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

CANTO VIII.] T.E FAERIE QUEEN. 43
Butshe a mortal creature loved best: "Ye noble knights," said then the Squire of
Then he would make himself a mortal wight; Damres,
But then she said she lov'd none but a Faery "Well may ye speed in so praiseworthy pain! 5
knight. But, since the sun now gins to slake his beams
Then like a Faery knight himself he drest; In dewy vapours of the western main,
For ev'ry shape on him he could indue: And loose the team out of his weary wain,
Then like a king he was to her exprest, Might not mislike you also to abate
And offered kingdoms unto her in view, Your zealous haste, till morrow next again
To be his leman Iand his lady true: Both light of heav'n and strength of men
But, when all this he nothing saw prevail, relate:6
With harder means he cast 2 her to subdue, hich if ye please, to yonder castle turn your
And with sharp threats her often did assail; gate."
So thinking for to make her stubborn courage That counsel pleased well; so all y-fere 8
quail. Forth marched to a castle them before;
To dreadful shapes he did himself transform: Where soon arriving they restrained were
Now like a giant; now like to a fiend; Of ready entrance, which ought evermore
Then like a centaur; then like to a storm To errant knights be common: wondrous sore
Raging within the waves: thereby he ween'd Thereat displeas'd they were, till that young
Her will to win unto his wished end: Squire
But when with fear, nor favour, nor with all Gan them inform the cause why that same door
He else could do, he saw himself esteem'd, Was shut to all which lodging did desire:
Down in a dungeon deep he let her fall, The which to let you weet 9 will farther time
And threaten'd there to make her his eternal require.
thrall.
Eternal thraldom was to her more lief 3
Than loss of chastity, or change of love:
Die had she rather in tormenting grief,
Than any should of falseness her reprove, CANTO IX.
Or looseness, that she lightly did remove.4
Malbecco waill no strange knights host,lo
Most virtuous Virgin glory be thy meed, For eeish jealousy
And crown of heav'nly praise with saints above, Paridell jousts with Britomart
Where most sweet hymns of this thy famous Both show theirancestry.
deed
Are still amongst them sung, that far my THE poet makes apology to the "redoubted
rhymes exceed. knights and honourable dames," to whom he
levels all his labour's end, for writing of a
"Fit song of angels carolled to be!" exclaims waton lady; but reminds them that good more
the poet, as reluctantly he leaves the maiden in clearly appears by the contrast of evil, and that
this woeful plight, to tell of Satyrane and the even in heaven a whole legion of angels fell.
Squire of Dames. Having ended a long dis- He proceeds to tell why the knights found so incourse of the Squire's adventures vain, "the hospitable reception at the castle. Therein, said
which himself than ladies more defames," the the Squire of Dames, dwelt a cankered crabbed
pair returned from vain pursuit of the hyena, carl, uncourteous and heedless what men said
and met a knight whom Satyrane recognised as of him, ill or well, and setting a his mind
Sir Paridell, " both by the burning heart which on mucky pelf. Yet was he linked to a lovely
on his breast he bare, and by the colours in lass, wholly incompatible with him in years and
his crest." Askedfor tidings, Paridell answered dispositions, joying to play among her peers
that Faery Court had been thrown into mourn- hating hard-restraints and jealous fears. Susing by "the late ruin of proud Marinell," and picious of her truth, her one-eyed husband
the sudden departure of Florimell, in quest of mewed her closely up, and suffered nobody to
whom all the brave knights had gone. Saty- approach her. " Malbecco 1 he, and Hellenore
rane then informed him that his labour all was she hight, unfitly yok'd together in one team;"
lost, for Florimell might be accounted dead; and the husband's jealousy denied admittance
and told how he had seen her palfrey slain by a to all knights that came that way. Smiling,
monstrous beast, and had "found her golden Satyrane pronounced the man extremely mad
girdle cast astray, distain'd with dirt and who thought "with watch and hard constraint
blood, as relic of the prey." Paridell admits to stay a woman's will which is disposed to go
that "the signs be sad," but will not forsake astray. 12
his quest "till trial do more certain truth bewray." Satyrane promises that he will not be " In vain he fears that which he cannot shun:
behind the other searchers. For who wots 13 not, that woman's subtilties
1 Mistress. 2 Designed, tried. 10 Entertain. 11 The Cuckold.
3 Preferable. 12 Chaucer, in the passage in The Manciple's Tale,
4 Change her affection. 5 Labour. which Spenser evidently follows, had declared the
6 Restore. 7 Way. attempt " to keep a shrew" to be a "very nicety."
8 In company, 9 Know. 13 Knows.