VII

The Lyon Lord of every beast in field, 55
  Quoth she, his princely puissance doth abate,
  And mightie proud to humble weake does yield,
  Forgetfull of the hungry rage, which late
  Him prickt, in pittie of my sad estate: 
  But he my Lyon, and my noble Lord, 60
  How does he find in cruell hart to hate,
  Her that him lov’d, and ever most adord,
As the God of my life? why hath he me abhord?

VIII

Redounding teares did choke th’ end of her plaint,
  Which softly ecchoed from the neighbour wood; 65
  And sad to see her sorrowfull constraint
  The kingly beast upon her gazing stood;
  With pittie calmd, downe fell his angry mood. 
  At last in close hart shutting up her paine,
  Arose the virgin borne of heavenly brood, 70
  And to her snowy Palfrey got againe,
To seeke her strayed Champion, if she might attaine.

IX

The Lyon would not leave her desolate,
  But with her went along, as a strong gard
  Of her chast person, and a faithfull mate 75
  Of her sad troubles and misfortunes hard: 
  Still when she slept, he kept both watch and ward,[*]
  And when she wakt, he waited diligent,
  With humble service to her will prepard: 
  From her faire eyes he tooke commaundement, 80
And ever by her lookes conceived her intent.

X

Long she thus traveiled through deserts wyde,
  By which she thought her wandring knight shold pas,
  Yet never shew of living wight espyde;
  Till that at length she found the troden gras, 85
  In which the tract of peoples footing was,
  Under the steepe foot of a mountaine hore;
  The same she followes, till at last she has
  A damzell spyde[*] slow footing her before,
That on her shoulders sad a pot of water bore. 90

XI

To whom approching she to her gan call,
  To weet, if dwelling place were nigh at hand;
  But the rude wench her answerd nought at all;
  She could not heare, nor speake, nor understand;
  Till seeing by her side the Lyon stand, 95
  With suddaine feare her pitcher downe she threw,
  And fled away:  for never in that land
  Face of faire Ladie she before did vew,
And that dread Lyons looke her cast in deadly hew.[*]

XII

Full fast she fled, ne never lookt behynd, 100
  As if her life upon the wager lay,[*]
  And home she came, whereas her mother blynd[*]
  Sate in eternall night:  nought could she say,
  But suddaine catching hold, did her dismay
  With quaking hands, and other signes of feare; 105
  Who full of ghastly fright and cold affray,
  Gan shut the dore.  By this arrived there
Dame Una, wearie Dame, and entrance did requere.