Of wicked sprightes did fall from happy blis; What wonder then if one, of women all, did mis?

III.

Then liften, Lordings, if ye lift to weet

The caufe why Satyrane and Paridell
Mote not be entertaynd, as feemed meet,
Into that Castle, as that Squyre does tell.
"Therein a cancred crabbed Carle does

dwell,

That has no fkill of court nor courtefie, Ne cares what men say of him ill or well: For all his dayes he drownes in privitie, Yet has full large to live and spend at libertie.

IV.

"But all his mind is fet on mucky pelfe,

II. 9.

did mis?] Err. So, in F. Q.

ii. iii. 40. "Cannot fo easy mis." CHURCH.

III. 1. Then liften, Lordings,] Chaucer often applies this introductory form in the Canterbury Tales. Thus too, the old poem of Sir Bevis of Southampton begins:

"Liften, LORDINGES; and hold you ftill:

"Of doutie men tell you I will."

And Robert Brunne in the fame manner begins the Prologue to his Chronicle, ed. Hearn, vol. i. 96.

"LORDINGES, that be now here,

"If you will liften and lere,
"All the ftory of Inglande."

This addrefs to the LORDINGES, requesting their filence and attention, is a manifest indication that these ancient pieces were originally fung to the harp, or recited before grand assemblies, upon folemn occafions. T. WARTON.

III. 5. Therein &c.] This is the account given by the Squire of Dames. CHURCH.

Ibid. a cancred crabbed Carle does dwell,] A cancred Carle is a Northern expreffion, and means an ill-natured There is a familiar ballad in Scotland, commencing My Daddy is a cancred Carle." TODD.

old man

with "

To hoord up heapes of evill-gotten maffe, For which he others wrongs, and wreckes himfelfe :

Yet is he lincked to a lovely Laffe,

Whofe beauty doth her bounty far surpasse; The which to him both far unequall yeares And alfo far unlike conditions has;

For the does ioy to play emongft her peares, And to be free from hard reftraynt and gealous feares.

V.

"But he is old, and withered like hay,

Unfit faire Ladies fervice to fupply;

The privie guilt whereof makes him alway Sufpect her truth, and keepe continuall spy Upon her with his other blincked eye;

IV. 3. For which he others wrongs, &c.] The poet feems to have had in his mind the character of the churlish Nabal, I. Sam. xxv. 3, 8, 9, &c. TODD.

IV. 5. her bounty] So Spenfer's own editions, and the edition of 1751, read. The fenfe is, Whofe beauty is greater than her goodness. See the note on bounty, F. Q. iii. i. 49. The folios and Hughes read "his bounty,' which entirely alters the fenfe. CHURCH.

"

Mr. Upton prefers "his bounty" as the easier reading; but he feems not to have attended to the meaning of the old word bounty; for he interprets the original reading by "her bounty either in the difpofal of her charms or of her money being ftinted by the watchfulness and covetoufnefs of her husband :" This is a very forced explanation. I conform therefore to the original reading. Tonfon's edition in 1758, as well as Mr. Upton, reads "his bounty." TODD.

V. 5.

his other blincked eye;] That is, his Left eye. See the note on F. Q. ii. iv. 4. ŬPTON.

Ne fuffreth he refort of living wight

Approch to her, ne keep her company,
But in clofe bowre her mewes from all mens

fight,

Depriv'd of kindly ioy and naturall delight.

VI.

"Malbecco he, and Hellenore she hight;
Unfitly yokt together in one teeme.
That is the cause why never any Knight
Is fuffred here to enter, but he seeme
Such as no doubt of him he need misdeeme.”
Thereat Sir Satyrane gan fmyle, and say ;

66

Extremely mad the man I furely deeme That weenes, with watch and hard restraynt, to stay

A womans will which is difpofd to go aftray.

VI. 1. Unfitly yokt together in one teeme.] His name is derived from male and becco, a cuckold or wittal; becco fignifies likewife a buck-goat, to which perhaps he alludes, C. x. ft. 47. "And like a goat, emongst the goats did rufh." So cabron in Spanish fignifies both a he-goat and a cuckold. Her name is derived from Helena: and both were unfitly yok'd in one teeme. Compare Hor. Od. I. xxxiii.

Malbecco he, and Hellenore fhe hight;

"Sic vifum Veneri; cui placet impares
"Formas atque animos fub juga aënea
"Sævo mittere cum joco." UPTON.

Spenfer's Malbecco is pointedly alluded to by Niccols, in his Cuckow, edit. 4to. 1607, p. 46.

"the old Malbeccoes of our age,

"Who iuftly beare cornuted Vulcans badge." TODD. VI. 4. but he feeme] Unless he feeme. See the note on but, F. Q. iii. viii. 5Q. TODD.

VII.

"In vaine he feares that which he cannot

fhonne :

For who wotes not, that womans fubtiltyes Can guylen Argus, when the lift misdonne? It is not yron bandes, nor hundred eyes, Nor brafen walls, nor many wakefull spyes, That can withhold her wilfull-wandring feet; But faft goodwill, with gentle courtesyes, And timely service to her pleasures meet, May her perhaps containe that else would algates fleet."

VIII.

"Then is he not more mad," fayd Paridell,
"That hath himfelfe unto fuch fervice fold,
In dolefull thraldome all his dayes to dwell?
For fure a foole I doe him firmely hold,
That loves his fetters, though they were of
gold.

But why doe wee devife of others ill,
Whyles thus we fuffer this fame Dotard old

VII. 2. For who wotes not, that womans fubtiltyes

Can guylen Argus, &c.] Ovid, Amor. III. iv. 19. "Centum fronte oculos, centum cervice gerebat Argus; et hos unus fæpe fefellit Amor."

66

And Horace, Carm. III. xvi.

"Inclufam Danaën turris aënea,

"Robuftæque fores, et vigilum canum

"Triftes excubiæ munierant fatis, &c." JORTIN. VIII. 7. Whyles thus we fuffer &c.] The construction is, Whyles thus we fuffer this fame old Dotard, of his owne will,

To keepe us out in fcorne, of his owne will, And rather do not ranfack all, and himfelfe kill ?"

IX.

"Nay, let us firft," fayd Satyrane, “entreat
The man by gentle meanes, to let us in;
And afterwardes affray with cruell threat,
Ere that we to efforce it doe begin :
Then, if all fayle, we will by force it win,
And eke reward the wretch for his mefprife,
As may
be worthy of his haynous fin."
That counfell pleafd: Then Paridell did rise,
And to the Castle-gate approcht in quiet wife:

X.

Whereat foft knocking, entrance he defyrd.

The good man felfe, which then the porter playd,

Him answered, that all were now retyrd Unto their reft, and all the keyes convayd Unto their Maifter who in bed was layd, That none him durft awake out of his dreme; And therefore them of patience gently prayd. Then Paridell began to chaunge his theme, And threatned him with force and punishment

extreme.

(i. e. having his own will,) to keep us out in fcorne, in contempt All the editions wrongly point thus:

of us.

X. 2.

"To keep us out, in fcorne of &c." CHURCH.

The good man felfe,] O anodioórns, Matt. xxiv. 48. "If the good man of the house had known, &c." UPTON.