part I
stole by cunning thefte: Forgiue it me faire Dames, sith lesse ye haue not lefte._
E. S.
FOOTNOTES:
[642] l. 12 The] he _1590_
[643] l. 33 _furtheraunce_, _1590_
[644] l. 5 Emperesse, _1590_
[645] l. 8 Souerain _1590_
FINIS.
CRITICAL APPENDIX.
DEDICATION. In _1590_ the Dedication runs simply:--‘To the most mightie and magnificent empresse Elizabeth, by the grace of God Queene of England, France and Ireland Defender of the Faith &c. Her most humble Seruant: _Ed. Spenser_.’ The words ‘and of Virginia’ and ‘to liue with the eternitie of her fame’, added in _1596_, give evidence of the growing importance of the colony and of the increased self-confidence of the poet.
I. i. Arg. 3. _entrappe_] _entrape_ _1596_. In the matter of double letters I attach little weight to the evidence of either quarto. I cannot believe (_e.g._) that a scholar like Spenser could have written ‘oportunitie’ (I. ii. 41 l. 7); so with ‘entrape’ here, and ‘mishapen’ at I. vi. 8 l. 7.
I. i. 2 l. 1. But] And _1590_. The reading of _1596_ brings out finely the contrast between the ‘jolly’ appearance of the Knight and his dedicated purpose.
I. i. 5 l. 1. So pure an innocent] and innocent _1590_: an Innocent _1609_. _1596_ makes ‘innocent’ substantive: and so _1609_ took it, as the capital shows.
I. i. 9 l. 6. sweete bleeding] sweet, bleeding _1609_. But Morris is probably right in regarding ‘sweete’ as an adverb to ‘bleeding’.
I. i. 15 l. 6. poisonous] poisnous _1590_. _1596_ is less shy of trisyllabic feet than _1590_, and both than _F. E._; and the second part of _F. Q._ than the first. Other trisyllabic feet left full in _1596_ but elided or contracted in _1590_ will be found at I. iv. 37 l. 6; II. ix. 17 l. 4; II. x. 34 l. 1; III. viii. 46 l. 9; cf. also III. ix. 48 l. 6. (_Per contra_ III. viii. 49 l. 1; III. xi. 28 l. 8.) Elisions are proposed by _F. E._ but ignored by _1596_ at I. xii. 32 l. 5, II. vii. 54 l. 8.
_1609_ elides vowels left open in the quartos, _e.g._ at II. ix. 52 l. 9; III. v. 50 l. 8; III. vii. 5 l. I. Cf. also II. viii. 3 l. 8; II. xii. 27 l. 4, for its avoidance of trisyllabic feet.
I. i. 15 l. 7. shapes] Morris reports ‘shape _1596_’: not so in Bodl. or B. M. copies. But ‘shape,’ in _1609_.
I. i. 20 l. 4. vildly] vilely _1609_. The omission of ‘d’ marks the seventeenth-century editor.
I. i. 21 l. 5. spring] ebbe _1590 &c._: _corr. F. E._ to auale] t’auale _1590_: _corr. F. E._ A good example of the relation of _1596_ to _F. E._ The first correction is ignored, the second accepted. But the second correction is obvious, being required by the metre; it must have been made independently. And this is generally the case when _1596_ and _F. E._ agree. For the significance of this ignoring of _F. E._ see Introduction, p. xvii. Excluding ambiguous instances, I have noted forty-eight places in which _1596_ thus ignores _F. E._; fifty-four in which they agree. But of these fifty-four only six at most are significant, the rest being obvious corrections. These are I. vi. 26 l. 5; I. vii. 37 l. 8; I. vii. 43 l. 5; I. vii. 47 l. 3; I. ix. Arg. 2; I. ix. 9 l. 5. Whatever be the explanation in these instances--and it will be noted that they all come close together--they do not invalidate the conclusion maintained in the Introduction, p. xvii, which is based on the negative instances.
I. i. 31 l. 6. you] thee _1590_. The plural pronoun is more courteous than the singular. There is a similar change of ‘thy’ to ‘your’ in I. ii. 22 l. 5.
I. i. 48 l. 9. with _om. 1596, 1609_. One of the instances that show how little use _1609_ made of _1590_. See further on I. ii. 29 l. 2.
I. ii. 11 ll. 3 and 4. One of several instances in which the punctuation of _1609_ brings out the true meaning or construction. See Introduction, p. xvii.
I. ii. 27 l. 9. so dainty] so, Dainty _1609_. The editor of _1609_ wishes to show that Spenser is quoting the proverb ‘Quae rara, cara’. The quartos probably intend the same meaning.
I. ii. 29 l. 2. shade him] shade _1596_: shadow _1609_. On the significance of this for the relations of _1590_ and _1609_ see Introduction, p. xviii. Other instances in which _1609_ ignores _1590_, supplying by conjecture a word or syllable that has been omitted in _1596_, are I. vi. 26 l. 9 as a tyrans law _1590_, as tyrans law _1596_, as proud tyrans law _1609_; II. v. 8 l. 7 hurtle _1590_, hurle _1596_, hurlen _1609_; II. vi. 29 l. 2 importune _1590_, importance 1596, important _1609_; II. x. 51 l. 7 Both in his armes, and crowne _1590_, Both in armes, and crowne _1596_, In armes, and eke in crowne _1609_; II. xii. 52 l. 9 Or _Eden_ selfe, if ought _1590_, Of Eden, if ought _1596_, Or Eden, if that ought _1609_; III. iii. 44 l. 5 foure hundreth yeares shalbe supplide _1590_, foure hundreth shalbe supplide _1596_, foure hundreth shall be full supplide _1609_; III. vii. 45 l. 1 the good Sir _Satyrane_ gan wake _1590_, good Sir _Satyrane_ gan wake _1596_, good Sir _Satyrane_ gan awake _1609_; III. ix. 13 l. 9 And so defide them each _1590_, And defide them each _1596_, And them defied each _1609_; III. xi. 26 l. 7 and with imperious sway _1590_, and imperious sway _1596_, and his imperious sway _1609_.
_1609_ ignores not only the text of _1590_, but _F. E._, in favour of conjecture, as at II. viii. 25 l. 1 Which those same foes, that stand hereby _1590_, _1596_, same _corr. to_ his cruell _F. E._, Which those same foes that doen awaite hereby _1609_.
I. iii. 32 l. 9. Who told her all that fell in iourney as she went] told, _1609_. The meaning wanted is, ‘Who told all that befell her’; and so _1609_ takes the line, as its punctuation shows. It is not impossible to get this meaning out of the line as it stands; but the order is excessively contorted, and I have suggested ‘all that her fell’.
I. iii. 36 l. 7. morning] mourning _1590_. The words are, of course, the same; and I now prefer _1590_, for though Spenser uses ‘morne’ he would scarcely employ so ambiguous a spelling in the participle.
I. iii. 38 l. 7. the] that _F. E. referring probably to this line_. As the references in _F. E._ are to pages only, it is sometimes impossible to identify them with certainty when they concern words like ‘the’ and ‘that’. See again on II. xii. 1 l. 6.
I. iii. 41 l. 9. swerd] sword _1609_. It is ‘swerd’ in all our copies of _1590_, _1596_.
I. iv. 16 l. 3. hurtlen] hurlen _1609_. _1609_ makes the same change at I. iv. 40 l. 1 and II. v. 8 l. 7, as if ‘hurtle’ were unfamiliar. Yet it has ‘hurtling’ in I. viii. 17, IV. iv. 29; and ‘hurtle’ in II. vii. 42.
I. iv. 23 l. 5. seldome] seeldome _1590_, sildom _1609_. See Introduction, p. v.
I. iv. 23 l. 7. dry dropsie. Upton’s conjecture, ‘dire dropsie’ (‘dirus hydrops’), is worth noticing.
I. v. 7 l. 9. helmets hewen] hewen helmets _1590_. This is one of those slight changes of order, made here for the sake of grammar, but more often for the sake of rhythm, which reveal the poet’s own hand in _1596_ more conclusively than more conspicuous alterations. Others are recorded at II. i. 18 l. 6; II. iii. 38 l. 4; II. v. 5 l. 9; II. vi. 3 l. 6; II. vi. 12 l. 9; III. ii. 8 l. 5; III. ii. 30 l. 5; III. iv. 59 l. 5; III. v. 40 l. 4; III. xi. 4 ll. 4 and 9; III. xi. 22 l. 8.
I. v. 10 l. 6. Doest] Doost _1609 passim_. See Introduction, p. v.
I. v. 17 l. 5. can] gan _1590_. ‘Can’ (in the sense of ‘did’) and ‘gan’ are easily confused, and difficult to pronounce between.
I. v. 23 l. 8. _Nightes_ children] _Nights_ drad children _1609_. On the significance of this variant see Introduction, p. xviii. Other instances in which _1609_ fails to recognize syllabic _-es_ are I. x. 34 l. 8; III. vi. 6 l. 5; III. x. 46 l. 6.
I. v. 26 l. 6. am] ame _1590_. This is the one eye-rhyme of _1590_ that is generally avoided in _1596_. Otherwise, so far as I have compared them in this respect, there is little or no difference; both are excessively addicted to eye-rhyme. The current heresy on this subject is expressed by Puttenham (1589):--‘It is somewhat more tollerable to help the rime by false orthographie then to leaue an vnpleasant dissonance to the eare by keeping trewe orthographie and loosing the rime.’ (_The Arte of English Poesie_, Bk. II. ch. ix.)
I. v. 38 l. 6. cliffs] clifts _1590 &c.: corr. F. E._ There is the same correction in I. ix. 34 l. 6. Together they suggest that Spenser meant at first to change ‘clift’ to ‘cliff’ throughout; but found that it would impair the rhyme, _e.g._ in I. viii. 22 l. 5.
I. v. 45 l. 4. On the _1609_ ‘woundez’ see Introduction, p. xviii.
I. vi. 23 l. 8. noursled] nousled _1590_. This change is systematically made in _1596_, which uses ‘nousle’ in a different senses = nuzzle; cf. IV. xi. 32 l. 8. There is the same difference between the first quarto of _S. C._ and later quartos.
I. vi. 26 l. 5. fierce and fell] swifte and cruell _1590: corr. F. E._ In _Malone 615_ these words are on a slip of paper, probably cut (says Mr. Bliss) from _1596_ and pasted over the original copy.
I. vi. 37 l. 9. hath] had _Grosart_: not so in any of our copies.
I. vi. 47 l. 8. to] two _1596_, _1609_. Morris assigns ‘two’ to _1611_; but it is in all our copies of _1596_ and _1609_.
I. vii. 37 l. 7. trample] amble _1590_. One of those changes of words which reveal Spenser’s hand clearly in _1596_. A steed so spirited would not amble.
I. viii. 11 ll. 5-9. Closely imitated in 2 _Tamburlaine_ iv. 3. Cf. Introduction, p. xi.
I. viii. 21 l. 5. their] his _Grosart_, adopting a suggestion by Church. But ‘their’ may mean ‘_Orgoglio’s_ and _Duessa’s_’.
I. viii. 33 l. 5. sits] fits _1596_, _1609_. But ‘sits’ = _sied_, as in I. i. 30 l. 9.
I. viii. 44 l. 4. delight] dislike _conj. J. Jortin_. As ‘delight’ is repeated by parablepsy from l. 3, the form of the word is not much of a guide in emendation. Others suggest ‘despight’.
I. ix. 32 l. 7. nor for gold nor glee] nor for gold nor fee _conj. Church_; cf. I. x. 43 l. 6. But the alliteration, if not the sense, favours ‘glee’. Cf. VI. v. 39 l. 3; VI. vii. 49 l. 9.
I. ix. 42 l. 7. Morris reports ‘hold’ as in _1590_: not so in any of our copies.
I. ix. 53 l. 1. feeble] seely _1596_: silly _1609_. I do not think that Spenser would have tolerated a combination like ‘seely, fleshly’; and comparison with I. vii. 6 l. 5 and I. vii. 11 l. 8, where ‘fraile’ and ‘feeble’ occur together in lines which this line was meant to recall, convinces me that ‘seely’ (= feelie) is a misprint for ‘feeble’.
I. x. 7 l. 8. simple true] simple, trew _Morris_. But see note on I. i. 9 l. 6.
I. x. 20 l. 5. See Introduction, p. xviii.
I. x. 27 l. 6. The correction in _1596_ (_v._ footnote) was apparently made to avoid the ambiguity of ‘salt water sore’.
I. x. 52 l. 1. since] sith _1609_. See Introduction, p. vi.
I. x. 62 l. 9. As for loose loues are vaine] As for loose loues they are vaine _1590_. The reading of _1596_ eases the metre, and V. iii. 22 ll. 5 and 6 shows an exactly parallel construction. But the main reason for preferring _1596_ is the proximity of 62 l. 4 and 62 l. 8, which are certainly author’s corrections. See Introduction, p. xvii.
I. xi. 3. See Introduction, p. xvi.
I. xi. 26 l. 6. swinged] singed _1609_. The quartos are right. The form ‘swinge’ is wide-spread in modern dialect. Webster quotes the noun ‘swinge’ (= a singe) from Beaumont and Fletcher.
I. xi. 37 l. 2. yelded] yelled _1609_. Though I have hesitated to change the reading of the quartos, it is probably a misprint. Spenser elsewhere has ‘yell’. The nearest parallel to ‘yeld’ is ‘befeld’ = befallen, IV. iii. 50 l. 3. The true reading may, after all, be ‘yelped’.
I. xi. 41 l. 4. Nor _1609_: For _1590_, _1596_. I am no longer sure that Spenser did not write ‘For’. There is a very similar confusion in V. vi. 26 ll. 5 and 6.
I. xi. 51 ll. 7 and 8. The original punctuation makes l. 8 refer to the lark.
I. xii. 7 l. 3. sung] song _1590_. Here _1596_ forgoes the eye-rhyme to avoid ambiguity.
I. xii. 17 l. 1. that] the _1596_, _1609_. The change may be Spenser’s, but cf. 21 l. 7 where ‘the’ of _1596_ is probably wrong and occurs in the same line with a word in which _1596_ is certainly wrong.
I. xii. 17 l. 4. note] no’te _1609_, _1611_. Morris reports ‘no’te _1596_’: not so in Bodl. or B. M. copies.
I. xii. 28 l. 7. her] his _1596_, _1609_. The change may be Spenser’s. Having personified truth as _Una_, he may have felt an objection to personifying it here. But the misprint is not uncommon: cf. 40 l. 9.
I. xii. 34 l. 3. improuided] vnprouided _Todd &c._: not so in any of the copies examined.
I. xii. 38 l. 3. frankincense] frankencense _1596_, _1609_. The spelling ‘encens’ was not yet quite extinct, and I now incline to think that the more archaic form was deliberately introduced in _1596_. Cf. note on ‘vpsidowne’ at II. vii. 4 l. 8.
II. i. 1 l. 7. caytiues hands] caytiue _1609_. ‘Caytiue bands’ has been conjectured, but perhaps needlessly.
II. i. 18 l. 6. did he] he did _1590_. See note on I. v. 7 l. 9. This transposition seems designed to get another alliteration in ‘d’.
II. i. 34 l. 6. Grosart reports ‘steady _1590_’: not so in our copies.
II. i. 58 l. 4. fry] fryze _sugg. Church_. As a contrast is wanted to ‘melt’ in l. 3, there is much to be said for Church’s ‘fryze’ (_i.e._ freeze). (The spelling actually suggested by Church is ‘frieze’, as in II. i. 42 l. 3, or ‘frize’, as in VI. x. 33 l. 9; but neither of these would so readily be corrupted.)
II. ii. 7 l. 7. chace] pray _sugg. Collier_. This is the first of those substitutions discussed in Introduction, p. viii.
II. ii. 21 l. 1. cald] calth _1596_, _1609_. Changes of tense like this are not uncommon in _1596_, but here ‘calth’ seems an error due to the following ‘forth’.
II. i. 34 l. 9. thought their] though ther _1590_. _1590_ seems to be simply a wrong division of ‘thought her’, which we should perhaps read.
II. ii. 42 l. 6. make] hold _conj. edd._ See Introduction, p. viii.
II. ii. 44 l. 4. introld] entrold _1590_: enrold _conj. edd._ ‘Enrold’ is more obvious than convincing: it is typographically improbable, and it makes poor sense. The problem is complicated by the ambiguous rhyme with ‘world’ and ‘told’, for which, however, cf. I. xi. 27 ll. 1, 3 ‘world’ = ‘extold’. I am not convinced that Spenser did not coin ‘introld’, though I do not know what he meant by it.
II. iii. 4 l. 5. A pleasing vaine of glory vaine did find] A pleasing vaine of glory he did find _1590_. It is natural to regard the second ‘vaine’ as a mere printer’s repetition of the first. But the collocation of ‘glory’ and ‘vaine’ appears in two other descriptions of _Braggadocchio_, _viz._ III. viii. 11 ll. 8 and 9; IV. iv. 14 l. 5. And the play on words is quite Spenserian; cf. I. iv. 6 l. 6 array ... arras; II. i. 37 l. 9 leaue ... leaue; II. ii. 12 l. 3 fairely fare.
II. iii. 10 l. 1. On the spelling of _Braggadocchio_ see Introduction, p. vi. In the second volume of _1596_ we find _cc_ in IV. ii. 4; IV. iv. 14; IV. iv. 20; _c_ in IV. iv. 8; IV. iv. 10; IV. v. 23; IV. v. 26; and always in V. iii.
II. iii. 20 l. 5. their haire on end does reare] does vnto them affeare _1590_: vnto _corr. to_ greatly _F. E._ It seems as if Spenser originally wrote ‘appeare’, forgot this when he made _F. E._, and in turn forgot _F. E._ when he corrected the copy for _1596_; or knowingly changed his mind twice.
II. iii. 28 l. 7. play] sport _conj. ed._ See Introduction, p. viii. I do not wish to _read_ ‘sport’ in the text, as the form of the footnote might imply. This substitution does not seem to have been noticed by previous editors.
II. iii. 38 l. 4. haue I] I haue _1590_. See note on I. v. 7 l. 9.
II. iii. 45 l. 4. one] on _1590_, _1596_. For the converse misprint cf. II. i. 31 l. 4.
II. iii. 46 l. 9. erne] yerne _1609_. These two words are regularly interchanged in _1609_, in accordance with modern usage. Cf. VI. vii. 15 l. 9.
II. iv. 17 ll. 6, 8, 9. A striking instance of author’s correction in _1596_. Spenser seems to have shrunk from the forms ‘trech’, ‘ketch.’
II. iv. 35. This is the stanza quoted by Fraunce in 1588. See Introduction, p. xi.
II. iv. 41 l. 8. A hexameter in the eighth line. It might be corrected by omitting ‘is sonne’; but for this there is no authority. See Introduction, p. vii.
II. v. 5 l. 9. do not much me faile] doe me not much fayl _1590_. See note on I. v. 7 l. 9.
II. v. 8 l. 7. hurtle] hurle, _1596_; hurlen _1609_. See notes on I. ii. 29 l. 2 and I. iv. 16 l. 3.
II. v. 12 ll. 8 and 9. A very difficult passage. The meaning wanted seems to be, ‘Do not think that it is thy force but the unjust doom of fortune that has thus laid me low.’ This meaning comes more easily if we read ‘but’ for ‘by’: a conjecture in which I find that I was anticipated by a friend of Jortin’s. But no good meaning can be got out of ‘maugre her spight’ without taking ‘maugre’ in the sense of ‘curse on’, or the like, which it never bears outside _F. Q._, if there. The nearest parallels are III. iv. 39 l. 8; III. v. 7 l. 5; VI. iv. 40 l. 3. See Introduction, p. ix.
II. v. 19 l. 7. do] garre _1590_. A very interesting change. Had it been objected to ‘garre’ that it was peculiar to Northern dialect? I believe that several changes in _1596_ were made to meet such criticisms. Spenser uses ‘garre’ in _S. C._, but not elsewhere in _F. Q._
II. v. 29 l. 5. pricking] prickling _1590_. The quartos differ repeatedly over this particular letter--cf. II. i. 31 l. 2; II. vi. 18 l. 7; II. xi. 13 l. 5; II. xii. 30 l. 6 (where _1590_ is certainly right). Here usage favours _1596_, but sound _1590_.
II. v. 31 l. 5. See note on II. iii. 20 l. 5.
II. vi. 3 l. 4. that nigh her breth was gone,] as merry as Pope Ione, _1590_. The earlier reading was apparently thought too colloquial.
II. vi. 3 l. 6. might to her] to her might _1590_. See note on I. v. 7 l. 9. The authenticity of the transposition here is made probable by the proximity of l. 4.
II. vi. 5 l. 6. cut away. We should perhaps read ‘cut a way’; cf. II. viii. 5 l. 9.
II. vi. 12 l. 9. See note on I. v. 7 l. 9.
II. vi. 14 l. 9. loud] loue _1590_. The reading of _1596_ is supported by the proximity of II. vi. 12 l. 9.
II. vi. 18 l. 7. griesly] griesy _1590_. On the variants see note on II. v. 29 l. 5. ‘Griesy’ is here explained as ‘sluggish’. But we find griesie’, I. ix. 35 l. 4 (but ‘griesly’ _1611_); ‘grysie’, II. xi. 12 l. 3 and III. xii. 19 l. 2; ‘gryesy’, III. i. 67 l. 7. These are all one word, and the meaning is always ‘squalid’, ‘hideous’.
II. vi. 29 l. 2. importune] importance _1596_: important _1609_. See note on I. ii. 29 l. 2.
II. vi. 42 l. 4. steept] stept _1590_ should have been recorded in footnote.
II. vii. 4 l. 8. vpsidowne] vpside downe _1590_. The original form, as I learn from Sir James Murray, was ‘upsodown’ or ‘upsadown’; ‘upsidown’ became current in the second quarter of the sixteenth century; ‘upside-down’ appears first in Coverdale. By the last decade of the century ‘upsodown’ was obsolete, ‘upsidown’ archaic, ‘upside-down’ or ‘upset-down’ current. There is little doubt that here, as at I. xii. 38 l. 3, Spenser deliberately returned in _1596_ to the more archaic form.
II. vii. 40 l. 5. that] the _1590 &c._: _corr. F. E._ _F. E._ might refer to 43 l. 2. See note on I. iii. 38 l. 7. The earlier stanza is quoted with ‘the’ in _England’s Parnassus_ (1600). But the quotation is full of mistakes and has no authority.
II. vii. 52 l. 6. With which] Which with _1590_, _1596_: Which-with _1609_. At IV. vii. 25 l. 1 ‘Which’ is ‘With’ in _1596_.
II. viii. 3 l. 8. Come hither, come hither] Come hither, hither _1609_. But the trisyllabic foot is probably genuine, and expresses agitation. See note on I. i. 15 l.
II. viii. 25 l. 1. See note on I. ii. 29 l. 2.
II. viii. 29 l. 7. vpreare] vpheaue _MS. corr. in Malone 615_. See Introduction, p. viii. Kitchin speaks of these MS. corrections as ‘co-temporary’; and a note in the Bodleian catalogue ascribes them to Lord Burleigh. But most of them are in a hand much later than 1600.
II. viii. 40 l. 4. so wisely as it ought] so well, as he it ought _1590_. _1596_ means, ‘As wisely as it ought to be used.’ For the construction cf. II. viii. 32 l. 4; VII. vii. 9 l. 8. But _1590_ gives an excellent meaning, ‘As well as he who owned it’; and it is hard to see why Spenser changed it. This is one of the few corrections that I suspect of being editorial. Cf. II. x. 49 l. 8. A converse confusion of the two meanings of ‘ought’ is shown by the variants on VI. viii. 50 l. 4.
II. viii. 44 l. 8. no more] not thore _1590_. ‘Thore’, if not a misprint (and it does not look like one), was probably meant for ‘there’, as ‘tho’ = then, rather than for ‘through’ (‘thorough’). In either case Spenser felt it licentious.
II. viii. 48 l. 8. Prince _Arthur_ _1609_: Sir _Guyon_ _1590_, _1596_. See Introduction, p. xviii.
II. ix. 7 ll. 5 and 6. The time is shortened to agree with I. ix. 15. Cf. also II. ix. 38.
II. ix. 9 l. 1. weete] wote _1590 &c._ Not an imperfect rhyme, but a misprint; for the form is wrong.
II. ix. 17 l. 4. perilous] perlous _1590_. See note on I. i. 15 l. 6.
II. ix. 21 l. 1. them] him _1590_. It is ‘them’ in _England’s Parnassus_. See note on II. vii. 40 l. 5.
II. ix. 35 l. 3. idly] idle _1609_ should have been recorded in the footnote.
II. ix. 38 l. 2. mood] word _1590 &c._ Collier credits Drayton with the emendation (see on 49 l. 4 below); but Morris seems to have first adopted it. There is a similar misprint of ‘word’ for ‘wood’ in _1590_ at III. xii. 7 l. 8.
II. ix. 38 l. 9. twelue moneths] three years _1590_. See note on II. ix. 7 above.
II. ix. 49 l. 4. reason] season _Drayton_ (_teste Collier_). Collier professed to have a copy of the _1611_ folio that had belonged to Drayton and had corrections in his hand. On questions of this nature no weight can be attached to Collier’s unverified statements, and I am not aware that this statement has been verified. The corrections with which he credits Drayton are often ingenious, but not more ingenious than those which he puts forward as his own.
II. ix. 52 l. 9. the house] th’house _1609_. See note on I. i. 15 l. 6.
II. x. 6 l. 6. safeties sake] safety _1590_. 7 l. 7. liued then] liueden _1590_. Either of these corrections might be editorial; but by their proximity they support each other.
II. x. 15 l. 9. munifience] munificence _1590_, _1609_. Spenser certainly means ‘fortification’, and has either coined a noun from munify + ence, or applied ‘munificence’ in this unexampled sense. The reading ‘munifience’ is found only in _1596_.
II. x. 24 l. 9. _F. E._ shows that _Seuith_ was printed in some copies of _1590_. Church, Upton, and Todd all had copies in which the missing words were supplied.
II. x. 34 l. 1. _Riuallo_] _Riuall’_ _1590_. See note on I. i. 15 l. 6.
II. x. 43 l. 1. _Sisillus_] Sifillus _1590 &c._ We should perhaps read _Sisilius_ with Geoffrey of Monmouth (_Historia Britonum_, Lib. III, § 13: in § 14 he spells it _Sisillius_).
II. x. 67 l. 2. _Ambrose_] _Ambrise_ _1596_, _1609_. Geoffrey of Monmouth (_Historia Britonum_, Lib. VI) supports _1590_.
II. x. 49 1. 8. defrayd] did defray _1596_, _1609_. Here at least the printer of _1596_ is seen to have assumed the editor. He betrays himself by losing the rhyme-scheme, rhyming line 8 with lines 2, 4, 5, 7 instead of 6, 9. See note on II. viii. 40 l. 4.
II. x. 51 l. 7. See note on I. ii. 29 l. 2.
II. x. 67 l. 2. _Ambrose_] _Ambrise_ _1596_, _1609_. Geoffrey of Monmouth (_Historia Britonum_, Lib. VI) supports _1590_.
II. xi. 10 l. 2. dessignment] assignment _1590_. It is the proximity of the indubitable author’s correction in 9 l. 9 that decides in favour of _1596_.
II. xi. 11 l. 4. dismayd] mismayd _conj. Jortin_. Jortin’s ‘mismayd’ (_i. e._ mismade, miscreated) gives a good meaning, and the misprint is paralleled at III. ix. 7 l. 3 disdonne _1590_, misdonne _1596_. Others think that ‘dismayd’ may bear the same meaning.
II. xi. 13 l. 5. assayled] assayed _1590_. See note on II. v. 29 l. 5.
II. xi. 21 l. 8. their] there _1609_. I should now prefer to read ‘there’ in all such cases.
II. xii. 1 l. 4. Formerly] ‘Formally’ is a conjecture of my own, and should have been indicated as such in the footnote. It was suggested by II. xii. 81 l. 5, where ‘formally’ = _secundum artem_. ‘Firmëly’ has been proposed; but that is impossible. The text may be sound.
II. xii. 1 l. 6. Others take _F. E._ to refer to l. 1. See note on I. iii. 38 l. 7.
II. xii. 23 l. 9. Upton, Todd, &c., keep _Monoceros_, scanning ‘immeasúrëd’, which is without example. The reading adopted by Child was originally suggested by Jortin.
II. xii. 27 l. 4. sea the resounding] sea resounding _1609_. See note on I. i. 15 l. 6.
II. xii. 30 l. 6. pleasaunt] peasaunt _1596_. See note on II. v. 29 l. 5.
II. xii. 39 l. 8. vpstarting] vpstaring _1590_. I. ix. 22 l. 3 and VI. xi. 27 l. 4 favour _1590_.
II. xii. 43 l. 5. Nought feard their force] they _conj. ed._ This correction gives the desired meaning, ‘They had no fear of force.’ Those who defend the text take ‘feard’ to mean ‘frightened’, and ‘their’ to refer to the beasts. (I find that my conjecture has been anticipated by Church and others.)
II. xii. 52 l. 9. See note on I. ii. 29 l. 2.
III. i. 47 l. 7. which] that _1590_. The correction is due to ‘that’ in l. 8.
III. i. 56 l. 8. _Basciomani_] _Bascimano_ _1590_. In Spenser’s day the correct form was _basciamano_ or _basciamani_, the latter not being plural of the former, but an independent formation of verb stem + plural noun, like Fr. _porte-montres_. Ordinarily it would be fair to credit Spenser with a knowledge of the right Italian form. Yet in this place the _Bascimano_ of _1590_ has clearly been corrected: a fresh corruption in an author’s correction is not highly probable; and I am accordingly disposed to think that Spenser really coined _Basciomani_ as a substantival use of the phrase _bascio le mani_. Cf. the familiar Spanish _bezo los manos_.
III. ii. 4 l. 1. _Guyon_] _Redcrosse MS. corr. in Malone 615._ See Introduction, p. vii.
III. ii. 8 l. 5. Which I to proue] Which to proue, I _1590_. See note on I. v. 7 l. 9.
III. ii. 30 l. 5. in her warme bed her dight] her in her warme bed dighte _1590_. See note on I. v. 7 l. 9.
III. ii. 49 l. 7. a earthen] an earthen _1609_. Spenser may have intended to pronounce ‘yearthen’. N. E. D. describes the _y_-form of ‘earth’ as going down to the sixteenth century, though no _y_-forms are quoted under ‘earthen’. In Northern dialect, with which Spenser was familiar, ‘a’ takes the place of ‘an’ even before a vowel. If the quartos are right, this is another archaism unfamiliar to _1609_.
III. iii. 6 l. 1. auisd] aduis’d _1609_. See note on IV. ii. 22.
III. iii. 15 l. 3. _1609_ makes ‘businesse’ three syllables, and then seeks to avoid the trisyllabic foot. See note on I. i. 15 l. 6.
III. iii. 44 l. 5. See note on I. ii. 29 l. 2.
III. iii. 50 l. 9. See Introduction, p. xviii.
III. iii. 53 l. 3. Evidently an author’s correction; but the reason for the change is obscure.
III. iv. 39 l. 9. sith we no more shall meet] till we againe may meet _1590_. Spenser has remembered, or been reminded, that _Cymoent_ is a heathen goddess.
III. iv. 40 l. 6. _1611_ modernizes to ‘ielly’d blood’.
III. iv. 59 l. 5. See note on I. v. 7 l. 9.
III. v. Arg. 4. _sownd_] _swound_ _1609_. ‘Sownd’ is one of the rarer spellings of the multiform ‘swound’, ‘swoune’, &c. At VI. i. 34 l. 2 we find ‘sound’ (= swound) in both _1596_ and _1609_.
III. v. 5 l. 5. A] And _1596_, _1609_. ‘And’, though defensible, is probably due to ‘And’ in l. 6.
III. v. 37 l. 6. follow] followd _1590_ should have been recorded in footnote.
III. v. 40 l. 4. their loues sweet teene] their sweet loues teene _1590_. Spenser transposed, either for rhythm, or to bring out the oxymoron ‘sweet teene’. Cf. note on I. v. 7 l. 9.
III. v. 50 l. 8. To him, and to all] To him and all _1609_. See note on I. i. 15 l. 6.
III. V. 51 l. 9. to] it _1611_.
III. v. 52 l. 6. The punctuation of the quartos connects ‘admire’ with ‘In gentle Ladies brest’; but this leaves ‘and bounteous race’ without construction.
III. v. 53 l. 3. Realmes] Reames _1590_. So in V. vii. 23 ll. 6, 8, 9 ‘realme’ rhymes with ‘extreame’ and ‘dreame’.
III. vi. 6 l. 5. his beames] his hot beames _1609_. See on I. v. 23 l. 8 and Introduction, p. xvii.
III. vi. 12 l. 2. The rhyme is imperfect, but I find no authority for reading ‘aspect’.
III. vi. 26 l. 4. both farre and nere _om. 1590_. _1596_ here completes a line left imperfect in _1590_, which makes it possible than Spenser may have intended to complete other broken lines, such as II. iii. 26 l. 9; II. viii. 55 l. 9.
III. vi. 39 l. 1. _1611_ reads ‘and all’, to avoid the trisyllabic foot. See note on I. i. 15 l. 6.
III. vi. 40 l. 6. See Introduction, p. viii.
III. vi. 45 l. 4. See Introduction, p. xviii.
III. vii. 5 l. I. the tops] th’tops _1609_. See note on I. i. 15 l. 6.
III. vii. 9 l. 3. two] to _conj. Hughes_. Morris reports ‘to’ from _1596_: not so in copies examined. See also I. vi. 47 l. 8 and note there.
III. vii. 13 l. 6. had] hath _1590_. The notes of Todd and Morris imply that some copies of _1596_ also read ‘hath’. If so, it should be adopted as the better reading.
III. vii. 22 l. 4. Monstrous mishapt] Monstrous, mishapt _1590_. Cf. I. i. 9 l. 6; 1. x. 7 l. 8.
III. vii. 32 l. 7. muchell] much ill _1611_, puzzled by the archaism.
III. vii. 34 l. 2. See Introduction, p. vii.
III. vii. 45 l. I. See note on I. ii. 29 l. 2.
III. vii. 48 l. 4. Spenser has remembered, or been reminded, that _Ollyphant_ reappears in III. xi.
III. viii. 30 l. 3. frory] frowy _1590_, _1596_. The reading of _1609_ is established by comparison with III. viii. 35 l. 2. ‘Frowie’ occurs in _S. C._ (_July_ III); but it means ‘musty’.
III. viii. 46 l. 9. vnworthy] vnworthy’ _1590_. 49 l. 2 T’haue] To haue _1590_. See note on I. i. 15 l. 6.
III. ix. 13 l. 9. See note on I. ii. 29 l. 2.
III. ix. 20 l. 9. persant] persent _1609_: present _1611_.
III. ix. 48 l. 6. to sea] to the sea _1596_--perhaps rightly: cf. note on I. i. 15 l. 6.
III. x. 41 l. 7. Morris reports ‘wild forest _1609_’: not so in any of the copies examined.
III. x. 46 l. 6. th’Earthes] the Earthes _1609_. See note on I. v. 23 l. 8 and Introduction, p. xviii.
III. xi. 4 ll. 4 and 9. These two transpositions support each other, the first being made for grammar, the second for rhythm. See note on I. v. 7 l. 9.
III. xi. 12 l. 1. singultes] singulfes _1590_, _1596_. This word occurs again in _F. Q._ V. vi. 13, _Colin Clout_ 168, _Tears of the Muses_ 232; and in all four places is spelt with ‘f’ in the original editions. We must suppose, either that the printers made the same mistake four times, or that Spenser misspelt a word with whose Latin form he must have been quite familiar. Neither alternative is acceptable; but I find the second incredible.
III. xi. 19 l. 9. death] life _conj. Jortin_. Jortin’s emendation gives the sense required; yet Spenser was capable of writing ‘death’. Cf. Introduction, p. ix.
III. xi 22 l. 8. See note on I. v. 7 l. 9.
III. xi. 23 l. 2. Inglorious, beastlike _1611_, to avoid the trisyllabic foot. See note on I. i. 15 l. 6.
III. xi. 26 1. 7. See note on I. ii. 29 l. 2.
III. xi. 39 l. 8. Stag _conj. Jortin_: Hag _1590 &c._ In support of Jortin’s emendation Upton quotes Natalis Comes, _Mythologia_, iv. 10 ‘Fertur hic deus [_i.e._ Apollo] in varias formas ob amores fuisse mutatus, in leonem, in _cervum_, in accipitrem’. As the chapter deals with Apollo, and mentions Hyacinth, Coronis, &c., it is clear that Spenser had been reading it, and Jortin’s emendation is irresistible. (Spenser would have written ‘an Hag’, not ‘a Hag’.)
III. xi. 47 l. 9. heauen bright] heauens hight _conj. Church_. But identical rhymes are not infrequent in this particular place in a stanza. Yet the possibility of parablepsy lowers the authority of the quartos in such cases. The printers would be peculiarly liable to this error in this place if, in Spenser’s manuscript, the Alexandrine overflowed into the eighth line of the stanza. (Church spells ‘heuens’, following _1590_).
III. xii. 12 l. 6. wingyheeld] winged heeld _1590_. The change seems to have been made for euphony. See note on I. v. 7 l. 9.
III. xii. 18 l. 8. hony-lady. ‘Hony-laden’ is a tempting suggestion of Upton’s, and Morris adopts it.
III. xii. 26 l. 7. with that Damozell] by the Damozell _1590_. According to _1596_ the Damozell is _Amoret_, according to _1590 Britomart_.
III. xii. 27 l. 3. and bore all away] nothing did remaine _1590_. A striking change, designed to remove the imperfect rhyme. l. 8. It] In _1611_.
III. xii. 29 l. 1. wandering] wondering _1611_.
III. xii. 34 l. 4. her] him _1590_, _1596_. Comparison with the variants in stanza 42 suggests some oblivion in Spenser’s mind of the sex of his Championess.
III. xii. 43 to 45. On these stanzas see Introduction, p. xvi.
IV. ii. 22 l. 7. aduizing] auising _1609_. For ‘aduize’ = observe cf. II. ix. 38 l. 3. Similarly we find ‘adward’ _1596_, but ‘award’ _1609_; conversely ‘dis-auentrous’ _1596_, ‘disaduentrous’ _1609_. Todd quotes from Sir T. More, ‘Whoso well aduise her visage, &c.’
IV. iii. 43 l. 5. quite age] quiet-age _Morris_. Morris’s reading (originally suggested to Jortin by a friend) is very plausible, though the word does not occur elsewhere in _F. Q._
IV. iv. 1 l. 4. minds] lines _16(11)-12-13_. Morris reports ‘liues _1609_’: not so in genuine copies examined. See Bibliographical Note.
IV. iv. 2 l. 3. als] els _1596_. I now think that _1596_ is right. The proposition illustrated is twofold:--(1) ‘For enmitie, that of no ill proceeds, But of occasion, with th’occasion ends’; (2) ‘And friendship, which a faint affection breeds Without regard of good, dyes like ill grounded seeds’. Reading ‘As als’ we have two illustrations of this twofold proposition. Reading ‘As els’ we have an independent illustration of each of its parts. For ‘As els’ cf. the second letter to Harvey:--‘For, why a Gods name, may not we, as else the Greeks, &c.’
IV. iv. 8 l. 2. _Ferrau_] _Ferrat_ _1596_. Called _Ferraugh_ in IV. ii. 4; Ferraù in Ariosto, O. F. i. 14. Spenser mentions _Ferragh_ as an Irish name in the ‘_Vue_’.
IV. iv. 17 l. 4. maiden-headed] satyr-headed _conj. Church_, referring to III. vii. 30 l. 6. In the Bodleian copy of Church’s edition is a note by Mr. G. L. Way, the former owner: ‘Perhaps _Maidenheaded Shield_ may mean “the shield of him who was one of the Knights of Maidenhead”--see st. 22.’
IV. iv. 24 l. 1. beamlike] Upton reports that one of his quartos had ‘brauelike’, the other ‘beamlike’.
IV. v. 4 l. 4. _Lemno_] _Lemnos_ _16(11)-12-13_.
IV. v. 5 l. 5; 6 l. 1. According to Upton and Todd some copies of _1596_ here err with _1609_.
IV. v. 35 l. 4. vnpared] prepared _16(11)-12-13_.
IV. v. 40 l. 7. wheresoeuer] whersoere _16(11)-12-13_.
IV. vi. 24 l. 8. his _om. 1609_. But see note on I. i. 15 l. 6.
IV. vi. 33 l. 6. ranging] raging _16(11)-12-13_.
IV. vi. 46 l. 5. who] whom _16(11)-12-13_. Morris reports ‘whom _1609_’: not so in genuine copies examined.
IV. vii. 12 I. l. caytiue] captiue _conj. Collier_. But Spenser used the adj. ‘caytiue’ in this sense in I. vii. 19 l. 3; I. ix. 11 l. 9.
IV. vii. 32 l. 7. oft] eft _conj. Hughes_, to improve the rhyme.
IV. viii. 1 l. 9. infixed] infected _16(11)-12-13_.
IV. viii. 64 l. 1. this] his _16(11)-12-13_. Morris reports ‘his _1609_’: not so in genuine copies examined.
IV. ix. 11 l. 9. The conjecture ‘them’, approved by Church, was originally made by Hughes.
IV. ix. 17 l 7. bequest] request _16(11)-12-13_.
IV. x. 8 l. 8. Upton reports that one of his quartos had ‘_his_’, the other ‘_this_’.
IV. x. 23 ll. 2, 8. The words ‘ghesse’ and ‘bee’ are transposed in all copies examined except _4^o Art. Seld. S. 22_ in the Bodleian and _C. 12. h. 17, 18_ in the British Museum. The correction was evidently made as the sheets went through the press. See Introduction, p. xix. _16(11)-12-13_ reads ‘I ghesse’.
IV. x. 27 l. 1. _Hyllus_ _1596_: _Hylus_ _1609_. Spenser evidently means _Hylas_. There was a Hyllus, son of Hercules and Deianeira; but it is unlikely that Spenser confused the two, for he has _Hylas_ rightly in a similar context, III. xii. 7.
IV. x. 35 ll. 5, 6.
Else would the waters ouerflow the lands, And fire deuoure the ayre, and hell them quight.
In this difficult passage two lines of interpretation are offered:--(1) taking ‘hell’ as sb. and ‘quight’ as vb., ‘And hell requite them,’ _i.e._ punish the elements by reducing all to chaos: (2) taking ‘hell’ as vb. and ‘quight’ as advb., ‘And cover them (_i.e._ the lands) quite.’ The second explanation involves a difficult parenthesis of ‘And fire deuoure the ayre’: ‘hell’ does not occur elsewhere in _F. Q._ as a verb, even in the form ‘hele’, though ‘vnhele’ = uncover is found in II. xii. 64 l. 8; hence it has been proposed to read ‘mell’ = confuse. But the first line of interpretation seems the more satisfactory.
IV. xi. 4 l. 6. seuen] three _Malone 616_ and _G. 11557_ in B. M. All other copies of _1596_ ‘seuen’. This is another instance of correction at press. See above on IV. x. 23. _1609_ reads ‘three’. I cannot say which reading represents the poet’s second thought.
IV. xi. 17 l. 6. times] age _Todd_. But see Introduction, p. viii.
IV. xi. 34 l. 5. Grant] Guant _1596_, _1609_: _corr. Child_. ‘Grant’ is for Granta, _i.e._ the Cam, as Upton noted.
IV. xi. 52 l. 7. but] both _conj. edd._ The text is sound. Floods and fountains, though originally all derived from ocean, are yet akin to sky and sun.
IV. xii. 13 ll. 1, 2. For the significance of these variants see Introduction, p. xix.
IV. xii. 23 l. 9. That no old sore it was _16(11)-12-13_.
V. Proem 2 l. 2. at earst] as earst _16(11)-12-13_. But cf. _S. C. Dec._ 105, where there is the same contrast between ‘first’ and ‘at earst’. Also _F. Q._ VI. iii. 8 l. 7; 39 l. 1.
V. Proem 2 l. 9. degendered] degenerd _16(11)-12-13_.
V. Proem 7 l. 8. thirtie] thirteen _conj. Child_. Child’s ‘thirteen’ is said to be astronomically correct, or nearly so, for Spenser’s date.
V. Proem 9 l. 4. ne], no _16(11)-12-13_.
V. Proem 11 l. 2. stead] place _1596_. On this substitution see Introduction, p. viii. This is the only correction of this nature in _1609_, and I have accepted it for reasons given in Introduction, p. xix.
V. ii. Arg. 3. _Munera_] _Momera_ _1596_, _1609_: _corr. Hughes_. As a rule I do not accept such corrections in proper names. But this is a printer’s not an author’s error.
V. ii. 11 l. 4. Who] Tho _conj. Church_: When _Morris_. But such changes of construction are not uncommon when a clause intervenes as here.
V. ii. 46 l. 9. way] lay _1609_. But identical rhymes, especially of homonyms, are not uncommon in this part of the stanza. See, however, note on III. xi. 47 l. 9.
V. iii. 11 ll. 7, 9. Th’other ... th’other _1596_, _1609_. Erroneous apostrophation occurs again at V. vi. 19 l. 3. Cf. also note on V. v. 18 l. 4.
V. iii. 19 l. 1. the azure] th’azure _1609_. See note on I. i. 15 l. 6.
V. iv. 1 l. 3. Had neede haue] Had neede of _16(11)-12-13_.
V. iv. 22 l. 2. pinnoed] pinniond _16(11)-12-13_.
V. iv. 36 l. 8. Ere long their Queene her selfe, halfe like a man] selfe halfe, _1596_: self, arm’d _1609_. _1609_ may be right; ‘halfe’ in _1596_ may have been repeated by parablepsy from ‘selfe’: the punctuation of _1596_ points to that.
V. iv. 37 l. 1. neare] newe _conj. Church_. 3 so few] to feare _conj. Collier_. Imperfect rhymes are not rare in _F. Q._, but scarcely in this form; here there is no assonance. Nor does this seem to be one of the ‘substitutions’ discussed in Introduction, p. viii. Of conjectures, Church’s is the best.
V. iv. 37 l. 6. there] their _16(11)-12-13_.
V. iv. 39 l. 3. So cruell doale amongst her maides diuide] ... doile ... dauide _1596_. There are two words ‘dole’ in Spenser, (_a_) portion, (_b_) mourning. This is (_a_): for the phrase cf. Shakespeare, 2 _Hen. IV_, 1. i. 169, ‘That in the dole of blows your son might drop.’ Spenser does not elsewhere use ‘dole’ in sense (_a_); in sense (_b_) it is common in _F. Q._, and is spelt ‘dole’ or ‘doole’. The spelling ‘doile’ (Fr. _deuil_) belonged rather to sense (_b_), but no sixteenth century instance is quoted in N. E. D. It is not impossible that Spenser wrote ‘doile’ in sense (_a_), intending a play upon the two meanings. But more probably ‘a’ and ‘i’ have simply been interchanged, as _1609_ takes it. (_1596_ generally has ‘deuide’; but ‘diuide’ also occurs.)
V. iv. 48 l. 7. yesterday] yeester day _1596_. Morris keeps ‘yeester’; but Spenser has ‘yester’ elsewhere, and a misprint is probable. The latter part of this canto, as these notes show, is unusually full of such difficulties.
V. v. 18 l. 4. to’a] The apostrophation shows synezesis, though the vowel is not omitted.
V. v. 38 l. 8. And, though (vnlike)] And, though vnlike _1596_. The meaning is, ‘And even if (as is unlikely) they should last, &c.’
V. vi. 5 ll. 6, 7.
For houres but dayes; for weekes, that passed were, She told but moneths _1596_, _1609_.
Church would transpose ‘houres’ and ‘dayes’, ‘weekes’ and ‘moneths’. Spenser may have meant that she reckoned in months instead of weeks to make the time look shorter; _e.g._ said three months instead of twelve weeks, dwelling on the numeral and wilfully ignoring the noun. But this is one of those subtleties in which we feel the difference between Spenser and Shakespeare. See Introduction, p. ix.
V. vi. 16 l. 7. That this is things compacte] thing _conj. Church_. Others defend ‘things’ as genitive. Church’s conjecture is preferable to that. But there is no real objection to taking ‘things’ as nom. pl.
V. vi. 19 l. 3. the euen-tide] th’euen-tide _1596_. See note on V. iii. 11.
V. vi. 25 l. 9. nights] Knight’s _conj. Church_. This conjecture, like others of Church’s, is rather plausible to common sense than convincingly Spenserian.
V. vi. 26 l. 5. Ne lesse] Sense requires ‘Ne more’; but see note on II. v. 12.
V. vi. 29 l. 2. armed] arm’d _1596_. See note on V. iii. 11.
V. vi. 33 l. 7. auenge] reuenge _16(11)-12-13_. Morris and Grosart report ‘reuenge _1609_’: not so in genuine copies examined.
V. vii. 6 l. 9. her] From stanza 15 it appears that ‘her’ should have been ‘his’. But the mistake may be Spenser’s.
V. vii. 13 l. 5. to robe] to be _16(11)-12-13_.
V. vii. 23 l. 6. See note on III. v. 53 l. 3.
V. viii. 40 l. 6. knowen] knowne _1596_. _1596_ might be upheld by comparison with VI. iv. 36, where ‘vnknowne’ = ‘showen’ = ‘blowen’ = ‘sowen’. But these are at the end of lines, where the number of syllables is indifferent.
V. ix. 21 l. 1. knights] knight _16(11)-12-13_.
V. ix. 44 l. 1. appose] oppose _1609_. Mr. Chapman has pointed out to me a parallel use of ‘appose’ in Drayton (p. 44, l. 4 of the Oxford edition):--
Against these folkes that think them selues so wise, I thus appose my force of reason wholly.
V. x. 3 l. 6. _Armericke_] _Americke conj. Todd_. Todd’s conjecture is highly probable. Otherwise we must take _Armericke_ to mean Armoric, _i.e._ of Brittany.
V. x. 6 l. 4. See note on I. i. 15 l. 6.
V. x. 18 l. 8. fastnesse] safenesse _16(11)-12-13_.
V. x. 23 l. 4. threating] threatening _16(11)-12-13_.
V. x. 24 l. 5. farewell open field] well fare _conj. edd._ needlessly: ‘farewell’ here = welcome.
V. xi. 5 l. 9. have riue] not riue _16(11)-12-13_.
V. xi. 40 l. 6 is a very effective tetrameter as it stands. The reading of _16(11)-12-13_ is not, I think, authentic.
V. xi. 41 l. 6. Upton’s correction had already been made in Hughes’s second edition.
V. xi. 54 l. 9. corruptfull] corrupted _16(11)-12-13_. Morris and Grosart report ‘corrupted _1609_’: not so in genuine copies examined.
V. xi. 61 l. 7. meed] hyre _conj. Church_. But see Introduction, p. viii. The reading ‘meed’ in this stanza makes the rhyme-scheme _ababbcacc_.
V. xi. 61 l. 8. froward] forward _1596_. The sense requires ‘froward’. For the distinction between the two words cf. II. ii. 38; and for a similar confusion between them VI. x. 24 1. 7.
V. xii. 14 l. 8. steale] steele _1609_. But ‘steale’ here = handle.
VI. Proem 6 l. 9. name] fame _edd._ See note on V. ii. 46 l. 9.
VI. i. 8 l. 7. wretched] wicked _16(11)-12-13_.
VI. i. 37 l. 5. pot-shares] pot-shards _16(11)-12-13_.
VI. i. 34 l. 2. For ‘sound’ = swound cf. III. v. Arg.
VI. ii. 3 ll. 3, 4. ‘Eyes’ and ‘eares’ ought of course to have been transposed. But there is no evidence that the error is not Spenser’s. And this must raise a doubt as to whether the printer is responsible for ‘euery act and deed, that he did say’ in l. 2.
VI. ii. 39 l. 2. implements] ornaments _1609_. This change looks less like a printer’s error than an editorial improvement.
VI. iii. 12 l. 7. saue] salue _16(11)-12-13_.
VI. iii. 21 l. 8. default] assault _conj. Collier_. See note on V. ii. 46 l. 9. But Collier is very likely right here. The chance of parablepsy, always present in such cases, is here unusually strong with ‘assault’ > < ‘default’.
VI. iii. 23 l. 2. _Serena_] _Cristina_ _1596 Bodl._ All the B. M. copies ‘_Serena_’. A striking instance of correction made during the printing of the sheets. See Introduction, p. xix.
VI. iii. 24 l. 5. in vaine _om. 16(11)-12-13_. These words, which make the line a hexameter, are not omitted in any of the genuine _1609_ copies examined. See Bibliographical Note.
VI. iii. 35 l. 3. Which] That _1596 Bodl._ The four B. M. copies have the superior reading ‘Which’. The change was evidently made at press to avoid the repetition of ‘that’.
VI. iii. 37 l. 9. did for her] for her did _1596 Bodl._ Again the four B. M. copies have the superior reading: change made at press for euphony. Mr. Ostler points out that the corrections in stanzas 23, 35, and 37 all occur in the outer forme of signature B b, which explains the agreement of the B. M. copies. Had the corrections been on both sides of the sheet, there would probably (he thinks) have been a further dispersal of various readings.
VI. iii. 42 ll. 4, 7. The rhyme-words have been transposed in _1596_.
VI. iv. 4 l. 7. stroke] strokes _1609_ should have been recorded in the footnote.
VI. iv. 16 l. 8. hurts] hurt _16(11)-12-13_. The latter reading is more grammatical, but is not found in any of the genuine _1609_ copies examined.
VI. v. Arg. 1. _Matilda_] _Serena_ _corr. Hughes rightly_. The confusion is due to the _Matilde_ of Canto iv; but it is Spenser’s own.
VI. v. 39 l. 3. full gladly they did take in glee] gree _1609_. The reading of _1609_ is supported by V. vi. 21 l. 7. On the other hand, the alliteration favours ‘glee’; and we find ‘nor for gold nor glee’ in I. ix. 32 l. 7.
VI. vi. Arg. 3. _He_ refers to _Arthur_; but no emendation is possible.
VI. vi. 4 l. 4. Of] In _16(11)-12-13_.
VI. vi. 16 l. 1. the] th’ _1596_. See note on V. iii. 11.
VI. vii. 3 l. 7. armed] arm’d _1596_. See note on V. iii. 11.
VI. vii. 15 l. 9. yearned] earned _1609_. See note on II. iii. 46 l. 9.
VI. vii. 49 l. 9. Words] Swords _conj. Church_. The sense, as often, favours Church’s conjecture; but the alliteration favours the text.
VI. viii. 50 l. 4. what they ought] what shee ought _1609_, taking ‘ought’ = owned. For the converse see note on II. viii. 40 l. 4.
VI. ix. 28 l. 6. the heauens] th’heauens _1596_, _1609_. See note on V. iii. 11.
VI. x. 2 l. 9. in] on _1596_. Spenser is apparently thinking of the Latin proverb ‘in portu nauigare’; yet it does not mean exactly what he desires to convey here. In Terence, _Andria_, i. 3. 22 ego in portu nauigo = I am out of danger: Spenser means ‘never reaching the land’. Possibly _1596_ is right, and we have here a nautical phrase that has been lost.
VI. x. 24 l. 7. froward] forward _1596_, _1609_: _corr. 16(11)-12-13_. The reading ‘froward’, though not found in any of the genuine _1609_ copies examined, is clearly right, as is shown by the Gloss on _S. C._ for _April_, where the Graces are thus described:--‘And Boccace saith, that they be painted naked ... the one hauing her backe toward us, and her face fromwarde, as proceeding from us; the other two toward us, &c.’
VI. x. 36 l. 6. And hewing off his head, it presented _1596_, _1609_: (he) it presented _edd._ Though Spenser is not above this kind of bad rhyme, I do not find that he ever accents ‘présented’.
VI. x. 44. The reading and punctuation of _1609_ (which makes a long parenthesis of ll. 3-7) are, of course, much more logical; but not therefore more Spenserian.
VI. xii. 12 l. 8. loos] praise _1609_. We may have here an authentic after-thought of Spenser’s. He may, on reflection, have disliked the collocation of ‘losse’ and ‘loos’. If so, this line should be added to the instances cited in the Introduction, p. xviii. But it is equally probable that the editor of _1609_, failing to recognize the obsolescent ‘loos’--which nevertheless occurs in Puttenham--took it for a printer’s repetition of ‘losse’, and corrected accordingly.
VI. xii. 41 l. 3. clearest _1596_, _1609_: cleanest _Hughes_. Hughes’s conjecture, though not supported by any of the old copies examined, is nevertheless very probably right; for the stanza is carelessly printed in _1596_, as the variants recorded in the footnotes show. But Spenser has too many imperfect rhymes to allow us to consider the emendation certain.
VII. vi. 38 l. 2. wealths] wealth _Hughes &c._ The plural may be defended as = different kinds of wealth; but the misprint is easy.
VII. vii. 9 l. 7. _kindes_] _kinde_ _Morris after Upton_; and so Chaucer calls it in the _Parlement of Foules_ 316.
VII. vii. 10 l. 4. mores] more _Hughes_. Upton defends ‘mores’, as = roots, plants; and most editions, and the N. E. D., accept this. Nor did ‘mores’ offend the editor of _16(11)-12-13_; so that it is probably right, though I do not find that ‘more’ elsewhere ever means anything but root, or stock.
VII. vii. 28 l. 3. did _om. 16(11)-12-13_.
VII. viii. 1 l. 7. to cast] and cast _16(11)-12-13_.
VII. viii. 2 l. 9. Church’s conjecture (made also by Upton) makes Spenser distinguish between Sabaoth = hosts and Sabbath = rest. The distinction exists in Hebrew; but it seems to spoil the point of the stanza to suppose that Spenser drew it here. No inference can be based on the varying spellings of ‘Sabaoth’ in _1609_, _16(11)-12-13_.
Of the Letter to Raleigh, Commendatory Verses, and Dedicatory Sonnets, only the verses by W. R. and Hobynoll are found in _1596 Bodl._, or in Mr. Cannan’s _1609_, where they are printed in their original position at the end of