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CONTENTS

OF

VOL. V.

Page

The thirde Booke of the Faerie Queene, Canto IX

-XII

1

The fourth Booke of the Faerie Queene, Canto I

THE THIRDE BOOKE OF

THE FAERIE QUEENE.

CANTO IX.

Malbecco will no ftraunge Knights hoft,
For peevish gealofy:
Paridell giufts with Britomart :
Both fhew their aunceftry.

REDOUBTED Knights, and honorable Dames,

To whom I levell all my labours end, Right fore I feare leaft with unworthy blames This odious argument my rymes should shend, Or ought your goodly patience offend, Whiles of a wanton Lady I doe write, Which with her loose incontinence doth blend The fhyning glory of your foveraine light; And knighthood fowle defaced by a faithleffe Knight.

1. 1. Redoubted Knights, and honorable Dames, &c.] This introduction feems tranflated from the Orlando Furiofo, C. xxii. 1, and C. xxviii. 1. UPTON.

1. 9. And knighthood fowle &c.] That is, And of knighthood foully defaced &c. CHURCH.

II.

But never let th' enfample of the bad
Offend the good: for good, by paragone
Of evill, may more notably be rad;

As white feemes fayrer macht with blacke

attone:

Ne all are fhamed by the fault of one:
For lo! in heven, whereas all goodnes is
Emongst the angels, a whole legione

II. 2.

for good, by paragone

Of evill, may more notably be rad ;] It is a maxim in the schools that things are knowable by their contraries : cadem eft fcientia contrariorum.

Whether Spenfer had Chaucer before him or Berni, I leave to the reader: The fentiment and expreffions agree: See Troil. and Creff. i. 638.

66

By his contrarie' is every thing declared

"For how might ever sweetnesse have be know
"To him, that never tasted bitterneffe?
"No man wot what gladneffe is, I trow,

"That never was in forrow' or fome distress:
"Eke white by blacke, by fhame eke worthinefs,
"Each fet by other, more for other feemeth,
"As men may feem, and so the wife it deemeth."
And Orl. Innam. L. ii. C. vii. ft. 3.

"Provali appreffo per filofofia,

"Che quando due contrari fono accosto,
"La lor natura e la lor gagliardia

"Più fi conofce, che stando discosto :

"Intender non protraffi ben, che fia

"Bianco color, fe'l nero non gli e opposto,

"Il foco, e l'acqua, e' piaceri, e le pene,

66 E per dirlo in un tratto, il male e'l bene." UPTON. II. 4. with blacke attone:] The first edition reads attonce; but the second and folios, more agreeable to the rhyme, attone, that is, together, at once, at one. In Chaucer this word is variously written; atone, atoon, atenes, atones.

UPTON.