The Poetical Works of - OUDL Home

Syte) situation and place
Paradise) A Paradise in Greeke signifieth a Garden
of pleasure, or place of delights So he compareth
the soilr, whertn Hobbinoll made Ins abode, to
that earthly Paradise, in scripture called Eden,
wherein Adam in his first creation was paced
Which of the most learned is thought to be in
Mesopotamia the most fertile and pleasaunte
country in the world (as mayappeare by Diodorus
Syculusdescription of it, in the hystorie of
Alexanders conquest thereof) lying betweene the
two famous Ryuers (which are sayd in scripture
to flowe out of Paradise) lygns and Jbuphrates,
whereof it is so denominate
Forsake the soyle) This is no poetical fiction, but
vnfeynedly spoken of the Poeie selfe, who for
speciall occasion of priuate affayres (as I haue
bene partly of himselfe informed) and for his
more preferment remouing out of the Northparts
came into the South, as Hobbinoll inaeede
aduised him pnuately
Those hylles) that is. the North countrye, where he
dwelt
N is) is not
lhe Dales) The Southpartes where he nowe
abydeth, which thoughte they be full of hylles and
woodes (for Kent is very"nvll)e and woodye,
and therefore so called for Kantsh in the Saxons
tongue signifieth woodie) yet in respecte of the
Northpaites they be called dales For indede
the North is counted the higher countrye
Night Raw ns &c ) by such hatefull byrdes hee
meaneth all mislortunes(Where of they be tokens)
flying euery win. re
Frendly faeries) the opinion of Faeries and elfes is
\ery old, and yet t stickrth very religiously in the
myndes of some But to roote that rancke
opinion of Elfcsoutcof mens hearts the truth is,
that there be no such thingrs. nor yet the
shadowes of the things, but onely by a sort of
bald Fneisind knauish shaut-hngs so feigned ,
which as in all other things, so in that, soughte
to nousell the comtn ptoph in ignorounce least
being once acquainted with the truth of things,
they woulde in tyme small out the vntruth of
theyr picked pelfe and Massepeme religion But
the sooth is, that when all Italy was distraicts
into the Factionsof the Gut lfes and the Gibehns
being two famous houses in Florence, the name
btgan through their great misthiefes and many
outrages to the so odious or rather dreadfull in
the peoples cares, that if theyr children at any
time were frowirde jnd wanton, they would say
to them that the Guelle or the Gibeline came
Which words nowe from them (as many thingt
els) become into our vsage, and for Guelfes and
C ibe lines, we say Elfes and (oblins No other
wise then the Frenchmen vsed to say of that
vahaunt captain, the very scourge of Fraunce,
the Lord Thalbot, afterward Erle of Shrewsbury,
whose noblesse bred such a terrour in the hearts
of the French, that oft times euen great armies
were defaicted and put to flyght at the onely
IVNE 443
GLOSSE
hearing of hys name In somuch that the
French wemen, to attray theyr chyldren, would
tell them that the Talbot commeth
Many Graces) though there be indeede but three
Graces or Chantes (as afore is sayd) or at the
vtmost but foure, yet in respect of many gyftes
of bounty, there may be sayde more And so
Musceus sayth, that in Heroes eyther eye there
satte a hundred graces And by that authontye,
thys same Pocte in his Pageaunts sayth
An hundred Graces on her eyeledde satte &c
Haydeguies) A country daunce or rownd The
conceipt is, that the Graces and Nymphes doe
daunce vnto the Muses, and Pan his musicke all
night by Moonehght To siguifie the pleasaunt
nesse of the soyle
Peeres) Equalles and felow shepheards
Queneapples vnripe) imitating Virgils verse.
Ip e ego cana Iegam tenera Ianugme mala
Neighbour groucs) astraunge phrase in English,
but word For word expressing the Latine vicma
nemora
Spring) not of water, but of young trees springing
Calliope) afforesayde Thys staffe is full of verie
poetical inuention
Tambunnes) an olde kind of instrument, which of
some is supposed to be the Clarion
Pan with Phoebus) the tale is well knowne, howe
that Pan and Apollo striuing for excellencye in
musicke, chose Midas lor their rudge Who
being corrupted wyth partiall affection, gaue the
victorye to Pan vndeserued for which Phoebus
sette a payre of Asses eares vpon hys head &c
Tuyrus) That by Tityrus is meant Chaucer, hath
bene already sufficiently sayde, and by thys more
playne appeareth, that he sax th, he tolde merye
tales Such as be hysCanterbune tales Whom
he calleth the God of Poetes for hys excellence,
so as Tullie calleth Lentulus, Deum vitae suae s
the God of hyslyfe
To make) to versifie
O why) A pretye Epanorthosis or correction
Discurtesie) he meaneth the falsenesse of his louer
Rosalinde, who forsaking hym, hadde chosen
another
Poynte of worthy wite) the pricke of deserued
blame
Menalcas) the name of a shephearde in Virgile,
but here is meant a person vnknow ne and secrete,
agaynst whome he often bitterly inuayeth
vnderfonge) vndermme and deceiue by false
suggestion
rmbleme
You remember, that in the fyrst AEglogue, Colms
Poesie was Anchora speme for that as then
there was hope of fauour to be found in tyme
But nowe being cleane forlorne and reiected of
her, as whose hope that was, is cleane extin
guished and turned into despeyre, he renounceth
all comfort and hope of goodnesse to come
Which is all the meaning of thys Embleme