XIV.

And, to augment her painefull penaunce more, Thrife every weeke in afhes fhee did fitt, And next her wrinkled skin rough fackecloth

wore,

And thrife-three times did faft from any bitt: But now for feare her beads fhe did forgett. Whofe needleffe dread for to remove away, Faire Una framed words and count'naunce fitt:

Which hardly doen, at length fhe gan them

pray,

That in their cotage small that night she rest

her may.

XV.

The day is spent; and commeth drowsie night, When every creature fhrowded is in fleepe: Sad Una downe her laies in weary plight, And at her feete the lyon watch doth keepe: In ftead of reft, fhe does lament, and weepe, For the late loffe of her deare-loved Knight, And fighes, and grones, and evermore does fteepe

Her tender brest in bitter teares all night; All night she thinks too long, and often lookes

for light.

XVI.

Now when Aldeboran was mounted hye
Above the fhinie Caffiopeias chaire,

And all in deadly sleepe did drowned lye, One knocked at the dore, and in would fare; He knocked faft, and often curft, and fware, That ready entraunce was not at his call; For on his backe a heavy load he bare Of nightly ftelths, and pillage feverall, Which he had got abroad by purchas criminall.

XVII.

He was, to weete, a ftout and sturdy thiefe,
Wont to robbe churches of their ornaments,
And poore mens boxes of their due reliefe,
Which given was to them for good intents:
The holy faints of their rich veftiments
He did difrobe, when all men careleffe flept;
And spoild the priests of their habiliments;
Whiles none the holy things in fafety kept,
Then he by conning fleights in at the window
crept.

XVI. 9.

by purchas criminall.] Robberies. So Shakspeare, K. Hen. V. A. iii. S. ii. "They will steal any thing and call it-purchase."

And Jonfon in the Alchymift, A. v. S. i. "Do you pack up all the goods and purchafe."

Chaucer alfo in his prophecy,

"And robberie is held purchase." UPTON.

XVII. 9. Then he by conning fleights in at the window crept.] A plain allufion to the opening of the tenth chapter of St. John. And thus Milton, Par. Loft, B. iv. 188.

"Or as a thief

“In at the window climbs, or o'er the tiles :
"So clomb this first grand thief into God's fold;
"So fince into his church lewd hirelings climb."

TODD.

XVIII.

And all, that he by right or wrong could find,

Unto this house he brought, and did bestow
Upon the daughter of this woman blind,
Abeffa, daughter of Corceca flow,

With whom he whoredome usd that few did
know,

And fed her fatt with feaft of offerings,

And plenty, which in all the land did

grow;

Ne spared he to give her gold and rings: And now he to her brought part of his stolen

things.

XIX.

Thus, long the dore with rage and threats he

bett;

Yet of thofe fearfull women none durft rize, (The lyon frayed them,) him in to lett;

He would no lenger ftay him to advize,

But open breakes the dore in furious wize,

And entring is; when that disdainfull beast, Encountring fierce, him fuddein doth furprize;

XVIII. 6. And fed her fatt with feast of offerings,] The poet feems to hint that the fame corruption was now in the church of Chrift, as in the Jewish church, in the times of old Eli; whofe fons debauched the women, 1 Sam. ii. 22. “And made themselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings."

UPTON.

And, feizing cruell clawes on trembling breft, Under his lordly foot him proudly hath supprest.

XX.

Him booteth not refift, nor fuccour call,

His bleeding hart is in the vengers hand; Who ftreight him rent in thousand peeces fmall,

And quite difmembred hath: the thirsty land Dronke up his life; his corfe left on the ftrand.

His fearefull freends weare out the wofull night,

Ne dare to weepe, nor feeme to understand The heavie hap, which on them is alight ; Affraid, least to themselves the like mishappen might.

XIX. 8. And, feizing] Fixing. See F. Q. i. viii. 15, and

v. iv. 40.

XIX. 9.

CHURCH.

F. Q. vi. viii. 18.

hath fuppreft.] Kept under, as in

"He ftaide his hand according her defire,
"Yet nathemore him fuffred to arize;
"But, still suppressing, gan &c." TODD.

XX. 2. His bleeding hart is in the vengers hand;] i. e. His bleeding heart is in the pawes of the lion, which revenged her caufe. In Spanish the forefeet of beasts are called, manos. And Cicero, fpeaking of the probofcis of the elephant, fays, "Manus etiam data elephantis, &c." Nat. Deor. ii. 47. But what is nearer to our purpose Lucian calls the forefoot of the lion, ʼn xig ʼn değiά. I might mention too Dante, Inferno C. vi. in his defcription of Cerberus,

"E'l ventre largo, e unghiate le mani."

And Dan. vi. 27. "Who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions." Heb. hand. UPTON.

XXI.

Now when broad day the world discovered has,
Up Una rofe, up rofe the lyon eke;
And on their former iourney forward pas,
In waies unknowne, her wandring Knight to
feeke,

With paines far paffing that long-wandring
Greeke,

That for his love refused deitye:

Such were the labours of this Lady meeke, Still feeking him, that from her still did

flye;

Then furtheft from her hope, when most she weened nye.

XXI. 2. Up Una rofe, up rofe the lyon eke;] Spenfer imitates Chaucer, Kn. Tale, 2275.

"Uprofe the Sunne, and uprofe Emely."

Dryden, who has put this tale into modern verfification, has kept all the words of Chaucer, as well knowing no alteration of his could better them. UPTON.

XXI. 5. With paines far passing that long-wandring Greeke, That for his love refufed deitye:] That longwandring Greeke, Ulyffes, Os páña moλà hayxon, Hom. Ody. á 1. пoλúmλayzтos, Od. g. That for his love (Penelope) refused deitie, (the Goddess Calypfo, Odyff. á 56.) Or deitie, may be interpreted, immortality; and this latter interpretation, I think the true one for fo Chaucer ufes the word, and Chaucer's authority is very great in interpreting Spenfer, Rom. Rose, 5656.

"Pythagoras himself reherfes

"Than, whan thou goeft thy body fro,
"Fre in the ayre thou shalt upgo,.
"And levin all humanite,

"And purely live in diete.”

In the original,

"Vivant en pure deïté." UPTON.