On venturous quest to prick again,

In all his arms, with all his train,

Shield, lance, and brand, and plume, and scarf,
Fay, giant, dragon, squire, and dwarf,
And wizard with his wand of might,

;

And errant maid on palfrey white.
Around the Genius weave their spells,
Pure Love, who scarce his passion tells
Mystery, half veiled and half revealed ;
And Honour, with his spotless shield;
Attention, with fixed eye; and Fear,
That loves the tale she shrinks to hear;
And gentle Courtesy; and Faith,
Unchanged by sufferings, time, or death;
And Valour, lion-mettled lord,
Leaning upon his own good sword.

Well has thy fair achievement shown,

A worthy meed may thus be won ;

11

a

Ytene's oaks-beneath whose shade,

Their theme the merry minstrels made,
Of Ascapart, and Bevis bold,

b

And that Red King, who, while of old
Through Boldrewood the chase he led,

By his loved huntsman's arrow bled-
Ytene's oaks have heard again
Renewed such legendary strain ;

For thou hast sùng, how He of Gaul,
That Amadis so famed in hall,

For Oriana, foiled in fight

The Necromancer's felon might;

And well in modern verse hast wove

Partenopex's mystic love:

Hear then, attentive to my lay,

A knightly tale of Albion's elder day.

a The new forest in Hampshire, anciently so called. William Rufus.

MARMION.

CANTO FIRST.

The Castle.

MARMION.

CANTO FIRST.

The Castle.

212

715

j.13

I.

DAY set on Norham's castled steep,
And Tweed's fair river, broad and deep,

And Cheviot's mountains lone:

The battled towers, the Donjon Keep,
The loop-hole grates where captives weep,
The flanking walls that round it sweep,
In yellow lustre shone.