To the most vertuous, and beautifull Lady, the Lady Carew.

NE may I, without blot of endlesse blame,

You, fairest Lady, leaue out of this place, But with remembraunce of your gracious name, Wherewith that courtly garlond most ye grace, And deck the world, adorne thefe verfes base:

Not that these few lines can in them comprise
Those glorious ornaments of heauenly grace,
Wherewith ye triumph ouer feeble eyes,
And in fubdued harts do tyranyfe:

For thereunto doth need a golden quill,
And filuer leaues, them righty to deuife,
But to make humble present of good will;
Which, when as timely meanes it purchase may,
In ampler wise itselfe will forth display.

E. S.

To all the gratious and beautifull Ladies in the Court.

HE Chian peincter, when he was requir'd']

THE

To pourtraict Venus in her perfect hew,

To make his worke more abfolute, defird
Of all the fairest maides to haue the vew.
Much more me needs to draw the semblant trew,
Of beauties Queene, the worlds fole wonderment,
To sharpe my fence with fundry beauties vew,
And steale from each fome part of ornament.

If all the world to feeke I ouerwent,

A fairer crew yet no where could I fee,

Then that braue court doth to mine eie present ;

That the worlds pride seems gathered there to bee:

Of each a part I ftole by cunning thefte:

Forgiue it me, faire dames, fith leffe ye haue not lefte.

E. S.

THE

The first BooKE of the

FAERY QUEENE

CONTAY NING

The Legend of the Knight of the Red-Croffe, or of Holinesse.

O Ithe man, whose Muse whylome did maske,
As time her taught, in lowly fhepheards weeds,
Am now enforst a farre unfitter taske,
For trumpets fterne to chaunge mine oaten reeds,
And fing of knights and ladies gentle deeds;

Whose praises having slept in filence long,

Me all too meane the facred Mufe areeds

To blazon broade emongst her learned throng:

Fierce warres and faithful loves fhall moralize my fong.

Thy weaker novice to perform thy will;
Lay forth out of thine everlafting scryne

The antique rolles, whch there lye hidden still.

Of faerie knights and fayrest Tanaquill,
Whom that most noble Briton prince fo long

Sought through the world, and fuffered fo much ill,
That I muft rue his undeferved wrong.

O helpe thou my weake wit, and sharpen my

dull tong!

And

To the right honourable Sir Fr. Walfingham Knight, principal Secretary to her Maiefty, and of her honourable priuy Counfell.

THa

Hat Mantuane poets incompared spirit,
Whofe girland now is fet in highest place,
Had not Mecenas, for his worthy merit,
It first aduaunft to great Auguftus grace,
Might long perhaps haue lien in filence bace,
Ne bene fo much admir'd of later age.
This lowly Mufe, that learns like steps to trace,
Flies for like aide unto your patronage;
That are the great Mecenas of this age,
As wel to al that ciuil artes profeffe

As thofe that are infpir'd with martial rage,
And craues protection of her feeblenesse :
Which if ye yield, perhaps ye may her rayse
In bigger tunes to found your liuing praise.

E. S.

To the right noble Lord and most valiaunt Captain, Sir John Norris knight, Lord prefident of Mounster.

HO euer gave more honourable prize

WHO

To the sweet Muse then did the Martiall crew,
That their braue deeds fhe might immortalize
In her fhrill tromp, and found their praises dew?
Who then ought more to fauour her, then you
Moft noble Lord, the honor of this age,
And precedent of all that armes enfue?
Whose warlike proweffe and manly courage,
Tempred with reason and aduizement fage,
Hath fild fad Belgicke with victorious spoile,
In Fraunce and Ireland left a famous gage,
And lately shakt the Lufitanian foile.
Sith then each where thou haft difpredd thy fame,
Loue him, that hath eternized your name.

E. S.

To the right noble and valorous knight Sir Walter Raleigh, Lord Wardein of the Stanneryes, and lieftenaunt of Cornewaile.

To thee, that art the fommers nightingale,

Thy foueraine Goddeffes moft deare delight,
Why doe I send this rufticke madrigale,
That may thy tunefull eare unfeafon quite ?
Thou onely fit this argument to write,

In whose high thoughts Pleasure hath built her bowre,
And dainty Love learnd sweetly to endite..

My rimes I know unfauory and sowre,

To taste the streames, that like a golden showre

Flow from thy fruitfull head, of thy loues praise,
Fitter perhaps to thonder Martiall stowre,

When fo thee lift thy lofty Mufe to raise :

Yet till that thou thy poeme wilt make knowne,

Let thy faire Cinthias praises be thus rudely showne.

E. S.

To the right honourable and most vertuous Lady, the Counteffe of Pembroke.

REmembraunce of that most heroicke spirit,

The heuens pride, the glory of our daies,
Which now triumpheth through immortall merit
Of his braue vertues, crownd with lafting baies,
Of heuenlie blifs and euerlasting praies;

Who first my Mufe did lift out of the flore,
To fing his sweet delights in lowlie laies,
Bids me, most noble Lady, to adore

His goodly image, liuing euermore

In the diuine refemblaunce of your face;
Which with your vertues ye embellish more,
And natiue beauty deck with heuenlie grace:

For his, and for your own efpecial fake,

Vouchsafe from him this token in good worth to take.

E. S.

To the most vertuous, and beautifull Lady, the Lady Carew.

NE may I, without blot of endlesse blame,

You, faireft Lady, leaue out of this place, But with remembraunce of your gracious name, Wherewith that courtly garlond most ye grace, And deck the world, adorne these verses base:

Not that these few lines can in them comprise
Those glorious ornaments of heauenly grace,
Wherewith ye triumph ouer feeble eyes,
And in fubdued harts do tyranyse:

For thereunto doth need a golden quill,
And filuer leaues, them righty to deuife,
But to make humble prefent of good will;
Which, when as timely meanes it purchase may,
In ampler wise itselfe will forth display.

E. S.

To all the gratious and beautifull Ladies in the Court.

HE Chian peincter, when he was requir'd']

THI

To pourtraict Venus in her perfect hew,

To make his worke more abfolute, defird

Of all the fairest maides to haue the vew.
Much more me needs to draw the femblant trew,
Of beauties Queene, the worlds fole wonderment,
To sharpe my fence with fundry beauties vew,
And steale from each some part of ornament.

If all the world to feeke I ouerwent,

A fairer crew yet no where could I fee,

Then that braue court doth to mine eie present;
That the worlds pride seems gathered there to bee:

Of each a part I ftole by cunning thefte:

Forgiue it me, faire dames, fith leffe ye haue not lefte.

E. S.

THE