CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE AND HISTORY.
Lodge's Defense of Plays. Sir Francis Drake sails round the world. Montaigne's Essais.
1583. Sir Humphrey Gilbert sails to Newfoundland. Sidney knighted. Galileo discovers the principle of the pendulum.
1584. Bacon enters Parliament. Raleigh colonizes Virginia.
1586. Shakspere leaves Stratford for London. Sidney died.
1587. Marlowe's Tamburlaine.
Queen of Scots executed.
Spanish Armada defeated.
Marlowe's Tamburlaine published.
Sidney's Arcadia.
Shakspere's Love's Labour's Lost and
Two Gentlemen of Verona. Sidney's
Astrophel and Stella.
Marlowe's Edward II published.
Shakspere's Merchant of Venice,
King John; the Sonnets begun.
Sidney's Apologie for Poetrie.
Shakspere's Midsummer Night's
Dream, All's Well that Ends Well,
and Taming of the Shrew. Tasso
died.
Sir Francis Drake died. Descartes
born.
State of Ire-
land; Faerie
CONTAYNING THE LEGEND OF THE KNIGHT OF THE RED CROSSE, OR OF HOLINESSE
The Patrone of true Holinesse
Foule Errour doth defeate:
Hypocrisie, him to entrappe,
Doth to his home entreate.
1. A GENTLE Knight was pricking on the plaine,
Ycladd in mightie armes and silver shielde,
Wherein old dints of deepe woundes did remaine,
The cruell markes of many' a bloody fielde;
Yet armes till that time did he never wield.
His angry steede did chide his foming bitt,
As much disdayning to the curbe to yield:
Full jolly1 knight he seemd, and faire did sitt,
As one for knightly giusts2 and fierce encounters fitt.
2. And on his brest a bloodie Crosse he bore,
The deare remembrance of his dying Lord,
For whose sweete sake that glorious badge he wore, And dead, as living, ever him ador'd:
Upon his shield the like was also scor'd,3
For soveraine hope which in his helpe he had.
Right faithfull true he was in deede and word,
But of his cheere did seeme too solemne sad;
Yet nothing did he dread, but ever was ydrad.1
3. Upon a great adventure he was bond,
That greatest Gloriana to him gave,
(That greatest Glorious Queene of Faery lond)
To winne him worshippe, and her grace to have,
Which of all earthly thinges he most did crave:
And ever as he rode his hart did earne1
To prove his puissance in battell brave
Upon his foe, and his new force to learne,
Upon his foe, a Dragon horrible and stearne.
Satan
4. A lovely Ladie rode him faire beside,
Upon a lowly Asse more white then snow,
Yet she much whiter; but the same did hide
Under a vele, that wimpled2 was full low;
And over all a blacke stole3 shee did throw:
As one that inly mournd, so was she sad,
And heavie sate upon her palfrey slow;
Seemed in heart some hidden care she had,
And by her, in a line, a milkewhite lambe she lad.1 .
5. So pure and innocent, as that same lambe,
She was in life and every vertuous lore5;
And by descent from Royall lynage came
Of ancient Kinges and Queenes, that had of yore
Their scepters stretcht from East to Westerne shore,
And all the world in their subjection held;
Till that infernall feend with foule uprore
Forwasted all their land, and them expeld;
Whom to avenge she had this Knight from far compeld.
6. Behind her farre away a Dwarfe did lag,
That lasie seemd, in being ever last,
Or wearied with bearing of her bag
Of needments at his backe. Thus as they past,
The day with cloudes was suddeine overcast,
And angry Jove an hideous storme of raine
poure into his Lemans lap so fast,
That everie wights to shrowd it did constrain;
And this faire couple eke10 to shroud themselves were fain.
7. Enforst to seeke some covert nigh at hand,
A shadie grove not farr away they spied,
That promist ayde the tempest to withstand;
Whose loftie trees, yclad with sommers pride,
Did spred so broad, that heavens light did hide,
Not perceable with power of any starr:-
And all within were pathes and alleies wide,
With footing worne, and leading inward farr.-
Faire harbour that them seems, so in they entred ar.
8. And foorth they passe, with pleasure forward led,
Joying to heare the birdes sweete harmony,
Which, therein shrouded from the tempest dred,
Seemd in their song to scorne the cruell sky.
Much can they praise the trees so straight and hy,
The sayling Pine; the Cedar proud and tall;
The vine-propp Elme; the Poplar never dry;
The builder Oake, sole king of forrests all;
The Aspine good for staves; the Cypresse funerall;
9. The Laurell, meed of mightie Conquerours
And Poets sage; the Firre that weepeth still:
The Willow, worne of forlorne Paramours1;
The Eugh, obedient to the benders will;
The Birch for shaftes; the Sallow for the mill;
The Mirrhe sweete-bleeding in the bitter wound;
The warlike Beech; the Ash for nothing ill;
The fruitfull Olive; and the Platane round;
The carver2 Holme; the Maple seeldom inward sound.
10. Led with delight, they thus beguile the way,
Untill the blustring storme is overblowne;
When, weening3 to returne whence they did stray,
They cannot finde that path, which first was showne,
But wander too and fro in waies unknowne,
Furthest from end then, when they neerest weene,
That makes them doubt their wits be not their owne:
So many pathes, so many turnings seene,
That which of them to take in diverse doubt they been."
11. At last resolving forward still to fare,
Till that some end they finde, or in or out,
That path they take that beaten seemd most bare,
And like to lead the labyrinth about;
Which when by tract they hunted had throughout,
At length it brought them to a hollowe cave
Amid the thickest woods. The Champion stout
Eftsoones dismounted from his courser brave,
And to the Dwarfe a while his needlesse spere he gave.
12. 'Be well aware,1 'quoth then that Ladie milde,
'Least suddaine mischiefe ye too rash provoke:
The danger hid, the place unknowne and wilde,
Breedes dreadfull doubts. Oft fire is without smoke,
And perill without show: therefore your stroke,
Sir Knight, with-hold, till further tryall made.'
'Ah Ladie,' (sayd he) 'shame were to revoke
The forward footing for an hidden shade:
Vertue gives her selfe light through darknesse for to wade.'
13. 'Yea but' (quoth she) 'the perill of this place
I better wot2 then you: though nowe too late
To wish you backe returne with foule disgrace,
Yet wisedome warnes, whilest foot is in the gate,
To stay the steppe, ere forced to retrate.
This is the wandring wood, this Errours den,
A monster vile, whom God and man does hate:
Therefore I read3 beware.' 'Fly, fly!' (quoth then
The fearefull Dwarfe) 'this is no place for living men.'
14. But, full of fire and greedy hardiment,4
The youthfull Knight could not for ought be staide;
But forth unto the darksom hole he went,
And looked in: his glistring armor made
A litle glooming light, much like a shade;
By which he saw the ugly monster plaine,
Halfe like a serpent horribly displaide,5
But th'other halfe did womans shape retaine,
Most lothsom, filthie, foule, and full of vile disdaine."
1 On the watch. 4 Hardihood.
6 That which is despicable.
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