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

AMORETTI; OR SON1NETS. 619
There Faith doth fearless dwell in brazen tow'r So sweet your prison you in time shall prove,
And spotless Pleasure builds her sacred bow'r. With many dear delights bedecked fine.
And all thenceforth eternal peace shall see
LXVII. Between the Spider and the gentle Bee.
Like as a huntsman after weary chase,
LXXIV,
Seeing the game from him escap'd away,
Sits down to rest him in some shady place, Most happy letters! fram'd by skilful trade,
With panting hounds beguild of their prey: ith which that happy name was first designd,
So, after long pursuit and vain assay, The which three times thrice happy hath me
When I all weary had the chase forsook, made,
The gentle deer return'd the selfsame way With gifts of body, fortune, and ofmind.
Thinking to quench her thirst at the next brook: The first my being to me gave by kind,
There she, beholding me wih h milder look, From mother's womb deriv'd by due descent:
Sought not to fly, but fearless still did bide; The second is my sov'reign Queen most kind,
Till I in hand her yet half trembling took, That honour and large riches.to me lent:
And with her own good will her firmly tied. Thethird,mylove,mylife's lastornament
Strange thing, me seem'd, to see a beast so By whom my spirit out of dust was rais'd:
wild To speak her praise and glory excellent,
So goodly won, with her own will beguil'd. f all alie most worthy to be prais'd.
Ye three ELIZABTHS! for ever live,
LXVI. That three such graces did unto me give.
Most glorious Lord of life! that on this day L
Didst make thy triumph over death and sin; LX. V.
One day lIwrote her name upon the strand;
And, having harrow'd hell,2 didst bring away e he nae pn the stand
But came the waves, and washed it away:
Captivity thence captive, us to win:
Again I wrote it with a second hand;
This joyous day, dear Lord, with joy begin;
And grant that we, for whom thou diddest die, But came the tide, and made my pains his prey.
And grant that we, for whom thou diddest die,
Vain man, said she, that dost in vain assay
Being with thy dear blood clean wash'd from
A mortal thing, so to immortalise;
sin,
sin,^~..~ JFor I myself shall like to,this decay,
May live for ever in felicity And eke my name be wiped out likewise.
And that thy love we weighing worthily, Not so, quth; let baser things devise
May likewise love thee for the same again; To die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
And for thy sake, that all like dear didst buy, Myverseyourirtuesrareshallernise,
My verse your virtues rare shall 6ternise,
With love may one another entertain! And in the heavens write your gloriqus name.
So let us love, dear Love, like as we ought:
So let us love, dear Love, like as we.ough;;t: Where, when as death shall all the world subdue,
Love is the lesson which the Lord us taught. love shall live, and later life renew.
Our love shall live, and later life renew.
LXX. LXXVI.
Fresh Spring, the herald of love's mighty king, Fair bosom! fraught with virtue's richest treaIn whose coat-armour richly are display'd sure,
All sorts of flow'rs, the which on earth do The nest of love, the lodging of delight,
spring, The bow'r of bliss, the paradise of pleasure,
In goodly colours gloriously array'd; The sacred harbour of that heav'nly sprite;
Go to my love, where she is careless laid, How was I ravish'd with your lovely sight,
Yet in her winter's bow'r not well awake; And my frail thoughts too rashly led astray!
Tell her the joyous time will not be stay'd, While, diving deep through amorous insight,
Unless she do him by the forelock take; On the sweet spoil of beauty they did prey;
Bid her theref6re herself soon ready make And'twixt her paps (like early fruit in May,
To wait on Love amongst his lovely crew; Whose harvest seem'd to hasten now apace)
Where ev'ry one that misseth then her make 3 They loosely did their wanton wings display,
Shall be by him amero'd with penance due. And there to-rest themselves did boldly place.
Make haste therefore, sweet love, while it is Swee; thoughts! I envy your so happy rest,
prime; Which oft I wish'd, yet never was so blest.
For none can call again the passed time.'LXXVII.
LxxI. Was it a dream, or did I see it plain?
I joy to see how, in your drawen work, A goodly table of pure ivory,
Yourself unto the Bee ye do compare; All spread with junkets, fit to entertain
And me unto the Spider, that doth lurk The greatest prince with pompous royalty:
In close await, to catch her unaware:'Mongst which, there in a silver dish did lie
Right so yourself were caught in cunning snare Two golden apples of unvalued price;
Of a dear foe, and thrallSd to his love; Far passing those which Hercules came by,
In whose strait bands ye now captived are Or those which Atalanta did entice;
So firmly, that ye never may remove. Exceeding sweet, yet void of sinful vice;
But as your work is woven all about That many sought, yet none could ever taste;
With woodbine flow'rs and fragant eglantine; Sweet fruit of pleasure, brought from Paradise
1 Good Friday. 2 See note 11, page 51. 3 Has failed to find a mate.