They heare him not, they have forgot his lore,

But go which way they list, their guide they have forlore.

XL.

As when the firie-mouthed steedes, which drew The Sunnes bright wayne to Phaetons decay, Soone as they did the monstrous Scorpion vew With ugly craples crawling in their way, The dreadfull sight did them so sore affray, That their well-knowen courses they forwent; And, leading th' ever-burning lampe astray, This lower world nigh all to ashes brent,

And left their scorchéd path yet in the firmament.

XLI.

Such was the furie of these head-strong steeds,
Soone as the infants sunlike shield they saw,
That all obedience both to words and deeds
They quite forgot, and scornd all former law:
Through woods, and rocks, and mountaines they did
draw

The yron charet, and the wheeles did teare,
And tost the Paynim without feare or awe;
From side to side they tost him here and there,
Crying to them in vaine that nould his crying heare.

XLII.

Yet still the Prince pursew'd him close behind,
Oft making offer him to smite, but found
No easie meanes according to his mind:
At last they have all overthrowne to ground
Quite topside turvey, and the Pagan hound
Amongst the yron hookes and graples keene
Torne all to rags, and rent with many a wound;
That no whole peece of him was to be seene,

But scattred all about, and strow'd upon the greene.

The tyrant's lady, Adicia-whose name, from the Greek, means Injustice-ran into the woods and was transformed into a tiger.

[CANTO IX.]

I.

What tygre, or what other salvage wight,

Is so exceeding furious and fell

As wrong, when it hath arm'd it selfe with might?
Not fit mongst men that doe with reason mell,

But mongst wyld beasts, and salvage woods, to dwell;
Where still the stronger doth the weake devoure,

And they that most in boldnesse doe excell
Are dreadded most, and feared for their powre;
Fit for Adicia there to build her wicked bowre.

Arthur and Arthegall, on their way to the court of Mercilla, caught Malengin-Guile-who took many shapes to elude them, till at last, in the shape of a snake, he was crushed under the flail of Talus. Then came Justice and Divine Grace into the court of Mercy, when before Mercilla's judgment-seat there was Duessa brought; and every line in the allegory now glances at Mary Queen of Scots, against whom Zeal sets forth the whole indictment, and whom Mercy herself is unwillingly forced to condemn.

XXXVIII.

Then was there brought, as prisoner to the barre,

A Ladie of great countenance and place,
But that she it with foule abuse did marre;

Yet did appeare rare beautie in her face,
But blotted with condition vile and base,
That all her other honour did obscure,
And titles of nobilitie deface:

Yet in that wretched semblant she did sure
The peoples great compassion unto her allure.

XXXIX.

Then up arose a person of deepe reach,

And rare in-sight hard matters to revele;
That well could charme his tongue, and time his speach
To all assayes; his name was called Zele.
He gan that Ladie strongly to appele
Of many haynous crymes by her enured.
And with sharp reasons rang her such a pele,
That those, whom she to pitie had allured,

He now t' abhorre and loath her person had procured.

XL.

First gan he tell how this, that seem'd so faire And royally arayd, Duessa hight; That false Duessa, which had wrought great care And mickle mischiefe unto many a knight, By her beguyléd and confounded quight: But not for those she now in question came, Though also those mote question'd be aright, But for vyld treasons and outrageous shame, Which she against the dred Mercilla oft did frame.

XLI.

For she whylome (as ye mote yet right well
Remember) had her counsels false conspyred
With faithlesse Blandamour and Paridell,
(Both two her paramours, both by her hyred,
And both with hope of shadowes vaine inspyred)
And with them practiz'd, how for to depryve
Mercilla of her crowne, by her aspyred,

That she might it unto her selfe deryve,

And tryumph in their blood whom she to death did dryve.

XLII.

But through high heavens grace, which favour not The wicked driftes of trayterous desynes

Gainst loiall Princes, all this cursed plot,

Ere proofe it tooke, discovered was betymes,

And th' actours won the meede meet for their crymes.
Such be the meede of all that by such mene
Unto the type of kingdomes title clymes!
But false Duessa, now untitled Queene,

Was brought to her sad doome, as here was to be seene.

XLIII.

Strongly did Zele her haynous fact enforce, And many other crimes of foule defame Against her brought, to banish all remorse, And aggravate the horror of her blame: And with him, to make part against her, came Many grave persons that against her pled. First was a sage old Syre, that had to name The Kingdomes Care, with a white silver hed, That many high regards and reasons gainst her red.

XLIV.

Then gan Authority her to appose With peremptorie powre, that made all mute; And then the Law of Nations gainst her rose, And reasons brought that no man could refute : Next gan Religion gainst her to impute High Gods beheast, and powre of holy lawes; Then gan the Peoples cry and Commons sute Importune care of their owne publicke cause; And lastly Justice chargéd her with breach of lawes.

XLV.

But then, for her, on the contrarie part, Rose many advocates for her to plead : First there came Pittie with full tender hart, And with her joyn'd Regard of womenhead; And then came Daunger, threatning hidden dread And high alliance unto forren powre; Then came Nobilitie of birth, that bread Great ruth through her misfortunes tragicke stowre; And lastly Griefe did plead, and many teares forth powre.

XLVI.

With the neare touche whereof in tender hart The Briton Prince was sore empassionate, And woxe inclinéd much unto her part, Through the sad terror of so dreadfull fate, And wretched ruine of so high estate; That for great ruth his courage gan relent: Which when as Zele perceivéd to abate, He gan his earnest fervour to augment, And many fearefull objects to them to present.

XLVII.

He gan t'efforce the evidence anew,
And new accusements to produce in place:
He brought forth that old hag of hellish hew,
The cursed Atè, brought her face to face,
Who privie was and partie in the case:
She, glad of spoyle and ruinous decay,
Did her appeach; and, to her more disgrace,
The plot of all her practise did display,

And all her traynes and all her treasons forth did lay.

XLVIII.

Then brought he forth with griesly grim aspect Abhorréd Murder, who, with bloudie knyfe Yet dropping fresh in hand, did her detect, And there with guiltie bloudshed chargéd ryfe: Then brought he forth Sedition, breeding stryfe In troublous wits, and mutinous uprore: Then brought he forth Incontinence of lyfe, Even foule Adulterie her face before, And lewd Impietie, that her accuséd sore.

XLIX.

All which when as the Prince had heard and seene, His former fancies ruth he gan repent, And from her partie eftsoons was drawen cleene: But Artegall, with constant firme intent For zeale of Justice, was against her bent: So was she guiltie deemed of them all. Then Zele began to urge her punishment, And to their Queene for judgement loudly call, Unto Mercilla myld, for Justice gainst the thrall.

L.

But she, whose Princely brest was touchéd nere With piteous ruth of her so wretched plight, Though plaine she saw, by all that she did heare, That she of death was guiltie found by right, Yet would not let just vengeance on her light; But rather let, instead thereof, to fall

Few perling drops from her faire lampes of light; The which she covering with her purple pall Would have the passion hid, and up arose withall.

In the tenth canto the contest of Justice against Wrong is represented by the aid of Divine Grace in the contest of the Protestants in the Netherlands against the power of Spain. Arthur is called to the aid of Belge, who had "seventeen goodly sons," the seventeen provinces of the Netherlands, of whom all but five were the prey of the son of Geryon, a cruel giant with three bodies, the three bodies being Spain, Naples, and the Empire.

But this fell tyrant of his tortious power Had left her now but five of all that brood, For twelve of them he did by times devour, And to his idols sacrificed their blood.

There were but five provinces-Holland, Guelders, Zealand, Utrecht, Friesland-that in 1579 joined in the Union of Utrecht by which they declared independence of Spain. Belgè was "new made widow," by the assassination of the Prince of Orange in 1584, and sending for help to the court of Mercilla, the Briton Prince, Prince Arthur, went to her aid. The expedition of the Earl of Leicester was in 1585, and this, no doubt, Spenser wished his readers to observe ; but the allegory proceeds through this and the next canto to show victory through God's grace over tyranny and idolatry. Then follows Arthegall's

achievement of the overthrow of Grantorto: Justice destroys Wrong. But first Spenser makes him meet on the way a knight, Sir Burbon, who has changed his shield, and clearly censures Henry IV. of France for having in July, 1593, obtained his crown by doing on grounds of political expediency what he knew to be unjust, in abjuring his faith as a Pro

testant.

[CANTO XI.]

LII.

"But why have ye" (said Artegall) "forborne
Your owne good shield in daungerous dismay?
That is the greatest shame and foulest scorne,
Which unto any knight behappen may,

To loose the badge that should his deedes display."
To whom Sir Burbon, blushing halfe for shame :
"That shall I unto you" (quoth he) "bewray,
Least ye therefore mote happily me blame,
And deeme it doen of will, that through inforcement

came.

LIII.

"True is that I at first was dubbed knight By a good knight, the knight of the Redcrosse ; Who, when he gave me armes in field to fight, Gave me a shield, in which he did endosse

His deare Redeemers badge upon the bosse: The same long while I bore, and therewithall Fought many battels without wound or losse; Therewith Grandtorto selfe I did appall,

And made him oftentimes in field before me fall,

LIV.

"But for that many did that shield envie,
And cruell enemies increased more,
To stint all strife and troublous enmitie,
That bloudie scutchin, being battered sore,
I layd aside, and have of late forbore,
Hoping thereby to have my love obtayned;
Yet can I not my love have nathemore,
For she by force is still fro me detayned,

And with corruptfull brybes is to untruth mistrayned."

LV.

To whom thus Artegall: "Certes, Sir knight,
Hard is the case the which doe complaine;
ye
Yet not so hard (for nought so hard may light
That it to such a streight mote you constraine)
As to abandon that which doth containe
Your honours stile, that is, your warlike shield.
All perill ought be lesse, and lesse all paine
Then losse of fame in disaventrous field:

Dye, rather then doe ought that mote dishonour yield."

LVI.

"Not so," (quoth he) "for yet, when time doth serve, My former shield I may resume againe :

To temporize is not from truth to swerve,
Ne for advantage terme to entertaine,
Whenas necessitie doth it constraine."
"Fie on such forgerie!" (sayd Artegall)
"Under one hood to shadow faces twaine :
Knights ought be true, and truth is one in all:
Of all things, to dissemble, fouly may befall!"

Then in the last canto of this book Grantorto is slain and Irena freed. But as Arthegall proceeds to the Faerie Court he is reviled by two ill-favoured hags, named Envy and Detraction.

[CANTO XII.]

XLI.

Thereto the Blatant Beast, by them set on,
At him began aloud to barke and bay
With bitter rage and fell contention,
That all the woods and rockes nigh to that way
Began to quake and tremble with dismay;
And all the aire rebellowéd againe,

So dreadfully his hundred tongues did bray:
And evermore those hags them selves did paine

To sharpen him, and their owne cursed tongs did straine.

XLII.

And still among most bitter wordes they spake, Most shamefull, most unrighteous, most untrew, That they the mildest man alive would make Forget his patience, and yeeld vengeaunce dew To her, that so false sclaunders at him threw : And more, to make them pierce and wound more deepe, She with the sting which in her vile tongue grew Did sharpen them, and in fresh poyson steepe: Yet he passed on, and seem'd of them to take no keepe.

XLIII.

But Talus, hearing her so lewdly raile, And speake so ill of him that well deserved, Would her have chastiz'd with his yron flaile, If her Sir Artegall had not preserved, And him forbidden, who his heast observed: So much the more at him still did she scold, And stones did cast; yet he for nought would swerve From his right course, but still the way did hold

To Faerie Court; where what him fell shall else be told.

So ends the fifth book. The sixth contains the Legend of Sir Calidore (Fair-gift)-Courtesy-whose assigned adventure is to subdue the Blatant BeastSlander, or Disdainful Speaking.

[BOOK VI.-CANTO 1.]

VII.

"The Blattant Beast" (quoth he) "I doe pursew,

And through the world incessantly doe chase,

Till I him overtake, or else subdew:

Yet know I not or how, or in what place

To find him out, yet still I forward trace."
"What is that Blattant Beast" (then he replide.)
"It is a Monster bred of hellishe race,"

(Then answered he) "which often hath annoyd
Good Knights and Ladies true, and many else destroyd.

VIII.

"Of Cerberus whilome he was begot
And fell Chimæra, in her darkesome den,
Through fowle commixture of his filthy blot;
Where he was fostred long in Stygian fen,
Till he to perfect ripenesse grew; and then
Into this wicked world he forth was sent

To be the plague and scourge of wretched men,
Whom with vile tongue and venemous intent

He sore doth wound, and bite, and cruelly torment."

Of this book I will note only that as the book of Courtesie it is marked by one of the daintiest of poet's courtesies, for Spenser enshrines in it his wife. He had married in 1594. His second instalment of the "Faerie Queene" appeared in 1596, and near the close of it, in the tenth canto of the sixth book, he thus built a little shrine for his wife Elizabeth, as in the fourth book he had built a shrine for his master Chaucer. Calidore came to a pleasant hill:

[CANTO X.]

IX.

They say that Venus, when she did dispose Her selfe to pleasaunce, uséd to resort Unto this place, and therein to repose And rest her selfe as in a gladsome port, Or with the Graces there to play and sport; That even her owne Cytheron, though in it She used most to keepe her royall court, And in her soveraine Majesty to sit, She in regard hereof refusde and thought unfit.

X.

Unto this place when as the Elfin Knight Approcht, him seemed that the merry sound Of a shrill pipe he playing heard on hight,