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

CANTO VII. TH FJPARIVTR QUEEN. 3
That here in desert hast thine habitance, "Long were to tell the troublous storms that
And these rich hills of wealth dost hide apart toss
From the world's eye, and from her right The private state, and make the life unsweet:
usance?", Who swelling sails in Caspian sea doth' cross,
Thereat, with staring eyes fix8d askance, And in frail wood on Adrian gulf doth fleet,7
In great disdain he answer'd; "Hardy Elf, Doth not, I ween, so many evils meet,"
That darest view my direful countenance! Then Mammon waxing wroth; "And why
I read thee rash and heedless of thyself, then," said,
To trouble my still seat and heaps of precious "Are mortal men so fond8 and undiscreet,
pelf. So evil thing to seek unto their aid;
" (God of the morld and worldlings I me ~a~ll, And, having not, complain: and, having it, up.
God of the world and worldlings I me call, bad
braid? "
Great Mammon, greatest god below the sky,
That of my plenty pour out unto all, "Indeed," quoth he, "through foul intemperAnd unto none my graces do envy: ance
Riches, renown, and principality, Frail men are oft captfv'd to covetise:
Honour, estate, and all this woride's good, But would they think with how small Allowance
For which men swink 3 and sweat incessantly, Untroubled nature doth herself suffice,
From me do flow into an ample flood, Such superfluities they would despise,
And in the hollow earth have their eternal Which with sad cares impeach 9 our native joys.
brood." At the well-head the purest streams arise;
But mucky filth 10 his branching arms annoys,
If Guyon would deign to serve him, Mammon. -. ys
promised to place all these mountains, or ten And with ncmel weeds te gnt ve
accloys. n
times so much, at his command. But the a
Knight replied that his godhead's vaunt was "The antique world, in his first flow'ring youth,
vain and his offers were idle; for "regard of Found no defect in his Creator's grace;
worldly muck doth foully blend andlow abase But with glad thanks, and unreproved l truth,
the high heroic sprite; " and his delight was all The gifts of sov'reign bounty did embrace:
in "fair shields, gay steeds, bright arms," the Like angels' life was then men's happy case
riches fit for an adventurous knight. Mammon But later ages' pride, like corn-fed steed,
told the "vainglorious Elf" that money could Abus'd her plenty and fat-swoll'n increase
in the twinkling of an eye provide shields, To all licentious lust, and gan exceed
steeds, and arms, and multiply crowns and The measure of her meanl3 and naturalfirst need.
kingdoms to him; for, he cried, "Do I not
kings create, and throw the crown sometimes "Then gan a cursed hand the quiet womb
to him that loV in dust doth lie, and him Of his great grandmother with stee to wound,
that reid io hs rm t t d? And the hid treasures in her sacred tomb
thatreigndtos roomtWith sacrilege to dig: therein he found
"All otherwise," said he, " I riches read,4 Fountains of gold and silver to abound,
And deem them root of all disquietness; Of which the matter of his huge desire
First got with guile, and then preserv'd with And pompous pride eftsoons he did compound;
dread, Then Avarice gan through his veins inspire
And after spent with pride and lavishness, His greedy,flames, and kindled life-devouring
Leaving behind them grief and heaviness: fire."
Infinite mischiefs of them do arise; "Son," said he then, "let be thy bjtter scorn,
Strife and debate, bloodshed and bitterness, An leavetherudeness ofthat tiqe age
And leave the rudeness of that antique age
Outrageous wrong and hellish covetise;..
Outrageou wrong and hellish covetise; To them that liv'd therein in state forlorn.
Thatnobleheart as great dishonour doth despise.
Thou, that dost live in later times, must wage 14
"Nor thine be kingdoms, nor the sceptres thine; Thy works for wealth, and life for gold engage,
But realms and rulers thou dost both confound, If then thee list my offer'd grace to use,
And loyal truth to treason dost incline: Take what thou please of all this surplusage;
Witness the guiltless bloodpour'd oft on ground; If thee list not, leave have thou to refuse:
The crowned often slain; the slayer crown'd; But thing refused do not afterward accuse."
The sacred diadem in pieces rent, Gnyon would receive nothing offered till he
And pure robe gored with many a wound; knew how it had been got-for he coild not tell
Castles surpris'd; great cities sack'd and that Mammon had not won his treasures by
brentt:6 force, or blood, or guile. Mammon answered
So maktst thou kings, and gainest wrongful that never yet had ye viewed, nor tongue told,
government I nor hand handled them; but safe he had them
1 Judge, hold. in fortune.' Odes, i. 33, 15; iii. 9, 28. Spenset must
Begrudge. S'Toil. have thought of these and similar passages when
4 Regard. 5 Pierced. penning the lines in the text.
Burnt. Foolish. 9 Impede, destroy.
7 Float. The "Adrian gulf" is the "Mare Adria. 10 The filth of vile dross or pelf.
num," or, poetically, "Adria'"-the Adriatic 1ea, 1 Clogs, encumbers. a1 Unreproached, blameless
mentioned by Horace as a type of fickleness in love or 1i Moderate. 14 Pledge.