And in another place he speaks of Venus pouring the fragrance of Amomum over Earinus in great abundance; a circumstance not much unlike that just mentioned concerning Venus and Adonis.

Hunc multo Paphie saturabat amomo

B. iii. c. vii. s. xvi,

Of the witches son, who falls in love with

Florimel.

Oft from the forrest wildings he did bring,
Whose sides empurpled were with smiling red;
And oft young birds, which he had taught to sing
His mistresse prayses sweetly caroled:
Girlands of flowres sometimes for her faire head

He fine would dight; sometimes the squirrel wild
He brought to her in bands, &c.

Such presents as these are made by Coridon to Pastorell.

* Com. barin. Sylv. b. iii. iv. ver. 82.

And oft when Coridon unto her brought,
Or little sparrows stolen from their nest,
Or wanton squirrels in the woods farre sought.

B. i. c. ix. s. xxiv.

6.9.40.

Staring wide

With stoney eyes, and hartlesse hollow hewe,

Astonisht stood, as one that had espide

Infernal furies with their chains untide.

Spenser often expresses fear, or surprise, in this manner.

As one affright

With hellish fiends, or furies mad uprore.

2.5. 37.

The stoney feare

Ran to his heart, and all his sense dismayd,
Ne thenceforth life, ne courage did appeare,
But as a man whom hellish fiends have frayd,
Trembling long time he stood.

2. 8. 46.

Oft out of her bed she did astart,

As one with view of gastly fiends affright.

3. 2. 29.

Ne wist he what to thinke, or to devise,
But like as one whom fiends have made afraid,
He long astonisht stood: ne ought he said,
Ne ought he did; but with fast-fixed eyes
He gazed still upon that snowy maid.

5. 3. 18.

From the passages already alleged, and from some others which I shall produce, it will appear that Spenser particularly excels in painting affright, confusion, and astonish

ment.

Abessa's affright at seeing the Lion and Una.

Full fast she fled, ne ever lookt behind,

* * * * * * * ** *

And home she came, where as her mother blind
Sate in eternall night; nought could shce say,
But suddaine catching hold, did her dismay,
With quaking hands, and other signs of feare;
Who full of gastly fright, and cold dismay,

Gan shut the dore.

1.3. 12.

The behaviour of Abessa and Corceca,

when Kirkrapine was torn in pieces by the

Lion.

His fearful friends weare out the wofull night, Ne dare to weepe, nor seeme to understande The heavy hap, which on them is alight, Afraid lest to themselves the like mishappen might.

1. 3. 20.

Despaire has just persuaded the Red-crosse knight to kill himself. 1. 9. 48.

The knight was much enmoved with his speach,
That as a swords point thro' his hart did pearce,
And in his conscience made a secret breach,
Well-knowing true all that he did reherse,
And to his fresh remembrance did reverse
The uglie hue of his deformed crimes,
That all his manly powres it did disperse,
As he were charmed with inchanted rimes,
That oftentimes he quakt, and fainted oftentimes.

xlix.

In which amazement, when the miscreant
Perceived him to waver weake and fraile,
Whiles trembling horror did his conscience dart,
And hellish anguish did his soule assaile ;

To drive him to despaire, and quite to quaile,
He shew'd him painted in a table plaine

The damned ghosts that do in torments waile,
And thousand fiends that do them endlesse paine
With fire and brimstone, which for ever shall remaine.

1.

The sight whereof so throughly him dismaid,
That nought but death before his eyes he saw,
And ever-burning wrath before him laid,
By righteous sentence of th' Almighties law;
Then 'gan the villaine him to overawe,

And brought unto him swords, ropes, poyson, fire,
And all that might him to perdition draw,

And bade him chuse what death he would desire, For death was due to him, that had provokt gods ire.

li.

But when as none of them he saw him take,
He to him raught a dagger sharpe and keene,
And gave it him in hand; his hand did quake,
And tremble like a leaf of aspine greene:

And troubled blood through his pale face was seene
To come and goe, with tydings from the hart,
As it a running messenger had beene ;

At last, resolv'd to work his final smart

He lifted up his hand, that back againe did start.

Experience proves, that we best paint