LV.

"Which when the vile Enchaunteresse perceiv'd,
How that my lord from her I would reprive,
With cup thus charmd him parting she deceivd;
'Sad Verse, give death to him that death does give,
And losse of love to her that loves to live,

So soone as Bacchus with the Nymphe does lincke!'
So parted we, and on our iourney drive;

Till, coming to this well, he stoupt to drincke:

The charme fulfild, dead suddeinly he downe did sincke.

"Which when I, wretch"

LVI.

Not one word more she sayd,

But breaking off the end for want of breath,
And slyding soft, as downe to sleepe her layd,
And ended all her woe in quiet death.

That seeing, good Sir Guyon could uneath1

From teares abstayne; for griefe his hart did grate,2
And from so heavie sight his head did wreath,3

1 Uneath, scarcely.

2 Grate, sorrow.

3 Wreath, turn.

LV. 4.- Sad Verse, &c.] The Enchantress gives him a cup containing wine, repeating a spell at the same time,—

"Sad Verse, [or fatal spell,] give death to him that death does give," (that is, to the knight whose valor is fatal to his foes,)

"And losse of love to her that loves to live."

I would suggest a transposition of these last words, so that the line shall read

'Loss of love to her that lives to love,'

that is, to Amavia, whose heart is so entirely occupied with love for her husband. Perhaps, however, Spenser intends a poor pun on Amavia's name -qui aime la vie.

LV. 6. So soone as Bacchus, &c.] So soon as this wine shall be mixed with water. In the fate of Sir Mordant, Spenser warns against the evils of intemperance in drink, and, in the peculiar manner of his death, perhaps alludes to the dangerous consequences to the health which are supposed to ensue upon an abrupt abandonment of intemperate habits.

Accusing fortune, and too cruell fate,

Which plonged had faire Lady in so wretched state.

LVII.

Then, turning to his Palmer, said; "Old syre,

Behold the ymage of mortalitie,

And feeble nature cloth'd with fleshly tyre 1!
When raging Passion with fierce tyranny
Robs Reason of her dew regalitie,

And makes it servaunt to her basest part;
The strong it weakens with infirmitie,

And with bold furie armes the weakest hart:

The strong through pleasure soonest falles, the weake through smart."

LVIII.

"But Temperaunce," said he, "with golden squire
Betwixt them both can measure out a meane;
Nether to melt in pleasures whott 3 desyre,
Nor frye in hartlesse griefe and dolefull tene1:
Thrise happy man, who fares them both atweene!
But sith 5 this wretched woman overcome
Of anguish, rather then of crime, hath bene,
Reserve her cause to her eternall doome;

6

And, in the meane, vouchsafe her honorable toombe."

LIX.

"Palmer," quoth he, "death is an equall doome To good and bad, the common In of rest;

1 Tyre, dress.

2 Squire, square or rule.
3 Whott, hot.

4 Tene, sorrow.

5 Sith, since.

6 In the meane, meanwhile.

2

LVIII. 4.- Frye.] This does not seem to be the word required here, to oppose the sentiment in the former line.

LVIII. 5.- Fares them both atweene.] Goes between them both.

But after death the tryall is to come,

When best shall bee to them that lived best:
But both alike, when death hath both supprest,
Religious reverence doth burial teene1;
Which whoso wants, wants so much of his rest:
For all so great shame after death I
As selfe to dyen bad, unburied bad to beene.

LX.

weene,

So both agree their bodies to engrave 2:
The great earthes wombe they open to the sky,
And with sad cypresse seemely it embrave3;
Then, covering with a clod their closed eye,
They lay therein their corses tenderly,
And bid them sleepe in everlasting peace.
But, ere they did their utmost obsequy,
Sir Guyon more affection to increace,

Bynempt a sacred vow, which none should ay releace.

LXI.

The dead Knights sword out of his sheath he drew,
With which he cutt a lock of all their heare,
Which medling 5 with their blood and earth he threw
Into the grave, and gan devoutly sweare;
"Such and such evil God on Guyon reare,
And worse and worse, young Orphane, be thy payne,
If I, or thou, dew vengeaunce doe forbeare,

Till guiltie blood her guerdon doe obtayne!"-
So, shedding many teares, they closd the earth agayne.

1 Teene, afford.

2 Engrave, bury.

3 Embrave, adorn.

4 Bynempt, pronounced.

5

Medling, mingling.

LIX. 8.- For all, &c.] For I think it as great a calamity to remain after death dishonorably unburied, as to die dishonorably.

CANTO II.

Babes bloody handes may not be clensd.

The Face of Golden Meane:

Her sisters, Two Extremities,

Strive her to banish cleane.

I.

THUS When Sir Guyon with his faithfull Guyde
Had with dew rites and dolorous lament

The end of their sad tragedie uptyde,1

The litle Babe up in his armes he hent 2;

Who with sweet pleasaunce, and bold blandishment,
Gan smyle on them, that rather ought to weepe,

As carelesse of his woe, or innocent

Of that was doen; that ruth 3 emperced deepe [steepe: In that Knightes hart, and wordes with bitter teares did

II.

"Ah! lucklesse Babe, borne under cruell starre,

And in dead parents balefull ashes bred,

Full little weenest thou what sorrowes are
Left thee for porcion of thy livelyhed;
Poore Orphane! in the wide world scattered,
As budding braunch rent from the native tree,
And throwen forth, till it be withered!
Such is the state of men! Thus enter we
Into this life with woe, and end with miseree!"

1 Uptide, accomplished. 2 Hent, took.

3 Ruth, pity.

III.

Then, soft himselfe inclyning on his knee
Downe to that well, did in the water weene1
(So love does loath disdainefull nicitee)

His guiltie handes from bloody gore to cleene:
He washt them oft and oft, yet nought they beene
For all his washing cleaner: Still he strove;
Yet still the litle hands were bloody seene:
The which him into great amaz'ment drove,
And into diverse doubt his wavering wonder clove.
IV.

He wist not whether blott of fowle offence

Might not be purgd with water nor with bath;
Or that High God, in lieu of innocence,
Imprinted had that token of His wrath,

To shew how sore bloodguiltinesse He hat'th;
Or that the charme and veneme, which they dronck,
Their blood with secret filth infected hath,

Being diffused through the senceless tronck

That, through the great contagion, direful deadly stonck.

V.

Whom thus at gaze the Palmer gan to bord2 With goodly reason, and thus fayre bespake ; "Ye bene right hard amated,3 gratious Lord,

1 Weene, propose or attempt.

III. 3.

2 Bord, address.

3 Amated, perplexed.

- So love, &c.] "Entire affection hateth nicer hands.". Book I. canto VIII. stanza XL.

III. 4.- His guiltie handes, &c.] Guiltie is perhaps a mistake for guiltlesse; or it may mean "guilty," as wearing the stain or hue of guilt.

IV. 3. — In lieu of innocence.] Church conjectures that Spenser wrote love, instead of lieu.