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

CANTO II.] THE- FAERIE QUTEN. 413
"inly wondrous glad to hear her love so highly Portly his person was, and much increase
magnified," the Maid still reviled Artegall, and Through his heroic grace and honourable gest.&
demandedwherehemightbefound. The Knight His crest was cover'd with a couchant hound
answered that he had no fixed abode, "but rest- And all his armour seem'd of antique mould,
less walketh all the world around," doing deeds But wondrous massy and assurid sound
of prowess and redress. More and more pleased And round about y-fretted all with gold,
at heart, Britomart still feigned gainsay ("so In which there written was, with ciphers old,
discord oft in music makes the sweetest lay "), Achilles' arms which Artegall did win:
and asked by what marks she might know Arte- And on his shield envelop'd sevenfold
gall if she encountered him. The Knight de- He bore a crownid little ermilin,9
scribed him-all needlessly, for she knew him That deck'd the azure field with her fair poulbefore in every part, "to her revealid, in. a mir- dredl skin.
ror plain."
The damsel well did view his personage,
By strange occasion she did him behold, And likd well; nor farther ftend not,
And liked well; nor farther fasten'd"2 not,
And much more strangely gan to love his sight, But went her way; nor her unguilty age
As it ii books hath written been of old.
Did ween, unwares, that her unlucky lot
In Deheubarth, that now South-Wales is hight, Lay hidden in the bottom of the pot:
What time king Ryence reign'd and dealed right -
hatime kg yencereignd ad ded right, Of hurt unwist " most danger doth redound:
The great magician Merlin had devis'd,
The great magician Merlin had devis'd, But the false archer, which that arrow shot
By his deep science and hell-dreaded might, So slily that she did not feel thewound,
A looking-glass, right wondrously aguis'd,1. heod,
A looking-glass, right wondrously guis'd, Did smile full smoothly at her weetless woeful
Whose virtues through the wide world soon stound
were solemnis'd.
Thenceforth the feather in her lofty crest,
It virtue had to show in perfect sight Ruffd of5love, anlowlyto vail 1
Whatever thing was in the world contain'd, And her proud portancel7 and her pricely gest 8
Betwixt the lowest earth and heaven's height, d. t, it With which she erst trifimphed, now did quail:
So that it to the looker appertain'd: ad, fnciesail
Whatever foe had wrought, or friend had feign'd, he, ad fshe l herhow.f fa nowhy
She wox; yet wist she neither how, nor why;Therein discover'd was, nor aught might pass,
She wist not, silly maid, what she did ail,
Nor aught in secret from the same remain'd; wt t s di
Yet wist she was not well at ease, pardie; *8
Forthy 2 it round and hollow shapid was,
Yet thought it was not love, but some. melanLike to the world itself, and seem'd a world of h
glass.....~c~ ~-i ~~ So soon as Night had with her pallid hue
On day. it fo. fi B r Defac'd the beauty of the shining sky,
One day it fortuned fair Britomart
And reft from men the world's desired view,
Into her father's closet to repair;
FInto nher father's closet to repaiar; t, She with her nurse adown to sleep did lie;
For nothing he from her reserv'd apart,,
But sleep full far away from her did fly:
Being his only daughter and his heir;
Being his only dauter and heir; Instead thereof sad sighs and sorrows deep
Where when she had espied that mirror fair,
Kept watch and ward about her warill;,
Herself a while therein she view'd in vain 3 ept watch and ward about her waril
henher adhis eing ohe virein rare That naught she did but wail, and often steep
Then, her advising 4 of the virtues rare
Whi, Hherespng evre se n Her dainty couch with tears which closelyl9 she
Which thereof spoken were, she gan again
did weep.
Her to bethink of that might to herself pertain.
And if, worn out, she slept, fantastic dreams
But, as it falleth, in the gentlest hearts made her start from her bed, to "renew her
Imperious Love hath highest set his throne, former smart, and think of that fair visage
Alfd tyrannizeth in the bitter smarts written in her heart." One night Glauce, her
Of them that to him buxom5 are and prone: ancient nurse, "feeling her leap out of her
So thought this maid (as maidens us'd to do'n) loathed nest," caught her in her arms, and
Whom fortune for her husband would allot; questioned her as to the cause of her changed
Not that she lusted after any one, manner; promising, if the cause was love, and
For she was pure from blame of sinful blot; that love worthy of her race and royal seed, to
Yet wist her life at last must link in that same ease her grief and win her will. With many
knot. embraces, caresses, and assurances that "that
Eftsoons there was presented to her eye blinded god, which hath ye blindly smit, anA comely knight, all arm'd in c6mplete wise, other arrow hath your lover's heart to hit,"
Through whose bright ventail 6 lifted up on high Glauce drew from Britomart the confession that
His manly face, that did his foes agrise,7 she suffered from a hopeless passion for "the
And friends to terms of gentle truce entice, only shade and semblance of a knight," seen in
Look'd forth, as Phoebus' face out of the east the magic mirror. The aged nurse, relieved to
Betwixt two shady mountains doth arise: find that no unlawful or unnatural desire preyed
1 Contrived, fashioned. 2 For.that end. 10 Spotted. 1l'Person.
3 Without any definite purpose or thought. 12 Fixed her thoughts. 13 Unknown.
4 Bethinking. 5 Obedient. 14 Unsuspected hurt. 15 Ruffled by.
6 Front of the helmet. 7 Terrify. 16 Droop. 17Carriage.
8 Demeanour. 9 Ermine. l8 Assuredly. 19 Secretly.