то THE RIGHT HONOURABLE LADY TALBOT THIS EDITION of SPENSER'S FAERIE QUEENE IS DEDICATED As a Testimony of GRATITUDE BY Her LADYSHIP'S Moft obliged and dutiful Servant JOHN UPTON, Englis 1-6-24 PREFACE. A S every original work, whether of the poet, philofopher, or hiftorian, reprefents, mirrour-like, the fentiments, ideas and opinions, of the writer; fo the knowledge of what relates to the life, family, and friendships of fuch an author, must in many instances illuftrate his writings; and his writings again reflect the image of the inward man. What wonder therefore, if our curiofity is excited to get fome kind of intimacy with those, whom from their writings we cannot but esteem, and that we liften to every tale told of them with any degree of probability, or even suffer ourselves to be imposed on by invented stories? We have several traditionary tales of very uncertain authority recorded of ancient authors; because commentators and critics, knowing the inquifitive difpofitions of the readers, and oftentimes not furnished with true materials, fet their inventions to work to impose with mere conjectures. But while they are thus inventing, they often forget to attemper their tales with proper time and circumstances; and confequently the ill-fupported story falls to the ground; and if not well invented is foon defpifed. There are various forts of traditionary tales told of Spenfer; fome of which want chronology to fupport them, and others, better fupported, have gain'd credit. The following is one of those ill-timed ftories handed down to us, firft mentioned, I believe, by the editor of his works in Folio, anno 1679. "Mr. Sidney (after"wards Sir Philip) then in full glory at Court was the perfon, "to whom Spenser designed the first discovery of himself; and ❝ to 1 "to that purpose took an occafion to go one morning to Lei- |