Графични страници
PDF файл
ePub

To griesly Pluto what on earth was donne,

And to the other damned ghosts which dwell

For aye in darkenesse which day-light doth shonne: So led this knight his captyve with like conquest

wonne.

36 Yet greatly did the Beast repine1 at those Straunge bands, whose like till then he never bore, Ne ever any durst till then impose;

And chauffed inly, seeing now no more

Him liberty was left aloud to rore:

Yet durst he not draw backe, nor once withstand The proved powre of noble Calidore;

But trembled underneath his mighty hand,

And like a fearefull dog him followed through the land.

37 Him through all Faery Land he follow'd so, As if he learned had obedience long,

That all the people, whereso he did go,

Out of their townes did round about him throng,
To see him leade that beast in bondage strong,
And, seeing it, much wondred at the sight;
And all such persons as he earst did wrong
Reioyced much to see his captive plight,

And much admyr'd2 the Beast, but more admyr'd2 the
Knight.

38 Thus was this monster, by the maystring3 might Of doughty Calidore, supprest and tamed,

That never more he mote endammadge wight

1 Repine, fret.

2 Admyr'd, wondered at.

VOL. IV.

14

8 Maystring, mastering.

With his vile tongue, which many had defamed, And many causelesse caused to be blamed: So did he eeke long after this remaine, Untill that, (whether wicked fate so framed Or fault of men,) he broke his yron chaine, And got into the world at liberty againe.

39 Thenceforth more mischiefe and more scath1 he

wrought

To mortall men then he had done before;
Ne ever could, by any, more be brought
Into like bands, ne maystred any more:
Albe that, long time after Calidore,
The good Sir Pelleas him tooke in hand,
And after him Sir Lamoracke of yore,

And all his brethren borne in Britaine land; Yet none of them could ever bring him into band.

40 So now he raungeth through the world againe,
And rageth sore in each degree and state;
Ne any is that may him now restraine,
He growen is so great and strong of late,
Barking and biting all that him doe bate,2
Albe they worthy blame, or cleare of crime;
Ne spareth he most learned wits to rate,
Ne spareth he the gentle poets rime;
But rends, without regard of person or of time.

11 Ne may this homely verse, of many meanest, Hope to escape his venemous despite,

1 Scath, injury.

2 Bate, bait.

3 Albe they, whether they be.

More then my former writs, all were they cleanest
From blamefull blot, and free from all that wite,1
With which some wicked tongues did it backebite,
And bring into a mighty Peres displeasure,
That never so deserved to endite.2

Therfore do you, my rimes, keep better measure, And seeke to please; that now is counted wisemens threasure.

1 Wite, blame.

2 Endite, indict, accuse.

XLI. 6. Mighty Peres displeasure.] This is probably the Lord Treasurer Burleigh, who is well known to have been unfriendly to the poet. He is supposed to have been offended with Spenser's satire upon Bishop Aylmer (Ellmor), under the name of Morell, in the seventh eclogue of the Shepherd's Calendar. H.

TWO CANTOS

OF MUTABILITIE:

WHICH, BOTH FOR FORME AND MATTER, APPEARE TO BD. PARCELL OF SOME FOLLOWING BOOKE OF

THE FAERIE QUEENE,

UNDER

THE LEGEND OF CONSTANCIE.*

CANTO VI.

Proud Change, not pleasd in mortall things

Beneath the moone to raigne,

Pretends as well of gods as men

To be the soveraine.

1 WHAT man that sees the ever-whirling wheele Of Change, the which all mortall things doth sway. But that therby doth find, and plainly feele,

How Mutability in them doth play

Her cruell sports to many mens decay 1?

1 Decay, destruction.

*These two cantos, and the fragment of the third, were not published during Spenser's life. They appeared for the first time in the folio edition of the Faerie Queene, published in 1609, without any further preface or explanation than is given above. H.

Which that to all may better yet appeare, I will rehearse that whylome I heard say, How she at first herselfe began to reare Gainst all the gods, and th' empire sought from them to beare.

2 But first, here falleth fittest to unfold
Her antique race and linage ancient,
As I have found it registred of old
In Faery Land mongst records permanent.
She was, to weet, a daughter by descent
Of those old Titans that did whylome strive
With Saturnes sonne for heavens regiment1;
Whom though high Iove of kingdome did deprive,
Yet
many of their stemme long after did survive:

3 And many of them afterwards obtain'd
Great power of Iove, and high authority:
As Hecatè, in whose almighty hand
He plac't all rule and principality,
To be by her disposed diversly

To gods and men, as she them list divide;
And drad Bellona, that doth sound on hie

Warres and allarums unto nations wide,

'That makes both heaven and earth to tremble at her

4

pride.

So likewise did this Titanesse aspire

Rule and dominion to herselfe to gaine;

That as a goddesse men might her admire,

1 Regiment, government.

« ПредишнаНапред »