the sight of this deformed creature, but against his coming, they chéered up their horses, and pricked their sides with their golden spurs, giving a great shout as a sign of encouragement, and withal, drawing forth their sharp cutting swords they stood attending the fury of the Monster, who came roaring like a Bull, and discharged his knotted tree amongst the magnanimous Knights, who with light leaps cleared themselves from his violent blows, that his club fell down to the ground with such a terrible fall, as though with the violence it would have overthrown a Castle.  
With that the Knights presently alighted from their horses, thinking thereby more nimbler to defend themselves, and with more courage to assail the Satire. Many were the blows on both sides, and dangerous the encounter, without sign of victory inclining unto either party.  
During the Battle, Rosana (through the grief and fear that she received) swooned upon her palfrey, & had fallen beside his back, if she had not first closed her hands about the pummel of the saddle: and being come a little unto herself, she made her humble supplication unto the Gods, soliciting heaven, that she might rather be buried in the Monsters bowels, thereby to satisfy his wrath, than to see such noble Knights lose the least drop of blood, or to have the smallest hair upon their heads diminished: such was the love and true zeal she bore unto these three Knights.  
But Sa. George's Sons so manfully behaved themselves in the Encounter, bearing the prowess of their father's mind, that they made many deep wounds in the Monster's flesh, and such terrible gashes in his body, that all the green grass was covered with his black blood, and the ground all to besmeared & strewed with his mangled flesh.  
When the devilish Monster felt himself wounded, and saw how his blood stood upon the earth like congealed gore, he fled from them more swifter than a whirlwind, or like unto an arrow forced from a musket, and ran in great haste to the Rocks that stood thereby, where presently he threw himself into a Cave, pulling down after him a Rock of stone, which did close up the entry, the which was done with so great lightness, that the Knights had no time to strike him, but after a while when they had blessed themselves to see such a straying and sudden thing they assayed by strength to remove the Rock, and to clear the mouth of the Cave, the which they did without any difficultness.  
Yet for all that they could not find which way they might enter in thereat, but like unto Lions fraughted with anger, fretting and chafing, they went searching round about the Rock to see if they could espy any entry, and at last they found a great cliff on the one side of the Rock, and looking in thereat, they espied the monster, lying upon the floor licking of his bleeding wounds with his purple tongue.  
And seeing him, one of the Knights said: O thou traitor and destroyer by the high ways, O thou infernal devil and enemy unto the world, thou that art the devourer of human flesh, and drinker of man's blood, think not that this thy strong and fast closing up of thyself in this Rock of stone shall avail thee, or that thy devilish body shall escape unslaughtered out of our hands, no, no our bloody weapons shall be sheathed in thy detested bowels, and rive thy damned heart asunder, and therewithal they thrust their weapons through the cleft of the Rock, and pierced his throat in such sort that the monster presently died, the which being done they returned in triumph like conquerors to Rosana, where they found her half dead lying upon her palfrey.  
But when she saw them return in safety like one new risen from death, with a joyful and loud voice she said, O God how hath it pleased thy divine majesty, to furnish these Knights with more strength and prowess, than any other in all the world, else could they not have choosd but have been overcome by this remorseless monster, which seemed to be of force to destroy kingdoms: therewithal she alighted in good state from her Palfrey, and sat her down under the shadow of a Pine-trée, where the three knights likewise sat down, & laid their weary heads upon her soft lap to sleep, upon whose faces she fanned a cool breathing air, and wiped their sweaty brows with her handkerchief, using all the means she could to move them contentment.  
Long had they not reposed themselves upon Rosanaes' lap, refreshing their weary bodies with a golden sleep, but they awaked and mounted upon their steeds, and the next morning by break of day, they approached the sight of the black Castle, before whose walls they found seven portly steeds, feeding within a green pasture, and by them an ancient father, bearing in his face the true picture of sorrow, and carving in the bark of trees the subject of all his passed griefs: this man was the old shepherd which the seven Champions of christendom (before their enchanted sleeps in the Castle) left without the Gates to oversee their horses, as you heard before in the last Chapter.  
But Saint George's sons (after they had a while beheld the manner of the shepherds silent lamentations) demanded the causes of his grief and wherefore he remained so near the danger of the Castle? to whose demands, the courteous old man answered in this manner.  
Brave Knights (said he) for you seem to be no less by your Princely demeanours, within this Castle remaineth a bloody tyrant and a wicked homicide, called Leoger, whose tyranny and lust hath not only ravished but murdered two of my daughters, with whom I was honoured in my young years, in whose revenge there came with me seven christian knights of seven several countries, that entered this accursed Castle about seven days since, appointing me to stay without the gates, & to have a vigilant care of their horses, till I heard either news of the Tyrant's confusion, or their overthrows: but never since by any means could I learn whether good or bad were betided them.  
These words struck such a terror to their hearts▪ that for a time they stoo● speechless, imagining that those seven Knightsses were the seven Champions of Christendom, in whose pursuits they had traveled so many countries. But at last when Saint George's Sons had recovered their former speeches, one of them (though not intending to reveal what they imagined) said unto the old Shepherd: that likewise they came to be revenged upon that accursed Knight, for the spoil of a beauteous and worthy virgin Queen, done by the said lust inflamed Tyrant.  
Then the Lady and the three Knights alighted from their horses, and likewise committed them to the keeping of the old Shepherd: who courteously received them, & earnestly prayed for their prosperous proceedings. So the three Knights buckled close their armours, laced on their helmets, and put their shields upon their arms, and in company of Rosana they went to the Castle gate, the which glisteren against the Sun like burnished gold: whereat hung a mighty Copper King, wherewith they beat so vehemently against the Gate, that it seemed to rattle like a violent tempestuous storm of thunder in the Element.  
Then presently there appeared (looking out at a marble pillor●d window) the Magician, newly risen from his bed, in a wrought shirt of black silk, and covered with a night gown of damask velvet: and seeing the Knights with the Lady standing before the gate, he thus discurteously gréeted them.  
You Knights of strange Countries said he, for so doth it appear by your strange demeanours: if you desire to have the gates opened, and your bones buried in the vaults of our Castle, turn back unto the jasper pillar behind you▪ and sound the silver Trumpet that hangs upon it, so shall your entry be easy, but your coming forth miraculous. And thereupon the Magician left the window.  
Then one of the Knights went unto the jasper pillar, and with a vehement breath sounded the enchanted trumpet as S. George did before, whereat the gates flew open in like manner: wherein (without any disturbance) they entered: & coming into the same Court where the champions had fought with the Giants, they spied the enchanted Lamps, which hung burning before the entry of the cave where the Champions lay upon the enchanted bed. Under the Lamps hung a silver tablet in an iron chain, in it was written these words following.  
These fatal lamps with their enchanted lights,  
In deaths sad sleep hath shut 7. christian knights  
Within this cave they lie with sloth confounded  
Whose fame but late in every place resounded.  
Except these flaming lamps extinguished be,  
Their golden thoughts shall sleep eternally.  
A Fountain framed by furies raised from hell,  
About whose spring doth fear & terror dwell:  
No earthly water may suffice but this  
To quench the lamp where art commander is.  
No wightalive this water may procure,  
But she that is a Virgin chaste and pure.  
For Nature at her birth did so dispose,  
Upon her breast to print a purple Rose.  
These verses being perused by the three Knights, & finding them as it were contrived in the manner of a mystical Oracle, they could not imagine what they should signify: but Rosana being singularly well conceited, and of a quick understanding, presently knew that by her the Adventure should be finished, and therefore she encouraged them to a forwardness, and to seek out the enchanted Fountain, that by the water thereof the lamps might be quenched, and the seven Champions delivered out of captivity.  
This importunate desire of Rosana, caused the three young Knights not to lose any time, but to search in every corner of the Castle, till they had found the place wherein the Fountain was: for as they went towards the North side of the Court, they espied another little door standing in the wall, and when they came to it, they saw that it was made all of very strong iron, with a portal of steel, and in the key hole thereof there was a brazen key, with t●e which they did open it, whereat presently (unto their wonderful amazements) they heard a very sad and sorrowful voice breath forth these words following.  
Let no man be so foolish hardy, as to enter here, for it is a place of terror and confusion.  
Yet for all this they entered in thereat, and would not be daunted with any ceremonious fear, but like knights of an heroical estimation they went forward: wherein they were no sooner entered, but they saw that it was wonderfully dark, and it seemed unto them that it should be a very large Hall, and therein they heard very fearful howl, as though there had been a legion of hellhounds, or that Pluto's Dog had been vice gerent of that place. Yet for all this these valiant Knights did not lose any of their accustomed courage, nor would the Lady leave their companies for any danger: but they entered in further, & took off their gauntlets from their left hands, whereon they wore marvelous great and fine Diamonds, which were set in rings, that gave so much light, that they might plainly see all things that were in the Hall, the which was very great and wide, and upon the walls were painted the figures of many furious fiends and devils, with other strange Uisions framed by Magic art, only to terrify the beholders. But looking very circumspectly about them on every side, they espied the enchanted fountain standing directly in the middle of the Hall, towards which they went with their shields braced on their left arms, and their good swords charged in their hands, ready to withstand any dangerous accident whatsoever should happen.  
But coming to the Fountain, and offering to fill their helmets with water, there appeared before them a strange and terrible Griphon, which seemed to be all of flaming fire who struck all the three Knights one after another in such sort, that they were forced to recoil back a great way: yet notwithstanding with great discretion they kept themselves upright, & with a wonderful lightness, accompanied with no less anger, they threw their shields at their backs, and taking their sword in both their hands, they began most fiercely to assail the Griphon with mortal and strong blows. Then presently there appeared before them a whole legion of devils with flesh-hooks in their hands, spitting forth flames of fire, & breathing from their nostrils smoking sulphur & brimstone. In this terrible sort tormented they these three valiant Knights, whose years although they were but young, yet with great wrath and redoubled force adventred they themselves amongst this hellish crew, striking such terrible blows, that in spite of them they came unto the Fountain and proffered to take of the water: but all in vain, for they were not only put from it by this devilish company, but the water itself glided from their hands.  
Oh in what great travel and perplexity these Knights remained amongst this wicked and devilish generation, for to defend themselves that they might attain to the finishing of this Adventure, according to their knightly promise.  
But during the time of all these dangerous encounters, Rosana stood like one bearest of sense, through the terror of the same: but at last remembering herself of the prophecy written in the silver tablet, the which the knights perused by the enchanted Lamps: the signification of which was, that the quenching of the lights should be accomplished by a pure Virgin, that had the lively form of a Rose naturally pictured upon her breast: all the which Rosana knew most certainly to be comprehended in herself.  
Therefore whilst they continued in their fight, she took up a helmet that was pulled from one of the knights heads by the furious force of the Griphon, and ran unto the Fountain and filled it with water, wherewith she quenched the enchanted Lamps, with as much ease, as though one had dipped a waxed torch in a mighty river of water.  
This was no sooner done and finished to Rosanaes' chiefest contentment, when that the heavens began to wax dark, and the clear skies to be overspread with a black & thick cloud, and it came with great thunderings & lightnings, and with such a terrible noise, as though the earth would have sunk: and the longer it endured, the more was the fury thereof, in such sort that the Griphon with all that deluding generation of spirits vanished away, and the Knights forsook their encounters, and fell upon their knees, and with great humility they desired of God to be delivered from the fury of that exceeding and terrible tempest.  
By this sudden alteration of the heavens, the knight of the Castle knew that the Lamps were extinguished, the Champions redeemed from their enchanted sleeps the Castle yielded to the pleasure of the three knights, and his own life to the furies of their swords, except he preserved it by a sudden flight, so presently he departed the Castle, and secretly fled out of the Island unsuspected by any one: of whose after fortunes, miseries, and death, you shall hear more hereafter in the course of the history following.  
The Necromancer by his Art likewise knew, that the Castle was yielded unto his Enemy's power, & that his charms and magic spells nothing prevailed: therefore he caused two airy spirits in the likeness of two Dragons to carry him swiftly through the air in an Ebony Chariot.  
Here we leave him in his wicked & devilish attempts and devilish enterprises, which shall be discoursed hereafter more at large: because it appertaineth to our History now to speak of the seven Champions of Christendom, that by the quenching of the Lamps were awakened from their enchantments, wherein they had lain in obscurity for the space of seven days. For when they were risen from their sleeps, and had roused up their drowsy spirits, like men newly recovered from a trance, being ashamed of that dishonourable enterprise, they long time gazed in each others faces, being not able to express their minds, but by blushing looks, being the silent speakers of their extreme sorrows. But at last Saint George began to express the extremity of his grief in this manner.  
What is become of you brave Europe's Champions (said he) where is now your wont valours, that hath been so much renowned through the world? what is become of your surmounting strengths, that hath bruised enchanted helmets, and quailed the power of mighty multitudes? what is become of your terrible blows, that hath subdued mountains, hewn in sunder diamond armours, and brought whole kingdoms under your subjections, now I see that all is forgotten & nothing worth, for that we have buried all our honours, dignities, and fames in slothful slumbers upon a silken bed.  
And thereupon he fell upon his knees, and said: thou holy God, thou rector of the riding racks of heaven, to thee I invocate and call, and desire thee to help us, and do not permit us to have our fames taken away for this dishonour, but let us merit dignity by our victories, and that our bright renowns may ride upon the glorious wings of fame, whereby that babes as yet unborn may speak of us and in time to come fill whole v●lumes with our princely atchiuements.  
These and such like reasons pronounced this disconted Champion, till such time as the elements cleared, and that golden faced Phoebus' glistered with splendent brightness into the cave through a secret hole, which seemed in their conceits to dance about the vale of heaven, and to rejoice at their happy deliveries.  
In this joyful manner returned they up into the court of the Castle, with their armours buckled fast unto their bodies, which had not been unbraced in seven days before, where they met with the three Knights coming to salute them, and to give them the courtesies of Knighthood.  
But when Saint George saw his Sons whom he had not seen in twice two years before he was so ravished with joy, that he swooned in their bosoms, and not able to give them his blessing, so great was the pleasure he took in their fights.  
Here I leave the joyful greeting betwixt the Father and his Sons, to those that knows the secret love of parents to their children, and what dear affection long absence breedeth.  
For when they had sufficiently ostended the integrity of their souls each to other, and had at large explained how many dangers every Knight and Champion had passed since their departures from England, where as they begun first their intended pilgrimage to jerusalem as you heard in the beginning of this book, they determined to search the Castle, and to find out Leoger with his assosiate the wicked enchanter, that they might receive due punishments for their committed offences, but they like wily foxes were fled from the hunter's traces, and had left the empty Castle to the spoil of the Christian Champions: But when Rosana saw herself dismissed from her purpose, and that she could not perform her mother's will, against her disloyal Father, she protested by the mighty God of heaven, never to close up her careful eyes with quiet slumbers, nor never rest her weary limbs in bed of Down, but travel up and down the circled earth till she enjoyed 〈◊〉 of her disloyal Father whom as yet her eyes did never see. Therefore she conjured the Champions by the lou●●nd honour that knights should bear unto Ladies in 〈◊〉, to grant her liberty to departed and not to hinder her from her intended travel.  
The Knights considered with themselves that she was a Lady of a divine inspiration, borne unto some strange fortune, and one by the heau●n● appointment which had redeemed them from a wonderful mizerie.  
Therefore they condescended to her desires, and not only gave her leave to departed, but furnished her with all things belonging to a Lady of so brave a mind.  
First they found within the Castle an armour fit for a woman, the which the enchanter had caused to be made by magic art of such a singular nature that no weapon could pierce it, and so light in wearing, that it weighed no heavier than a Lion's s●in, it was contrived after the Amazonian fashion, plated before with silver plates, like the scales of a Dolphin, and riveted together with golden nails: so that when she had it upon her back, she séem●d like to Diana, hunting in the Forests of transformed Actaeon.  
Likewise they found (standing in a stable at the East side of the Castle) a lusty limbed Steed, big of stat●r●, & of a very good hair, because the half part forwards was of the colour of a Wolf, and the other half was all black, saving that here and there it was spotted with little white spots: his feet were cloven, so that he needed not at any time to be shod: his neck was somewhat long, having a little head, with great ears hanging down like a hound: his pace was with great majesty, and he so doubled his neck, that his mouth touched his breast: there came out of his mouth two great tusks like unto an Elephant, and he did exceed all horses in the world in lightness, and did run with an exceeding good grace. This likewise bestowed they upon the Lady, the which did more content her mind, than any thing that ever her eye had seen before that time. Also the ten christian Knights gave her at her departure ten diamond rings, continually to wear upon her ten fingers, in perpetual remembrance of their courtesies.  
This being done, without any longer tarriance, but thanking them for their great kindness showed unto her in distress, she leapt into the saddle without help of stirrup or any other thing, and so road speedily away from their sights, as a shower of rain driven by a violent tempest.  
After her departure, the Champions remembered the old Shepherd, whom they had almost forgotten, through the joy that they took in their happy meetings: he as yet remained without the Castle gates, carefully keeping their horses, whom now they caused to come in▪ and not only gave him the honour due unto his age, but bestowed frankly upon him the state and government of the Castle, with store of jewels, pearls and treasure, only to be maintained and kept for the relief of poor travailers.  
This being performed with their general consents, they spent the remnant of the day in banqueting and other pleasant conference of their passed Adventures. And when that Night with her sable clouds had overspread the days delightful countenance, they betook them to their rests: the seven Champions in a chamber that had as many windows as there were days in the year, the old Shepherd by himself in a rich furnished Parlour, and Saint George's three Sons in the greatest Hall in the Castle.   

CHAP. X.  
How after the Christian Knights were gone to bed in the black Castle: Saint George was awaked from his sleep in the dead time of the night, after a most fearful manner, and likewise how he found a Knight lying upon a tomb, that stood over a flaming fire, with other things that happened upon the same.  
MOst sweet were the sleeps that he s● Princely minded companies took in the Castle all the first part of the night, without molestation either by disquiet dreams or disturbing motions of their minds, till such time as the glistering Queen of night had run half her weary journey, and had spent the better part of the night: for betwixt twelve and one, being the chiefest time of fear and terror in the night such a straying alteration worked in Saint George's thought that he could not enjoy the benefit of sweet sleep, but was forced to lie broad waking like one disquieted by some sudden fear: but as he lay with wakeful eyes thinking upon his passed fortunes, and numbering the minutes of the night with his cogitations, he heard as it were a cry of night Ravens, which flew beating their fatal wings against the windows of his lodging, by which he imagined that some direful accident were near at hand: yet being not frighted with this fearful noise, nor daunted with the croaking of these Ravens, he lay silently not revealing it to any of the other Champions that lay in the six several beds in the same chamber: but at last being betwixt waking and sleeping, he heard as it were the voice of a sorrowful Knight that constrained these bitter passions from his tormented soul, and they contained these words following.  
Oh thou invincible knight of England, thou that art not frighted with this sorrowful dwelling, wherein thou canst see nothing but torments, rise up I say, from thy sluggish bed & with thy undaunted courage and strong arm, infringe the charm of my enchantment.  
And therewithal he seemed to give a most terrible groan and so ceased: This unexpected noise caused Saint George (without the knowledge of any of the other Champions) to arise from his bed, and to buckle on his armour, and to search about the Castle to see if he might find the place that harboured the Knight that made such sorrowful lamentation.  
So going up and down she by corners of the Castle, all the latter part of the night, without finding the adventure of this strange voice, or disturbance by any other means but that he was hindered from his natural and quiet sleeps, but by the break of day, when the dark night b●gan to withdraw her sable curtains, and to give Aurora liberty to explain her purple brightness, he entered into a four square parlour, hung round about with black cloth, and other mournful habiliments, where on the one side of the same he saw a tomb all covered likewise with black, and upon it there lay a man with a pale colour, who at certain times, gave most marvelous and grievous sighs, caused by the burning flames that proceeded from under the tomb, being such that it seemed that his body therewith should be converted into coals: the flame thereof was so stinking that it made Saint George somewhat to retire himself from the place where he saw that horrible and fearful spectacle.  
He which lay upon the tomb, casting his eyes aside, espied Saint George, and knowing him to be a human creature, with an inflicted voice he said: Who art thou Sir Knight that art come into this place of sorrow, where nothing is heard but clamours of fear and terror?  
But tell me said Saint George, who art thou, that with so much grief dast demand of me, that which I stand in doubt to reveal to thee  
I am the King of Babylon (answered he) which without all consideration, with my cruel hand did pierce through the white and delicate breast of my beloved daughter: woe be to me and woe unto my soul therefore: for she at once did pay her offence by death, but I a most mizerable wretch with many torments do die living.  
When this worthy Champion Saint George was about to answer him, he saw come forth from under the tomb, a damsel who had her hair of a yellow and wan colour hanging down about her shoulders, and by her face she seemed that she should be very strangely afflicted with torments, and with a sorrowful voice she said.  
Oh unfortunate Knight what dost thou seek in this infernal lodging, where cannot be given thee any other pleasure, but mortal torment, and there is but one thing that can clear thee from them, and this cannot be told thee by any other but by me: yet I will not express it except thou wilt grant me one thing that I will ask of thee.  
The English Champion that with a sad countenance stood beholding of the sorrowful damsel, and being greatly amazed at the sight which he had seen, answered and said: The Gods which are governors of my liberty, will do their pleasures, but touching the grant of thy request I never denied any lawful thing to either Lady or Gentle woman, but with all my power and strength I was ready to fulfil the same, therefore demand what thy pleasure is, for I am ready in all things that toucheth thy remedy.  
And with that the damsel threw herself into that sepulchre, and with a grievous voice she said. Now most courteous Knight perform thy promise: strike but three strokes upon this fatal tomb, and thou shalt deliver us from a world of mizeries, and likewise make an end of our continual torments.  
Then the invincible knight replied in this order, whether you be human creatures said he, play'st in this sepulchre by enchantment, or furies raised from fiery Acheron to work my confusion or no I know not, and there is so little truth in this infernal Castle, that I stand in doubt whether I may believe thy words or not: but yet discourse unto me the truth of all your passed fortunes, and by what ●●anes you were brought into this place, and as I am a true Christian Knight, and one that fights in the quarrel of Christ, I vow to accomplish whatsoever lieth in my power.  
Then the Damsel began with a grievous and sorrowful lamentation, to declare as strange a tragedy as ever was told. And lying in the fatal Sepulchre, unseen of Saint George, that stood leaning his back against the wall to hear her discourse and lamentable Story: with a hollow voice like a murdered Lady, whose bleeding soul as yet did feel the terrible stroke at her death, she repeated this pitiful tale following.   

CHAP. XI.  
Of a tragical Discourse pronounced by a Lady in a Tomb: and how her Enchantment was finished by saint George, with other strange accidents that happened to the other Christian Knights.  
IN famous Babylon sometimes reigned a King, although a Heathen, yet adorned with noble and virtuous customs, and had only one Daughter that was very fair, whose name was Angelica, humble, wise, and chaste: who was beloved of a mighty Duke, & a man man wonderful cunning in the Black art. This Magician had a severe & grave countenance, and one that for wisdom better deserved the government than any other in the kingdom, and was very well esteemed throughout all Babylon, almost equally with the king: for the which there engendered in the king's heart a secret rancour and hatred towards him. This Magician cast his love upon the young Princess Angelica, and it was the God's will that she should repay him with the same affection: so that both their hearts being wounded with love the one to the other, in such sort that the fire kindled daily more and more, and neither of them had any other imagination but only to love: and not knowing how to manifest their griefs, they endured sundry great passions.  
Then love which continually seeketh occasions, did on a time set before this Magician a waiting maid of Angelicaes', named Fidela: the which thing seemed to be wrought by the immortal power of the Goddess Venus: oh what fear this Magician was in to discover unto her all his heart, and to bewray the secrets of his lovesick soul: but in the end, by the great industry and diligence of the weighting Maid (whose name was answerable unto her mind) there was order given that these two lovers should meet together.  
This fair Angelica, for that she could not at her ease enjoy her true Lover, she did determine to leave her own natural Country and Father: and with this intention being one night with her Love, she cast her arms about his neck and said.  
Oh my sweet and well-beloved Friend, seeing that the sovereign Gods have been so kind to me, as to have my heart linked in thy breast, let me not find in thee ingratitude, for that I cannot pass my time, except continually I enjoy thy sight: and do not muse (my Lord) at these my words, for the entire love that I bear to you, doth constrain me to make it manifest. And this believe of a certainty, that if thy sight be absent from me, it will be an occasion that my heart will lack his vital recreation, and my soul forsake his earthly habitation. You know (my Lord) how that the King my Father doth bear you no good will, but doth hate you from his soul, which will be the occasion that we cannot enjoy our heart's contentments: for the which I have determined (if you think well thereof) to leave both my Father and my native Country, and to go and live with you in a strange Land. And if you deny me this, you shall very quickly see your well-beloved Lady without life: but I know you will not deny me it, for thereon consisteth the benefit of my welfare, and my chiefest prosperity. And therewithal shedding a few tears from her crystal eyes, she held her peace.  
The Magician (as one half ravished with her earnest desires) answered and said.  
My Love and sweet Mistress, wherefore have you any doubt that I will not fulfil and accomplish your desire in all things? therefore out of hand put all things in a readiness that your pleasure is to have done: for what more benefit and contentment can I receive, than to enjoy your sight continually, in such sort that neither of us may departed from the others company, till the fatal Destinies give end unto our lives. But if it so fall out that fortune frown upon us, that we be espied and taken in our enterprise, and suffer death together, what more glory can there be unto my soul, than to die with thee, and to leave my life betwixt thy arms? Therefore do not trouble yourself my sweet Lady and Mistress, but give me leave for to departed your presence, that I may provide all things in a readiness for our departures. And so with this conclusion they took leave one of the other, and departed away with as great secrecy as might possibly be devised.  
After this within a few days, the Magician by his enchantments caused a Chariot to be made, that was governed by two flying Dragons into the which without being espied by any one, they put themselves, in company of their trusty waiting Maid: and so in great secret they departed out of the King's Palace, and took their journey towards the Country of Armenia: in the which Country in a short time they arrived, and came without any misfortune unto a place whereas deep rivers do continually strike upon a mighty rock, upon the which stood an old and ancient building, wherein they intended to inhabit as a most convenient place for their dwellings, whereas they might without all fear of being found, live peacefullie in joying in each others love.  
Not far from that place there was a small village, from whence they might have necessary provision for the maintaining of their bodies: great joy and pleasure th●se two Lovers received when they found themselves in such a place whereas they might take their ease and enjoy their loves.  
The Magician delighted in no other thing but to go a hunting with certain Country dwellers that inhabited in the next village, leaving his sweet Angellica accompanied with her trusty Fidela in that strong house, so in this order they lived together four years, spending their days in great pleasure: but in the end time (who never resteth in one degree) did take from them their rest and repaid them with sorrow and extreme mizerie. For when the King her father found her missiing, the sorrow and grief was so much that he received, that he kept his chamber a long time, and would not be comforted of any body.  
Four years he passed away in great heaviness, filling the Court with Echoes of his beloved daughter, and making the skies to resound his lamentations: sorrow was his food, salt tears his drink, and grief his chief companion.  
But at last, upon a time as he sat in his Chair lamenting her absence with great heaviness, and being overcharged with grief, he chanced to fall into a troublesome dream, for after quiet sleep had closed up the closerts of his eyes, he dreamt that he saw his daughter standing uppo a Rock by the sea side, offering to cast her body into the waves before she would return to Babylon, and that he beheld her Lover with an Army of Satyrs and wild men ready furnished with habiliments of war to pull him from his Throne, and to deprive him of his Kingdom.  
Out of this vision he presently started from his chair, as though it had been one frighted with a legion of spirits, and caused four of the chiefest Peers of his Land to be sent for, to whom he committed the government of his Country: certefying them that he intended a voyage to the Sepulchre at Memphis, thereby to qualify the fury of his Daughter's ghost, whom he dreamt to be drowned in the seas, and that except he sought by true submission to appease the angry heavens, whom he had offended by his unnatural sorrows, he should be deposed from his Kingdom.  
None could withdraw him from this determination, though it was to the prejudice of his whole Land, therefore within twenty days he furnished himself with all necessaries as well of armour and martial furniture, as of gold and treasure, and so departed from Babylon privately and alone, not suffering any other (though many desired it humbly, and were very earnest) to bear him company.  
But he traveled not as he told his Lords after any ceremonious order, but like a bloodhound searching Country after Country, Nation by Nation, and Kingdom by Kingdom, that after a barbarous manner he might be revenged upon his Daughter for her disobedience. And as he traveled, there was no cave, den, wood nor wilderness, but he furiously entered, and diligently searched for his Angelica.  
At last by strange fortune he happened into Armenia, near unto the place whereas his Daughter had her residence: where, after he had intelligence by the Commons of that Country, that she remained in an old ruynated Building on the top of a rock near at hand, without any more tarriance he traveled unto that place, at such a time as the Magician her loving Husband was gone about his accustomed hunting: where coming to the gate and finding it locked, he knocked thereat so furiously, that he made the noise to resound all the house over, with a redoubling Echo.  
When Angelica heard one knock, she came unto the gate and with all speed did open it. And when she thought to embrace him, thinking it to be her Lover, she saw that it was her Father, and with a sudden alteration she gave a great shriek, and ran with all the speed she could back into the house.  
The King her Father being somewhat angry, like a furious Lion followed her, saying: It doth little avail thee Angelica to run away, for that thou shalt die by this revengeful hand, paying me with thy death the great dishonour that my royal crown hath now by thy flight received.  
So he followed her till he came to the chamber where her waiting Maid Fidela was, who likewise presently knew the King: upon whose wrathful countenance appeared the image of pale death, and fearing the harm that should happen unto her Lady, she put herself over her body, and gave most terrible, loud, and lamentable shrieks.  
The King as one kindled in wrath, and forgetting the natural love of a Father towards his Child, he laid hand upon his sword, and said: It doth not profit thee Angelica to fly from thy death: for thy desert is such, that thou canst not escape from it: for here mine own arm shall be the killer of mine own flesh: and I unnaturally hate that, which Nature itself commandeth me especily to love.  
Then Angelica with a countenance more red than scarlet, answered and said: Ah my Lord and Father, will you be now as cruel unto me, as you had wont to be kind and pitiful? appease your wrath, and withdraw your unmerciful sword, and hearken unto this which I say in discharging myself in that you charge me wthall, you shall understand my Lord and father, that I was overcome and constrained by love for to love, forgetting all fatherly love and my duty towards your Majesty: yet for all that, having power to accomplish the same, it was not to your dishonour in that I live honourably with my husband: then the King (with a visage fraught with terrible ire) more liker a dragon in the woods of Hercania then a man of meek nature, answered and said:  
Thou viperous brat, degenerate from nature's kind, thou wicked Traitor to thy generation, what reason hast thou to make this false excuse, when as thou hast committed a crime that deserves more punishment then humane nature can inflict? and in saying these words, he lift up his sword, intending to strike her unto the heart and to bathe his weapon in his own daughter's blood, whereat Fidela being present, gave a terrible shriek and threw she upon the body of unhappy Ange●lica, offering her tender breast to the fury of his sharp cutting sword only to set at liberty her dear Lady and Mistress.  
But when the furious King saw her in this sort make her defence, he pulled her off ●y the hair of the head, offering to trample her delicate body under his feet, thereby to make a way that he might execute his denermined purpose without resistance of any.  
Fidela when she saw the King determined to kill his daughter, like unto a Lioness she hung about his neck, and said: thou monstrous murderer, more crueler than mad dogs in Egypt, why dost thou determine to slaughter the most chaste and loyallest Lady in the world? even she within whose lap untamed Lions will come and sleep?  
Thou art thy self (I say) the occasion of all this evil, and thine only is the fault, for that thyself wert so malicious and so full of mischief, that she durst not let thee understand of her sudden love.  
These words and tears of Fidela did little profit to mollify the King's heart, but rather like a wild Boar in the Wilderness being compassed about with a company of Dogs, doth shake his members: even so did this King shake himself, and threw Fidela from him in such sort, that he had almost dashed her brains against the chamber walls, and with double wrath he did procure to execute his fury. Yet for all this▪ Fidela with terrible shrieks sought to hinder him, till such time as with his cruel hand he thrust the point of his sword in at her breast, so that it appeared forth at her back, whereby her soul was forced to leave her terrestrial habitation, and fly into Paradise to those blessed souls, which died for true loves sake.  
Thus this unhappy Angelica, when she was most at quiet, and content with her prosperous life, than Fortune turned her unconstant Wheel, and cast her from a glorious delight to a sudden death.  
The ireful King, when he beheld his daughter's blood sprinkled about the chamber, and that by his own hands it was committed, he repent himself of the deed, and accursed the hour wherein the first motion of such a crime entered into his mind, wishing the hand that did it ever after might be lame, and the heart that did contrive it to be plagued with more extremities, than was miserable Oedipus: or to be terrified with her ghastly spirit, as was the Macedonian Alexander with Clitus shadow, whom he causeless murdered.  
In this manner the unfortunate King repent his Daughters bloody Tragedy, with this determination, not to stay till the Magician returned from his Hunter's exercise, but to exclude himself from the company of all men, & to spend the remnant of his loathsome life among untamed beasts in some wild wilderness. Upon this resolution he departed the chamber, and withal said: Farewell thou lifeless body of my Angelica, and may thy blood which I have spilled, crave vengeance of the Gods against my guilty soul, for my earthly body shall endure a miserable punishment. Likewise at his departure he writ upon the chamber walls these verses following in his daughter's blood.  
For now to hills, to dales, to rocks, to caves I go,  
To spend my days in shameful sorrow, grief & woe.  
Fidela (after the departure of the King) used such violent fury against herself, both by rending the golden tramelles of her hair, and tearing her Rosy coloured face with her furious nails, that she rather seemed an infernal Fury subject to wrath, than an earthly creature furnished with clemency.  
She sat over Angelicaes' body, wiping her bleeding bosom with a damask scarf, which she pulled from her waste, and bathing her dead body in lukewarm tears, which forcibly ran down from her eyes like an overflowing Fountain.  
In this woeful manner spent the sorrowful Fidela that unhappy day, till bright Phoebus went into the western seas: at which time the Magician returned from his accustomed hunting, and finding the door open, he entered into Angelicaes' chamber, where when he found her body weltering in congealed blood, and beheld how Fidela sat weeping over her bleeding wounds, he cursed himself, for that he accounted his negligence the occasion of her death, in that he had not left her in more safety. But when Fidela had certified him, how that by the hands of her own Father she was slaughtered, he began like a frantic tyrant to rage against heaven and earth, and to fill the air with terrible exclamations.  
Oh cruel murderer (said he) crept from the womb of some untamed Tiger: I willbe so revenged upon thee, O unnatural king, that all ages shall wonder at thy misery.  
And likewise thou unhappy Virgin, shalt endure like punishment, in that thy accursed tongue hath bruited this fatal deed unto my ears: the one for committing the crime and the other for reporting it. For I will cast such deserved vengeance upon your heads, and place your bodies in such continual torments, that you shall lament my Lady's death, leaving alive the fame of her with your lamentations.  
And in saying these words, he drew a Book out of his bosom, and in reading certain charms and enchantments that was therein contained, he made a great & very black cloud appear in the skies, which was brought by terrible and hasty winds, in the which he took them up both, and brought them into this enchanted Castle, where ever since they have remained in this Tomb, cruelly tormented with unquenchable fire: and must eternally continue in the same extremity, except some courteous Knight will vouchsafe to give but three blows upon the Tomb, and break the enchantment.  
Thus have you heard you magnanimous Knights, the true discourse of my unhappy fortunes. For the virgin which for the true love she bore unto her Lady was committed to this torment is myself: and this pale body lying upon the Tomb, is the unhappy Babylonian King which unnaturally murdered his own Daughter: and the Magician which committed all these villainies, is that accursed wretch, which by his charms and devilish Enchantments hath so strangely withstood your valiant encounters.  
These words were no sooner finished, but Sa. George drew out his sharp cutting sword, and gave three blows upon the enchanted Tomb, whereat presently appeared the Babylonian King standing before him, attired in rich robes, with an Imperial Diadem upon his head: & the Lady standing by him, with a countenance more beautiful than the damask Rose.  
When Saint George beheld them, he was not able to speak for joy, nor to utter his mind, so exceeding was the pleasure that he took in their sights. So without any long circumstance, he took them betwixt both his hands, and led them into the chamber, whereas he found the other Knights newly risen from their beds. To whom he revealed the true discourse of the passed Adventure, and by what means he redeemed the King and the Lady from their enchantments: which to them was as great joy, as before it was to Saint George.  
So, after they had for some six days refreshed themselves in the castle, they generally intended to accompany the Babylonian King into his Country, and to place him again in his Regiment.  
In which travel we will leave the Christian knights to the conduction of Fortune, and return again unto Rosana, whom (as you heard before) departed from the Castle in the pursuit of her disloyal father: of whose strange accidents shall be spoken in this following Chapter.   

CHAP. XII.  
How the Knight of the Black Castle after the conquest of the same by the christian champions, wandered up and down the world in great terror of conscience, and after how he was found in a wood by his own daughter, in whose presence he desperately slew himself, with other accidents that after happened.  
YOu do well remember when that that the Christian champions had slain the seven Giants in the enchanted castle, and had made conquest thereof, disloyal Leoger being lord of the same, secretly fled: not for any anger of the loss, but for the preservation of his life. So in great grief and terror of conscience he wandered like a fugitive up and down the world: sometimes remembering of his passed prosperity, other times thinking upon the rapes he had committed, how disloyally in former times he had left the Queen of Armenia big with Child, bearing in her womb the stain of her honour, and the confusion of his reputation. Sometime his guilty mind imagined, that the bleeding ghosts of the two Sisters (whom he both ravished and murdered) followed him up and down, haunting his ghost with fearful exclamations, and filling each corner of the earth with clamours of revengement.  
Such fear and terror raged in his soul, that he thought all places where he traveled, were filled with multitudes of of Knights, and that the strength of Countries pursued him, to heap vengeance upon his guilty head for those wronged Ladies.  
Whereby he cursed the hour of his birth, and blamed the cause of his creation, wishing the Heavens to consume his body with a flash of fire, or that the earth would gape and swallow him: In this manner traveled he up and down, filling all places with Echoes of his sorrows and grief, which brought him into such a perplexity, that many times he would have slain himself, and have rid his wretched soul from a world of mizeries.  
But it happened that one morning very early, by the first light of Titan's golden torch, he entered into a narrow and strait path, which conducted him into a very thick and solitary Forest, wherein with much sorrow he traveled till such time as glistering Phoebus had passed the half part of his journey.  
And being weary with the long way, and the great weight of his Armour, he was forced to take some rest and ease under certain fresh and green Myrtle trees, whose leaves did bathe themselves in a fair and clear Fountain, whose stream made a bubbling murmur on the pebble.  
Being set, he began a new to have in remembrance his former committed cruelty, and complaining of Fortune he published his great grief, and although he was weary of complaining, and seeing hinselfe without all remidy, he resolved like unto the Swan to sing awhile before his d●ath: and so thinking to give some ease unto his tormented heart, he warbled forth these verses following.  

Mournful Melpomene approach with speed,  
and show thy sacred face with tears besprent:  
Let all thy sister's hearts with sorrow bleed  
To hear my plaints and rueful discontent.  
And with your moans sweet Muses all assist  
My wailful song, that doth on woe consist.   

And then I may at large paint out my pain,  
Within these desert groves and wilderness:  
And after I have ended to complain,  
They may record my woes and deep distress:  
Except these myrtle trees relentless be,  
They will with sobs assist the sighs of me.   

Time wears out life, it is reported so,  
And so it may I will it not deny:  
Yet have I tried long time, & this do know,  
Time gives no end to this my misery.  
But rather fortune, time and heavens agree,  
To plague my heart with woe eternally.   

ye sylvan nymphs that in thes woods do shroud  
To you my mournful sorrows I declare:  
You savage satyrs let your ears be bound  
to heaare my woe, your sacred selves prepare:  
Trees, herbs & flowers, in rural fields that grow,  
While thus I morn, do you some silence sho.   

Sweet Philomela cease thou thy songs a while  
And will thy mate their melodies to leave:  
And all at once attend my mournful style,  
which will of mirth your sugared notes bereave  
If you desire the burden of my Song:  
I sigh and sob, for Ladies I did wrong.   

You furious Beasts that feed on mountains high,  
And restless run with rage your prey to find:  
Draw near to him whose brutish cruelty  
Hath cropped the bud of Virgins chaste & kind.  
This only thing yet rests to comfort me:  
Repentance comes a while before I die.   

Since heavens agree for to increase my care,  
What hope have I for to enjoy delight?  
Sith fates and fortune do themselves prepare,  
To work against my soul their full despite.  
I know no means to yield my heart relief:  
But only death, which can dissolve my grief.   

I muse and may my sorrows being such,  
That my poor heart can longer life sustain:  
Sith daily I do find my grief so much,  
As every day I feel a dying pain.  
But yet alas I live afflicted still:  
And have no help to heal me of my ill.   

When as I think upon my pleasures past,  
Now turned to pain, it makes me rue my state  
And since my joy with woe is overcast,  
O death give end to my unhappy fate.  
For only death will lasting life provide:  
Where living thus, I sundry deaths abide.   

Wherefore all you that hear my mournful song  
And tasted have the grief that I sustain:  
All lustful ravishers that have done wrong,  
With teare-fild eyes assist me to complain.  
All that have being, do my being hate:  
Crying haste, haste, this wretches dying state   
This sorrowful song being done, he laid himself all along upon the green grass closing up the closerts of his eyes, in hope to repose himself in a quiet sleep, and to abandon all discontented thoughts: in which silent contemplation we will leave him for a while, and return to Rosana the queens daughter of Armenia that bold Amazonian Lady, whom you remember likewise departed from the black Castle (clad with enchanted armour) in the pursuit of her disloyal Father, whom she never in her life beheld: this courteous Lady (to perform her mother's will) traveled up and down strange countries, many a weary step, yet never could she meet with her unkind father, unto whom she was commanded to give her mother's letter, neither could she bear in any place wheresoever she came, where she might go to seek him: In which travel she met with many strange adventures, the which with great honour to her name she finished, yet for all this she wandered over hills and dales: mountains and valleys, and through many solitary woods. But at last she happened by fortune into the wilderness, whereas this discentented knight lay sleeping upon the green grass, near to which place she likewise reposed herself under the branches of a Chestnut tree, desiring to take some rest after her long travel.  
But upon a sudden being betwixt waking and sleeping, she heard towards her left hand, a very dolorous groan, as it were of some sorrowful knight, which was so terrible, heavy, and bitter, that it made her to give an attentive ear unto the sound, and to see if she could hear and understand what it should be.  
So with making the least noise that she could possibly, she arose up and went towards the place whereas she might see what it was, and there she beheld a Knight very well armed, lying upon the green grass, under certain fair and green mirtie trees, is armour was all russet, and full of bars of black steel, which showed to be a very sad, sorrowful and heavy inamelling, agreeable to the inward sadness of his heart.  
He was somewhat of a big stature of body, and well proportioned, and there seemed by his disposition, to be in his heart great grief, where after she had a while stood in secret beholding his sorrowful counteaunce, in a woeful manner he tumbled his restless body upon the green grass, and with a sad and heavy look he breathed forth this rueful lamentation.  
Oh heavy and perversse Fortune (said he) why dost thou consent that so wild and evil a wretch do breath so long upon the earth, upon whose wicked head the golden Sun disdains to shine, and the glistering Elements denies their cheerful lights?  
Oh that some ravenous Harpey would welter from his den, and make his loathsome bowels my fatal Tomb, or that my eyes were sights like the mizerable King of Thebes, that I never might again behold this earth, whereon I have long lived and committed many cruelties.  
I am confounded with the curse of heaven for wronging that Maiden Queen of Armenia, in the spoil of whose virginity I made a triumphant conquest.  
Oh Leoger Leoger, what fury did induce thee to commit so great a sin, in leaving her stained with thy lust, and dishonoured by thy disloyalty?  
Oh cruel and without faith, thou wert nurssed with the unkindly milk of Tigers, and borne into the world for thine own torment: where was thy understanding when thou forsookst that gracious Princess? whom not only yielded to thee her liberty, love and honour, but therewith a Kingdom and a golden Diadem, and therefore woe unto me Traitor, and more woes upon my soul then there be hairs upon my head, and may the sorrows of old Priam be my eternal punishment.  
What doth it profit me to all the air with lamentations, when that the crime is already past, without all remedy or hope of comfort? this being said, he gave a grievous and terrible sigh and so held his p●ace.  
Rosana by those heavy and sorrowful lamentations, together with his reasons which she heard, knew him to be her disloyal Father after whom she had so long traveled to find out: but when she remembered how that his unkindness was the death of her mother, her heart endured such extreme pain and sorrow, that she was constrained (without any feeling) to fall down to the ground.  
But yet her courageous heart would not remain long in that passion: but strait ways she rose up again on her feet, with a desire to perform her mother's will, but yet not intending to discover her name, nor to reveal unto him that she was his daughter: so with this thought and determination, she went unto the place where Leoger was, who when he heard the 'noys of her coming, straightway started bpon his feet.  
Then Rosana did salute him with a voice some what heavy, and Leoger did return his salutation with no less show of grief.  
Then the Amazonian Lady took forth the letter from her naked breast, where as so long time she had kept it, and in delivering it into his hands, she said:  
Is it possible that thou art that forgetful and disloyal Knight, the which left the unfortunate Queen of Armenia (with so groat pain and sorrow) big with Child amongst those unmerciful Tyrants her Countrymen, which banished her out of her Country in revenge of thy committed crime, where ever since she hath been companion with wild beasts that in their natures hath lamented her banishment?  
Leoger when he heard her to say these words began to behold her, and although his eyes were all to be blubbered and weary of weeping, yet he most earnestly gazed in her face and answered her in this manner.  
I will not deny thee gentle Amazon (said he) that which the high heavens doth complain off and the low earth doth mourn for. Thou shalt understand that I am the same Knight, whom thou hast demanded after, tell me therefore what is thy will.  
My will is said she, thou most ungrateful Knight, that thou read here this Letter, the last work of the white hand of the unhappy Armenian Queen.  
At which words, the Knight was so troubled in thought and grieved in mind, that it was almost the occasion to dissolve his soul from his body: and therewithal putting forth his hand somewhat trembling, he took the Letter, & set him very sorrowfully down upon the green grass: without any power to the contrary, his grief so abounded the bounds of reason.  
No sooner did he open the letter, but he presently knew it to be written by the hands of his wronged Lady the Armenian Queen, who with great alteration both of heart & mind, he read the sorrowful lines, the which contained these words following.  
The Queen of Armenia her Letter.  
TO thee thou disloyal Knight of the Black Castle, the unfortunate Queen of Armenia, can neither send nor wish salutations: for having no health myself, I cannot send it unto him, whose cruel mind hath quite forgotten my true love, I cannot but lament continually and complain unto the Gods incessantly, considering that my fortune is converted from a crowned Queen to a miserable and banished caitiff, where the savage beasts are my chief companions, & the mournful bi●ds my best solicitors. Oh Leoger, Leoger, why didst thou leave me comfortless without all cause, as did Aeneas his unfortunate Dido? what second love hath bereaved me of thy sight, and made thee forget her, that ever shall remember thee. Oh Leoger, remember the day when first I saw thy face, which day be fatal evermore, and counted for a dismal day in time to come, both heavy, black, and full of foul mischances, for it was unhappy unto me: for in giving thee joy, I bereaved myself of all, and lost the possession of my liberty and honour: although thou hast not esteemed nor took care of my sorrowful fortunes, yet thou shouldst not have mocked my perfect love, and disdained the fervent affection that I have borne thee, in that I have yielded to thee that precious jewel, the which hath been denied to many a noble King. Oh Love, cruel and spiteful Love, that so quickly didst make me blind, and deprivedst me of the knowledge that belonged unto my royal Highness.  
Oh uncourteous Knight, being blinded with thy love the Queen of Armenia denied her honesty which she ought to have kept, and preserved it from the biting canker of disloyal l●ue? Hadst thou pretended to mock me, thou shouldst not have suffered me to have lost so much as is foregone for thy sake.  
Tell me, why didst not thou suffer me to execute my will, that I might have opened my white breast with a piercing sword, and sent my soul to the shady bank of sweet Elysium? Then had it been better for me to have died, than to live still, and daily die.  
Remember thyself Leoger, and behold the harm that will come hereof: have thou a care unto the pawn which thou leftest sealed in my womb, and let it be an occasion that thou dost (after all thy violent wrongs) return to see me sleeping in my tomb, that my child may not remain fatherless in the power of wild beasts, whose hearts be fraughted with nothing but with cruelty. Do not consent that this perfect love which I bear thee, should be counted vain, but rather perform the promise the which thou hast denied me.  
O unkind Leoger, O cruel and heard heart, is alshoode the firm love that so faindedly thou didst profess to me? what is he that hath been more unmerciful than thou hast been? There is no furious beast nor lurking Lion in the deserts of Libya, whose unmerciful paws are all besmearde in blood, that is so cruel hearted as thyself, else wouldst thou not leave me comfortless, spending my days in solitary woods, where as the Tigers mourn at my distresses, and chirping birds in their kinds, grieve at my lamentations: the unreasonable torments and sorrows of my soul are so many, that if my pen were made of Lydian steel, and my Ink the purple Ocean, yet could not I write the number of woes.  
But now I determine to advertise thee of my desired death, for in writing this my latest testament, the fates are cutting a sunder my third of life, and I can give thee knowledge of no more, but yet I desire thee by the true love which I bear thee, that thou wilt read with some sorrow these few lines: and here of the powers of heaven, I do desire that thou mayst die the like death that for thee I now die. And so I end.  
By her which did yield unto thee her life, Love, Honour, Fame and Liberty.  
WHen this sad and heavy knight had made an end of reading this dolorous letter, he could not restrain his eyes from distilling salt tears, so great was the grief that his heart sustaned: Rosana did likewise bear him company to solemnize his heaviness, with as many tears trickling from the Conduit of her eyes.  
The great sorrow and lamentation was such and so much in both their hearts, that in a great space the one could not speak unto the other: but afterwards, their griefs being somewhat appeased, Leoger began to say.  
Oh Messenger, from her with the remembrance of whose wrong my soul is wounded, being undeservedly of me evil rewarded: tell me (even by the nature of true love) if thou dost know where she is? show unto me her abiding place, that I may go thither and give a discharge of this my great fault, by yielding unto death.  
Oh cruel and without love (answered Rosana) what discharge canst thou give unto her, that already (thorough thy cruelty) is dead and buried? only by the occasion of such a forsworn knight.  
This penitent and pained knight, when he understood the certainty of her death, with a sudden and hasty fury he struck himself on the 〈◊〉 with his fist, and lifting his eyes unto the heavens, in manner of exclamation against the Gods, giving deep and sorrowful sighs, he threw himself to the ground, tumbling and wallowing from the one part unto the other, without taking any ease, or having any power or strength to declare his inward grief which at that time he felt, but with lamentations which did torment his heart, he called continually on the Armenian Queen, and in that devilish fury wherein he was, dre● out his dagger and lifting up the skirt of his shirt of 〈◊〉, he thrust it into his body, and giving himself this unhappy death (with calling upon his wronged Lady, he finished his life, and fell to the ground.  
This sad and heavy Lady when she beheld him so desperately to gorge his martial breast, and to fall lifeless to the earth, she greatly repent herself that she had not discovered her name, and revealed to him how that she was his unfortunate Daughter, whose face before that time he never had beheld and as a Lion, (though all too late) who seeing before her eyes her young Lioness evil entreated of the Hu●ter, even so she ran unto her well-beloved Father, and with great speed pulled off his helm from his wounded head, and unbraced his armour, the which was in colour according to his passion, but as strong as any Diamond, made by Magic art. Also she took away his shield, which was of a russet field, and in the midst thereof was portrayed the God of Love with two faces, the one was very fair, and bound about with a cloth his eyes, and the other was made marvelous fierce and furious.  
This being done, with a fair linen cloth she wiped off the blood from his mortal face. And when she was certain that it was him after whom she had traveled so many weary steps, and that he was without life, with a furious madness she tore her attire from her head, and all so rend her golden hair, tearing it in pieces, and then returned again and wiped that infernal face making such sorrowful lamentation, that whosoever had seen her, would have been moved to compassion. Then she took his head betwixt her hands, procuring to lift it up, and to lay it upon her lap, and seeing for all this that there was no moving in him, she joined her face unto his pale and dead cheeks, and with sorrowful words, she said.  
Dear Father, open thine eyes, and behold me, open them sweet Father, and look upon me thy sorrowful Daughter: if fortune be so favourable, let me receive some contentment whilst life remaineth. 〈…〉 thyself to look upon me, wherein such delight may come to me, that we may either accompany other. Oh my Lord and only Father, s●●ing that in former times my unfortunate Mother's tears were not sufficient to reclaim thee, make me satisfaction for the great travel which hath been taken in seeking thee out. Come now in death, and joy in the sight of thy unhappy Daughter, and die not without seeing her: open thine eyes, that she may gratify thee in dying with thee.  
This being said, Rosana began again to wipe his face, for that i● was ag●●n all to be bathed in blood, and with her white hands she felt his eyes and mouth, and all his face and head till such time as she touched his breast, and put her hand on the mortal wound where she held it still and looked upon him whether he moved or no. But when she felt him without sense or feeling, she began anew to complain, and crying out with most terrible exclamations, she said.  
Oh my hapless Father, how many troubles & great travels hath thy Daughter passed in seeking thee, watering the earth with her tears, and always in vain calling for thee? Oh how many times in naming thy name hath she been answered with an Echo, which was unto her great dolour and grief? and now that Fortune hath brought her where thou art, to rejoice herself in thy presence, the same Fortune hath converted her wishes into grief and do●or. Oh cruel and unconstant Queen of Chance, hath Rosana deserved this, to be most afflicted when she expected most joy. Oh Leoger, if ever thou wilt open thine eyes now open them, or let the glasses of my eyes be closed eternally.  
Herewith she perceived his dim eyes to open, and his senses now a little gathered together: a●d when he saw himself in her arms, and understood by her words, that she was his Daughter whom he had by the unfortunate Queen of Armenia, he suddenly strove against weakness, and at last recovering some strength, he cast his yielding arms about the milk white neck of the fair Rosana, and they joined their faces the one with the other, distilling betwixt them many salt and bitter tears, in such sort that it would have moved the wild beasts unto compassion: and with a feeble and weak voice, the wounded knight said:  
Ah my daughter, unfortunate by my disloyalty, let me recreate and comfort myself, in enjoying this thy mouth the time that I shall remain alive, and before my silly soul doth depart the company of my dying body: I do confess that I have been pitiless unto thy mother and unkind to thee, in making thee to travel with great sorrow in seeking me, and now thou hast found me I must leave thee alone in this sorrowful place with my dead body pale and wan: yet before my death sweet girl give me a thousand kisses: this only delight I crave, for the little time I have to tarry, and afterward I desire thee to entomb my body in thy mother's grave though it be far in distance from this unlucky Country.  
O my dear Lord answered she, dost thou request of me to give thy body a Sepulchre? well I see that it is requisite, to seek some to give it unto us both, for I know my life can not continue long, if the angry fates deprive me of your living company: and without strength to proceed any further in speeches, she kissed his face with great sobbing and sighs, making within herself a terrible conflict, tarrying for the answer of her dying Father, who with no less pain and anguish of death, said:  
Oh my Child, how happy should I be, that thus embracing one in the others arms, we might departed together? then should I be joyful in thy company, and account myself happy in my death: and here upon I leave thee unto the world: daughter farewell, the Gods preserve thee and take me to their mercies. And when he had said these words, he inclined his neck upon the face of Rosana and died.  
When this sorrowful Lady saw that the soul had got the victory and departed from the body, she kissed his pale lips and giving ●éepe and dolorous sighs, she began a merualous and heavy lamentation, calling herself unhappy and unfortunate, and laid herself upon the dead body, cursing her destinies, so that it was lamentable to hear.  
O my dear father said she, what small benefit have I received for all my travel and pain, the which I have suffered in seeking of thee, and now in the finding of thee the more is my grief, for that I came to see thee die? Oh most unhappy that I am, where was my mind when I saw that fatal dagger pierce thy tender breast? whereon was my thought? wherefore did I stand still, and did not with great lightness make resistance against that terrible blow?  
If my strength would not have served me, yet at the least I should have borne thee company: you furious beasts that are hid in your dens and deep caves, where are you now? why do you not come and take pity upon my grief in taking away my life? in doing so you show yourselves pitiful, for that I do abhor this dolorous life, yet she did not forget the promise that she made him, which was to give his body burial in her mother's tomb. This was the occasion that she did somewhat cease her lamentation, and taking unto herself more courage than her sorrowful grief would consent unto, she put the dead body under a mighty pine Apple tree, and covered it with leaves of green grass, and like wise hung his armour, upon the bows, in hope that the sight thereof would cause some adventurous knight to approach her presence, that in kindness would assist her to entomb him: here we will leave Rosana weeping over her father's body, and speak of the Necromancer after his flight from the black Castle.   

CHAP. XII.  
How the Magician found Leogers' armour hanging upon a pine tree, kept by Rosana the Queen's Daughter of Armenia, betwixt whom happened, a terrible battle: also of the desperate death of the Lady: And 〈◊〉 how the Magician framed by magic art an ●●chaunted Sepulchre, wherein he enclosed himself from the sight of all human creatures.  
I Am sure you do well remember when the Christian Knights had conquered the black Castle which was kept by enchantment, how the furious Necromancer to preserve his life fled from the same, carried by his art through the air in an iron Chariot, drawn by two flying Dragons: in which charmed Chariot he crossed over many parts and plains of the earsterne climets.  
At last being weary of his journey, he put himself in the thickest of the forest, wherein traveling with his whirling Dragons, he n●uer rested till he came unto a mighty and great river, the which seemed to ●ee an arm of the purple Ocean, there he alighted from his chariot for to refresh himself, and took water with his hands and drunk thereof, and washed his face: and as he found himself all alone, there came into his ●inde 〈◊〉 thoughts, amongst all his passed life▪ and how he was vanquished by the Christian Knights▪ for which with great anger he gave terrible sighs and began to curse, not only the hour of his birth, but the whole world, and the generation of mankind.  
Likewise he remembered the great sorrow and travel that ever since he endured, and what toil traveling knights must endure: In these variable cogitations spent he the time away till golden 〈◊〉 began to withdraw himself into his accustomed lodging and hiding his ●●ght in the ●ccidentall 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 drew on the dark and tenebrous night, which was the occasion that his pain did the mo●e increase: a● that night he passed away with such sorrowful lamentations for his late disgraces, that all the woods and mountains did resound his woeful exclamations, till that Apollo with his glistering beams began to cover the earth.  
The which being seen by the Magician, with a trice he arose up, and intended to prosecute his journey, but lifting up his eyes towards the heavens he did discover hanging upon a high and mighty pine apple tree the armour of Leoger.  
Which was hung there in remembrance of his death by Rosana as you heard in the last Chapter, the armour had almost lost his bright colour and began to rus●e through the great abundance of rain that fell thereon.  
Yet for all that it seemed of great 〈…〉 and of a wonderful richness, so without any further circumspection or regard, he took down the most bright armour, and armed himself therewith, and when he lacked no more to put on but the helmet, he heard a voice that said, be not so hardy thou knight as to undo this Trophy, except thou prepare thyself to win it by thy sword.  
The Magician at this unexpected noise, cast his head on the one side, and espied Rosana newly awaked from a heavy sleep, most richly armed with a strong enchanted armour after the manner of the Amazonians, but for all that he did not let to make an end of arming himself, and having laced on his Burgonet, he went towards the demander with his sword ready drawn in his hand, inviting her with mortal battle.  
Rosana who saw his determination, did procure to defend herself, and offend her enemy.  
Oh my muse that I had such learned eloquence, for to set out and declare the noble encounters of these two gallant warriors: Rosana although she was but a Feminin nature, yet was she as bold● in heroical adventures as any Knight in the world, except the Christian Champions.  
But now to return we to our history, the valiant Amazonian when her enemy came unto her, she struck him so terrible a blow upon the visor of his helmet, that with the fury thereof she made sparkles of fire to issue out with great abundance, and bow down his head unto his breast.  
The Magician did return unto her his salutation, and stroke her such a blow upon her helmet, that with the great noise thereof, it made a sound in all the mountains. Now began between them a marvelous and fearful battle, fortune not willing to vs● her most extremity declined the foil to neither party, nor giving the conquest as yet to any: all the time of the conflict, the furious Magician and the valiant Amazonian thought on no other thing, but either of them procured to bring his adversary to his overthrow, striking at each other such terrible blows, and with so great fury, that many times it made either of them to lose feeling: and both seeing the great force of one another, were marvelously incensed with anger.  
Then the valiant Lady threw her shield at her back, that with more force she might strike and hurt her enemy: and therewithal gave him so strong a blow upon the burgonet, that he fell astonished to the earth without any feeling.  
But when the Magician came again to himself, he returned Rosana such a terrible blow, that if it had chanced to alight upon her, it would have cloven her head in pieces, but with great discretion she cleared herself thereof in such sort, that it was strooken in vain, and with great lightness she retired, and struck the Magician so furiously, that she made him once again to fall to the ground, all astonished, and there appeared at the visor of his helm the abundance of blood that issued out of his mouth: but presently he revived, and got up in a trice, with so great anger, that the smoke which came from his mouth, seemed like a mist before his helm, so that almost it could not be seen.  
Then this furious devil (blaspheming against his Gods) having his mortal sword very fast in his hand, he ran towards his enemy, who (without any fear of his fury) went forth to receive him: and when they met together, they discharged their blows at once, but it fortuned, that the Amazonians blow did first fasten with so great strength, that for all the helmet of the Magician, which was wrought of the strongest steel, it was not sufficient to make defence, but with the rigorous force wherewith it was charged, it bent 〈◊〉 such sort that it broke all to pieces: and the Magicians head was so grievously wounded, that streams of blood ran down his armour, and he was forced for want of strength to yield to the mercy of the valiant Lady, who quickly condescended to his requests, upon this condition, that he would be a mean to convey her father's dead body to an Island near adjoining to the borders of Armenia, and there to entomb it in her mother's grave, as she promised when that his air of life fléeted from his body.  
The Magtion for safe guard of his life, presently agreed to perform her desires, and protested to accomplish what soever she demanded.  
Then presently by his Art he prepared his iron Chariot with his flying dragons in a readiness, wherein they laid the murdered body of Leoger upon a pillow of mystle-toe, and likewise placed themselves therein, where in they were no sooner entered, with necessaries belonging to their traveles, but they flew thorough the air more swifter than a whirlwind, or a ship sailing on the seas in a stormy tempest.  
The wonders that he performed by the way, be so many and miraculous, that I want an Orator's eloquence to describe them, and a Poet's skill to express them.  
But to be short, when Rosana was desirous to eat, and that her hunger increased: by his charms he would procure birds (of their own accords) to fall out of the skies, and yield themselves unto their pleasures, with all things necessary to suffice their wants.  
Thus was Rosana with her father's dead body, carried through the air b● Magic art, over hills and dales, mountains and valleys, woods and forests, towns and Cities, and through many both wonderful and strange places and countries.  
And at the last, they arrived near unto the confines of Armenia, being the place of their long desired rest: But when they approached near unto the Queen of Armenia's grove, they descended from their enchanted Chariot, and bore Leogers' body to his burying place, the which they found (since Rosanaes' departure) overgrown with moss and withered brambles: yet for all that they opened the Sepulchre, and laid his body (yet freshly bleeding) upon his Lady's consuming carcase: which being done, the Magician covered again the grave with earth, and laid thereon green turfs, which made it seem as though it never had been opened.  
All the time that the Magician was performing the ceremonious Funeral, Rosana watered the earth with her tears, never withdrawing her eyes from looking upon the Grave: and when it was finished, she fell into this most sorrowful and distressful lamentation following.  
Oh cruel Destinies (said she) sith your rigours have bereaved me of both my Parents, & left me to the world a comfortless Orphan, receive the sacrifice of my chastity, in payment of your vengeance: and let my blood here shed upon this Grave, show the singleness of my heart. And with the like solemnity may all their hearts be broken in pieces, that seek the downfall and dishonour of Ladies.  
As she was uttering these and such like sorrows, she took forth a naked sword, which she had ready for the same effect, and put the pummel to the ground, and cast her breast upon the point. The which she did with such furious violence and such exceeding haste, that the Magician although he was there present could not secure her, nor prevent her from committing on herself so bloody a fact.  
This sudden mischance so amazed him, and so grieved his soul, that his heart (for a time) would not consent that his tongue should speak one word to express his passion.  
But at last, (having taken a truce with sorrow, and recovering his former speech) he took up the dead body of Rosana, bathed all in blood, and likewise buried her in her Parents Grave: and over the same he hung up an Epitaph that did declare the occasion of all their deaths.  
This being done to express the sorrows of his heart for the desperate death of such a Magnaminious Lady, and the rather to exempt himself from the company of all humane creatures: he erected over the grave (by magic art) a very stately Tomb, the which was in this order framed. First there was fixed four pillars, every one of a very fine Ruby: upon the which was placed a Sepulchre of Crystal: within the sepulchre there seemed to be two fair Ladies, the one having her breast pierced thorough with a sword and the other with a Crown of gold upon her head and so lean of body that she seemed to pine away: and upon the sepulchre there lay a knight all along with his face looking up to the heavens, and armed with a coarselet of fine steel, of a russet enameling: under the sepulchre there was spread abroad a great carpet of gold, and upon it two pillars of the same, and upon them lay an old shepherd with his sheep hook lying at his feet: his eyes were shut, and out of them distilled many pearled tears: at every pillar there was a gentlewoman without any remembrance, the one of them seemed to be murdered, and the other ravished.  
And near unto the sepulchre there lay a terrible great beast, headed like a Lion: his breast and body like a wolf, and his tail like a scorpion, which seemed to spit continually flames of fire: the sepulchre was compassed about with a wall of iron, with four gates for to enter in thereat: the gates were after the manner and colour of fine Diamonds and directly over the top of the chiefest gate, stood a marble pillar whereon hung a table written with red letters: the contents whereof were as followeth.  
So long shall breathe upon this brittle earth,  
The framer of this stately Monument,  
Till that three children of a wondrous birth,  
Out of the Northern climate shall be sent.  
They shall obscure his name as fates agree:  
And by his fall, the fiends shall tamed be.  
This Monument being no sooner framed by the assistance of Pluto's legions, and maintained by their devilish powers, but the Necromancer enclosed himself in the walls, where he consorted chief with furies and walking spirits, that continually fed upon his blood, and left their damnable seals sticking unto his left side, as a sure token and witness that he had given both his soul and body to their governments after the date of his mortal life was finished.  
In which enchanted sepulchre we will leave him for a time conferring with his damnable mates, and return to the christian knights, where we left them traveling towards Babylon, to place the King again in his Kingdom.   

CHAP. XIII.  
How the seven Champions of Christendom restored the Babylonian King unto the Kingdom: and after how honourably they were received at Rome, where Saint George fell in love with the emperors Daughter, being a professed Nun. Of the mischief that ensued thereby, and of the desperate end of young Lucius Prince of Rome.  
THe valiant Christian Champions having as you heard in the Chapter going before, performed the Adventure of the enchanted monument, accompanied the Babylonian King home to his kingdom of Assiria, as they had all very solemnly and faithfully promised to him.  
But when they approached the Confines of Babylon, and made no question of peaceful and princely entertainment, there was neither sign of peace, nor likelihood of joyful or friendly welcome: for all the Country raged with intestine war, four several Competitors unjustly striving for what to the King properly and of right belonged.  
The unnatural causers and stirrers up to this blood-devouring controversy, were the four Noblemen, unto whom the King unadvisedly committed the government of his Realm, when he went in the tragical pursuit of his fair daughter, after his dreaming illusion that caused him so cruelly to seek her death. And the breaking out into this hurly burly, grew first to head in this manner following.  
Two years after the King's departure, these Deputies governed the public State in great peace, and with prudent policy, till after no tidings of the King could be heard notwithstanding so many messengers as were in every quarter of the world sent to inquire of him: and then did Ambition kindle in all their hairs, each striving to wrest into his hand the sole possession of the Babylonian Kingdom.  
To this end did they all make several friends: for this had they contended in many Fights, and now lastly they intended to set all their hopes upon this main chance of war, intending to fight all till three fell, and one remained victor over the rest, whose head should be beautified with a crown.  
But of traitors and treason the end is sudden & shameful: for no sooner had Saint George (placing himself between the Battles) in a brief Oration showed the adventures of the King, and he himself to the people discovered his reverend face, but they all shouted for joy, and haled the Usurpers presently to death, and reinsialled in his ancient dignity, their true, lawful and long looked for King.  
The King being thus restored married Fidela for her faithfulness: and after the nuptial Feasts, the Champions (at the earnest request of Saint Anthony) departed towards Italy: where in Rome the Emperor spared no cost honourably and most sumptuously to entertain those never daunted Knights, the famous Wonders of Christendom.  
At that time of the year when the Summer's Queen had beautified the Earth with interchangeable ornaments, Saint George (in company of the Emperor) with the rest of the Champions chanced to walk along by the side of the River Tiber, and to delight themselves with the pleasurable meads, and beauteous prospect of the Country.  
Before they had walked half a mile from the City, they approached an ancient Nunnery, which was right fair and of a stately building, and likewise encompassed about with crystal streams and green meadows, furnished with all manner of beauteous trees, and fragrant flowers.  
This Nunnery was consecrated to Diana the Queen of Chastity, and none were suffered to live therein, but such chaste Ladies and Virgins, as had vowed themselves to a single life, and to keep their Uirginities for ever unspotted.  
In this place the emperors only Daughter lived a professed Nun, and exempted herself from all company, except it were the fellowship of chaste and Religious Virgins.  
This virtuous Lucina (for so was she called) having intelligence before by the overséeers of the Nunnery, how that the Emperor her Father with many other Knights were coming to visit their religious Habitation, against their approach she attired herself in a gown of white satin, all laid over with gold lace, also having her golden locks of hair somewhat laid forth: and upon her head was knit a garland of sweet smelling flowers, which made her seem celestial and of a divine creation.  
Her beauty was so excellent, that it might have quailed the heart of Cupid, and her bravery exceeded the Paphian Queens. Never could Circe's with all her cunning frame so much beauty in any creature, as was upon her face: nor never could the flattering Sirens more beguile the travelers, than did her bright countenance enchant the English Champion for at his first entrance into the Nunnery, he was so ravished with her sight, that he was not able to withdraw his eyes from her beauty, but stoodszigag upon her Rosy culloured cheeks, like one bewitched with Medusa's shadows: but to be short, her beauty seemed so angelical, and the burning flames of love so fieres his heart, that he must either enjoy her company or give end to his life by some untimely means.  
Saint George being wounded thus with the dart of love, dissembled his grief and not revealed it to any one, but departed with the Emperor back again to the City, leaving his heart behind him closed in the stony Monastery with his lovely Lucina.  
All that ensuing night he could not enjoy the benefit of sleep, but did contemplate upon the divine beauty of his Lady, and fraughted his mind with a thousand several cogitations how he might attain to her love, being a chaste virgin and a professed Nun.  
In this manner spent he away the night, and no sooner appeared the morning's brightness in at his chamber window, but he arose from his restless bed, and attired himself in watchet velvet, to signify his true love, and wandered all alone unto the Monastery where he revealed his deep affection unto his Lady, who was as far from granting to his requests, as heaven is from earth, or the deepest seas from the highest Elements: for she protested while life remained within her body, never to yield her love in the way of marriage to any one, but to remain a pure virgin and one of Diana's train.  
No other resolution could Sa. George get of the chaste Nun, which caused him to depart in great discontent, intending to seek by some other means to obtain her love, so coming to the rest of the Christian Champions, he revealed to them the truth of all things that had happened, who in this manner counseled him, that he should provide a multitude of armed Knights, every one bearing in their hands a sword ready drawn, and to enter the Monastery at such a time as she little mistrusted, and first with fair promises and flattering speeches, to entice her to love, then if she yielded not, to fill her ears with cruel threatenings, protesting that if she will not grant to requite his love with like affection, he would not leave standing one stone of that Monastery upon an other, and likewise to make her a bloody offering up to Diana.  
This policy liked well Saint George, though he intended not to prosecute such cruelty: so the next morning by break of day he went unto the nunnery in company of no other but the christian champions armed in bright armour with their glistering sword ready drawn, the which they carried under their side cloaks to prevent suspicion.  
But when they came to the Monastery, and had entered into the chamber of Lucina (whom they found kneeling upon the bare ground at her ceremonious orisons) Saint George first proffered kindness by fair promises, and afterward made known his unmerciful pretended cruelty, and therewithal shaking their bright sword against her virtuous breast, they protested (though contrary to their minds) that except he would yield unto Saint George her unconquered love, they would bathe their weapone in her dearest blood.  
At which words the distressed Virgin, being overcharged with fear, sunk down presently to the ground, and lay for a time in a dead agony, but in the end, recovering herself, she lifted up her angelical face, shrouded under a cloud of pale sorrow, and in this manner declared her mind.  
Most renowned, and well approved Knights said she, it is as difficult to me, to climb up to the highest top of heaven, as to persuade my mind to yield to the fulfilling of your requests.  
The pure and chaste Goddess Diana that sits now crowned amongst the golden stars in heaven, will revenge my perjured promise if I yield to your desires, for I have long since deeply vowed to spend my days in this religious house, in the honour of her deity, and not to yield the flower of my virginity to any one, which vow I will not infringe for all the Majesty of Room: you know brave champions, that in time the watery drops will mollify the hardest Diamond, and time may weed out this deep root and impression from my heart.  
Therefore I request of you by the honour of true knighthood, and by the loves you bear unto your native countries, to grant me the liberty of seven days, that I may at full consider with my heart, before I give an answer to your demands, and to the intent that I may make some public sacrifice as well to appease the wrath which the chaste Goddess Diana may conceive against me, as to satisfy mine own soul, for not fulfilling my vow.  
These words being no sooner ended, but the champions incontinently without any more delay joyfully consented, and moreover proffered themselves to be all present at the same sacrifice, and so departed from the Monastery with exceeding great comfort.  
The champions being gone, Lucina called together all the rest of the Nuns, and declared to them the whole discourse of her assailment, where after amongst this religious company, with the help of some other of their approved friends, they devised a most strange sacrifice, which hath since been the occasion that so many inhuman and bloody sacrifices hath been committed.  
The next morning after six days were finished, no sooner did bright Phoebus show his golden beams abroad, but the Nuns began to prepare all things in readiness for the sacrifice: for directly before the door of the Monestary, they hired cunning workmen to erect a scaffold, all very richly covered with cloth of gold, and upon the scaffold (about the middle thereof) was placed a fair table covered also with a Carpet of cloth of gold, and upon it a chafing-dish of coals burning: all this being set in good order, the Emperor with the Christian Champions, and many other Roman knights being present to behold the ceremonious sacrifice, who little mistrusting the doleful tragedy that after happened.  
The assembly being silent, there was straightways heard a sweet and hermonious sound of Clarions and Trumpets and sundry other kind of Instruments: these entered first upon the scaffold, and next unto them were brought seven Rams, all adorned with fine white wool, more soft in feeling then Arabian silk, with huge and mighty cragged horns bound about with garlands of flowers: after them followed a certain number of Nuns attired in black vestures, singing their accustomed songs in the honour of Diana: after them followed an ancient Matron drawn in a Chariot by four comely virgins, bringing in her hands the Image of Diana: and on either side of her two ancient Nuns of great estimation, each of them bearing in their hands rich vessels of gold full of most precious and sweet wines: then after all this came the beautiful Lucina appareled with a rich Robe of estate, being of a great and inestimable value.  
Thus cerimoniously they ascended the scaffold, where the Matron placed the Image of Diana behind the chafing-dish of coals that was there burning: the rest of the Nuns continued still singing their songs and drinking of the precious wines that was brought in the golden vessel: this being done, they all at once brought low the necks of the Rams by cutting their throats, whose bloods they sprinkled round about the scaffold, and opened their bowels and burned their inward parts in the chafing-dish of coals.  
Thus with this slaughter, they made sacifice unto the Queen of Chastity: at the sight whereof was present, the surfeiting Lover Saint George, with the other six Christian Knights armed all in bright armour, and were all very attentive to this that I ●éere have told you.  
The sacrifice ended, this Lucina commanded silence to be made, and when all the company were still she raised up herself upon her feet, and with a heavy voice distilling many salt tears: she said.  
O most excellent and chaste Diana, in whose blessed bosom we undefiled Virgins do recreate ourselves: unto thy divine excellency do I now commend this my last sacrifice, craving record of all the Gods, that I have done my best to continue a spotless maiden of thy most beautiful train.  
Oh heavens shall I consent to deliver my virginity willingly to him whose soul desires to have the use of it, or shall I myself commit my utter ruin and sorrowful destruction, the which proceedeth only by the means of my flowering beauty, the which would it had been as black as the nightly ravens, or like to the tawny tanned Moors in the furthest mountains of India.  
O sacred Diana, thou blessed Queen of chastity, is it possible that thou dost consent that a Virgin descended from so royal a race as I am, should procure to spot the worthiness of her predecessors, by yielding her virgins honour to the conquest of love without respecting my beauty, or regarding my chaste vow I have made unto thy deity?  
Well seeing it is so that I must needs violate myself against all human nature, I beseech thee to receive the solemnity of this my death, which I offer up in sacrifice to thy divine excellency, for I am here constrained with mine own trembling hand to cut off the flourishing branches of these my days: for this I swear before the Majesty of heaven, that I had rather offer up my soul into the s●cietie and sacred bosom of Diana, than to yield the cas●le of my chastity, to the conquest of any Knight in the world.  
And now to thee I speak thou valiant Knight of England, behold here I yield unto thy hands my lifeless body, to use according to thy will and pleasure, requesting only this thing at thy hand, that as thou lovedst me living, thou wilt love me dead, and like a merciful Champion suffer me to receive a princely Funeral.  
And last of all, to thee divine Diana do I speak, accept of this my bleeding soul, that with so much blood is offered unto thee.  
So in finishing this sorrowful speech she drew out a fair and bright shining sword, which she had hidden secretly under her gown, and setting the hylt against the Scaffold (little looked for of her Father and those that were present) she suddenly threw herself upon the point of that Sword, in such a furious manner, that it rived her bloody heart in sunder, and so rendered her soul to the tuition of her, unto whom she offered her bloody and ruthful sacrifice.  
What shall I here declare the lamentable sorrows and pitiful lamentation that was there made by her father and other Roman Knights that were present at this unhappy mischance? so great it was, that the walls of the Monastery echoed, and their pitiful shrieks ascended to the heavens.  
But none was more gréened in mind than the afflicted English Champion, who (like a man distraught of sense) in great fury rushed amongst the people, throwing them down on every side, till he ascended upon the scaffold: & approaching the dead body of Lucina, he took her up in his arms, and with a sorrowful and passionate voice he said. O my beloved joy, and late my only heart's delight, is this the Sacrifice wherein (through thy desperatenes) thou hast deceived me, who loved thee more than myself? is this the respite that thou requiredst for seven days, wherein thou hast concluded thy own death and my utter confusion?  
Oh noble Lucina, and my beloved Lady, if this were thy intent, why didst not thou first sacrifice me thy Servant and Love, wholly subjecteth unto thy divine beauty? Woe be unto me, and woe be unto my unhappy enterprise: for by it is she lost, who was made sovereign Lady of my heart.  
Oh Diana, accursed by this chance, because thou hast consented to so bloody a tragedy, by the eternal powers of heaven, that never more thou shalt be worshipped, but in every Country where the English Champion cometh, Lucina in thy stead shall be adored. For evermore will he seek to diminish thy name, and blot it from the golroll of heaven, yea and utterly extinguish it in eternity: so that there shall never more memory remain of thee, for this thy bloody Tyranny, in suffering so lamentable a Sacrifice.  
No sooner had he delivered these speeches, but incensed with fury he drew out his sword, and parted the image of Diana in two pieces, protesting to ruinated the Monastery, within whose walls the device of this bloody Sacrifice was concluded.  
The sorrow and extreme grief of the Roman Emperor so exceeded for the murder of his Daughter, that he fell to the c●rth in a senseless swoon, and was carried half dead with grief by some of his knights home to his Palace, where he remained spéechles by the space of thirty days.  
The Emperor had a Son, as valiant in arms as any born Italian except Saint Anthony. This young Prince whose name was Lucius, seeing his sister's timeless death and by what means it was committed, he presently intended with a train of a hundred armed Knights, which continually attended upon his person, to assail the discontented Champions, and by force of arms to revenge his sister's death.  
This resolution so encouraged the Roman Knights, but especially the Emperor's son, that betwixt these two companies began as terrible a battle as ever was fought by any knights, the fierceness of their blows so exceeded the one side against the other, that they did resound echoes, and they yielded a terrible noise in the great woods.  
This battle did continue betwixt them both sharp and fierce for the space of two hours, by which time the valour of the encensed Champions so prevailed, that most of the Roman knights were discomfited and slain, some had their hands pared from their shoulders, some had their arms and legs lopped off, and some lay breathless w●ltring in their own bloods, in which encounter many a Roman Lady lost her husband, many a widow was bereaved of her Son, and many a child was left fatherless to the great sorrow of the whole country.  
But when the valiant young Prince of Room saw his knights discomfited, and he left alone to withstand so many noble Champions, he presently set spurs to his horse, and fled from them like to a heap of dust forced by a whirlwind.  
After whom the Champions would not pursue, accountting it no glory to their names to triumph in the overthrow of a single knig●●, but remained still by the scaffold, where they buried the sacrificed Virgin, under a marble stone close by the monastery wall. The which being done to their contentments, Saint George engraved this Epitaph upon the same stone with the point of his dagger, which was in this wise following.  
Under this marble stone interred doth lie  
Luckless' Lucina, of beauty bright:  
Who to maintain her spotless chastity  
Against the assailment of an English Knight,  
Upon a blade her tender breast she cast:  
A bloody offering to Diana chaste.  
SO when he had written this Epitaph, the Christian Champions mounted upon their swift foot steeds, & bad adieu to the unhappy Confines of Italy, hoping to find better fortune in other Countries. In which travel we will leave them for a time, and speak of the Prince of Rome: who after the discomfiture of the Roman knights, fled in such haste from the furies of the warlike Champions. After which, he like a starved Lion traversed along by the River of Tiber, filling all places with his melancholy passions, until such time as he entered into a thick grove, wherein he purposed to rest his weary limbs, and lament his misfortunes. After he had in this solitary place unlaced his Helmet, and huried it scornfully against the ground, the infernal Furies began to visit him, and to sting his breast with motions of fiery revenge. In the end he cast up his wretched eyes unto heaven, and said. Oh you fatal torches of the elements, why are you not clad in mournful habiliments, to cloak my wandering steps in eternal darkness? shall I be made a scorn in Rome for my cowardice? or shall I return and accompany my Roman friends in death? whose bloods me thinks I see sprinkled about the fields of Italy. Me thinks I hear their bleeding souls fill each corner of the earth with my base flight: therefore will I not live to be termed a fearful coward, but die courageously by mine own hands, whereby those accursed Champions shall not obtain the conquest of my death, nor triumph in my fall. This being said, he drew out his dagger, and ryved his heart in sunder. The news of whose desperate death, after it was bruited to his Father's ears, he interred his body with his Sister Lucina's, and erected over them a stately Chapel, wherein the Nuns and ceremonious Monks during all their lives sung Dirges for his children's souls.  
After this the Emperor made proclamation through all his Dominions, that if any Knight were so hardy as travel in pursuit after the English Champion, & by force of arms bring him back, and deliver his head unto the Emperor, he should not only be held in great estimation through the Land, but receive the government of the Empire after his decease. Which rich proffer so encouraged the minds of divers adventurous Knights, that they went from sundry Provinces in the pursuit of Saint George, but their attempts were all in vain.   

CHAP. XIIII.  
Of the triumphs, tilts and tournaments that were solemnly held in Constantinople by the Grecian Emperor, and of the honourable adventures that were there achieved by the christian champions, with other strange accidents that happened.  
IN the Eastern Parts of the world the fame and valiant deeds of the Champions of Christendom was noised, with their honourable victories, heroical acts, and feats of arms, naming them the mirrors of nobility, and the types of bright honour. All Kings & Princes (to whose ears the report of their valours was bruited) desired much to behold their noble personages. But when the Emperor of Grecia (keeping then his Court in the City of Constantinople) heard of their mighty and valiant deeds, he thirsted after their sights, and his mind could never be satisfied with content, until such time as he had devised a mean to train them unto his Court, not only in that he might enjoy the benefit of their companies, but to have his Court honoured with the presence of such renowned Knights: & therefore in this manner it was accomplished.  
The Emperor dispatched Messengers into divers parts of the world, giving them in charge to publish through out every Country and Province as they went, of an honourable Tournament that should be holden in the City of Constantinople within six months following: thereby to accomplish his intent, and to bring the Christian Champions (whose company he so desired) unto his Court.  
This charge of the Grecian Emperor (as he commanded) was speedily performed, with such diligence, that in a short time it came to the ears of the Christian knights, as they traveled betwixt the Provinces of Asia and Africa Who at the time appointed came in great pomp and majesty to Constantinople, to furnish forth the honourable Triumphs.  
At the fame whereof likewise resorted thither a great number of Knights of great valour and strength: among whom was the Prince of Argler, with a goodly company of noble persons: and the prince of Fez, with many well proportioned Knights. Likewise came thither the King of Arabia in great state, and with no less majesty came the King of Silicia and a Brother of his, who were both Giants. Many other brave and valiant Knights (whose names I here omit) came thither to honour the Grecian Emperor: for that he was very well esteemed of them all. And as they came to honour the triumphs, so likewise they came to prove their fortitudes, and to get fame and name, & the praise that belongeth to adventurous knights. It was supposed of all the company, that the King of Silicia would gain by his prowess the dignity from the rest, for that he was a Giant of very big members, although his Brother were taken to be the more furious Knight: who determined not to just, for that his Brother should get the honour and praise from all Knights that came. But it fell out otherwise, as hereafter you shall understand.  
So when the day of turniment was come, all the Ladies and damsels put themselves in places to behold the jesting, and attired themselves in the greatest braue●e that they could devise, and the great court full of peoply which came thither for to see the triumphant tourniment.  
What should I say here of the emperors Daughter, the fair Alcida, who was of so great beauty that she seemed more liker a divine substance than an earthly creature and sat glistering in her rich ornaments amongst the other Ladies like unto Phoebe in the Crystal firmament, and was noted of all beholders to be the fairest Princes that ever mortal eye beheld: so when the Emperor was seated upon his imperial throne under a tent of green velvet, the Knights began to enter into the lists, and ●ee which was the first that entered was the King of Arabia, mounted upon a very fair and well adorned courser, he was armed with black armour, all to be spotted full of silver knobs, and brought with him fifty Knights all appareled with the same livery, and thus with great Majesty he road round about the place, making ●reat obedience unto all the Ladies and damsels.  
After him entered a Pagan Knight, who was Lord of Si●ia, and armed with armour of a lions colour, accompanied with a hundred Knights all appareled in velvet of the same colour, and passed round about the place, showing unto the Lady's great friendship and courtesy as the other did.  
Which being done, he beheld the King of Arabia, tarrying to receive him at the Just: and the trumpets began to sound, giving them to understand that they must prepare themselves ready to the encounter: whereat these Knights were nothing unwilling but spurred their coursers with great fury and closed together with courageous vallure.  
The king of Arabia most strongly made his encounter, and struck the Pagan without missing upon the breast: but the Pagan at the next race, being heat with fury struck him so surely with his lance, in such sort that he heaved him out of his saddle, and he fell presently to the ground, after which the Pagan Knight road up & down with great pride and gladness.  
The Arabian king being thus overthrown, there entered into the lists the king of Argier armed with no other furniture but with silver male and a breastplate of bright steel before his breast, his pomp and pride exceeded all the knights that were then present, but yet to small purpose his pride and arrogancy served, for at the first encounter he was overthrown to the ground: in like sort did this Pagan use fifteen other knights of fifteen several provinces, to the great wonder and amazement of the Emperor and all the assembly.  
During all these valiant encounters Saint George with the other christian champions st●●d a far off upon a high gallery beholding them, intending not as yet to be seen in the tilt.  
But now this valiant Pagan after he had road some six courses up and down the place, and seeing none entering the tilt yard, he thought to hear all the fame and honour away for that day.  
But at that same instance there entered the noble minded Prince of Fez, being for courage the only pride of his country he was a marvelous well proportioned knight and was armed all in white armour, wrought with excellent knots of gold, and he brought in his company a hundred Knights, all attired in white satin, and riding about the place he showed his obedience unto the Emperor and to all the Ladies, end thereupon the trumpets began to sound.  
At the noise whereof, the two Knights spurred their coursers and made their encounter so strong and with such great fury that the proud Pagan was cast to the ground and so departed the lists with great dishonour.  
Strait way entered the brave King of Silicia, who was armed in a glistering corselet of very fine steel, and was mounted upon a mighty and rich courser, & brought in his company, two hundred knights, all appareled with rich cloth of gold, having every one a several instrument of music in their hands, sounding thereon most heavenly melody.  
And after the Silician king had made his accustomed compass and courtesy in that place, he locked down his hevor and put himself in readiness to just.  
So when the sign was given by the chief harrolde at arms, they spurred their horses and made their encounters so valiant, that at the first race they made their lances shiver in the air and the pieces thereof to scatter abroad, like aspen leaves in a whirlwind.  
At the second course the young Prince of Fez was carried over his horse buttockea, and the saddle with him betwixt his legs, which was a great grief unto the Emperor, and all the company that did see him, for that he was well beloved of them all, and held for a knight of great estimation.  
The Silician king grew proud at the Prince of Fesses overthrow, and was so encouraged and so furious that in a small time he l●ft not a knight remaining on horseback in their saddles that durst attempt to just with him, but every one of what Country and Nation soe'er avoided the attempt: so that there was no question among either Nobles or the multitude but that unto him the undoubted honour of the victory in triumph would be attributed.  
And being in this arrogant pride, he heard a great noise in the manner of a tumult drawing near, which was the occasion that he stood still, and to expect some strange accident, and looking about what it should be, he beheld Saint George entering the lists, who was armed with his rich and strong armour, all of purple, full of golden stars, and before him road the champions of France, Italy, Spain and Scotland, all on stately coursers, bearing in their hands four silken streamers of fou●e several colours.  
And the champion of Wales followed him carrying his shield whereon was portrayed a golden Lion in a sable field, and the champion of Ireland likewise carried his spear being of knotty ash strongly bound about with plates of steel, all which showed the highness of his descent, in that so many brave Knights attended upon him.  
So when Saint George had passed by the royal seat whereon the Emperor sat, invested in whose company was many knights of great authority, he road along by the other side, whereas Alcida the emperors fair Daughter sat amongst many gallant Ladies and fair damsels richly appareled with vestures of gold, to whom he vailed his bonnet showing them the courtesy of a knight and so passed by Alcida, at the fight of this noble champion could not refrain herself, but that with a high and bold voice she said unto the Emperor.  
Most mighty Emperor and my royal father (said she) this is the Knight in whose power and strength, all christendom doth put their fortunes, and this is he whom the whole world admires for chivalry.  
Saint George although, he heard very well what the lovely Princess had said, passed on, and dissembled as though he had heard nothing, and so when he came before the face of his curious adversary, he took his shield and his spear and prepared himseife in readiness to just, and so being both provided, the trumpets began to sound, whereat with great fury, these two warlike knights met together, and neither of them miss their blows at their encounter: but yet by reason that Saint George had a desire to extol his fame, and to make his name resound through the world, he struck the giant such a mighty blow upon his breast, that he presently overthrew him to the ground, and so with great state and majesty he passed along without any show of disdain, whereat the people gave a great shout that it resounded like an echo in the air: and in this manner said.  
The great and mighty boaster is overthrown, and his furious strength hath little availed him. After this many Princess proved their adventures against this English champion, and every knight that were of any estimation jousted with him.  
But with great ease he overcame them all in less than the space of two hours: so at such time as bright Phoebus began to make an end of his long journey, and the day to draw to an end, there appeared to enter into the lists the brave and mighty giant, being brother to the Scilician king with a mighty great spear in his hand, whose glimmering point of steel glisteren through all the court, he brought with him but only one squire, attired in silver male bringing in his hand another lance.  
So this furious giant without any care of courtesy due unto the Emperor or any of his knights there present entered the place, the which being done, the squire that brought his other spear, went unto the English champion and said. Sir Knight (quoth he) yonder brave and valiant giant, my Lord and Master doth send unto thee this warlike spear, and therewithal he willeth thee to defend thyself to the uttermost of thy power & strength, for he hath vowed before sun set, to be either Lord of thy fortunes or a vassal to thy prowess and likewise saith that he doth not only defy thee in the turniment, but also challenge thee to mortal battle.  
This braving message caused Saint George to smile, and bre ● in his breast a new desire of honour, and so returned him this answer, friend go thy ways and tell the giant that sent thee, that I do accept his demand, although it doth grieve my very soul to hear his arrogant defiance to the great disturbance of this royal company, and in the presence of so mighty an Emperor, but seeing his stomach is gorged with so much pride, tell him that George of England is ready to make his defence, and also that shortly he shall repent him by my pledge of Knighthood.  
In saying. these words he took the spear from the squire, and deliu●red him his gauntlet from his hand to carry to his master, and so put himself to the standing, awaighting for the encounter.  
At that time he was very nigh the place where the Emperor sat, who heard the answer which the English knight made unto the squire, and was much displeased that the giant in such sort should defy S. George without any occasion.  
But it was no time as then to speak but to keep silence, and to pray unto his Gods to take away his great pride and arrogancy.  
All this time the two warriors (mounted upon their steeds) tarried the sign to be made by the trumpets, which being given, they set forward their coursers, with their spears in their rests, with so great fury and desire the one to unhorsed the other, that they both failed in their encounter.  
The giant who was very strong and proud, when he saw that he had miss his intent, he returned against Saint George, carrying his spear upon his shoulder, and coming nigh unto him, upon a sudden before he could clear himself, h● struck him such a mighty blow upon his corselet, that his staff broke in pieces, by reason of the fineness of his armour, and mado the English Knight to double his body backwardly upon his horse crupper.  
But when he saw the great villainy that the giant used against him, his anger increased very much and so taking his spear in the same sort, he went towards the giant and said.  
Thou furious and proud beast, thou scorn of nature and enemy of true knighthood, thinkest thou for to entrap me treacherously, and to gore me at unawares like to a savage boar: Now as I am a christian knight, if my knotty spear have good success I will revenge me of thy cruelty.  
And in saying this, he struck him so furiously on the breast, that his spear passed through the giant's body, and appeared forth at his back, whereby he fell presently down dead to the ground, and yielded his life to the conquest of the fatal sisters.  
All that were present were very much amazed thereat, and wondered greatly at the strength and force of saint George, accounting him the fortunatest knight that ever wéelded lance, and the very pattern of true nobility.  
At this time the golden sun had finished his course, having nothing above the orison but his glistering beams, whereby the judges of the turniments, commanded with sound of trumpets that the Iustes should cease, and make an end of the day.  
So the Emperor descended from his imperial throne into the tilting place, with all his knights and Gentlemen at arms, for to receive the noble champion of England, and desired him that he would go with them into his palace, there to receive all honours due unto a knight of such desert: to the which he could not make any denial, but most unwillingly consented, after this the Emperor's daughter (in company of many courtly virgins) likewise descended their places, where Alcida bestowed upon saint George her glove, the which he wore for her favour many a day after in his burgonet.  
The six other christian champions, although they merited no honour by this turniment, because they did not try their adventures therein, yet obtained they such good liking among the Grecian Ladies, that every one had his mistress, and in their presence they long time fixed their chief delights: now must we leave the champions in the emperors court for a time surfeiting in pleasures and return to Saint George's sons traveling the world, to seek out adventures.   

CHAP. XV.  
How a Knight with two heads tormented a beautiful Maiden, that had betrothed herself to the Emperor's Son of Constantinople: and how she was rescued by Saint George's Sons, and after how they were brought by a strange Adventure into the company of the Christian Champions, with other things that happened in the same travels.  
THis renowned Emperor (within whose Court the Christian champions made their aboades) of late years had a Son named Pollemus, in all virtues and knightly demeanours, equal with any living. This young prince in the spring time of his youth, through the piercing darts of blind Cuckoe-, pied, fell in love with a Maiden of a mean parentage-but in beauty and other precious gifts of Nature most excellent.  
This Dulcippa (for so was she called) being but daughter to a Country Gentleman, was restrained from the emperors Court, and denied the sight of her beloved Pollemus, and he forbidden to set his affection so l●w, upon the displeasure of the Emperor his Father: for he being the Son of so mighty a Potentate, and she the daughter of so mean a Gentleman, was thought to be a match unfit and disagreeable to the laws of the Country: and therefore they could not be suffered to manifest their loves as they would, but were constrained by stealth to enjoy each others most beloved and heartily desired companies.  
So upon a time these two Lovers concluded to meet together in a valley betwixt two hills, in distance from the emperors Court some three miles, whereas they might in secret (devoid of all suspicion) unite and tie both their hearts in one knot of true love, and to prevent the determination of their Parents, that so unkindlye sought to cross them.  
But when the appointed day drew on, Dulcippa arose from her restless bed, and attired herself in rich and costly apparel, as though she had been going to perform her nuptial ceremonies.  
In this manner entered she the Ualley, at such time as the Sun began to appear out of his golden Horizon, & to show himself upon the face of the Earth, glistering with his bright beams upon the silver floating Rivers. Likewise the calmy western winds did very sweetly blow upon the green leaves, and made a delicate harmony: at such time as the fairest Dulcippa (accompanied with high thoughts) approached the place of their appointed meeting.  
But when she found not Prince Pollimus present, she determined to spend the time away till he came in trimming of her golden hair, and decking her delicate body, and such like delightful pleasures for her contentment and recreation.  
So sitting down upon a green bank under the shadow of a myrtle tree, she pulled a golden cawl from her head, wherein her hair was wrapped, letting it fall and disperse itself all abroad her back, and taking out from her crystalline breast an ivory comb, she began to comb her hair, her hands and fingers seeming to be of white alabaster, her face staining the beauty of roses and lilies mixed together, and the rest of her body comparable to Hyrens, upon whose love and beauty Mahomet did sometime dote.  
But now mark (gentle Reader) how frowning Fortune crossed her desiros, and changed her wished joys into unexpected sorrows. For as she sat in this divine and angelical likeness, there fortuned to come wandering by an inhuman tyrant, surnamed the Knight with 2. heads, who was a ravisher of virgins, an oppressor of infants, & an utter enemy to virtuous Ladies, and strange traveling Knights.  
This tyrant was bodied like unto a man, but covered all over with locks of hair. He had two heads, two mouths, and four eyes, but all as red as blood. Which deformed creature presently ran unto the Virgin, and caught her up under his arm, and carried her away over the mountains into another Country, where he intended to torment her, as you shall hear more at large hereafter.  
But now return we to Prince Pollemus, who at the time appointed likewise repaired to meet his betrothed Lover: but coming to the place, he found nothing but a silken scarf, the which Dulcippa had let fall through the fearful frighting she took at the sight of the three headed Knight.  
No sooner found he the scarf, but he was oppressed extremely with sorrow, fearing Dulcippa was murdered by some inhuman means, and had left her scarf as a token that she infringed not her promise, but performed two to the loss of her own life. Therefore taking it up, & putting it next his heart, he breathed forth this woeful lamentation.  
Here rest thou near unto my bleeding heart, thou precious token and remembrance of my dearest Lady, never to be hence removed, till such time as my eyes may either behold her body, or my ears hear perfect news of her untimely death, that I may in death consort with her.  
Frown you accursed Lamps of heaven, that gave first light unto this fatal morning: for by your dismal light the pride of earthly women is dishonoured. Come, come, you wrathful planets, descend the luckless Horizon, and rain upon my head eternal vengeance, oppress my body with continual misery, as once you did the wo●ull King of Thebes: for by my slothful negligence and overlong tarriance, this bloody tragedy hath been committed.  
Yet for her sake I vow to travel through the world, as far as ever golden Phoebus' lends his light, filling each corner of the earth with clamours of her name, and making the Elements resound with Echoes of my lamentations.  
In this resolution returned he home to the Emperor his Father's palace, dissembling his grief in such manner, that none did suspect his discontented sorrows, nor the strange accident that unto beauteous Dulcippa had happened.  
So upon a day as he was imagining with himself, seeing the small comfort that he took in the Court, considering the want of her presence whom so much he desired, he determined in great secret as soon as it was possible to departed the Court.  
This determination he strait ways put in practice, and took out of the emperors Armoury very secretly an exceeding good corselet, the which was all russet, and enamelled with black, and embrothered round about with a gilded edge very curiously and artificially graven and curved.  
Also he took a shield of the same making, saving that it was not graven as the armour was, and commanded a young Gentleman, that was Son unto an ancient Knight of Constantinople, of a good disposition and hardy that he should keep them safely, and gave him to understand of his determined pretence.  
Although it did grieve this young man very much, yet for all that seeing the great friendship which he used towards him, in uttering his secret unto him before any other, without replying to the contrary, he very diligently took the armour, and hid it, till he found a convenient time to put it into a Ship very secretly.  
So likewise he put into the same Ship two of the best horses which the Emperor had, and forthwith he gave the Prince understanding, that all things were then in a readiness, and in good order. Pollimus dissembling with the accustomed heaviness he used, withdrew himself into his Chamber, till such time as the dark night came.  
Which when it was come he made himself ready with his apparel, and when all the people of the Court were at their rest, and in their dead sleeps, he alone with his page, who was named Mercurio, departed the palace and went to the Sea side. His page did call the Mariners of the Ship, who strait way brought unto them their boat, into the which they entered and went strait aboard.  
And being therein for that the wind was very fair, he commanded to weigh their anchors and to hoist up Sails, and to commit themselves to the mercy of the waters: as he commanded all was done, and so in short time, they found themselves engulfed in the main Ocean, far from the sight of any land.  
But when the Emperor his Father understood of his secret departure, the lamentation which he made was very much: and he commanded his knights to go unto the sea side, to know if there were any ship that departed that night. And when it was told them that there was a B●rke that hailed anchor and hoist sail, they understood strait way that the prince was gone away in her.  
I cannot here declare the great grief and sorrow which the Emperor felt in his woeful heart for the absence of his Son, which a long time he always suspected and feared.  
But when the departure of Pollemus was bruited through all Constantinople, all sports and feasts ceased, and all the vassals of the Country were overcome with a general sorrow.  
So Pollemus sailed through the deep seas three days and three nights with a very fair and prosperous forewind.  
The fourth day in the evening, being calm, and no Wind at all, the Mariners went to take their rests, some on the poop, and some in the foreship, for to ease their wearied bodies:  
The prince (who sat upon the poop of the ship) asked his page for his Lute, the which strait way was given him: and when he had it in his hands, he played and sung so sweetly, that it seemed to be a most heavenly melody, and being in this sweet music, he heard a very lamentable cry, as it were of a Woman: and leaving his delicate music he gave a listening and attentive ear to hearken, what this sorrowful creature said, and by reason of the stillness of the night, he might easily hear the voice utter these words.  
It will little profit thee thou cruel tyrant, this thy bold hardiness: for that I am beloved of so worthy a Knight, as will undoubtedly revenge this thy tyrannous cruelty proffered me.  
Then he heard another voice which seemed to answer.  
Now I have thee in my power, there is no human creature of power able enough to deliver or redeem thee from the torments, that (in my determination) I have purposed thou shalt endure.  
Pollemus could hear no more, by reason that the Bark wherein they were passed by so swiftly: but he supposed that it was his Lady's voice which he heard, and that she was carried by force away. So (laying down his Lute) he began to fall into a great thought, and was very heavy and sorrowful, in that he knew not how to adventure for her recovery.  
Being in this cogitation, he returned to his page which was asleep, and struck him with his foot, and awaked him, saying: What didst not thou hear the great lamentation which my Lady Dulcippa made (as to me it seemed) being in a small Bark that is passed by, and gone forwards along the seas. To the which his page Mercutio answered nothing, for that he was still in a soun● sleep.  
to whom the Prince called again, saying: arise I say, bring forth mine armour, call up the Mariners that they may launch their boat into the Sea, for by the omnipotent jupiter I swear that I will not b●e called the Son of my Father, if I do suffer such violence to be done against my love, and not to procure with all my strength to revenge the same, Mercutio would have replied unto him, but the furious countenance of the Prince would not give him leave, no, not once to look upon his face: so he brought forth his armour and buckled it on.  
In the mean time the Mariners had launched their bo●te into the Sea, wherein he leapt with a hasty fury, and carried with him his page, and four of the Mariners for to tow the Bark, and he commanded them to take their way towards the other company that passed by them.  
So they laboured all the night till such time as bright Phoebus with his glistering beams gave unto them such light that they might discover and see the other Bark, although somewhat a far off.  
So laboured they in great courage, till two parts of the day was spent, at which time they saw come after them a Galley which was governed with eight oars upon a side, and it made so great way, that with a trice they were with them, and he saw that there were in her three Knights in bright armour, to whom Pollimus called with a loud voice saying. Most courteous Knights I request you to take me into your Galley, that being in her I may the better accomplish my desire.  
The Knights of the Galley passed by the Prince without making return of any answer, but rather showed that they made but little account of him.  
These three knights were the sons of the English champion which departed from their father in his journey towards Babylon, to set the King again in his kingdom.  
But now to follow our history, the Prince of Constantinople seeing the little account they made of him, with the great anger and fury that he received, he took an ore in one hand, and an other in the other hand, and with such strength he struck the water, that he made the slothful bark to fly, and laboured so much with his oars, that with a trice they were equal with the galley.  
So leaving the oars with a light leap he put himself in the galley with his helm on, and his shield at his shoulder, and being within he said.  
Now shall you do that by force, which before I using great courtesy you would not yield unto.  
This being said, one of Saint George's sons took the encounter in hand, thinking it a blemish to the honour of knighthood by multitudes to assail him, so the two brave knights without any advantage the one of the other made their encounters so valiantly that it was a wonder to all the beholders.  
The Prince of Constantinople stroke the English Knight such a furious blow that he made him to decline his head to his breast, and forced him to recoil backwards two or three steps, but he came quickly again to himself and returned him so mighty a blow upon his helm, that he made all his teeth to chatter in his head, which was pitiful to see.  
Then began betwixt them a marvelous and well fought battle that all that beheld them greatly admired: with great policy and strength, they endured the bickering all that day, and when they saw the dark and tenebrous night came upon them, they did procure with more courage and strength for to finish their battle.  
The Prince of Constantinople, puffing and blowing like a bell lifting up his sword with both his hands and discharged it so strongly upon his enemy that perforce he made him to fall to the ground and therewithal offered to pull his helmet from his head.  
But when the English Knight saw himself in that sort, he threw his shield from him, and very strongly caught the other about the neck and held him fast, so that betwixt them began a mighty and terrible wrestling tumbling and wallowing up and down the galley breaking their planks and oars that it was strange to behold.  
At this time the night began to be very dark, whereby they called for lights, which presently were brought them by the Mariners, in the mean time these knights did somewhat breath themselves, although it was not much.  
So when the Lights were brought, they returned to their late contention with new force and strength.  
O heavens said Pollimus, I cannot believe to the contrary but that this is Mars the God of war that doth contend in battle with me, and for the great envy he bears against me, he goeth about to dishonour me.  
And with these words they thickened their blows with great desperateness.  
And although this last assault continued more than two hours, yet neither of them did faint, but at the last they both together lift up their swords, and charged them together the one upon the others helm with so great strength that both of them fell down upon the hatches without any remembrance.  
The rest that did look upon them, did believe verily that they were both dead, by reason of the abundance of blood which came forth at their visors, but quickly it was perceived that there was some hope of life in them.  
Then presently there was an agreement made betwixt the Knights of the galley and the Mariners of the bark that they should conjoin together and to travel whither fortune would conduct them in this order as you have heard carried they these two Knights without any remembrance.  
But when the Prince of Constantinople came to himself with a loud voice he said, Oh God is it possible to be true that I am overcome in this first encounter & assault of my knighthood.  
Here I curse the day of my creation and the hour when first I merited the name of a knight, henceforth I'll bury all my honours with disgrace, and spend the remnant of my life in base cowardice, and in speaking these words he cast his eye aside and beheld the English knight as one newly risen from a trance, who likewise breathed forth these discontented spéeces. Oh unhappy son of S. George, thou coward and of little valour, I know not how thou canst name thyself to be the son of the mightiest Knight in the world, for that thou hast lost thy honour in this last assault.  
This being said, the two weary knights concluded a peace betwixt them, and revealed each to the other their names and living and wherefore they adventured to travel, the which when it was known they sailed forwards that way whereas the dolorous woman went, so in this sort they traveled all the rest of the night that remained, till such time as the day began to be clear, and straightway they descried land, to which place with great hast they rowed.  
And coming a land they found no used way, but one narrow path, the which they kept, wherein they had not travailed long when that they met with a poor simple country man, with a great hatchet in his hand, and he was going for to cut some firewood from high and mighty trees, of whom they demanded what country and land it was.  
This country (said he) is called Armenia, but yet most courteous Knights you must pardon me, for that I do request you to return again, and proceed no farther if you do esteem of your lives, for in going this way there is nothing to be had but death.  
For that the Lord of this country is a furious monster called the two headed Knight, and he is so furious in his tyranny, that never any stranger as yet could escape out of his hand alive.  
And for proof of his cruelty no longer then yesterday he brought hither a Lady prisoner, who at her first coming on shore all to be whipped and beat her in such sort that it would make the tyrannous tyrant to relent and pity her distresses, swearing that everyday he would so torment her, till such time as her life and body did make their separation.  
Pollimus the Prince of Constantinople was very attentive to the old man's words, thinking the Lady to be his Dulcippa after whom he so long travailed: the grief he received at this report struck such a terror to his heart that he fell into a sound, and was not able to go any further.  
But Saint George's sons who knew him to be a Knight of much valour encouraged him, and protested by the honour of their Knighthoods never to forsake his company, till they saw his Lady delivered from her torments and he safely conducted home into his own country.  
So traveling with this resolution the night came on, and it was so dark, that they were constrained to seek some place to take their rests, and laying themselves down under a broad branched tree of Oak, they passed the night pondering in their minds a thousand imaginations.  
So when the morning was come and that the Diamond of heaven began to glister with his beams upon the mountain tops, these martial Knights were not slothful, but rose up and followed their journeys.  
After this they had not travailed scarce half a mile, when that they heard a pitiful lamentation of a woman, who by reason of her loud shrieks her voice was very hoarse, so they stayed to hear from whence that lamentable noise should come.  
And presently a far off, they beheld a high pillar of stone, out of the which there came forth a spout of fair and clear water, and thereat was bound a woman all naked, her back fastened to the pillar, her arms backward embracing it, with her arms fast bound behind her.  
Her skin was so fare and white, that if it had not been, that they heard her lamentation, they would have judged her to have been an image made artificially of alabaster joined unto the pillar.  
These warlike Knights laced on their helmets, and came unto the place where she was, but when the prince of Constantinople saw her, he presently knew her to be his Lady and lovely mistress.  
For by reason of the coldness of the dark night, and with her great lamentation and weep, she was so full of sorrow and affliction, that she could scarce speak.  
Likewise the Prince's heart so yearned at the sight of his unhappy Lady, that almost he could not look upon her for weeping.  
But yet at last with a sorrowful sigh he said, Oh cruel hands is it possible that there should remain in you so much mischief, that whereas there is such great beauty and fairness, you should use such baseness and villainy? she doth more deserve to be loved and served, than to be in this sort so evil entreated.  
This woeful Prince with much sorrow did behold her white skin and back all to be spotted with her red blood, and taking a cloak from one of the mariners, he threw it upon her and covered her body▪ and took her in his arms, whilst the other knights unlosed her.  
This unhappy Lady never felt nor knew what was done unto her, till such time as she was unbound from those bands and in the arms of her lover.  
Then giving a terrible sigh she thought that she had been in the arms of the monstrous two headed knight s●ying, Oh Pollimus thou true betrothed husband where art thou now that thou comest not to secure me? and therewithal ceased her speeches.  
This Prince hearing these words would have answered her, but he was disturbed by hearing of a great noise of a horse, which seemed to be in the woods amongst the trees.  
The rest of the Knights intending to see what it should be left the Lady lying upon the green grass in the keeping of Prince Pollimus and the Mariners, and so saint George's sons went towards the place, whereas they heard that rushing noise, and as they vigelently looked about them, they beheld the two headed monster mounted upon a mighty and great palfrey, who returned to see if the Lady were alive for to torment her anew.  
But when he came to the pillar and saw not the Lady, with an ireful look he cast his eyes, looking about him on every side, and at last he saw the three knights, coming towards him with a reasonable and quiet pace, and how the Lady was untied from the pillar where he left her and in the arms of another Knight making her sorrowful complaint.  
The two headed knight seeing them in this order, with great fury upon his mighty horse he came towards them, and when he was near them, he stayed, and did behold the princely proportions, and gentle dispositions of the knights that without my leave hath adventured to untie the Lady from the pillar where I left her, or come you to offer up your bloods in sacrifice upon my falchion, to whom one of the three valiant brothers answered & said, we be knights of a strange country, that at the sorrowful complant of this Lady arrived in this place, and seeing her to be a fair and beautiful woman, and without any desert to be thus so evil entreated, it moveth us to put our persons in adventure against them that will seem farther to misuse her.  
In the mean time that the knight was speaking these words, the deformed monster was beholding him very presizely, knitting his brows with the great anger he received in hearing his speeches, and with great fury he spurred his monstrous beast, that he made him to give so mighty a leap that he had almost fallen upon the English knight: who with great lightness did deliver himself, and so drawing forth his sword he would have strooken him, but the beast passed by with so great fury that he could not reach him.  
Here began as terrible a battle betwixt the two headed knight and saint George's sons, as ever was fought by any knights, their mighty blows seemed to rattle in the elements like to a terrible thunder, and their swords to strike sparkling fire, in such abundance as though it had been from a smiths anvil.  
During this conflict the English Knights were so grievously wounded, that all their bright armours were stained with a bloody gore and their helmets bruised with the terrible strokes of the monsters falchion, whereat they grew more enraged, and their strengths began to increase in such sort that one of them stroke an overthwart blow with his trusty sword upon his knee, and by reason that his armour was not very good he cut it clean a sunder, so that leg and all fell to the ground, and the two headed knight fell on the other side to the earth, and with great roaring he began to stamp and stare like a beast, and to blaspheme against the heavens for this his sudden mishap.  
The other two brothers seeing this, presently cut off his two heads, whereby he was forced to yield to the mercy of imperious death.  
There was another knight that came with the monster, who when he saw all that had passed, with great fear returned the way from whence he came.  
These victorious conquerors, when they saw that with so great ease they were delivered from the tyrants cruelty, with loud voices they said, oh thou God whom we christians still do worship, we do give thee humble thanks, and do acknowledge this our good success and victory both proceed from thee.  
Therefore we do promise and vow before thy celestial Majesty, that once coming to our father and the other Christian champions, generally to erect a shrine, and consecrate it to thy blessed son, under whose banner we evermore do fight.  
This being said, they departed with conquest to the Prince of Constantinople, where they left him comforting of his distressed Lady.  
So when they were altogether, they commanded the mariners to provide them somewhat to eat, for that they had great need thereof, who presently prepared it, for that continual they bore their provision about them: of this banquet the Knights were very glad, and rejoiced much at that which they had achieved and commanded that the Lady should be very well looked unto and healed of her harm received.  
So at the end of three days when the Princess Lady had recovered her health, they left the country of Armenia and departed back to the sea whereas they had left their ships lying at road, and there tarried until their coming.  
Wherein they were no sooner entered, but the Mariners hoist sail, and took their way toward Constantinople as the Knights commanded. The winds served them so prosperously, that within a small time they arrived in Greece, and landed within two days journey of the Court: which lay then at Peru, a mile from Constantinople.  
Being aland, the Prince Pollemus consulted with S. George's three Sons, what course were best to be taken for their proceeding to the Court. For saith he, unless I may with the Emperor my Father's consent enjoy my dearest Dulcippa, I will live unknown in her company, rather than delight in the heritage of ten such empires.  
At last they concluded, that the Lady should be covered in a black veil for being known▪ and Pollemus in black arms, and the other Knights all suitable should ride together: which accordingly they did, and about ten in the morning entered the Palace: where they found the Emperor, the seven Champions with many other princes in the great hall: to whom one of Sa. George's Sons thus spoke.  
Great Emperor and noble Knights, this Knight th●t leadeth the Lady hath long loved her, in their births there is great difference, so that their Parents cross their affections: for him she hath endured much s●rrow, for her he will and hath suffered many hazards. His coming thus to your Court is to this end, to approve her the only desertful Lady in the world, himself the faithfullest Knight against all Knights whatsoever: which with your Imperial leave▪ he▪ myself and these two my associates will maintain: desiring your Majesty to give judgement as we shall deserve.  
The Emperor condescended, and on the green before the Palace, those four overthrew more than four hundred Knights: so that Sa. George and thr●● other of the Champions entered the lists, and ran three violent courses against the Black knights, without moving them: who never suffered the points of their spears to touch the armour of the Champions. Which the Emperor perceiving, guessed them to be of acquaintance: wherefore giving judgement that the Knight should possess his Lady, at his request they all discovered themselves.  
To describe the delightful comfort that the English Champion took in the presence of his Children, and the joy that the Emperor received at the return of his lost Son, requires more art and eloquence, than my tired senses can afford. I am therefore here forced to conclude this Part, leaving the Flowers of Chivalry in the City of Constantinople. Of whose following Adventures I will at large discourse hereafter: so that the gentle Reader (with a kind look and a smiling countenance) will courteously accept of this which is already finished.   
FINIS.