is like a paffage in the Seven Champions. St. George finding, by the light of the moon, the chain which Sabra used to wear about her neck, befmeared with blood, fuppofes her to have been ravished and flain by the giant of the inchanted tower. "O difcon"tented fight, faid he, here is the chain besmeared "in blood, which, at our firft acquaintance, I gave "her in a ftately maske*."

B. iii. c viii. f. xxxix.

Sometimes he boafted, that a god he hight
But fhe a mortal creature loved beft;

Then he would make himself a mortal wight,
But then the faid fhe lov'd none but a fairie knight.

xl.

Then like a fairie knight himself he dreft.

The ufe which the poet here makes of Proteus'spower of changing his shape, is artful enough; having a novelty founded on propriety.

B. iii. c. x. f. viii.

Ballads, † VIRELAYES, and verses vaine.

* B. 1. c. 16.

+ As the name of G. GASCOIGNE has been frequently mentioned in the course of this work, it may not be, perhaps, improper to give the reader fome further knowledge of him. His works were printed An.

Virelayes are often mentioned by Chaucer, and our old poets. G. Gafcoigne, in his Defence of Rhime, gives this account of virelayes. "There is an old "kinde of rhyme called VERLAYES, derived, as I "have redde, of the worde verde, which betokeneth

1576, with this title, "A hundreth fundrie flowres, bounde up in one fmall poefie; gathered, partly by tranflation, in the fine and outlandish gardens of Euripides, Ovid, Petrarke, Ariofto, and others; and partely by invention, out of our own fruitefull orchardes in Englande; yielding fundrie sweet favours of tragicall, comicall, and morall discourses, both pleasaunt and profitable to the well-fmellyng noses of learned readers." This was followed by another edition, An. 1587. This author was well efteemed by his cotemporary writers, as appears by their teftimonies of him; and it must be confeffed, that he has much exceeded all the poets of his age, in fmoothness and harmony of verfification. Would it not extend this note too far, as a fpecimen of his talent for love-verfes, I would produce his Ode, "In praife of lady Bridges, now ladie Sandes, on a fcar on her forehead," in which the reader would be surprised to find a delicacy, rarely to be feen in that early state of our poetry.

But the reader will, probably, be ftill more entertained with fome paffages in JoCASTA, a Tragedie, (before-mentioned) written ten years before the poem juft quoted, and acted at Gray's Inn, 1566, in which he will not only perceive the strength and harmony, but likewise the poetical spirit, of Spenser, who did not publish any of his pieces till fourteen years afterwards. The story is taken, and in fome measure tranflated, from the PHOENISSE of Euripides; it is written in blank verse, with chorusses, none of which are copied from those in the PнOEBefore each Act, according to the practice of that age, the dumb-fhew is introduced. In at 2, a combat is likely to enfue, between Eteocles and Polynices; on which occafion the chorus, confifting of four Theban dames, fings an Ode, which thus begins.

NISSE.

O fierce and furious God! whofe harmefull harte
Rejoyceth most to shed the giltleffe blood;

Whose

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greene, and laye, which betokeneth a fong, as if you "would fay GREENE SONGES. But I must tell you

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by the way, that I never redde any verfe which I "faw by authoritie called VERLAY, but one; and "that was a long difcourfe in verses of tenne fylla"beles, whereof the four firft did rhyme across; and

Whofe headie will doth all the world fubvert,
And doth envy the pleasaunt merry moode
Of our eftate, that erft in quiet ftoode;
Why doft thou thus our harmleffe towne annoy
Which mightie Bacchus governed in joye?

Father of warre and death! that doft remove
With wrathfull wrecke from wofull mothers breaft
The truftie pledges of her tender love;

So graunt the Gods, that for our final reft,
Dame Venus' pleasaunt lookes may charm thee best,
Whereby when thou shall all amazed stand,
The sword may fall out of thy trembling hand:

And thou maift prove some other way full well
The bloudie proweffe of thy mightie fpeare,
Wherewith thou raisest from the depths of hell,
The wrathfull sprites of all the furies there,
Who when they wake, doe wander everie where,
And never reft to raunge about the coaftes,
T'enrich their pit with spoile of damned ghoftes.

And when thou haft our fields forfaken thus,
Let cruell DISCORDE beare thee companie,
Engirt with fnakes, and ferpents venomous,
E'en fhe, that can with red vermillion dye
The gladfome greene, that flourish'd pleasantly,
And make the greedy ground a drinking cup
To fup the blood of murder'd bodies up.

Yet thou return, O Joye, &c. &c.
VOL. II.
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<< the

"the fyfth did answere to the fyrft and thyrde, break"ing off there, and fo going on to another termina"tion. Of this I could fhew example of imitation, "in myne owne verfes written to the right honourable "the lorde Grey of Wilton." E. G.

"A ftrange conceit, a vaine of new delight

Twixt weale and woe, 'twixt weale and bitter griefe, Hath pricked foorth my haftie pen to write This worthleffe verfe, in hazard of reproofe, And to mine alder-lieveft lord I muft indite."

B. iii. c. x. f. xii.

As Hellene when she fawe aloft appeare

The Trojane flames, and reach to heavens hight, Did clap her hands, and joyed at that dolefull fight.

Virgil tells us, that Helen, while Troy was burning, hid herself for fear.

Illa fibi infeftos everfa ob Pergama Teucros,
Et pænas Danaum, et deferti conjugis iras
Permetuens, Troja et patriæ communis erynnis,
Abdiderat fefe, atque aris invifa fedebat ↑.

Spenfer's lines put me in mind of a thought in one of Daniel's fonnets, which feems to be copied by Waller.

*See CHEVRANA, edit. 1700. partie ii. pag. 241.

Who whilst I burne fhe fings at my foules wracke
Looking aloft from turret of her pride;

There my foules tyrant joyes her in the facke

Of her owne feat *.

Daniel here alludes to a circumstance related of Nero; and Waller feems to have imitated Daniel's application of it.

Thus Nero with his harp in hand furvey'd

His burning Rome, and as it burnt he play'd f.

B. iii. c. x. f. xxxv.

For having filcht her bells, her up he caft
To the wide world, and let her fly alone.

Here is a metaphor taken from hawking; a diverfion highly fashionable in our author's age, to which he frequently alludes, and from whence he has drawn a very great number of comparisons. The hawk's bells are mentioned afterwards,

Like as an hawke, that feeling herself freed
From bells and jeffes, which did let her flight.

A knowledge of hunting and falconry was an ef fential requifite in accomplishing the character of a

44.

On my lady Ifabella playing on the lute.

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knight.