Or anguish in her hart, is hard to tell;
Upon her arme a silver anchor lay,
Whereon she leaned ever, as befell;
And ever up to Heaven, as she did pray,
Her stedfast eyes were bent, ne swarved other way."
It seems as if they and Una had been friends even from her very childhood—that she had often visited before that
"Ancient house not far away,
Renowned through the world for sacred lore,
And pure unspotted life;"
for, soon as they recognise one another,
"Many kind speeches they between them spend;
And greatly joy, each other for to see!"
And then, "at Una's meek request," they turn themselves to the Knight—
"Who fair them quites as him beseemed best,
And goodly 'gan discourse of many a noble gest."
Fidelia and Speranza heard him speak—but of "nobler gests" than of mortal prowess, he was about to hear in the house of Holiness.
"Now when their wearie limbes with kindly rest,
And bodies were refresht with dew repast,
Fayre Una 'gan Fidelia fayre request,
To have her knight into the schoolhouse plaste,
That of her heavenly learning he might taste,
And heare the wisedom of her wordes divine.
She graunted; and that knight so much agraste,
That she him taught celestiall discipline,
And open'd his dull eyes, that light mote in them shine.
"And that, her sacred booke, with blood ywritt,
That none could reade except she did them teach,
She unto him disclosed every whitt;
And heavenly documents thereout did preach,
That weaker witt of man could never reach;
Of God, of grace, of justice, of free-will,
That wonder was to hear her goodly speach;
For she was hable with her wordes to kill
And rayse againe to life the hart that she did thrill.
"And, when she list poure out her larger spright,
She would commaund the hasty sunne to stay,
Or backward turne his course from Heven's hight:
Sometimes great hostes of men she could dismay;
Dry-shod to passe she parts the floods in tway;
And eke huge mountains from their native seat,
She would commaund themselves to bear away,
And throw in raging sea with roaring threat:
Almightie God her gave such powre and puissaunce great,
"The faithfull knight now grew in little space,
By hearing her, and by her sister's lore,
To such perfection of all heavenly grace,
That wretched world he 'gan for to abhore,
And mortall life 'gan loath as thing forlore;
Greeved with remembrance of his wicked wayes,
And prickt with anguish of his sinnes so sore,
That he desired to ende his wretched dayes:
So much the dart of sinfull guilt the soule dismayes!
"But wise Speranza gave him comfort sweet,
And taught him how to take assured hold
Upon her silver anchor, as was meet;
Els had his sinnes so great and manifold
Made him forget all that Fidelia told."
