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.