Orlando Furioso Part 77

x.x.xIII Whate'er she touches, wall or rampire steep, Goes to the ground' where'er the monster wends, Each fortress opens; neither castle-keep, Nor city from her rage its wealth defends.

Honours divine as well that Beast would reap, It seems (while the besotted rabble bends) And claim withal, as to its keeping given, The sacred keys which open h.e.l.l and Heaven.

x.x.xIV Approaching next, is seen a cavalier, His temples circled with imperial bay; Three youths with him in company appear, With golden lilies wrought in their array: A lion seems against that monster drear To issue, with the same device as they: The name of these are on the marble read, Some on their skirt, some written overhead.

x.x.xV Of those who so against Beast advance, One to the hilt has in his life-blood dyed His faulchion, Francis styled the first of France; With Austrian Maximilian at his side: In one, who gores his gullet with the lance, The emperor Charles the fifth is signified: Henry the eighth of England is he hight, Who in the monster's breast a dart has pight.

x.x.xVI The TENTH, in writing, on his back displayed The Lion, who that Beast is seen to hold By both his ears, and him so well has bayed, That thither troop a.s.sistants manifold.

'Twould seem the world all fear aside has laid; And, in amendment of their errors old, Thitherward n.o.bles troop, but these are few; And so that hideous Beast those hunters slew.

x.x.xVII In wonder stood long time that warlike train, Desirous, as the storied work they traced, To know by hands of whom that Beast was slain, Which had so many smiling lands defaced, The names unknown to them, though figured plain Upon the marble which that fountain cased: They one another prayed, if any guessed That story, he would tell it to the rest.

x.x.xVIII Vivian on Malagigi turned his eyes, Who listening stood this while, yet spake he nought.

"With thee," he cried, "to tell the meaning lies, Who are they, by whose darts and lances dies That shouldst by what I see in this be taught: The hideous monster, that to bay is brought?"

-- And Malagigi -- "Hitherto their glory No author has consigned to living story.

x.x.xIX "The chiefs whose names are graved upon the stone, Not yet have moved upon this worldly stage; But will within seven hundred years be known, To the great honour of a future age.

What time king Arthur filled the British throne, This fountain Merlin made, enchanter sage; Who things to come upon the marble fair Made sculpture by a cunning artist's care.

XL "This Beast, when weights and measures first were found, Came out of nether h.e.l.l; when on the plain, Common before, men fixed the landmark's bound, And fas.h.i.+oned written pacts with jealous pain; Yet walked not every where, at first, her round: Unvisited she left yet many a reign: Through diverse places in our time she wends; But the vile rabble and the crowd offends.

XLI "From the beginning even to our day, Aye has that monster grown, and aye will grow; And till much time be past will grow alway: Was never mightier, nor worse cause of woe.

That Python, oft the theme of ancient lay, So pa.s.sing wonderful and fierce in show, Came not by half this loathsome monster nigh, In all its foulness and deformity.

XLII "Dread desolation shall it make; nor place Will unpolluted or untainted be; And you in the mysterious sculptured trace But little of its foul iniquity.

The world, when weary of imploring grace, Those worthy peers (whose names you sculptured see, And which shall blazing carbuncle outs.h.i.+ne), To succour in its utmost need combine.

XLIII "No one shall more that cruel beast molest Than Francis, who the realm of France will steer, Who justly shall be forward in this quest, Whom none shall go beyond, whom few shall peer Since he in splendour, as in all the rest, Wanting in worth, will many make appear Who whilom perfect seemed; so fade and yield All lesser glories to the sun revealed.

XLIV "In the first year of his successful reign, The crown yet ill secure upon his front, He threads the Alps, and makes their labour vain, Who would against his arms maintain the Mount.

Impelled by generous and by just disdain, The unavenged as yet is that affront, Which a French army suffered from their rage, Who poured from beast-cote, field, and pasturage:

XLV "And thence shall into the rich Lombard plain Descend, with all the flower of France, and so Shall break the Switzer, that henceforth in vain Would he uplift his horn against the foe.

To the sore scandal of the Church and Spain, And to the Florentine's much scathe and woe, By him that famous castle shall be quelled, Which inexpugnable whilere was held.

XLVI "In quelling it his honoured faulchion, more Than other arms, availing shall be found; Which first that cruel Beast to death will gore, The foul destroyer of each country round: Parforce will every standard fly before That conquering faulchion, or be cast to ground: Nor, stormed by it, will rampart, fosse, or wall, Secure the city, they surround, from fall.

XLVII "Imbued with every generous quality, Which can in great commander be combined, -- Prudence like his who won Thrasymenae And Trebbia's field, with Caesar's daring mind, And Alexander's fortune, him I see; Without which all designs are mist and wind; Withal, so pa.s.sing liberal, I in none Mark his example or his parragon."

XLVIII So Malagigi to his comrades said, And moved in them desire some name to hear Of others, who had laid that monster dead, Which to slay others had been used whilere.

Among the first Bernardo's name was read, Much vaunted in the writing of the Seer: Who said, "Through him as known as Bibbiena As her own neighbour Florence and Siena.

XLIX "More forward in this chase shall no one show Than Sigismond, than Lewis, and than John; Each to that hideous beast a cruel foe; One a Gonzaga, one of Arragon, And one a Salviati: with them go Francis Gonzaga and Frederick his son: Brother and son-in-law, their aid afford; One chief Ferrara's, one Urbino's lord.

L "Of one of these the son, Sir Guidobald, Will not by sire, or other, distanced be: With Ottobon de Flisco, Sinibald Chases the Beast, both striving equally: Lewis de Gazolo its neck has galled With one of those keen darts, Apollo's fee, Given with his bow, what time as well his glaive, The G.o.d of war, to gird that warrior, gave.

LI "Two Hercules and two Hippolyti Of Este, a Hercules and Hippolyte Of the Gonzagas' and the Medici, Hunt and fatigue the monster in his flight: Nor Julian lets his good son pa.s.s him by; Nor bold Ferrant his brother; nor less wight Is Andrew Doria; nor by any one Is Francis Sforza in the chase outdone.

LII "Of good Avalo's glorious lineage bred, Two chiefs that mountain for their bearing show, Which, hiding him, from dragon-feet to head, The wicked Typheus seems to keep below.

'Mid those combined, to lay the monster dead, Shall none more forward than this couple go: Him Francis of Pescara names the text; Alphonso, hight of Guasto, is the next.

LIII "But where leave I Gonsalvo Ferrant, who Is held in such esteem, the pride of Spain?

So praised by Malagigi, that him few Equal among the worthies of that train.

William, surnamed of Monferrato, view 'Mid those that have the hideous monster slain: But these are few compared with numbers round, Whom that despiteous Beast shall kill or wound."

LIV To converse gay the friends themselves addrest, And seemly pastimes, when their meal was done, Through the hot noontide, and fine carpets prest, 'Mid shrubs, by which the limpid river run.

Vivian and Malagigi, that the rest Might be more tranquil, watched with armour on; When unaccompanied they saw a dame, Who quickly towards their place of shelter came;

LV Hippalca she; from whom was torn away Frontino, that good horse, by Rodomont: Him had she long pursued the former day, And now with prayer, now followed with affront.

Which booting nought, she had retraced her way, To seek Rogero out in Agrismont; And, how I know not, heard upon her round, He here with Richardetto would be found.

LVI And, for to her well known was that repair, Used by her often, she herself addrest Towards the fount, and in that quarter fair Found him, and in what manner, was exprest; But like emba.s.sadress, who -- wise and ware -- Better than was enjoined performs a hest, When Richardetto she beheld, made show As if she good Rogero did not know.

LVII She turned her wholly to Sir Richardet, As bound direct to him; and, on his side, He who well knew her, straight uprose and met, And asked that damsel whitherward she hied.

Hippalca, with her eyes yet red and wet From her long weeping, sighing deeply, cried, But cried aloud, that young Rogero, near The warrior she addrest, her tale might hear:

LVIII "I from Mount Alban with a courser sped; (So your good sister had commanded me) A horse much loved by her, and highly bred; Frontino is yclept that charger free; And him I more than thirty miles had led Towards Ma.r.s.eilles, where she designed to be Within few days; by her enjoined to wend Thither, and her arrival there attend.

LIX "I in the sure belief pursued my course, Was none so stout of heart, if I should say How Sir Rinaldo's sister owned the horse, He would presume to take that steed away.

But vain was my design; for him parforce A Saracen took from me yesterday: Nor, when to him his master's name I read, Will that bold robber render back the steed.

LX "Him I to-day and all the day before Have prayed, and prayer and menace proving vain, Aye cursing him and execrating sore, Have left at little distance; where, with pain, Both to his courser and himself, the Moor, As best he can, a combat does maintain Against a knight, who him so hard has prest, I trust my injury shall be redrest."

LXI At this Rogero, leaping on his feet, Who scarcely had endured the whole to hear, To Richardetto turned; and, as a meet Guerdon for his good deed, the cavalier Did, with beseechings infinite, entreat To let him singly with that damsel steer, Until she showed the paynim, who by force Had wrested from her hands that goodly horse.

LXII Richardet (though it seems discourtesy To yield to other champion that emprize, Which by himself should terminated be) Yet with Rogero's earnest suit complies; Who takes farewell of that good company, And with the damsel on her journey hies.

And leaves those others, whom his feats confound, Not merely lost in wonder, but astoud.

LXIII To him Hippalca said, when she apart Had drawn him to some distance from the rest, She was dispatched by her that in her heart Bore of his worth the image so imprest; -- And added, without using farther art, All that her lady had to him addrest; And if she told another tale whilere, Of Richardetto she was then in fear.

LXIV She added how the author of that deed Had also said to her with mickle pride; "Because I know Rogero owns the steed, More willingly I take him from his guide.

If he would repossess the courser, read To him what I have no desire to hide, I am that Rodomont, whose martial worth Scatters its splendour through this ample earth."

LXV Listening, the visage of the youthful knight Showed with what rage his heart was in a flame, As well as that the horse was his delight; As well upon account of whence it came; And also that 'twas reft in his despite; He sees dishonour will ensue and blame, Save he from Rodomont redeems the prey, And with a due revenge that wrong repay.

LXVI With him, without repose, the damsel rides, Who with his foe would bring him front to front; And thither journies where the road divides, And one branch cuts the plain, one climbs the mount, And either pathway to that valley guides, Where she had newly left King Rodomont, The mountain track was short, but trod with pain; That other longer far, but smooth and plain.

LXVII Hippalca's ardour to retrieve the prey, And upon Rodomont's avenge the wrong, Incites that maid the mountain to a.s.say; By which (as said) the journey was less long: While Mandricardo, Rodomont, and they Of whom I erst made mention in my song, That easier track across the level hold; And thus encounter not Rogero bold.

LXVIII Until King Agramant shall succoured be, Suspended is their quarrel (in what wise You know), and in the champions' company Doralice, cause of all their discord, hies.

Now hear the upshot of this history!

Their way directly by that fountain lies, Beside whose margin are in pastime met Marphisa and Aldigier and Richardet.

LXIX Marphisa had, at her companions' prayer, Cloathed her in female ornaments and vest, Of those, which by Maganza's traitour were Late to Lanfusa, in full trust, addrest; And, though the appearance of that maid was rare Without her corslet, casque and all the rest, -- At their entreaty, these for once laid down -- She deigned to seem a maid and donned the gown.

LXX As soon as Mandricardo saw her face, In trust that, could he win her in affray, He would that maid, in recompense and place Of Doralice, to Rodomont convey; As if Love trafficked in such contracts base, And lover could his lady change away, Nor yet with reason at the event be pained, If he in losing one another gained.

LXXI Hence with a damsel to provide the peer, That he himself the other may retain; Deeming her worthy any cavalier, He would by force of arms the maid obtain; And, as if he could suddenly hold dear This maid as that, on him bestow the gain; And all of those, whom he about her spied, Forthwith to joust and single fight defied.