Againft his foe and mine: Watch thou, I pray;

For evill is at hand him to offend."

So having faid, eftfoones he gan difplay His painted nimble wings, and vanisht quite

away.

IX.

The Palmer feeing his lefte empty place,
And his flow eies beguiled of their fight,
Woxe fore affraid, and standing still a fpace
Gaz'd after him, as fowle efcapt by flight:
At laft, him turning to his charge behight,
With trembling hand his troubled pulse gan
try;

Where finding life not yet diflodged quight,

VIII. 6. Watch thou, I pray ;], Confidering the dignity of the angelical fpeaker, this reading I would alter; and either read, "Watch thou and pray;" because these words are joined in feripture, Mark xiii. 33. "Take ye heed, watch and pray,” and again xiv. 38. " Watch ye and pray:" or rather thus, "Watch thou, I fay: And this emendation is becoming the dignity of the angel, and is likewife fcriptural. Mark ii. 11. "I say unto thee, arife." "Tis in feveral other places, but one occurs much to our purpose, Mark xiii. 37. "And what I say unto you, I fay unto all, watch." UPTON. IX. 1. The Palmer feeing his lefte empty place,

And his flow eies beguiled &c.] That is, the Palmer feeing his place left empty, and his eyes being beguiled of their fight, woxe fore afraid. And his flow eyes &c. is put abfolute. We have the fame construction, F. Q. i. v. 45, ii. iii. 36. UPTON.

IX. 5. to his charge behight,] To the charge entrusted to him. See the note on hight, F. Q. i. iv. 6.

TODD.

} He much reioyft, and courd it tenderly,

As chicken newly hatcht, from dreaded destiny,

X. :

At last he spide where towards him did pace Two Paynim Knights al armd as bright as fkie,

And them befide an aged Sire did trace, And far before a light-foote Page did flie That breathed ftrife and troublous enmitie, Those were the two fonnes of Acrates old, Who, meeting earft with Archimago flie Foreby that Idle Strond, of him were told That he, which earft them combatted, was Guyon bold,

IX. 8.

and courd it tenderly, As chicken newly hatcht,] And protected it, as a hen fits couring over her young chicken. Skinner, • To coure, ab Ital. covare, Fr. couver, incubare; metaphora fumpta a gallinis ovis incubantibus." See Menage in v. Couver. But Junius brings it from the old British word, currian. Milton applies this expreffion to the beasts bending or cowring down, Par. Loft, B. viii. 530. But I believe Spenfer uses it in the former fenfe, as Skinner and Menage explain it. In the Gloffary, ufually printed with Spenfer's Works, it is faid to be put for covered, as if corrupted from it. Spenfer plainly had in view the affecting fimile of our Lord, Matt. xxiii. 37. UPTON.

In the first edition of Gammer Gurton's Needle, we find 26 They coure fo over the coles;" which in all the subsequent ones is very improperly altered to cover. To coure, is to bend, ftoop, hang or lean over. See Beaumont and Fletcher's Monfieur Thomas, A. iv. S. vi. and Nash's Pierce Pennileffe's Supplication to the Devil, 1592, p. 8. (Old Pl. edit. 1780, vol. ii. p. 9.) REED.

X. 7. Who meeting earft &c.] and C. vi. ft. 47. UPTON.

See before, C. iv. ft, 41,

XI.

Which to avenge on him they dearly vowd, Whereever that on ground they mote him find:

Falfe Archimage provokt their corage prowd, And ftryful Atin in their ftubborne mind Coles of contention and whot vengeaunce tind.

Now bene they come whereas the Palmer fate,

Keeping that flombred corfe to him affind: Well knew they both his perfon, fith of late With him in bloody armes they rafhly did debate.

XII.

Whom when Pyrochles faw, inflam'd with rage That Sire he fowl befpake; "Thou dotard vile,

That with thy bruteneffe fhendst thy comely

age,

Abandon foone, I read, the caytive spoile

XI. 4. And fryful Atin in their ftubborne mind

Coles of contention and whot vengeaunce tind.] This defcription of the furious Atin is evidently drawn from the pure fountain of wifdom, Prov. xv. 18. "A wrathfull man itirreth up ftrife." Prov. xxvi. 21. "As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; fo is a contentious man to kindle ftrife." TODD.

XI. 5.

tind.] Kindled, excited.

See the note on tind, F. Q. iii. vii. 15. TODD.

XII. 3.

bruteneffe] Sottishness, ftupidity of a

brute, brutifhnefs. UPTON.

Of that fame outcaft carcas, that erewhile Made itfelfe famous through falfe trechery, And crownd his coward creft with knightly ftile;

Loe! where he now inglorious doth lye, To proove he lived il, that did thus fowly dye."

XIII.

To whom the Palmer feareleffe answered; "Certes, Sir Knight, ye bene too much to blame,

Thus for to blott the honor of the dead, And with fowle cowardize his carcas fhame Whofe living handes immortalizd his name. Vile is the vengeaunce on the ashes cold; And envy bafe to barke at fleeping fame: Was never wight that treafon of him told: Yourfelfe his proweffe prov'd, and found him fiers and bold."

XIV.

Then fayd Cymochles; "Palmer, thou doeft dote,

Ne canft of proweffe ne of knighthood deeme,

XII. 9. To proove &c.] This fentiment is truly Pagan. In this and the four following ftanzas, the characters of the fpeakers are admirably fupported. CHURCH.

XIII. 6. Vile is the vengeaunce on the ashes cold;

And envy bafe to barke at fleeping fame:] "At fleeping fame," i. e. at the fame of a person now dead; of one now fallen asleep, xexonμéve, mortui. The fentence is proverbial, and perhaps from Homer, Ody. x. 412.

Οὐχ ὁσίη κταμένοισιν ἐπ ̓ ἀνδράσιν ευχετάασθαι.

See alfo Virg. Æn. xi. 104, Taffo C. xix. 117. UPTON.

Save as thou feeft or hearft: But well I wote, That of his puiffaunce tryall made extreeme: Yet gold all is not that doth golden feeme ; Ne al good Knights that shake well speare and fhield:

The worth of all men by their end esteeme; And then dew praife or dew reproch them yield: Bad therefore I him deeme that thus lies dead on field."

XV.

"Good or bad," gan his brother fiers reply, "What do I recke, fith that he dide entire? Or what doth his bad death now fatisfy The greedy hunger of revenging yre, Sith wrathfull hand wrought not her owne defire?

Yet, fince no way is lefte to wreake my spight, I will him reave of armes, the victors hire, And of that shield, more worthy of good Knight;

For why fhould a dead dog be deckt in armour bright?"

XV. 2.

-fith that he dide entire ?] That is,

feeing that he died a natural death. This fenfe is fuitable to the mind of the speaker. CHURCH.

Entire, not mangled, or wounded; as we fay, in a whole skin. And integer is thus ufed by Statius, Sylv. L. II. i. 156.

"Manefque fubivit

" Integer, et nullo temeratus corpora damno."

UPTON.

the victors hire,] See the

XV.7. note on "shield renverft,” F. Q. i. iv. 41. TODD.