VERSES ADDRESSED, BY THE AUTHOR OF THE FAERIE QUEENE, TO SEVERAL NOBLEMEN, &c. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE SIR CHRISTOPHER HATTON, THOSE prudent heads, that with their counsels wise So Maro oft did Cæsars cares allay. So you, great Lord, that with your counsell sway TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE LORD BURLEIGH, LORD To you, Right Noble Lord, whose carefull brest On Atlas mightie shoulders is upstayd,) E. S. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE EARLE OF OXENFORD, RECEIVE, most Noble Lord, in gentle gree, And also for the love which thou doest beare may eke delay] May smooth or soften. ToDd. t for their titles sake] Their title being the Faerie Queene, who represented Queen Elizabeth. T. WARTON. grce.] Favour. TODD. Deare as thou art unto thyselfe, so love TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE EARLE OF NORTHUM BERLAND. THE sacred Muses have made alwaies clame And Registres of everlasting fame, To patronize the authour of their praise, [dide, Which gives them life, that els would soone have And crownes their ashes with immortall baies. To thee therefore, Right Noble Lord, I send This present of my paines, it to defend. E. S. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE EARLE OF CUMBERLAND. REDOUBTED Lord, in whose corageous mind The flowre of chevalry, now bloosming faire, Doth promise fruite worthy the noble kind Which of their praises have left you the haire; To you this humble present I prepare, For love of vertue and of martial praise; E. S. TO THE MOST HONOURABLE AND EXCELLENT Lord the Earl MAGNIFICKE Lord, whose vertues excellent Nought is thy worth disparaged thereby. § That loves, &c.] Here is an ellipsis of him before that. T. WARTON. flitt,) Flitt is the adjective fleet, thus written for the sake of the rhyme; as the verb fleet, in other places. T. WARTON. Vith bolder wing shall dare alofte to sty E. S. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE EARLE OF ORMOND AND OSSORY. RECEIVE, most Noble Lord, a simple taste Of the wilde fruit which salvage soyl hath bred; Which, being through long wars left almost waste, With brutish barbarisme is overspredd : And, in so faire a land as may be redd, Not one Parnassus, nor one Helicone, Left for sweete Muses to be harboured, But where thyselfe hast thy brave mansione : There indeede dwel faire Graces many one, And gentle Nymphes, delights of learned wits; And in thy person, without paragone, All goodly bountie and true honour sits. Such therefore, as that wasted soyl doth yield, Receive, dear Lord, in worth, the fruit of barren field. E. S TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE LORD CHARLES HOWARD, AND ye, brave Lord, whose goodly personage E. S. TO THE MOST RENOWMED AND VALIANT LORD, THE Lorn MOST Noble Lord, the pillor of my life, I now doe live bound yours by vassalage; weave In savadge soyle, far from Parnasso Mount, And roughly wrought in an unlearned loome: The which vouchsafe, dear Lord, your favourable doome. E. S. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE LORD OF BUCKHURST, ONB IN vain I thinke, Right Honourable Lord, In loftie numbers and heroicke stile. But evermore vouchsafe, it to maintaine E. S. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE LORD OF HUNSDON, HIGH CHAMBERLAINE TO HER MAJESTY, RENOWMED Lord, that, for your worthinesse And noble deeds, have your deserved place High in the favour of that Emperesse, The worlds sole glory and her sexes grace; Here eke of right have you a worthie place, Both for your nearnes to that Faerie Queene, And for your owne high merit in like cace: Of which, apparaunt proofe was to be seene, When that tumultuous rage and fearfull deene * the last praises] The last praises of the Faerie Queene, signify nine more Books which Spenser had proposed to com.plete, according to his original plan. These Bonnets, it must be remembered, were sent with the three first Books, which in the last line of this Sonnet the poet styles " these first labours." T. WARTON. Like flying doves ye did before, you chace; The lefeat of the Spanish Armada is here hinted at. T. WARTON. Ideenel Din, noise. T. WARTON TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE SIR FRANCIS WALSINGHAM, THAT Mantuane Poets incompared spirit, TO THE RIGHT NOBLE LORD AND MOST VALIAUNT CAPTAINE, SIR JOHN NORRIS, KNIGHT, LORD PRESIDENT OF MOUNSTER. WHO ever gave more honourable prize To the sweet Muse then did the Martiall crew, That their brave deeds she might immortalize In her shril tromp, and sound their praises dew? Who then ought more to favour her then you, Most Noble Lord, the honor of this age, And Precedent of all that armes ensue ? Whose warlike prowesse and manly courage, Tempred with reason and advizement sage, Hath fild sad Belgicke with victorious spoile; In Fraunce and Ireland left a famous gage; And lately shakt the Lusitanian soile. Sith then each where thou hast dispredd thy fame, Love him that hath eternized your Name. E. S. TO THE RIGHT Noble and Valorous Knight, SIR WALTER To thee, that art the Sommers Nightingale, In whose high thoughts Pleasure hath built her bowre, And dainty Love learnd sweetly to endite. My rimes I know unsavory and sowre, To tast the streames that, like a golden showre, Flow from thy fruitfull head of thy Love's praise; Fitter perhaps to thonder martiall stowre, Whenso thee list thy lofty Muse to raise : Yet, till that Thou thy Poeme wilt make knowne, Let thy faire Cinthias praises be thus rudely showne. E. S. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE AND MOST VERTUOUS LADY, REMEMBRAUNCE of that most heroicke Spirit, * Let thy faire Cinthias praises, &c.] An allusion to the poem written by Sir Walter, entitled Cynthia. TODD. Of his brave vertues) crown'd with lasting baies Of hevenlie blis and everlasting praies; Who first my Muse did lift out of the flore, In the divine resemblaunce of your face; TO THE MOST VERTUOUS AND BEAUTIFULL Lady, the NE may I, without blot of endlesse blame, (For thereunto doth need a golden quill E. S. TO ALL THE GRATIOUS AND BEAUTIFULL LADIES IN THE THE Chian Peincter, when he was requir'd To sharpe my sence with sundry Beauties vew, And steale from each some part of ornament. If all the world to seeke I overwent, A fairer crew yet no where could I see Then that brave Court doth to mine eie present; That the world's pride seemes gathered there to Of each a part I stole by cunning thefte : [bce. Forgive it me, faire Dames, sith lesse ye have not lefte. E. S. ↑ Vouchsafe from him] It should be me, CHURCH. THE FIRST BOOK OF THE FAERIE QUEENE; CONTAYNING THE LEGEND OF THE KNIGHT OF THE RED CROSSE, OR OF HOLINESSE. And with them eke, O Goddesse heavenly bright, Shed thy faire beames into my feeble eyne, Upon a great adventure he was bond, That greatest Gloriana to him gave, IV. 7. that true glorious type of thine,] Una, or Truth. CHURCH. IV. 8. mine afflicted stile:] Afflicted stile means low and jejune. Ital. Stilo afflitto. UPTON. IV. 9. 1. 8. Full iolly knight] Handsome. Fr. Joli. TODD. Ibid. |