Have flayne him ftreight: but when he fees

his age,

And hoarie head of Archimago old,

His hafty hand he doth amafed hold,
And, halfe afhamed, wondred at the fight:
For that old man well knew he, though un-
told,

In charmes and magick to have wondrous

might;

Ne ever wont in field, ne in round lifts, to fight:

XXXIX.

And faid, "Why Archimago, luckleffe fyre, What doe I fee? what hard mishap is this, That hath thee hether brought to taste mine yre?

Or thine the fault, or mine the error is, Inftead of foe to wound my friend amis ?” He anfwered nought, but in a traunce still lay, And on thofe guilefull dazed eyes of his

XXXVIII. 6. at the fight :] So I read, from the first edition, with Upton and others. Church reads "at that fight;" which, he fays, is corrected from the Errata. But the word the is corrected only once in the list of Errata belonging to the page, in which this stanza occurs; and it relates, I apprehend, not to this line, but to the following; "For that old man ;" which in the original editions is mifprinted, "For the old man." TODD.

XXXVIII. 8. In charmes and magick &c.] It therefore feems inconfiftent with Archimago's fkill not to have prevented the prefent discovery and defeat. TODD.

XXXVIII. 9. Ne ever wont in field, ne in round lifts, to fight.] In field, in open battle: in round lifts, in lifts encompaffed all around, Gall. champ clos. UPTON.

The cloude of death did fit; which doen

away,

He left him lying fo, ne would no lenger stay :

XL.

But to the Virgin comes; who all this while
Amafed ftands, herfelfe fo mockt to fee
By him, who has the guerdon of his guile,
For fo misfeigning her true Knight to bee:
Yet is the now in more perplexitie,

Left in the hand of that fame Paynim bold, From whom her booteth not at all to flie: Who, by her cleanly garment catching hold, Her from her palfrey pluckt, her visage to behold.

XLI.

But her fiers fervant, full of kingly aw
And high difdaine, whenas his foveraine Dame
So rudely handled by her foe he saw,

With gaping iawes full greedy at him came, And, ramping on his fhield, did weene the fame

Have reft away with his fharp rending clawes: But he was ftout, and luft did now inflame

XLI. 2. And high difdaine,] The alto fdegno of the Italians, as Mr. Thyer long fince obferved. Perhaps few remarkable phrases are more frequent than this, in ancient English poetry. Spenfer had already adopted it, i. i. 19. Harington thus tranflates his original, Orl. Fur. B. xiv. ft. 40. But Spenfer is followed by Sylvefter, Du Bart. 1621, p. 1129, by Milton, Par. Loft, B. i. 98, and by P. Fletcher, Purp. Inland, 1633, C. xii. 64. TODD.

His corage more, that from his griping pawes He hath his fhield redeemd; and forth his fwerd he drawes.

XLII.

O then, too weake and feeble was the forfe
Of falvage beast, his puiffance to withstand!
For he was ftrong, and of fo mightie corfe,
As ever wielded speare in warlike hand;

And feates of armes did wifely understand.
Eftfoones he perced through his chaufed chest
With thrilling point of deadly yron brand,
And launcht his lordly hart: with death
oppreft

He ror'd aloud, whiles life forfooke his stubborne breft.

XLIII.

Who now is left to keepe the forlorne Maid
From raging fpoile of lawleffe victors will?
Her faithfull gard remov'd; her hope dismaid;
Her felfe a yielded pray to fave or spill!
He now, lord of the field, his pride to fill,

XLII. 7.

yron brand,] Sword. See Mr. Upton's note, F. Q. iv. iii. 25. TODD.

XLIII. 4. Her felfe a yielded pray to fave or fpill!] She was at the victor's mercy (a yielded prey) who had it now in his power to fave her, or to destroy her. Our poet uses Chaucer's words, Clerk of Ox. Tale. 1533.

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My Child and I, with heartie obeisance, "Ben your owne alle, and ye may fave or fpille." And in the Legende of Ariadne, v. 50.

"And of his childe he must a prefente make

To Minos, for to fave him or to Spill." UPTON.

With foule reproches and difdaineful fpight Her vildly entertaines; and, will or nill, Beares her away upon his courfer light: Her prayers nought prevaile; his rage is more of might.

XLIV.

And all the way, with great lamenting paine, And piteous plaintes, she filleth his dull eares, That ftony hart could riven have in twaine ; And all the way she wetts with flowing teares; But he, enrag'd with rancor, nothing heares. Her fervile beaft yet would not leave her so, But follows her far off, ne ought he feares To be partaker of her wandring woe.

More mild in beaftly kind, then that her beaftly foe.

will or nill,

XLIII. 7. Nolens volens. Nill, will not; contracted from ne will. So, in F. Q. iv. vii. 16, "willed or milled." See alfo F. Q. i. ix. 15, ii. vii. 33, iii. xi. 14. And Pierce Plowman, fol. xxxiii. "Will thou or nilt thou, we wyll have our wyl." Again, fol. cxii. “ Wyl he nyll he." Our ancestors, fays Verftegan, ufed fundry negative abbreviations, as, mil, to be unwilling; nift, wift not; mold, would not. And Somner, Nillan, nolle, to nill or be unwilling ; Chaucer has nil for ne will or will not. UPTON.

CANTO IV.

To finfull Hous of Pryde Duefs-
a guydes the faithfull Knight;
Where, brothers death to wreak, Sansioy
Doth chaleng him to fight.

I.

YOUNG Knight whatever, that doft armes professe,

And through long labours huntest after fame,
Beware of fraud, beware of fickleneffe,

In choice, and chaunge, of thy deare-loved
dame;

Least thou of her believe too lightly blame,

ARG.

Our poet intended that the Arguments prefixed to each book should be metre, but humbled down to the lowest profe: we must therefore read thus,

"To finfull Hous of pryde Dueff

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"a guydes the faithfull Knight."

So Hor. L. iv. Od. 2.

"Pindarum quifquis ftudet æmulari, I-
"ule, ceratis ope Dædaleâ

"Nititur pennis →"

Again, Argument, F. Q. ii. iii.

"Vaine Braggadocchio getting Guy-
"Ons horfe is made the fcorne."

Again, Argument, F. Q. iii. i.

"Dueffaes traines, and Malecaft-
"A's champions are defaced."

Again, Argument, F. Q. iii. viii.

"The witch creates a fnowy La-
dy like to Florimell." UPTON,

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