EXPLANATION

OF

THE OBSOLETE WORDS

USED IN THIS POEM.

ARCHIMAGE-the chief or greatest of magicians

or enchanters,

Apaid-paid.

Appal-affright.

Atween-between.

Ay—always.

Bale-sorrow, trouble, misfortune,

Benempt-named.

Blazon-painting, displaying.

Breme-cold, raw.

Carol-to sing songs of joy.

Caucus-the north-east wind.

Certes-certainly.

Dan-a word prefixed to names.

Deftly-skilfully.

Depainted-painted.

Drowsy-head-drowsiness.

Eath-easy.

Eftsoons-immediately, often, afterwards.

Eke-also.

Fays-fairies.

184

EXPLANATION OF OBSOLETE WORDS

Gear or Geer-furniture, equipage, dress.
Glaive-sword. (Fr.)

Glee-joy, pleasure.
Han-have.

Hight-named, called; and sometimes it is used for is called. See Stanza VII.

Idless-Idleness.

Imp-Child, or offspring; from the Saxon, impan, to graft or plant.

Kest-for cast.

Lad-for led.

Lea-a piece of land, or meadow.

Libbard-leopard.

Lig-to lie.

Lithe-loose, lax.

Losel-a loose idle fellow.

Louting-bowing, bending.

Mell-mingle.

Moe-more.

Moil-labour.

Mote-might.

Muchel, or Mochel-much, great.

Nathless-nevertheless.

Ne-nor.

Needments-necessaries.

Noursling-a child that is nursed.

Noyance-harm.

Perdie (Fr. par Dieu)-an old oath.

Prankt-coloured, adorned gaily.

Prick'd through the forest-rode through the forest.

Sear-dry, burnt up.

Sheen-bright, shining.

Sicker-sure, surely.

Smackt-savoured.

Soot-sweet, or sweetly.

Sooth-true, or truth.

Stound-misfortune, pang.

Sweltry-sultry, consuming with heat.

Swink-to labour.

Thrall-slave.

Transmew'd-transformed.

Vild-vile.

Unkempt (Lat. incomptus)—unadorned.
Ween-to think, be of opinion.

Weet-to know; to weet, to wit.
Whilom-ere-while, formerly.

Wight-man.

Wis, for Wist-to know, think, understand.
Wonne (a Noun)-dwelling.

Wroke-wreakt.

[N. B. The letter Y is frequently placed in the beginning of a word, by Spenser, to lengthen it a syllable, and en at the end of a word, for the same reason, as withouten, casten, &c.]

Yborn-born.

Yblent, or blent-blended, mingled.

Yclad-clad.

Ycleped-called, named.

Yfere-together.

Ymolten-melted.

Yode (preter tense of yede)—went.

ADVERTISEMENT.

THIS poem being writ in the manner of Spenser, the obsolete words, and a simplicity of diction in some of the lines, which borders on the ludicrous, were necessary to make the imitation more perfect. And the style of that admirable poet, as well as the measure in which he wrote, are, as it were, appropriated by custom to all allegorical poems writ in our language; just as in French the style of Marot, who lived under Francis I. has been used in tales, and familiar epistles, by the politest writers in the age of Lewis XIV.

THE

CASTLE

OF

INDOLENCE.

The Castle hight of Indolence,

And its false luxury;

Where for a little time, alas!
We lived right jollily.

I.

O MORTAL man, who livest here by toil,

Do not complain of this thy hard estate;
'That like an emmet thou must ever moil,
Is a sad sentence of an ancient date;
And, certes, there is for it reason great;

For, though sometimes it makes thee weep and wail,
And curse thy star, and early drudge and late,
Withouten that would come an heavier bale,

Loose life unruly passions, and diseases pale.