Her to difport and idle time to pas In th❜ open freshnes of the gentle aire, A Knight that way there chaunced to repaire; Yet Knight he was not, but a boastfull fwaine That deedes of armes had ever in defpaire, Proud Braggadocchio, that in vaunting vaine His glory did repofe and credit diù maintaine.

XII.

He, seeing with that Chorle fo faire a wight
Decked with many a coftly ornament,

Much merveiled thereat, as well he might,
And thought that match a fowle difparage-

ment:

His bloody speare eftefoones he boldly bent Against the filly Clowne, who dead through feare

Fell ftreight to ground in great astonishment: "Villein," fayd he, " this Lady is my deare; Dy, if thou it gainefay: I will away her beare."

XIII.

The fearefull Chorle durft not gainefay nor dooe, But trembling ftood, and yielded him the

pray;

Who, finding litle leafure her to wooe,

On Tromparts fteed her mounted without ftay,

And without refkew led her quite away. Proud man himfelfe then Braggadochio

deem'd,

And next to none, after that happy day,
Being poffeffed of that spoyle, which seem'd
The faireft wight on ground and most of men
efteem'd.

XIV.

But, when he saw himfelfe free from pourfute,
He gan make gentle purpose to his Dame
With termes of love and lewdneffe diffolute;
For he could well his glozing speaches frame
To fuch vaine ufes that him beft became:
But the thereto would lend but light regard,
As feeming fory that she ever came
Into his powre, that used her fo hard

To reave her honor which the more then life

prefard.

XV.

Thus as they two of kindnes treated long,
There them by chaunce encountred on the
way

An armed Knight upon a courfer strong,

XIV. 2. He gan make gentle purpose to his Dame] So
Milton, Par. L. B. iv. 337.

"Nor gentle purpose, nor endearing smiles
"Wanted, nor youthful dalliance-'
XIV. 4.

THYER.

his glozing peaches] So Milton
ufes glozing, and gloz'd. "Man will hearken to his glozing
lies," Par. L. B. iii. 93. "So gloz'd the Tempter," B. ix.
549.-Gloze, glofin, to deceive, flatter, lye. Gloff. to Urry's
Chaucer. CHURCH.

XV. 3. An armed Knight] Sir Ferraugh. See F. Q. iv.
ii. 4. TODD.

Whofe trampling feete the hollow lay

upon

Seemed to thunder, and did nigh affray That Capons corage; yet he looked grim, And faynd to cheare his Lady in difmay, Who feemd for feare to quake in every lim, And her to fave from outrage meekely prayed him.

XVI.

Fiercely that Straunger forward came; and, nigh
Approching, with bold words and bitter threat
Bad that fame Boafter, as he mote on high,
To leave to him that Lady for excheat,
Or bide him batteill without further treat.

XV. 4. Whofe trampling feete upon the hollow lay

Seemed to thunder,] The hollow lay, putrem campum;" a lay or lea of land ab Anglo-Sax. ley, terra, leag, campus: Skinner. Spenfer very plainly trauflates Virgil, En. viii. 596.

66

Quadrupedante putrem fonitu quatit ungula campum.”
UPTON.

XVI. 3. Bad that fame boafter, as he mote on high,

To leave to him &c.] He commanded that same boafter (as he might anfwer it to his peril) in high terms, on high, i. e. highly. So on live is alive. UPTON.

As he mote on high, means as loud as he could call. So, in F. Q. vi. vi. 24.

"And with reprochfull words him thus befpake on hight." All the editions point thus:

"Bad that fame boafter, as he mote, on high

"To leave to him &c." CHURCH.

XVI. 4. To leave to him that Lady for excheat,] As an efcheat; as his right, who was lord of the manor, and true owner of all ftrayed fair ladies. This is faid with humour. UPTON.

i. v. 25. CHURCH.

See the note on excheat, F. Q.
XVI. 5. Or bide him batteill] Or bid him battle. So, in

That challenge did too peremptory seeme, And fild his fenfes with abashment great; Yet, feeing nigh him ieopardy extreme, He it diffembled well, and light feemd to esteeme ;

XVII.

Saying, "Thou foolish Knight, that weenft with words

To steale away that I with blowes have wonne, And brought through points of many perilous fwords!

But if thee lift to fee thy courfer ronne, Or prove thyfelfe; this fad encounter shonne, 'And feeke els without hazard of thy hedd." At thofe prowd words that other Knight begonne

To wex exceeding wroth, and him aredd To turne his fteede about, or fure he fhould be

dedd.

XVIII.

“Sith then,” said Braggadochio,

"needes thou

wilt

Lord Bacon's Life of K. Hen. VII. p. 93. "Threatning to bid battle to the king." And in F. Q. i. xi. 15.

"As bidding bold defiance to his foeman neare." So, in Fairfax's elegant verfion of Taffo, B. vii. 84. "myself behold

"Ain come prepar'd, and bid thee battle here."

If I thought the reader would doubt of this correction here offered, I could easily have ftrengthened it by many more inftances. UPTON.

Thy daies abridge, through proofe of puiffaunce;

Turne we our steeds; that both in equall tilt May meete againe, and each take happy chaunce."

This faid, they both a furlongs mountenaunce Retird their steeds, to ronne in even race: But Braggadochio with his bloody launce Once having turnd, no more returnd his face, But lefte his Love to loffe, and fled himfelfe

apace.

XIX.

The Knight, him feeing flie, had no regard
Him to pourfew, but to the Lady rode;
And, having her from Trompart lightly reard,
Upon his courfer fett the lovly lode,
And with her fled away without abode :

XVIII. 5.

a furlongs mountenaunce] The amount of a furlong's distance from each other. See F. Q. iii. xi. 20. So Chaucer, p. 340. edit. Urr.

"The mountenance of a furlong waie of space." CHURCH. And Gower, fol. clxxxvii.

"Not full the mountenance of a mile." UPTON.

XVIII. 6. Retird their feeds, &c.] This was the career of knight-errantry, and agreeable to the laws of fair tilting, as Mr. Upton has obferved. See Ariofto, C. xxiii. 82.

"Già l'un da l'altro è dipartito lunge; "Quanto farebbe un mezzo tratto d' arco." And Taffo, C. vii. 83.

"E largamente à duo campioni, il campo "Voto rinnan fra l' uno, e l' altro campo.' XVIII. 7.

TODD.

his bloody launce] See

ft. 12, where he calls it "his bloody spear;" both which ex. preffions are to be understood ironically. CHURCH.