What is "auncient"

Usage examples of "auncient".

She stayd, and foorth Duessa gan proceede,O thou most auncient Grandmother of all,More old then Ioue, whom thou at first didst breede,Or that great house of Gods cælestiall,Which wast begot in Dæmogorgons hall,And sawst the secrets of the world vnmade,Why suffredst thou thy Nephewes deare to fallWith Elfin sword, most shamefully betrade?

There auncient Night arriuing, did alightFrom her nigh wearie waine, and in her armesTo Æsculapius brought the wounded knight:Whom hauing softly disarayd of armes,Tho gan to him discouer all his harmes,Beseeching him with prayer, and with praise,If either salues, or oyles, or herbes, or charmesA fordonne wight from dore of death mote raise,He would at her request prolong her nephews daies.

Yet euermore it was his manner faire,After long labours and aduentures spent,Vnto those natiue woods for to repaire,To see his sire and offspring auncient.

The auncient DameHim goodly greeted in her modest guise,And entertaynd them both, as best became,With all the court'sies, that she could deuise.

Wherein his weaker wandring steps to guide,An auncient matrone she to her does call,Whose sober lookes her wisedome well descride:Her name was Mercie, well knowne ouer all,To be both gratious, and eke liberall:To whom the carefull charge of him she gaue,To lead aright, that he should neuer fallIn all his wayes through this wide worldes waue,That Mercy in the end his righteous soule might saue.

It fortuned (as faire it then befell)Behind his backe vnweeting, where he stood,Of auncient time there was a springing well,From which fast trickled forth a siluer flood,Full of great vertues, and for med'cine good.

Forth came that auncient Lord and aged Queene,Arayd in antique robes downe to the ground,And sad habiliments right well beseene.

Then when with meates and drinkes of euery kindeTheir feruent appetites they quenched had,That auncient Lord gan fit occasion finde,Of straunge aduentures, and of perils sad,Which in his trauell him befallen had,For to demaund of his renowmed guest:Who then with vtt'rance graue, and count'nance sadFrom point to point, as is before exprest,Discourst his voyage long, according his request.

Whiles thus they strugled in that idle waue,And stroue in vaine, the one himselfe to drowne,The other both from drowning for to saue,Lo, to that shore one in an auncient gowne,Whose hoarie locks great grauitie did crowne,Holding in hand a goodly arming sword,By fortune came, led with the troublous sowne:Where drenched deepe he found in that dull fordThe carefull seruant, striuing with his raging Lord.

The knights there entring, did him reuerence dewAnd wondred at his endlesse exercise,Then as they gan his Librarie to vew,And antique Registers for to auise,There chaunced to the Princes hand to rize,An auncient booke, hight Briton moniments,That of this lands first conquest did deuize,And old diuision into Regiments,Till it reduced was to one mans gouernments.

He them encountred, a confused rout,Foreby the Riuer, that whylome was hightThe auncient Abus, where with courage stoutHe them defeated in victorious fight,And chaste so fiercely after fearfull flight,That forst their Chieftaine, for his safeties sake,(Their Chieftaine Humber named was aright)Vnto the mightie streame him to betake,Where he an end of battell, and of life did make.

And now it is so vtterly decayd,That any bud thereof doth scarse remaine,But if few plants preseru'd through heauenly ayd,In Princes Court doe hap to sprout againe,Dew'd with her drops of bountie Soueraine,Which from that goodly glorious flowre proceed,Sprung of the auncient stocke of Princes straine,Now th'onely remnant of that royall breed,Whose noble kind at first was sure of heauenly seed.

That was to weet the Porter of the place,Vnto whose trust the charge thereof was lent:His name was Doubt, that had a double face,Th'one forward looking, th'other backeward bent,Therein resembling Ianus auncient,Which hath in charge the ingate of the yeare:And euermore his eyes about him went,As if some proued perill he did feare,Or did misdoubt some ill, whose cause did not appeare.

And eke he somewhat seem'd to stoupe aforeWith bowed backe, by reason of the lode,And auncient heauy burden, which he boreOf that faire City, wherein make abodeSo many learned impes, that shoote abrode,And with their braunches spred all Britany,No lesse then do her elder sisters broode.

But first, ere I doe his aduentures tell,In this exploite, me needeth to declare,What did betide to the faire Pastorell,During his absence left in heauy care,Through daily mourning, and nightly misfare:Yet did that auncient matrone all she might,To cherish her with all things choice and rare.