And round about he taught sweete flowres to growe; 665
The Rose, engrained in pure scarlet die;
The Lilly fresh, and Violet belowe;
The Marigolde, and cherefull Rosemarie;
The Spartan Mirtle, whence sweet gumb does flowe;
The purple Hyacinths, and fresh Costmarie, 670
And Saffron, sought for in Cilician soyle,
And Lawrell, th’ornament of Phoebus toyle: 

Fresh Rhododaphne, and the Sabine flowre*,
Matching the wealth of th’auncient Frankincence;
And pallid Yvie, building his owne bowre; 675
And Box, yet mindfull of his olde offence;
Red Amaranthus, lucklesse paramour;
Oxeye still greene, and bitter Patience;
Ne wants there pale Narcisse, that, in a well
Seeing his beautie, in love with it fell. 680
  [* Sabine flowre, a kind of juniper, the savine.]

And whatsoever other flowre of worth,
And whatso other hearb of lovely hew
The ioyous Spring out of the ground brings forth,
To cloath her selfe in colours fresh and new,
He planted there, and reard a mount of earth, 685
In whose high front was writ as doth ensue: 

To thee, small Gnat, in lieu of his life saved, The Shepheard hath thy deaths record engraved.

* * * * *

FOOTNOTES: 

VIRGILS GNAT.  This is a very skilful elaboration of the Culex, a poem attributed, without reason, to Virgil.  The original, which is crabbed and pedantic, where it is not unintelligible from corruption, is here rendered with sufficient fidelity to the sense, but with such perspicuity, elegance, and sweetness, as to make Spenser’s performance too good a poem to be called a translation.  C.

* * * * *

PROSOPOPOIA: 

OR
MOTHER HUBBERDS TALE.

BY ED. SP.

DEDICATED TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE,

THE LADIE COMPTON AND MOUNTEGLE.

* * * * *

LONDON: 

IMPRINTED FOR WILLIAM PONSONBIE, DWELLING IN PAULES
CHURCHYARD AT THE SIGNE OF THE BISHOPS HEAD.

1591.

TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE,

THE LADIE COMPTON AND MOUNTEGLE.[*]

Most faire and vertuous Ladie:  having often sought opportunitie by some good meanes to make knowen to your Ladiship the humble affection and faithfull duetie which I have alwaies professed, and am bound to beare, to that house from whence yee spring, I have at length found occasion to remember the same by making a simple present to you of these my idle labours; which having long sithens composed in the raw conceipt of my youth, I lately amongst other papers lighted upon, and was