Specimens of English literature from the 'Ploughmans crede' to the ...

XII. STEPHEN HA WES. 411Eng. Poetry, ii.397 (sect, xxviii.), ed. 1840. Warton gives an analysisof the Passetyme of :— Pleasure. His analysis of the canto which I haveselected is as follows ' Henow continues his expedition, and near afountain observes a shield and a horn hanging. On the shield was alion rampant of gold in a silver field, with an inscription, importing,that this was the way to La Bell Pucell's habitation, and that whoeverblows the horn will be assaulted by a most formidable giant. He soundsthe horn, when instantly the giant appeared, twelve feet high, armed inbrass, with three heads, on each of which was a streamer, with theinscriptions, Falsehood, Imagination, Perjury, After an obstinate combat,he cuts off the giant's three heads with his sword Claraprudence.He next meets three fair ladies, Verity \ Good Operation, Fidelity.They conduct him to their castle with music ; where being admitted bythe portress Observance, he is healed of his wounds by them.'Stanza i. The Capricorne ; the sign of Capricorn. On entering thissign, the sun passes through the southern or winter solstitial point, andbegins to ascend northwards ; on leaving the sign, it passes intoAquarius. The sun now enters Aquarius about the 19th of January,but, in the time of Hawes, it was about a week earlier.Jatius Bifrons ; the epithet bifrons (double-faced) as applied toJanus, occurs in Virgil's ^neid twice, in lib. vii. 180 and lib. xii. 198.It is explained in Ovid's Fasti, lib. i. 133-144. He was the guardiandeity of gates, and hence is commonly represented with two heads,because every door looks two ways. He opened the year and theseasons, and hence the first month was named after him Januarim. Ido not quite see the force of the crowne had worne, unless it meanshad ruled or presided in his turn, during his month of January.Joyned with, was in conjunction with ; i. e. the moon and Mercurywere seen in conjunction.Assure, azure; assured is clearly a misprint.Depured, made pure or clear, without the encumberment of clouds.2. The rimes roches, floches, toppes are not very good ones; roches isan old spelling of rocks, but roches is here the better form,Corall ; where coral grew in quite tall masses. This seems to besaid at random, without any knowledge of the real mode of growth of coral.Popyngayes, parrots. Me heforne, before me.3. Adoxune, oiiixoxa; incorrectly used.Lyght, lighted. Blasy?ige, blazoning or describing.As well as I myghte, as well as I can. This is not very well after all,for metal upon metal, or upon argeut, is false heraldry.^ Misprinted ' Vanity' in Warton.