LXXI
“Now on our way, the way to death we ride,
But Providence Divine thus for us wrought,
Rinaldo, whose high virtue is his guide
To great exploits, exceeding human thought,
Met us, and all at once our guard defied,
And ere he left the fight to earth them brought.
And in their harness armed us in the place,
Which late were ours, before our late disgrace.
LXXII
“I and all these the hardy champion knew,
We saw his valor, and his voice we heard;
Then is the rumor of his death untrue,
His life is safe, good fortune long it guard,
Three times the golden sun hath risen new,
Since us he left and rode to Antioch-ward;
But first his armors, broken, hacked and cleft,
Unfit for service, there he doft and left.”
LXXIII
Thus spake the Briton prince, with humble cheer
The hermit sage to heaven cast up his eyne,
His color and his countenance changed were,
With heavenly grace his looks and visage shine,
Ravished with zeal his soul approached near
The seat of angels pure, and saints divine,
And there he learned of things and haps to come,
To give foreknowledge true, and certain doom.
LXXIV
At last he spoke, in more than human sound,
And told what things his wisdom great foresaw,
And at his thundering voice the folk around
Attentive stood, with trembling and with awe:
“Rinaldo lives,” he said, “the tokens found
From women’s craft their false beginnings draw,
He lives, and heaven will long preserve his days,
To greater glory, and to greater praise.
LXXV
“These are but trifles yet, though Asia’s kings
Shrink at his name, and tremble at his view,
I well foresee he shall do greater things,
And wicked emperors conquer and subdue;
Under the shadow of his eagle’s wings
Shall holy Church preserve her sacred crew,
From Caesar’s bird he shall the sable train
Pluck off, and break her talons sharp in twain.
LXXVI
“His children’s children at his hardiness
And great attempts shall take example fair,
From emperors unjust in all distress
They shall defend the state of Peter’s chair,
To raise the humble up, pride to suppress,
To help the innocents shall be their care.
This bird of east shall fly with conquest great,
As far as moon gives light or sun gives heat;
LXXVII
“Her eyes behold the truth and purest light,
And thunders down in Peter’s aid she brings,
And where for Christ and Christian faith men fight,
There forth she spreadeth her victorious wings,
This virtue nature gives her and this might;
Then lure her home, for on her presence hings
The happy end of this great enterprise,
So Heaven decrees, and so command the skies.”
LXXVIII
These words of his of Prince Rinaldo’s death
Out of their troubled hearts, the fear had rased;
In all this joy yet Godfrey smiled uneath.
In his wise thought such care and heed was placed.
But now from deeps of regions underneath
Night’s veil arose, and sun’s bright lustre chased,
When all full sweetly in their cabins slept,
Save he, whose thoughts his eyes still open kept.
ELEVENTH BOOK
THE ARGUMENT.
With grave procession, songs and psalms devout
Heaven’s sacred aid the Christian lords invoke;
That done, they scale the wall which kept them out:
The fort is almost won, the gates nigh broke:
Godfrey is wounded by Clorinda stout,
And lost is that day’s conquest by the stroke;
The angel cures him, he returns to fight,
But lost his labor, for day lost his light.