'{5} This latter statement
is evidently inaccurate. Spenser, as we have seen, had
already held his estate for some years when he brought
his _View_ to England.
Spenser dates the dedication of his _Hymns_ from
Greenwich, September 1, 1596. Of these four hymns, two
had been in circulation for some years, though now for
the first time printed; the other two now first
appeared. 'Having in the greener times of my youth,'
he writes, 'composed these former two hymnes in the
praise of love and beautie, and finding that the same
too much pleased those of like age and disposition,
which being too vehemently caried with that kind of
affection, do rather sucke out poyson to their strong
passion than hony to their honest delight, I was moved
by one of you two most excellent ladies [the ladies
Margaret, Countess of Cumberland, Mary, Countess of
Warwick] to call in the same; but unable so to doe, by
reason that many copies thereof were formerly scattered
abroad, I resolved at least to amend, and by way of
retraction to reforme them, making (instead of those
two hymnes of earthly or naturall love and beautie) two
others of heavenly and celestiall.' This passage is
interesting for the illustration it provides of
Spenser's popularity. It is also highly interesting,
if the poems themselves be read in the light of it, as
showing the sensitive purity of the poet's nature.
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