hrough countries]
edified > built up, built over

3 Seeking adventures hard, to exercise
4 Their puissance, whilom full dernly tried:

puissance > power, strength
whilom > formerly; recently
full dernly tried > very severely put to the test (this use of
"dernly" is SUS)

5 At length they came into a forest wide,
6 Whose hideous horror and sad trembling sound
7 Full grisly seemed: therein they long did ride,

Full > Very, exceedingly
grisly > horrible, fearsome

8 Yet tract of living creatures none they found,

tract > track, trace

9 Save bears, lions, and bulls, which roamed them around.

301.15

All suddenly out of the thickest brush,
2 Vpon a milke-white Palfrey all alone,
A goodly Ladie did foreby them rush,
4 Whose face did seeme as cleare as Christall stone,
And eke through feare as white as whales bone:
6 Her garments all were wrought of beaten gold,
And all her steed with tinsell trappings shone,
8 Which fled so fast, that nothing mote him hold,
And scarse them leasure gaue, her passing to behold.

1 All suddenly out of the thickest brush,
2 Upon a milk-white palfrey all alone,

palfrey > (Saddle-horse for ladies)

3 A goodly lady did forby them rush,

goodly > beautiful
forby > close by; past

4 Whose face did seem as clear as crystal stone,

clear > brightly shining (cf. 203.22:3)

5 And eke through fear as white as whale's bone:

eke > also
whale's bone > ivory (distinct from whalebone)

6 Her garments all were wrought of beaten gold,
7 And all her steed with tinsel trappings shone,

tinsel > {Glittering, sparkling with interwoven golden or silver
thread}

8 Which fled so fast, that nothing might him hold,

might > could

9 And scarce them leisure gave her passing to behold.

passing > [passing, passage; while passing]

301.16

Still as she fled, her eye she backward threw,
2 As fearing euill, that pursewd her fast;
And her faire yellow locks behind her flew,
4 Loosely disperst with puffe of euery blast:
All as a blazing starre doth farre outcast
6 His hearie beames, and flaming lockes dispred,
At sight whereof the people stand aghast:
8 But the sage wisard telles, as he has red,
That it importunes death and dolefull drerihed.

1 Still as she fled, her eye she backward threw,

Still > Ever, continually

2 As fearing evil, that pursued her fast;