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

532 THE FAERIE QUEEN. [BOOK VI.
Upon a little hillock she was plac'd, Then came to them a good old aged sire,
Higher than all the rest, and round about Whose silver locks bedeck'd his beard and head,
Environ'd with a garland, goodly grac'd, With shepherd's hook in hand, and fit attire,
Of lovely lasses; and them all without That will'd the damsel rise; the day did now
The lusty shepherd swains sat in a rout,1 expire.
The which did pipe and sing her praises due, He was, to wit, by common voice esteem'd
And oft rejoice, and oft for wonder shout, The father of the fairest Pastorell,
As if some miracle of heav'nly hue And of herself in very deed so deem'd;
Were down to them descended in that earthly Yet was not so; but, as old stories tell,
view. Found her by fortune, which to him befell,
And soothly sure she was full fair of face, In th' open fields an infant left alone;
And perfectly well shap'd in ev'ry limb, And, taking up, brought home and nursed well
Which she did more augment with modest grace As his own child; for other he had none;
And comely carriage of her count'nance trim, That she in tract9 of time accounted was his
That all the rest like lesser lamps did dim: own.
Who, her admiring as some heav'nly wight, She at his bidding meekly did arise,
Did for their sov'reign goddess her esteem, And straight unto her little flock did fare:
And, carolling her name both day and night, Then all the rest about her rose likewise,
The fairest Pastorella her by name did hight.3 And each his sundry sheep with several care
Nor was there herd, nor was there shepherd's Gather'd together, and them homeward bare:
swain, Whilst ev'ry one with helping hands did strive
But her did honour; and eke many a one Amongst themselves, and did their labours
Burn'd in her love, and with sweet pleasing pain share,
Full many a night for her did sigh and groan: To help fair Pastorella home to drive
But most of all the shepherd Corydon Her fleecy flock; but Corydon most help did
For her did languish, and his dear life spend; give.
Yet neither she for him nor other none But Melibee (so hight that good old man),
Did care a whit, nor any liking lend: Now seeing Calidore left all alone,
Though mean her lot, yet higher did her mind And night arrived hard at hand, began
ascend. Him to invite unto his simple home;
Her while Sir Calidore there viewed well, Which, though it were a cottage clad with
And mark'd her rare demeanour, which him loam,l
seem'd And all things therein mean, yet better so
iSo far the mien of shepherds to excel, To lodge than in the salvage fields to roam.
As that he in his mind her worthy deem'd The Knight full gladly soon agreed thereto,
To be a prince's paragon4 esteem'd, Being his heart's own wish; and home with
He was unwares surpris'd in subtle bands him did go.
Of the Blind Boy; 5 nor thence could be re- There he was welcom'd of that honest sire,
deem'd And of his aged beldame, homely well;
By any skill out of his cruel hands; Who him besought himself to disattire,
Caught like the bird which gazing still on others And rest himself till supper time befell;
stands. By which home came the fairest Pastorell,
So stood he still long gazing thereupon, After her flock she in their fold had tied;
Nor any will had thence to move away, And, supper ready dight," they to it fell
Although his quest 6 were far afore him gone: With small ado, and nature satisfied,
But, after he had fed, yet did he stay The which doth little crave contented to abide.
And sate there still, until the flying day Then, when they had their hunger slaked well,
Was farforth spent, discoursing diversely And the fair maid the table ta'en away,
Of sundry things, as fell, to work delay: The gentle Knight, as he that did excel
And evermore his speech he did apply In courtesy, and well could do and say,
To th' herds, but meant them to the damsel's For so great kindness as he found that day
fantasy. Gan greatly thank his host and his good wife;
By this the moisty Night, approaching fast, And, drawing thence his speech another way,
Her dewy humour gan on th' earth to shed, Gan highly to commend the happy life
That warn'd the shepherds to their homes to Which shepherds lead, without debate or bitter
hast 7 strife.
Their tender flocks, now being fully fed, "How much," said he, "more happy is the state
For fear of wetting them before their bed:8 In which ye, father, here do dwell at ease,
L Company. 2 Aspect, form. the same designation he is introduced a little farther on
3 Pastorella represents Frances, the daughter of Sir in the present canto. 4 Companion, equal.
Francis Walshingham, and wife of Sir Philip Sidney- 5 Love. 6 The object of his pursuit.
whose portrait, as already noticed, is painted in Sir 7 Hasten.
Calidore. In " The Ruins of Time," a poem published 8 Before they were housed for the night.
some years previously, Spenser had already spoken of 9 Course. 10 Clay.
Sir Francis Walshingham as "old Melibee;" and under 11 Prepared.