96 Charles G. Osgood, 



whose death, it fell ag-aine into their hands' (Hertfordshire, p. 

 410). 



In lines 125-6 Spenser describes the ruins of Verulam as now 

 the haunt of 



greislie shades, such as doo haunt in hell 

 With fearful! fiends, that in deep darknes dwell. 



The suggestion may well have come from the account of the 

 Abbot Eldred's excavations, quoted by Camden from 'an old his- 

 toriographer.' The abbot, having 'serched for the ancient vaults 

 under ground at Verulam, overthrew all, . . . and stopped up 

 all the waies with passages under ground, which were strongly 

 and artificially arched over head : For they were the lurking 

 hooles of whores and theeves. He levelled with the ground the 

 ditches of the Citie and certaine dennes, into which malefactors 

 fled as unto places of refuge' (1610, p. 411; 1590, p. 317). 



And where the christall Thamis wont to slide 

 In silver channell, . . . 

 There now no rivers course is to be scene, 

 But moorish fennes, and marshes ever greene.^^ 



The Thames, says Venilam, has fled far away to escape the 

 sight of her miseries. She continues : 



There also where the winged ships were scene 

 In liquid waves to cut their fomie waie, 

 And thousand fishers numbred to have been, 

 In that wide lake looking for plenteous praie 

 Of fish, which they with baits usde to betraic. 

 Is now no lake, nor anie fishers store. 

 Nor ever ship shall saile there anie more.°* 



Camden discredits the tradition that the Thames once flowed by 

 Verulam. In speaking of the 'wide lake,' he says that the monks 

 filled it up. 'Ubi nostra memoria cum anchorae fuerint effossse, 

 crediderunt nonnulli, corrupto Gildse loco inducti, Tamisim ali- 

 quando hac alveum egisse' (1590, p. 326). But Holinshed 

 appears to be Spenser's chief informant : 'Furthermore, whereas 

 manie are not afraid to saie that the Thames came sometimes by 

 this citie, indeed it is nothing so ; but that the Verlume . . . did 



LI. 134-40. 

 LI. 148-54. 



