A man of hell, that calls himself Despair:
6 Who first us greets, and after fair areads

fair areads > expertly tells

7 Of tidings strange, and of adventures rare:

adventures > happenings

8 So creeping close, as snake in hidden weeds,
9 Inquires of our states, and of our knightly deeds.

states > circumstances; marital states

109.29

Which when he knew, and felt our feeble harts
2 Embost with bale, and bitter byting griefe,
Which loue had +launched+ with his deadly darts,
4 With wounding words and termes of foule repriefe,
He pluckt from vs all hope of due reliefe,
6 That earst vs held in loue of lingring life;
Then hopelesse hartlesse, gan the cunning thiefe
8 Perswade vs die, to stint all further strife:
To me he lent this rope, to him a rustie knife.

3 launched > launced _1609_

1 "Which when he knew, and felt our feeble hearts
2 Embossed with bale and bitter biting grief

Embossed > Swollen; encased; driven to extremity (as a hunted
animal)
bale > torment

3 (Which Love had lanced with his deadly darts),

Love > [Cupid]

4 With wounding words, and terms of foul reproof,
5 He plucked from us all hope of due relief,
6 That erst us held in love of lingering life;

erst > previously

7 Then hopeless, heartless, gan the cunning thief

gan > did; began to

8 Persuade us die, to stint all further strife:

die > [to die]

9 To me he lent this rope, to him a rusty knife.

rusty > blood-stained; dirty; rusty

109.30

With which sad instrument of hastie death,
2 That wofull louer, loathing lenger light,
A wide way made to let forth liuing breath.
4 But I more fearefull, or more luckie wight,
Dismayd with that deformed dismall sight,
6 Fled fast away, halfe dead with dying feare:
Ne yet assur'd of life by you, Sir knight,
8 Whose like infirmitie like chaunce may beare:
But God you neuer let his charmed speeches heare.

1 "With which sad instrument of hasty death
2 That woeful lover, loathing longer light,

light > daylight (i.e. life; cf. 107.27:7)

3 A wide way made to let forth living breath.
4 But I, more fearful or more lucky wight,

wight > creature, person

5 Dismayed with that deformed dismal sight,

deformed > perverted, morally repulsive

6 Fled fast away, half dead with dying fear:

dying fear > fear of dying

7 Not yet assured of life by you, s