When soone he met with Tomalin,
One that a valiant Knight had bin,
And to King Oberon of kin;
Quoth he thou manly Fayrie:
Tell Oberon I come prepar'd,
Then bid him stand vpon his Guard;
This hand his basenesse shall reward,
Let him be ne'r so wary.
Say to him thus, that I defie,
530His slanders, and his infamie,
And as a mortall enemie,
Doe publickly proclaime him:
Withall, that if I had mine owne,
He should not weare the Fayrie Crowne,
But with a vengeance should come downe:
Nor we a King should name him.
This Tomalin could not abide,
To heare his Soueraigne vilefide:
But to the Fayrie Court him hide;
540Full furiously he posted,
With eu'ry thing Pigwiggen sayd:
How title to the Crowne he layd,
And in what Armes he was aray'd,
As how himselfe he boasted.
Twixt head and foot, from point to point,
He told th'arming of each ioint,
In every piece, how neate, and quaint,
For Tomalin could doe it:
How fayre he sat, how sure he rid,
550As of the courser he bestrid,
How Mannag'd, and how well he did;
The King which listened to it,
Quoth he, goe Tomalin with speede,
Prouide me Armes, prouide my Steed,
And euery thing that I shall neede,
By thee I will be guided;
To strait account, call thou thy witt,
See there be wanting not a whitt,
In euery thing see thou me fitt,
560Just as my foes prouided.
Soone flewe this newes through Fayrie land
Which gaue Queene Mab to vnderstand,
The combate that was then in hand,
Betwixt those men so mighty:
Which greatly she began to rew,
Perceuing that all Fayrie knew,
The first occasion from her grew,
Of these affaires so weighty.
Wherefore attended with her maides,
570Through fogs, and mists, and dampes she wades,
To Proserpine the Queene of shades
To treat, that it would please her,
The cause into her hands to take,
For ancient loue and friendships sake,
And soone therof an end to make,
Which of much care would ease her.
A While, there let we Mab alone,
And come we to King Oberon,
Who arm'd to meete his foe is gone,
580For Proud Pigwiggen crying:
Who sought the Fayrie King as fast,
And had so well his iourneyes cast,
That he arriued at the last,
His puisant foe espying:
Stout Tomalin came with the King,
Tom Thum doth on Pigwiggen bring,
That perfect were in euery thing,
To single fights belonging:
And therefore they themselues ingage,
590To see them exercise their rage,
With faire and comely equipage,
Not one the other wronging.
So like in armes, these champions were,
As they had bin, a very paire,
So that a man would almost sweare,
That either, had bin either;
Their furious steedes began to naye
That they were heard a mighty way,
Their staues vpon their rests they lay;
600Yet e'r they flew together,