VII

Faire Goddesse, lay that furious fit aside, 55
  Till I of warres[*] and bloody Mars do sing,
  And Briton fields with Sarazin bloud bedyde,
  Twixt that great Faery Queene, and Paynim king,
  That with their horrour heaven and earth did ring;
  A worke of labour long and endlesse prayse:  60
  But now a while let downe that haughtie string[*]
  And to my tunes thy second tenor rayse,
That I this man of God his godly armes may blaze.

VIII

By this the dreadfull Beast drew nigh to hand,
  Halfe flying, and halfe footing in his haste, 65
  That with his largenesse measured much land,
  And made wide shadow under his huge wast,
  As mountaine doth the valley overcast. 
  Approching nigh, he reared high afore
  His body monstrous, horrible, and vaste, 70
  Which to increase his wondrous greatnesse more,
Was swoln with wrath, and poyson, and with bloudy gore.

IX

And over, all with brasen scales was armd,
  Like plated coate of steele, so couched neare,
  That nought mote perce, ne might his corse be harmd 75
  With dint of sword, nor push of pointed speare;
  Which, as an Eagle, seeing pray appeare,
  His aery plumes doth rouze, full rudely dight;
  So shaked he, that horrour was to heare,
  For as the clashing of an Armour bright, 80
Such noyse his rouzed scales did send unto the knight.

X

His flaggy wings when forth he did display,
  Were like two sayles, in which the hollow wynd
  Is gathered full, and worketh speedy way: 
  And eke the pennes, that did his pineons bynd, 85
  Were like mayne-yards, with flying canvas lynd;
  With which whenas him list the ayre to beat,
  And there by force unwonted passage find,
  The cloudes before him fled for terrour great,
And all the heavens stood still amazed with his threat. 90

XI

His huge long tayle wound up in hundred foldes,
  Does overspred his long bras-scaly backe,
  Whose wreathed boughts when ever he unfoldes,
  And thicke entangled knots adown does slacke,
  Bespotted as with shields of red and blacke, 95
  It sweepeth all the land behind him farre,
  And of three furlongs does but litle lacke;
  And at the point two stings in-fixed arre,
Both deadly sharpe, that sharpest steele exceeden farre.

XII

But stings and sharpest steele did far exceed 100
  The sharpnesse of his cruell rending clawes;
  Dead was it sure, as sure as death in deed,
  What ever thing does touch his ravenous pawes,
  Or what within his reach he ever drawes. 
  But his most hideous head my toung to tell 105
  Does tremble:  for his deepe devouring jawes
  Wide gaped, like the griesly mouth of hell,
Through which into his darke abisse all ravin fell.