The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia
[i21]
The title of the Oxford verses published upon the death of our author.
[i22]
We cannot fix the date, nor on what occasion this great appearance of
nobility was then at Oxford, only that the Earl of Leicester was high
chancellor of that University.
[i23]
In opposition to Philip of Spain.
BOOK I NOTES
[b1-01]
_running at Base_] The old game of prisoner’s-base, then a common
rustic pastime.
[b1-02]
_recklessness_] _i.e._ Carelessness. See Spencer.
[b1-03]
_ruefully_] Woefully.
[b1-04]
_Tarantula_] A venomous Spider (so called from Tarento a city of
Naples) whose bite is of such a nature, that it is to be cured only by
music.
[b1-05]
_Quintain_] A rural sport, chiefly used at marriages, wherein, running
a tilt on horse-back with poles, at a large stake fixed in the ground,
against which, he that breaks most poles, gains the prize.
[b1-06]
_Barley-break_] Running-matches made by the country girls, with each
other, as hereafter described.
BOOK II NOTES
[b2-01]
_gols_] Hands.
BOOK III NOTES
[b3-01]
_sowed_] _i.e._ Scattered.
[b3-02]
_sow_] _i.e._ Spread.
[b3-03]
_Keep_] _i.e._ A strong tower in the middle of a castle, the last
resort of the besieged.
[b3-04]
_vampalt_] _i.e._ A gauntlet, or iron glove.
[b3-05]
_Atropos_] One of the three sisters which are said to cut the thread
of life.
[b3-06]
_Catoblepa_] The Catoblepa is a beast bred near the rise of Nile. See
_Pin_, Nat. Hist.
[b3-07]
_paven_] _i.e._ A dance.
[b3-08]
A chasm being occasioned in this place, by the loss of some of the
Author’s invaluable papers; it was excellently supplied, as follows,
by Sir W. A.
[b3-09]
From hence the history is again continued out of the author’s Papers.
If this little essay have not that perfection which is required for
supplying the want of that place for which it was intended, yet shall
it serve for a shadow to give a lustre to the rest. I have only herein
conformed myself to that which preceded my beginning, and was known to
be that admirable author’s own, but to differ in some things from that
which follows, especially in the death of Philisides, making choice of
a course, whereby I might best manifest, what affection I bear to the
memory of him, whom I took to be alluded unto by that name, and whom I
only by this imperfect parcel (designing more) had a mind to honour.
_W. A._
[b3-10]
The superscripted numbers in this song appear _above_ the preceding
word in the source text.--Transcriber.
BOOK V NOTES
[b5-01]
_Knights of the Order_] Of the Garter.
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
The title-page to the 1593 edition--taken from _The Complete Works of
Sir Philip Sidney_, Volume II (Cambridge, 1922)--is used as a cover.
Amongst the different editions _Bithynia_ and _Pontus_ are sometimes
used interchangeably.
Some instances of “lower(ing)” should be pronounced “lour(ing).”
Endnote markers are given in [square] brackets, and page-numbers in
{curly} brackets.
The following editions were consulted for most of the changes listed
below: 10th edition, printed by William Du-Gard (London, 1655); 14th
edition, printed for E. Taylor, et al. (3 vol., London, 1724-1725);
Samson Low, Son, & Marston (London, 1868); and Penguin Classics
(London, 1987).
Some minor spelling inconsistencies (_e.g._ gray/grey, sheep-hook/sheep
hook/sheephook, etc.) have been preserved.
Alterations to the text:
Abandon the use of drop-caps.
Convert footnotes to endnotes.
Correct/regularize the spelling of character names.
Decouple ligatured Latin characters.
Modernize/regularize the spelling of: befel (befell), Bithinia
(Bithynia), Bizantium (Byzantium), Cameleon (Chameleon), chastly
(chastely), chrystal (crystal), dolor (dolour), dulness (dullness),
e’er (ere), e’re (ere), enterprize (enterprise), fancie (fancy),
fulness (fullness), gastful (ghastful), Hircania (Hyrcania), impressa
(impresa), jerfaulcon (gyrfalcon), letchery (lechery), lilly (lily),
loathesome (loathsome), Mantinæa (Mantinea), me seems (meseems),
Missenia (Messenia), o’re (o’er), Panonia (Pannonia), porphyrie
(porphyry), pye (pie), recompence (recompense), Seistine (Sestine),
spie (spy), subtilty (subtlety), Trebisond (Trebizond), unchastly
(unchastely), vail (veil), wherof (whereof), woful (woeful). Note: old
word forms (_e.g._ dost, gat, sith, spake, etc.) have been preserved.
Punctuation is largely preserved save for the following changes:
quotation mark pairings/nestings, possessives lacking apostrophes,
missing periods, direct addresses lacking commas, etc. Also adjust
some hyphenation: far fetched (far-fetched), illwill (ill-will), straw
coloured (straw-coloured), etc.
Miscellaneous: farther/further, passed/past, than/then, and
their/there.
Minor formatting changes to some songs and eclogues.
[Introductory matter]
“Jorge de Montemayor, the author of _Diana Enamorada_” change _Diana
Enamorada_ to _Diana_. (Jorge de Montemayor wrote _Diana_; Gaspar Gil
Polo wrote _Diana Enamorada_, a continuation of Montemayor’s work.)
Change “they put wild _improbabilites_ in the place” to
_improbabilities_.
“made therein an absolute _heroicall_ poem” to _heroical_.
“love in its various aspects; Helen, Queen of Corinth...” change
semicolon to comma.
“of Elizabethan prose, the false _antithees_” to _antitheses_.
“of the older romances In imitation of Montemayor” add period after
_romances_.
“London, Printed in the _Yer_ MDCCXXV” to _Year_.
Change a few instances of “Fulke _Grevil_” to “Fulke _Greville_”,
“Robert _Walde-graue_” to “Robert _Waldegrave_”, and _Johnstoun_ to
_Johnstone_.
“which _brake_ the bone of his thigh” to _broke_.
“his will, and settling his _wordly_ affairs” to _worldly_.
[Book I]
“that as our remembrance came _everclothed_ unto us in the” to _ever
clothed_.
“it is _nor_ for me to attend so high a blissfulness” to _not_.
“to set on all the _canvass_ he could and fly” to _canvas_.
“nor yet _flubbered_ up with good fellowship” to _slubbered_.
“he thought _migh_ either profit or gratify” to _might_.
“his countenance could not but with _dum_ eloquence” to _dumb_.
“courage, and _largness_ of magnificence” to _largeness_.
“small a boat) doth so _overway_ poor Dametas” to _oversway_.
“_This_ much now that I have told you is nothing” to _Thus_.
“Oh no, _He_ cannot be good that knows” to _he_.
“by the skilfullest trencher-men of _Medea_” to _Media_.
“one of the Kalander’s servants rounded in his ear” delete _the_.
“not able longer to to control herself” delete one _to_.
“so famous over the the world as Argalus” delete one _the_.
“and _whetttng_ their courage with revenge” to _whetting_.
“was acquainted with _strategems_) invented” to _stratagems_.
“to set fire in _the all_ parts of Greece” to _all the_.
“was surpassing it in bravery of _fighing_” to _fighting_.
“wavering between looking for _same_ stratagem” to _some_.
“upon _oach_ never to bear arms against the Helots” to _oath_.
“this office be not. perchance, suitable to my” change period to
comma.
“so ugly to behold, For my part” change comma to period.
“having set out some _gallies_ under the charge” to _galleys_.
“of so many things united in _perfecion_” to _perfection_.
“so perfect a _plat_ of the celestial dwellings” to _plot_.
“_shortenened_ the way’s length, till they came” to _shortened_.
“which Pyrocles had written before he went _a hunting_” to
_a-hunting_.
“take a _bye-way_ which might lead to Kalander’s” to _byway_.
“the less curiously _inquisive_ after them” to _inquisitive_.
“Where are all _hereoic_ parts but in Amphialus” to _heroical_.
“and thus much _villiany_ am I content” to _villainy_.
“at the _olympian_ games there celebrated” to _Olympian_.
“because I wear a woman’s _apparal_” to _apparel_.
“since it hath an end _alloted_ unto it” to _allotted_.
“be in as great _exellency_ in yourself” to _excellency_.
“a wonted kind of desire to see rare _fights_” to _sights_.
“the Amazons: myself _neice_ to Senicia, queen” to _niece_.
“_Jupitor_ when he was in the form of an eagle” to _Jupiter_.
“under and carried it _ahout_ as a mill” to _about_.
“the next day early to come _a foot_ thither” to _afoot_.
“known him further than by report of his good _justing_” to
_jousting_.
“by a certain _Sycionian_ knight, was lost” to _Sicyonian_.
“breath a mortal mislike against Basilius,” change comma to period.
“to make him miserable by the _fight_ of Philoclea” to _sight_.
“even when the sun, like a noble _hart_” to _heart_.
“The injury seemed _grievious_, but when it came” to _grievous_.
“heavenly or hellish title thou _lift_ to have” to _list_.
“she leaped up, and ran to the _lodge ward_” to _lodge-ward_.
“so that it was a new _fight fortune_ had prepared” to _sight
Fortune_.
“guided with such _traiterous_ eyes” to _traitorous_.
“Till I get her, shall I to keep _innure_ myself?” to _inure_.
“And love _with lovers hurt_ is inhumanity” to _which lover hurts_.
“No _thral_ like them that inward bondage have” to _thrall_.
“And lives in _fancy_ seeing,” to _fancy’s_.
“Gynecia’s but that she _fouud_ too well” to _found_.
“hillock show, by the lofty _olympus_” to _Olympus_.
“love is better _tban_ a pair of spectacles” to _than_.
“Busy with _oker_ did their shoulders mark” to _ochre_.
“As bragging that free of all _passions none_” to _passions’ moan_.
“And that the _byass_ of her blood was wrought” to _bias_.
“But _lickrous_, poison’d, fain to her would go” to _lick’rous_.
“but game, the _self hurt wonton_ meant” to _self-hurt wanton_.
“_A field_ they go, where many lookers be” to _Afield_.
“Like some which seek to salve their _blooted_ name” to _blotted_.
“A hasten’d hare from greedy _grayhound_ go” to _greyhound_.
“And then the _Phænix_ feared to be caught” to _Phoenix_.
[Book II]
“had at _least wise_ produced thus much happiness” to _leastwise_.
“no faint pleasure could _with-hold_ him” to _withhold_.
“Thus having delivered _his_ tale in this perplexed manner” to _my_.
“banished all vain fancy of _superstitution_” to _superstition_.
“heavenly bodies there are great hidden _dieties_” to _deities_.
“lone to take the ring Wherein truly at least” add period after
_ring_.
“One time he danced the _matachine_ dance” to _matachin_.
“have made a _handerchief_ by that time a-day” to _handkerchief_.
“_Let_ the sweetness of virtue’s disposition, jealous” to _Yet_.
“whom _see_ was half ashamed she did love so well” to _she_.
“from them and, as it were two _counter-ballances_” to
_counter-balances_.
“made partaker of this _oft-binding_ light” to _oft-blinding_.
“whether the heavens at that time _lifted_ to play” to _listed_.
“that they might fill the sails as they _lifted_” to _listed_.
“the more _way-ward_ it showed itself towards them” to _wayward_.
“already he had been apt to _determinine_” to _determine_.
“and thinking to make all men _a dread_” to _adread_.
“both make ostentation of his his own felicity” delete one _his_.
“spots he _artifically_ put upon his face” to _artificially_.
“I needed envy no _farther_ for the chief comfort” to _father_.
“having only with them the two _valiaut_ brothers” to _valiant_.
(that occasion, _I_ kneeled down, and with humble heartedness, and
hearty earnestness printed in _my_ graces; “Alas!” said _I_,) to _he_,
_his_, and _he_, respectively.
“the river not running _forth right_” to _forthright_.
“they began by _piece-meal_ to take away the eclipsing” to
_piecemeal_.
“The second-sweetly _senced word_” to _fenced ward_.
“Like _pomels_ round of marble clear;” to _pommels_.