CANTO I.

[The Redcrosse Knight and Una, with her dwarf, caught by a storm, are forced to seek shelter in a wood, which turns out to be the wood of Error. Here the knight encounters Error, half serpent, half woman, in her den. The knight attacks the monster, and slays it. After this, they encounter an aged sire,' who turns out to be the enchanter Archimago, with whom they went home. Archimago, by his witchcraft, makes the knight believe that Una is unfaithful to him.]

The patron of true Holinesse,
Foule Errour doth defeate;
Hypocrisie, him to entrappe,
Doth to his home entreate.

I.

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 jolly knight he seemd, and faire did sitt,
As one for knightly giusts and fierce encounters fitt.

II.

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,

1. 1. A gentle Knight. - The Redcrosse Knight, St. George, the tutelary saint of England. See his armor and the nature of his mission described in the Author's Prefatory Letter. See also Note II. ii. 9.— pricking, riding quickly or caperingly by pricking or spurring on his horse.

1. 2. Ycladd.-Clad. The y is the A.S. and old Erg. ge, often prefixed to any part of the verb, but especially to the pa.p.; in Ger. it is the sign of the pa.p.-silver shielde. Hardyng, in his Chronicle, tell us that "a shield of silver white," with "a cross endlong and overthwart full perfect," were regarded as St. George's arms.

1. 8. Jolly.-Handsome. Fr. joli, good-looking.

1. 9. Giusts.-Jousts, tilts or encounters at a tournament; old Fr. juste, Fr. joute, prob. from L. juxta, together; allied to jostle.

2. 4. And dead, etc.-"I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, be hold, I am alive for evermore." Rev. i. 18.

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.

III.

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 things he most did crave:
And ever as he rode his hart did earne
To prove his puissance in battell brave
Upon his foe, and his new force to learne;
Upon his foe, a dragon horrible and stearne.

IV.

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 wimpled was full low;
And over all a blacke stole 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.

2. 6. For soveraine hope, etc.-That is, the cross scored on his shield was a sign of the sovereign hope he had in the help of his Lord. 2. 8. Cheere.-Countenance, old Fr. chière, Ital. cera, the countenance; low L. cara, Gr. kara, head, face.-solemne sad, 'solemnly grave," or "solemn and grave." Sad, in old Eng., often means grave, sedate. ""staid." A.S. sæd, sated, weary; Ice. settr, sedate.

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2. 9. Ydrad.-" Dreaded," pa.p. of dread. See Ycladd, I. i. 2. 3. 2. Gloriana.-Queen of Fairy Land, representative of Queen Eliza. beth. See Author's Letter.

3. 4. Worshippe.-Worthiness, honor; worth, and affix ship. 3. 6. Earne. Yearn; hence earnest; A.S. georn, desirous.

3. 8. His foe.-Probably popery.

4. 1. A lovely ladie.-Una, or Truth. See Author's Letter-faire, fairly. According to R. Morris, -e is an early Eng. adverbial termination. 4. 4. Wimpled.-Plaited or folded like the white linen neckerchief worn by nuns. A.S. winpel; old Ger. wimpel, a veil, streamer; Fr. guimpe. 4. 5. Stole.-A long robe reaching to the feet. Gr. stolē, a robe. 4. 6. Sad. See I. ii.

4. 8. Seemed.-That is, it seemed.

4. 9. Lad.-Led.

V.

So pure and innocent, as that same lambe,
She was in life and every vertuous lore;
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.

VI.

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
Did poure into his lemans lap so fast,

That everie wight to shrowd it did constrain;

And this faire couple eke to shroud themselves were fain.

VII.

Enforst to seeke some covert nigh at hand,

A shadie grove not farr away they spide,
That promist ayde the tempest to withstand;
Whose loftie trees, yclad with sommers pride,
Did spred so broad, that heavens light did hide,

5. 3. And by descent, etc.-Probably the Church of England is meant here.

5. 8. Forwasted.-Utterly laid waste. For is an intensive prefix, as in forego, forbid, forlorn = L. per, Ger. ver.

6. 1. A dwarfe.-Dwarfs, in the days of knight-errantry, were usual attendants of ladies, to whom they were ever faithful. Here the dwarf may represent Providence or Prudence, as he bears the "bag of need

ments.

6. 5. Suddeine. See note I. iv. 1, faire.

6. 7. Lemans.-Mistress's-that is, the Earth, represented by the ancient Roman poets as the wife or mistress of Jupiter. Old Eng. lefman = loveman, or loved one of either sex; from A.S. luf, loved, dear.

6. 8. Wight.-Person, creature. A.S. wiht.-shrowd, to hide or take shelter from, as under a shroud or covering.

6. 9. Eke. See Introduction, iv. 1.-fain, glad, eager. A.S. fægen, glad; Goth, faginon, Ice. fagna, to be glad or joyful.

7. 2. A shadie grove.-The grove or wood of Error.

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.

VIII.

And foorth they passe, with pleasure forward led,
Joying to heare the birds 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;

IX.

The laurell, meed of mightie conquerours
And poets sage; the firre that weepeth still;
The willow, worne of forlorne paramours;
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 carver holme; the maple seeldom inward sound.

7. 9. Harbour.-Refuge. Old Eng. herbour, herbergh; A.S. hereberga, a station or resting-place for an army-here, an ariny, and beorgan, to protect. Ger. herberge; Fr auberge.

8. 5. Can they praise.-Spenser sometimes uses can" for "gan" -that is, began. Here, however, this phrase may simply mean "they praised." A similar description of trees is in Chaucer's Assembly of Foules.

8. 6. Sayling pine.-Alluding to its use in ship-building.

8. 7. Vine-propp elme.-That is, the elm that props or supports the vine.

2. 9. Cypresse funerall.-The cypress was of old planted over graves. . 2. The firre, etc.-From its exuding resin.

9. 4. The eugh, etc.-Bows were made of yew; Chaucer has "the shoote yew.'

9. 6. The mirrhe, etc.-Prob. means the myrrh that exudes a sweet gum from its wounded bark, which has a bitter taste.

9. 7. The warlike beech.-Possibly war-chariots were of old made from beech, or some of the ancient war-weapons.

9. 8. Platane.-The plane-tree. Fr. plane, platane.

Led with delight, they thus beguile the way,
Untill the blustring storme is overblowne;
When, weening 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.

XI.

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 needless spere he gave.

XII.

"Be well aware," 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."

10. 3. Weening.-Thinking. A.S. wenan, to hope, expect.

10. 7. Doubt.-Fear, suspect, often used by Spenser in the sense. Low L., dubito, to fear; Fr. redouter.

11. 1. Fare.-Go. A.S. faran, Ger. fahren, to go.

11. 4. Like to lead, etc.-That is, like to lead them round about the mazes of the labyrinth till they came to its outlet.

11. 5. Tract.-Trace, beaten path.

11. 8. Eftsoones.-Soon after, straightway. Eft, same as aft. A.S. ceft