50 55 Or wearied with bearing of her bag Of needments at his backe. Thus as they past, That everie wight to shrowd it did constrain, Enforst to seeke some covert nigh at hand, And all within were pathes and alleies wide, 70 75 The laurell, meed of mightie conquerours 52. Leman; lady, mistress. The M. E. form, lefmon, points distinctly to the derivation from O. E. leof, beloved, and man, a human being. 53. Wight; a being, person. 54. Fain; glad. 56. A shadie grove; the grove of Errour, pleasant at first. 68. Can they praise; can is probably for gan, "much they began to praise." Others take can as an auxiliary verb, equivalent to do; i. e. " much did they praise." 69. Sayling pine; the pine from which sailing ships are made. 75. Willow worne, &c.; the willow was used as a badge by deserted lovers. 76. Eugh; yew. 80 85 The birch for shaftes, the sallow for the mill, The fruitful olive, and the plantane round, Led with delight, they thus beguile the way, 90 That which of them to take in diverse doubt they been. 5 10 One day, nigh wearie of the yrkesome way, It fortuned, out of the thickest wood 1. Yrkesome, tiresome, fr. O. E. earg, slothful, dull. 5. Undight, took off. Dight, to dress, adorn, comes fr. O. E. dihtan, to set in order; and that from Lat. dictare raging, fr. O. Fr. ramper, to clamber, th. fr. It. rampa, a claw. Compare "lion rampant" in heraldry. 12. Salvage; the presence of the lin this word brings us a step nearer to its ultimate derivation silvaticus, a dweller in the woods. 15 20 25 30 35 40 Soone as the royall Virgin he did spy, And, with the sight amazd, forgat his furious forse. In stead thereof he kist her wearie feet, O how can beautie maister the most strong, And drizling teares did shed for pure affection. "The lyon, lord of everie beast in field," Her, that him lov'd, and ever most adord Redounding tears did choke th' end of her plaint, 15. Corse; corpse was used of the living, as well as of the dead body. 17. Remorse, as still in remorseless, once meant pity. 18. Forgat. Subject he omitted or implied in "his bloody rage." 21. As; "as though," "as if." Weet, know. 24. Whose yielded pryde, &c.; "when she had long marked, though she still dreaded death, his pride that had yielded, and his noble submission" (Kitchin). 27. Did shel; again the subject she omitted, or, rather involved in "her hart" (Kitchin). Affection, sympathy. 36. Abhor; once meant only to shrink from, repudiate; sometimes, but not always, with loathing. 37. Redounding, overflowing, fr. Lat. redundare. With pittie calmd, downe fell his angry mood, 45 To seek her strayed Champion if she might attayne. 50 The lyon would not leave her desolate, But with her went along, as a strong gard Of her chast person, and a faythfull mate Of her sad troubles and misfortunes hard : Still, when she slept, he kept both watch and ward; 44. Palfrey, Fr. palefroi, It. palafreno, fr. paraveredus, a side - horse, L. L. palafredus, whence Ger. pferd. 50. Watch and ward; that is, both waking and guarding, for this is the distinction. "Watch" (0. E. wacce) is "wake," (and a watch is an instrument which is awake all night), and "to ward” (O. E. weardian) is to guard, or look after anything carefully (Kitchin). 28. THE CARE OF ANGELS OVER MEN. Book II., Canto 8. 5 And is there care in heaven? And is there love There is :-else much more wretched were the cace 10 How oft do they their silver bowers leave To come to succour us that succour want! 13. Flitting, fleeting, yielding. Pursuivant, an attendant upon heralds. Against fowle feendes to ayd us militant! 15 They for us fight, they watch and dewly ward, And their bright squadrons round about us plant; O, why should Hevenly God to men have such regard! 16. Squadrons:-comes from L. L. ex-quadare, to square, through It. squadrone. A squadron is therefore an "acies quadrata," or body of troops arranged in a square. 29. SONNET LXXXVIII. Like as the culver, on the bared bough, 5 So I alone, now left disconsolate, Mourn to myself the absence of my love, And, wand'ring here and there, all desolate, Dark is my day, whiles her fair light I miss, 1. Culver, dove, pigeon, fr. O. E. culfre. 9. Hove, hover, which is indeed a diminutive of hove, fr. M. E. hovin, to abide, remain. 13. Whiles, like needs, else, once, is an old genitive, fr. O. E. hwile, time, still found in meanwhile. 30. THE HARDSHIPS OF A COURTIER'S LIFE. [From Mother Hubbard's Tale.] Full little knowest thou, that hast not tride, To loose good dayes, that might be better spent ; SPECS. ENG. LIT. E |