663 Whenso you list your lofty Muse to raise:
Whenso > Whenever list > choose, please
664 Yet till you your poem will make known,
your poem > (The Ocean's Love to Cynthia, a paean to Queen Elizabeth)
665 Let your fair Cynthia's praises be thus rudely shown.
rudely > roughly, crudely
666 E. S. 667 668 669 To the right honourable and most vertuous Lady, the 670 Countesse of Penbroke. 671 672 REmembraunce of that most Heroicke spirit, 673 The heuens pride, the glory of our daies, 674 Which now triumpheth through immortall merit 675 Of his braue vertues, crownd with lasting baies, 676 Of heuenlie blis and euerlasting praies; 677 Who first my Muse did lift out of the flore, 678 To sing his sweet delights in lowlie laies; 679 Bids me most noble Lady to adore 680 His goodly image liuing euermore, 681 In the diuine resemblaunce of your face; 682 Which with your vertues ye embellish more, 683 And natiue beauty deck with heuenlie grace: 684 For his, and for your owne especial sake, 685 Vouchsafe from him this token in good worth to take. 686 E. S. 687 668 669 To the Right Honourable and Most Virtuous Lady, the 670 Countess of Pembroke
Countess of Pembroke > (Mary Herbert, Countess of Pembroke, 1555?-
1621, patroness of the arts; sister of Sir Philip Sidney)
671 672 Remembrance of that most heroic spirit,
heroic spirit > (That of Sir Philip Sidney, 1554-86, poet, soldier, and statesman: one of the Queen's favourites. Close friend of Spenser. Killed in action at Zutphen in the Netherlands)