462
The third Booke of
Cant. V.
Or
Cant. V.
Prince Arthur heares of Florimell:
three [fosters] Timias wound,
Belphebe findes him almost dead,
and reareth out of [sownd].
[1]
W
O
o
nder[his pageaunts play],
And shewes his powre in [variable
kindes]:
The baser wit, whose ydle thoughts alway
Are wont to
cleaue
cleave
vnto
unto
the lowly [clay][lewd] slouth to wast
his carelesse day:
But in
braue
brave
sprite it kindles goodly fire,
That to all high desert and honour doth
aspire.
[2]
Ne suffereth [it]
vncomely
uncomely
idlenesse,
In his free thought to build her sluggish nest:
Ne suffereth it thought of
vngentlenesse
ungentlenesse
,
Euer
Ever
to creepe into his noble brest,
But to the highest and the worthiest
Lifteth it
vp
up
, that els would lowly fall:
[It lettes not fall, it lettes it][ not to
rest:]
[It lettes not scarse this Prince to breath at all,]
[But to
his first poursuit him forward still doth call.]
[Who
long time wandred through the forest wyde,]
To finde some issue thence, till that at last
He met a Dwarfe, that seemed terrifyde
With some late perill, which he hardly past,
463
the Faery Queene.
Cant. V.
Perdy
Gg
Or other [accident], which
him [aghast];
Of whom he asked, whence he lately came,
And [whether] now he
traueiled
traveiled
so fast:
For [sore he swat]
Panting for breath, and almost [out of
hart][ill
mote I stay]
To tell the same. I lately did depart
From Faery court, where I
haue
have
many a day
Serued
Served
a gentle Lady of great [sway],
And high [accompt] through
out all Elfin land,
Who lately left the same, and tooke this way:
Her now I seeke, and if ye
vnderstand
understand
Which way she fared hath, good Sir tell [out
of hand]
What [mister
wight, (ſaide he)
wight, (saide he)
wight (ſaide he)
wight (saide he)
][wight (ſaid he)][wight (said he)][
][wight, ſaid he,][wight, said he,]
[ and how arayd?]
Royally clad (quoth he) in cloth of gold,
As meetest may beseeme a noble mayd;
[Her faire lockes in rich circlet
be enrold,]
[A]
[And][ fayrer wight did ]
[neuer][never][ Sunne behold,]
[And on a Palfrey rydes
more white ][1590.bk3.III.v.5.6. ][then][: than]
[then][than][ snow,]
[Yet she her selfe is whiter manifold:]
[The surest signe, whereby
ye may her know,]
[Is, that she is the fairest wight ]
[aliue][alive][, I ][trow][.]
[6]
Now certes swaine (saide he) such one I
weene,
Fast flying through this forest from her fo,
A foule ill
fauoured
favoured
foster, I
haue
have
seene;
Her selfe, well as I might, I reskewd [tho],
But could not stay; so fast she did [foregoe]
[Perdy me
leuer
lever
were to weeten that,]
(Saide he) 1590.bk3.III.v.7.2. then: than
then
than
ransome of the richest knight,
Or all the good that
euer
ever
yet I gat:
But [froward fortune, and too
forward] Night
Such happinesse did, [maulgre], to me spight,
And fro me reft both life and light [attone].
But Dwarfe aread, what is that Lady bright,
That through this forrest wandreth thus alone;
For of her [errour
straunge]
That Ladie is (quoth he) where so she bee,
The [bountiest] virgin, and
most
[debonaire]
[dkbonaire][debonaire][eye I weene] did see;
Liues
Lives
none this day, that may with her compare
In stedfast chastitie and vertue rare,
The goodly ornaments of beautie bright;
[And is ycleped ][Florimell][ the fayre,]
[Faire ][Florimell]
[belou’d][belov’d][of many][of a many][ a knight,]
[Yet she ]
[loues][loves][ none but one, that ][Marinell][ is hight.]
[9]
[A
Sea-nymphes sonne, that ][Marinell][ is hight,]
[Of my deare Dame is ]
[loued][loved][ dearely well;]
[In other none, but him, she sets delight,]
[All her delight is set on ][Marinell][;]
But he sets nought at all by Florimell:
[For Ladies ]
[loue][love][ his mother long ygoe]
[Did him, they say, forwarne through sacred spell.]
[But fame now flies, that of a
forreine foe]
[He is
yslaine, which is the ground of all our woe.]
[10]
[Fiue][Five][ daies there be, since he (they say) was slaine,]
[And fowre, since ][Florimell][ the Court forwent,]
And vowed
neuer
never
to returne againe,
Till him
aliue
alive
or dead she did [
inuent
invent
][good counsell, or bold
hardiment],
Or succour her, or me direct the way,
Do one, or other good, I you most humbly
pray.
[11]
So may
ye
you
gaine to you full great renowme,
Of all good Ladies through the world so wide,
[And haply in her hart
finde highest ][rowme][,]
[Of whom ye seeke to be most ][magnifide][:]
[At least eternall meede]
shall you abide.
To whom the Prince; Dwarfe, comfort to thee take,
For till thou tidings learne, what her betide,
I here
auow
avow
thee
neuer
never
to forsake.
Ill weares he armes, that [nill] them
vse
use
for Ladies sake.
[12]
[So with the Dwarfe he backe retourn’d againe,]
[To seeke his Lady, where he mote her finde;]
[But by the way he greatly
gan complaine]
[The want of his good Squire late left behinde,]
[For whom he wondrous ]
[pensiue][pensive][ grew in minde,]
[For ]
[doubt]
[douht][ of daunger, which mote him betide;]
[For him he ]
[loued][loved][aboue][above][ all mankinde,]
Hauing
Having
him trew and
faithfull
faithfall
euer
ever
[tride],
And bold, as
euer
ever
Squyre that waited by knights side.
[13]
Who all this while full hardly was [assayd]
[Of] deadly daunger, which
to him betidd;
For whiles his Lord pursewd that noble Mayd,
[After that foster fowle
he fiercely ridd,]
[To bene ]
[auenged][avenged][ of the shame, he did]
[To that faire Damzell: Him he chaced long]
[Through the thicke woods, wherein he would ]
[haue][have][(][hid]
[His shamefull head from his ]
[auengement][avengement][ strong,]
[And oft him threatned death for his
outrageous wrong.]
466
The third Booke of
Cant. V.
By
[14]
Nathlesse the villein sped himselfe so
well,
Whether through swiftnesse of his speedie
beast;
beast,
Or knowledge of those woods, where he did dwell,
That shortly he from daunger was releast,
[And out of sight escaped
][at the least][;]
[Yet not escaped from the dew reward]
Of his bad deedes, which daily he increast,
Ne ceased not, till him oppressed hard
The
heauie
heavie
plague, that for such leachours is prepard.
[15]
For soone as he was vanisht out of sight,
His coward courage gan emboldned bee,
And [cast] t’
auenge
avenge
him of that fowle despight,
Which he had borne of his bold enimee.
[Tho to his brethren came:
for they were three]
[Vngratious][Ungratious][ children of one gracelesse syre,]
And
vnto
unto
them complayned, how that he
Had
vsed
used
beene of that foolehardie Squyre;
So them with bitter words he stird to bloodie
yre.
[16]
[Forthwith]
themselues
themselves
with their [sad] instruments
Of spoyle and murder they gan arme [
byliue
bylive
],
And with him foorth into the forrest went,
To wreake the wrath, which he did earst
reuiue
revive
In their sterne brests, on him which late did
driue
drive
Their brother to reproch and shamefull flight:
For they had vow’d, that
neuer
never
he
aliue
alive
Out of that forest should escape their might;
Vile rancour their rude harts had fild with
such
deſpight.
despight.
deſpight
despight
[17]
[Within] that wood there was a
couert
covert
glade,
[Foreby a narrow foord, to
them well knowne,]
[Through which it was ][
][vneath][uneath][ for wight to ]
[wade][
][VVade][Wade]
[made][,]
[And now by fortune] it was
ouerflowne
overflowne
:
467
the Faery Queene.
Cant. V.
At
Gg 3
[By that same way they
knew that Squyre ]
[vnknowne][unknowne][Mote ][algates][ passe; ][for thy][themselues][themselves][ they set]
There in await, with thicke woods
ouer
over
growne,
And all the while their malice they did whet
With cruell threats, his passage through the
ford to [let].
[18]
[It] fortuned, as they
deuized
devized
had,
The gentle Squyre came ryding that same way,
Vnweeting
Unweeting
of their wile and treason bad,
And through the ford to passen did assay;
But that fierce foster, which late fled away,
Stoutly foorth stepping on the further shore,
Him boldly bad his passage there to stay,
Till he had made amends, and full [restore]
For all the damage, which he had him doen
afore.
[19]
With that at him a
quiu’ring
quiv’ring
dart he threw,
[With so fell force and
villeinous despite,]
That through his [
haberieon
habericon
haberieon
][forkehead] flew,
And through the linked mayles empierced quite,
But had
no
now
powre in his soft flesh to bite:
That stroke the hardy Squire did sore displease,
[But more that him he could not
come to smite;]
For by no meanes the high banke he could [sease][disease].
[20]
And still the foster with his long [bore-speare]
Him kept from landing at his wished
will,
will;
Anone one sent out of the thicket neare
A cruell shaft, headed with deadly ill,
And fethered with an
vnlucky
unlucky
quill;
The wicked steele stayd not, till it did light
[In his left thigh, and deepely
did it ][thrill]:
Exceeding griefe that wound in him [empight],
[But
more that with his foes he could not come to fight.]
468
The third Booke of
Cant.V.
Through
[21]
[At
last through wrath and vengeaunce making way,]
He on the bancke
arryud
arryvd
with [mickle] payne,
Where the third brother him did sore assay,
And drove at him with all his might and mayne
A [forest bill], which both
his hands did [strayne],
But warily he did
auoide
avoide
the blow,
And with his speare requited him agayne,
That both his sides were [thrilled with the throw],
And a large streame of
bloud
flood
out of the wound did flow.
[22]
[He tombling downe, with gnashing teeth did bite]
[The bitter earth, and bad to lett him in]
Into the balefull house of endlesse night,
Where wicked ghosts doe waile their former sin.
Tho gan the battaile freshly to begin;
For nathemore for that [spectacle] bad,
Did th’other two their cruell vengeaunce [blin],
But both attonce on both sides him bestad,
And load
vpon
upon
him layd, his life for to
haue
have
had.
[23]
Tho when that villayn he [
auiz’d
aviz’d
], which late
Affrighted had the fairest Florimell,
Full of fiers fury, and indignant hate,
To him he turned, and with rigor fell
Smote him so rudely on the [Pannikell],
That to the chin he clefte his head in twaine:
Downe on the ground his carkas
groueling
groveling
fell;
His sinfull sowle with desperate disdaine,
Out of her fleshly [ferme]
[That
seeing now the only last of three,]
Who with that wicked shafte him wounded had,
Trembling with horror, [as
that] did foresee
The fearefull end of his
auengement
avengement
sad,
469
the Faery Queene.
Cant. V.
Shee
Gg 4
Through which he follow should his brethren bad,
His bootelesse bow in feeble hand
vpcaught
upcaught
,
And therewith shott an arrow at the lad;
Which fayntly fluttring, scarce his helmet [raught],
And glauncing fel to ground, but him annoyed
naught.
[25]
With that he would
haue
have
fled into the wood;
But Timias him
lightly [
ouerhent
overhent
],
Right as he entring was into the flood,
And strooke at him with force so violent,
That headlesse him into the foord he sent:
The carcas with the streame was carried downe,
But th’head fell backeward on the [Continent].
[So mischief fel
vpon
upon
the meaners crowne;]
They three be dead with shame, the Squire
liues
lives
with (renowne.
[26]
He
liues
lives
, but takes small
ioy
joy
of his renowne;
For of that cruell wound he bled so sore,
That from his steed he fell in deadly swowne;
Yet still the blood forth gusht in so great store,
[That he lay wallowd all in his
owne gore.]
Now God thee keepe, thou gentlest squire
aliue
alive
,
Els shall thy
louing
loving
Lord thee see no more,
But both of comfort him thou shalt
depriue
deprive
,
And eke thy selfe of honor, which thou didst
atchiue
atchive
.
[27]
[
Prouidence
Providence
]
heuenly
hevenly
passeth
liuing
living
thought,[For loe great grace or fortune
thether brought]
Comfort to him, that comfortlesse now lay.
[In those same woods, ye
well remember may,]
[How that a noble hunteresse did wonne,]
[Shee, that base ][Braggadochio][ did affray,]
[And made him fast out of the forest ronne;]
[Belphœbe][ was her name, as faire as
]
[Phoebus][Phæbus][Phœbus][ sunne.]
470
The third Booke of
Cant. V.
Shee
[28]
[She] on a day, as shee pursewd the chace
Of some wilde beast, which with her arrowes keene
She wounded had, the same along did trace
By tract of blood, which she had freshly seene,
To
haue
have
besprinckled all the grassy greene,
By [the great persue],
which she there
perceau’d
perceav’d
,
Well hoped shee
the
rhe
the
beast [engor’d] had beene,
And made more haste, the life to
haue
have
bereav’d:
But ah,
her
het
her
expectation greatly was
deceau’d
deceav’d
.
[29]
Shortly she came, whereas that woefull
Squire
With blood
[deformed]
[deforwed][deformed][humor] stood
congealed rownd;
His locks, like faded
leaues
leaves
fallen to grownd,
Knotted with blood, in bounches rudely ran,
And his sweete lips, on which before that [stownd]
The bud of youth to blossome faire began,
Spoild of their rosy red, were woxen pale and
wan.
[30]
[Saw]
neuer
never
liuing
living
eie more
heauy
heavy
sight,
That could
haue
have
made a rocke of stone to rew,
Or
riue
rive
in twaine: which when that Lady bright
[Besides all hope][Full of ]
[
][ſoft][soft]
[
][ſofe][sofe]
[
][ſof⁀t][soft]
[ passion and ]
[vnwonted][unwonted][ smart:]
[The point of pitty perced through her tender
hart.]
[31]
Meekely shee bowed downe, to weete if
life
Yett in his frosen members did remaine,
And feeling by his pulses beating rife,
That the weake sowle her seat did yett retaine,
471
the Faery Queene.
Cant. V.
Mercy
She [cast] to comfort him
with busy paine:
His double folded necke she reard
vpright
upright
,
And rubd his temples, and each trembling vaine;
His mayled
[habericon]
[haberieon][haberieon][habericon][burganet] did light.
[32]
[Into] the woods thenceforth in haste shee went,
To seeke for hearbes, that mote him remedy;
For shee of herbes had great [intendiment],
Taught of the Nymphe, which from her infancy
Her nourced had in trew Nobility:
[There, whether yt ]
[diuine][divine]Tobacco[
were,]
[Or ]Panachæa[,][ or
]Polygony[,]
Shee fownd, and brought it to her patient deare
Who al this while lay
bleding
bleeding
out his hart-blood neare.
[33]
The [
soueraine
soveraine
] weede betwixt two [marbles
plaine]
Shee pownded small, and did in
peeces
peeees
[bruze],
And then atweene her lilly handes twaine,
Into his wound the
iuice
juice
thereof did [scruze][well it
vze
uze
],
The flesh therewith shee [suppled and did steepe],
T’abate all spasme, and soke the swelling bruze,
And after
hauing
having
searcht the [intuse] deepe,
She with her scarf did bind the
woũd
wound
frõ
from
cold to keepe.
[34]
By this he had sweet life [recur’d] agayne,
[And groning inly deepe,
at last his eies,]
[His watry eies, drizling like
deawy rayne,][He ]
[vp][up][ gan lifte toward the azure skies,]
[From whence descend all ][hopelesse remedies][:]
[Therewith he sigh’d, and turning him aside,]
[The goodly Maide ful of ]
[diuinities][divinities][,]
[And gifts of ]
[heauenly][heavenly][ grace he by him spide,]
Her bow and [gilden]
quiuer
quiver
lying him beside.
472
The third Booke of
Cant. V.
And
[35]
Mercy deare Lord (said he) what grace is
this,
That thou hast shewed to me sinfull wight,
To send thine Angell from her bowre of blis,
To comfort me in my distressed plight?
[Angell, or Goddesse doe I call
thee right?]
What
seruice
service
may I doe
vnto
unto
thee meete,
[That hast from darkenes me
returnd to light,]
And with thy
heuenly
hevenly
salues
salves
and med’cines sweete,
Hast drest my [sinfull wounds]? I kisse thy blessed
feete.
[36]
Thereat she blushing said, Ah gentle
Squire,
Nor Goddesse I, nor Angell, but the Mayd,
And daughter of a [woody
Nymphe], desire
No
seruice
service
, but thy [safety] and ayd,
Which if thou gaine, I shalbe well apayd.
Wee mortall wights, whose
liues
lives
and fortunes bee
To commun accidents stil open layd,
Are bownd with commun bond of fraïltee,
To succor wretched wights, whom we
captiued
captived
see.
[37]
By this her Damzells, which the [former chace]
[Had ]
[vndertaken][undertaken][ after her],
arryu’d
arryv’d
,
As did Belphœbe, in the bloody place,
And thereby deemd the beast had bene
depriu’d
depriv’d
Of life, whom late their ladies arrow [
ryu’d
ryv’d
]:
For thy the bloody tract they
followd
follow
fast,
And
euery
every
one to ronne the swiftest
stryu’d
stryv’d
;
But two of them the rest far
ouerpast
overpast
,
And where their Lady was,
arriued
arrived
at the last.
[38]
Where when they saw that goodly [boy],
with
wlth
blood
Defowled, and their Lady dresse his wownd,
They wondred much, and shortly
vnderstood
understood
,
How him in deadly case theyr Lady fownd,
473
the Faery Queene.
Cant. V.
O foo-
And reskewed out of the
heauy
heavy
stownd.
Eftsoones his warlike courser, which was strayd
Farre in the woodes, whiles that he lay in swownd,
She made those Damzels search, which being stayd,
They did him set theron, and forth with them
conuayd
convayd
.
[39]
[Into] that forest farre they thence him led,
Where was their dwelling, in a pleasant glade,
With mountaines rownd about
enuironed
environed
,
And mightie woodes, which did the valley shade,
And like a stately Theatre it made,
Spreading it selfe into a spatious plaine.
And in the midst a little
riuer
river
plaide
[Emongst the ][pumy][ stones, which seemd to plaine]
[With ]
[gẽtle][gentle][murmure][mnrmure][murmure][, that ]
[his][their][ cours they did restraine].
[40]
Beside the same a dainty place there lay,
[Planted with mirtle trees and
laurells greene,]
[In which the birds song
many a ]
[louely][lovely][ lay]
[Of gods high praise, and of their ]
[
][ſweet loues][ſweet loves][sweet loues][sweet loves]
[
][loues ſweet][loves ſweet][loues sweet][loves sweet]
[ teene],
As it an earthly Paradize had beene:
In whose enclosed shadow there was pight
A faire
Pauilion
Pavilion
, scarcely to be seene,
The which was al within most richly dight,
That greatest Princes
[liking]
[
][liuing][living]
it mote well delight.
[41]
Thether they brought that wounded Squyre, and
layd
In easie couch his feeble limbes to
reſ⁀t,
rest,
reſ⁀t
rest
He rested him a while, and then the Mayd
His [readie wound] with
better
salues
salves
new
dreſ⁀t,
drest,
dreſ⁀t
drest
Daily she dressed him, and did the best
His
grieuous
grievous
hurt to [guarish], that she
might,
That shortly she his [dolour] hath [redrest][reduced] to faire plight:
It she reduced, but himselfe destroyed
quight.
474
The third Booke of
Cant. V.
To
[42]
[O] foolish physick, and
vnfruitfull
unfruitfull
paine,
That heales
vp
up
one and makes another wound:
She his hurt thigh to him recurd againe,
But hurt his hart, the which before was sound,
Through an
vnwary
unwary
dart, which did rebownd
From her faire eyes and gratious countenaunce.
What bootes it him from death to be
vnbownd
unbownd
,
To be
captiued
captived
in endlesse [duraunce]
Of sorrow and despeyre without [aleggeaunce]
[Still
as his wound did gather, and grow hole,]
So still his hart woxe sore, and health decayd:
Madnesse to
saue
save
a part, and lose the whole.
Still whenas he beheld the
heauenly
heavenly
Mayd,
Whiles dayly [playsters] to
his wownd she layd,
So still his Malady the more increast,
The whiles her matchlesse beautie him dismayd.
Ah God, what other could he doe at least,
But
loue
love
so fayre a Lady, that his life [releast]?
[44]
Long while he
stroue
strove
in his corageous brest,
[With reason dew the passion to
subdew,]
And
loue
love
for to dislodge out of his nest:
Still when her excellencies he did vew,
Her [
soueraine
soveraine
bountie], and [celestiall hew],
The same to
loue
love
he strongly was [constraynd]:
But when his meane estate he did
reuew
revew
renew
,
He from such hardy boldnesse was restraynd,
And of his lucklesse lott and cruell
loue
love
thus playnd.
[45]
[
Vnthankfull
Unthankfull
][
souerain
soverain
mercy] thou doest [quight]?
Thy life she
saued
saved
by her gratious deed,
But thou doest weene with villeinous despight,
475
the Faery Queene.
Cant.V.
Which
To blott her honour, and her
heauenly
heavenly
light.
Dye rather, dye, 1590.bk3.III.v.45.6. then: than
then
than
so disloyally
Deeme of her high desert, or seeme so light:
Fayre death it is to shonne more shame, to dy:
Dye rather, dy, 1590.bk3.III.v.45.9. then: than
then
than
euer
ever
loue
love
disloyally.
[46]
But if to
loue
love
disloyalty it bee,
Shall I then hate her, that from [deathes] dore
[Me brought? ah farre be
such reproch fro mee.]
[What can I lesse doe, ][1590.bk3.III.v.46.4. ][then][: than]
[then][than][ her ]
[loue][love][ therefore,]
Sith I her dew reward cannot restore:
[Dye rather, dye, and
dying doe her ]
[serue][serve][,]
[Dying her ]
[serue][serve][, and ]
[liuing][living][ her adore;]
[Thy life she ]
[gaue][gave][, thy life she doth ]
[deserue][deserve][:]
[Dye rather, dye, ][1590.bk3.III.v.46.9. ][then][: than]
[then][than][euer][ever][ from her ]
[seruice][service][swerue][swerve]
But foolish boy, what bootes thy
seruice
service
bace
To her, to whom the
heuens
hevens
doe
serue
serve
and sew?
Thou a meane Squyre, of meeke and lowly place,
She
heuenly
hevenly
borne, and of celestiall hew.
How then? of all
loue
love
taketh equall vew:
And doth not highest God vouchsafe to take
The
loue
love
and
seruice
service
of the basest crew?
If she will not, dye meekly for her sake;
Dye rather, dye, 1590.bk3.III.v.47.9. then: than
then
than
euer
ever
so faire
loue
love
forsake.
[48]
Thus [warreid][against his will],
Till that through weaknesse he was forst at last,
To yield himselfe
vnto
unto
the mightie ill:
Which as a victour proud, gan ransack fast
His inward partes, and all his entrayles wast,
That neither blood in face, nor life in hart
It left, but both did quite drye
vp
up
, and [blast];
As percing [
leuin
levin
], which the inner part
Of
euery
every
thing consumes, and [calcineth by
art].
476
The third Booke of
Cant. V.
And
[49]
Which seeing fayre Belphoebe, gan to feare,
Least that his wound were inly well not heald,
Or that the wicked steele empoysned were:
Litle shee weend, that
loue
love
he close conceald;
[Yet still he wasted, as
the snow congeald,]
[When the bright sunne his beams theron doth beat;]
Yet
neuer
never
he his hart to her
reueald
reveald
,
But rather chose to dye for sorow great,
1590.bk3.III.v.49.9. Then: Than
Then
Than
with dishonorable termes her to entreat.
[50]
She gracious Lady, yet no paines did
spare,
To doe him ease, or doe
him remedy
hiɯ remedy
him remedy
him remedie
:
Many
Restoratiues
Restoratives
of vertues rare,
And costly [Cordialles she
did apply,]
[To mitigate his stubborne malady:]
[But that sweet Cordiall],
which can restore
A
loue
love
-sick hart, she did to him [
enuy
envy
];
To him, and to all th’
vnworthy
unworthy
world forlore
She did
enuy
envy
[that
soueraine
soveraine
salue
salve
], in secret store.
[51]
[That] daintie Rose, the daughter of her Morne,
More deare 1590.bk3.III.v.51.2. then: than
then
than
life she tendered, whose flowre
The girlond of her honour did adorne:
Ne suffred she the Middayes scorching powre,
Ne the sharp Northerne wind thereon to showre,
But lapped
vp
up
her silken
leaues
leaves
most chayre,
When so the froward skye began to lowre;
But soone as calmed was the christall ayre,
She did it fayre dispred, and let to florish
fayre.
[52]
[Eternall] God in his almightie powre,
To make ensample of his
heauenly
heavenly
grace,
In Paradize whylome did plant this flowre;
Whence he it fetcht out of her
natiue
native
place,
477
the Faerie Queene.
Cant. V.
Cant.
And did in stocke of earthly flesh [enrace],
That mortall men her glory should
admire:
admyre
admire
In gentle Ladies breste, and bounteous race
Of woman kind it fayrest flowre doth [spyre],
And beareth fruit of honour and all chast
desyre.
[53]
[Fayre
ympes of beautie, whose bright shining beames]
Adorne the world with like to
heauenly
heavenly
light,
And to your willes both royalties and
[Reames]
[Realmes]
[To youre faire
selues
selves
a faire ensample frame,]
Of this faire virgin, this Belphebe fayre,
To whom in perfect
loue
love
, and spotlesse fame
Of chastitie, none
liuing
living
may compayre:
Ne poysnous [
Enuy
Envy
]
iustly
justly
can empayre
The prayse of her fresh flowring Maydenhead;
For thy she standeth on the highest stayre
Of th’honorable stage of womanhead,
That Ladies all may follow [her ensample dead].
[55]
In so great [prayse] of stedfast chastity,
Nathlesse she was so courteous and kynde,
Tempred with grace, and goodly modesty,
That seemed [those two
vertues]
stroue
strove
to fynd
The higher place in her Heroick mynd:
[So ]
[striuing][striving][ each did other more augment,]
[And both ][encreast][ the
prayse of woman kynde,]
[And both encreast her beautie excellent;]
[So all did make in her a perfect ][
][complement.][complement;]
Gg8v