E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Spenser, Edmund
(b. London, 1552; d. Westminster, January 16th, 1599). “The Shepherd’s Calendar” (1579); “The Faerie Queene” (1590–96); “Complaints” (1591); “Prosopopoia; or, Mother Hubbard’s Tale” (1591); “Tears of the Muses” (1591); “Daphnaida” (1591), “Colin Clout’s Come Home Againe” (1595); “Amoretti” (1595); “Fowre Hymns” (1596); “Prothalamion” (1596); “Britain’s Ida(?)” (1628); also, with Gabriel Harvey (1545–1630), “Three proper and wittie familiar Letters, lately passed between two University Men, touching the Earthquake in April last, and our English Refourmed Versifying” (1580); and “Two other very Commendable Letters of the same Men’s Writing, both touching the foresaid artificiall Versifying, and certain other Particulars” (1580); both of which are reprinted in vol. ii. of Haslewood’s “Ancient Critical Essays upon English Poets and Poesy;” besides “A View of the State of Ireland” (1633). Spenser’s Poetical “Works” have been edited, with Notes and “Memoirs,” by Hughes (1715 and 1750), Birch (1751), Church (1758), Upton (1758), Todd (1805 and 1840), Aikin (1806 and 1842), Robinson (1825), Mitford (1829), Hillard (1839), Masterton (1848), Child (1855), Gilfillan (1859), Morris (1869), etc. Kitchen edits the first two Books, with Notes. See Warton’s “English Poetry;” Hazlitt’s “English Poets;” “Spenser and his Poetry,” by G. L. Craik (1845); Dean Church’s “Spenser” (1878); Morley’s “English Writers,” vols. ix., x., xi.
