She shal be a Grace, To fyll the fourth place, And reigne with the rest in heaven. "And whither rennes this bevie of Ladies bright, They bene all Ladyes of the lake behight, Chloris, that is the chiefest Nymph of all, When warres do surcease: Such for a Princesse bene principall. "Ye shepheards daughters, that dwell on the greene, Hye you there apace: Let none come there but that Virgins bene, And, when you come whereas shee is in place, And gird in your waste, For more finenesse, with a tawdrie lace. "Bring hether the Pincke and purple Cullambine, With Gelliflowres1: Bring Coronations and Sops in wine2, Worne of Paramoures: Strowe mee the ground with Daffadowndillies, And Cowslips, and Kingcups, and loved Lillies: 1 Gelliflowres, stocks and wall-flowers. Sops in wine, single pinks. The pretie Pawnce1, And the Chevisaunce,2 Shall match with the fayre flowre Delice. "Now rise up, Elisa, decked as thou art And now yee daintie Damsells may depart I feare, I have troubled your troupes to longe: When Damsines I gether, I will part them all you among." V. MAY. The opening of an Eclogue in which "under the persons of two shepheards, Piers and Palinodie, be represented two forms of pastoures or Ministers, or the Protestant and the Catholique" Palinode. S not thilke the mery moneth of May, When love-lads masken in fresh aray? For thilke same season, when all is ycladde With pleasaunce; the grownd with grasse, the Woods With grene leaves, the bushes with bloosming buds. Yougthes folke now flocken in every where, To gather May buskets and smelling brere; 1 Pawnce, pansy. 2 Chevisaunce. This is not elsewhere used as the name of a flower, and no one knows what Spenser meant. 'provision'. 3 bloncket, blanket, gray cloth. Ordinarily the word means • buskets, bushes. And home they hasten the postes to dight, Piers. For Younkers, Palinode, such follies fitte, Palinode. Sicker this morrowe, no lenger agoe, A fayre flocke of Faeries, and a fresh bend 5 VI. JUNE. This eclogue was probably written about 1578, when Spenser seems to have moved, perhaps at Gabriel Harvey's suggestion, from Lancashire to Kent. Hobbinol. O! Collin, here the place whose pleasaunt syte Lo! From other shades hath weand my wandring mynde, Tell me, what wants mee here to worke delyte? The simple ayre, the gentle warbling wynde, So calme, so coole, as no where else I fynde; The grassye grounde with daintye Daysies dight, The Bramble bush, where Byrds of every kynde To the waters fall their tunes attemper right. Colin. O, happy Hobbinoll, I blesse thy state, And angry gods pursue from coste to coste, Can no where finde to shroude my lucklesse pate. Hobbinol. Then, if by mee thou list advised be, Forsake the soyle that so doth thee bewitch; 1 witche, reed. Here no night-ravenes lodge, more black then pitch, Nor elvish ghosts, nor gastly owles doe flee. But friendly Faeries, met with many Graces, Colin. And I, whylst youth, and course of carelesse yeeres, In such delights did joy amongst my peeres; Hobbinol. Colin, to heare thy rymes and roundelayes, 1 heydeguyes, the hay, a country dance. |