-Eft illic agreftis [a hag] imagine Phoebus, Utque modo accipitris [a faulcon] pennas, modo terga leonis [a lyon] Gefferit. Phoebus was named, Nóos, as the reader may fee in Spanheim's notes on Callimachus, pag. 76, 77. And Pindar calls Apollo Aygía NóMov. Pyth. Od. ix. agreftis imagine, like a hag. So that bag from "Aygos is no farfetch'd etymology. If this will not explain, and defend the received reading, there is an ingenious emendation offered by the author of the remarks on Spenfer, Now like a stag, now like a faulcon flitt. Natalis Comes. iv. 10. fays of Apollo, Fertur bic deus in varias formas ob amores fuiffe mutatus, in leonem, in cervum, in accipitrem. XL. Erigone, had certainly no criminal converfation with Saturn; but if ever this righteous dame was caught tripping, it was with the young and beautiful Bacchus. See Hygin. Mythol. C. 130. And Ov. Met. vi. 125. Liber ut Erigonen falfa deceperit uvâ. Now 'tis no unufual thing in hafty tranfcribing, or printing, for words to get out of their proper places: See then with what little variation the whole is reduced to proper place and order: Next Saturne was: but who would ever weene That fulleine Saturne ever weend to love? Yet love is fullein, and Saturn-like feene, As he did once for Phillira it prove, That to a centaure did himselfe transmove. So prov'd it eke that gratious god of wine, When for to compass Erigones hard love, He turnd himselfe into a fruitfull vine, And into her faire bofome made his grapes decline. Next unto him was Neptune pictured,] Neptune's Erigone, is to be pronounced as of three fyllables. amours are mentioned in Ov. Met. vi. 115, &c. Bifaltis, means the daughter of Bifaltus, viz. Theophane. See Hygin. Myth. C. 188.The daughter of Deucalion was Melantho. He fays likewife that Neptune turned himfelf into a winged horfe (i. e. he took a fhip and fail'd to the place where Medusa lived: for a winged horfe, mythologically, means a fhip) and in the temple of Minerva he debauched Medufa, Hanc Pelagi rector templo vitiaffe Minervae XLV. More eath to number with how many eyes Catull. p. 17. Edit. Voff. XLIII. Yet love is fullein, and Saturnlike feene, That to a centaure did himselfe tranfmove. Taffo, xii. 22. haps is expreffed from Petrarch del Triompho d' Amore, Sopra gli homeri havea fol due grand' ali Di color mille So Euripides in Hippol. ver. 1270. gives Cupid Utque fuos arcus per nubila CIRCINAT Iris. The jolly peacocke fpreads not halfe fo faire Fairfax, xvi. 24. Ne'l SUPERBO PAVON si vago in moftro Taffo xvi. 24. Not halfe fo many fundry colours arre Spenfer's Muiopotmos. Non tales volucris pandit Junonia pennas: I formerly took notice of Spenfer's introducing And underneath his feet was written thus, Εις Ερωτα. Οδε και θεῶν δυνάσης, Οδε καὶ βροτὲς δαμάζει. But invert the order, leaft we fink into the very bathos of poetry, too low for even this mock Anacreon to defcend, and read, δε και βρότες δαμάζει Οδε και θεῶν δυνάσης. -Superas hominefque deofque. Öv. Amor. L. i. ii. 37. The Love that Plato characterizes with the titles of ΜΕΓΑΣ ΘΕΟΣ. ΠΡΩΤΙΣΤΟΣ ΘΕΩΝ. is of a more philofophical nature than this vulgar Γυμνὸς Ἔρως διὰ τῦτο γελᾷ καὶ μέιλιχός ἐσιν· Antholog. pag. 332. Nudus Amor ea de caufa ridet ac blandus eft; non enim arcum habet et ardentes fagittas: neque fruftra manibus delphinum cohibet ac florem: illo enim terClaud. de rapt. Proferp. ii. 97. ram, hoc mare tenet. So Spanheim: but I under Not Juno's bird, when, bis fair train difpred, And winges it had with fondry colours dight; Waller. ftand it differently; r μiv, alterâ manu, i. e. in one hand he holds [a flower, fignifying his power over] the earth; d, altera manu, i. e. with the other hand he manages [a dolphin, fignifying his power over] the feas. x means to have power and rule, as well as to hold; and in this double fignification fome part of the When her difcolourd bow he bends through heaven's beauty of the Epigram confifts. Let me add height. Jovianus Pontanus, Die A mortal bow and arrowes keene did bold- Under a tre befide a well I feye Cupide our lord his arrowes forge and file: And well his daughter [viz. Plefaunce, whom Cupid had by Pfyche, See Spenfer, B. iii. C. 6. St. 50. and Apuleius,] temprid all the while the heddis in the well. AN CA A III. NT O ND forth iffewed, as on the readie flore Of fome theatre a grave perfonage] readie belongs to grave perfonage, ready in his part and character. Spenfer loves this conftruction: so above, B. iii. C. 11. St. 55. Yet nould fhe doff her weary arme.-and in a hundred other paffagesThis Mafk of Cupid our poet, I believe, wrote in his younger days with the title of Pageants, i. e. an emblematical and fhowy reprefentation of fictitious perfons; and with proper alterations he work'd it into this his greater poem. See the note of E. K. on his 6th Eclogue. IV. By lively actions he gan bewray XII. tives, fo prettily imaged in Ovid, Amor. L. i. Blanditiae comites tibi erunt, ERRORque, FU- Errori, Sogni, et Imagini Smorte, Petr. de Triomph. d'Amore Cap. iv. Some argument of matter paffioned.] Hence Milton, Beautie is mentioned just after] and Curtefie, ix. 669. and in act Rais'd, as of fome great matter to begin. And of Craft Then faw I Beautie with a nice attire, The fame kind of maskers are mentioned in The king had Daunger nere to him ftanding But obferve the various imaginary persons, and the order of their proceffion, in manner of a MASK, which Masks were very frequent in our poet's age: we have feveral of these kind of poems now remaining; fome by B. Jonfon: but by far the best of all this kind, that ever I believe were written, is the well-known Mask of Milton. The Maskers marching forth are, Eafe, Fancy, Defire, Doubt, Daunger, Fear, Hope, Diffemblance, Sufpect, Grief, Fury, Difpleasure, Plefaunce: these march before the cruel-treated Amoret, and the winged God: then the rear is brought up by Reproach, Dependance, Shame, with a confufed rabble rout of other maskers. I make no doubt but Spenfer, as well as Petrarch, had in view the triumphal chariot of Cupid with his cap- And fleeves dependant Albanese wide.] Sleeves is of And presently after are mentioned Attendance, Diligence, Afperance, Displeasure, Hope, Defpaire, &c. VI. Perhaps from hence Shakespeare in K. John, two two fyllables: fo winges, St. 23.- Ital. Albanefe, i. e. fuch as the people of Albania wear. This Which first it opened; nothing did remayne.] So the Ift quarto: which I have altered from the 2d quarto, and the following editions. is a ftrange mistake; and fhows that the copy was fent blotted and interlin'd to the printer. XXIX. Then when the Second watch was almoft paft.] Secundâ ferè vigilia exaclâ. XXX. But lo! they freight were vanisht all and fome.] This is Chaucer's expreffion: many of which our poet borrows: fome of these we take notice of, leaving others to the reader's finding out for himself: it means one and all, every one. Now herknith, quoth the Miller, all and fome. Miller's tale. 28. For this, trowe I, ye knowin al and fome. Troil. and Cress. i. 240. 'Tis used by Chaucer in other places, and by G. Douglass. And Fairfax xiii. 2. But flow they came, difpleafed all and fome. XXXI And all perforce to make her him to love. Ah! who can love the worker of HER Smart? Spenfer loves to introduce general sentences; γνώμαι. το γνωμικόν. I believe therefore that he wrote, Ah! who can love the worker of their smart? This error, of repeating fome word from the line above, or just below, has been frequently mentioned in these notes. XXXIII. And turning to the next bis fell intent. ] So the Dernly unto HIM called to abftaine From doing him to dy.] fo the two old quartos, very plainly wrong: we fhould correct from the Folios of 1609. Dernly unto her called→ Here is another inftance of the ufual error of viz. Britomart. VOL. II. 4 E XXXV. He bound that pittecus lady prifoner now releaft] One of these words, namely, lady or prifoner, was, I believe, canceled in the original copy; but fo faintly, perhaps, that the hafty printer overlook'd it; fo that I leave it to the reader to judge whether he will read, He bound that pitteous lady now releaft, Or, He bound that pitteous prifoner now releast. XLII. Now vanifht utterly-] Inchanted palaces, like castles in the air, are built and vanish in a moment. So vanifht the inchanted palace and gardens of Armida, in Taffo.-The palace and gardens of Dragontina, by the virtuous ring of Angelica, Orlando Innam. L. i. C. 14.The caftle of Atlante, Orl. Furios iv. 38. xxii. 23. E fi fciolfe il palazzo in fumo e in nebbia. XLIV. But more fair Amorett-] It should have been printed moft. WHEN Spenser printed his firft three books of the Fairy Queen, the two lovers, Sir Scudamore and Amoret, have a happy meeting: but afterwards when he printed the ivth, vth, and vith books, he reprinted likewife the three first books, and among other alterations, of the leffer kind, he left out the five laft ftanzas, and made three new ftanzas, viz. XLIII. XLIV. XLV. More eafie iffew now, &c.' By thefe alterations this iiid book, not only connects better with the ivth, but the reader is kept in that fufpenfe, which is neceffary in a well told story. The ftanzas which are mentioned above, as omitted in the 2d quarto edition, and printed in the 1st edition, are the following: XLIII. At laft fhe came unto the place, where late She left Sir Scudamour in great diftreffe, Twixt dolour and defpight half defperate, Of his loues fuccour, of his owne redreffe, And of the hardie Britomarts fucceffe: There on the cold earth him now thrown the found, In wilfull anguifh, and dead heavineffe, There did he fee, that moft on earth him ioyd, XLV. Lightly he clipt her twixt his armes twaine, But like two fenceless stocks in long embrace- |