A
DREADFULL
DRAGON, Fallen Pride.
Spenser - Faerie Queene - 1
_The Plot:_ Una wandering in quest of her Knight is guarded by a Lion.
With difficulty they gain entrance to the cottage of Corceca and her
daughter Abessa, the paramour of Kirkrapine. The latter is killed by the
Lion. Fleeing the next day, Una falls in with Archimago disguised as the
Redcross Knight. They journey on and meet a second Saracen knight, Sansloy.
In the fight which ensues Archimago is unhorsed and his deception unmasked.
The Lion is slain, and Una becomes the captive of Sansloy.
II. _The Allegory:_ 1. Truth finds temporary protection in Reason, or
Natural Honor (Lion), and with its help puts a stop to the Robbing of
Churches (Kirkrapine), which is connived at by Blind Devotion (Corceca) and
Secret Sin (Abessa). Truth is then associated with Hypocrisy under the
guise of Holiness, but it is soon unmasked by Lawlessness (Sansloy), with
which Truth is forced into an unnatural alliance.
2. "The lion is said to represent Henry VIII, overthrowing the monasteries,
destroying church-robbers, disturbing the dark haunts of idleness,
ignorance and superstition. "--Kitchin. The battle between Archimago and
Sansloy refers to the contests of the Catholic powers with the Moslems. The
whole canto also has a hint of the violence and lawlessness connected with
the English conquest of Ireland.
LINE 14. THOUGH TRUE AS TOUCH, though true as if tested on the touchstone
(by which true gold was distinguished from counterfeit).
18. AND HER DUE LOVES, etc. , the love due to her diverted, etc.
27. YET WISHED TYDINGS, etc. , yet none brought unto her the wished-for
tidings of him. An awkward transposition.
34. THE GREAT EYE OF HEAVEN, the sun. Cf. _Paradise Lost_, v. 171.
38. A RAMPING LYON. Reason or Natural Honor; also Henry VIII. According to
the ancient belief, no lion would attack a true virgin or one of royal
blood. Similar scenes are found in _Sir Bevis of Hampton_, _The Seven
Champions of Christendom_, etc. Cf. I _Henry_ IV, ii, 4. The allegory
signifies that man guided merely by reason will recognize Truth and pay it
homage.
51. WHOSE YEELDED PRIDE, etc. , object of _had marked_, l. 52.
77. HE KEPT BOTH WATCH AND WARD, he kept awake and guarded her.
89. A DAMZELL SPYDE, Abessa, who symbolizes Flagrant or Secret Sin.
99. HER CAST IN DEADLY HEW, threw her into a deathly paleness.
101. UPON THE WAGER LAY, was at stake.
102. WHEREAS HER MOTHER BLYND, where her blind mother, Corceca, or Blind
Devotion.
109. UNRULY PAGE. This refers to the violence with which Henry VIII forced
Protestantism upon the people. In his _Present State of Ireland_ (p. 645),
Spenser speaks of the ignorance and blind devotion of the Irish Papists in
the benighted country places.
116. PATER NOSTERS, the Lord's Prayer; AVES, prayers to the Virgin.
136. ALDEBORAN, the Bull's Eye, a double star of the first magnitude in the
constellation Taurus.
137. CASSIOPEIAS CHAIRE, a circumpolar constellation having a fancied
resemblance to a chair.
139. ONE KNOCKED AT THE DORE, Kirkrapine, the plunderer of the Church.
Spenser represents in him the peculiar vices of the Irish clergy and laity.
166. STAY HIM TO ADVIZE, stop to reflect.
172. HIM BOOTETH NOT RESIST, it does him no good to resist. This whole
passage refers, perhaps, to Henry VIII's suppression of the monasteries and
convents in 1538-39.
185. THAT LONG WANDRING GREEKE. Ulysses, or Odysseus, the hero of Homer's
_Odyssey_, who wandered ten years and refused immortality from the goddess
Calypso in order that he might return to Penelope.
xxii. Note the rhymes _deare_, _heare_, and _teare_ (air). This 16th
century pronunciation still survives in South Carolina. See Ellis's _Early
English Pronunciation_, III, 868. This stanza reads like the description of
an Irish wake.
238. OR OUGHT HAVE DONE, or have done something to displease you.
239. THAT SHOULD AS DEATH, etc. , that should settle like death, etc.
248. AND CHOSE IN FAERY COURT. See Spenser's letter to Sir W. Raleigh, p.
6.
250. HER KINDLY SKILL, her natural power.
276. FIERCE ORIONS HOUND, Sirius, the Dog-star, the brightest of the fixed
stars. The constellation Orion was named from a giant hunter who was
beloved by Aurora and slain by Diana.
279. AND NEREUS CROWNES WITH CUPS, and Nereus drinks bumpers in his honor.
Nereus was a sea-god, son of Ocean and Earth.
282. FROM GROUND, from the land.
297. SANS LOY symbolizes the pagan lawlessness in Ireland. There is also a
wider reference to the struggles between the Turks and the allied Christian
powers, which had been going on since the siege of Vienna in 1529.
309. VAINLY CROSSED SHIELD, Archimago's false cross lacked the protecting
power of St. George's charmed true cross.
321. LETHE LAKE, a lake or river of Hades, whose water brought oblivion or
forgetfulness to all who drank of it.
322. Refers to the ancient custom of sacrificing an enemy on the funeral
altar to appease the shade of the dead.
323. THE BLACKE INFERNALL FURIES, the Erinyes, or goddesses of vengeance,
who dwelt in Erebus. They were robed in black, bloody garments befitting
their gloomy character.
325. In romance it was customary for the victor to unlace the helmet of the
knight whom he had unhorsed before slaying him. Friends and relatives were
sometimes discovered by this precaution.
342. NE EVER WONT IN FIELD, etc. , was never accustomed to fight in the
battle-field or in the lists of the tournament.
xliii. Contrast Sansloy's rude treatment of Una with the chivalrous respect
and courtesy always shown by a true knight to woman.
QUESTIONS AND TOPICS
(Canto III)
1. What moral reflections does the poet make in the introductory stanza?
Note the reference to the Queen. 2. What do you learn of the laws, customs,
and sentiments of chivalry in this canto? 3. Give an account of Una's
meeting with the Lion. 4. Explain the allegory of the incident of the Lion.
5. Describe the character, appearance, and actions of Corceca, and explain
the allegory. 6. Note the use of the stars to indicate time. 7. Under what
circumstances does Una meet Archimago? 8. Explain the allegory in ix. 9.
Note the Euphuistic balance in xxvii. 10. What figure do you find in xxxi?
Note the Homeric style. 11. Describe the fight between Archimago and
Sansloy, and explain the double allegory. 12. What is the moral
interpretation of xli-xlii?
13. Explain the Latinisms in ll. 37 and 377. 14. How are the adjectives
used in l. 57? 15. Note change of pronouns in vii from third person to
first. 16. Explain tense of _shold pas_ in l. 83. 17. Note confusion of
pronouns in xxii and xxxv. 18. Examine the _nominative absolute_
construction in st. xiv and xxxix. 19. Explain the ambiguous construction
in l. 165. 20. Parse _her_ in l. 262. 21. Note careless use of relative in
l. 288.
CANTO IV
I. _The Plot:_ In this and the following canto the adventures of the
Redcross Knight are continued from Canto II. Guided by Duessa, he enters
the House of Pride. There he sees Lucifera, the Queen of Pride, attended by
her sinful court. Her six Counselors are described in detail, with an
account of a pleasure trip taken by the Queen and her court. Sansjoy
unexpectedly arrives and challenges the Knight to mortal combat for the
shield of Sansfoy. That night Duessa holds a secret conference with the
Saracen knight.
II. _The Allegory:_ 1. The Christian Soldier, under the influence of false
ideals (Duessa), is exposed to the temptations of the Seven Deadly Sins,
chief among which is Pride. In the midst of these sinful pleasures, he is
assailed by Joylessness, on whose side is Falsehood secretly.
2. The religious and political allegory is here vague and somewhat
discontinuous. There is a hint, however, of the attempts of Mary Queen of
Scots to bring England back to Romanism. The pride and corruption of the
false church and its clergy are set forth. There is also a suggestion of
the perilous position of the English in Ireland.
20. OF EACH DEGREE AND PLACE, of every rank and order of society.
21. HAVING SCAPED HARD, having escaped with difficulty.
24. LAZARS. Leprosy was a common disease in England even as late as the
sixteenth century.
49. MALVENU, ill-come, as opposed to _Bienvenu_, welcome.
73. LIKE PHOEBUS FAIREST CHILDE, Phaethon, the son of Helios. He was killed
by a thunderbolt from the hand of Zeus, as a result of his reckless driving
of the chariot of the sun.
86.
A DREADFULL DRAGON, Fallen Pride.
94. This genealogy of Pride is invented by the poet in accord with the
Christian doctrine concerning this sin.
107. SIX WIZARDS OLD, the remaining six of the Seven Deadly Sins, Wrath,
Envy, Lechery, Gluttony, Avarice, and Idleness. See Chaucer's _Parson's
Tale_ for a sermon on these mortal sins, Gower's _Dance of the Seven Deadly
Sins_, and Laugland's _Piers Plowman_.
145. COCHE. Spenser imitates Ovid and Homer in this description of Juno's
chariot. The peacock was sacred to the goddess, who transferred to its tail
the hundred eyes of the monster Argus. See Ovid's _Metamorphoses_, i, 625
_seq_.
157. WITH LIKE CONDITIONS, etc. The behests were of a kind similar to the
nature of the six Sins.
174. HE CHALENGED ESSOYNE, he claimed exemption.
185. LIKE A CRANE. This refers to Aristotle's story of a man who wished
that his neck were as long as a crane's, that he might the longer enjoy the
swallowing of his food. _Nic. Ethics_, iii, 13.
205. A DRY DROPSIE, a dropsy causing thirst.
236. UPON A CAMELL, etc. The reference is to a story in Herodotus'
_History_ (iii, 102 _seq_. ), in which the Indians are described as carrying
off on camels gold dust hoarded by enormous ants.
252. UNTO HIM SELFE UNKNOWNE, i. e. being ignorant of his own wretchedness.
309. UNTHRIFTY SCATH, wicked damage, or mischief that thrives not.
313. THE SWELLING SPLENE. The spleen was the seat of anger.
314. SAINT FRAUNCES FIRE, St. Anthony's fire, or erysipelas. Diseases were
named from those who were supposed to be able to heal them.
335. WITH PLEASAUNCE, etc. Fed with enjoyment of the fields, the fresh air
of which they went to breathe.
437. AND HELPLESSE HAP, etc. It does no good to bemoan unavoidable chance.
440. PAY HIS DEWTIES LAST, pay his last duty to the shade of the slain man
by sacrificing his murderer.
443. ODDES OF ARMES, chances of mishap in arms due to some advantage of
one's antagonist.
QUESTIONS AND TOPICS
(Canto IV)
1. What are the moral reflections in stanza i? 2. What suggestion of the
condition of the English roads do you find in st. ii? 3. _But few
returned_, l. 21. What became of the rest? 4. Give a description of the
House of Pride. Note resemblance to a typical Elizabethan hall. 5. Explain
the allegory of the House, noting the association of ugliness and beauty.
6. How is expectation aroused in vi? 7. Describe the dramatic appearance
and character of Pride. Cf. description of Satan on his throne in _Paradise
Lost_, iii. 8. What do you learn in this canto of Elizabethan or chivalric
manners and customs? 9. Describe the procession at the court of Pride. 10.
What satire of the Romish priesthood in xviii-xx? 11. Note examples of
Spenser's humor in xiv and xvi. 12. Point out the classical influence
(Dionysus and Silenus) in the description of Gluttony. 13. Subject of the
interview between Duessa and Sansjoy. 14. Point out the archaisms in l. 10;
alliteration in xxxix and l; the Latinisms in xlvi and xlvii. 15. In what
case is _way_ in l. 17? 16. Explain the meaning and historical significance
of _lazar_, l. 24, and _diall_, l. 36. 17. Explain the references of the
pronouns in l. 55, and ll. 418-419. 18. Note the Euphuistic balance and
antithesis in xxix and xlv. 19. Explain the suffix in _marchen_ in l. 325.
20. Note the double negative in iv, xlix. 21. Paraphrase in your own words
ll. 239, 243, 360, 437.
CANTO V
I. _The Plot_: (a continuation of Canto IV). The Knight fights in the lists
with Sansjoy and defeats him, but is prevented by Duessa's magic from
slaying him. Duessa descends to Erebus and obtains the aid of Night, who
conveys the wounded Saracen in her chariot to AEsculapius to be healed of
his wounds. The tortures of some of the souls in Erebus are described,
particularly the cause of AEsculapius' punishment. A roll of the prisoners
whom the dwarf discovers in Pride's dungeon is given. The Knight flees with
the dwarf from her house.
II. _The Allegory_: When the Christian Soldier is attacked by Joylessness,
he has a far more desperate struggle than that with Infidelity, and comes
out wounded though victorious. Joylessness when crushed by Holiness is
restored by Pagan Philosophy. The backsliding Christian is warned in time
by Prudence of the fearful consequences of sin, and hastens to turn his
back on Pride and the other sins. The soul is led to dread Pride, not by
Truth, but by its sufferings and other inferior motives.
25. THEIR TIMELY VOYCES, their voices keeping time with their harps.
27. OLD LOVES, famous love-affairs, the subject of the Minnesangers.
29. IN WOVEN MAILE, in chain armor.
32. ARABY, probably here the Orient in general.
33. FROM FURTHEST YND, from farthest India.
39. UNTO A PALED GREENE, a green inclosure (lists for a tournament)
surrounded by a palisade.
44. HIS. An old method of forming the possessive, based on a
misapprehension of the original Anglo-Saxon suffix _-es_, which was
shortened in middle English to _-is_, and finally to _s_.
45. BOTH THOSE, etc. Both Duessa and the shield are to go to the victor.
65. A GRYFON, a fabulous animal, part lion and part eagle. _Gryfon_ is
subject of _encountereth_ with _Dragon_ as object.
89. AND SLUGGISH GERMAN, etc. , and sluggish brother dost relax thy strength
to send his (Sansfoy's) foe after him, that he may overtake him. In ll.
86-88 Sansjoy addresses his brother, in ll. 89-90 himself. _German_ is any
blood relation.
100. The Knight supposed that Duessa's encouraging words were addressed to
him.
114. Spenser here, with fine dramatic effect, imitates Homer, who saves
Paris and AEneas by a similar device. _Iliad_, iii, 380, and v, 345.
159. TEARES. This mention of the man-eating crocodile's tears is based on
an old Latin proverb. Sir John Mandeville repeats the story.
172. GRIESLY NIGHT. According to mythology (Hesiod's _Theog_. , 123), one of
the first things created, the daughter of Chaos, and mother of AEther (sky)
and Hemera (day); also of Deceit, Strife, Old Age, and Vengeance. See xxii
and xxvii.
202. ON GRONING BEARE, on a bier with groaning friends around.
204. O WHAT OF GODS, etc. , O what is it to be born of gods, if old
Aveugle's (the father of the three Saracens) sons are so ill treated.
219. AND GOOD SUCCESSES, etc. , and good results which follow their foes.
221. OR BREAKE THE CHAYNE, refers to Jove's proposition to fasten a golden
chain to the earth by which to test his strength. Homer's _Iliad_, viii,
19. Cf. Milton's _Paradise Lost_, ii, 1051.
225. BAD EXCHEAT, bad gain by exchange. _Escheat_ is an old legal term,
meaning any lands or goods which fall to the lord of a fief by forfeiture.
Cf. "rob Peter to pay Paul. "
229. SHALL WITH HIS OWNE BLOUD, etc. , shall pay the price of the blood that
he has spilt with his own.
263. Here Spenser imitates Homer's _Odyssey_, xvi, 163.
267. THE GHASTLY OWLE. The poet follows the Latin rather than the Greek
poets, who regard the owl as the bird of wisdom.
273. OF DEEP AVERNUS HOLE. Avernus in the poets is a cavern (in an ancient
crater), supposed to be the entrance to the infernal regions. Cf. Vergil's
_AEneid_, vi, 237. In Strabo's Geography it is a lake in Campania.
298. CERBERUS, the dog which guarded the lower regions. This stanza is an
imitation of Vergil's _AEneid_, vi, 417 _seq_. In Dante's _Inferno_ Vergil
appeases him by casting handfuls of earth into his maw.
xxxv. In this stanza we see the influence of Homer and Vergil. Ixion, the
king of Lapithae, was chained by order of Zeus to a fiery-winged wheel for
aspiring to the love of the goddess Hera (Juno). Sisyphus had to roll a
huge stone forever up a hill for betraying the designs of the gods.
Tantalus, for divulging the secrets of Zeus, was condemned to stand
tormented by thirst in a lake.
With difficulty they gain entrance to the cottage of Corceca and her
daughter Abessa, the paramour of Kirkrapine. The latter is killed by the
Lion. Fleeing the next day, Una falls in with Archimago disguised as the
Redcross Knight. They journey on and meet a second Saracen knight, Sansloy.
In the fight which ensues Archimago is unhorsed and his deception unmasked.
The Lion is slain, and Una becomes the captive of Sansloy.
II. _The Allegory:_ 1. Truth finds temporary protection in Reason, or
Natural Honor (Lion), and with its help puts a stop to the Robbing of
Churches (Kirkrapine), which is connived at by Blind Devotion (Corceca) and
Secret Sin (Abessa). Truth is then associated with Hypocrisy under the
guise of Holiness, but it is soon unmasked by Lawlessness (Sansloy), with
which Truth is forced into an unnatural alliance.
2. "The lion is said to represent Henry VIII, overthrowing the monasteries,
destroying church-robbers, disturbing the dark haunts of idleness,
ignorance and superstition. "--Kitchin. The battle between Archimago and
Sansloy refers to the contests of the Catholic powers with the Moslems. The
whole canto also has a hint of the violence and lawlessness connected with
the English conquest of Ireland.
LINE 14. THOUGH TRUE AS TOUCH, though true as if tested on the touchstone
(by which true gold was distinguished from counterfeit).
18. AND HER DUE LOVES, etc. , the love due to her diverted, etc.
27. YET WISHED TYDINGS, etc. , yet none brought unto her the wished-for
tidings of him. An awkward transposition.
34. THE GREAT EYE OF HEAVEN, the sun. Cf. _Paradise Lost_, v. 171.
38. A RAMPING LYON. Reason or Natural Honor; also Henry VIII. According to
the ancient belief, no lion would attack a true virgin or one of royal
blood. Similar scenes are found in _Sir Bevis of Hampton_, _The Seven
Champions of Christendom_, etc. Cf. I _Henry_ IV, ii, 4. The allegory
signifies that man guided merely by reason will recognize Truth and pay it
homage.
51. WHOSE YEELDED PRIDE, etc. , object of _had marked_, l. 52.
77. HE KEPT BOTH WATCH AND WARD, he kept awake and guarded her.
89. A DAMZELL SPYDE, Abessa, who symbolizes Flagrant or Secret Sin.
99. HER CAST IN DEADLY HEW, threw her into a deathly paleness.
101. UPON THE WAGER LAY, was at stake.
102. WHEREAS HER MOTHER BLYND, where her blind mother, Corceca, or Blind
Devotion.
109. UNRULY PAGE. This refers to the violence with which Henry VIII forced
Protestantism upon the people. In his _Present State of Ireland_ (p. 645),
Spenser speaks of the ignorance and blind devotion of the Irish Papists in
the benighted country places.
116. PATER NOSTERS, the Lord's Prayer; AVES, prayers to the Virgin.
136. ALDEBORAN, the Bull's Eye, a double star of the first magnitude in the
constellation Taurus.
137. CASSIOPEIAS CHAIRE, a circumpolar constellation having a fancied
resemblance to a chair.
139. ONE KNOCKED AT THE DORE, Kirkrapine, the plunderer of the Church.
Spenser represents in him the peculiar vices of the Irish clergy and laity.
166. STAY HIM TO ADVIZE, stop to reflect.
172. HIM BOOTETH NOT RESIST, it does him no good to resist. This whole
passage refers, perhaps, to Henry VIII's suppression of the monasteries and
convents in 1538-39.
185. THAT LONG WANDRING GREEKE. Ulysses, or Odysseus, the hero of Homer's
_Odyssey_, who wandered ten years and refused immortality from the goddess
Calypso in order that he might return to Penelope.
xxii. Note the rhymes _deare_, _heare_, and _teare_ (air). This 16th
century pronunciation still survives in South Carolina. See Ellis's _Early
English Pronunciation_, III, 868. This stanza reads like the description of
an Irish wake.
238. OR OUGHT HAVE DONE, or have done something to displease you.
239. THAT SHOULD AS DEATH, etc. , that should settle like death, etc.
248. AND CHOSE IN FAERY COURT. See Spenser's letter to Sir W. Raleigh, p.
6.
250. HER KINDLY SKILL, her natural power.
276. FIERCE ORIONS HOUND, Sirius, the Dog-star, the brightest of the fixed
stars. The constellation Orion was named from a giant hunter who was
beloved by Aurora and slain by Diana.
279. AND NEREUS CROWNES WITH CUPS, and Nereus drinks bumpers in his honor.
Nereus was a sea-god, son of Ocean and Earth.
282. FROM GROUND, from the land.
297. SANS LOY symbolizes the pagan lawlessness in Ireland. There is also a
wider reference to the struggles between the Turks and the allied Christian
powers, which had been going on since the siege of Vienna in 1529.
309. VAINLY CROSSED SHIELD, Archimago's false cross lacked the protecting
power of St. George's charmed true cross.
321. LETHE LAKE, a lake or river of Hades, whose water brought oblivion or
forgetfulness to all who drank of it.
322. Refers to the ancient custom of sacrificing an enemy on the funeral
altar to appease the shade of the dead.
323. THE BLACKE INFERNALL FURIES, the Erinyes, or goddesses of vengeance,
who dwelt in Erebus. They were robed in black, bloody garments befitting
their gloomy character.
325. In romance it was customary for the victor to unlace the helmet of the
knight whom he had unhorsed before slaying him. Friends and relatives were
sometimes discovered by this precaution.
342. NE EVER WONT IN FIELD, etc. , was never accustomed to fight in the
battle-field or in the lists of the tournament.
xliii. Contrast Sansloy's rude treatment of Una with the chivalrous respect
and courtesy always shown by a true knight to woman.
QUESTIONS AND TOPICS
(Canto III)
1. What moral reflections does the poet make in the introductory stanza?
Note the reference to the Queen. 2. What do you learn of the laws, customs,
and sentiments of chivalry in this canto? 3. Give an account of Una's
meeting with the Lion. 4. Explain the allegory of the incident of the Lion.
5. Describe the character, appearance, and actions of Corceca, and explain
the allegory. 6. Note the use of the stars to indicate time. 7. Under what
circumstances does Una meet Archimago? 8. Explain the allegory in ix. 9.
Note the Euphuistic balance in xxvii. 10. What figure do you find in xxxi?
Note the Homeric style. 11. Describe the fight between Archimago and
Sansloy, and explain the double allegory. 12. What is the moral
interpretation of xli-xlii?
13. Explain the Latinisms in ll. 37 and 377. 14. How are the adjectives
used in l. 57? 15. Note change of pronouns in vii from third person to
first. 16. Explain tense of _shold pas_ in l. 83. 17. Note confusion of
pronouns in xxii and xxxv. 18. Examine the _nominative absolute_
construction in st. xiv and xxxix. 19. Explain the ambiguous construction
in l. 165. 20. Parse _her_ in l. 262. 21. Note careless use of relative in
l. 288.
CANTO IV
I. _The Plot:_ In this and the following canto the adventures of the
Redcross Knight are continued from Canto II. Guided by Duessa, he enters
the House of Pride. There he sees Lucifera, the Queen of Pride, attended by
her sinful court. Her six Counselors are described in detail, with an
account of a pleasure trip taken by the Queen and her court. Sansjoy
unexpectedly arrives and challenges the Knight to mortal combat for the
shield of Sansfoy. That night Duessa holds a secret conference with the
Saracen knight.
II. _The Allegory:_ 1. The Christian Soldier, under the influence of false
ideals (Duessa), is exposed to the temptations of the Seven Deadly Sins,
chief among which is Pride. In the midst of these sinful pleasures, he is
assailed by Joylessness, on whose side is Falsehood secretly.
2. The religious and political allegory is here vague and somewhat
discontinuous. There is a hint, however, of the attempts of Mary Queen of
Scots to bring England back to Romanism. The pride and corruption of the
false church and its clergy are set forth. There is also a suggestion of
the perilous position of the English in Ireland.
20. OF EACH DEGREE AND PLACE, of every rank and order of society.
21. HAVING SCAPED HARD, having escaped with difficulty.
24. LAZARS. Leprosy was a common disease in England even as late as the
sixteenth century.
49. MALVENU, ill-come, as opposed to _Bienvenu_, welcome.
73. LIKE PHOEBUS FAIREST CHILDE, Phaethon, the son of Helios. He was killed
by a thunderbolt from the hand of Zeus, as a result of his reckless driving
of the chariot of the sun.
86.
A DREADFULL DRAGON, Fallen Pride.
94. This genealogy of Pride is invented by the poet in accord with the
Christian doctrine concerning this sin.
107. SIX WIZARDS OLD, the remaining six of the Seven Deadly Sins, Wrath,
Envy, Lechery, Gluttony, Avarice, and Idleness. See Chaucer's _Parson's
Tale_ for a sermon on these mortal sins, Gower's _Dance of the Seven Deadly
Sins_, and Laugland's _Piers Plowman_.
145. COCHE. Spenser imitates Ovid and Homer in this description of Juno's
chariot. The peacock was sacred to the goddess, who transferred to its tail
the hundred eyes of the monster Argus. See Ovid's _Metamorphoses_, i, 625
_seq_.
157. WITH LIKE CONDITIONS, etc. The behests were of a kind similar to the
nature of the six Sins.
174. HE CHALENGED ESSOYNE, he claimed exemption.
185. LIKE A CRANE. This refers to Aristotle's story of a man who wished
that his neck were as long as a crane's, that he might the longer enjoy the
swallowing of his food. _Nic. Ethics_, iii, 13.
205. A DRY DROPSIE, a dropsy causing thirst.
236. UPON A CAMELL, etc. The reference is to a story in Herodotus'
_History_ (iii, 102 _seq_. ), in which the Indians are described as carrying
off on camels gold dust hoarded by enormous ants.
252. UNTO HIM SELFE UNKNOWNE, i. e. being ignorant of his own wretchedness.
309. UNTHRIFTY SCATH, wicked damage, or mischief that thrives not.
313. THE SWELLING SPLENE. The spleen was the seat of anger.
314. SAINT FRAUNCES FIRE, St. Anthony's fire, or erysipelas. Diseases were
named from those who were supposed to be able to heal them.
335. WITH PLEASAUNCE, etc. Fed with enjoyment of the fields, the fresh air
of which they went to breathe.
437. AND HELPLESSE HAP, etc. It does no good to bemoan unavoidable chance.
440. PAY HIS DEWTIES LAST, pay his last duty to the shade of the slain man
by sacrificing his murderer.
443. ODDES OF ARMES, chances of mishap in arms due to some advantage of
one's antagonist.
QUESTIONS AND TOPICS
(Canto IV)
1. What are the moral reflections in stanza i? 2. What suggestion of the
condition of the English roads do you find in st. ii? 3. _But few
returned_, l. 21. What became of the rest? 4. Give a description of the
House of Pride. Note resemblance to a typical Elizabethan hall. 5. Explain
the allegory of the House, noting the association of ugliness and beauty.
6. How is expectation aroused in vi? 7. Describe the dramatic appearance
and character of Pride. Cf. description of Satan on his throne in _Paradise
Lost_, iii. 8. What do you learn in this canto of Elizabethan or chivalric
manners and customs? 9. Describe the procession at the court of Pride. 10.
What satire of the Romish priesthood in xviii-xx? 11. Note examples of
Spenser's humor in xiv and xvi. 12. Point out the classical influence
(Dionysus and Silenus) in the description of Gluttony. 13. Subject of the
interview between Duessa and Sansjoy. 14. Point out the archaisms in l. 10;
alliteration in xxxix and l; the Latinisms in xlvi and xlvii. 15. In what
case is _way_ in l. 17? 16. Explain the meaning and historical significance
of _lazar_, l. 24, and _diall_, l. 36. 17. Explain the references of the
pronouns in l. 55, and ll. 418-419. 18. Note the Euphuistic balance and
antithesis in xxix and xlv. 19. Explain the suffix in _marchen_ in l. 325.
20. Note the double negative in iv, xlix. 21. Paraphrase in your own words
ll. 239, 243, 360, 437.
CANTO V
I. _The Plot_: (a continuation of Canto IV). The Knight fights in the lists
with Sansjoy and defeats him, but is prevented by Duessa's magic from
slaying him. Duessa descends to Erebus and obtains the aid of Night, who
conveys the wounded Saracen in her chariot to AEsculapius to be healed of
his wounds. The tortures of some of the souls in Erebus are described,
particularly the cause of AEsculapius' punishment. A roll of the prisoners
whom the dwarf discovers in Pride's dungeon is given. The Knight flees with
the dwarf from her house.
II. _The Allegory_: When the Christian Soldier is attacked by Joylessness,
he has a far more desperate struggle than that with Infidelity, and comes
out wounded though victorious. Joylessness when crushed by Holiness is
restored by Pagan Philosophy. The backsliding Christian is warned in time
by Prudence of the fearful consequences of sin, and hastens to turn his
back on Pride and the other sins. The soul is led to dread Pride, not by
Truth, but by its sufferings and other inferior motives.
25. THEIR TIMELY VOYCES, their voices keeping time with their harps.
27. OLD LOVES, famous love-affairs, the subject of the Minnesangers.
29. IN WOVEN MAILE, in chain armor.
32. ARABY, probably here the Orient in general.
33. FROM FURTHEST YND, from farthest India.
39. UNTO A PALED GREENE, a green inclosure (lists for a tournament)
surrounded by a palisade.
44. HIS. An old method of forming the possessive, based on a
misapprehension of the original Anglo-Saxon suffix _-es_, which was
shortened in middle English to _-is_, and finally to _s_.
45. BOTH THOSE, etc. Both Duessa and the shield are to go to the victor.
65. A GRYFON, a fabulous animal, part lion and part eagle. _Gryfon_ is
subject of _encountereth_ with _Dragon_ as object.
89. AND SLUGGISH GERMAN, etc. , and sluggish brother dost relax thy strength
to send his (Sansfoy's) foe after him, that he may overtake him. In ll.
86-88 Sansjoy addresses his brother, in ll. 89-90 himself. _German_ is any
blood relation.
100. The Knight supposed that Duessa's encouraging words were addressed to
him.
114. Spenser here, with fine dramatic effect, imitates Homer, who saves
Paris and AEneas by a similar device. _Iliad_, iii, 380, and v, 345.
159. TEARES. This mention of the man-eating crocodile's tears is based on
an old Latin proverb. Sir John Mandeville repeats the story.
172. GRIESLY NIGHT. According to mythology (Hesiod's _Theog_. , 123), one of
the first things created, the daughter of Chaos, and mother of AEther (sky)
and Hemera (day); also of Deceit, Strife, Old Age, and Vengeance. See xxii
and xxvii.
202. ON GRONING BEARE, on a bier with groaning friends around.
204. O WHAT OF GODS, etc. , O what is it to be born of gods, if old
Aveugle's (the father of the three Saracens) sons are so ill treated.
219. AND GOOD SUCCESSES, etc. , and good results which follow their foes.
221. OR BREAKE THE CHAYNE, refers to Jove's proposition to fasten a golden
chain to the earth by which to test his strength. Homer's _Iliad_, viii,
19. Cf. Milton's _Paradise Lost_, ii, 1051.
225. BAD EXCHEAT, bad gain by exchange. _Escheat_ is an old legal term,
meaning any lands or goods which fall to the lord of a fief by forfeiture.
Cf. "rob Peter to pay Paul. "
229. SHALL WITH HIS OWNE BLOUD, etc. , shall pay the price of the blood that
he has spilt with his own.
263. Here Spenser imitates Homer's _Odyssey_, xvi, 163.
267. THE GHASTLY OWLE. The poet follows the Latin rather than the Greek
poets, who regard the owl as the bird of wisdom.
273. OF DEEP AVERNUS HOLE. Avernus in the poets is a cavern (in an ancient
crater), supposed to be the entrance to the infernal regions. Cf. Vergil's
_AEneid_, vi, 237. In Strabo's Geography it is a lake in Campania.
298. CERBERUS, the dog which guarded the lower regions. This stanza is an
imitation of Vergil's _AEneid_, vi, 417 _seq_. In Dante's _Inferno_ Vergil
appeases him by casting handfuls of earth into his maw.
xxxv. In this stanza we see the influence of Homer and Vergil. Ixion, the
king of Lapithae, was chained by order of Zeus to a fiery-winged wheel for
aspiring to the love of the goddess Hera (Juno). Sisyphus had to roll a
huge stone forever up a hill for betraying the designs of the gods.
Tantalus, for divulging the secrets of Zeus, was condemned to stand
tormented by thirst in a lake.
