more and Amoret, have a happy meeting: but afterwards, when he printed the fourth, fifth, and fixth books [in 1596], he reprinted likewife the three first books; and, among other alterations, he left out the five last stanzas and made three new stanzas, viz. 43, 44, 45. More eafie ifew now, &c. By thefe alterations this third book not only connects better with the fourth, but the reader is kept in that fufpenfe which is neceffary in a well-told story. The ftanzas which are mentioned above as omitted in the second edition, and printed in the first, are the following:

43.

"At last she came unto the place, where late
"She left Sir Scudamour in great diftreffe,
"Twixt dolour and despite halfe defperate,
"Of his loues fuccour, of his owne redreffe,

"And of the hardie Britomarts fucceffe:

"There on the cold earth him now thrown fhe found,

"In wilfull anguish and dead heavineffe,

"And to him cald; whofe voices knowen found
"Soone as he heard, himself he reared light from ground.

44.

"There did he fee, that most on earth him joyd,

"His dearest loue, the comfort of his dayes,
"Whose too long abfence him had fore annoyd,

"And wearied his life with dull delayes.

Straight he upstarted from the loathed layes,

"And to her ran with hafty egerneffe,

"Like as a Deare, that greedily embayes

"In the cool foile, after long thirstineffe,

"Which he in chace endured hath, now nigh breathlesse.

Lightly he clipt her twixt his armes twaine,

66

And ftreightly did embrace her body bright,

"Her body, late the prifon of fad paine,

"Now the sweet lodge of loue and deare delight:
"But fhe, faire Lady, overcommon quight

"Of huge affection, did in pleasure melt,

"And in sweete ravishment pourd out her spright.
"No word they fpake, nor earthly thing they felt,
"But like two fenceles stocks in long embracement dwelt.

46.

"Had ye them feene, ye would have surely thought
"That they had beene that faire Hermaphrodite,
"Which that rich Romane of white marble wrought,

*in long embracement dwelt.] Todd printed" the faire lady" and embracements in the plural, without authority: he also profeffed to adhere to the old orthography; but, as ufual, varied from it five times in this fingle stanza. He feems to have puzzled himself by different editions, and sometimes gave the spelling of no copy, ancient or modern. C.

"And in his coftly Bath caufd to be fite.
"So feemd those two, as growne together quite,
"That Britomart, halfe envying their bleffe,
"Was much empaffiond in her gentle sprite,
"And to her felfe oft wifht like happinesse :
"In vaine she wifht, that fate n'ould let her yet possesse.
47.

"Thus doe those louers, with fweet counteruayle,
"Each other of loues bitter fruit defpoile.
"But now my teme begins to faint and fayle,
"All woxen weary of their journal toyle:
"Therefore I will their fweatie yokes affoyle
"At this fame furrowes end, till a new day;

"And ye, faire Swayns, after your long turmoyle,
"Now cease your worke, and at your pleasure play :

"Now cease your work; to morrow is an holy day." UPTON.

The word Finis is at the bottom of the page, and on the next leaf begins Spenfer's Letter to Raleigh, followed by the Commendatory Poems, and the Sonnets to the nobility, which we have prefixed to the prefent edition of "The Faerie Queene." C.

THE SECOND PART OF

THE FAERIE QUEEN E.

CONTAINING THE FOURTH, FIFTH,

AND SIXTH BOOKES.

BY ED. SPENSER.

Imprinted at LONDON for
William Ponsonby.

1596.