gentle > generous, courteous pricking > spurring his horse, riding 182 183 The second day there came in a palmer bearing an infant palmer > {A pilgrim who has returned from the Holy Land, carrying a palm-leaf or palm-branch as a token; or: an itinerant monk} 184 with bloody hands, whose parents he complained to have 185 been slain by an enchantress called Acrasia: and therefore 186 craved of the Faery Queen to appoint him some knight to 187 perform that adventure, which being assigned to Sir 188 Guyon, he presently went forth with that same palmer: 189 which is the beginning of the second book and the whole 190 subject thereof. The third day there came in a groom, who groom > young man 191 complained before the Faery Queen that a vile enchanter 192 called Busirane had in hand a most fair lady called Amoret, hand > custody 193 whom he kept in most grievous torment, because she would 194 not yield him the pleasure of her body. Whereupon Sir 195 Scudamour, the lover of that lady, presently took on him 196 that adventure. But being unable to perform it by reason of 197 the hard enchantments, after long sorrow, in the end met 198 with Britomartis, who succoured him, and rescued his love. 199 But by occasion hereof, many other adventures are 200 intermeddled, but rather as accidents than intendments. As intermeddled > mixed in intendments > intentions (i.e. episodes which have an intentional bearing on the allegory) As > [For example,] 201 the love of Britomart, the overthrow of Marinell, the misery 202 of Florimell, the virtuousness of Belphoebe, the 203 lasciviousness of Hellenore, and many the like. 204 Thus much, sir, I have briefly overrun to direct your 205 understanding to the well-head of the history, that from well-head > source history > story that > [so that] 206 thence, gathering the whole intention of the conceit, you may, conceit > conception, idea, scheme 207 as in a handful, grip all the discourse, which otherwise may grip > grasp, understand 208 haply seem tedious and confused. So, humbly craving the haply > perhaps 209 continuance of your honourable favour towards me, and the 210 eternal establishment of your happiness, I humbly take leave. 211 23 January, 1590 1590 > (New Style: before the Gregorian calendar was adopted in England and Scotland in 1751, the new year began not on 1 January but on 25 March)