Glosse.
A Goteheard) By Gotes in scrypture be represented the wicked and reprobate,
whose pastour also must needes be such. Banck) is the seate of honor.
Straying heard) which wander out of the waye of truth. Als) for also.
Clymbe) spoken of Ambition. Great clymbers) according to Seneca his
verse, Decidunt celsa grauiore lapsus. Mickle) much.
The sonne) A reason, why he refuseth to dwell on Mountaines, because there
is no shelter against the scortching sunne. according to the time of the
yeare, whiche is the whotest moneth of all.
The Cupp and Diademe) Be two figures in the Firmament, through which the
sonne maketh his course in the moneth of Iuly.
Lion) Thys is Poetically spoken, as if the Sunne did hunt a Lion with one
Dogge. The meaning whereof is, that in Iuly the sun is in Leo At which
tyme the Dogge starre, which is called Syrius or Canicula reigneth,
with immoderate heate causing Pestilence, drought, and many diseases.
Ouerture) an open place. The word is borrowed of the French, & vsed in good
writers To holden chatt) to talke and prate.
A loorde) was wont among the old Britons to signifie a Lorde. And therefore
the Danes, that long time vsurped theyr Tyrannie here in Brytanie, were
called for more dread and dignitie, Lurdanes .s. Lord Danes. At which
time it is sayd, that the insolencie and pryde of that nation was so
outragious in the Realme, that if it fortuned a Briton to be going ouer
a bridge, and sawe the Dane set foote vpon the same, he must retorne
back, till the Dane were cleane ouer, or els abyde the pryce of his
displeasure, which was no lesse, then present death. But being
afterwarde expelled the name of Lurdane became so odious vnto the
people, whom they had long oppressed, that euen at this daye they vse
for more reproche, to call the Quartane ague the Feuer Lurdane.
Recks much of thy swinck) counts much of thy paynes. Weeteless) not
vnderstoode.
S. Michels mount) is a promontorie in the West
part of England. A hill) Parnassus afforesayd. Pan Christ. Dan)
One trybe is put for the whole nation per Synecdochen
Where Titan) the Sonne, Which story is to be redde in Diodorus Syc. of the
hyl Ida; from whence he sayth, all night time is to bee seene a mightye
fire, as if the skye burned, which toward morning beginneth to gather
into a rownd forme, and thereof ryseth the sonne, whome the Poetes call
Titan:
The Shepheard) is Endymion, whom the Poetes fayne, to haue bene so beloued
of Phoebe .s. the Moone, that he was by her kept a sleepe in a caue by
the space of xxx. yeares for to enioye his companye.
There) that is in Paradise, where through errour of shepheards
vnderstanding, he sayth, that all shepheards did vse to feede theyr
flocks, till one, (that is Adam by hys follye and disobedience, made
all the rest of hys ofspring be debarred & shutte out from thence.
Synah) a hill in Arabia, where God appeared. Our Ladyes bowre) a place
of pleasure so called. Faunes or Sylvanes) be of Poetes feigned to be
Gods of the Woode.
Medway) the name of a Ryuer in Kent, which running by Rochester, meeteth
with Thames; whon he calleth his elder brother, both because he is
greater, and also falleth sooner into the Sea. Meynt) mingled.
Melampode and Terebinth) be hearbes good to cure diseased Gotes. of thone
speaketh Mantuane, and of thother Theocritus.
terminthou tragon eskhaton
akremona.
Nigher heauen) Note the shepheards simplenesse, which supposeth that from
the hylls is nearer waye to heauen.
Leuein) Lightning; which he taketh for an argument, to proue the nighnes to
heauen, because the lightning doth comenly light on high mountaynes,
according to the saying of the Poete. Feriuntque summos fulmina montes.
Lorrell) A losell. A borrell) a playne fellowe. Narre) nearer.
Hale) for hole. Yede) goe. Frowye) mustye or mossie. Of yore) long
agoe. Forewente) gone afore. The firste shepheard) was Abell the
righteous, who (as scripture sayth) bent hys mind to keeping of sheepe,
as did hys brother Cain to tilling the grownde. His keepe) hys charge
.s. his flock. Lowted) did honour and reuerence.
The brethren) the twelue sonnes of Iacob, whych were shepemaisters, and
lyued onelye thereupon.
Whom Ida) Paris, which being the sonne of Priamus king of Troy, for his
mother Hecubas dreame, which being with child of hym, dreamed shee
brought forth a firebrand, that set all the towre of Ilium on fire, was
cast forth on the hyll Ida; where being fostered of shepheards, he eke
in time be came a shepheard, and lastly came to knowledge of his
parentage.
A lasse) Helena the wyfe of Menelaus king of Lacedemonia, was by Venus for
the golden Aple to her geuen, then promised to Paris, who thereupon
with a sorte of lustye Troyanes, stole her out of Lacedemonia, and kept
her in Troye, which was the cause of the tenne yeares warre in Troye,
and the moste famous citye
of all Asia most lamentably sacked and
defaced.
Argus) was of the Poets deuised to be full of eyes, and therefore to hym
was committed the keeping of the transformed Cow Io: So called because
in the print of a Cows foote, there is figured an I in the middest of
an O.
His name) he meaneth Aaron: whose name for more Decorum, the shephearde
sayth he hath forgot, left his remembraunce and skill in antiquities of
holy writ should seeme to exceede the meanenesse of the Person.
Not so true) for Aaron in the absence of Moses started aside, and committed
Idolatry.
In purple) Spoken of the Popes and Cardinalles, which vse such tyrannical
colours and pompous paynting. Belts) Girdles.
Glitterand) Glittering. a Participle vsed sometime in Chaucer, but
altogether in I. Goore
Theyr Pan) that is the Pope, whom they count theyr God and greatest
shepheard.
Palinode) A shephearde, of whose report he seemeth to speake all thys.
Wisards) greate learned heads. Welter) wallowe. Kerne) a Churle or Farmer.
Sike mister men) such kinde of men. Surly) stately and prowde Melling)
medling. Bett) better. Bynempte) named. Gree) for degree.
Algrin the name of a shepheard afforesayde, whose myshap he alludeth to the
chaunce, that happened to the Poet Æschylus, that was brayned with a
shellfishe.
Embleme.
By this poesye Thomalin confirmeth that, which in hys former speach by
sondry reasons he had proued. for being both hymselfe sequestred from
all ambition and also abhorring it in others of hys cote, he taketh
occasion to prayse the meane and lowly state, as that wherein is
safetie without feare, and quiet without danger, according to the
saying of olde Philosophers, that vertue dwelleth in the midddest,
being enuironed with two contrary vices: whereto Morrell replieth with
continuance of the same Philosophers opinion, that albeit all bountye
dwelleth in mediocritie, yet perfect felicitye dwelleth in supremacie.
for they say, and most true it is, that happinesse is placed in the
highest degree, so as if any thing be higher or better, then that
streight way ceaseth to be perfect happines. Much like to that, which I
once heard alleaged in defence of humilitye out of a great doctour,
Suorum Christus humillimus: which saying a gentle man in the company
taking at the rebownd, beat backe again with lyke saying of another
Doctoure, as he sayde. Sourum deus altissimus.
