Types of entry
(a) Translations
An entry not enclosed in brackets should be read as a straight translation of the quoted text which can be directly substituted for it.
For example, in stanza 1 of the proem to Book I, line 1:
whilom > formerly
Line 1 can thus be understood to mean:
Lo I, the man whose Muse formerly did mask
Very often, additional meanings are given in such definitions:
weeds > clothes, garb
These additional meanings may complement one another, indicating the hybrid sense which seems to be required, or they may constitute a set of alternative meanings, any or all of which may have been intended by Spenser. Each entry in any unbracketed list may always be substituted for the original without disturbing the syntax.