XXIV. For all he taught the tender ymp, was but To banish cowardize and baftard feare: His trembling hand he would him force to put Upon the lyon and the rugged beare ; teare; And eke wyld roring buls he would him make To tame, and ryde their backes not made to beare; XXIV. 1. For all he taught &c.] The education of young Sir Satyrane is like the education which Boyardo and Ariosto tell us was given to the young Ruggiero by his uncle Atlante. See Boyardo Orl. Innam. C. 5. L. 3. And Arioft. Orl. Fur. C. 7. ft. 57. So Chiron likewife educated the young Achilles. But why does he make him tame wild bulls, and ryde their backes not made to beare-This was a strange kind of education, to inure the youth to warlike exercises, and to make them expert in their games called ravpoxalalía, a martial kind of game, ufual at Theffaly, and by Cæfar brought to Rome. In the tenth book of Heliodorus you will find that Theagenes both tamed and rode on the back of a wild bull; which breaking loofe from the facrifice he first pursues on horseback; then, quitting his horfe, he leaps on the bull's neck, and, after sufficiently taming and tiring him, he turns him on his back with his legs fprawling in the air. UPTON, XXIV. 2. and baftard feare :] Feare is not the legitimate paffion of a true Knight: befide, 'twas foreign to his original. Baftard is ufed for bafe, in F. Q. ii. iii. 42. "Thought in his baftard armes her to embrace." 'Tis obvious to fuppofe Spenfer wrote daftard. UPTON. Baftard is the true reading. So, in E. K.'s Epiftle prefixed to the Shep. Calender, as Mr. Church has obferved. "They have fo bafe and baftard judgement," that is mean or contemptible. Again, in Skelton's moral Comedy of Magnificence, f. vi. a. "In baftarde ryme of doggrell gyfe." TODD. And the robuckes in flight to overtake : That everie beaft for feare of him did fly and quake. XXV. Thereby fo feareleffe and fo fell he grew, ६ (A leffon hard,) and make the libbard fterne Leave roaring, when in rage he for revenge did earne. XXVI. And, for to make his powre approved more, XXV. 2. formed him to fuch manners. XXV. 8. maister of his guife] That is, who CHURCH. the libbard] Leopard, which Chaucer fpells libart, p. 17. edit. Urr. But Milton retains our poet's fpelling, Par. Loft, B. vii. 467. CHURCH. XXVI. 4. The pardale &c.] The panther and pardale are generally thought to be the fame: but Xenophon (no bad authority) diftinguifhes them. Λέοντες δὲ, ΠΑΡΔΑΛΕΣ, λύγκες, ΠΑΝΘΗΡΕΣ, κ. τ. λ. ΚΥΝ, κεφ. ιά. UPTON. XXVI. 5. -fiers and fell;] Corrected from the Errata of the first edition. CHURCH. Such ioy he had their ftubborne harts to quell, And fturdie courage tame with dreadfull aw; That his beheaft they feared, as a tyrans law. XXVII. His loving mother came upon a day. Unto the woodes, to fee her little fonne; wonne : The lyon whelpes fhe faw how he did beare, And lull in rugged armes withouten childish feare. XXVIII. The fearefull dame all quaked at the fight, XXVII. 8. The lyon whelpes] This is the true reading. S at the end of a word, when used for his, is often omitted in the North of England. Again, F. Q. ii. v. 4. "but glauncing fell "On his horfe neck." CHURCH. To dally thus with death is no fit toy: Go, find fome other play-fellowes, mine own fweet boy." XXIX. In these and like delightes of bloody game He trayned was, till ryper years he raught; To feare his force: and then his courage Defyrd of forreine foemen to be knowne, And far abroad for ftraunge adventures fought; In which his might was never overthrowne ; But through al Faery lond his famous worth was blown. XXX. Yet evermore it was his maner faire, After long labours and adventures spent, XXIX. 5. his courage haught] High. Fr. haut. The entire expreffion occurs in Hawes's Hift. of Graunde Amoure, 1554. Sign. Q. i. b. "Accompanied then with fir fidelitie, "With haute courage, betrapped fayre and gay, &c." Hautie was once used to denote also height of Space. See the Sonnet at the end of K. James's Lepanto, Edinburg. 1591. "The wholefome hearbes, the hautie pleafant trees." Haut was the predeceffor of the present word haughty, that is, proud, ambitious; and occurs both in Shakspeare and Milton. See my note on Milton's Pfal. lxxx. ver. 35. TODD. To fee his fyre and ofspring auncient. And now he thether came for like intent; Where he unwares the faireft Una found, Straunge Lady, in fo ftraunge habiliment, Teaching the Satyres, which her fat around, Trew facred lore, which from her fweet lips did redound. XXXI. He wondred at her wifedome hevenly rare, Whofe like in womens witt he never knew; And, when her curteous deeds he did compare, Gan her admire, and her fad forrowes rew, Blaming of Fortune, which fuch troubles threw, And ioyd to make proofe of her cruelty On gentle Dame, fo hurtleffe and fo trew: Thenceforth he kept her goodly company, And learnd her difcipline of faith and verity. XXXII. But fhe, all vowd unto the Redcroffe Knight, XXX. 4. To fee his fyre and ofspring auncient.] The conftruction is, To fee his ancient fire and his fire's offspring. UPTON. XXX. 8. Teaching &c.] Una teaching the Satyres refembles Bacchus (in whom they fay was imaged Mofes,) among the deferts, Hor. L. 2. Od. 19. "Bacchum in remotis carmina rupibus "Nympháfque difcentes, et aures 66 Capripedum Satyrorum acutas." UPTON. |