The which whyleare fhe was fo greedily
Devouring, even that halfe-gnawen snake,
And at him throws it most despightfully:
The curfed ferpent, though the hungrily
Earft chawd thereon, yet was not al! fo dead,
But that fome life remayned fecretly;

And, as he past afore withouten dread,
Bit him behind, that long the marke was to be

read.

XL:

Then th' other comming neare gan him revile, And fouly rayle, with all she could invent ; Saying that he had, with unmanly guile And foule abufion, both his honour blent, And that bright fword, the fword of Iuftice lent,

Had stayned with reprochfull crueltie In guiltleffe blood of many an innocent: As for Grandtorto, him with treacherie And traynes having furpriz'd he fouly did to die.

XLI.

Thereto the Blatant Beaft, by them fet on,
At him began aloud to barke and bay
With bitter rage and fell contention;

XL. 1.

th' other] Detraction. CHURCH. XL. 8. As for Grantorto, &c.] When Lord Grey was deputy of Ireland, he put to the fword the Spaniards who furrendered to his mercy. His enemies faid 'twas done with treachery and unjustly. This is the historical allusion: and 'tis mentioned by Spenfer in his View of Ireland. UPTON.

That all the woods and rockes nigh to that

way

Began to quake and tremble with dismay;
And all the aire rebellowed againe ;
So dreadfully his hundred tongues did bray:
And evermore thofe Hags themselves did

paine

To fharpen him, and their owne curfed tongs did ftraine.

XLII.

And, ftill among, most bitter wordes they fpake, Most shamefull, most unrighteous, most un

trew,

That they the mildest man alive would make Forget his patience, and yeeld vengeaunce dew

To her, that fo falfe fclaunders at him threw : And more, to make them pierce and wound more deepe,

She with the fting which in her vile tongue grew

Did sharpen them, and in fresh poyfon steepe: Yet he past on, and feem'd of them to take no

keepe.

XLIII.

But Talus, hearing her fo lewdly raile

And speake fo ill of him that well deserved,

XLI. 8.

themselves did paine] That is,

took great pains. Fr. fe peiner, CHURCH.

: Would her have cháftiz'd with his yron flaile, If her Sir Artegall had not preferved,

And him forbidden, who his heast obferved: So much the more at him ftill did the fcold, And ftones did caft; yet he for nought would fwerve

From his right course, but still the way did. hold

To Faerie Court; where what him fell fhall else be told*.

Let us, as ufual, take a review of this Fifth Book, which treats, in the form of an allegory, of the most comprehenfive of all human virtues.

Herodotus informs us, that the Perfian kings celebrated with the highest magnificence their birth-day; when they granted to every one his boon. Nor with lefs magnificence the Fairy Queen kept her annual feast, on twelve feveral days, and granted to every juft petitioner the requested boon. On one of these days a difconfolate queen, named Irena, attended by Sir Sergis, made her entry according to the custom established; and, complaining that an oppreffive Tyrant kept by violence her crown from her, prayed that fome Knight might be affigned to perform that adventure: her boon was granted, and Sir Arthegal was the Knight affigned. This hero we have been long acquainted with; and have seen him in Fairy Land, feeking adventures, and perfecting himself in many a chivalrous emprife. But we must suppose that he was not to proceed on his grand queft, till joined by his faithful Talus; a man of iron mold, without any degree of paffion or affection; but the propereft perfon imaginable to put in act the righteous decrees. of Arthegal, or, in one word, to be an executioner. Thus is Juftice (imaged in Arthegal) armed with Power (imaged in Talus :) and, thus accoutred, he relieves the oppreffed, diftributes right, and redresses injured kingdoms and nations.

Though Arthegal appears in a fuller view in this Book, than hitherto, yet our chief hero, who is to be perfected in justice, that he might in the end obtain true glory, is not forgotten. If Homer dwells on the exploits of Diomed, or shows you at

large Agamemnon, or describes the fuccefs of Hector; yet ever and anon you are put in mind of Achilles; and you plainly perceive the fatal effects of that pernicious wrath, which brought fo many woes on Greece. Hence the unity of the Poem is preserved. Why will you not confider Speuser's Poem in the fame view, only built on a more extensive plan? The Briton Prince becomes acquainted with Arthegal by a rencounter, which often happens among knights-errant: as foon as they are reconciled (for the really great and good never disagree) they go in queft of adventures; and afterwards vifit Mercilla at her royal palace. And here the Briton Prince undertakes the relief of Belge from an oppreffive Tyrant: Mean time Arthegal goes to reinstate Irena in her pristine dignity.

The hiftorical allufions in this Book are fo very apparent, that the most fuperficial readers of Spenser never could miftake them, because he mentions the very names. But I wonder that they stopped here, and did not pursue the hint, which the poet had given them. Introduction, B. ii. ft. 4.

"Of Faery lond yet if he more inquire, "By certaine fignes here fet in fundry place, "He may it find; ne let him then admire, "But yield his sense to be too blunt and base, "That n'ote without an hound fine footing trace." Let us trace this fine footing, and take care we do not overrun our game, or start more game than we are able to catch. Sir Bourbon, is Henry of Navarre; who was kept from his crown, because a proteftant; and hence in dangerous distress of a rude rout. The Lady Flourdelis is the Genius of France. Bourbon in the encounter with the rude rout, i. e. his rebellious fubjects, flings away his fhield, (the hield of faith, Ephef. vi. 16, his religion,) and thus becomes a recreant Knight: C. xii. ft. 2.

"the love of lordships and of lands

"Made him become most faithless and unfound.” Notwithstanding the Genius of France is forced to take him. See C. xi. ft. 64.

"So bore her quite away, nor well nor ill apaid." Let us trace out the episode of Belge. There came two Springs alls (viz. the Marquis of Hauree and Adolph. Metkerk,) farre thence from forrein land (from the Netherlands) where they did dwell, to feeke for fuccour of her (Queen Elizabeth) and her peeres. The Briton Prince, in whom I think imaged the Earl of Leicester, undertakes to deliver Belge from the cruelties of Geryoneo, i. e. the King of Spain. Mercilla is plainly Queen

Elizabeth; the Lady brought to the bar, Mary Queen of Scots; the fage old fire that had to name the kingdom's care with a white filver head, means the Lord Treasurer Burleigh: Spenfer, by fome former poems, had brought himself into this mighty man's difpleasure, F. Q. vi. xii. 41. He now feems glad to curry favour; and methinks goes a little out of his way in making himfelf a party-man by abufing the memory of this unhappy Queen. But this is foreign to my defign; let us return to our hiftory. The two paramours of Dueffa, the Queen of Scots, are Blandamour and Paridel, i. e. the Earls of Northumberland and Weftmorland. Blandamour is the Earl of Northumberland, because the poet calls him, The hotfpurre youth, F. Q. V. i. 35. This was the well-known name given to the young Percy in the reign of King Henry IV. And is not this fpeaking out, as plain as the nature of this kind of poetry admits? Paridell is the Earl of Northumberland: Arthegal, I am thoroughly perfuaded, is Arthur Lord Grey of Wilton, Lord Deputy of Ireland, our poet's patron. His military and vigorous executions against the rebels in Ireland, brought upon him a load of envy and detraction, when he came back to England: and this is very plainly hinted at in the close of the 12th Canto. Compare Camden, fub ann. 1580, and Lloyd's State Worthies, in the life of Arthur Grey Baron of Wilton. Thefe circumftances are a ftrong proof that Ireland, agreeably to this kind of profopopæia, is fhadowed out to us by Irena. With this hint given, read and apply the following verses, C. xii. ft. 40.

"And that bright fword, the Sword of Justice lent,
"Had ftained with reproachful crueltie

"In guiltleffe blood of many an innocent." The Sword of Justice, i. e. according to the fable, the fword of gold given him by Aftrea; according to the moral, the fword he received as Lord Deputy of Ireland, and the enfign of his command. But I have still farther proofs: for what is Irena, but Ierna, a kingdom or ftate that stands in need of fuccour, as much as Belge? See likewife how the fituation of the island is pointed out, C. vi. ft. 7. Arthegal was going towards Ireland, which lay Weft of England. See likewife C. xii. ft. 3. And he calls it a ragged common-weale; as certainly it was, diftracted with civil wars, and torn in pieces with perpetual rebellions, fomented by the King of Spain and the Pope.

Old Sir Sergis, I take to be Walfingham. The King of Spain is imaged in the fon of Geryon, in the Soldan, and in Grantorto. The Seneschal feems to be the Duke of Alva.

Will it appear too refining, if we fuppofe that the Sarazin