There auncient Night arriving, did alight From her nigh wearie waine, and in her armes To Æsculapius brought the wounded knight: Whom having softly disarayd of armes, Tho gan to him discover all his harmes, 365 Beseeching him with prayer, and with praise, If either salves, or oyles, or herbes, or charmes A fordonne wight from dore of death mote raise, He would at her request prolong her nephews daies.
Ah Dame (quoth he) thou temptest me in vaine, 370 To dare the thing, which daily yet I rew, And the old cause of my continued paine With like attempt to like end to renew. Is not enough, that thrust from heaven dew Here endlesse penance for one fault I pay, 375 But that redoubled crime with vengeance new Thou biddest me to eeke? can Night defray The wrath of thundring Jove that rules both night and day?
Not so (quoth she) but sith that heavens king From hope of heaven hath thee excluded quight, 380 Why fearest thou, that canst not hope for thing; And fearest not, that more thee hurten might, Now in the powre of everlasting Night? Goe to then, O thou farre renowmed sonne Of great Apollo, shew thy famous might 385 In medicine, that else hath to thee wonne Great paines, and greater praise,° both never to be donne.
Her words prevaild: And then the learned leach His cunning hand gan to his wounds to lay, And all things else, the which his art did teach: 390 Which having seene, from thence arose away The mother of dread darknesse, and let stay Aveugles sonne there in the leaches cure, And backe returning tooke her wonted way, To runne her timely race, whilst Phoebus pure, 395 In westerne waves his weary wagon did recure.
The false Duessa leaving noyous Night, Returnd to stately pallace of Dame Pride; Where when she came, she found the Faery knight Departed thence, albe his woundes wide 400 Not throughly heald, unreadie were to ride. Good cause he had to hasten thence away; For on a day his wary Dwarfe had spide Where in a dongeon deepe huge numbers lay Of caytive wretched thrals, that wayled night and day. 405
A ruefull sight, as could be seene with eie; Of whom he learned had in secret wise The hidden cause of their captivitie, How mortgaging their lives to Covetise, Through wastfull Pride and wanton Riotise, 410 They were by law of that proud Tyrannesse, Provokt with Wrath, and Envies false surmise, Condemned to that Dongeon mercilesse, Where they should live in woe, and die in wretchednesse.