Book 1, Canto 2 Summary

After his first failure with the knight, Archimago changes tactics, this time having his evil spirits pose as Una and a young man in a delicate position and summoning the Red Cross Knight to watch. Disgusted by his lady's unfaithfulness, the knight storms out of the hermitage. Una awakes alone and confused, but leaves on her own after realizing her knight has fled. Archimago disguises himself as the knight and follows her.

The Red Cross Knight stumbles upon a fellow knight, Sansfoy, and his lady, Fidessa, and gets himself into another fight. He wins, kills Sansfoy, and offers to protect the lady. They are troubled by an amazingly hot sun and seek shade beneath a tree. The Red Cross Knight breaks a branch off the tree and is amazed to se that it bleeds. The tree then tells its story—it...