A

Letter of the Authors expounding his

whole intention in the course of this worke: which
for that it giueth great light to the Reader, for
the better vnderstanding is hereunto

annexed.

To the Right noble, and Valorous, Sir Walter Raleigh knight, Lo. Wardein of the Stanneryes, and her Maiesties liefetenaunt of the County of Cornewayll.

SIr knowing how doubtfully all Allegories may cepts, or sermoned at large, as they use, then thus be construed, and this booke of mine, which I haue clowdily enwrapped in Allegoricall deuises. But entituled the Faery Queene, being a continued such, me seeme, should be satisfide with the vse of Allegory, or darke conceit, I have thought good" these dayes, seeing all things accounted by their aswell for auoyding of gealous opinions and mis- showes, and nothing esteemed of, that is not deconstructions, as also for your better light in lightfull and pleasing to commune sence. For reading therof, (being so by you commanded,) to this cause is Xenophon preferred before Plato, discouer vnto you the general intention and for that the one in the exquisite depth of his meaning, which in the whole course thereof Iiudgement, formed a Commune welth such as it haue fashioned, without expressing of any par- should be, but the other in the person of Cyrus picular purposes or by-accidents therein occa- and the Persians fashioned a gouernement such sioned. The generall end therefore of all the as might best be: So much more profitable and booke is to fashion a gentleman or noble person gratious is doctrine by ensample, then by rule. invertuous and gentle discipline: Which for So haue I laboured to doe in the person of that I conceived shoulde be most plausible and Arthure: whome I conceive after his long educa pleasing, being coloured with an historicall tion by Timon, to whom he was by Merlin defiction, the which the most part of men delight to liuered to be brought up, so soone as he was borne read, rather for variety of matter, then for of the Lady Igrayne, to haue seene in a dream or profite of the ensample: I chose the historye of vision the Faery Queen, with whose excellent king Arthure, as most fitte for the excellency of beauty rauished, he awaking resolued to seeke her his person, being made famous by many mens out, and so being by Merlin armed, and by Timon former workes, and also furthest from the throughly instructed, he went to secke her forth daunger of enuy, and suspition of present time. in Faerye land. In that Faery Queene I meane In which I have followed all the antique Poets glory in my generall intention, but in my parti historicall, first Homere, who in the Persons of cular I conceive the most excellent and glorious Agamemnon and Vlysses hath ensampled a good person of our soueraine the Queene, and her gouernour and a vertuous man, the one in his kingdome in Faery land. And yet in some places Ilias, the other in his Odysseis: then Virgil, els, Idoc otherwise shadow her. For considering whose like intention was to doe in the person of she beareth two persons, the one of a most royall Aeneas: after him Ariosto comprised them both Queene or Empresse, the other of a most vertuous in his Orlando: and lately Tasso disseuered them and beautifull Lady, this latter part in some againe, and formed both parts in two persons, places I doe expresse in Belphabe, fashioning her namely that part which they in Philosophy call name according to your owne excellent conceipt of Ethice, or vertues of a priuate man, coloured in Cynthia, (Phabe and Cynthia being both names his Rinaldo: The other named Politice in his of Diana.) So in the person of Prince Arthure Godfredo. By ensample of which excellente Poets, sette forth magnificence in particular, which I labour to pourtraici in Arthure, before he was vertue for that (according to Aristotle and the king, the image of a braue knight, perfected in the rest) it is the perfection of all the rest, and contwelue priuate morall vertues, as Aristotle hath de- teineth in it them all, therefore in the whole course uised, the which is the purpose of these first twelue I mention the deedes of Arthure applyable to that bookes: which if I finde to be well accepted, I may vertue, which I write of in that booke. But of be perhaps encoraged, to frame the other part of the xii. other vertues, I make xii. other knights polliticke vertues in his person, after that hee the patrones, for the more variety of the history: came to be king. To some I know this Methode Of which these three bookes contayn three, The will seeme displeasaunt, which had rather haue first of the knight of the Redcrosse, in whome I good discipline deliuered plainly in way of pre-expresse Holynes: The seconde of Sir Guyon, in

he could not succeed in that enterprise, which being forthwith put upon him with dewe furni tures thereunto, he seemed the goodliest man in al that company, and was well liked of the Lady. And eftesoones taking on him knighthood, and mounting on that straunge Courser, he went forth with her on that aduenture: where begin

whome I sette forth Temperaunce: The third of Britomartis a Lady knight, in whome I picture Chastity. But because the beginning of the whole worke seemeth abrupte and as depending upon other antecedents, it needs that ye know the occasion of these three knights seuerall aduentures. For the Methode of a Poet historical is not such, as of an Historiographer. For an Historio-neth the first booke, vz. grapher discourseth of affayres orderly as they A gentle knight was pricking on the playne. &c. were donne, accounting as well the times as the actions, but a Poet thrusteth into the The second day ther came in a Palmer bearing middest, euen where it most concerneth him, an Infant with bloody hands, whose Parents he and there recoursing to the thinges forepaste, complained to haue bene slayn by an Enchaunand diuining of thinges to come, maketh a pleas-teresse called Acrasia: and therfore craued of ing Analysis of all. The beginning therefore of the Faery Queene, to appoint him some knight, my history, if it were to be told by an Historio- to performe thataduenture, which being assigned grapher, should be the twelfth booke, which is the to Sir Guyon, he presently went forth with that last, where I deuise that the Faery Queene kept same Palmer: which is the beginning of the her Annuall feaste xii. dayes, vppon which xii. second booke and the whole subiect thereof. The seuerall dayes, the occasions of the xii. seuerall third day there came in, a Groome who comaduentures hapned, which being undertaken by plained before the Faery Queene, that a vile Enxii. seuerall knights, are in these xii books seuerchaunter called Busirane had in hand a most ally handled and discoursed. The first was this. faire Lady called Amoretta, whom he kept in most In the beginning of the feast, there presented him grieuous torment, because she would not yield selfe a tall clownishe younge man, who falling him the pleasure of her body. Whereupon Sir before the Queen of Faries desired a boone (as the Scudamour the louer of that Lady presently tooke manner then was) which during that feast she on him that aduenture. But being unable to per might not refuse: which was that hee might haue forme it by reason of the hard Enchantments, the achievement of any aduenture, which during after long sorrow, in the end met with Britothat feaste should happen, that being graunted, martis, who succoured him, and reskewed his he rested him on the floore, vnfitte through his loue rusticity for a better place. Some after entred a faire Ladye in mourning weedes, riding on a white Asse, with a dwarfe behind her leading a warlike steed, that bore the Armes of a knight, and his speare in the dwarfes hand. Shee falling before the Queene of Faeries, complayned that her father and mother an ancient King and Queene, had bene by an huge dragon many years shut up in a brasen Castle, who thence suffred them not to yssew: and therefore besought the Faery Queene to assygne her some one of her knights to take on him that exployt. Presently that clownish person upstarting, desired that aduenture: whereat the Queene much wondering, and the Lady much gainesaying, yet he earnestly importuned his desire. In the end the Lady told him that vnlesse that armour which she brought, would serue him (that is the armour of a Christian man specified by Saint Paul v. Ephes.) that

But by occasion hereof, many other aduentures are intermedled, but rather as Accidents, then intendments. As the loue of Britomart, the ouerthrow of Marinell, the misery of Florimell, the vertuousnes of Belphabe, the lasciuiousnes of Hellenora, and many the like.

Thus much Sir, I haue briefly ouerronne to direct your understanding to the wel-head of the History, that from thence gathering the whole intention of the conceit, ye may as in a handfull gripe al the discourse, which otherwise may happily seeme tedious and confused. So humbly crauing the continuaunce of your honorable fauour towards me, and th'eternall establishment of your happines, I humbly take leaue.

23. Ianuary. 1589. Yours most humbly affectionate. Ed. Spenser.

SA Vision vpon this conceipt of the

Another of the same.

THe prayse of meaner wits this worke like profit |

To the learned Shepheard.

Hen stout Achilles heard

W And what revenge the Statof Helens raped looke upon a worke of rare deuise

Thinking by sleight the fatall warres to scape,
In womans weedes him selfe he then disguisde:
But this deuise Vlysses soone did spy,
And brought him forth, the chaunce of warre to try.
When Spencer saw the fame was spredd so large,
Through Faery land of their renowned Queene:
Loth that his Muse should take so great a charge,
As in such haughty matter to be seene,

To seeme a shepeheard then he made his choice,
But Sydney heard him sing, and knew his voice.
And as Vlysses brought faire Thetis sonne
From his retyred life to menage armes :
So Spencer was by Sidneys speaches wonne,
To blaze her fame not fearing future harmes :
For well he knew, his Muse would soone be tyred
In her high praise, that all the world admired.
Yet as Achilles in those warlike frayes,
Did win the palme from all the Grecian Peeles:
So Spencer now to his immortall prayse,
Hath wonne the Laurell quite from all his feres.
What though his taske exceed a humaine witt,
He is excus'd, sith Sidney thought it fitt.
W. L.

The which a workman setteth out to view,
And not to yield it the deserued prise,
That vnto such a workmanship is dew,

Doth either proue the judgement to be naught
Or els doth shew a mind with enuy fraught.
To labour to commend a peece of worke,
Which no man goes about to discommend,
Would raise a lealous doubt that there did lurke,
Some secret doubt, whereto the prayse did tend.

For when men know the goodnes of the wyne,
T'is needlesse for the hoast to haue a sygne.
Thus then to shew my iudgement to be such
As can discerne of colours blacke, and white,
As alls to free my minde from enuies tuch,
That neuer giues to any man his right,

I here pronounce this workmanship is such,
As that no pen can set it forth too much.
And thus I hang a garland at the dore,
Not for to shew the goodnes of the ware:
But such hath beene the custome heretofore,
And customes very hardly broken are.

And when your tast shall tell you this is trew,
Then looke you give your hoast his vtmost dew.
Ignoto.

TH

[DEDICATORY SONNETS.]

To the right honourable Sir Christopher Hatton,
Lord high Chauncelor of England. &c.

Hose prudent heads, that with theire counsels
wise
Whylom the Pillours of th'earth did sustaine,
And taught ambitious Rome to tyrannise,
And in the neck of all the world to rayne,
Oft from those graue affaires were wont abstaine,
With the sweet Lady Muses for to play:
So Ennius the elder Africane,

So Maro oft did Casars cares allay.

So you great Lord, that with your counsell sway
The burdeine of this kingdom mightily,
With like delightes sometimes may eke delay,
The rugged brow of carefull Policy:

And to these ydle rymes lend litle space,

Which for their titles sake may find more
grace.

To the right honourable the Lo. Burleigh Lo. high
Threasurer of England.

To you right noble Lord, whose carefull brest

Tomenage of most graue affaires is bent,
And on whose mightie shoulders most doth

rest

The burdein of this kingdomes gouernement,
As the wide compasse of the firmament,
On Atlas mighty shoulders is vpstayd;
Vnfitly I these ydle rimes present,

The labor of lost time, and wit vnstayd:
Yet if their deeper sence be inly wayd,

And the dim 'vele, with which from comune vew
Their fairer parts are hid, aside be layd.
Perhaps not vaine they may appeare to you.
Such as they be, vouchsafe them to receaue,
And wipe their faults out of your censure graue.
E. S.

To the right Honourable the Earle of Oxenford,
Lord high Chamberlayne of England. &c.

gree,

vnripe fruit of an vnready wit:
Which by thy countenaunce doth craue to bee
Defended from foule Enuies poisnous bit.
Which so to doe may thee right well besit,
Sith th'antique glory of thine auncestry
Vnder a shady vele is therein writ,

And eke thine owne long liuing memory,
Succeeding them in true nobility:

And also for the loue, which thou doest beare
To th' Heliconian ymps, and they to thee,
They vnto thee, and thou to them most deare:
Deare as thou art vnto thy selfe, so loue

That loues and honours thee, as doth behoue.