EDMUND SPENSER, 1553—1598.
"Sweet Spenser-sweetest bard; yet not more sweet
Than pure was he, and not more pure than wise."-SOUTHEY. [Edmund Spenser was born in London in 1553, and was educated at the University of Cambridge. He was at first a tutor, and gained the friendship of Sir Philip Sydney and the Earl of Leicester, becoming poet laureat to Queen Elizabeth. His greatest work is the "Faerie Queen," written in Ireland by the poet, who met there Sir Walter Raleigh. In 1597, in the rebellion of Tyrone, his house in Ireland was burnt, and one of his children perished with it in the flames, from which time the poet did not again look up, but died in the year following. The "Faerie Queen" represents all the moral virtues, each having a knight to be its pattern and defender.]
THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS.
AND is there care in Heaven? And is there love
In heavenly spirits to these creatures base,
That may compassion of their evils move?
There is: else much more wretched were the case
Of men than beasts: But O! th' exceeding grace
Of highest God, that loves his creatures so,
And all his works with mercy doth embrace,
That blessed angels he sends to and fro,
To serve to wicked man, to serve his wicked foe!
How oft do they their silver bowers leave
To come to succour us that succour want!
How oft do they with golden pinions cleave
The flitting skies, like flying pursuivant,
Against foul fiends to aid us militant!
They for us fight, they watch and duly ward,
And their bright squadrons round about us plant;
And all for love and nothing for reward:
O, why should heavenly God to men have such regard?
immediate-direct; next Lethe-waters of forget fulness; a fabled river in hell person-authority image-representation commit-send to prison awful-full of dignity bench seat of justice trip the course-stop the
way body-person
profane-speak évil of
liege-lord
balance-justice; scales
proper-own
deliver-yield
bear-carry
prompt-whisper
intent--intended action well practised
frustrate-render naught raze-erase; rub out opinion men's judgments limb-member; part of body
CH. JUST. I am assur'd, if I be measur'd rightly, Your majesty hath no just cause to hate me.
K. HENRY. No! might a prince of my great hope forget
NOTE. During the reign of Henry IV. the young prince fell into the company of evil companions, so that his riotous conduct became a source of great anxiety to his royal father, and a disgrace to himself. His evil conduct would seem, however, to have proceeded rather from a thoughtless, ill-directed mind, than from a bad heart, and he gave promise even in his weaker youth of the strong man that was to be. On one occasion it is said one of his companions in riot had been sent to prison. The prince demanded his release, and even drew his sword on Chief Justice Gascoigne. The latter feeling the law rather than his person outraged, had the courage to shew that the law was no respecter of persons by committing the hot-headed youth-and the lesson appears to have done him good.
So great indignities you laid upon me?
What, rate, rebuke, and roughly send to prison
Th' immediate heir of England! Was this easy?
May this be wash'd in Lethe and forgotten?
CH. JUST. I then did use the person of your father ;
The image of his pow'r lay then in me:
And in th' adminstration of the law,
While I was busy for the commonwealth,
Your highness pleased to forget my place,
The majesty and power of law and justice-
The image of the king whom I presented-
And struck me in my very seat of judgment:
Whereon, as an offender to your father,
I gave bold way to my authority,
And did commit you. If the deed were ill,
Be you contented, wearing now the garland,
To have a son set your decrees at naught
To pluck down justice from your awful bench,
To trip the course of law, and blunt the sword
That guards the peace and safety of your person:
Nay, more, to spurn at your most royal image,
And mock your working in a second body.
Question your royal thoughts, make the case yours;
Be now the father, and propose a son;
Hear your own dignity so much profan'd;
See your most dreadful laws so loosely slighted;
Behold yourself so by a son disdain'd;
And then imagine me taking your part,
And, in your power, so silencing your son.
After this cold consid'rance, sentence me;
And, as you are a king, speak in your state,
What have I done that misbecame my place,
My person, or my liege's sovereignty.
K. HEN. You are right, Justice, and you weigh
this well.
Therefore, still bear the balance and the sword:
And I do wish your honours may increase,
Till you do live to see a son of mine
Offend you, and obey you, as I did:
So shall I live to speak my father's words:
Happy am I, that have a man so bold
That dares do justice on my proper son;
And no less happy, having such a son,
That would deliver up his greatness so
Into the hands of justice." You committed me;
For which I do commit into your hand
The unstain'd sword that you have us'd to bear;
With a like bold, just, and impartial spirit
As you. have done 'gainst me. There is my hand,
You shall be as a father to my youth:
My voice shall sound as you do prompt mine ear;
And I will stoop and humble my intents
To your well-practis'd wise directions.
And, princes all, believe me, I beseech you:
My father is gone wild into his grave;
For in his tomb lie my affections;
And with his spirit sadly I survive,
To mock the expectations of the world-
To frustrate prophecies, and raze out
Rotten opinion, which hath writ me down
After my seeming. Though my tide of blood
Hath proudly flow'd in vanity till now;
Now doth it turn and ebb back to the sea,
Where it shall mingle with the state of floods,
And flow henceforth in formal majesty.
Now call we our high court of parliament:
And let us choose such limbs of noble counsel,
That the great body of our state may go
In equal rank with the best govern'd nation;
That war or peace, or both at once, may be
As things acquainted and familiar to us,
In which you, father, shall have the foremost hand. Our coronation done, we will accite
(As I before remember'd) all our state,
And (heav'n consigning to my good intents)
No prince, nor peer, shall have just cause to say,
Heav'n shorten Harry's happy life one day.
HOME LESSON AND CLASS WORK.
Write down the sum of the foregoing passage; learn and write the spellings at the top of the page; and give a brief account of the circumstance which gave origin to the passage.
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