XVIII. in bard. Menage, in BARDE. So likewife the Scotifh Bishop in his tranflation of Virgil, Sanfley-He that faire Una-] B. i. C. 6. St. 3. pag. 385, 34. Therein three fifters dwelt of fundry fort, The children of ONE fyre by mothers THREE. The THREE different mothers, I interpret from Plato (Repub. Lib. iv. p. 439. Edit. Steph. & Repub. ix. p. 580.) to be thofe three parts, which he appropriates to the foul, Aoyisin, from whom was born Medina: And Eunren, and Ovμntix, from whom were born the other two wayward and froward fifters. Who is the ONE fyre that acts upon these three powers of the Soul? Is it not Mind ? XIV. Him at the threshold mett, and well did enterprize.] i. e. Take him in hand: undertook him and entertained him. XVI. Which to thofe ladeis love did countenance.] Which knights did profer the favours of their love to thofe ladies: to countenance, is commonly ufed to favour, to give countenance to, &c. XVII. Sir Hudibras.] The name likewife of a British king. See B. ii. C. 10. St. 25. Our famous mock-heroic poem is named from a Hero (fuch as he is) of like name. XX. -With flames of fouldring heat.] See above, B. i. C. 11. St. 40. with foul enfouldred smoke. Gall. fouldroyant. XXII. As when a beare and tygre, being met To found a path, X. 257. See note on B. i. C. 6. St. 35. But ftill a queftion occurs, why does Spenfer fuppofe a bear and tyger to meet on the Libyc plains? There is a proverb which fays that Africa brings always fomething new: which faying feems to have arifen from various forts of wild creatures, being forced to meet, that they might drink at fome one ftream in these defert plains, and there copulating, and thence producing monfters: Spenfer too very justly fuppofes them fighting. Africam Semper aliquid novi adferre : quod quidem ideo dicebatur, quod in fiticulofa regione ad unum aliquem rivum plurimae ferarum fpecies bibendi gratiá convenire cogantur; inibique varia mixtura violentar veneris varias monftorum formas fubinde novas nafci. Plin. L. vii. Compare Ariftot. Пepì Çáwv yevéσews, L. ii. Λέγεται δὲ καὶ τὸ περὶ τῆς Λιβύης παροιμιαζόμενος, ὡς ἀεί τι τῆς Λιβύης τρεφέσης καινὸν, κ. τ. λ. O fly from wrath, fly, o my liefest lord: Ten thousand furies wait on wrathfull fword. As doth an hidden moth The inner garment frett, not the utter touch.] This is an allufion to fcripture. See Matt. vi. 9. James v. 2. Job xiii. 28. Confumeth as a garment that is moth-eaten. Pfalm xxxix. 12. Like as it were a moth fretting a garment. to trett in the old English is to eat. Anglo-S. Freτan edere. We ufe the word fo now in the weft of England, when we say to fret the grafs, i. e. to eat it down, not mow it. XXXV. ELISSA-PERISSA.] Whence have these two Sifters (the two extremes; for their fifter Medina is the mean) whence I afk, have these their names? I hardly think I fhall bring the reader to my opinion: let him then determine for himself, and hear what I have to offer with candor. 'Tis very apparent to me that this whole epifode is taken from Ariftotle; where he confiders fome of the virtues reduced to practice and habit, and places them between two extremes. Virtue thus placed in the middle, i μcó σα, is Medina; Lat. medium. Ital. mediano, Her name is plain. ΜΕΣΟΤΗΣ δε δύο κακιῶν, τῆς μὲν, καθ' ΥΠΕΡΒΟΛΗΝ τῆς δὲ κατ ̓ ΕΛΛΕΙΨΙΝ. Again he fays, MEDINA, From lofty fiege began these words aloud to found.] Which Douglass translates, his sege riall. Virgil could fay, with great propriety as alluding to the Roman cuftoms in his epic poem, lofty fiege: for the high raised couches were looked on as ftately and honourable. Lucent genialibus altis Aurea fulcra toris Aen. vi. 603. Our Fairy poet thinks himself confined to no particular cuftoms, times, or fables; but borrows from all, or from any, as may best fuit his fiction or allegory.- Observe another cuftom often mentioned in Homer's odyffey, which which is to entertain your ftranger gueft, before you question him, who he was, whence he came, and whether he was going: the hofpitable Jupiter would have punished the doubting hoft, and revenged the caufe of the injured gueft. See note on B. i. C. 12. St. 15. XL. All faery land doth peaceably fuftene.] So fpelt that the letters might agree in the rhime, and fo the Ital. Softenere.--That Fairy land here means England in the historical allufion, I believe will not be doubted. In the following stanza, complimenting his queen, he fays. As th' idole of her Maker's great magnificence. Th' apoftate in his fun-bright chariot fat, dhor, fimulacrum, imago: a reprefentation or image of a thing, falfe or true. XLII. Order of Maydenhead-] In the hiftorical allufi- Confult our poet's letter to Sir W. R. -And this their wretched fonne.] Pointing to the babe with the bloody hand. XLVI. Night was far fpent, and now in ocean deep Orion, flying faft from biffing fnake-] Meaning that the fun was almoft beginning to rife, and that Orion was setting.-Orion flying from the fnake, alludes to his figure and pofition on the V. 100. fphere or globe. Difperft the fhadowes of the misty night, And Titan, playing on the eastern ftreames, Gan cleare the deawy ayre with springing light.] Spenfer is generally very claffical in his expreffions, and here particularly as I have formerly obferved, in critical obfervations on Shakespeare. So again in B. v. C. 10. St. 16. The morrow next appeared WITH PURPLE HAIRE Largior hic campos aether, et LUMINE veftit With a purple light, i. e. with a bright, bril- L11 III. Tertia jam nitidum terris Aurora deifque PURPUREO vehit ORE diem. Ibid. And many folded shield he bound about his wreft.] Exitium dirum hafta ferens, orafq; recludit Upon the brim of his brode plated field. B. iv. C. 3. St. 34They They bound their fhields round their arms, And many-folded field he bound about his wrest. Their fhining Shields about their wrifts they tie. His fun-broad field about his wreft he bound. i. e. bound. But the ancients did not bind them round their II. Then taking congè of that virgin pure, Sir Guyon committed the bloody-handed babe to - He might for memory of that daies TRUTH And Sir Guyon defired Medina, that as foon III Patience perforce.] The whole proverb is, patience perforce is a medicine for a mad dog. See B. iii. C. 10. St. 3. IV. B. iii. C. 4. St. 14. We learn from Herodotus that the Carians first invented the handle; before this invention they tied their fhields about them with leathern thongs. See Hefychius and Suidas, in xavov. Πόρπαξ. Thefe leathern thongs were used afterwards to hang their fhields across their But in his keftrell kynd fhoulders and fo the heroes in Homer are often A pleafing vaine of glory he did fynd.] So the first defcribed with their fhields flung behind. In In quarto, but in the fecond quarto and folios, the fame manner our poet describes his warA pleafing veine of glory vaine did fynd. which jingle of like founds is not foreign from Spenfer's manner: but yet the addition of he did find-He that brave feed-is likewife Spenser's fond of thus introducing, ille, ys. See Bentley manner, in imitation of the ancients, who are on Horace L. i. Od. ix. 16. However let the reader please himself. riors. And on her shoulder hung her shield, bedeckt B. v. C. 5. St. 3. The boffe here mentioned was a prominent part or bunch in the middle of the fhield, which the Latins named Umbo, the Greeks, Ouparos.Milton imitated the above-mentioned paffage, his pond'rous shield— Behind him caft; the broad circumference i. 284. B. ii. C. 4. St. 38 I have no occafion to mention the various imprefes or devices of their fhields, nor their mottos, as what is well known, v. For fuch, as he him thought.-] Him is used for himfelf as in Greek ar for lautèy, which meddling criticks often alter. See Scaliger on Manilius, i. ver. 212. pag. 35. in ipfo, i. e. in feipfo. in ipfum, i. e. in feipfum : innoμòs, iis áutòr pro is iautór. VI. VII. Why liveft thou, dead dog, a longer day.] This was a term of ignominy among the Jews. 1 Sam. xxiv. 14. After whom is the king of Ifrael come out? After whom dost thou purfue? After a dead dog? After a flea ii. Sam. ix. 8. And he bowed himself and faid, what is thy fervant, that thou should't look upon fuch a dead dog, as I am? 2 Sam. xvi. 9. Why Should this dead dog curfe my lord the king? Achilles thus fpeaks to the dying Hector, Μή με, ΚΥΟΝ, γένων γενάζει, μηδὲ τοκήων. II. x 345. -Ain' vero, canis ? Terent. Eun. Act. iv. VIII. -hold your dead-doing hands.] This is from Homer II. d. 317. V'. 18. árdpopóvas xiipas, manus homicidas. X. Vaine-glorious man, when fluttering wind does blow, In his light winges, IS LIFTED up to Skye.] Vaineglorious man is put in appofition with Braggadochio, and I am perfuaded IS LIFTED is the printer's corruption for ILIFTED: for Spenfer like Chaucer and the old poets, prefixed i and y before participles.-But the reader is to think for himself. XI. —a well conforted paire.] ô yàp maλæròs λóyos ὅμοιον ὁμοίῳἀει πελάξει. Plato in Sympos. Magna inter molles concordia XII. Each trembling leafe, and whistling wind they heare, xs corrected this himself among the Errata of the As ghaftly bug does UNTO them affeare.] Spenfer prefs, does GREATLY them affeare. And nothing can be better corrected; we are affured 'tis the poet's own correction: but the person who had the care of the 2d quarto edition, has omitted this emendation of the poet (for indeed he seems never to have feen the Errata which Spenfer printed at the end of his Ift quarto) and has fubftituted the following, much the worse, reading, That fpeare is him enough-) Illi fatis eft. That such a kind of imitation as carries with it a de- XV. And eke of fureft fteek-Do arm yourself-] If the reader is not attentive, he might imagine Spenfer has forgot himself. Braggadochio was dreffed in Shining armor faire, St. 11. meer fhow, but of no fervice: he had neither fword nor fhield; but had ftolen Sir Guyon's horfe and fpear. Archimago therefore tells him to provide thefe, and to As ghafily bug their haire on end does reare. All the fubfequent editors follow this reading: But Spenfer's own, is very proper, Each trembling leaf, every wind they hear, does greatly affeare them, terrify them: Anglo-S. afæɲan. fæɲan. to terrify or make afraid : So Shakesp. Merch. of Venice, Act. II. Sc. I. This aspect of mine hath feared the valiant: i. e. made afraid. Again, in Antony and Cleop. Act. II. Thou canst not fear us Pompey with thy fails. i. e. frighten us. Ibid. |