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That cunning artist, that old Greece admir'd,
Thus farre his Venus fitly portrayed,
But there he left, nor farther ere aspir'd;
His dædale hand, that Nature perfected
By Arte, felt Arte by Nature limitted.
Ah! well he knew, though his fit hand could give
Breath to dead colours, teaching marble live,
Yet would these lively parts his hand of skill deprive.

Such when this gentle boy her closly view'd,
Onely with thinnest silken vaile o'er-layd,
Whose snowy colour much more snowy shew'd
By being next that skin, and all betray'd,
Which best in naked beauties are array'd,
His spirits, melted with so glorious sight,
Ran from their worke to see so splendid light,
And left the fainting limbes sweet slumbring in de-
light.

BRITTAIN'S IDA. CANTO IV.

THE ARGUMENT.

The swonding swaine recovered is
By th' goddesse; his soule-rapting blisse:
Their mutual conference, and how
Her service she doth him allow.

SOFT-SLEEPING Venus, waked with the fall,
Looking behind, the sinking boy espies;
With all she starts, and wondereth withall;
She thinks that there her faire Adonis dyes,
And more she thinkes the more the boy she eyes:
So, stepping neerer, up begins to feare him;
And now with Love himselfe she will confer him,
And now before her Love himselfe she will prefer him.

The lad, soone with that dainty touch reviv'd,
Feeling himselfe so well, so sweetly seated,
Begins to doubt whether he yet here liv'd,
Or else his flitting soul, to Heav'n translated,
Was there in starry throne and blisse instated;
Oft would he dye, so to be often saved;
And now with happy wish he closly craved
For ever to be dead, to be so sweet ingraved.

The Paphian princesse (in whose lovely breast
Spiteful Disdaine could never find a place)
When now she saw him from his fit releast,
(To Juno leaving wrath and scolding base)
Comforts the trembling boy with smiling grace:
But oh! those smiles (too full of sweete delight)
Surfeit his heart, full of the former sight;
So, seeking to revive, more wounds his feeble sprite.

"Tell me, fair boy!" sayd she, "what erring chance Hither directed thy unwary pace?

For sure Contempt or Pride durst not advance
Their foule aspéct in thy so pleasant face:
Tell me, what brought thee to this hidden place?
Or lacke of love, or mutuall answering fire?
Or hindred by ill chance in thy desire?

The boy, (whose sence was never yet acquainted
With such a musique) stood with eares arected,
And, sweetly with that pleasant spell enchanted,
More of those sugred straines long time expected;
Till seeing she his speeches not reiected,
First sighes arising from his heart's low center,
Thus gan reply, when each word bold would venter,
And strive the first that dainty labyrinth to enter.

"Fair Cyprian queene, (for well that heavenly face
Prooves thee the mother of all-conquering Love)
Pardon, I pray thee, my unweeting pace;
For no presumptuous thoughts did hither moove
My daring feete to this thy holy grove;

But lucklesse chance (which, if you not gaine-say,
I still must rue) hath caus'd me here to stray,
And lose my selfe (alas !) in losing of my way.

"Nor did I come to right my wronged fire;
Never till now I saw what ought be loved;
And now I see, but never dare aspire
To moove my hope, where yet my love is mooved;
Whence though I would, I would it not remooved;
Only since I have plac't my love so high,
Which sure thou must, or sure thou wilt, deny,
Grant me yet still to love, though in my love to dye."

But shee that in his eyes Loves face had seen,
And flaming heart, did not such suite disdaine,
(For cruelty fits not sweete Beauties queene)
But gently could his passion entertain,
Though she Loves princesse, he a lowly swain :
First of his bold intrusion she acquites him,
Then to her service (happy boy !) admits him,
And, like another Love, with bow and quiver fits him.

And now with all the Loves he grey acquainted,
And Cupids selfe, with his like face delighted,
Taught him a hundred wayes with which he daunted
The prouder hearts, and wronged lovers righted,
Forcing to love that most his love despited:
And now the practique boy did so approve him,
And with such grace and cunning arte did moove
him,
[him,

That all the pritty Loves and all the Graces love

BRITTAIN'S IDA. CANTO V.

THE ARGUMENT.

The lovers sad despairing plaints Bright Venus with his love acquaints; Sweetly importun'd, he doth show From whom proceedeth this his woe.

YET never durst his faint and coward heart
(Ah, foole! faint heart faire lady ne're could win!)
Assaile faire Venus with his new-learnt arte,
But kept his love and burning flame within,
Which more flam'd out, the more he prest it in ;
And thinking oft how iust shee might disdaine him,
While some cool mirtle shade did entertaine him,

Tell me, what ist thy faire and wishing eyes re- Thus sighing would he sit, and sadly would he

quire ?"

plain him:

"Ah, fond and haplesse boy! nor know I whether | But if you wish more truely limb'd to eye her,
More fond or haplesse more, that all so high
Than fainting speech or words can well descry her,
Hast plac't thy heart, where love and fate together Look in a glasse, and there more perfect you may
May never hope to end thy misery,
spy her."
Nor yet thy self dare wish a remedy:
All hindrances (alas!) conspire to let it;
Ah, fond, and hapless boy! if canst not get it!

In thinking to forget, at length learne to forget it.

"Ah, farre too fond, but much more haplesse swaine!
Seeing thy love can be forgetten never,
Serve and observe thy love with willing paine;
And though in vaine thy love thou doe persever,
Yet all in vaine doe thou adore her ever.

No hope can crowne thy thoughts so farre aspiring,
Nor dares thy selfe desire thine owne desiring,
Yet live thou in her love, and dye in her admiring."

Thus oft the hopelesse boy complayning lyes;
But she, that well could guesse his sad lamenting,
(Who can conceal love from Loves mothers eyes?)
Did not disdaine to give his love contenting;
Cruel the soule that feeds on soules tormenting:
Nor did she scorne him, though not nobly borne,
(Love is nobility) nor could she scorne
That with so noble skill her title did adorne.

One day it chanc't, thrice happy day and chance!
While Loves were with the Graces sweetly sporting,
And to fresh musique sounding play and dance,
And Cupids selfe, with shepheards boyes consorting,
Laugh'd at their pritty sport and simple courting,
Faire Venus seats the fearfull boy close by her,
Where never Phoebus jealous lookes might eye her,
And bids the boy his mistris and her name descry her.

Long time the youth bound up in silence stood,
While hope and feare with hundred thoughts begun
Fit prologue to his speech; and fearefull blood
From heart and face with these post-tydings runne,
That eyther now he 's made, or now undon;
At length his trembling words, with feare made
Began bis too long silence thus to breake, [weake,
While from his humble eies first reverence seem'd
to speake.

Faire queene of love! my life thou maist command,
Too slender price for all thy former grace,
Which I receive at thy so bounteous hand;
But never dare I speak her name and face;
My life is much lesse-priz'd than her disgrace:
And, for I know if I her name relate
I purchase anger, I must hide her state,
Unlesse thou sweare by Stix I purchase not her hate."

Faire Venus well perceiv'd his subtile shift,
And, swearing gentle patience, gently smil'd,
While thus the boy persu'd his former drift:
"No tongue was ever yet so sweetly skil'd,
Nor greatest orator so highly stil'd,

Though helpt with all the choicest artes direction,
But when he durst describe her Heaven's perfection,
By his imperfect praise disprais'd his imperfection.

"Her forme is as her selfe, perfect cœlestriall, No mortall spot her heavenly frame disgraces: Beyond compare such nothing is terrestrial? More sweete than thought or pow'rfull wish embraces;

The map of Heaven, the summe of all her graces :

BRITTAIN'S IDA.

CANTO VI.

THE ARGUMENT.

The boyes short wish, her larger grant,
That doth his soule with blisse enchant;
Whereof impatient uttering all,
Inraged Jove contrives his thrall.

"THY crafty arte," reply'd the smiling queene,
"Hath well my chiding and not rage prevented,
Yet might'st thou thinke that yet 'twas never seene
That angry rage and gentle love consented;
But if to me thy true love is presented,
What wages for thy service must I owe thee?
For by the selfe-same vow I here avow thee,
Whatever thou require I frankly will allow thee."
"Pardon," replies the boy," for so affecting
Beyond mortallity, and not discarding
Thy service, was much more than my expecting;
But if thou (more thy bounty-hood regarding)
Wilt needs heap up reward upon rewarding,
Thy love I dare not aske, or mutual fixing,
One kisse is all my love and prides aspiring, [ing."
And after starve my heart, for my too much desir-
"Fond boy!" sayd she, "too fond, that askt no more;
Thy want by taking is no whit decreased,
And giving spends not our increasing store:"-
Thus with a kisse his lips she sweetly pressed;
Most blessed kisse! but hope more than most blessed.
The boy did thinke Heaven fell while thus he ioy'd,
And while ioy he so greedily enjoy'd,

He felt not halfe his ioy by being over-ioy'd.

"Why sighst? faire boy!" sayd she, “dost thou repent thee

Thy narrow wish in such straight bonds to stay?" "Well may I sigh," sayd he, " and well lament me, That never such a debt may hope to pay." "A kisse," sayd she," a kisse will back repay." "Wilt thou," reply'd the boy, too much delighted, Content thee with such pay to be requited?" She grants; and he his lips, heart, soule, to payment cited.

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Look as a ward, long from his lands detain'd,、
And subiect to his guardians cruel lore,
Now spends the more, the more he was restrain'd;
So he; yet though in laying out his store
He doubly takes, yet finds himself grow poore;
With that he markes, and tels her out a score,
And doubles them, and trebles all before.
Fond boy! the more thou paist, thy debt still grows

the more.

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GLOSSARY

ΤΟ

SPENSER'S WORKS.

431

ABEARE, bear, demean, behave.

Aboord, from the bank.

Abord, across, from shore to shore.

Abraid, awaked.

Abrayd, awake.

Alablaster, the usual old spelling of alabaster. Albee, whether.

Albion, England, so called from the white rocks. Alegge, to lessen, or assuage.

Aleggeaunce, alleviation.

Abus, the Humber, in Yorkshire, from the British Alew, howling, lamentation.

Aber, the mouth of a river.

Aby, abide.

Abye, endure, or suffer.

Accloieth, encumbreth.

Accloyes, chokes, or clogs up.

Accoid, plucked down, daunted.
Account, tell over, number.
According, granting.

Accoyed, daunted, same as Accoied, above; or, in Faerie Queene, b. iv. canto viii. p. 277, caressed, made much of.

Accoyld, stood around, coiled up, or gathered together.

Accrewed, increased, united.

Algates, wholly, altogether, by all means.

All, sometimes for altogether, entirely; sometimes

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Amate, subdue, or daunt.
Amated, perplexed.
Amenage, manage, carriage.

Achates, provisions, from the old French achet, a Amenaunce, carriage, behaviour, conduct.

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Amis, a kind of garment.
Amoves, moves.

Angle, or corner.

An houre, any while.
Annoy, hurt.

Antickes, buffoons.

Appeach, impeach, accuse, censure.
Appeached, impeached, censured.

Appele, to pronounce, or repeat, or to accuse.
Appellation, appeal.

Apply, mind, or observe.

Arayd, apparelled, or dressed.

Arere, backward.

Arew, in a row, together.

Armericke, Bretagne in France, formerly called Ar

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Aghast, frequently used both as a verb and participle. Assot, stupefied.

Aglets, points, or tags of lace.

Agraste, grace and favour.

Agreeably, alike, like each other.

Aguisd, accoutred, or dressed.

Assotte, to doat.

Assoyle, liberate, or set free, or to determine. Asturt, to befall unawares.

At dore, near at hand.

Aguize, to deck, or adorn.

At earst, lately.

At one chup, at once.

At randon, for random, without direction.

mised, commanded, reckoned, esteemed, spoke, adjudged.

Atone, or Attone, friends again, at one, atoned or Bel-accoyle, kind salutation and reception.

reconciled.

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Belamour, lover.

Belamoure, lover. Belamy, fair friend.

Belay, to attack; or, according to Johnson, to place

in ambush.

Belay'd, laid over, or decorated.

Belgardes, sweet, or beautiful looks.
Belive, quickly.

Belt, a girdle, or waste band.
Bend, a band, or knot.
Benempte, named.
Bent, levelled.

Bents, rushes, bent-grass.
Besides, sometimes for near.
Besits, or Befits, becomes.

Besprint, besprinkled.

Best, sometimes, first in precedence.

Bestad, or Bestadde, disposed, ordered.

Betake, sometimes for commit, or deliver to.

Beteeme, give, deliver.

Betight, happened.

Betooke, delivered, or committed.

Bell, better.

Bevie, or Bevy, company.

Bewaile, sometimes to make choice of, to select. Beyond, at some distance.

Bickerment, contention, strife.

Bace, low; or, bid the bace, a phrase in the sport Bide, bid.

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Blist, wounded.

Blive, presently.

Blonket liveries, gray coats.

Blont, stupid, or unpolished.

Barbican, a watch tower, or fortification for the de- Bloosme delight, bloom delight.

fence of gates.

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