o favourable were and free

free > generous, magnanimous

3 (Looking with mild aspect upon the earth,

mild > gracious, kind

4 In the horoscope of her nativity),
5 That all the gifts of grace and chastity
6 On her they poured forth of plenteous horn;

plenteous horn > (The cornucopia, the horn of plenty, the symbol of
fruitfulness and plenty)

7 Jove laughed on Venus from his sovereign see,

Venus > (The astrological combination of Jupiter and Venus is held
to be especially favourable)
see > throne

8 And Phoebus with fair beams did her adorn,
9 And all the Graces rocked her cradle being born.

Graces > (Three daughters of Jupiter, often described as the
handmaids of Venus. They are especially associated with poetry)
being > [once she had been]

306.3

Her berth was of the wombe of Morning dew,
2 And her conception of the ioyous Prime,
And all her whole creation did her shew
4 Pure and vnspotted from all loathly crime,
That is ingenerate in fleshly slime.
6 So was this virgin borne, so was she bred,
So was she trayned vp from time to time,
8 In all chast vertue, and true bounti-hed
Till to her dew perfection she was ripened.

1 Her birth was of the womb of morning dew,
2 And her conception of the joyous prime,

prime > sunrise; springtime

3 And all her whole creation did her show

show > [show to be, prove to be]

4 Pure and unspotted from all loathly crime,

unspotted from > innocent of
loathly > loathsome
crime > {Wrongdoing; sins taken collectively}

5 That is ingenerate in fleshly slime.

ingenerate > inborn; engendered
fleshly slime > [human flesh; "slime" = "clay": cf. e.g. 209.21:5]

6 So was this virgin born, so was she bred,

So > Thus, in this manner

7 So was she trained up from time to time,

from time to time > [from stage to stage in her development]

8 In all chaste virtue and true bountihead,

bountihead > bounteousness; goodness, virtue

9 Till to her due perfection she was ripened.

306.4

Her mother was the faire _Chrysogonee_,
2 The daughter of _Amphisa_, who by race
A Faerie was, yborne of high degree,
4 She bore +_Belph{ae}be_+, she bore in like cace
Faire _Amoretta_ in the second place:
6 These two were twinnes, and twixt them two did share
The heritage of all celestiall grace.
8 That all the rest it seem'd they robbed bare
Of bountie, and