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

CANTO III.] THE FAERIE QUEEN. 373
They both nigh were, and each bade other fly: Upon her eyelids many graces sate,
Both fled at once, nor ever back returned eye; Under the shadow of her even brows,
Till that they come unto a forest green, Working belgardes 9 and amorous retrate; 10
In which they shroud themselves from causeless And evry one her with a grace endows,
fear: And ev'ry one with meekness to her bows:
Yet fear them follows still, whereso they been: So glorious mirror of celestial grace,
Each trembling leaf and whistling wind they And sovreign monument of mortal vows,
hear How shall frail pen describe her heav'nly face,
As ghastly bug 1 does greatly them afear: For fear, through want oA skill, her beauty to
Yet both do strive their fearfulness to feign.2 disgrace!
At last they heard a horn that shrilled clear So fair, and thousand thousand times more fair,
Throughout the wood that echoed again, She seem'd, when she presented was to sight;
And made the forest ring, as it would rive in And was y-clad, for heat of scorching air,
twain. All in a silken camus 1 lily white,
Eft3 through the thick 4 they heard one rudely Purfiedl2 upon with many a folded plight,'3
rush; Which all above besprinkled was throughout
With noise whereof he from his lofty steed With golden aigulettes, that glister'd bright
Down fell to ground, and crept into a bush, Like twinkling stars; and all the skirt about
To hide his coward head from dying dread.5 Was hemm'd with golden fringe [most gorBut Trompart stoutly stay'd to taken heed geously set out 14].
Ofwhatmighthap. Eftsoons there steppedforthBelowherhamherweed5 didsomewhattrain,6
A goodly lady clad in hunter's weed, And her straight legs most bravely were emThat seem'd to be a woman of great worth, bail'd'7
And by her stately portance 6 born of heav'nly In gilden buskins of costly cordwfin,l1
birth. And barr'd with golden bands, which were
Her face so fair, as flesh it seemed not, entail'd 19
But heav'nly portrait of bright angel's hue, With curious antics,20 and full fair email'd 21
Clear as the sky, withouten blame or blot, Before, they fasten'd were under her knee
Through goodly mixture of complexions due; In a rich jewel, and therein entrail'd22
And in her cheeks the vermeil red did shew The ends of all the knots, that none might see
Like roses in a bed of lilies shed, How they within their foldings close enwrap.
The which ambrosial odours from them threw, ped be:
And gazers' sense with double pleasure fed,..^e,o.el'h. ike two fair marble pillars they.were seen,
Able to heal the sick and to revive the dead.
Which do the temple of the gods support,
In her fair eyes two living lamps did flame, Whom all the-people deck with garlands green,
Kindled above at th' heav'nly Maker's light, And honour in their festival resort;
And darted fiery beams out of the same, Those same with stately grace and princely port
So passing persant,7 and so wondrous bright, She taught to tread, when she herself would
That quite bereav'd the rash beholder's sight: grace;
In them the blinded god his lustful fire But with the woody nymphs when she did sport,
To kindle oft assay'd, but had no might; Or when the flying libbard 23 she did chase,
For, with dread majesty and awful ire, She could them nimbly move, and afterfly apace.
She broke his wanton darts, and quenched base
desire.8 And in her hand a sharp boar-spear she held,
And at her back a bow and quiver gay,
Her ivory forehead, full of bounty brave, Stuff'd with steel-headed darts, wherewith she
Like a broad table did itself dispread, quell'd
For love his lofty triumphs to engrave,
For love his lofty triumphs to engrave, The salvage beasts in her victorious play;
And write the battles of his great godhead:
Knit with a golden baldric 24 which forelay
All good and honour might therein be read; athwart her snowy breast, and did divide
For there their dwelling was. And when she
akFor there their dwelling was. And, when Her daintypaps; which, like young fruit in May,
spake, ^ ^ ~.~.,~ Now little gan to swell, and, being tied,
Sweet words, like dropping honey, she did shed; Through her thiweed theirplacesonlysignified
And'twixt the pearls and rubies softly brake
A silver sound, that heav'nly music seem'd to Her yellow locks, crisped like golden wire,
make. About her shoulders weren loosely shed,
1 Bugbear. sade,"\and in the same language " camisole" means a
2 Dissemble, conceal. 3 Soon after. short night-robe.
4 Thicket. 5 Fear of death, or deadly fear. 12 Embroidered. 13 Plait.
6 Carriage. 7 Piercing. 14 This is the first instance in the "Faerie Queen"
8 The portrait of Belphcebe, like that of the Faery of a hemistich, or broken line; the words in brackets
Queen herself, and of most of Spenser's fair and virtuous were suggested by a contemporary of Spenser's, to cornladies, is designed to show forth the praises of the plete the line. 15 Dress.
Virgin Queen Elizabeth. See the IntroductoryLetterto 16 Hang. 17 Enclosed. 18 Cordovan leather.
Raleigh, page 30Q. 19 Engraved, ornamented in intaglio.
9 Lovely looks. o1 Aspect. 24 Devices.
11 A tunic or short robe; the word has an analogy 21 Enamelled; French, " mailler," to enamel.
with',chemise," it is found in the French word "cami- 22 Twisted, interwoven. 23 Leopard., 24 Belt.