The other was a fell despightful fiend; Hell holds none worse in baleful bower below; With nose up-turn'd, he always made a show, E'en so through Brentford town, a town of mud, An herd of brisly swine is prick'd along, The filthy beasts, that never chew the cud, Still grunt, and squeak, and sing their troublous song, And oft they plunge themselves the mire among; But ay the ruthless driver goads them on, And ay of barking dogs the bitter throng Makes them renew their unmelodious moan; Ne ever find they rest from their unresting tone. EXPLANATION OF THE OBSOLETE WORDS USED IN THE FOREGOING POEM. ARCHIMAGE, the chief, or greatest of magicians or enchanters. Apaid, paid. Appal, affright. Atween, between. Ay, always. fortune. Benept, named. 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. Bale, sorrow, trouble, mis- Libbard, leopard. Blazon, painting, displaying. Breme, cold, raw. Carol, to sing songs of joy. Dan, a word prefixed to names. Drowsy-head, drowsiness. Eftsoons, immediately, often, afterwards. Eke, also. Fays, fairies. Gear, or Geer, furniture, High, named, called; and Lig, to lie. Losel, a loose idle fellow. Louting, bowing, bending. Lithe, loose, lax. Mell, mingle. Moe, more. Mote, might. Muckle, or Mockle, much. 234 Soot, sweet, or sweetly. Transmew'd, transformed. NB. 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. 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. |