naissance.

_The clear_ (l. 1) is the crystalline or outermost heaven of the old
cosmography. _For a fair there's fairer none_: If you desire a Beauty,
there is none more beautiful than Rosaline.

14 22 Another gracious lyric from an Elizabethan Song-book, first
reprinted (it is believed) in Mr. W. J. Linton's 'Rare Poems,' in
1883.

15 23 _that fair thou owest_: that beauty thou ownest.

16 25 From one of the three Song-books of T. Campion, who appears to
have been author of the words which he set to music. His merit as a
lyrical poet (recognized in his own time, but since then forgotten)
has been again brought to light by Mr. Bullen's taste and
research:--_swerving_ (st. 2) is his conjecture for _changing_ in the
text of 1601.

20 31 _the star Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken_:
apparently, Whose stellar influence is uncalculated, although his
angular altitude from the plane of the astrolabe or artificial horizon
used by astrologers has been determined.

20 32 This lovely song appears, as here given, in Puttenham's 'Arte of
English Poesie,' 1589. A longer and inferior form was published in the
'Arcadia' of 1590: but Puttenham's prefatory words clearly assign his
version to Sidney's own authorship.

23 37 _keel_: keep cooler by stirring round.

24 39 _expense_: loss.

-- 40 _prease_: press.

25 41 _Nativity, once in the main of light_: when a star has risen and
entered on the full stream of light;--another of the astrological
phrases no longer familiar.

_Crooked_ eclipses: as coming athwart the Sun's apparent course.

Wordsworth, thinking probably of the 'Venus' and the 'Lucrece,' said
finely of Shakespeare: 'Shakespeare _could_ not have written an Epic;
he would have died of plethora of thought.' This prodigality of nature
is exemplified equally in his Sonnets. The copious selection here
given (which from the wealth of the material, required greater
consideration than any other portion of the Editor's task),--contains
many that will not be fully felt and understood without some
earnestness of thought on the reader's part. But he is not likely to
regret the labour.

26 42 _upon misprision growing_: either, granted in error, or, on the
growth of contempt.

-- 43 With the tone of this Sonnet compare Hamlet's 'Give me that man
That is not passion's slave' &c. Shakespeare's writings show the
deepest sensitiveness to passion:--hence the attraction he felt in the
contrasting effects of