For whose sweet sake that glorious badge he wore, Upon his shield the like was also scored, For sovereign hope which in his help he had. Right faithful true he was in deed and word; But of his cheer did seem too solemn sad; Yet nothing did he dread, but ever was ydrad. 10 Upon a great adventure he was bound, That greatest Gloriana to him gave, (That greatest glorious Queen of Fairyland) 11. A lovely Lady rode him fair beside, Upon a lowly ass more white than snow; Seemed in heart some hidden care she had; 12. So pure and innocent, as that same lamb, Till that infernal fiend with foul uprore Forwasted all their land, and them expelled; Whom to avenge she had this Knight from far compelled. 13. The second day there came in a palmer bearing an infant with bloody hands, whose parents he complained to have been slain by an enchantress called Acrasia; and therefore he craved of the Faerie Queen to appoint him some knight to perform that adventure. This being assigned to Sir Guyon or Temperance, he presently went forth with that same palmer. This forms the beginning and, indeed, the whole subject of the Second Book. Caedmon was a monk in Whitby, and died about 680. He was originally a cow-herd. His poem the Paraphrase is one of the chief Anglo-Saxon poems that have come down to us. The Paraphrase contained various Bible histories, such as that of the fall of man, some passages in which have been thought to bear considerable resemblance to Milton's description of the same event. palmer, spent all his days in visiting holy places with a consecrated palm-branch in his hand. He lived on alms as he travelled. "His sandals were with travel tore, The faded palm-branch in his hand Showed pilgrim from the Holy Land." pricking, spurring his horse: yclad, clad: jolly, Fr. joli, handsome: jousts, tournaments: cheer, visage, mien: sad, grave: ydrad, dreaded worship (worthiness), esteem: pu-iss-ance, power: silver shield, the legend was that when Arviragus was converted, he received "a shield of silver white," with a cross on it. "These arms were used through all Britain' For a common sign each man to know his nation Saint George's arms." Gloriana or Glory is the Faerie Queen. Queen Elizabeth is present to the poet's mind under this name, and her kingdom is Fairy Land. a veil, that wimpled, a veil and wimple were the same thing. Here it is meant that the veil covered the person of Una as well as her face. 1. So forth she comes, and to her coach does climb, And strove to match, in royal rich array, way, Drawn of fair peacocks, that excel in pride, 2. But this was drawn of six unequal beasts, On which her six sage counsellors did ride, 3. And in his hand his portesse still he bare, That much was worn, but therein little read; Still drowned in sleep and most of his days dead: May seem the wain was very evil led, When such an one had guiding of the way, That knew not whether right he went, or else astray. 4. Gluttony rode by the side of Idleness on "a filthy swine;" next came Impurity, Avarice, Envy, and Wrath riding on a lion. Satan, with a "smarting whip" in his hand, lashes on the team as often as Sloth is disposed to allow it to come to a stand in the mire. AVARICE. 5. And greedy Avarice by him did ride, And right and wrong alike in equal balance weighed. 6. His life was nigh unto death's door yplaced; placed A vile disease: and eke in foot and hand That well he could not touch, nor go, nor stand; ENVY. 8. And next to him malicious Envy rode Upon a ravenous wolf, and still did chaw |