"Come thou," quoth he, "and see." So by and by Through that thick covert he him led, and fownd A darksome way, which no man could descry, That deep descended through the hollow grownd, And was with dread and horror compassed arownd.

XXI.

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At length they came into a larger space,
That strecht itselfe into an ample playne:
Through which a beaten broad high way did trace
That streight did lead to Plutoes griesly rayne:
By that wayes side there sate infernall Payne,
And fast beside him sat tumultuous Strife;
The one in hand an yron whip did strayne,
The other brandished a bloody knife;

195

And both did gnash their teeth, and both did threten

Life.

XXII.

On th other side in one consórt there sate
Cruell Revenge, and rancorous Despight,
Disloyall Treason, and hart-burning Hate;
But gnawing Gealosy, out of their sight
Sitting alone, his bitter lips did bight;
And trembling Feare still to and fro did fly,

200

204

And found no place wher safe he shroud him might: Lamenting Sorrow did in darknes lye;

And Shame his ugly face did hide from living eye.

XXIII.

And over them sad Horror with grim hew
Did alwaies sore, beating his yron wings;
And after him owles and night-ravens flew,
The hatefull messengers of heavy things,

210

Of death and dolor telling sad tidings;
Whiles sad Celeno, sitting on a clifte,
A song of bale and bitter sorrow sings,
That hart of flint a sonder could have rifte;
Which having ended, after him she flyeth swifte.

215

XXIV.

All these before the gates of Pluto lay;
By whom they passing spake unto them nought;
But th' Elfin Knight with wonder all the way
Did feed his eyes, and fild his inner thought.
At last him to a litle dore he brought,
That to the gate of hell, which gaped wide,
Was next adiogning, ne them parted ought:
Betwixt them both was but a litle stride,

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That did the house of Richesse from hell-mouth divide.

XXV.

Before the dore sat selfe-consuming Care,

Day and night keeping wary watch and ward,
For feare least Force or Fraud should unaware
Breake in, and spoile the treasure there in gard:
Ne would he suffer Sleepe once thether-ward
Approch, albe his drowsy den were next;
For next to Death is Sleepe to be compard;
Therefore his house is unto his annext:

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Here Sleepe, there Richesse, and Hel-gate them both betwext.

XXVI.

So soone as Mammon there arrivd, the dore

235

To him did open, and affoorded way:
Him followed eke Sir Guyon evermore;

Ne darknesse him, ne daunger might dismay.

240

Soone as he entred was, the dore streight way Did shutt, and from behind it forth there lept An ugly feend, more fowle than dismall day; The which with monstrous stalke behind him stept, And ever as he went dew watch upon him kept.

XXVIII.

265

That houses forme within was rude and strong,
Lyke an huge cave hewne out of rocky clifte,
From whose rough vaut the ragged breaches hong
Embost with massy gold of glorious guifte,
And with rich metall loaded every rifte,
That heavy ruine they did seeme to threatt;
And over them Arachne high did lifte

Her cunning web, and spred her subtile nett, Enwrapped in fowle smoke and clouds more black then

iett.

270

XXIX.

Both roofe, and floore, and walls, were all of gold,
But overgrown with dust and old decay,
And hid in darknes, that none could behold

The hew thereof: for vew of cherefull day

Did never in that house it selfe display,
But a faint shadow of uncertein light;

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Such as a lamp, whose life does fade away; Or as the moone, cloathed with clowdy night, Does shew to him that walks in feare, and sad affright.

XXX.

In all that rowme was nothing to be seene

But huge great yron chests, and coffers strong,

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All bard with double bends, that none could weene Them to efforce by violence or wrong;

On every side they placed were along.

But all the grownd with sculs was scattered

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Whose lives, it seemed, whilome there were shed,

And dead mens bones, which round about were flong;

And their vile carcases left unburied.

XXXI.

They forward passe; ne Guyon yet spoke word,
Till that they came unto an yron dore,
Which to them opened of his owne accord,
And shewd of richesse such exceeding store,
As eie of man did never see before,
Ne ever could within one place be fownd,
Though all the wealth which is, or was of yore,
Could gathered be through all the world arownd,
And that above were added to that under grownd.

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294

XXXII.

The charge thereof unto a covetous spright
Commaunded was, who thereby did attend,
And warily awaited day and night,
From other covetous feends it to defend,
Who it to rob and ransacke did intend.
Then Mammon, turning to that warriour, said:
"Loe, here the worldës blis! loe, here the end,
To which al men doe ayme, rich to be made!
Such grace now to be happy is before thee laid."

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305

XXXIII.

"Certes," said he, "I n' ill thine offred grace,
Ne to be made so happy doe intend!
Another blis before mine eyes I place,

Another happines, another end.

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To them that list, these base regardes I lend:
But I in armes, and in atchievements brave,
Do rather choose my flitting houres to spend,
And to be lord of those that riches have,

Then them to have myselfe, and be their servile sclave."

XXXIV.

Thereat the Feend his gnashing teeth did grate,
And griev'd, so long to lacke his greedie pray;
For well he weened that so glorious bayte
Would tempt his guest to take thereof assay:
Had he so doen, he had him snatcht away
More light then culver in the faulcons fist:
Eternall God thee save from such decay!
But, whenas Mammon saw his purpose mist,
Him to entrap unwares another way he wist.

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[The poet then goes on to tell of the further temptations to which Guyon is subjected, and of how the Knight withstands them. At length, after three days have passed, according to men's reckoning, Guyon begs to be taken back into the world, and Mammon, though loth, is constrained to comply with the request. But as soon as Guyon reaches the vital air he swoons, and lies as one dead. The next Canto (which ends with the Knight's recovery and re-union with the Palmer, his appointed guide,) begins with the following stanzas on the care of God for man, thus leading us to anticipate the happy ending.]

(From Canto VIII.)

I.

And is there care in heaven? And is there love
In heavenly spirits to these creatures bace,
That may compassion of their evils move?

There is: else much more wretched were the cace