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

536 THE FAERIE QUEEN. [BOOK VI.
Such was the beauty of this goodly band, Right happy thou that may'st them freely see!
Whose sundry parts were here too long to tell: But why, when I them saw, fled they away
But she, that in the midst of them did stand, from me?"
Seem'd all the rest in beauty to excel, "Not I so happy," answer'd then that swain,
Crown'd with a rosy garland that right well "As thou unhappy, which them thence did
Did her beseem: and ever, as the crew chase
About her danc'd, sweet flow'rs that far did WVhom by no means thou canst recall again;
smell For, being gone, none can them bring in place,
And fragrant odours they upon her threw; But whom they of themselves list so to grace."
But, most of all, those three did her with gifts " Right sorry I," said then Sir Calidore,
endue. " That my ill fortune did them hence displace:
Those were the Graces, daughters of delight, But since things passed none may now restore,
Handmaids of Venus, which are wont to haunt Tell me what were they all, whose lack thee
Upon this hill, and dance there day and night: grieves so sore."
Those three to men all gifts of grace do grant; Then gan that shepherd thus for to dilate;
And all that Venus in herself doth vaunt " Then wot, thou shepherd, whatsoe'er thou be,
Is borrowed of them: but that fair one, That all those ladies which thou sawest late
That in the midst was placed paravant,' Are Venus' damsels, all within her fee,?
Was she to whom that shepherd pip'd alone; But differing in honour and degree:
That made him pipe so merrily as never none. They all are Graces which on her depend;
She was, to wit, that jolly shepherd's lass, Besides a thousand more which ready be
Her to adorn, whenso she forth doth wend;
Which pipid there unto that merry rout;, whenso she frth doth wend;
Thiact joll shepher, there pipodhatmerry w; But those three in the midst do chief on her
That jolly shepherd, which there piped, was
Poor Colin Clout (who knows not Colin Clout?) attend.
He pip'd apace, whilst they him danc'd about. "They are the daughters of sky-ruling Jove,
Pipe, jolly shepherd, pipe thou now apace By him begot of fair Eurynomd,
Unto thy love that made thee low to lout; 2 The Ocean's daughter, in this pleasant grove,
Thy love is present there with thee in place; As he, this way coming from feastful glee
Thy love is there advanc'd to be another Grace! 3 Of Thetis' wedding with iEacidee,6
In summer's shade himself here rested weary:
Much wonder'd Calidore at this strange sight, The first of them hight mild Euphrosyne,
Whose like before his eye had never seen; Next fair Aglaia, last Thalia merry;
And standing long astonished in sprite, Sweet Goddesses all three, which me in mirth
And rapt with pleasance, wist not what to do cherry! "
ween; 4
cc These three on men all gracious gifts bestow
Whether it were the train of Beauty's Queen, "e o a r t
Or Nymphs, or Faeries, or enchanted show Which deck the body or adorn the mind,
Or Nymphs, or Faeries, or enchanted show To make them lovely or well-favour'd show;
With which his eyes might have deluded been. omely carriage, entertaiet knd,
Therefore, resolving what it was to know, As comely carriage, entertainment kind,
Therefore, resolving what it was to know, Sweet semblance,8 friendly offices that bind,
Out of the wood he rose, and toward them did go. A nd all t e cmlemend ofces that bind,
And all the complements of courtesy:
But, soon as he appeared to their view, They teach us how to each degree and kind
They vanish'd all away out of his sight, We should ourselves demean, to low, to high,
And clean were gone, which way he never knew; To friends, to foes; which skill men call Civility.
Allsave the shepherd, who, for fell despite "Therefore they always smoothly seem to smile,
Of that displeasure, broke his bagpipe quite, That we likewise should mild and gentle be
And made great moan for that unhappy turn: And also naked are, that without guile
But Calidore, though no less sorry wight Or false dissemblance all them plain may see,
For that mishap, yet seeing him to mourn, Simple and true, from covert malice free
Drew near, that he the truth of all by him And eke themselves so in their dance they bore,
mighn learn:
might learn: That two of them still froward 9 seem'd to be,
And, first him greeting, thus unto him spake; But one still towards show'd herself afore;
" Hail, jolly shepherd, which thy joyous days That good should from us go, than come, in
Here leadest in this goodly merry-make, greater store.l0
Frequented of these gentle Nymphs always, " Such were those Goddesses which ye did see;
Which to thee flock to hear thy lovely lays! But that fourth Maid, which there amidst them
Tell me, what might these dainty damsels be trac'd,1
Which here with thee do make their pleasant Who can aread 12 what creature might she be,
plays? Whether a creature, or a goddess grac'd
I In front, conspicuously. 7 Cherish; French, " chrir."
2 Bend. 8 Demeanour.
3 Colin Clout being the poet himself, his "love," in 9 At a distance-or, directed away from (the specthis passage, considering the dates, must be understood tator).
as representing the Irish lady whom he married. 10 To show that good should go out from us in more
4 Knew not what to think. 5 In her service. liberal measure than it comes to us.
6 JEacides-Peleus, the son of JEacus. 11 Moved. 12 Declare.