TWO CANTOS OF MUTABILITIE: WHICH, BOTH FOR FORME AND MATTER, APPEARE TO BE PARCELL OF SOME FOLLOWING BOOKE OF THE FAERIE QUEENE, UNDER THE LEGEND OF CONSTANCIE. CANTO VI. Proud Change (not pleasd in mortall things Beneath the moone to raigne) Pretends, as well of gods as men, To be the soveraine. I. WHAT man that sees the ever-whirling wheele How Mutability in them doth play I. 1. What man, &c.] These two cantos, and the fragment of the third, were not published during Spenser's life. They appeared for the first time in the folio edition of the Faerie Queene, published in 1609, which contains no preface or explanation. Her cruell sports to many mens decay1? I will rehearse, that whylome 2 I heard say, Gainst all the gods, and th' empire sought from them to beare. II. But first, here falleth fittest to unfold Whom though high love of kingdome did deprive, III. And many of them afterwards obtain'd To gods and men, as she them list divide; And drad Bellona, that doth sound on hie Warres and allarums unto nations wide, That makes both heaven and earth to tremble at her pride. IV. So likewise did this Titanesse aspire Rule and dominion to herselfe to gaine; 1 Decay, ruin, destruction. 4 Regiment, government. • Drad, dreaded. 19 3 Reare, raise, set up. And heavenly honours yield, as to them twaine : And first, on earth she sought it to obtaine; Where she such proofe and sad examples shewed Of her great powre, to many ones great paine, That not men onely (whom she soone subdewed) But eke all other creatures her bad dooings rewed.1 V. For she the face of earthly things so changed, In good estate, and in meet order ranged, She did pervert, and all their statutes burst: And all the worlds faire frame (which none yet durst She alter'd quite; and made them all accurst In that still happy state for ever to abide. VI. Ne shee the lawes of Nature onely brake, But eke of Justice, and of Policie ; And wrong of right, and bad of good did make, And death for life exchanged foolishlie : Since which, all living wights have learn'd to die, And all this world is woxen daily worse. O pittious work of Mutabilitie, By which we all are subiect to that curse, And death, in stead of life, have sucked from our nurse! VII. And now, when all the earth she thus had brought To her behest and thralled to her might, She gan to cast in her ambitious thought Rewed, lamented. And love himselfe to shoulder from his right. VIII. Thence to the circle of the Moone she clambe, Where Cynthia raignes in everlasting glory, To whose bright shining palace straight she came, All fairely deckt with heavens goodly story; Whose silver gates (by which there sat an hory Old aged Sire, with hower-glasse in hand, Hight 2 Tyme,) she entred, were he liefe or sory 3; Ne staide till she the highest stage had scand,4 Where Cynthia did sit, that never still did stand. IX. Her sitting on an ivory throne shee found, Drawne of two steeds, th' one black, the other white, That duly her attended day and night; And by her side there ran her Page, that hight Vesper, whom we the evening-starre intend 5; That with his torche, still twinkling like twylight, Her lightened all the way where she should wend,6 And ioy to weary wandring travailers did lend: X. That when the hardy Titanesse beheld 1 Contraire, withstand. 3 Liefe or sory, willing or unwilling. 5 Intend, understand to be. 2 Hight, called. 4 Scand, climbed up to. 6 Wend, go. 66 Alluding to the continual VIII. 9. That never still did stand.] increase and decrease of the moon."-CHURCH. The goodly building of her palace bright, Made of the heavens substance, and up-held With thousand crystall pillors of huge hight; Shee gan to burne in her ambitious spright, And t'envie her that in such glorie raigned. Eftsoones1 she cast by force and tortious 2 might Her to displace, and to herselfe t' have gained The kingdome of the Night, and waters by her wained. XI. Boldly she bid the goddesse downe descend, Whether to men whose fall she did bemone, XII. But shee that had to her that soveraigne seat But, with sterne countenaunce and disdainfull cheare 1 Eftsoones, immediately. 3 Wend, weened, supposed. 4 Condigne, (condignus, Lat.,) worthy. 5 Pack, depart. X. 9. — Wained.] Diminished, decreased; alluding to the influence of the moon in producing the tides. |