Spenser's Faerie Queene, Vol. 2 (of 2)

by Edmund Spenser

To the learned Shepheard.

Collyn I see by thy new taken taske,

some sacred fury bath enricht thy braynes,

That leades thy muse in haughtie verse to maske,

and loath the layes that longs to lowly swaynes.

That lifts thy notes from Shepheardes vnto kings,

So like the liuely Larke that mounting sings.

Thy louely Rosolinde seemes now forlorne,

and all thy gentle flockes forgotten quight,

Thy chaunged hart now holdes thy pypes in scorne,

those prety pypes that did thy mates delight.

Those trustie mates, that loued thee so well,

Whom thou gau’st mirth: as they gaue thee the bell.

Yet as thou earst with thy sweete roundelayes,

didst stirre to glee our laddes in homely bowers:

So moughtst thou now in these refyned layes,

delight the dainty eares of higher powers.

And so mought they in their deepe skanning skill

Alow and grace our Collyns flowing quill.

And fare befall that Faerie Queene of thine,

in whose faire eyes loue linckt with vertue sits.

Enfusing by those bewties fiers deuyne,

such high conceites into thy humble wits,

As raised hath poore pastors oaten reede,

From rusticke tunes, to chaunt heroique deedes.

So mought thy Redcrosse knight with happy hand

victorious be in that faire Ilands right:

Which thou doest vaile in Type of Faery land

Elyzas blessed field, that Albion hight.

That shieldes her friends, and warres her mightie foes,

Yet still with people, peace, and plentie flowes.

But (iolly Shepheard) though with pleasing style,

thou feast the humour of the Courtly traine;

Let not conceipt thy setled sence beguile,

ne daunted be through enuy or disdaine.

Subiect thy dome to her Empyring spright,

From whence thy Muse, and all the world takes light.

Hobynoll.

Fayre Thamis[639] streams, that from Ludds stately towns,

Runst paying tribute to the Ocean seas,

Let all thy Nymphes and Syrens of renowne

Be silent, whyle this Bryttane Orpheus playes:

Nere thy sweet bankes, there liues that sacred crowne,

Whose hand strowes Palme and neuer-dying bayes,

Let all at once, with thy soft murmuring sowne

Present her with this worthy Poets prayes.

For he hath taught hye drifts in shepeherdes weedes,

And deepe conceites now singes in Faeries deedes.

R. S.

Graue Muses march in triumph and with prayses.

Our Goddesse here hath giuen you leaue to land:

And biddes this rare dispenser of your graces

Bow downe his brow vnto her sacred hand.

Desertes findes dew in that most princely doome.

In whose sweete brest are all the Muses bredde:

So did that great Augustus erst in Roome

With leaues of fame adorne his Poets hedde.

Faire be the guerdon of your Faery Queene,

Euen of the fairest that the world hath seene.

H. B.

When stout Achilles heard of Helens rape

And what reuenge the States of Greece deuisd:

Thinking by sleight the fatall warres to scape,

In womans weedes him selfe he then disguisde:

But this deuise Vlysses soone did spy,

And brought him forth, the chaunce of warre to try.

When Spencer saw the fame was spredd so large,

Through Faery land of their renowned Queene:

Loth that his Muse should take so great a charge.

As in such haughty matter to be seene,

To seeme a shepeheard then he made his choice,

But Sydney heard him sing, and knew his voice.

And as Vlysses brought faire Thetis sonne

From his retyred life to menage armes:

So Spencer was by Sidneys speaches wonne,

To blaze her fame not fearing future harmes:

For well he knew, his Muse would soone be tyred

In her high praise, that all the world admired.

Yet as Achilles in those warlike frayes,

Did win the palme from all the Grecian Peeres:

So Spencer now to his immortall prayse,

Hath wonne the Laurell quite from all his feres.

What though his taske exceed a humaine witt,

He is excus’d, sith Sidney thought it fitt.

W. L.

To looke upon a worke of rare deuise

The which a workman setteth out to view,

And not to yield it the deserued prise,

That vnto such a workmanship is dew[640],

Doth either proue the iudgement to be naught

Or els doth shew a mind with enuy fraught.

To labour to commend a peece of worke,

Which no man goes about to discommend,

Would raise a iealous doubt that there did lurke,

Some secret doubt, whereto the prayse did tend.

For when men know the goodnes of the wyne,

T’is needlesse for the hoast to haue a sygne.

Thus then to shew my iudgement to be such

As can discerne of colours blacke, and white,

As alls to free my minde from enuies tuch,

That neuer giues to any man his right,

I here pronounce this[641] workmanship is such,

As that no pen can set it forth too much.

And thus I hang a garland at the dore,

Not for to shew the goodnes of the ware:

But such hath beene the custome heretofore,

And customes very hardly broken are.

And when your tast shall tell you this is trew,

Then looke you giue your hoast his vtmost dew.

Ignoto.