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The Faerie Queene: Book III

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The Faerie Queene: Book III The Faerie Queene: Book III. A Note on the Renascence Editions text: This HTML etext of The Faerie Queene was prepared from The Complete Works in Verse and Prose of Edmund Spenser [Grosart, London, 1882] by R.S. Bear at the University of Oregon and updated and glossed by Jean Arrington at Peace College, Raleigh N.C. The text is in the public domain. Unique content is copyright © 1995 University of Oregon and 2005 Jean Arrington; this text is distributed for nonprofit use only. Comments and emendations to: [email protected] and [email protected]. THE THIRD BOOKE OF THE FAERIE QVEENE. Contayning, THE LEGEND OF BRITOMARTIS. OR Of Chastitie. 1 2 I T falles me here to write of Chastity, But liuing art may not least part expresse, That fairest vertue, farre aboue the rest; Nor life-resembling pencill it can paint, For which what needs me fetch from Faery All were it Zeuxis or Praxiteles: Forreine ensamples, it to haue exprest? His daedale hand would faile, and greatly faint, Sith it is shrined in my Soueraines brest, And her perfections with his error taint: And form'd so liuely in each perfect part Ne Poets wit, that passeth Painter farre That to all Ladies, which haue it profest, In picturing the parts of beautie daint, Need but behold the pourtraict of her hart So hard a workmanship aduenture darre, If pourtrayd it might be by any liuing art. For fear through want of words her excellence to marre. sith: since My Sovereign: Elizabeth I Zeuxis and Praxiteles: Famous Greek artists of the 4th century BC. daedale: skillful 1 3 1 How then shall I, Apprentice of the skill, The famous Briton Prince and Faerie knight, That whylome in diuinest wits did raine, After long wayes and perilous paines endured, Presume so high to stretch mine humble quill? Hauing their wearie limbes to perfect plight Yet now my lucklesse lot doth me constraine Restord, and sory wounds right well recured, Hereto perforce. But ô dred Soueraine Of the faire Alma greatly were procured, Thus farre forth pardon, sith that choicest wit To make there lenger soiourne and abode; Cannot your glorious pourtraict figure plaine But when thereto they might not be allured, That I in colourd showes may shadow it, From seeking praise, and deeds of armes abrode, And antique praises vnto present persons fit. They courteous conge tooke, and forth together yode. whylome: formerly quill: pen constrain: force Briton Prince: Arthur Faerie knight: Guyon plight: condition perforce: of necessity Alma: a char. from Bk 2 procured: urged conge: leave yode: went 4 2 But if in liuing colours, and right hew, But the captiu'd Acrasia he sent, Your selfe you couet to see pictured, Because of trauell long, a nigher way, Who can it doe more liuely, or more trew, With a strong gard, all reskew to preuent, Then that sweet verse, with Nectar sprinckeled, And her to Faerie court safe to conuay, In which a gracious seruant pictured That her for witnesse of his hard assay, His Cynthia, his heauens fairest light? Vnto his Faerie Queene he might present: That with his melting sweetnesse rauished, But he him selfe betooke another way, And with the wonder of her beames bright, To make more triall of his hardiment, My senses lulled are in slomber of delight. And seeke aduentures, as he with Prince Arthur went. nectar: food of the gods servant: i.e. Sir Walter Raleigh Acrasia: another character from Book 2 he: Guyon Cynthia: goddess of the moon and chastity, also Diana (Raleigh’s nigher: nearer assay: trial hardiment: hardihood, boldness poem Cynthia praises Queen Elizabeth’s virtues. 3 5 Long so they trauelled through wastefull wayes, But let that same delitious Poet lend Where daungers dwelt, and perils most did wonne, A little leaue vnto a rusticke Muse To hunt for glorie and renowmed praise; To sing his mistresse prayse, and let him mend, Full many Countries they did ouerronne, If ought amis her liking may abuse: From the vprising to the setting Sunne, Ne let his fairest Cynthia refuse, And many hard aduentures did atchieue; In mirrours more then one her selfe to see, Of all the which they honour euer wonne, But either Gloriana let her chuse, Seeking the weake oppressed to relieue, Or in Belphoebe fashioned to bee: And to recouer right for such, as wrong did grieue. In th'one her rule, in th'other her rare chastitee. wonne: dwell Gloriana: Queen of Faerieland 4 Belphoebe: a beautiful woman who will be a character in Canto V At last as through an open plaine they yode, They spide a knight, that towards pricked faire, And him beside an aged Squire there rode, That seem'd to couch vnder his shield three-square, As if that age bad him that burden spare, Canto I. And yield it those, that stouter could it wield: He them espying, gan himselfe prepare, Guyon encountreth Britomart, And on his arme addresse his goodly shield faire Florimell is chaced: That bore a Lion passant in a golden field. Duessaes traines and Malecastaes champions are defaced. pricked: rode couch: crouch bad: told a Lion passant (walking) in a golden field (background): the image Guyon: The protagonist of Book 2 (He represents Tolerance). on the shield of Brute, Britomart’s ancestor and the legendary Duessa: a character from Books 1 & 2 who in fact doesn’t appear in founder of Britain; cf. 9.38-51. this canto. traines: tricks 2 5 9 Which seeing good Sir Guyon, deare besought Full of disdainefull wrath, he fierce vprose, The Prince of grace, to let him runne that turne. For to reuenge that foule reprochfull shame, He graunted: then the Faery quickly raught And snatching his bright sword began to close His poinant speare, and sharpely gan to spurne With her on foot, and stoutly forward came; His fomy steed, whose fierie feete did burne Die rather would he, then endure that same. The verdant grasse, as he thereon did tread; Which when his Palmer saw, he gan to feare Ne did the other backe his foot returne, His toward perill and vntoward blame, But fiercely forward came withouten dread, Which by that new rencounter he should reare: And bent his dreadfull speare against the others head. For death sate on the point of that enchaunted speare. poinant: pointed spurne: spur steed: horse verdant: green wrath: anger Guyon’s Palmer: his companion (a palmer made a pilgrimage to Palestine and brought back a palm branch as a token) 6 line 7: his imminent danger and unlucky injury They bene ymet, and both their points arriued, 10 But Guyon droue so furious and fell, That seem'd both shield & plate it would haue riued; And hasting towards him gan faire perswade, Nathelesse it bore his foe not from his sell, Not to prouoke misfortune, nor to weene But made him stagger, as he were not well: His speares default to mend with cruell blade; But Guyon selfe, ere well he was aware, For by his mightie Science he had seene Nigh a speares length behind his crouper fell, The secret vertue of that weapon keene, Yet in his fall so well him selfe he bare, That mortall puissance mote not withstond: That mischieuous mischance his life & limbes did spare. Nothing on earth mote alwaies happie beene. Great hazard were it, and aduenture fond, fell: deadly rived: split nathelesse: nevertheless To loose long gotten honour with one euill hond. sell: seat, saddle ere: before nigh: nearly crouper: harness around a horse's tail bare: bore, handled gan: began weene: think vertue: power puissance: power mote: might fond: foolish hond: action 7 11 Great shame and sorrow of that fall he tooke; For neuer yet, sith warlike armes he bore, By such good meanes he him discounselled, And shiuering speare in bloudie field first shooke, From prosecuting his reuenging rage; He found himselfe dishonored so sore. And eke the Prince like treaty handeled, Ah gentlest knight, that euer armour bore, His wrathfull will with reason to asswage, Let not thee grieue dismounted to haue beene, And laid the blame, not to his carriage, And brought to ground, that neuer wast before; But to his starting steed, that swaru'd asyde, For not thy fault, but secret powre vnseene, And to the ill purueyance of his page, That speare enchaunted was, which layd thee on the greene. That had his furnitures not firmely tyde: So is his angry courage fairely pacifyde. sith: since speare enchaunted: represents the power of chastity eke: also treaty: entreaty, request asswage: make mild 8 carriage: conduct purveyance: preparation page: servant But weenedst thou what wight thee ouerthrew, furnitures: gear Much greater griefe and shamefuller regret 12 For thy hard fortune then thou wouldst renew, That of a single damzell thou wert met Thus reconcilement was betweene them knit, On equall plaine, and there so hard beset; Through goodly temperance, and affection chaste, Euen the famous Britomart it was, And either vowd with all their power and wit, Whom straunge aduenture did from Britaine fet, To let not others honour be defaste, To seeke her louer (loue farre sought alas,) Of friend or foe, who euer it embaste, Whose image she had seene in Venus looking glass. Ne armes to beare against the others syde: In which accord the Prince was also plaste, weenedst thou: knowest thou (if you knew) wight: person damzell: girl fet: fetch Venus: goddess of love And with that golden chaine of concord tyde. [Britomart means “Sweet maid,” but also sounds like “British So goodly all agreed, they forth yfere did ryde.
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