и And eke of private persons many moe,

That were too long a worke to count them all;
Some, of sworne friends that did their faith forgoe;
Some, of borne brethren prov'd unnaturall;
Some, of deare lovers foes perpetuall:

Witnesse their broken bandes there to be seene,
Their girlonds rent, their bowres despoyled all;
The moniments whereof there byding beene,
As plaine as at the first, when they were fresh and
greene.

25 Such was her house within; but all without,
The barren ground was full of wicked weedes,
Which she herselfe had sowen all about,
Now growen great, at first of little seedes,
The seedes of evil wordes and factious deedes;
Which, when to ripenesse due they growen arre,
Bring foorth an infinite increase that breedes
Tumultuous trouble, and contentious iarre,

The which most often end in bloudshed and in warre.

26 And those same cursed seedes doe also serve
To her for bread, and yeeld her living food:
For life it is to her, when others sterve1
Through mischievous debate and deadly feood,2
That she may sucke their life and drinke their blood,
With which she from her childhood had bene fed:
For she at first was borne of hellish brood,
And by infernall furies nourished;

That by her monstrous shape might easily be red.3 8 Red, perceived.

1 Sterve, die.

* Feood, feud.

27 Her face most fowle and filthy was to see,
With squinted eyes contrárie wayes intended,1
And loathly mouth, unmeete a mouth to bee,
That nought but gall and venim comprehended,
And wicked wordes that God and man offended:
Her lying tongue was in two parts divided,
And both the parts did speake, and both contended;
And as her tongue so was her hart discided,
That never thoght one thing, but doubly stil was
guided.

28 Als as she double spake, so heard she double, With matchlesse eares deformed and distort,

Fild with false rumors and seditious trouble,
Bred in assemblies of the vulgar sort,

That still are led with every light report:
And as her eares, so eke her feet were odde,

And much unlike; th' one long, the other short,

And both misplast; that, when th' one forward yode,*

The other backe retired and contrárie trode.

29 Likewise unequall were her handës twaine;
That one did reach, the other pusht away;
That one did make, the other mard againe,
And sought to bring all things unto decay;
Whereby great riches, gathered manie a day,
She in short space did often bring to nought,
And their possessours often did dismay :

1 Intended, directed.

Discided, cleft in two

8 Matchlesse, not matched

4 Yode, went.

For all her studie was and all her thought

How she might overthrow the things that Concord

wrought.

So much her malice did her might surpas,

That even th' Almightie selfe she did maligne,
Because to man so mercifull he was,

And unto all his creatures so benigne,
Sith she herselfe was of his grace indigne1:
For all this worlds faire workmanship she tride
Unto his last confusion to bring,

And that great golden chaine quite to divide, With which it blessed Concord hath together tide.

Such was that hag which with Duessa roade,
And, serving her in her malitious use 2

To hurt good knights, was, as it were, her baude
To sell her borrowed beautie to abuse:

For though, like withered tree that wanteth iuyce, She old and crooked were, yet now of late As fresh and fragrant as the floure-de-luce She was become, by chaunge of her estate, And made full goodly ioyance to her new-found mate:

12 Her mate, he was a iollie youthfull knight,
That bore great sway in armes and chivalrie,
And was indeed a man of mickle might;
His name was Blandamour, that did descrie

1 Indigne, unworthy.

8

2 Use, practice. 8 Descrie, denote.

XXXII. 4.-Blandamour.] Upton conjectures that Blandanour represents the Earl of Northumberland, who was associated

His fickle mind full of inconstancie:

And now himselfe he fitted had right well
With two companions of like qualitie,

Faithlesse Duessa, and false Paridell,

That whether1 were more false, full hard it is to tell.

38 Now when this gallant with his goodly crew
From farre espide the famous Britomart,
Like knight adventurous in outward vew,
With his faire paragon,2 his conquests part,
Approching nigh; eftsoones his wanton hart
Was tickled with delight, and iesting sayd:
"Lo! there, Sir Paridel, for your desart,
Good lucke presents you with yond lovely mayd,
For pitie that ye want a fellow for your ayd.”

34 By that the lovely paire drew nigh to hond. Whom when as Paridel more plaine beheld, Albee in heart he like affection fond,

Yet mindfull how he late by one was feld

That did those armes and that same scutchion weld,"
He had small lust to buy his Love so deare,
But answerd: "Sir, him wise I never held,
That, having once escaped perill neare,

Would afterwards afresh the sleeping evill reare."

1 Whether, which of the two.

2 Paragon, companion.

Fond, found, felt.

Scutchion, shield.

6 Weld, wield.

• Lust, desire.

7 Reare, rouse.

with the Earl of Westmoreland (according to the same authority he prototype of Paridell) in a rebellion against Queen Elizabeth XXXIV. 5. Same scutchion.] See Book III. Canto I. 4.

5 “This Knight too late his manhood and his might I did assay, that me right dearely cost; Ne list I for revenge provoke new fight, Ne for light ladies love, that soone is lost." The hot-spurre youth so scorning to be crost, "Take then to you this dame of mine," quoth hee, "And I, without your perill or your cost,

Will chalenge1yond same other for my fee.2" So forth he fiercely prickt, that one him scarce could see.

The warlike Britonesse her soone addrest, And with such uncouth welcome did receave Her fayned paramour, her forced guest, That, being forst his saddle soone to leave, Himselfe he did of his new love deceave3; And made himselfe th' ensample of his follie. Which done, she passed forth, not taking leave, And left him now as sad as whilome iollie, Well warned to beware with whom he dar'd to dallie.'

17 Which when his other companie beheld, They to his succour ran with readie ayd; And, finding him unable once to weld,

1 Chalenge, claim.

2 Fee, property.

3 Deceave, defraud, deprive.

▲ Dallie, trifle.

6 Weld, turn, move.

XXXV. 5. — The hot-spurre youth.] Blandamour. This epithet is one of the reasons which leads Upton to think that the Earl of Northumberland is meant by Blandamour, Hotspur being the name given to young Percy in the reign of Henry V., as very reader of Shakespeare knows. H.