Please help me with the meaning of this - its really important....?

Question

Haruey, the happy aboue happiest men
I read: that, sitting like a Looker-on
Of this worldes Stage, doest note with critique pen
The sharpe dislikes of each condition:
And, as one careless of suspition,
Ne fawnest for the fauour of the great;
Ne fearest foolish reprehension
Of faulty men, which daunger to thee threat.
But freely doest, of what thee list, entreat,
Like a great Lord of peerelesse liberty;
Lifting the Good vp to high Honours seat,
And the Euill damning euermore to dy.
For Life, and Death, is in thy doomefull writing:
So thy renowme liues euer by endighting.


Dublin this xviij of Iuly, 1586,
Your devoted frend, during life,
Edmund Spencer.

Answer 1

you should really go over your spelling before asking a question

I can't make sense of this due to too many errors sorry

Answer 2

Ah, so you're trying to figure out some Old English are you?
I'll try but may not be too good at this. My daughter thinks I'm from the Dark Ages, but really I'm a bit younger than that.
The 'rules for spelling' didn't really exist at this time. This is a good example of why spelling is important.
Anyhow, here goes a try:

Haruey, the happy aboue happiest men
Harvey, the happy above happiest men (ie. The happiest of men)

I read: that, sitting like a Looker-on Of this worldes Stage,
(I'm like an observer of this world)

doest note with critique pen
(who takes critical notes)

The sharpe dislikes of each condition:
(the pros and cons of what's happening?)

And, as one careless of suspition,
(and not caring)

Ne fawnest for the fauour of the great;
(Never seeks the favor of those thought to be 'great')

Ne fearest foolish reprehension Of faulty men,
(Never fears what the foolish think)

which daunger to thee threat.
(which threaten you with danger.)

But freely doest, of what thee list, entreat,
(But I freely do what you ask) - Note: Has he been asked to critique someone's writing?

Like a great Lord of peerelesse liberty;
(like a 'peer' of the king - free to speak boldly)

Lifting the Good vp to high Honours seat,
(Lifting up what's good)

And the Euill damning euermore to dy.
(condemning to death that which is evil.)

For Life, and Death, is in thy doomefull writing:
(For life and death is in your doomed writing)

So thy renowme liues euer by endighting.
(So your renown lives ever by endighting.) --Note you'll have to look up
the definition for endighting.


Dublin this xviij of Iuly, 1586,
(Dublin this 17? of July, 1586)

Your devoted frend, during life,
Edmund Spencer.

Answer 3

Here is what you need, visit the URL's, it is way complicated to type out here but this will help. I also noted a few books.

Do note there are many spellings in the versions of this "rare"
SONNET. Ignore the other remarks.


http://www.members.tripod.com/sicttasd/harvey1.html

http://198.82.142.160/spenser/TextRecord.php?action=GET&textsid=35244

http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0149-6611(194701)62%3A1%3C20%3ASSTH%3E2.0.CO%3B2-S

The Shorter Poems (book)
by Edmund Spenser, Richard Anthony MacCabe - 1999 -



SONNETS BY SPENSER
FROM

VARIOUS SOURCES.

I. From "Foure Letters, and Certaine Sonnets: Especially touching Robert Greene, and other parties by him abused, etc. London: Imprinted by Iohn Wolfe, 1592 (quarto)."

To the right worshipfull my singular good frend,
M. Gabriell Haruey, Doctor of the Lawes.
Aruey, the happy aboue happiest men
I read: that, sitting like a Looker-on
Of this worldes Stage, doest note with critique pen
The sharpe dislikes of each condition:
And, as one careless of suspition,
Ne fawnest for the fauour of the great;
Ne fearest foolish reprehension
Of faulty men, which daunger to thee threat.
But freely doest, of what thee list, entreat,
Like a great Lord of peerelesse liberty;
Lifting the Good vp to high Honours seat,
And the Euill damning euermore to dy.
For Life, and Death, is in thy doomefull writing:
So thy renowme liues euer by endighting.
Dublin this xviij of Iuly, 1586,
Your devoted frend, during life,
Edmund Spencer.