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Sad HERSAL of his heavy ftreffe.

3. II. 18.

So that holy berfe is here, the rehearsal of the prayers in the church-service, at which Britomart is now described as present. HERSE Occurs, in the Paftoral of November, as the burden of Colin's song, "O hea"vie HERSE," and, "O happie HERSE," where E. K. interprets HERSE," The folemne Obfequie in "Funerals".

B. iii. c. iii. f. xiv.

And writing ftraunge characters in the ground.

So Milton, with the fame emphasis, in Comus.

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We have the expreffion " Joy charactered in their "face," in an old book, giving a relation of king James's progrefs from Scotland to London, 1603. But I am chiefly induced to mention this piece, as it has preserved the following curious and fingular proof of that monarch's military genius. "Amongst which "warlike traine, [at Berwicke] as his majestie was "very pleasant and gracious, fo to fhew inftance "how he loved and respected the arte militarie, hee "made a fhot himfelfe out of a canon, fo fair, and "with fuch figne of experience, that the most expert

66 gunners

66 gunners there beheld it not without admiration: and "there was none of judgment present, but, without

flattery, gave it just commendation...... Of no little "eftimation did the gunners account themselves in, "after this kingly shot*"

B. iii. c. iii. f. xxvi.

But footh he is the fonne of Gorlois.

This is the Gorlois of whom Milton speaks,

Tum gravidam Arturo, fatali fraude, Iogernen,
Mendaces vultus, affumptaque Gorlois arma,
Merlini dolust.

Geoffrey of Monmouth informs us, that Uther Pendragon fell in love with Igerne, or Iogerne, the wife of Gorlois prince of Cornwall. In the absence of Gorlois, Merlin, by his magic, transformed Uther into the likeness of Gorlois, and one Ulfin into the likeness of Jordan, a familiar friend of Gorlois, himfelf affuming the figure of one Bricel; by means of which artifice, Uther enjoyed Iogerne, and begot king Arthur . Spenfer, in his Epistle to Sir Walter

* The true Narration of the Entertainment of his Royall Majestie, from the time of his departure from Edenborough, &c. Lond. 1603. Sign. C 3.

† Epitaph. Damonis. 166.

B. 3. c. 19.

Y 2

Raleigh

Raleigh, calls Iogerne, or Igerne, the lady IGRAYNE; and she is so called in MORTE ARTHUR.

B. iii. c. iii. f. liii.

Bardes tell of many women valorous
Which have full many feates adventurous
Perform'd in paragone of proudest men:
The bold Bonduca, whofe victorious

Exploits made Rome to quake, ftout Guendolen,
Renowned Martia, and redoubted Emmelen.

Glauce, with the greatest propriety is here made to allude to the bards, whose * business it was to fing to the harp the warlike atchievements of their countrymen, and who flourished in high perfection, at the time in which our author has supposed the events of the FAERIE QUEENE to have happened. They are introduced, with no lefs confiftency, playing upon their harps, in the hall of the House of PRide.

Many bards that to the trembling chord
Can tune their timely voices cunningly.

1.5.3.

The bards were usually employed upon fuch public occafions, in hall or bower, as Milton fings.

* Leland de Script. Brit. cap. 2.

B. iii.

B. iii. c. v. f. xxxii.

There whether it divine Tobacco were,

Or Panacea, or Polygony.

Tobacco was, at this time, but newly discovered to the English, and not an ordinary herb, as it is at prefent. Probably Tobacco is here mentioned, with so much honour, with an intent to pay a compliment to Sir Walter Raleigh, our author's friend and patron, who firft introduced and ufed Tobacco in England, 1584.

It would have been dangerous to have complimented this falutary plant with such a panegyric in the fucceeding reign. One of the questions difcuffed before James I. at Oxford, 1605, was, "Utrum "frequens fuffitus NICOTIANÆ EXOTICE fit Sanis

66

falutaris?" The negative was proved, to the great fatisfaction of the king *.

B. iii. c. vii. f. vi.

There in a gloomy hollowe glen fhe found
A little cottage built of stickes and reedes,
In homely wife, and wall'd with fods around,
In which a witch did dwell, in loathly weedes,
And wilfull want, all careleffe of her needes.

* Rex Platonicus. pag. 82. Oxon. 4to. 1607.

Witches

Witches were thought really to exift in the age of Queen Elizabeth, and our author had, probably, been ftruck with feeing fuch a cottage as this, in which a witch was fuppofed to live. Those who have perused Blackwall's Enquiry into the Life and Writings of Homer, will be best qualified to judge how much better enabled that poet is to defcribe, who copies from living objects, than he who describes, in a later age, from tradition.

B. iii. c. vii. f. ix.

Wiping the tears from her SUFFUSED eyes.

So Virgil,

Triftior, atque oculos lacrymis SUFFUSA nitentes*.

B. iii. c. vii. f. lii.

Her well befeemes that QUEST.

QUEST is a term properly belonging to romance, importing the expedition in which the knight is engaged, and which he is obliged to perform. It is a very common word with Spenfer.

B. iii. c. viii. f. ii. iv.

The witch fhews a part of Florimel's girdle to her fon, who, feeing it, thinks her dead. This incident

* Æn. I. V. 221.

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