The Canterbury tales and Faerie queene &c., &c., &c., ed. for popular perusal with current illustrations and explanatory notes, by D. Laing Purves.

'620 POEMS OF EDMUND SPENSER.
By Love himself, and in his garden plac'd. The rest be works of Nature's wonderment;
Her breast that table was, so richly spread; But this the work of heart's astonishment.
2My thoughts the guests, which would thereon
LXXXII.
have fed.
LXXX. Joy of my life! full oft for loving you
ter solongaraceashaverun I bless my lot, that was so lucky plac'd:
After so long a race as I have run
Through Faery Land, which those six books But then the more your own mishap I rue,
~com~pile~,~ -^.That are so much by so mean love embas'd.
Give leave to rest me, being half fordone, For, had the equal 4 heav'ns so much you grac'd
Give leave to rest me, being half fordone, In this as in the rest, ye might invent
And gather to myself new breath a while. hi a in t, ye might invent
Then, as a steed refreshed after toil,ose verse could have
Out of my prison I will break anew enchas'd
And stoutly will that second work assoil,2 Your glorious name i golden monument.
With strong endeavour and attention due. But since ye dein'd so goodly to relent
ill then give leaveo me in pleasant mew To me your thrall, in whom is little worth,
Till then give leave' to me in pleasant mew
To sport my Muse, and sing my Love's sweet That little, that I, shall all be spent'praise; In setting your immortal praises forth:
The contemplation of whose heav'nly hue hoselofty'argument, uplifting me,
MIy spirit to a higher pitch will raise. Shall lift you up unto a high degree.
But let her praises yet be low and mean, LXXXIII.
Fit for the handmaid of the Faery Queen. Let not one spark of lthylustful fre
LXXX.L Break out, that may her sacred peace molest;
Fair is my Love, when her fair golden hairs Nor one light glance of sensual desire
With the loose wind'ye waving chance to mark; Attempt to work her gentle mind's unrest:
Fair, when the rose in her red cheeks appears; But pure affections bred in spotless breast,
Or in her eyes the fire of love does spark. And modest thoughts breath'd from well.
Fair, when her breast, like a rich laden bark, temper'd sprites,
With precious merchandise, she forth doth lay; Go visit her in her chaste bower of rest,
Fair, when that cloud of pride, which oft doth Accompanied with angelic delights.
dark There fill yourself with those most joyous
Her goodly light, with smiles she drives away. sights,
But fairest she, whenso she doth display The which myself could never yet attain:'
The gate with pearls and rubies richly dight, But speak no word to her of these sad plights
Through which her words so wise do make their Which her too constant stiffness doth constrain.
way Only behold her rare perfecti6n,
To bear the message of her gentle sprite. And bless your fortune's fair electi6n.5
EPITHALAMI O N.
[1595.]
YE learn6d Sisters, which have oftentimes And when ye list your own mishaps to mourn,
Been to me aiding, others to adorn Which death, or love, or fortune's wreck did
Whom ye thought worthy of your graceful raise,
rhymes, Your string could soon to sadder tenor turn,
That ev'n the greatest did not greatly scorn And teach the woods and waters to lament
To hear their names sung in your simple lays, Your doleful dreariment:
But joyed in their praise; Now lay those sorrowful complaints aside;
1 In the thirty-third Sonnet, Spenser, addressing his the poet against the charge that his praises of his
friend Lodowick Briskett, had apologised for the great mistress are overstrained; the second vehemently
wrong done to Queen Elizabeth in "not finishing her dooms to "all the plagues and horrid pains of hell"
Queen of Faery, that might enlarge her living praises, some "venomous tongue" that-has stirred in his true
dead;" the poet's excuse being, that his wit was " lost love coals of ire, and broken his own sweet peace; and
through troublous fit of a proud love." That Sonnetwas the other three bewail a temporary withdrawal of the
probably written in the spring of 1593; the eightieth in light of his mistress's presence. But this parting wail
the spring of 1594. is quickly drowned in the jubilant melody of the "'Epi.
2 Absolve, discharge; he refers to the second half thalamion."
of his great poem. 6 Written in honour of the poet's own marriage,
3 Retirement. 4 Just. which took place on St Barnabas' Day, the 11th (now
5 Five Sonnets complete the series; the first defends the 22d) of June, 1594.