What
prophecy
was made of the Knight?
Spenser - Faerie Queene - 1
6.
Note the skill
with which Spenser arouses interest before telling of the interview with
Despair. 7. What was the fate of Sir Terwin? Its moral significance? 8.
Describe the Cave of Despair, and show what effects are aimed at by the
poet. 9. Compare with Despair Bunyan's Giant Despair and the Man in the
Iron Cage. 10. Trace the sophistries by which Despair works in the mind of
the Knight, e. g. the arguments from necessity (fatalism), humanity,
cowardice, discouragement and disgust on account of his past failures,
dread of the future, of God's justice, and the relief of death. 11. Does
Despair show knowledge of the Knight's past? 12. With what powerful truths
does Una meet the arguments of Despair? 13. Where do you find reference to
mediaeval art?
14. Find examples of _Euphuism_, _metaphors_, _similes_, _Latinisms_, and
_alliteration_. 15. Explain the verb forms in ll. 154, 321, 336.
CANTO X
I. _The Plot:_ The Redcross Knight is conducted by Una to the House of
Holiness, where they are welcomed by Dame Coelia and graciously
entertained. The Knight is instructed by Fidelia, Speranza, and Charissa,
the three daughters of Coelia, in his relations to God and his fellow-men.
He is healed in body, and undergoes discipline for his sins. Mercy conducts
him through the Hospital of Good Works, where he sees her seven Beadsmen.
He then with Una climbs the Hill of Contemplation and hears from a holy man
the story of his past with a prophecy of his future, and obtains a view of
the City of Heaven.
This must be pronounced the most beautiful canto of the first book.
II. _The Allegory:_ 1. The Soul is brought by the Truth to a knowledge of
the Heavenly Life (Coelia), and is led, through repentance, to seek
forgiveness and to desire a holier life. Having learned Faith and Hope, it
acquires a zeal for Good Works (Charity), and is strengthened by exercising
Patience and Repentance. At last it enjoys a mood of happy Contemplation of
the past with bright prospects for the future. The whole canto sets forth
the beauty in a life of faith combined with good deeds.
2. The religious allegory presents the doctrine, discipline, and spirit of
Protestantism in the sixteenth century. A close parallel may be drawn
between this canto and many things in Bunyan's _Pilgrim's Progress_. For
his House of Holiness and its management, Spenser has no doubt taken many
suggestions from the great manor house of some Elizabethan gentleman.
19. AN AUNTIENT HOUSE, the House of Holiness.
28. DAME COELIA, i. e. the Heavenly Lady.
33. FIDELIA AND SPERANZA, Faith and Hope.
35. FAIRE CHARISSA, Charity, or Love. _Cf. I Corinthians_, xiii, 13.
44. HIGHT HUMILTA, named Humility.
59. AND KNEW HIS GOOD, etc. , and knew how to conduct himself to all of
every rank.
77. EVER-DYING DREAD, constant dread of death.
78. LONG A DAY, many a long day.
79. THY WEARY SOLES TO LEAD, to guide thy weary feet (to rescue them).
xiii. The description of Fidelia is full of biblical allusions, _viz. _; her
white robe (_Revelation_, vii, 9); the sacramental cup filled with wine and
water according to the custom of the early Christians (_John_, xix, 34);
the serpent symbolical of healing power (_Numbers_, xxi, and _Mark_, xiv,
24); the book sealed with the blood of the Lamb (_Revelation_, v, 1, and
_II Corinthians_, v, 7).
144. ENCREASE is in the optative subj. with _God_ as subject.
172. AND WHEN SHE LIST, etc. , and when it pleased her to manifest her
higher spiritual power. These miracles of Faith are based on the following
passages: _Joshua_, x, 12; _II Kings_, xx, 10; _Judges_, vii, 7; _Exodus_,
xiv, 21; _Joshua_, iii, 17; _Matthew_, xxi, 21.
176. This line is given in the folio edition of 1609, but is wanting in the
edition of 1590 and 1596.
209. HARDLY HIM INTREAT, scarcely prevail on him.
213. The absolutions granted by the clergy.
215. THE PASSION OF HIS PLIGHT, his suffering condition.
xxx. Percival points out the resemblance between Spenser's Charity and
Andrea del Sarto's famous painting _La Charite_ in the Louvre.
277. WHOSE PASSING PRICE, etc. , whose surpassing value it was difficult to
calculate.
292. WELL TO DONNE, well doing, right doing.
318. SEVEN BEAD-MEN, seven men of prayer, corresponding to the Seven Deadly
Sins of the House of Pride. They represent good works: (1) entertainment of
strangers; (2) food to the needy; (3) clothing to the naked; (4) relief to
prisoners; (5) comfort to the sick; (6) burial of the dead, and (7) care of
widows and orphans.
354. PRICE OF BRAS, ransom in money. _Bras_ is a Latinism from _aes_.
355. FROM TURKES AND SARAZINS. In the sixteenth century thousands of
Christians were held captive in Turkish and Saracen prisons, and many of
these were ransomed by the charitable of Europe. Prescott tells us that
Charles V found 10,000 Christians in Tunis at its capture in 1535.
359. HE THAT HARROWD HELL. The Harrowing of Hell was the mediaeval belief in
the descent of Christ to hell to redeem the souls of Old Testament saints,
and to despoil the powers of darkness. It is the subject of an old miracle
play.
374. The reference is to the resurrection from the dead.
378. I DEAD BE NOT DEFOULD, that I (when) dead be not defiled. This prayer
was answered, for the poet received honorable burial in Westminster Abbey.
381. AND WIDOWES AYD, i. e. had charge (to) aid widows, etc.
382. IN FACE OF JUDGEMENT, before the judgment-seat.
422-423. HIS . . . HER, Redcross Knight. . . mercy.
430. FOR NOUGHT HE CAR'D, for he cared nought that his body had been long
unfed.
470. THAT SAME MIGHTY MAN OF GOD, Moses. See _Exodus_, xiv, 16, xxiv, and
xxxiv.
471. THAT BLOOD-RED BILLOWES, of the Red Sea.
478. THAT SACRED HILL, the mount of Olives.
483. THAT PLEASAUNT MOUNT, mount Parnassus, the seat of the nine Muses (l.
485), the patronesses of the arts and of learning. Sacred and profane
literature are beautifully blended in the thoughts of the contemplative
man.
489. A GOODLY CITIE, the Celestial City, Heaven. The description is
suggested by that in _Revelation_, xxi, 10 _seq. _
515. THAT GREAT CLEOPOLIS, London, "the city of glory. "
519. PANTHEA, probably Westminster Abbey, in which Elizabeth's ancestors
were buried.
524. FOR EARTHLY FRAME, for an earthly structure.
549. SAINT GEORGE OF MERY ENGLAND. St. George became the patron Saint of
England in 1344, when Edward III consecrated to him the Order of the
Garter. Church and Percival say that _merry_ means _pleasant_ and referred
originally to the country, not the people. Cf. Mereweather.
lxii. Observe that lines 1, 2, 5, 6 are spoken by the Knight, the rest by
Contemplation.
565. BEQUEATHED CARE, the charge intrusted to thee (by Una).
579. AND MANY BLOODY BATTAILES, etc. , and fought many bloody pitched
battles.
585. CHAUNGELINGS. The belief in the power of fairies to substitute their
elf-children for human babies is frequently referred to in writers of
Spenser's time. In the _Seven Champions_ the witch Kalyb steals away St.
George, the son of Lord Albert of Coventry, soon after his birth.
591. GEORGOS, from the Greek [Greek: georgos], an earth tiller, farmer.
Spenser borrows the story in this stanza from that of Tages, son of Earth,
who was similarly found and brought up. Ovid's _Metamorphoses_, xv, 553.
QUESTIONS AND TOPICS
(Canto X)
1. Observe that stanza i contains the moral of Canto IX. 2. What was Una's
purpose in bringing the Knight to the House of Holiness? 3. Why should
Faith and Hope be represented as betrothed virgins, and Charity a matron?
4. Who were Zeal, Reverence, Obedience, Patience, and Mercy, with the
symbolism of each? 5. Who was the door-keeper? Explain the allegory. 6.
Find and explain the biblical allusions in this Canto, which shows the
influence of the Bible to a remarkable extent. 7. In what was the Knight
instructed by Faith (xix _seq_. )? 8. Compare the mood of the Knight in xxi
with that in Canto IX, li. 9. How did the two situations affect Una? 10.
Note the teachings in xxiii (prayer), xxiv (absolution), and xxv
(mortification of the flesh). 11. Observe that Faith teaches the Knight his
relations to God; Charity, those to his fellow-men. 12. Explain the lyric
note in l. 378. 13. Give an account of the knight's visit to the Hill of
Contemplation. Explain the allegory. 14. Find a stanza complimentary to
Queen Elizabeth. 16.
What prophecy was made of the Knight?
CANTO XI
I. _The Plot_: The Redcross Knight reaches the Brazen Tower in which Una's
parents, the King and Queen of Eden, are besieged by the Dragon. The
monster is described. The first day's fight is described, in which the
Knight is borne through the air in the Dragon's claws, wounds him under the
wing with his lance, but is scorched by the flames from the monster's
mouth. The Knight is healed by a bath in the Well of Life. On the second
day the Knight gives the Dragon several sword-wounds, but is stung by the
monster's tail and forced to retreat by the flames. That night he is
refreshed and healed by the balm from the Tree of Life. On the third day he
slays the Dragon by a thrust into his vitals.
II. _The Allegory_: 1. Mankind has been deprived of Eden by Sin or Satan
(Dragon). The Christian overcomes the devil by means of the whole armor of
God (shield of faith, helmet of salvation, sword of the Spirit, etc. ). The
soul is strengthened by the ordinances of religion: baptism, regeneration,
etc.
2. There is a hint of the long and desperate struggle between Reformed
England (St. George) and the Church of Rome, in which the power of the Pope
and the King of Spain was broken in England, the Netherlands, and other
parts of Europe. Some may see a remoter allusion to the delivery of Ireland
from the same tyranny.
13. BE AT YOUR KEEPING WELL, be well on your guard.
iii. This stanza is not found in the edition of 1590.
30. AND SEEMD UNEATH, etc. , and seemed to shake the steadfast ground (so
that it became) unstable. Church and Nares take _uneath_ to mean "beneath"
or "underneath"; Kitchin conjectures "almost. "
31. THAT DREADFUL DRAGON, symbolical of Satan. Spenser here imitates the
combat between St. George and the Dragon in the _Seven Champions of
Christendom_, i.
32. This description of the dragon watching the tower from the sunny
hillside is justly admired for its picturesqueness, power, and
suggestiveness. The language is extremely simple, but the effect is
awe-inspiring. It has been compared with Turner's great painting of the
Dragon of the Hesperides.
42. O THOU SACRED MUSE, Clio, the Muse of History, whom Spenser calls the
daughter of Phoebus (Apollo) and Mnemosyne (Memory).
56. TILL I OF WARRES, etc. Spenser is here supposed to refer to his plan to
continue the _Faerie Queene_ and treat of the wars of the English with
Philip II ("Paynim King") and the Spanish ("Sarazin").
61. LET DOWNE THAT HAUGHTIE STRING, etc. , cease that high-pitched strain
and sing a second (or tenor) to my (lower) tune.
120. AS TWO BROAD BEACONS. Kitchin thinks this passage is a reminiscence of
the beacon-fires of July 29, 1588, which signaled the arrival of the Armada
off the Cornish coast.
158. HER FLITTING PARTS, her shifting parts; referring to the instability
of the air.
161. LOW STOUPING, swooping low (to the ground); a term in falconry.
167. HAGARD HAUKE, a wild, untamed falcon.
168. ABOVE HIS HABLE MIGHT, beyond the strength of which he is capable.
172. HE SO DISSEIZED, etc. , i. e. the dragon being thus dispossessed of his
rough grip. The construction is nominative absolute.
185. AND GREEDY GULFE DOES GAPE, etc. , i. e. the greedy waters gape as if
they would devour the land.
187. THE BLUSTRING BRETHREN, the winds.
228. HIS WIDE DEVOURING OVEN, the furnace of his maw, or belly.
235. THAT GREAT CHAMPION, Hercules. The charmed garment steeped in the
blood of the Centaur Nessus, whom Hercules had slain, was given him by his
wife Dejanira in order to win back his love. Instead of acting as a
philter, the poison-robe burned the flesh from his body. Ovid's
_Metamorphoses_, ix, 105.
xxviii. Observe the correspondence between the adjectives in l. 244 and the
nouns in l. 245. The sense is: "He was so faint," etc.
261. THE WELL OF LIFE. This incident is borrowed from _Bevis of Hampton_.
The allegory is based on _John_, iv, 14, and _Revelation_, xxii, 1.
267. SILO, the healing Pool of Siloam, _John_, ix, 7. Jordan, by bathing in
which Naaman was healed of leprosy, _II Kings_, v, 10.
268. BATH, in Somersetshire, a town famous from the earliest times for its
medicinal baths. SPAU, a town in Belgium noted for its healthful waters,
now a generic name for German watering-places.
269. CEPHISE, the river Cephissus in Boeotia whose waters possessed the
power of bleaching the fleece of sheep. Cf. _Isaiah_, i, 18. HEBRUS, a
river in Thrace, here mentioned because it awaked to music the head and
lyre of the dead Orpheus, as he floated down its stream. Ovid's
_Metamorphoses_, xi, 50.
295. TO MOVE, moving. This is a French idiom.
300. AS EAGLE FRESH OUT OF THE OCEAN WAVE, etc. There was an ancient
belief, that once in ten years the eagle would soar into the empyrean, and
plunging thence into the sea, would molt his plumage and renew his youth
with a fresh supply of feathers.
312. HIS BRIGHT DEAW-BURNING BLADE, his bright blade flashing with the
"holy water dew" in which it had been hardened (l. 317).
322. NE MOLTEN METTALL IN HIS BLOOD EMBREW, i. e. nor sword bathe itself in
his (the dragon's) blood.
335. WITH SHARPE INTENDED STING, with sharp, outstretched sting.
366. THE GRIPED GAGE, the pledge (shield) seized (by the dragon).
386. MISSED NOT HIS MINISHT MIGHT, felt not the loss of its diminished
strength; i. e. though cut off, the paw still held to the shield.
xliv. In comparing the fire-spewing dragon to a volcano, Spenser follows
Vergil's _AEneid_, iii, 571, and Tasso's _Jerusalem Delivered_, iv, 8.
406. A GOODLY TREE. Cf. _Genesis_, ii, 9, and _Revelation_, xxii, 2.
409. OVER ALL WERE RED, everywhere were spoken of.
414. Cf. _Genesis_, iii, 2. Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden lest
they should eat and live forever.
434. DEADLY MADE, a creature of death, i. e. hell-born.
469. An imitation of an incident in the _Seven Champions_ in which a winged
serpent attempts to swallow St. George; i, 1.
477. AND BACK RETYRD, and as it was withdrawn. A Gallicism.
490. WHICH SHE MISDEEM'D, in which she was mistaken. Una feared that the
dragon was not dead.
QUESTIONS AND TOPICS
(Canto XI)
1. Describe the three days' fight between the Knight and the Dragon. 2.
What advantages does each gain? 3. Study the Dragon as a type of the
conventional monster of romance, contrasting his brutal nature with the
intellectuality and strategy of the Knight. 4. Study the battle as an
allegory of the victory of mind over matter, of virtue over vice, of
Protestantism over Romanism. 5. By what devices does Spenser obtain the
effects of _terror_? Mystery and terror are prime elements in romance. 6.
Find examples of another romantic characteristic, _exaggeration_. 7. Do you
think that in his use of hyperbole and impossibilities Spenser shows that
he was deficient in a sense of humor? 8. Observe the lyric note in iii and
liv. 9. How does the poet impress the reader with the size of the Dragon?
10. Which Muse does he invoke? 11. Spenser's poetry is richly _sensuous_:
find passages in which he appeals to the sense of _sight_ (iv, viii, xiv),
of _sound_ (iv, ix), of _touch_ (x, xi, vii), of _smell_ (xiii), of _taste_
(xiii), of _pain_ (xxxvii, xxvi, xxii), of _motion_ (x, xv, xviii). 12.
Where do you find an allegory of baptism? Of regeneration? Of the
resurrection of Christ (the three days)? 13. Analyze the descriptions of
the coming of darkness and of dawn.
CANTO XII
I. _The Plot_: The death of the dragon is announced by the watchman on the
tower of the city, and Una's parents, the King and Queen, accompanied by a
great throng, come forth rejoicing at their deliverance. The Knight and Una
are conducted with great honors into the palace. On the eve of their
betrothal, Archimago suddenly appears as Duessa's messenger and claims the
Knight. Their wicked attempt is frustrated, and the pair are happily
betrothed. After a long time spent in Una's society, the Knight sets out to
engage in the further service of the Faerie Queene.
II. _The Allegory_: Holiness, by conquering the devil, frees the whole
human race from the tyranny of sin. It is embarrassed by the unexpected
appearance of the consequences of its past sins, but makes a manly
confession. In spite of hypocritical intrigues (Archimago) and false
slanders (Duessa), Holiness is united to Truth, thus forming a perfect
character. The champion of the church militant responds cheerfully to the
calls of duty and honor.
2. Reformed England, having destroyed the brutal power of Rome, is firmly
united to the truth in spite of the intrigues of the Pope to win it back to
allegiance. It then goes forth against the King of Spain in obedience to
the command of Queen Elizabeth.
3. VERE THE MAINE SHETE, shift the mainsail, BEARE UP WITH THE LAND, direct
the ship toward land.
25. OUT OF HOND, at once.
43. OF TALL YOUNG MEN. An allusion to Queen Elizabeth's Pensioners, a band
of the tallest and handsomest young men, of the best families and fortunes,
that could be found (Warton). ALL HABLE ARMES TO SOWND, all proper to wield
armes.
57. TO THE MAYDENS, to the accompaniment of the maidens' timbrels.
71. IN HER SELF-RESEMBLANCE WELL BESEENE, looking well in her resemblance
to her proper self, i. e. a king's daughter.
73. THE RASKALL MANY, the crowd of common people.
116.
with which Spenser arouses interest before telling of the interview with
Despair. 7. What was the fate of Sir Terwin? Its moral significance? 8.
Describe the Cave of Despair, and show what effects are aimed at by the
poet. 9. Compare with Despair Bunyan's Giant Despair and the Man in the
Iron Cage. 10. Trace the sophistries by which Despair works in the mind of
the Knight, e. g. the arguments from necessity (fatalism), humanity,
cowardice, discouragement and disgust on account of his past failures,
dread of the future, of God's justice, and the relief of death. 11. Does
Despair show knowledge of the Knight's past? 12. With what powerful truths
does Una meet the arguments of Despair? 13. Where do you find reference to
mediaeval art?
14. Find examples of _Euphuism_, _metaphors_, _similes_, _Latinisms_, and
_alliteration_. 15. Explain the verb forms in ll. 154, 321, 336.
CANTO X
I. _The Plot:_ The Redcross Knight is conducted by Una to the House of
Holiness, where they are welcomed by Dame Coelia and graciously
entertained. The Knight is instructed by Fidelia, Speranza, and Charissa,
the three daughters of Coelia, in his relations to God and his fellow-men.
He is healed in body, and undergoes discipline for his sins. Mercy conducts
him through the Hospital of Good Works, where he sees her seven Beadsmen.
He then with Una climbs the Hill of Contemplation and hears from a holy man
the story of his past with a prophecy of his future, and obtains a view of
the City of Heaven.
This must be pronounced the most beautiful canto of the first book.
II. _The Allegory:_ 1. The Soul is brought by the Truth to a knowledge of
the Heavenly Life (Coelia), and is led, through repentance, to seek
forgiveness and to desire a holier life. Having learned Faith and Hope, it
acquires a zeal for Good Works (Charity), and is strengthened by exercising
Patience and Repentance. At last it enjoys a mood of happy Contemplation of
the past with bright prospects for the future. The whole canto sets forth
the beauty in a life of faith combined with good deeds.
2. The religious allegory presents the doctrine, discipline, and spirit of
Protestantism in the sixteenth century. A close parallel may be drawn
between this canto and many things in Bunyan's _Pilgrim's Progress_. For
his House of Holiness and its management, Spenser has no doubt taken many
suggestions from the great manor house of some Elizabethan gentleman.
19. AN AUNTIENT HOUSE, the House of Holiness.
28. DAME COELIA, i. e. the Heavenly Lady.
33. FIDELIA AND SPERANZA, Faith and Hope.
35. FAIRE CHARISSA, Charity, or Love. _Cf. I Corinthians_, xiii, 13.
44. HIGHT HUMILTA, named Humility.
59. AND KNEW HIS GOOD, etc. , and knew how to conduct himself to all of
every rank.
77. EVER-DYING DREAD, constant dread of death.
78. LONG A DAY, many a long day.
79. THY WEARY SOLES TO LEAD, to guide thy weary feet (to rescue them).
xiii. The description of Fidelia is full of biblical allusions, _viz. _; her
white robe (_Revelation_, vii, 9); the sacramental cup filled with wine and
water according to the custom of the early Christians (_John_, xix, 34);
the serpent symbolical of healing power (_Numbers_, xxi, and _Mark_, xiv,
24); the book sealed with the blood of the Lamb (_Revelation_, v, 1, and
_II Corinthians_, v, 7).
144. ENCREASE is in the optative subj. with _God_ as subject.
172. AND WHEN SHE LIST, etc. , and when it pleased her to manifest her
higher spiritual power. These miracles of Faith are based on the following
passages: _Joshua_, x, 12; _II Kings_, xx, 10; _Judges_, vii, 7; _Exodus_,
xiv, 21; _Joshua_, iii, 17; _Matthew_, xxi, 21.
176. This line is given in the folio edition of 1609, but is wanting in the
edition of 1590 and 1596.
209. HARDLY HIM INTREAT, scarcely prevail on him.
213. The absolutions granted by the clergy.
215. THE PASSION OF HIS PLIGHT, his suffering condition.
xxx. Percival points out the resemblance between Spenser's Charity and
Andrea del Sarto's famous painting _La Charite_ in the Louvre.
277. WHOSE PASSING PRICE, etc. , whose surpassing value it was difficult to
calculate.
292. WELL TO DONNE, well doing, right doing.
318. SEVEN BEAD-MEN, seven men of prayer, corresponding to the Seven Deadly
Sins of the House of Pride. They represent good works: (1) entertainment of
strangers; (2) food to the needy; (3) clothing to the naked; (4) relief to
prisoners; (5) comfort to the sick; (6) burial of the dead, and (7) care of
widows and orphans.
354. PRICE OF BRAS, ransom in money. _Bras_ is a Latinism from _aes_.
355. FROM TURKES AND SARAZINS. In the sixteenth century thousands of
Christians were held captive in Turkish and Saracen prisons, and many of
these were ransomed by the charitable of Europe. Prescott tells us that
Charles V found 10,000 Christians in Tunis at its capture in 1535.
359. HE THAT HARROWD HELL. The Harrowing of Hell was the mediaeval belief in
the descent of Christ to hell to redeem the souls of Old Testament saints,
and to despoil the powers of darkness. It is the subject of an old miracle
play.
374. The reference is to the resurrection from the dead.
378. I DEAD BE NOT DEFOULD, that I (when) dead be not defiled. This prayer
was answered, for the poet received honorable burial in Westminster Abbey.
381. AND WIDOWES AYD, i. e. had charge (to) aid widows, etc.
382. IN FACE OF JUDGEMENT, before the judgment-seat.
422-423. HIS . . . HER, Redcross Knight. . . mercy.
430. FOR NOUGHT HE CAR'D, for he cared nought that his body had been long
unfed.
470. THAT SAME MIGHTY MAN OF GOD, Moses. See _Exodus_, xiv, 16, xxiv, and
xxxiv.
471. THAT BLOOD-RED BILLOWES, of the Red Sea.
478. THAT SACRED HILL, the mount of Olives.
483. THAT PLEASAUNT MOUNT, mount Parnassus, the seat of the nine Muses (l.
485), the patronesses of the arts and of learning. Sacred and profane
literature are beautifully blended in the thoughts of the contemplative
man.
489. A GOODLY CITIE, the Celestial City, Heaven. The description is
suggested by that in _Revelation_, xxi, 10 _seq. _
515. THAT GREAT CLEOPOLIS, London, "the city of glory. "
519. PANTHEA, probably Westminster Abbey, in which Elizabeth's ancestors
were buried.
524. FOR EARTHLY FRAME, for an earthly structure.
549. SAINT GEORGE OF MERY ENGLAND. St. George became the patron Saint of
England in 1344, when Edward III consecrated to him the Order of the
Garter. Church and Percival say that _merry_ means _pleasant_ and referred
originally to the country, not the people. Cf. Mereweather.
lxii. Observe that lines 1, 2, 5, 6 are spoken by the Knight, the rest by
Contemplation.
565. BEQUEATHED CARE, the charge intrusted to thee (by Una).
579. AND MANY BLOODY BATTAILES, etc. , and fought many bloody pitched
battles.
585. CHAUNGELINGS. The belief in the power of fairies to substitute their
elf-children for human babies is frequently referred to in writers of
Spenser's time. In the _Seven Champions_ the witch Kalyb steals away St.
George, the son of Lord Albert of Coventry, soon after his birth.
591. GEORGOS, from the Greek [Greek: georgos], an earth tiller, farmer.
Spenser borrows the story in this stanza from that of Tages, son of Earth,
who was similarly found and brought up. Ovid's _Metamorphoses_, xv, 553.
QUESTIONS AND TOPICS
(Canto X)
1. Observe that stanza i contains the moral of Canto IX. 2. What was Una's
purpose in bringing the Knight to the House of Holiness? 3. Why should
Faith and Hope be represented as betrothed virgins, and Charity a matron?
4. Who were Zeal, Reverence, Obedience, Patience, and Mercy, with the
symbolism of each? 5. Who was the door-keeper? Explain the allegory. 6.
Find and explain the biblical allusions in this Canto, which shows the
influence of the Bible to a remarkable extent. 7. In what was the Knight
instructed by Faith (xix _seq_. )? 8. Compare the mood of the Knight in xxi
with that in Canto IX, li. 9. How did the two situations affect Una? 10.
Note the teachings in xxiii (prayer), xxiv (absolution), and xxv
(mortification of the flesh). 11. Observe that Faith teaches the Knight his
relations to God; Charity, those to his fellow-men. 12. Explain the lyric
note in l. 378. 13. Give an account of the knight's visit to the Hill of
Contemplation. Explain the allegory. 14. Find a stanza complimentary to
Queen Elizabeth. 16.
What prophecy was made of the Knight?
CANTO XI
I. _The Plot_: The Redcross Knight reaches the Brazen Tower in which Una's
parents, the King and Queen of Eden, are besieged by the Dragon. The
monster is described. The first day's fight is described, in which the
Knight is borne through the air in the Dragon's claws, wounds him under the
wing with his lance, but is scorched by the flames from the monster's
mouth. The Knight is healed by a bath in the Well of Life. On the second
day the Knight gives the Dragon several sword-wounds, but is stung by the
monster's tail and forced to retreat by the flames. That night he is
refreshed and healed by the balm from the Tree of Life. On the third day he
slays the Dragon by a thrust into his vitals.
II. _The Allegory_: 1. Mankind has been deprived of Eden by Sin or Satan
(Dragon). The Christian overcomes the devil by means of the whole armor of
God (shield of faith, helmet of salvation, sword of the Spirit, etc. ). The
soul is strengthened by the ordinances of religion: baptism, regeneration,
etc.
2. There is a hint of the long and desperate struggle between Reformed
England (St. George) and the Church of Rome, in which the power of the Pope
and the King of Spain was broken in England, the Netherlands, and other
parts of Europe. Some may see a remoter allusion to the delivery of Ireland
from the same tyranny.
13. BE AT YOUR KEEPING WELL, be well on your guard.
iii. This stanza is not found in the edition of 1590.
30. AND SEEMD UNEATH, etc. , and seemed to shake the steadfast ground (so
that it became) unstable. Church and Nares take _uneath_ to mean "beneath"
or "underneath"; Kitchin conjectures "almost. "
31. THAT DREADFUL DRAGON, symbolical of Satan. Spenser here imitates the
combat between St. George and the Dragon in the _Seven Champions of
Christendom_, i.
32. This description of the dragon watching the tower from the sunny
hillside is justly admired for its picturesqueness, power, and
suggestiveness. The language is extremely simple, but the effect is
awe-inspiring. It has been compared with Turner's great painting of the
Dragon of the Hesperides.
42. O THOU SACRED MUSE, Clio, the Muse of History, whom Spenser calls the
daughter of Phoebus (Apollo) and Mnemosyne (Memory).
56. TILL I OF WARRES, etc. Spenser is here supposed to refer to his plan to
continue the _Faerie Queene_ and treat of the wars of the English with
Philip II ("Paynim King") and the Spanish ("Sarazin").
61. LET DOWNE THAT HAUGHTIE STRING, etc. , cease that high-pitched strain
and sing a second (or tenor) to my (lower) tune.
120. AS TWO BROAD BEACONS. Kitchin thinks this passage is a reminiscence of
the beacon-fires of July 29, 1588, which signaled the arrival of the Armada
off the Cornish coast.
158. HER FLITTING PARTS, her shifting parts; referring to the instability
of the air.
161. LOW STOUPING, swooping low (to the ground); a term in falconry.
167. HAGARD HAUKE, a wild, untamed falcon.
168. ABOVE HIS HABLE MIGHT, beyond the strength of which he is capable.
172. HE SO DISSEIZED, etc. , i. e. the dragon being thus dispossessed of his
rough grip. The construction is nominative absolute.
185. AND GREEDY GULFE DOES GAPE, etc. , i. e. the greedy waters gape as if
they would devour the land.
187. THE BLUSTRING BRETHREN, the winds.
228. HIS WIDE DEVOURING OVEN, the furnace of his maw, or belly.
235. THAT GREAT CHAMPION, Hercules. The charmed garment steeped in the
blood of the Centaur Nessus, whom Hercules had slain, was given him by his
wife Dejanira in order to win back his love. Instead of acting as a
philter, the poison-robe burned the flesh from his body. Ovid's
_Metamorphoses_, ix, 105.
xxviii. Observe the correspondence between the adjectives in l. 244 and the
nouns in l. 245. The sense is: "He was so faint," etc.
261. THE WELL OF LIFE. This incident is borrowed from _Bevis of Hampton_.
The allegory is based on _John_, iv, 14, and _Revelation_, xxii, 1.
267. SILO, the healing Pool of Siloam, _John_, ix, 7. Jordan, by bathing in
which Naaman was healed of leprosy, _II Kings_, v, 10.
268. BATH, in Somersetshire, a town famous from the earliest times for its
medicinal baths. SPAU, a town in Belgium noted for its healthful waters,
now a generic name for German watering-places.
269. CEPHISE, the river Cephissus in Boeotia whose waters possessed the
power of bleaching the fleece of sheep. Cf. _Isaiah_, i, 18. HEBRUS, a
river in Thrace, here mentioned because it awaked to music the head and
lyre of the dead Orpheus, as he floated down its stream. Ovid's
_Metamorphoses_, xi, 50.
295. TO MOVE, moving. This is a French idiom.
300. AS EAGLE FRESH OUT OF THE OCEAN WAVE, etc. There was an ancient
belief, that once in ten years the eagle would soar into the empyrean, and
plunging thence into the sea, would molt his plumage and renew his youth
with a fresh supply of feathers.
312. HIS BRIGHT DEAW-BURNING BLADE, his bright blade flashing with the
"holy water dew" in which it had been hardened (l. 317).
322. NE MOLTEN METTALL IN HIS BLOOD EMBREW, i. e. nor sword bathe itself in
his (the dragon's) blood.
335. WITH SHARPE INTENDED STING, with sharp, outstretched sting.
366. THE GRIPED GAGE, the pledge (shield) seized (by the dragon).
386. MISSED NOT HIS MINISHT MIGHT, felt not the loss of its diminished
strength; i. e. though cut off, the paw still held to the shield.
xliv. In comparing the fire-spewing dragon to a volcano, Spenser follows
Vergil's _AEneid_, iii, 571, and Tasso's _Jerusalem Delivered_, iv, 8.
406. A GOODLY TREE. Cf. _Genesis_, ii, 9, and _Revelation_, xxii, 2.
409. OVER ALL WERE RED, everywhere were spoken of.
414. Cf. _Genesis_, iii, 2. Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden lest
they should eat and live forever.
434. DEADLY MADE, a creature of death, i. e. hell-born.
469. An imitation of an incident in the _Seven Champions_ in which a winged
serpent attempts to swallow St. George; i, 1.
477. AND BACK RETYRD, and as it was withdrawn. A Gallicism.
490. WHICH SHE MISDEEM'D, in which she was mistaken. Una feared that the
dragon was not dead.
QUESTIONS AND TOPICS
(Canto XI)
1. Describe the three days' fight between the Knight and the Dragon. 2.
What advantages does each gain? 3. Study the Dragon as a type of the
conventional monster of romance, contrasting his brutal nature with the
intellectuality and strategy of the Knight. 4. Study the battle as an
allegory of the victory of mind over matter, of virtue over vice, of
Protestantism over Romanism. 5. By what devices does Spenser obtain the
effects of _terror_? Mystery and terror are prime elements in romance. 6.
Find examples of another romantic characteristic, _exaggeration_. 7. Do you
think that in his use of hyperbole and impossibilities Spenser shows that
he was deficient in a sense of humor? 8. Observe the lyric note in iii and
liv. 9. How does the poet impress the reader with the size of the Dragon?
10. Which Muse does he invoke? 11. Spenser's poetry is richly _sensuous_:
find passages in which he appeals to the sense of _sight_ (iv, viii, xiv),
of _sound_ (iv, ix), of _touch_ (x, xi, vii), of _smell_ (xiii), of _taste_
(xiii), of _pain_ (xxxvii, xxvi, xxii), of _motion_ (x, xv, xviii). 12.
Where do you find an allegory of baptism? Of regeneration? Of the
resurrection of Christ (the three days)? 13. Analyze the descriptions of
the coming of darkness and of dawn.
CANTO XII
I. _The Plot_: The death of the dragon is announced by the watchman on the
tower of the city, and Una's parents, the King and Queen, accompanied by a
great throng, come forth rejoicing at their deliverance. The Knight and Una
are conducted with great honors into the palace. On the eve of their
betrothal, Archimago suddenly appears as Duessa's messenger and claims the
Knight. Their wicked attempt is frustrated, and the pair are happily
betrothed. After a long time spent in Una's society, the Knight sets out to
engage in the further service of the Faerie Queene.
II. _The Allegory_: Holiness, by conquering the devil, frees the whole
human race from the tyranny of sin. It is embarrassed by the unexpected
appearance of the consequences of its past sins, but makes a manly
confession. In spite of hypocritical intrigues (Archimago) and false
slanders (Duessa), Holiness is united to Truth, thus forming a perfect
character. The champion of the church militant responds cheerfully to the
calls of duty and honor.
2. Reformed England, having destroyed the brutal power of Rome, is firmly
united to the truth in spite of the intrigues of the Pope to win it back to
allegiance. It then goes forth against the King of Spain in obedience to
the command of Queen Elizabeth.
3. VERE THE MAINE SHETE, shift the mainsail, BEARE UP WITH THE LAND, direct
the ship toward land.
25. OUT OF HOND, at once.
43. OF TALL YOUNG MEN. An allusion to Queen Elizabeth's Pensioners, a band
of the tallest and handsomest young men, of the best families and fortunes,
that could be found (Warton). ALL HABLE ARMES TO SOWND, all proper to wield
armes.
57. TO THE MAYDENS, to the accompaniment of the maidens' timbrels.
71. IN HER SELF-RESEMBLANCE WELL BESEENE, looking well in her resemblance
to her proper self, i. e. a king's daughter.
73. THE RASKALL MANY, the crowd of common people.
116.
