NOTE.

'Aftrophel, etc.,' formed part of the vol. of 1596—whose separate portions precede this. By an odd printer's blunder, the head running line is

'Colin Clovts come home again.'

Our text is from a beautiful exemplar in my own Library. It is to be noted that the imprint at close is '1595.' See Life in Vol. I., and Essays, as before. The following suggestions are to be noted :—

1. 22, 'and weetingly'-Dr. Morris asks 'unweetingly '?—doubtful.

1. 50, often'-an obvious correction of 'oft' of the original. Cf. 1. 37, Dr. Morris's query-‘Did Spenser intend to write oft had sighed'? I for one answer negatively.

1. 89, 'need[eth]'-this and occasional similar filling in, justify themselves.

1. 149, 'beare'-Dr. Morris places in his Appendix I. 'biere' from 1611 but there is a play on the 'beare' bearing, of the preceding line.

:

In the 'Dolefull Lay of Clorinda,' 1. 35, 'did' filled in: 1. 50, 1611, and accepted by Dr. Morris, 'fro me' for 'me fro'-the latter and original to be preferred for the antithesis between 'you' and 'me.'

In 'The Mourning Muse of Thes

tylis,' 1. 20, 'thy' accepted from Dr. Morris for 'their' of the original: 1. 34, 'Seyne' is substituted by Dr. Morris for 'Reyne' [=Rhine] of the original. Why not 'Reyne' Rhine? The more famous river is not to be thus deleted. Sidney was as much by the Rhine as by the Seine probably.

In 'An Elegie, or friends paffion,' 1. 3, 'glaffe' is misprinted 'graffe': 1. 72, 'night' is misprinted 'might' in the original: 1. 134, ‘Astrophrill' may not be a misprint, but an intended variant of its rhyme-word 'Astrophill': 1. 181, 'This'-restored from the catch-word of the original for 'His.'

A Paftoral1 Elegie vpon the death of the moft Noble and valorous Knight, Sir Philip Sidney.

Dedicated

To the most beautifull and vertuous Ladie, the Countelje

Shepheards that wont on pipes of oaten reed,

Oft times to plaine your loues concealed Smart: And with your piteous layes haue learnd to breed Compaffion in a countrey laffes hart.

Hearken ye gentle fhepheards to my fong,

And place my dolefull plaint your plaints emong.

To you alone I fing this mournfull verfe,
The mournfulft verfe that euer man heard tell:
To you whofe foftened hearts it may empierfe,
VVith dolours dart for death of Aftrophel.
To you I fing and to none other wight,
For well I wot my rymes bene rudely dight.

Yet as they been, if any nycer wit
Shall hap to heare, or couet them to read:
Thinke he, that fuch are for fuch ones moft fit,
Made not to pleafe the liuing but the dead.
And if in him found pity euer place,
Let him be moov'd to pity fuch a cafe.

A Gentle Shepheard borne in Arcady,

Of gentlest race that euer fhepheard bore: About / the graffie bancks of Hæmony, Did keepe his sheep, his litle ftock and store.

216

ASTROPHEL, ETC.

Her he did loue, her he alone did honor,

His thoughts, his rimes, his songs were all vpo her. 60

To her he vowd the feruice of his daies,

On her he spent the riches of his wit :
For her he made hymnes of immortall praise,
Of onely her he sung, he thought, he writ.
Her, and but her of loue he worthie deemed,
For all the rest but litle he esteemed.

Ne her with ydle words alone he wowed,
And verfes vaine (yet verses are not vaine)
But with braue deeds to her fole feruice vowed,
And bold achieuements her did entertaine.
For both in deeds and words he nourtred was,
Both wife and hardie (too hardie alas).

In wrestling nimble, and in renning swift,
In fhooting fteddie, and in swimming strong:
Well made to ftrike, to throw, to leape, to lift,
And all the sports that shepheards are emong.
In euery one he vanquisht euery one,
He vanquisht all, and vanquisht was of none.

Besides, in hunting fuch felicitie,

Or rather infelicitie he found :

That/ euery field and forest far away,

He fought, where faluage beasts do most abound.
No beast so faluage but he could it kill,

No chace fo hard, but he therein had skill.

70

80