Authors: Edmund Spenser
So sundry waies and fashions as clerkes faine,
Some in short space, and some in longer yeares;
What is the same but alteration plaine?
Onely the starrie skie doth still remaine:
Yet do the Starres and Signes therein still moue,
And euen itself is mov'd, as wizards saine.
But all that moueth, doth mutation loue:
Therefore both you and them to me I subiect proue.
56
Then since within this wide great
Vniuerse
Nothing doth firme and permanent appeare,
Cut all things tost and turned by transuerse:
What then should let, but I aloft should reare
My Trophee, and from all, the triumph beare?
Now iudge then (ô thou greatest goddesse trew!)
According as thy selfe doest see and heare,
And vnto me addoom that is my dew;
That is the rule of all, all being rul'd by you.
57
So hauing ended, silence long ensewed,
Ne
Nature
to or fro spake for a space,
But with firme eyes affixt, the ground still viewed.
Meanewhile, all creatures, looking in her face,
Expecting th'end of this so doubtfull case,
Did hang in long suspence what would ensew,
To whether side should fall the soueraigne place:
At length, she looking vp with chearefull view,
The silence brake, and gaue her doome in speeches few.
58
I well consider all that ye haue sayd,
And find that all things stedfastnes doe hate
And changed be: yet being rightly wayd
They are not changed from their first estate;
But by their change their being doe dilate:
And turning to themselues at length againe,
Doe worke their owne perfection so by fate:
Then ouer them Change doth not rule and raigne;
But they raigne ouer change, and doe their states maintaine.
59
Cease therefore daughter further to aspire,
And thee content thus to be rul'd by me:
For thy decay thou seekst by thy desire;
But time shall come that all shall changed bee,
And from thenceforth, none no more change shall see.
So was the
Titaness
put downe and whist,
And
Ioue
confirm'd in his imperiall see.
Then was that whole assembly quite dismist,
And
Natur's
selfe did vanish, whither no man wist
1
When I bethinke me on that speech whyleare,
Of
Mutability,
and well it way:
Me seemes, that though she all vnworthy were
Of the Heav'ns Rule; yet very sooth to say,
In all things else she beares the greatest sway.
Which makes me loath this state of life so tickle,
And loue of things so vaine to cast away;
Whose flowring pride, so fading and so fickle,
Short
Time
shall soon cut down with his consuming sickle.
2
Then gin I thinke on that which Nature sayd,
Of that same time when no more
Change
shall be,
But stedfast rest of all things firmely stayd
Vpon the pillours of Eternity,
That is contrayr to
Mutabilitie:
For, all that moueth, doth in
Change
delight:
But thence-forth all shall rest eternally
With Him that is the God of Sabbaoth bight:
O that great Sabbaoth God, graunt me that Sabaoths sight.
FINIS
TEXTUAL CORRECTIONS:
Code:
a
1590 edition of
Faerie Queene,
I-III
        Â
b
1596 edition of
Faerie Queene,
I-VI
        Â
c
1609 edition of
Faerie Queene,
I-VII
        Â
d
1611 edition of
Works
FE
âFaults Escaped', erratum page in
  a Â
The four columns are stanza and line, corrected reading, source of correction, and rejected reading from
b
if unspecified. The inclusion of a code letter instead of date of edition as source of corrected reading is to follow the practice established by the Variorum Edition of Spenser.
BOOK I
Canto 1
10.4
They
  a Â
The
12.5
stroke
  FE Â
hardy stroke
  a Â
20.7
loathly frogs
ac
       loathlyfrogs
21.5
spring
  FE Â
ebbe
25.7
wound
  a Â
wound
31.2
euill
  a Â
euill euill
34.8
gently
  a Â
genlty
35.8
euermore
  a Â
euemore
42.4
thrust
  a Â
trust
48.9
her with Yuie
  a Â
her Yuie
Canto 2
17.5
cruel spies
  FE Â
cruelties
29.2
shade him thither
  a Â
shade thither
29.3
ymounted
  FE Â
that mounted
32.9
guiltlesse
  a Â
guitlesse
40.1
Thensforth
  FE Â
Thenforth
41.5
Thensforth
  FE Â
Thenforth
Canto 3
3.9
brought,
  a Â
brought,
11.1
whom
  a Â
Whom
34.5
feare
  a Â
fea
36.7
mourning
acd
morning
38.7
that
  FE Â
the
43.5
field
  a Â
fied
Canto 4
11.3
worth
  a Â
wroth
12.2
selfe a Queene
  a Â
selfe Queene
13.1
El1 fin
  a Â
Elfing
16.9
glitterand
  a Â
glitter and
20.3
From
  a Â
For
32.9
fifte
  FE Â
first
45.5
of my new
  FE Â
of new
Canto 5
1.9
did he wake
  a Â
did wake
2.1
gate
  a Â
gate,
2.5
hurld
  FE Â
hurls
24.9
for
  a Â
and
30.9
filthey
  a Â
filtey
38.6
cliffs
  FE Â
clifts
41.2
nigh
  a Â
high
51.5
that
  FE Â
the
Canto 6
1.5
in
  FE Â
it
5.5
win
  a Â
with
15.2
Or 11 Of
26.9
as a tyrans
  a Â
as tyrans
47.2
fate
  a Â
fete
Canto 7
5.5
her a be
32.6
Selinis a
Selinis
43.9
Gehons a Gebons
47.3
hands
  FE Â
hand [so corrected in copy text]
Canto 8
Arg. 3
the
  FE Â
that
11.9
murmur ring
  FE Â
murmuring
15.3
nigh d night
29.4
forcibly, a forcibly.
30.2
An a And
33.5
sits a fits
40.8
beare,
  a Â
beare.
41.7
and helmets a helmets
43.2
haue a kaue
Canto 9
11.4
vnawares a vnwares
12.9
on
  FE Â
at
14.8
night;
  a Â
night,
18.9
as
  a Â
the
26.5
nye. [editorial conjecture] nye?
abc
31.5
subtile tong
a subtilltongue
34.6
cliffs
  FE Â
clifts
35.9
Were
  a Â
Where
38.8
liuing
  a Â
liniug
53.1
feeble a seely
Canto 10
10.5
[line moved to right]
16.8
her
  FE Â
be
31.6
faire,
  a Â
faire.
36.9
in commers-by
c
in-commers by
ab
50.1
she
  a Â
he
52.6
Brings
  FE Â
Bring
ab
57.5
pretious
  FE Â
piteous
59.2
frame
  FE Â
fame
61.3
thy
  a Â
to thy
62.9
they'are
  a Â
are
64.7
doen
  a Â
doen then
Canto 11
1.1
faire,
c faire, ab
4.5
stretcht a stretch
5.1
his
  FE Â
this
5.2
withdraw d with draw
6.9
scared
  FE Â
feared
8.7
vaste d wast
11.5
as
  FE Â
all
18.5
vnsound
  a Â
vnfound
25.1
wroth
  a Â
wrath
25.6
[line moved to right]
27.2
vaunt
  a Â
daunt
30.5
one
  FE Â
it
30.6
[line moved to right]
35â1
spy,
  a Â
spy.
39.4
sting
  a Â
string
39.7
string
  a Â
sting
51.2
the
  a Â
her
Canto 12
2.9
fall,
c
fall,
ab
9.7
monstrous
  a Â
monstrous
11.5
talants
  FE Â
talents
16.1
pleasure
  a Â
pleasures
18.8
Paynim
  a Â
Pynin
21.7
To tell that dawning day is drawing neare,
  a Â
To tell the dawning day is dawning neare,
22.4
heauenly
  a Â
heaunnly
27.7
of yore
  a Â
and yore
32.5
t'
  FE Â
to
34.9
who
  FE Â
wo
40.9
His
  a Â
Her
BOOK II
Canto 1
2.7
natiue a natiues
4.1
lay,
c
lay.
ab
4.6â7
[Lines 6 and 7 should be transposed as in
a
.]
8.7
spoile,
  a Â
âspoile.
11.7
he
  a Â
be
16.7
torment? â torment
31.2
handling
  a Â
hanfling
33.8
thrise
  FE Â
these
39.4
dolour
  a Â
labour
40.4
gore
  a Â
gold
44.9
speake: help
  a Â
speake:help
45.7
started
  a Â
started
56.2
off
c
off,
ab
59.1
equall
  a Â
euill
59.6
bury all teene [editorial conjecture] buriall teene
abc
Canto 2
9.1
whose
  a Â
those
9.8
be
  a Â
he
28.2
champions
  a Â
champion
30.1
there
c
their
ab
37.1
Fast
FE
First
41.4
eye,
c
eye.
ab
Canto 3
9.7
From
  a Â
For
Canto 4
10.4
not
  FE Â
no
10.9
and
  a Â
aud
41.2
Pyrochles
  FE Â
Pyrrhocles
44.8
sits
  a Â
fits
45.4
might
  a Â
migbt
45.8
Pyrochles
  FE Â
Pyrrhocles
Canto 5
1.9
Pyrochles
  FE Â
Pyrrhocles
4.4
broad
ac
braod
8.2
Pyrochles
  FE Â
Pyrrhocles
8.7
hurtle
a
hurle,
10.8
releast,
a
relast,
16.1
Pyrochles
  FE Â
Pyrrhocles
16.8
aread
a
a read
19.4
Pyrochles
  FE Â
Pyrrhocles
she chee a6
20.2
Pyrochles
  FE Â
Pyrrhocles
20.6
Pyrochles
  FE Â
Pyrrhocles
21.2
Pyrochles
  FE Â
Pyrrhocles
24.8
agayne,
a
agayne.
25.4
Pyrochles
  FE Â
Pyrrhocles
27.3
her
a
his
36.6
Pyrochles
  FE Â
Pyrrhocles
38.7
Pyrochles
  FE Â
Pyrrhocles
Canto 6
29.2
importune
a
importance
34.7
sweet alarmes
c
sweet Alarmes,
a
sweetalarms,
39.2
Pyrochles
  FE Â
Pyrrhocles
43.4
Pyrochles
  FE Â
Pyrrhocles
43.9
Pyrochles,
ô
Pyrochles
  FE Â
Pyrrhocles,
ô
Pyrrhocles
44.6
Pyrochles
  FE Â
Pyrrhocles
45.3
Burning
a
But
48.7
Pyrochles
  FE Â
Pyrrhocles
49.1
Pyrochles
  FE Â
Pyrrhodes
Canto
7
4.9
And
a
A
16.3
glad thankes
a
gladthankes
17.2
Grandmother
ac
Gandmother
18.2
of that antique
a
of antique
37.1
earthly wight
ac
earthlywight
39.8
mesprise
a
mespise
40.5
As if that
a
  FE Â
As the
41.3
his a to
48.6
my deare, my c my deare my aft
53.1
Gardin
a
Gordin
Canto 8
12.1
Pyrochles
  FE Â
Pyrrhocles
19.1
Pyrochles
  FE Â
Pyrrhocles
21.7
Pyrochles
  FE Â
Pyrrhocles