And Hercules two Pillors ftanding neere
Did make to quake and feare:

Faire branch of honor, flower of chevalrie! 150
That filleft England with thy triumphs fame,
Ioy have thou of thy noble victorie,

And endleffe happineffe of thine owne name
That promiseth the fame;

That through thy proweffe, and victorious

armes,

155

Thy country may be freed from forraine harmes, And great Elifaes glorious name may ring Through al the world, fil'd with thy wide alarmes, Which fome brave Mufe may fing

To ages following,

160

Upon the brydale day, which is not long : Sweet Themmes ! runne foftly, till I end my fong.

From those high towers this noble lord issuing, Like radiant Hesper, when his golden hayre

Ver. 164. Like radiant Hesper, when &c.] See F. Q. i. xii. 21, ii. xii. 65. Thus Seneca, Hippol. 749.

66

Qualis eft primas referens tenebras

"Nuncius noctis, modo lotus undis
Hefperus, pulfis iterum tenebris
"Lucifer idem."

Virgil, En. viii. 589.

"Qualis ubi Oceani perfufus Lucifer unda, "Quem Venus ante alios aftrorum diligit ignes, "Extulit os facrum cœlo, tenebrafque refolvit." Homer, Il. . 5.

̓Ατές ̓ ὀπωρινῷ ἐναλίγκιον, ὅτε μάλιςα

Λαμπρὸν παμφαίνησι λελυμένος Ωκεανοῖο. JORTIN.

In th' ocean billowes he hath bathed fayre, 165
Defcended to the rivers open vewing,
With a great .raine enfuing.

Above the rest were goodly to bee feene
Two gentle Knights of lovely face and feature,
Befeeming well the bower of any queene,
With gifts of wit, and ornaments of nature,
Fit for fo goodly stature,

170

That like the Twins of Iove they feem'd in fight, Which decke the bauldricke of the heavens

bright;

They two, forth pacing to the rivers fide, 175 Receiv'd thofe two faire Brides, their loves

delight;

Which, at th' appointed tyde,

Each one did make his Bryde

Against their brydale day, which is not long: Sweet Themmes! runne foftly, till I end my fong.

Ver. 174.

180

bauldricke] A girdle or

belt. Hence Spenfer calls the Zodiack "the bauldricke of the heavens." Gloff. to Urry's Chaucer, in V. Baudrick. See alfo F. Q. v. i. 11. And Mr. Upton's note there. TODD.

AMORETTI,

OR

SONNETS;

AND

EPITHALAMION.

By EDM. SPENSER.

TO THE AUTHOR.

DARKE is the day, when Phæbus face is shrouded,
And weaker fights may wander foone aftray:
But, when they fee his glorious rays unclouded,
With teddy fteps they keep the perfect way :
So, while this Muse in forraine land doth stay,
Invention weeps, and pens are caft afide;
The time, like night, depriv'd of chearfull day;
And few do write, but (ah !) too foon may flide.
Then, hie thee home, that art our perfect guide,
And with thy wit illuftrate England's fame,
Daunting thereby our neighbours ancient pride,
That do, for Poefie, challenge chiefeft name:
So we that live, and ages that fucceed,
With great applaufe thy learned works fhall read.

AH! Colin, whether on the lowly plaine,
Piping to fhepherds thy fweet roundelays;
Or whether finging, in fome lofty vaine,
Heroicke deeds of paft or prefent days;

* G. W. fenior] Perhaps George Whetstone, a poetafter and dramatick writer in the reign of Elifabeth; for he is characterised by a contemporary writer," as one of the most paffionate amongft us to bewail the perplexities of love." Thefe Amoretti, or Sonnets, we may therefore fuppofe quite fuited to his tafte. If this addrefs to Spenfer be written by Whetstone, we may suppose G. W. jun., by whom the other addrefs is figned, to be his fon. TODD.