V. And ever as he went, ber toung did walke-] The ufual phrafe is, her tongue did run but the rhime required it otherwife, and 'tis to be defended as a catachrestical expreffion. IX. Still called upon to kill him in the place.] Acts vii. 59. And they ftoned Stephen calling upon, and faying, Lord Jefus receive my fpirit. dobón Tòv Στέφανον ΕΠΙΚΑΛΟΥΜΕΝΟΝ καὶ λέγοντα, κύριε Ιησε δήξαι τὸ πνευμόνα. X. He is not, ah, he is not fuch a foe.] Spenfer corrected it himself, among the errata added to the Ift edition in quarto, not. XI. The bankes are overflowne when stopped is the flood.] The river runs on in its usual courfe,unless you stop it, but stopped it rages and overflows its banks: fo try not to ftop this madman in his career, but begin firft with Occafion, the root of all wrath. Dum FUROR in curfu eft currenti cede FURORI. Ovid Rem. Am. 119. He seems likewise to have Ovid in view, where he describes Pentheus; the verfes are fo well turned and the description fo masterly that I cannot help tranfcribing them. Fruftraque inhibere laborant. 1 XII. -her ungratious tong.] So Spenfer ordered it to be written among the Faults efcaped in print: before it was printed tongue. You fee what care he took that even the letters should anfwer, as well as their jingling terminations. XV. With hundred yron chaines he did him bind.] Hunc fraenis, hunc tu compefce CATENA, fays Horace, fpeaking of this fame perturbed ftate of mind, represented by this monster Furor. So Juvenal, S. viii. -Pone irae fraena modumque. See note above on St. iv. VOL. II. XVII. Fayre Sir, quoth he] The following ftory which this young man tells, is taken from the fifth book of Orlando Furiofo: Harrington, who tranflated Ariofto, mentions that this ftory too was written by Mr. Turbervill. Part. of the tale Skakefpeare has formed into his play called Much Ado about Nothing. Ibid. So me weake wretch, of many weakest wretch, So me weake wretch, of many weakest one, XXIV. Saying, he now had boulted all the floure.] Sifted the whole affair; bolted it all to the very bran. But I ne cannot boulte it to the brenne. Ch. in the Nonnes Prieft's tale 1281. i. e. I cannot fift it, examine it thoroughly. Hence comes Bolting, an exercife of Gray's-Inn, fo named from fifting or examining into fome law points. XXV. Who glad to embofom his affection vile.] Who glad to cherish (infmu complecti) his vile affection. Ibid. Pryene, fo fhe hight.] Her name in Orlando Furiofo, is Dalinda; in Shakespeare Margaret. But as Spenfer varies in his names, fo he varies likewife in many other circumstances from the original story. XXIX. XXXVI. Leaft worst betide thee-] It should have been printed, worfe. XXXVII. Which mingled all with fweat did dim his eye.] i. c. Did dim his countenance, quite alter his features, pars pro toto. XXXIX. Yet mildly him to purpofe anfwered.] i. e. to dif courfe with him. See the Gloff. in Purpose. He anfwers mildly Varlet, therefore, in the following Stanza, is not to be taken in its modern, but ancient fignification: for our poet is all ancient. The reader at his leifure may confult Menage in Valet; and Junius in Valjal. XLI. Howe hight he then, faid Guyon, and from whence I have printed it, How hight be, then faid Guyon, and from whence? i. e. Then from whence came he? To whom Atin, His name is Pyrochles, &c. And chawing vengeaunce.] And chawing the cud, Guyon anfwered and faid, How is he called, and ruminating upon vengeance. XXXIV. Moft wretched man, That to affections does the bridle lend: In their beginnings, &c.] Affections, i. e. paffions. So the Latin, affectus. The thought is the fame as in Seneca, Quifquis in primo obftitit Repulitque amorem, tutus ac victor fuit. Qui blandiendo dulce nutrivit malum, Sero recufat ferre, quod fubiit, jugum. Presently after, Acrates SONNE of Phlegeton and Iarre ; But Phlegeton is SONNE of Herebus and Night; Hippolyt. ver. 131. But Herebus SONNE of Aeternitie is hight.] The Strong wars they make and cruell batt'ry bend This is preparing you before-hand for the XXXV. Wrath, gealoufie, griefe, love, do thus expell.] i. e. Do thou thus expell. Prefently after, The monfter filth did breede, i. e. The fire did breed of fparks, the weed [gealoufie] of a little feed, the flood of fmall drops, the monfter [love] of Do thus delay, i. e. See that thou doft thus delay, put off, take away, &c. The whole Stanza is very pretty, and worth a little attention.. fecond verfe, which is broken loose from his fellows, is very eafily reduced to his priftine state and regularity, by our eafy accounting for that fource of perpetual error, which runs through the printing of Spenfer's poem: We have printed the word in capitals to fhew the reader what we have fo often mentioned, namely, the printer's eye being caught by fome word above or below: I make no doubt therefore myfelf but that Spenfer gave it, But Phlegeton, of Herebus and Night. The conftruction is very eafy and natural, both which are the fons of Acrates and Defpight, Acrates fon of Phlegeton and Jarre, but Phlegeton of Herebus and Night; and Herebus fon of Aeternity is hight. The two BUTS likewife seem a printer's manufacture and blunder.. Bath Both which arre, The fonnes of old Acrates and Defpight, See their genealogy, which I have drawn up in Phlegeton according to Spenfer is the fon of Erebus and Nox: according to Boccace, Flegeton in the fon of Cocytus: and mentioned as an infernal river and deity in Virgil, vi. 265. Dii quibus imperium eft animarum, umbraeque filentes Et Chaos et PHLEGETHON Again alluding to its etymology, vi. 550. Fierce PHLEGETON Whofe waves of torrent fire inflame with rage. ii. 580. You fee then how proper this fiery infernal deity is the fuppofed father of Acrates. Jarre is the Litigium of Boccace, the "Eps of Homer and Hefiod, and the Difcordia of Virgil, viii. 702. Et fciffa gandens vadit Discordia palla. Acrates, ('Axpans) and Defpight (dispetto, malice, ill-will, &c.) are not mentioned particularly by the mythologifts, but they may be included under those vile affections of the mind, which are faid to be the offspring of Night and Erebus. The fonnes of Acrates and Defpight, are Cymochles and Pyrochles, the former has his name from Kua non modo fluctus fed et variorum malorum frequentia, et xos gloria: meaning one who feeks for vain honours in a fea of troubles : Pyrochles, from up ignis et udéos gloria. XLII. ATIN.] The fquire of Pyrochles, the ftirrer up of ftrife, and revenge. He has the fame and who had juft the fame offices allotted her. name of a goddefs, whom Homer mentions, «Ατη, ἥ πάντας ἀᾶται. CA N TO V. Argument. This I have printed from the 1ft Nec vero perturbationes animorum, quae vitam infiquarto the 2d and folios read thus, AND Furors chayne unbinds, Of whom fore hurt for his revenge Attin Cymochles finds. I. Then ftubborn perturbation To which right well the wife do give that name, For it the goodly peace of flayed mindes, Does overthrow.] Perturbatio, à perturbando, for it does overthrow the peace of the mind. To which right well the wife do give that name: Cicero Tufc. Difp. iii. 11. Perturbatio, animi motus, vel rationis expers, vel rationem afpernans, vel rationi non obediens ifque motus aut boni aut mali opinione excitatur. iv. 15. Perturbationes, quae funt turbidi animorum concitatique motus, averfi à ratione et inimiciffimi menti vitaeque tranquillae. De Finib. iii. 11. pentium miferam acerbamque reddunt, quas Graeti Tán adpellant (poteram ego verbum ipfum interpretans, morbos adpellare, fed non conveniet ad omnia: quis enim mifericordiam, aut ipfam iracundiam, morbum folet dicere? at illi dicunt wábas. Sit igitur perturbatio, qua nomine ipfo vitiofa declarari vide tur) nec hae perturbationes vi aliqua naturali moventur: omnefque funt genere quatuor, partibus plures, aegritudo, formido, libido, quamque Stoici communi nomine corporis & animi ndorny adpellant, ego malo laetitiam adpellare, quafi geflientis animi elationem voluptuariam. Perturbationes autem nulla naturae vi conmoventur, omniaque ea funt opiniones ae judicia levitatis : itaque bis fapiens fenper vacabit. We may find all these four perturbations characterized by Spenfer, Aegritudo i. e. Sorrow and difcomfort, exemplified in the mother of the babe with the bloody hand: Formido, in Braggadochio and TromMmm 2 part His owne woes author, whofo bound it findes, As did Pirrhocles, and it willfully unbindes.] Spenfer, among the errors of the prefs prefixed to his firft edition, ordered this wight's name to be fpelt Pyrochles; I have obeyed his orders in this edition, and have altered it accordingly above C. 4. St. 41, 45. and below C. 5. St. 8. 16. 19. 20. 21. 25. 36. 38. The conftruction of this paffage is: He is the author of his own woes, whofoever finds perturbation bound or reftrained, and wilfully unbinds it, as here acted Pyrochles.' II. And formed yre.] See note on B. i. C. 5. St. 28. V. Difleall knight whofe coward corage chofe—] This is fpelt from the Italian, difleale; 'tis à frequent expreffion in romance writers, and carries with it the highest affront; perfidious, false, treacherous, &c. Corage is heart or mind: coragium in the base latinity was used for cor. Thereby thine armes seem strong, but manhood frayl. Thereby thine arm feems ftrong, but manhood frayl. into. logy; he fays juft above, St. 4. the harpe steele bitt not. This expreffion he ufes very often, The cruel feel fo greedily doth bite, In tender fleshB. i. C. 5. St. 9. His BITING fword, B. i. C. 7. St. 48. MORDACI ferro. Hor. L. iv. Od. 6. So his friend Sydney, Arcad. p. 255. His enemies had felt how sharp the fword could bite of Philoclea's lover.-But it is endlefs to cite fimilar places. Like as a lyon, whofe imperial powre, A proud rebellious unicorne defyesHE flips afide- Ille, y. See Bentley on Horace, L. 1. Od. 9. Servius on Virg. xiii. 5. Clark on Homer Il. 409. This addition of HE, I have mentioned above. As to the ftories told of the fighting of the Lyon and Unicorn, they are fit for children, though told by grave what is faid in Job xxxix. 10. of the unicorn, writers. Rebellious he calls it, according to and by the commentators: fee Bochart concerning this creature, and its pretious and wonderful horn. The following is tranflated from Gefner, "The unicorn is an enemy to is lyons; wherefore as foon as ever a lyon feeth ༦༢ "a unicorn, he runneth to a tree for fuccour, "that fo when the unicorn maketh at him, he "may not only avoid his horn, but also destroy "him for the unicorn in the swiftness of his "course, runneth against the tree, wherein his " sharp horn fticketh faft: then when the lyon feeth the unicorn faftened by the horn, with❝out all danger he falleth upon him and kilieth "him. These things are reported by a king of "Aethiopia in a Hebrew epiftle unto the bithop "of Rome.They fpeak of the horn as the "most excellent remedy in the world.-There "was brought unto the king of France, a very 66 great unicorn's horn valued at fourscore thou"land ducats." There is an allufion to this ftory, told by Gefner, in Shakespeare, Julius Caefar, A&t. ii. where Decius characterizes Caefar as a lover of ftrange and unaccountable stories. He loves to hear That unicorns may be betrayd by trees. XII. See maugre in the Gloffary, where this verse is explained. XIII. For th' equal die of warre he well did know.] See note on B. i. C. 2. St. 36. XV. Yet fhortly gaind, that loffe exceeded farre] the which gain far exceeded the lofs. Ibid. But to bee leffer then himfelf-] This is a Grecifm lav jaure, minor, i. e. inferior feipfo. So again below St. 16. That in thyself thy leffer parts doe move, i. e. thofe parts which are inferior and ought to be fubfervient to the more noble part. Minor in certamine, Hor. L. i. Epift. x. But know that in the foul Are many leffer faculties that ferve Reafon as chief. And foone his dreadful blade about he caft.] ROTAT Leffer, i. e. inferior. enfem fulmineum. Virg. ix. 441. Ibid. Then on his breft his victor foote he thruft.] This is according to ancient cuftom. And it came to pafs, when they brought out thofe kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Ifrael, and faid unto the captains of the men of war, which went with him, come near, put your feet upon the necks of them. Hence figuratively for fubjection and fervitude 'tis frequently used, Pf. viii. 8. Thou haft put all things under his feet. See 1 Cor. xv. 25. Heb. ii. 8. Λὰξ ἐν σήθεσι βάς. Pede pectoribus impofito. Hom. II. 65. ὁ δὲ λὰξ ἐν σήθεσι βάντων, τεύχεά τ' ἐξενάριξε καὶ ἐυχόμενος Fεπος ηύδα. Ille antem calcem in pectoribus ponens, Armaque interfecto exuit, et glorians verbum dixit. Hom. Il. v. 618, Quem Turnus fuper adfiftens-et laevo preffit pede. Virg. x. 495. Tum fuper abjectum pofito pede nixus et hafta. x. 736. Taffo ix. 80. fndi lui preme col piede. Spenfer frequently alludes to this cuftom; it may not therefore be improper to mention it this once. Ibid. Ne deeme thy force by fortunes doome uniuft If in power and fplendor less, In freedom equal. Though his tongue, Milt. v. IOL. V. 796. Dropp'd manna and could make the worse [rov lw] appear, ii. 113. The better reason [ròv xpésrlw Kóyov] Ibid. Vain others overthrowes, who felf doth overthrew.] Tis thus printed in the two old quarto's, but in the folios and following editions, Vain others overthrowes whofe felf doth overthrow. The way to understand Spenfer is to translate him, fruftra alios fubvertit, qui fe fubvertit. You fee he is omitted and felf is for himfelf; he in vain overthrowes others who doth overthrow himself. XVI. That thee against me drew with fo impetuous dread.] i. e. fo impetuoufly. B. i. C. 9. St. 45. And maifter thofe mishaps with patient might, i. e. patiently. B. ii. C. 2. St. 22. both with greedy force at once upon him ran, i. e. greedily. B. i. C. 2. St. 39. but with feigned paine, the falfe witch did my wrathful hand withhold, i. e. feignedly. B. iii. C. 5. St. 19. But labour'd long in that deepe ford with vaine difeafe, i. e. in vain. XVIII. Great mercy fure for to enlarge a thrall.] Great thanks truly! Gall. grandmerci. B. ii. C. 7. St. 50. That bath (maugre her fight) thus low me laid in gramercy Mammon. duft.] |