CRITICAL APPENDIX.
Dedication.In1590the 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 in1596, give evidence of the growing importance of the colony and of the increased self-confidence of the poet.
I. i. Arg. 3.entrappe]entrape1596. 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] And1590. The reading of1596brings 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 innocent1590: an Innocent1609.1596makes ‘innocent’ substantive: and so1609took it, as the capital shows.
I. i. 9 l. 6. sweete bleeding] sweet, bleeding1609. But Morris is probably right in regarding ‘sweete’ as an adverb to ‘bleeding’.
I. i. 15 l. 6. poisonous] poisnous1590.1596is less shy of trisyllabic feet than1590, and both thanF. E.; and the second part ofF. Q.than the first. Other trisyllabic feet left full in1596but elided or contracted in1590will 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 contraIII. viii. 49 l. 1; III. xi. 28 l. 8.) Elisions are proposed byF. E.but ignored by1596at I. xii. 32 l. 5, II. vii. 54 l. 8.
1609elides 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 ‘shape1596’: not so in Bodl. or B. M. copies. But ‘shape,’ in1609.
I. i. 20 l. 4. vildly] vilely1609. The omission of ‘d’ marks the seventeenth-century editor.
I. i. 21 l. 5. spring] ebbe1590 &c.:corr. F. E.to auale] t’auale1590:corr. F. E.A good example of the relation of1596toF. 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 when1596andF. E.agree. For the significance of this ignoring ofF. E.see Introduction, p. xvii. Excluding ambiguous instances, I have noted forty-eight places in which1596thus ignoresF. E.; fifty-four in which they agree. But of these fifty-four only six at most aresignificant, 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] thee1590. 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. withom. 1596, 1609. One of the instances that show how little use1609made of1590. See further on I. ii. 29 l. 2.
I. ii. 11 ll. 3 and 4. One of several instances in which the punctuation of1609brings out the true meaning or construction. See Introduction, p. xvii.
I. ii. 27 l. 9. so dainty] so, Dainty1609. The editor of1609wishes 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] shade1596: shadow1609. On the significance of this for the relations of1590and1609see Introduction, p. xviii. Other instances in which1609ignores1590, supplying by conjecture a word or syllable that has been omitted in1596, are I. vi. 26 l. 9 as a tyrans law1590, as tyrans law1596, as proud tyrans law1609; II. v. 8 l. 7 hurtle1590, hurle1596, hurlen1609; II. vi. 29 l. 2 importune1590, importance 1596, important1609; II. x. 51 l. 7 Both in his armes, and crowne1590, Both in armes, and crowne1596, In armes, and eke in crowne1609; II. xii. 52 l. 9 OrEdenselfe, if ought1590, Of Eden, if ought1596, Or Eden, if that ought1609; III. iii. 44 l. 5 foure hundreth yeares shalbe supplide1590, foure hundreth shalbe supplide1596, foure hundreth shall be full supplide1609; III. vii. 45 l. 1 the good SirSatyranegan wake1590, good SirSatyranegan wake1596, good SirSatyranegan awake1609; III. ix. 13 l. 9 And so defide them each1590, And defide them each1596, And them defied each1609; III. xi. 26 l. 7 and with imperious sway1590, and imperious sway1596, and his imperious sway1609.
1609ignores not only the text of1590, butF. E., in favour of conjecture, as at II. viii. 25 l. 1 Which those same foes, that stand hereby1590,1596, samecorr. tohis cruellF. E., Which those same foes that doen awaite hereby1609.
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 so1609takes 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] mourning1590. The words are, of course, the same; and I now prefer1590, for though Spenser uses ‘morne’ he would scarcely employ so ambiguous a spelling in the participle.
I. iii. 38 l. 7. the] thatF. E. referring probably to this line. As the references inF. E.are to pages only, it is sometimes impossible to identifythem with certainty when they concern words like ‘the’ and ‘that’. See again on II. xii. 1 l. 6.
I. iii. 41 l. 9. swerd] sword1609. It is ‘swerd’ in all our copies of1590,1596.
I. iv. 16 l. 3. hurtlen] hurlen1609.1609makes 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] seeldome1590, sildom1609. 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 helmets1590. 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 in1596more 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] Doost1609 passim. See Introduction, p. v.
I. v. 17 l. 5. can] gan1590. ‘Can’ (in the sense of ‘did’) and ‘gan’ are easily confused, and difficult to pronounce between.
I. v. 23 l. 8.Nighteschildren]Nightsdrad children1609. On the significance of this variant see Introduction, p. xviii. Other instances in which1609fails to recognize syllabic-esare I. x. 34 l. 8; III. vi. 6 l. 5; III. x. 46 l. 6.
I. v. 26 l. 6. am] ame1590. This is the one eye-rhyme of1590that is generally avoided in1596. 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] clifts1590 &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 the1609‘woundez’ see Introduction, p. xviii.
I. vi. 23 l. 8. noursled] nousled1590. This change is systematically made in1596, which uses ‘nousle’ in a different senses = nuzzle; cf. IV. xi. 32 l. 8. There is the same difference between the first quarto ofS. C.and later quartos.
I. vi. 26 l. 5. fierce and fell] swifte and cruell1590: corr. F. E.InMalone 615these words are on a slip of paper, probably cut (says Mr. Bliss) from1596and pasted over the original copy.
I. vi. 37 l. 9. hath] hadGrosart: not so in any of our copies.
I. vi. 47 l. 8. to] two1596,1609. Morris assigns ‘two’ to1611; but it is in all our copies of1596and1609.
I. vii. 37 l. 7. trample] amble1590. One of those changes of words which reveal Spenser’s hand clearly in1596. A steed so spirited would not amble.
I. viii. 11 ll. 5-9. Closely imitated in 2Tamburlaineiv. 3. Cf. Introduction, p. xi.
I. viii. 21 l. 5. their] hisGrosart, adopting a suggestion by Church. But ‘their’ may mean ‘Orgoglio’sandDuessa’s’.
I. viii. 33 l. 5. sits] fits1596,1609. But ‘sits’ =sied, as in I. i. 30 l. 9.
I. viii. 44 l. 4. delight] dislikeconj. 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 feeconj. 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 in1590: not so in any of our copies.
I. ix. 53 l. 1. feeble] seely1596: silly1609. 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, trewMorris. 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 in1596(v.footnote) was apparently made to avoid the ambiguity of ‘salt water sore’.
I. x. 52 l. 1. since] sith1609. See Introduction, p. vi.
I. x. 62 l. 9. As for loose loues are vaine] As for loose loues they are vaine1590. The reading of1596eases the metre, and V. iii. 22 ll. 5 and 6 shows an exactly parallel construction. But the main reason for preferring1596is 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] singed1609. 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] yelled1609. 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. Nor1609: For1590,1596. 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] song1590. Here1596forgoes the eye-rhyme to avoid ambiguity.
I. xii. 17 l. 1. that] the1596,1609. The change may be Spenser’s, but cf. 21 l. 7 where ‘the’ of1596is probably wrong and occurs in the same line with a word in which1596is certainly wrong.
I. xii. 17 l. 4. note] no’te1609,1611. Morris reports ‘no’te1596’: not so in Bodl. or B. M. copies.
I. xii. 28 l. 7. her] his1596,1609. The change may be Spenser’s. Having personified truth asUna, 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] vnprouidedTodd &c.: not so in any of the copies examined.
I. xii. 38 l. 3. frankincense] frankencense1596,1609. The spelling ‘encens’ was not yet quite extinct, and I now incline to think that the more archaic form was deliberately introduced in1596. Cf. note on ‘vpsidowne’ at II. vii. 4 l. 8.
II. i. 1 l. 7. caytiues hands] caytiue1609. ‘Caytiue bands’ has been conjectured, but perhaps needlessly.
II. i. 18 l. 6. did he] he did1590. 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 ‘steady1590’: not so in our copies.
II. i. 58 l. 4. fry] fryzesugg. 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] praysugg. Collier. This is the first of those substitutions discussed in Introduction, p. viii.
II. ii. 21 l. 1. cald] calth1596,1609. Changes of tense like this are not uncommon in1596, but here ‘calth’ seems an error due to the following ‘forth’.
II. i. 34 l. 9. thought their] though ther1590.1590seems to be simply a wrong division of ‘thought her’, which we should perhaps read.
II. ii. 42 l. 6. make] holdconj. edd.See Introduction, p. viii.
II. ii. 44 l. 4. introld] entrold1590: enroldconj. 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 find1590. 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 ofBraggadocchio,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 ofBraggadocchiosee Introduction, p. vi. In the second volume of1596we findccin IV. ii. 4; IV. iv. 14; IV. iv. 20;cin 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 affeare1590: vntocorr. togreatlyF. E.It seems as if Spenser originally wrote ‘appeare’, forgot this when he madeF. E., and in turn forgotF. E.when he corrected the copy for1596; or knowingly changed his mind twice.
II. iii. 28 l. 7. play] sportconj. ed.See Introduction, p. viii. I do not wish toread‘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 haue1590. See note on I. v. 7 l. 9.
II. iii. 45 l. 4. one] on1590,1596. For the converse misprint cf. II. i. 31 l. 4.
II. iii. 46 l. 9. erne] yerne1609. These two words are regularly interchanged in1609, 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 in1596. 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 fayl1590. See note on I. v. 7 l. 9.
II. v. 8 l. 7. hurtle] hurle,1596; hurlen1609. 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 outsideF. 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] garre1590. A very interesting change. Had it been objected to ‘garre’ that it was peculiar to Northern dialect?I believe that several changes in1596were made to meet such criticisms. Spenser uses ‘garre’ inS. C., but not elsewhere inF. Q.
II. v. 29 l. 5. pricking] prickling1590. 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 (where1590is certainly right). Here usage favours1596, but sound1590.
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 might1590. 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] loue1590. The reading of1596is supported by the proximity of II. vi. 12 l. 9.
II. vi. 18 l. 7. griesly] griesy1590. 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] importance1596: important1609. See note on I. ii. 29 l. 2.
II. vi. 42 l. 4. steept] stept1590should have been recorded in footnote.
II. vii. 4 l. 8. vpsidowne] vpside downe1590. 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 in1596to the more archaic form.
II. vii. 40 l. 5. that] the1590 &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’ inEngland’s Parnassus(1600). But the quotation is full of mistakes and has no authority.
II. vii. 52 l. 6. With which] Which with1590,1596: Which-with1609. At IV. vii. 25 l. 1 ‘Which’ is ‘With’ in1596.
II. viii. 3 l. 8. Come hither, come hither] Come hither, hither1609. 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] vpheaueMS. 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 ought1590.1596means, ‘As wisely as it ought to be used.’ For the construction cf. II. viii. 32 l. 4; VII. vii. 9 l. 8. But1590gives 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 thore1590. ‘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. PrinceArthur1609: SirGuyon1590,1596. 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] wote1590 &c.Not an imperfect rhyme, but a misprint; for the form is wrong.
II. ix. 17 l. 4. perilous] perlous1590. See note on I. i. 15 l. 6.
II. ix. 21 l. 1. them] him1590. It is ‘them’ inEngland’s Parnassus. See note on II. vii. 40 l. 5.
II. ix. 35 l. 3. idly] idle1609should have been recorded in the footnote.
II. ix. 38 l. 2. mood] word1590 &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’ in1590at III. xii. 7 l. 8.
II. ix. 38 l. 9. twelue moneths] three years1590. See note on II. ix. 7 above.
II. ix. 49 l. 4. reason] seasonDrayton(teste Collier). Collier professed to have a copy of the1611folio 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’house1609. See note on I. i. 15 l. 6.
II. x. 6 l. 6. safeties sake] safety1590. 7 l. 7. liued then] liueden1590. Either of these corrections might be editorial; but by their proximity they support each other.
II. x. 15 l. 9. munifience] munificence1590,1609. 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 in1596.
II. x. 24 l. 9.F. E.shows thatSeuithwas printed in some copies of1590. 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] Sifillus1590 &c.We should perhaps readSisiliuswith Geoffrey of Monmouth (Historia Britonum, Lib. III, § 13: in § 14 he spells itSisillius).
II. x. 67 l. 2.Ambrose]Ambrise1596,1609. Geoffrey of Monmouth (Historia Britonum, Lib. VI) supports1590.
II. x. 49 1. 8. defrayd] did defray1596,1609. Here at least the printer of1596is 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]Ambrise1596,1609. Geoffrey of Monmouth (Historia Britonum, Lib. VI) supports1590.
II. xi. 10 l. 2. dessignment] assignment1590. It is the proximity of the indubitable author’s correction in 9 l. 9 that decides in favour of1596.
II. xi. 11 l. 4. dismayd] mismaydconj. Jortin. Jortin’s ‘mismayd’ (i. e.mismade, miscreated) gives a good meaning, and the misprint is paralleled at III. ix. 7 l. 3 disdonne1590, misdonne1596. Others think that ‘dismayd’ may bear the same meaning.
II. xi. 13 l. 5. assayled] assayed1590. See note on II. v. 29 l. 5.
II. xi. 21 l. 8. their] there1609. 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 takeF. E.to refer to l. 1. See note on I. iii. 38 l. 7.
II. xii. 23 l. 9. Upton, Todd, &c., keepMonoceros, 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 resounding1609. See note on I. i. 15 l. 6.
II. xii. 30 l. 6. pleasaunt] peasaunt1596. See note on II. v. 29 l. 5.
II. xii. 39 l. 8. vpstarting] vpstaring1590. I. ix. 22 l. 3 and VI. xi. 27 l. 4 favour1590.
II. xii. 43 l. 5. Nought feard their force] theyconj. 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] that1590. The correction is due to ‘that’ in l. 8.
III. i. 56 l. 8.Basciomani]Bascimano1590. In Spenser’s day the correct form wasbasciamanoorbasciamani, 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 theBascimanoof1590has 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 coinedBasciomanias a substantival use of the phrasebascio le mani. Cf. the familiar Spanishbezo 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, I1590. See note on I. v. 7 l. 9.
III. ii. 30 l. 5. in her warme bed her dight] her in her warme bed dighte1590. See note on I. v. 7 l. 9.
III. ii. 49 l. 7. a earthen] an earthen1609. Spenser may have intended to pronounce ‘yearthen’. N. E. D. describes they-form of ‘earth’ as going down to the sixteenth century, though noy-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 to1609.
III. iii. 6 l. 1. auisd] aduis’d1609. See note on IV. ii. 22.
III. iii. 15 l. 3.1609makes ‘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 meet1590. Spenser has remembered, or been reminded, thatCymoentis a heathen goddess.
III. iv. 40 l. 6.1611modernizes to ‘ielly’d blood’.
III. iv. 59 l. 5. See note on I. v. 7 l. 9.
III. v. Arg. 4.sownd]swound1609. ‘Sownd’ is one of the rarer spellings of the multiform ‘swound’, ‘swoune’, &c. At VI. i. 34 l. 2 we find ‘sound’ (= swound) in both1596and1609.
III. v. 5 l. 5. A] And1596,1609. ‘And’, though defensible, is probably due to ‘And’ in l. 6.
III. v. 37 l. 6. follow] followd1590should have been recorded in footnote.
III. v. 40 l. 4. their loues sweet teene] their sweet loues teene1590. 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 all1609. See note on I. i. 15 l. 6.
III. V. 51 l. 9. to] it1611.
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] Reames1590. So in V. vii. 23 ll. 6, 8, 9 ‘realme’ rhymes with ‘extreame’ and ‘dreame’.
III. vi. 6 l. 5. his beames] his hot beames1609. 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 nereom. 1590.1596here completes a line left imperfect in1590, 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. 1.1611reads ‘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’tops1609. See note on I. i. 15 l. 6.
III. vii. 9 l. 3. two] toconj. Hughes. Morris reports ‘to’ from1596: not so in copies examined. See also I. vi. 47 l. 8 and note there.
III. vii. 13 l. 6. had] hath1590. The notes of Todd and Morris imply that some copies of1596also read ‘hath’. If so, it should be adopted as the better reading.
III. vii. 22 l. 4. Monstrous mishapt] Monstrous, mishapt1590. Cf. I. i. 9 l. 6; 1. x. 7 l. 8.
III. vii. 32 l. 7. muchell] much ill1611, 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, thatOllyphantreappears in III. xi.
III. viii. 30 l. 3. frory] frowy1590,1596. The reading of1609is established by comparison with III. viii. 35 l. 2. ‘Frowie’ occurs inS. C.(JulyIII); but it means ‘musty’.
III. viii. 46 l. 9. vnworthy] vnworthy’1590. 49 l. 2 T’haue] To haue1590. 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] persent1609: present1611.
III. ix. 48 l. 6. to sea] to the sea1596—perhaps rightly: cf. note on I. i. 15 l. 6.
III. x. 41 l. 7. Morris reports ‘wild forest1609’: not so in any of the copies examined.
III. x. 46 l. 6. th’Earthes] the Earthes1609. 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] singulfes1590,1596. This word occurs again inF. Q.V. vi. 13,Colin Clout168,Tears of the Muses232; 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] lifeconj. 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, beastlike1611, 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. Stagconj. Jortin: Hag1590 &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, incervum, 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 hightconj. 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’, following1590).
III. xii. 12 l. 6. wingyheeld] winged heeld1590. 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 Damozell1590. According to1596the Damozell isAmoret, according to1590 Britomart.
III. xii. 27 l. 3. and bore all away] nothing did remaine1590. A striking change, designed to remove the imperfect rhyme. l. 8. It] In1611.
III. xii. 29 l. 1. wandering] wondering1611.
III. xii. 34 l. 4. her] him1590,1596. 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] auising1609. 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-ageMorris. Morris’s reading (originally suggested to Jortin by a friend) is very plausible, though the word does not occur elsewhere inF. Q.
IV. iv. 1 l. 4. minds] lines16(11)-12-13. Morris reports ‘liues1609’: not so in genuine copies examined. See Bibliographical Note.
IV. iv. 2 l. 3. als] els1596. I now think that1596is 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]Ferrat1596. CalledFerraughin IV. ii. 4; Ferraù in Ariosto, O. F. i. 14. Spenser mentionsFerraghas an Irish name in the ‘Vue’.
IV. iv. 17 l. 4. maiden-headed] satyr-headedconj. 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: ‘PerhapsMaidenheaded Shieldmay 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]Lemnos16(11)-12-13.
IV. v. 5 l. 5; 6 l. 1. According to Upton and Todd some copies of1596here err with1609.
IV. v. 35 l. 4. vnpared] prepared16(11)-12-13.
IV. v. 40 l. 7. wheresoeuer] whersoere16(11)-12-13.
IV. vi. 24 l. 8. hisom. 1609. But see note on I. i. 15 l. 6.
IV. vi. 33 l. 6. ranging] raging16(11)-12-13.
IV. vi. 46 l. 5. who] whom16(11)-12-13. Morris reports ‘whom1609’: not so in genuine copies examined.
IV. vii. 12 I. l. caytiue] captiueconj. 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] eftconj. Hughes, to improve the rhyme.
IV. viii. 1 l. 9. infixed] infected16(11)-12-13.
IV. viii. 64 l. 1. this] his16(11)-12-13. Morris reports ‘his1609’: 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] request16(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 except4oArt. Seld. S. 22in the Bodleian andC. 12. h. 17, 18in the British Museum. The correction was evidently made as the sheets went through the press. See Introduction, p. xix.16(11)-12-13reads ‘I ghesse’.
IV. x. 27 l. 1.Hyllus1596:Hylus1609. Spenser evidently meansHylas. There was a Hyllus, son of Hercules and Deianeira; but it is unlikely that Spenser confused the two, for he hasHylasrightly 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.
Else would the waters ouerflow the lands,And fire deuoure the ayre, and hell them quight.
Else would the waters ouerflow the lands,And fire deuoure the ayre, and hell them quight.
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 inF. 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] threeMalone 616andG. 11557in B. M. All other copies of1596‘seuen’. This is another instance of correction at press. See above on IV. x. 23.1609reads ‘three’. I cannot say which reading represents the poet’s second thought.
IV. xi. 17 l. 6. times] ageTodd. But see Introduction, p. viii.
IV. xi. 34 l. 5. Grant] Guant1596,1609:corr. Child. ‘Grant’ is for Granta,i.e.the Cam, as Upton noted.
IV. xi. 52 l. 7. but] bothconj. 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 was16(11)-12-13.
V. Proem 2 l. 2. at earst] as earst16(11)-12-13. But cf.S. C. Dec.105, where there is the same contrast between ‘first’ and ‘at earst’. AlsoF. Q.VI. iii. 8 l. 7; 39 l. 1.
V. Proem 2 l. 9. degendered] degenerd16(11)-12-13.
V. Proem 7 l. 8. thirtie] thirteenconj. Child. Child’s ‘thirteen’ is said to be astronomically correct, or nearly so, for Spenser’s date.
V. Proem 9 l. 4. ne], no16(11)-12-13.
V. Proem 11 l. 2. stead] place1596. On this substitution see Introduction,p. viii. This is the only correction of this nature in1609, and I have accepted it for reasons given in Introduction, p. xix.
V. ii. Arg. 3.Munera]Momera1596,1609: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] Thoconj. Church: WhenMorris. But such changes of construction are not uncommon when a clause intervenes as here.
V. ii. 46 l. 9. way] lay1609. 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’other1596,1609. 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’azure1609. See note on I. i. 15 l. 6.
V. iv. 1 l. 3. Had neede haue] Had neede of16(11)-12-13.
V. iv. 22 l. 2. pinnoed] pinniond16(11)-12-13.
V. iv. 36 l. 8. Ere long their Queene her selfe, halfe like a man] selfe halfe,1596: self, arm’d1609.1609may be right; ‘halfe’ in1596may have been repeated by parablepsy from ‘selfe’: the punctuation of1596points to that.
V. iv. 37 l. 1. neare] neweconj. Church. 3 so few] to feareconj. Collier. Imperfect rhymes are not rare inF. 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] their16(11)-12-13.
V. iv. 39 l. 3. So cruell doale amongst her maides diuide] ... doile ... dauide1596. There are two words ‘dole’ in Spenser, (a) portion, (b) mourning. This is (a): for the phrase cf. Shakespeare, 2Hen. 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 inF. 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, as1609takes it. (1596generally has ‘deuide’; but ‘diuide’ also occurs.)
V. iv. 48 l. 7. yesterday] yeester day1596. 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 vnlike1596. The meaning is, ‘And even if (as is unlikely) they should last, &c.’
V. vi. 5 ll. 6, 7.