OUNG knight whatever, that doft armes profeffe,

And through long labours hunteft 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, And rafh misweening doe thy hart remove: For unto knight there is no greater shame,

Then lightneffe and inconftancie in love:

That doth this Redcroffe knights enfample plainly prove.

2.

Who, after that he had faire Una lorne,

Through light mifdeeming of her loialtie;
And falfe Dueffa in her fted had borne,
Called Fidefs', and fo fuppofd to be,
Long with her traveild; till at last they fee
A goodly building bravely garnished :
The house of mightie Prince it seemd to be,

And towards it a broad high way that led,

All bare through peoples feet which thether traveiled.

Great

3.

troupes of people traveild thetherward
Both day and night, of each degree and place;
But few returned, having scaped hard,
With balefull beggery, or foule disgrace;
Which ever after in most wretched case,
Like loathfome lazars, by the hedges lay.
Thether Dueffa badd him bend his pace;
For fhe is wearie of the toilfom way,
And also nigh confumed is the lingring day.

4.

A stately Pallace built of squared bricke,

Which cunningly was without morter laid,
Whose wals were high, but nothing ftrong nor thick,
And golden foile all over them difplaid,
That pureft skye with brightneffe they difmaid:
High lifted up were many loftie towres,
And goodly galleries far over laid,

Full of faire windowes and delightful bowres;
And on the top a Diall told the timely howres.

5.

It was a goodly heape for to behould,

And spake the praises of the workmans witt;
But full great pittie, that so faire a mould
Did on fo weake foundation ever fitt:
For on a fandie hill, that ftill did flitt
And fall away, it mounted was full hie,
That every breath of heaven shaked itt:
And all the hinder partes, that few could spie,
Were ruinous and old, but painted cunningly.

6.

Arrived there, they passed in forth right;

For still to all the gates ftood open wide:

Yet charge of them was to a Porter hight,"
Cald Malvenú, who entrance none denide:
Thence to the hall, which was on every fide
With rich array and coftly arras dight."
Infinite fortes of people did abide

There waiting long, to win the wished fight
Of her, that was the Lady of that Pallace bright.

7.

By them they paffe, all gazing on them round,
And to the Prefence mount; whofe glorious vew
Their frayle amazed fenfes did confound.
In living Princes court none ever knew
Such endleffe richeffe, and fo fumpteous fhew;
Ne Perfia felfe, the nourfe of pompous pride,
Like ever faw. And there a noble crew

Of Lords and Ladies ftood on every fide,

Which with their prefence fayre the place much beautifide.

8.

High above all a cloth of State was fpred,
And a rich throne, as bright as funny day;
On which there fate, most brave embellished
With royall robes and gorgeous array,

A mayden Queene that fhone as Titans ray,

was to a Porter hight.] i. e. was to a porter committed: "hight' generally means called or named; but fuch can hardly be its fignification here, because "hight" is immediately followed by the word "cald." As Todd fays, "behight" often means entrusted, and for the fake of the measure Spenfer here omitted the prefix. C.

band coftly arras dight.] "Dight" is furnished: the walls of the hall were hung with tapeftry, ufually made at Arras; but it may be doubted whether tapestry did not in fome way differ from Arras, for in a paffage, cited by Todd, (though he does not observe the distinction,) Harrison, the continuator of Holinfhed, fpeaks of the apartments of the wealthy as "hanged with tapestry, arras work, or painted cloths." We know that painted cloth was confidered a poor substitute for tapestry, and Harrison mentions the three, as if there were as much difference between tapestry and arras work, as between arras work and painted cloth. He may mean that tapestry was arras work. C.

In gliftring gold and pereleffe pretious stone;
Yet her bright blazing beautie did assay

To dim the brightneffe of her glorious throne,
As envying her selfe, that too exceeding fhone:

9.

Exceeding fhone, like Phoebus fayrest childe,
That did prefume his fathers fyrie wayne,

And flaming mouthes of steedes, unwonted wilde, Through highest heaven with weaker hand to rayne: Proud of fuch glory and advancement vayne, While flashing beames do daze his feeble eyen, He leaves the welkin way most beaten playne, And, rapt with whirling wheeles, inflames the skyen With fire not made to burne, but fayrely for to fhyne.

IO.

So proud fhe shyned in her princely state,

Looking to heaven, for earth she did disdayne;
And fitting high, for lowly fhe did hate:
Lo! underneath her scornefull feete was layne
A dreadfull Dragon with an hideous trayne;
And in her hand she held a mirrhour bright,
Wherein her face fhe often vewed fayne,
And in her felfe-lov'd semblance took delight;
For fhe was wondrous faire, as any living wight.

II.

Of griefly Pluto fhe the daughter was,

And fad Proferpina, the Queene of hell;
Yet did fhe thinke her peareleffe worth to pas
That parentage, with pride fo did fhe fwell;

And thundring Jove, that high in heaven doth dwell
And wield the world, fhe claymed for her fyre,
Or if that any elfe did Jove excell;

For to the highest she did ftill afpyre;

Or, if ought higher were then that, did it defyre.

12.

And proud Lucifera men did her call,

That made her felfe a Queene, and crownd to be;
Yet rightfull kingdome she had none at all,
Ne heritage of native soveraintie;

But did ufurpe with wrong and tyrannie
Upon the scepter which fhe now did hold:
Ne ruld her Realme with lawes, but pollicie,
And strong advizement of fix wifards old,

That with their counfels bad her kingdome did uphold. 13.

Soone as the Elfin knight in presence came,
And falfe Dueffa, feeming Lady fayre,

A gentle Husher, Vanitie by name,

Made rowme, and paffage for them did prepaire :
So goodly brought them to the lowest stayre
Of her high throne; where they, on humble knee
Making obeyfaunce, did the cause declare,
Why they were come her roiall state to see,
To prove the wide report of her great Majestee.

14.

With loftie eyes, halfe loth to looke fo lowe,
She thancked them in her difsdainefull wife;
Ne other grace vouchsafed them to showe
Of Princeffe worthy; scarse them bad arise.
Her Lordes and Ladies all this while devise
Themselves to fetten forth to ftraungers fight:
Some frounce their curled heare in courtly guise;
Some prancke their ruffes; and others trimly dight
Their gay attyre: each others greater pride does fpight.

Some frounce their curled heare.] Moft likely the word " frounce is what has now degenerated to flounce: it is from the Fr. froncer, to plait or wrinkle: here it seems to mean the curling and crinkling of the hair. To "prank the ruff," in the next line, is to display the ruff oftentatiously; and "dight" we have already had (p. 228) in the sense of furnished: here it rather means to prepare their gay attire. C.