To fee his fyre and ofspring auncient. And now he thether came for like intent; Where he unwares the faireft Una found, Straunge Lady, in fo ftraunge habiliment, Teaching the Satyres, which her fat around, Trew facred lore, which from her sweet lips did redound.

XXXI.

He wondred at her wifedome hevenly rare,

Whofe like in womens witt he never knew; And, when her curteous deeds he did compare, Gan her admire, and her fad forrowes rew, Blaming of Fortune, which fuch troubles threw,

And ioyd to make proofe of her cruelty On gentle Dame, fo hurtleffe and so trew: Thenceforth he kept her goodly company, And learnd her difcipline of faith and verity.

XXXII.

But fhe, all vowd unto the Redcroffe Knight,
His wandring perill closely did lament,
Ne in this new acquaintaunce could delight;

The con

XXX. 4. To fee his fyre and ofspring auncient.] ftruction is, To fee his ancient fire and his fire's offspring.

UPTON.

XXX. 8. Teaching &c.] Una teaching the Satyres refembles Bacchus (in whom they fay was imaged Mofes,) among the deferts, Hor. L. 2. Od. 19.

"Bacchum in remotis carmina rupibus
"Vidi docentem (credite pofteri)

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Nympháfque difcentes, et aures

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Capripedum Satyrorum acutas." UPTON.

But her deare heart with anguish did torment,
And all her witt in fecret counfels spent,
How to escape. At last in privy wife
To Satyrane fhe fhewed her intent;

Who, glad to gain fuch favour, gan devise, How with that penfive Maid he best might thence arife.

XXXIII.

So on a day, when Satyres all were gone
To do their fervice to Sylvanus old,
The gentle Virgin, left behinde alone,
He led with
away corage ftout and bold.
Too late it was to Satyres to be told,
Or ever hope recover her againe :

In vaine he feekes that, having, cannot hold. So faft he carried her with carefull paine, That they the woods are paft, and come now to the plaine.

XXXIV.

The better part now of the lingring day
They traveild had, whenas they far efpide
A weary wight forwandring by the way;
And towards him they gan in haft to ride,
To weete of newes that did abroad betyde,
Or tidings of her Knight of the Redcroffe;
But he, them spying, gan to turne afide

For feare, as feemd, or for fome feigned loffe : More greedy they of newes faft towards him do

croffe

XXXV.

A filly man, in fimple weeds forworne,
And foild with duft of the long dried way;
His fandales were with toilfome travell torne,
And face all tand with fcorching funny ray,
As he had traveild many a fommers day
Through boyling fands of Arabie and Ynde;
And in his hand a Iacobs ftaffe, to ftay

XXXV. 1. A filly man, in fimple weeds] Perhaps he wrote as Chaucer, "A feely man.' We have feen above how the common-enemy, disguised as a hermit, deluded the Chriftians, F. Q. i. i. 29. He now appears as a pilgrim. A Proteftant reader will be apt to think our poet had his eye on the Romish churches, where hypocrites frequently act in such disguises.

UPTON.

Poetry, as I have formerly obferved in a Note on the Origin of Paradife Regained, has often painted the grand diffembler in colours of this kind. I may now add, that, in Bale's comedy of The Three Laws, 12mo. printed in 1538, where the Vices are apparelled, "Falfe Doctrine" is to be decked " lyke a popyth doctour, and Hypocrefy [correfponding with Spenfer's Archimago,] lyke a gray fryre," Sign. G. i. A dramatift of later times thus alfo makes Fauftus addrefs the Devil, in the Trag. Hift. of Dr. Fauftus, 1616.

"Goe, and returne an old Franciscan frier;

"That holy fhape becomes a Deuill best!"

I must not close this note, without obferving that feely, propofed by Mr. Church and Mr. Upton, is unneceffary. Silly, is a Northern or Scottish term for fimple, without guile. It occurs in the old ballad of The Gaberlunzie Man, ver. 4. "Will zee ludge a filly poor old man.' On which word fee the note by the very learned editor of that poem, John Callender, Efq., in Two Ancient Scottish Poems, &c. 8vo. 1782, p. 25. TODD.

XXXV. 7. In his hand &c.] In his hand he has a Jacob's faff, a pilgrim's staff; fo called because they used fuch in their pilgrimages to St. Jacob's or St. James's fhrine, P. Plowman, i. 2. "Pilgrimes and palmers plight them together "For to feke S. James and Saints at Rome,"

His

weary limbs upon; and eke behind His fcrip did hang, in which his needments he

did bind.

XXXVI.

The Knight, approching nigh, of him inquerd
Tidings of warre, and of adventures new;
But warres, nor new adventures, none he herd.
Then Una gan to aske, if ought he knew
Or heard abroad of that her Champion trew,
That in his armour bare a croflet red.

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Ay me! deare Dame," quoth he, "well may I rew

To tell the fad fight which mine eies have red; These eies did fee that Knight both living and

eke ded,"

XXXVII.

That cruell word her tender hart fo thrild, That fuddein cold did ronne through every vaine,

And ftony horrour all her fences fild

With dying fitt, that downe she fell for paine. The Knight her lightly reared up againe, And comforted with curteous kind reliefe: Then, wonne from death, the bad him tellen plaine

Pilgrims were those who were going their pilgrimages; Palmers, those who returned from their pilgrimages, and carried a staff or bough of a palm-tree, in token of their having performed their vows. But this distinction is not always observed.

UPTON,

The further proceffe of her hidden griefe: The leffer pangs can beare, who hath endur'd the chief.

XXXVIII.

Then gan the Pilgrim thus; "I chaunft this day, This fatall day, that shall I ever rew,

To fee two Knights, in travell on my way,
(A fory fight,) arraung'd in batteill new,
Both breathing vengeaunce, both of wrathfull
hew:

My feareful flesh did tremble at their strife,
To fee their blades fo greedily imbrew,
That, dronke with blood, yet thrifted after
life:

What more? the Redcroffe Knight was flain with Paynim knife.”

XXXIX.

"Ah! deareft Lord," quoth fhe, "how might that bee,

XXXVIII. 2.

that fhall I ever rew,] This is the reading of both Spenfer's own editions, which Mr. Upton and the edition of 1751 preferve. The folio of 1611 reads "that I shall ever rew," which is adopted in the folio of 1679, in Hughes's editions, in Tonfon's edition of 1758, and in Church's. TODD.

20.

XXXVIII. 6. My feareful flesh did tremble] So Pfal. cxix. "My flesh trembleth for fear of thee." CHURCH. XXXVIII. 8. dronke with blood,] A fcriptural phrase, Deut. xxxii. 42. "I will make mine arrows drunk with blood.” And Jerem. xlvi. 10, "The fword fhall be made drunk with their blood." Thus, metaphorically, Homer calls the skin of a bull drunk with fat, pebuscar ahon. Il. g. 390. UPTON.

XXXIX. I. Ah! deareft Lord, quoth fhe,] One would imagine that Una never would have addreft this poor pilgrim