THE CAVE OF MAMMON.

That house's form within was rude and strong,
Like an huge cave hewn out of rocky clift,
From whose rough vault the ragged breaches hung,
Embossed with massy gold of glorious gift,

And with rich metal loaded every rift,
That heavy ruin they did seem to threat:

And over them Arachne high did lift

Her cunning web, and spread her subtle net,

Enwrapped in foul smoke, and clouds more black than jet.

Both roof, and floor, and walls were all of gold,

But overgrown with dust and old decay,

And hid in darkness, that none could behold
The hue thereof: for view of cheerful day
Did never in that house itself display,
But a faint shadow of uncertain light;
Such as a lamp whose life doth fade away;
Or as the moon, clothed with cloudy night,

Does show to him that walks in fear and sad affright.

And over all sad Horror, with grim hue,
Did always soar, beating his iron wings;
And after him owls and night-ravens fiew,
The hateful messengers of heavy things,
Of death and dolour telling sad tidings;
Whiles sad Celleno, sitting on a clift,
A song of bale and bitter sorrow sings,
That heart of flint asunder could have rift;
Which having ended, after him she flieth swift.

DESCRIPTION OF PRINCE ARTHUR.

At last she chanced by good hap to meet
A goodly knight, fair marching by the way,
Together with his squire, arrayed meet:
His glittering armour shined far away,
Like glancing light of Phœbus' brightest ray;
From top to toe no place appeared bare,
That deadly dint of steel endanger may ;

Athwart his breast a baldrich brave he ware, [rare : That shined like twinkling stars, with stones most precious

And in the midst thereof one precious stone, Of wondrous worth, and eke of wondrous might, Shaped like a ladies head, exceeding shone, Like Hesperus, amongst the lesser lights, And strove for to amaze the weaker sights; Thereby his mortal blade full comely hung In ivory sheath, ycarved with curious slights; Whose hilts were burnished gold, and handle strong, Of mother-pearl, and buckled with a golden tongue.

His haughty helmet, horrid all with gold, Both glorious brightness and great terror bred; For all the crest a dragon did enfold With greedy paws, and over all did spread His golden wings: his dreadful, hideous head, Close couched on the beaver, seemed to throw From flaming mouth bright sparkles, fiery red, That sudden horror to faint hearts did show; And scaly tail was stretched down his back full low.

Upon the top of all his lofty crest,

A bunch of hairs, discoloured diversely,
With sprinkled pearl and gold full richly drest,
Did shake, and seemed to dance for jollity;
Like to an almond tree, ymounted high
On top of green Selinis, all alone,

With blossoms brave bedecked daintily;
Whose tender locks do tremble, every one,
At every little breath that under heaven is blown.

His warlike shield all closely covered was, Ne might of mortal eye be ever seen; Not made of steel, nor of enduring brass, (Such earthly metals soon consumed beene,) But all of diamond, perfect, pure, and clean It framed was, one massy, entire mould, Hewn out of adamant rocks with engine keen, That point of spear it never piercen could, No dint of direful sword divide the substance would.

The same to wight he never would disclose, But whenas monsters huge he would dismay, Or daunt unequal armies of his foes, Or when the flying heavens he would affray : For so exceeding shone its glistening ray, That Phoebus' golden face it did attaint, As when a cloud his beams doth overlay ; And silver Cynthia waxed pale and faint, As when her face is stained with magic arts constraint.

THE CAVE OF MERLIN.

Forthwith themselves disguising, both in strange
And base attire, that none might them bewray,
To Maridunum, that is now, by change

Of name, Cayr-Merdin called, they took their way :
There the wise Merlin, whylome wont (they say)
To make his wonne, low underneath the ground,
In a deep delve, far from the view of day;
That of no living wight he mote be found,

Whenso he counseld, with his sprites encompast round.

And if thou ever happen that same way
To travel, go to see that dreadful place:
It is an hideous hollow cave (they say)
Under a rock that lies a little space
From the swift Barry, tumbling down apace
Amongst the woody hills of Dynevowre:
But dare thou not, I charge, in any case,
To enter into that same baleful bower,

For fear the cruel fiends should thee un'wares devour.

But standing high aloft, low lay thine ear,
And there such ghastly noise of iron chains,
And brazen cauldrons thou shalt rumbling hear,
Which thousand spirits, with long enduring pains,
Do toss, that will stun thy feeble brains;

And oftentimes great groans and grievous stounds, When too huge toil and labour them constrains ; And oftentimes loud strokes and ringing sounds, From under that deep rock most horribly rebounds.

The cause, some say, is this: a little while Before that Merlin died, he did intend A brazen wall in compass to compile About Cairmardin, and did it commend, Unto these sprites to bring to perfect end; During which work the Lady of the Lake, Whom long he loved, for him in haste did send, Who thereby forced his workmen to forsake, Them bound till his return their labour not to slake.

In the meantime, through that false lady's train,
He was surprized and buried under bier,
Ne ever to his work returned again;

Natheless those fiends may not their work forbear,
So greatly his commandement they fear,
But there do toil and travail day and night,
Until that brazen wall they up do rear;
For Merlin had in magic more insight
Than ever him before or after living wight.

For he by words could call out of the sky
Both sun and moon, and make them him obey;
The land to sea, and sea to mainland dry,
And darksome night he eke could turn to day.
Huge hosts of men he could alone dismay,
And hosts of men of meanest things could frame,
When so him list his enemies to fray;

That to this day for terror of his fame,

The fiends do quake, when any him to them does name