Upon a great adventure he was bond, (That greatest glorious queene of Faerie lond,) IV. A lovely Ladie rode him faire beside, V. So pure and innocent, as that same lambe, And by descent from royall lynage came Of ancient kinges and queenes, that had of yore Their scepters stretcht from east to westerne shore. Till that infernal Feend with foule uprore Whom to avenge, she had this Knight from far compeld. VI. Behind her farre away a Dwarfe did lag, Or wearied with bearing of her bag Of needments at his backe. Thus as they past, The day with cloudes was suddeine overcast, And angry love an hideous storme of raine Did poure into his lemans lap so fast, That everie wight to shrowd it did constrain; And this faire couple eke to shroud themselves were fain. VII. Enforst to seeke some covert nigh at hand, 1 Earne-yearn. 2 Whimpled-gathered, or plaited. 3 Forwasted-much wasted. The prefix for is an intensive, from the Saxon and German ver. 4 Fain-glad. With footing worne, and leading inward farr: Faire harbour that them seems; so in they entred ar. VIII. And foorth they passe, with pleasure forward led, IX. The laurell, meed of mightie conquerours The birch for shaftes; the sallow for the mill; X. Led with delight, they thus beguile the way, That, which of them to take, in diverse doubt they been. UNA FOLLOWED BY THE LION. I. Noughts is there under heaven's wide hollownesse, II. And now it is empassioned so deepe, 1 Can they praise-Much they praised. This form of expression is frequently used by Spenser. Some, however, consider 'can' to be put for 'gan,' or 'began.' ? Eugh-yew. 8 Nought, &c. In this canto the adventures of Una are resumed, from the ninth stanza of the preeeding canto. 4 Empassioned--moved. G That my frayle eies these lines with teares do steepe, Is from her Knight divorced in despayre, And her dew loves deryv'd to that vyle Witches shayre. Yet she, most faithfull Ladie, all this while Far from all peoples preace, as in exile, Through that late vision which th' Enchaunter wrought, Through woods and wastness wide him daily sought, IV. One day, nigh wearie of the yrkesome way, V. It fortuned, out of the thickest wood A ramping lyon3 rushed suddeinly, VI. Instead thereof he kist her wearie feet, And simple truth subdue avenging wrong! Still dreading death, when she had marked long, 1 True as touch-i. e. true as the touchstone by which other substances are tried. 2 Deryv'd-transferred. 3 Preace-press or throng. 4 Undight-took off. A ramping lyon.-Upton conjectures the lion to be the English monarch, the defender of the faith. He seems rather to represent a manly and courageous people, like the English, and the homage he pays to Una betokens the respect which would be felt by such a people to beauty and innocence. 6 As-as is. 7 Weet-understand. Her hart gan melt in great compassion; VII. "The lyon, lord of everie beast in field," Quoth she, "his princely puissance doth abate, VIII. Redounding tears did choke th' end of her plaint, To seek her strayed Champion if she might attayne. IX. The lyon would not leave her desolate, Still, when she slept, he kept both watch and ward, DESCRIPTION OF PRINCE ARTHUR. ΧΧΙΧ. At last she chaunced by good hap to meet Athwart his brest a bauldrick brave he ware, Book I. Canto UL That shind, like twinkling stars, with stones most pretious rare: XXX. And, in the midst thereof, one pretious stone Of wondrous worth, and eke of wondrous mights, 1 Redounding-flowing. 2 A goodly Knight.-This is Prince Arthur, in whose faultless excellence Spenser is supposed to have represented his illustrious friend, Sir Philip Sidney, whose beautiful character and splendid accomplishments kindled a warmth of admiration among his contemporaries, of which we find it difficult to conceive in our colder and more prosaic age. Shapt like a Ladies head, exceeding shone, His haughtie helmet, horrid all with gold, Both glorious brightnesse and great terrour bredd: With greedie pawes, and over all did spredd XXXII. Upon the top of all his loftie crest, A bounch of heares discolourd diversly, With sprincled pearle and gold full richly drest, Like to an almond tree ymounted hye On top of greene Selinis2 all alone, With blossoms brave bedecked daintily; Whose tender locks do tremble every one At everie little breath, that under heaven is blowne. Book 1. Canto VII. DESCRIPTION OF BELPHOEBE. XXI. Eftsoone3 there stepped foorth A goodly Ladie' clad in hunters weed, That seemd to be a woman of great worth, And by her stately portance5 borne of heavenly birth. XXII. Her face so faire, as flesh it seemed not, The which ambrosiall odours from them threw, 1 Slights-devices. Greene Selinis.-Selinis is evidently the name of some hill or mountain, which I do not find in any book of reference within reach. Upton, strangely enough, supposes it to be Selinus, a city in Cilicia, to which he applies an epithet, "Palmosa," applied by Virgil to another city of the same name in Sicily. After this double blunder, he remarks, with amusing simplicity, "The simile of the almondtree is exceeding elegant, and much after the cast of that admired image in Homer," &c. Todd copies the whole without comment.-Hillard. 3 Eftsoone-immediately. 4 A goodly Ladie, &c.-In the beautiful and elaborate portrait of Belphoebe, Spenser has drawn a flattered likeness of Queen Elizabeth. Portance-demeanor. |