The Works of Edmund Spenser, Volume 1

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Bell and Daldy, 1862 - English poetry

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Page 178 - Yea but (quoth she,) the perill of this place I better wot then you, though now 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 read beware. Fly fly (quoth then The fearefull Dwarfe) this is no place for living men.
Page 183 - At length they chaunst to meet upon the way An aged Sire, in long blacke weedes yclad, His feete all bare, his beard all hoarie gray, And by his belt his booke he hanging had...
Page 186 - Then choosing out few words most horrible, (Let none them read!) thereof did.. verses frame; With which, and other spelles like terrible, He bad awake blacke Plutoes griesly dame; And cursed heven; and spake reprochful shame Of highest God, the Lord of life and light. A bold bad man ! that dar'd to call by name Great Gorgon, prince of darknes and dead night; At which Cocytus quakes, and Styx is put to flight.
Page 191 - For hoped love to winne me certaine hate? Yet thus perforce he bids me do, or die. Die is my dew ; yet rew my wretched state, You, whom my hard avenging destinie Hath made judge of my life or death indifferently. LII. "Your owne deare sake forst me at first to leave My fathers kingdom...
Page 172 - Faire Venus sonne, that with thy cruell dart At that good knight so cunningly didst rove, That glorious fire it kindled in his hart ; Lay now thy deadly heben bowe apart, And with thy mother mylde come to mine ayde ; Come, both ; and with you bring triumphant Mart, In loves and gentle jollities arraid, After his murdrous spoyles and bloudie rage allayd.
Page 187 - And wakeful dogges before them farre doe lye, Watching to banish Care their enimy, Who oft is wont to trouble gentle Sleepe. By them the Sprite doth passe in quietly, And unto Morpheus comes, whom drowned deepe In drowsie fit he findes : of nothing he takes keepe.
Page 147 - So in the person of Prince Arthure I sette forth magnificence in particular ; which vertue, for that (according to Aristotle and the rest) it is the perfection of all the rest, and conteineth in it them all, therefore in the whole course I mention the deedes of Arthure applyable to that vertue which I write of in that booke.
Page 180 - Now now Sir knight, shew what ye bee, Add faith unto your force, and be not faint: Strangle her, els she sure will strangle thee. That when he heard, in great perplexitie, His gall did grate for griefe and high disdaine, And knitting all his force got one hand free, Wherewith he grypt her gorge with so great paine, That soone to loose her wicked bands did her constraine.
Page lxxxiii - Full little knowest thou that hast not tried, What hell it is, in suing long to bide: To lose good days, that might be better spent; To waste long nights in pensive discontent; To speed today, to be put back tomorrow; To feed on hope, to pine with fear and sorrow; To have thy prince's grace, yet want her peers...
Page 174 - 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, For soveraine hope which in his helpe he had.

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