palace. The conftruction is the fame as, ubi ad Diana veneris. Just above, Him clad in th' armour of ▲ pagan knight. It should be rather THE pagan knight: viz. one of them killed, as mentioned in St. 8. XXVII. But he refufing him to let unlace.] to let him unlace his helmet. XXXV. like to a lion wood, Which being wounded of the huntsmans hand Cannot come near him in the covert wood, Where he with boughes hath built his fhady ftand, And fenft himself about with many a flaming brand.] The prince wounded by the fouldan in his armed chariot is compared to an enraged lion wounded by a hunter, who defends himself with trees and with burning brands, 'Tis obferved by Ariftotle and Pliny (great obfervers of nature) that lions are frightned with fire: and this circumftance poets frequently mention. vacuo qualis difcedit hiatu Impatiens remeare leo; quem plurima cufpis, Et paftorales pepulerunt igne catervae. Claud. in Ruf. ii. 252. Compare Homer Il. xi. 547. with Barnes' notes. And likewife Il. xvii. 657. XXXVI. At laft from his victorious fhield he drew The vaile-] This is the first time that P. Arthur voluntarily makes ufe of the power of his inchanted shield. See note on B. i. C. 7. St. 33. XL. As when the fierie mouthed fleedes-] Quadrupedes ignem vomentes, Ov. Met. ii. 119. Quos [ignes] ore et naribus efflant, ver. 85. He fays, Soon as they did the monstrous fcorpion viewThey is added pleonaftically, fee note on B. ii. C. 8. St. 6. Compare this story with Ov. Met. ii. 195. He adds, And left their scorched path yet in the firmament, Alluding to the poetical account of the galaxy or milky way; which fee in Chaucer, in the House of Fame, Book ii. 428. And in Manilius i. 727. An melius manet illa fides per faecula prisca, Phaethontem patrio curru per figna volantem, I have made a neceffary (as I think) alteration in these verses of Manilius: the transcriber, fuffering his eye to be caught by mundum and mundi just above, gave us Mundo cupit et majora parente Inftead of Magno cupit et majora parente. Which is after the manner and turn of Manilius, et cupit majora magno parente. Dr. Bentley's alteration nitido for mundo is at best in this passage but a botching epithet. XLI. Through woods and rocks and mountains they did drazu -and the wheeles did tear, At laft they have all overthrowne to ground Quite topfide turvey-] This is the fpelling of the quarto: and the folios, 1609, 1611, 1617, 1679. See Skinner and Junius in Topfy Turvy. It seems to be corrupted from the Topfide being turned downward, and formed like many of the fame nature as, Hurly Burly, Helter Skelter, &c. The paffage before us feems tranflated from Hom. Il. v. 485. and perhaps are called in Scripture chariots of iron. -rapt and all to rent.] So St. 44. all to brud and broken. And C. 9. St. 10. See note on B. i. C. 6. St. 47. XLV. So on a tree before the tyrants dore He caufed them be hang in all mens fight, 9. Thefe acknowlegments to the Lord of Hofts, the giver of all victory, feem as reafonable as religious. And fo Queen Elizabeth after that moft fignal victory obtained over the Spanish Armada, went to Paul's church, (WHERE THE BANNERS TAKEN FROM THE ENEMY WERE HUNG UP TO BE SEEN) gave moft hearty thanks to God, and heard a fermon, wherein the glory was given to God alone. Cambden, pag. 418. For to this hiftorical fact Spenfer (as I believe) here alludes: and I believe likewise, that in this whole epifode he keeps his eye (as far forth as his fairy tale will permit) on this remarkable victory over this falfly called Invincible Armada. Let us go back a little.-The Soldan is the King of Spain: his swearing and banning, St. 28. Swearing and banning most blasphemously-This may be fuppofed to hint at those many pious curfings and papiftical excommunications fo liberally thundered out against the Queen and her faithful fubjects. Next the Soldan is defcribed, And mounting fraight upon a CHARRET HYE- Cambden more than once mentions the great hight of the Spanifh fhips, built with lofty turrets on their decks like caftles. He fays, With yron wheeles and bookes armd dreadfully. The Prince of Parma likewife in the Neatherlands built fhips—and prepared piles sharpened at the neather end, ARMED WITH YRON AND HOOKED ON THE SIDES-Cambden pag. 404. Let it be added moreover that 'twas reported that this Armada carried various inftruments of torture; and thus literally was armed dreadfully And drawne of eruell freedes which he had fed What were the captains and foldiers of this And by his firrup Talus did attendwe are led to confider the various preparations Juftice prepares now for execution. And here made in England for its juft defence: By land, the Earl of Leicester and Lord Hundfdon, &c. By fea, Lord Howard of Effingham, Vice Admiral Drake, &c. Submitting always to God's providence, and trufting in the truth of their cause. More in his caufes truth he trusted then in might. The fight of the two fleets is imaged in St. 31, 32, &c. The Armada was high-built, and of great bulk; the Spanish captains thought they could by their bulkiness over-fet the Englifh fleet, Or under his fierce borfes feet have borne But the bold child that perill well espyingBut the Englifh fhips could turn about with incredible celerity and nimbleness, which way foever they pleased, to charge, wind, and tack about again, ther did the Lord Admiral think good to adventure Cambden, pag. 411. See too pag. 413. Neither did the Lord Admiral think good to adventure grappling with the Spanish fhips: for the enemy had a strong army in his fleet, but he had none: their ftronger and higher built; fo as their men fighting bibs were far more for number, of bigger burthen, from thofe lofty hatches, muft inevitably destroy those who fhould charge them from beneath. Tis caly to apply this history to the fable. There were four engagements between the two fleets. I know not but it may feem too particular to fuppofe the first imaged in St. 30, 31. the fecond. in St. 32, 33. the third in St. 34, 35. And the laft and final overthrow in St. 37, 38. 4 L Where Where the Prince draws afide the veil, that covered his bright shield, and flashed lightning and terrour and confufion in the face of the tyrant, and his terrified horses. Now this may allude not only to the burning of the Spanish fleet, but to the eafinefs of the victory over this Invincible Armada: and to this alludes likewife the medals, which were coined in memory of this fuccefs, with a fleet flying with full fails, with this infcription, VENIT, VIDIT, FUGIT. . e. (applied to the Soldan, or the Armada) it came to attack the Briton prince: it faw, the brightnefs of the uncovered fhield: it fled, in confufion and terrour. XLVII. Like raging Ino-] Spenfer, who deals much in all kind of mythological lore, compares the frantick wife of the furious Souldan, 1ft to Ino, who flying from her husband, that had murdered one of her children, with knife in hand threw out into the fea her other fon named Me licerta, whom the firft murdred. The story here alluded to is well known, but varied a little in fome circumftances from the poets and mythologists. 2dly, to cruel Medea, who flying from her father's wrath, cut in pieces her brother Abfyrtus, that her father might be ftopped in his purfuit by gathering up the mangled limbs. 3dly, to Agave, the madding mother of Pentheus, who with the reft of the Bacchanalian crew tore her fon to pieces for flighting the orgies of Bacchus. He fays, -Her owne deare flesh did teare. 'twas not her owne deare flesh, but her fon's flef which the tore, to avoid all ambiguity, I could wifh fome book authorized my correction, -Her fon's deare flesh did teare. i. e. her own fon's flesh: for own and dear mean the fame thing. And Spenfer ufes deare, as Homer ufes pixos, fuus. XLIX. To prove her furname true that she impofed has.] viz. Adixia. See C. 9. St. 1. In this transformation he feems to have in view that of Hecuba. See Ovid. Met. xiii. Fab. 2. Eurip. Hecub. 1265. Edit. Barnes. Ob rabiem nempe, quâ in Graecos invehebatur, canis dicta eft. Plaut. Menæch. L. And to the Souldan lout.] And did bow down and do homage to the Souldan. CA A IV. F fundry things did commen.] This expreffion is frequent in fcripture, Luke xxiv. 15. while they communed together, &c. Milton ufes it, ix. 201. Then commune, how, &c. The reader is not to be put in mind, perhaps, that the fpelling is for the fake of the rhime. V. Therefore by name Malengin-] MALUM INGENIUM: mala mens, malus animus. Malengin: dolus malus: c'est l'action d'une perfonne ingenieufe à mal faire.' Le Duchet. His den feems imaged from the den of Cacus in Virg. viii. 190. and Ov. I. Faft. 555. Proque domo longis fpelunca receffibus ingens That fearfe an bound by smell can follow out, &c. And with Sardonian fmyle IX. are herbs, 'tis faid, in Sardinia, that distort the mouths of those who eat them with fomething between grinning and laughing: See Virgil, Ecl. vii. 41. Hence when a person feigns a laugh, or laughs with his lips only, as Homer expreffes it, he is faid to laugh a Sardonian laugh. ἡ δ ̓ ἐγέλασσε Χέιλισιν, ἐδὲ μέτωπον ἐπ ̓ ἐφρύσι κυανίησιν Iávdn. Illa verò rifit labiis tenus, non tamen frons fuper nigra fupercilia exhilarata eft. Il. 6. 101. Schol. Ουτος ὁ γίλως Σαρδόνιος καλεῖται, ὅτ' ἄν τις μὴ ἐκ δια αθέσεως γελά. Compare Odyff. ύ. 302. Plato and Cicero likewife ufe this proverb. And Ariofto alludes to it, Canto xii. St. 35. Sorrife Fistula dulce canit, volucrem dum decipit auceps. XIV. He fuddenly his net upon her threw.] Spenfer might have in view the Retiarius; who fought with a net to intangle his adverfary: or rather the giant Zambardo, in Orlando Innam. L. 1. C. 5. Or the giant Caligorante, in Orl. Fur. Canto XV. XIX. be drawn handfome? Why fhould not prayers A bevie of FAIRE virgins clad in white. the Folio 1609, rebellious. XXXV. And fervour of his flames fomewhat ADAW.] When the fun draws towards the western brim, the western horizon (fo Milton, v. 140. fays the ocean brim) he begins to abate his brightnefs, and So did deceipt the felfe deceiver fayle.] So did deceipt fomewhat to ADAW the fervour of his flames. deceive the deceiver himself; felf is himself. Sic What is the meaning of ADAW? Chaucer ufes fraus fefellit fallentem. it for awake: and fo Lidgate in the history of Troy, Chap. ii. Aurora eastward doth ADAWE. Where they a fately pallace-] The palace of Q Adawned.' But this interpretation is quite Skinner, Adawed, expergefactus: fort: q. d. Elizabeth. XXI. XXV. There as they entred at the feriene-] meaning Weftminster-hall. The Chancellor, and judges have fcrienes, lattices, Cancelli, around their feats: the Chancellor has his name particularly from hence. foreign to the paffage: for here it means extinAnglo-S. Spærcan, abpærcan, extinguere. guish; and perhaps the poet had in his eye the See the Glofs. in Adaw. CA A I. NT O OR drawn forth from her by divine extreate.] By divine extraction: as derived from juftice originally, and a part of her. Milton very fcriptural fays, Mercy collegue with Justice, x. 59. II. Oft fpilles the principal to fave the part.] He seems to have Ovid in view, Sed immedicabile vulnus Enfe recidendum, ne pars fincera trahatur. To preferve right inviolated, often takes away the chief, or principal, corrupted part, to fave the other part which is not corrupted. III. From th utmost brinke of the Armericke Shore Ch. Urry's Edit. p. 108. VI. There came two Springals-] Having finished the ftory of Mary Q of Scots, he now treats (under the fiction of a fairy tale) of the afflicted ftate of the Low Countries, fuccoured by Q Elizabeth. These two Springals, mean the Marquifs of Haurec and Adolph Metkerk. Ibid. To feek for fuccour of her and of her peares] So the quarto. And this feems Spenfer's reading: 'tis thus to be scanned, X. Roman religion, and to make the King of Spain abfolute, ftirr'd up the Prince of Orange to unite as many of the provinces, as he poffibly could, in one confederacy. Thefe provinces were FIVE, which Belge complains were the only five left of all her numerous brood, viz. Holland, Friefland, Zealand, Guelderland, and Utrecht. Ibid. And had three bodies-] τpoμatos Inpúar, Æfchyl. in Agam. Tpxάpnrov Ingvorña, Hes. Theog. 287. Quidve tripectora tergemini vis Geryonai. Lucretius. This monfter makes a very picturesque figure in a romance or fairy tale. If the reader wants to know particularly concerning the mythology here alluded to, let him confult Servius and the commentators on Virgil, vii. 662. and Hefiod, Theog. ver. 287, &c. Silius Ital. xiii. 845. Apollodorus. Schol. Apoll. Rhod. Argon. ii. 1215. Hyginus, Fab. cli. Natales Comes, L. vii. C. I. X. For they were all, they fay, of purple hew.] Doxas Bas, Apollodorus. fuffit Herculem Euryftheus, ut puniceos Geryonis, Hifpaniæ regis, boves, qui hofpites vorarent, ad fe adduceret. Natales Comes. XI. Being then made a widow, as befell, After her husbands late deceafe-] The allegory is very elegant and learned, confidered either in a general and poetical fenfe, or in the hiftorical view of the state of Belge; when the Spaniards had fubverted the liberties of the States, after the affaffination of the Prince of Orange. The defcription of Belge as a Widow, is fcriptural | likewife: this fuperadds to its dignity. How doth the city fit folitary, that was full of people! how is fhe become as a WIDOW! Lament. i. 1. To widow is used in the Greek language for to make defolate, To seek | för fuccour | of her | and of | her peares. But the Folio of 1609. To feek for fuccour of her and her peares. Ibid. By a ftrong tyrant.] Philip king of Spain. Even feventeen goodly fons.] The feventeen pro- VIII. Had left her now but five-] The cruelties which were exercised in the Netherlands by the Duke of Alva, and the fchemes which were purfued Ιλίε ἐξαλάπαξε πόλιν ΧΗΡΩΣΕ δ ̓ ἀγυιάς, Hom. II. v. 642. And in this fenfe Virgil moft elegantly uses it, viii. 571. -viduaffet civibus urbem. by the subsequent Regents, to introduce the Unto a dreadful monfter-] Meaning the papistical religion |