Hughes, not considering our author's common practice of mis-spelling a word for the convenience of his rhyme, makes him

The Goblin is Shakespeare's Robin Goodfellow, and the tradition about him is found in Harsenet's Declaration, &c. quoted above. "And if that the bowle of curdes and creame were not duly sett out for Robin Goodfellow, the frier, and Siss the dairy-maid, to meet him at, &c. why then either the pottage, &c." pag. 135. ch. 20.

The Lubbar-fiend seems to be the same traditionary being that is mentioned by Beaumont and Fletcher, "There is a pretty tale of a witch that had the devil's mark about her, (God bless us!) that had a gyaunt to her son, that was called Lob-lye-by-the-fire." Knight of the Burning Pestle, act 3. sc. 1. These old stories were not entirely forgotten in Milton's younger days.

The two last lines are plainly founded on those in the old song of Robin Goodfellow, printed by Peck.

When larks gin sing,

Away we fling.

The following lines in the Paradise Regained, are illustrated by Peck.

Beasts of chase, or fowl of game

In pastry built, or from the spit, or boil'd,
Gris-amber steam'd.

b. 2. v. 342.

guilty of many dissonant rhymes: for that editor, among other examples of his exact ness, has reduced Spenser's text to modern orthography with great accuracy.

It is indeed surprising, upon the whole,

He observes, that in the reigns of Henry viii. and Queen Elizabeth, ambergrease was applied as a seasoning in cookery; particularly at a stately banquet made by Cardinal Wolsey. But, I must add, the practice was continued much later, and probably was not obsolete in the age of Milton. Thus Drayton, in the Moone-Calfe, printed in 1627,

Eates capons cookt at fifteene crownes apiece,
With their fat bellies stufft with amber-greece.

Where ambergrease appears to have been a very costly ingredient; and indeed as such it is mentioned by Milton, who is representing a feast celebrated with all possible splendor and luxury. Ambergrease is mentioned much after the same manner, in Brown's Britannia's Pastorals. 1613.

Her husband, weaken'd piece,
Must have his cullis mix'd with amber grease:

Pheasant and partridge into jelly turn'd,

Grated with gold.

b. 2. s. 3. p. 58:

that Spenser should execute a poem of uncommon length, with so much spirit and ease, laden as he was with so many shackles, and embarrassed with so complicated a bondage of riming. Nor can I recollect, that he has been so careless as to suffer the same word to be repeated as a rhyme to itself, in more than four or five instances; a fault which, if he had more frequently.committed, his manifold beauties of versification would have obliged us to overlook; and which Harrington should have avoided more scrupulously, to compensate, in some degree, for the tameness and prosaic mediocrity of his numbers.

Notwithstanding our author's frequent and affected usage of obsolete words and phrases*, yet it may be affirmed, that his

The author of the Arte of English Poesie seems to blame Spenser for this. "Our Maker therefore, at these

style, in general, has great perspicuity and facility. It is also remarkable, that his lines are seldom broken by transpositions, antithese, or parentheses. His sense and sound are equally flowing and uninterrupted.― From this single consideration, an internal argument arises, which plainly demonstrates that Britaine's Ida is not written by Spenser. Let the reader judge from the following specimen.

dayes, shall not follow Piers Plowman, nor Gower, nor Lydgate, nor yet Chaucer; for their language is now out of use with us." b. 3. c. 1.

The Fairy Queen was not published when this critic wrote, so that this censure is levelled at the Pastorals, which, however, in another place he commends. "For eglogue and pastoral poesie, Sir Philip Sydney, and Maister Challener, and that other gentleman who wrote the late Shepherd's Kalender." b. 1. c. 31. Spenser had published his Pastorals about ten years before; to which he did not prefix his name.

One of Spenser's cotemporary poets has ridiculed the obsolete language of the Fairy Queen.

Let others sing of Knights and Palladines,

In aged accents and untimely words.

Daniel, sonnet lij.

Amongst the rest, that all the rest excell❜d,

A daintie boy there wonn'd, whose harmlesse ycares
Now in their freshest budding gentlie swell'd:

His nymph-like face ne'er felt the nimble sheeres,
Youth's downie blossome through his cheek appeares ;.
His lovelie limbes (but love he quite discarded),
Were made for play, (but he no play regarded);
And fitt love to reward, and be with love rewarded.

High was his forehead, arch'd with silver mould, (Where never anger churlish wrinkle dighted), His auburn lockes hung like dark threads of gold, That wanton airs (with their faire length incited) To play among their wanton curles delighted. His smiling eyes with simple truth were stord; Ah! how should truth in those thief eyes be stord; Which thousand loves had stoln, and never once restord.

His chearfull lookes, and merie face would prove (If eyes the index be where thoughts are read) A daintie play-fellow for naked love,

Of all the other parts, &c *.

But there are other arguments which prove this poem to be the work of a different hand. It has a vein of pleasing description; but is at the same time, filled with conceits and

*Spenser's works, Lond. 1750. vol. vi. pag. 34. duod.