So were I out of prison, and kept sheep, Mr. Spenfer beautifully defcribes the fhepberd's life, Fairy Queen, book 6. canto g. in Melibee's anfwer to Sir Calidore, after his praifing it. XX. "Surely my fon, (then anfwer'd he again) "If happy, then it is in this intent, "That having small, yet do I not complain Of want, ne with for more it to augment, "But do myself with that I have content; "So taught of nature, which doth little need "Of foreign helps, to life's due nourishment, "The field's my food, my flock my rayment "feed; "No better do I wear, no better do I feed. XXI. "Therefore I do not any one envy, "Nor am envy'd of any one therefore; They that have much, fear much to lofe "thereby, "And ftore of cares do follow riches ftore. "The little that I have grows daily more "Without my care, but only to attend it: My lambs do every year increafe "And my flock's father daily dot! "What have I but to praise th' Al "doth fend it? Core, dit. that "And to great ones fuch follies do forgive, "Which oft thro' pride do their own peril weave, "And thro' ambition down themselves do drive "To fad decay, that might contented live. "Me no fuch fuch cares, nor combrous thoughts "offend, "Ne once my mind's unmoved quiet grieve; "But all the night, in filver fleep I spend, And all the day to what I lift, I do attend. XXIII. "Sometime I hunt the fox, the vowed foé Unto my lambs, and him diflodge away; "Sometimes the fawn I practice from the doe, "Or from the goat her kid how to convey; An other while I baits and nets difplay, "The birds to catch, or fishes to beguile : "And when I weary am, I down do lay-> ແ My limbs in every fhade, to reft from toil, "And drink of every brook, when thirst my "throat doth boil. sto! XXIV. "The time was once when my first prime of years, "When pride of youth forth pricked my defire, "That I difdain'd among mine equal peers " To ow fheep, and fhepherds bafe attire ; er fortune then I would enquire; ing home, to royal court I fought, id fell my prince's fue for yearly hire, daily wrought; anefs, as I never XXV. do XXV dod ar it or ta "* "With fight whereof foon cloy'd, and long deluded 66 "With idle hopes, which them do entertain; "After I had ten years my felf excluded: "From native home, and spent my youth in « vain, "I gan my follies to my felf to plain, "And this fweet peace, whofe lack did then 66 appear. "Tho' back returning to my fheep again, "I from thenceforth have learn'd to love more "This lowly quiet life which I inherit here. XXIX. "In vain, faid then old Melibee, do men "The heavens of their fortune's fault accufe; "Sith they know beft, what is the best for them; "For they to each such fortune do diffuse, "As they do know each can most aptly use. "For not that which men covet moft is beft, "Nor that thing worft, which men do molt "refufe! "But fitteft is, that all contented reft "With that they hold, each hath his fortune "in his breast. XXX. b.duo a gal "It is the mind that maketh good or ill,) "That maketh wretch, or happy, rich or poor; "But fome that hath abundance at his will, Hath not enough, but wants in greatest store; "And other that hath little, afks no more, "But in that little is both rich and wife: "For wildom is moft riches; fools therefore ' They are, which fortunes do by vows devize, "Sith each unto himfelf his life may fortunize." Sc. ib. p. 444 Arthur. No, in good footh, the fire is dead with grief, There is no malice in this burning coal, The breath of heav'n hath blown its spirit out, Hubert had threatned Arthur, in the fame fcene, to put out his eyes by fire; Arthur intreats him rather to cut out his tongue, and tells him the inftrument, with which he intended to do it, was grown cold, and would not harm him: Hubert answers, I can beat it, boy. To which Arthur replies, in the words under, confideration. So that one line, I think, fhould be read thus:, "There is no malice burning in this coal." No malice in a burning coal is certainly abfurd. Speed obferves, in his History of Great Britain, edit. 1613. p. 419. "That the king was mov“ed to take the advice of his council, touching his troubled affairs, whose sentence was, (if we'll credit the reporter) that Arthur fhould ❝lofe his eyes: But the escaping of fuch tor46 ture, is by fome afcribed to Lord Hubert, by "others, to the mediation of Queen Eleanor. Sc, ibidi da to pun lab a. góm 94 [°»› [lubert. "Well," see to live, I will not touch thine 2011 210 m bi eye Hot word For all the treasure that tigne uncle owns ; Soft min paskatos sent in bibW Tet am I forn. Artb. O, now you look like Hubert, all this while You were difguis'd. Hubert. Peace, no more, ddieu; Your uncle must not know but you are dead; N Mr. Echard obferves, [Hiftory of England, Vol. 1. p. 236.] "That the king's friends ad"viled him to deprive Arthur of his eyes, &c. to render him incapable of government, or procreation; to which cruel propofal he con"fented, but was difappointed by three per"fons, defigned to be agents in it. One of ઠર whom, out of a publick experiment, fpread a report of his death, which, inftead of ap"peafing, raised new, and great exasperations amongst the inhabitants of Bretaign and Anvi to jou." Mr. Echard imputes this barbarous intention of the king's, to Prince Arthur's declaring his right to the crown of England; and adding with an oath, that he should never enjoy peace till he had reftored it. To which Mr. Richard Niccols refers, in the Unfortunate Life, and Death of King John. [See his Winter's Nights Vifion, p. 685. publish'd 1610, with other tracts.11 qa sul gui q buda) ว ก "The |
