The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Faerie Queene Volume 1, by Edmund Spenser
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
** This is a COPYRIGHTED Project Gutenberg eBook, Details Below **
** Please follow the copyright guidelines in this file. **
Please note, this eBook contains both copyrighted and public domain
portions. Read the NOTE below for further information.
Title: The Faerie Queene Volume 1
Author: Edmund Spenser
Editor: Jonathan Barnes
Release Date: January 21, 2005 [EBook #6930]
Language: English
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FAERIE QUEENE VOLUME 1 ***
Portions Copyright (C) 2004 by Jonathan Barnes
A NOTE ON THIS EDITION
This is an electronic edition of Volume One of Edmund Spenser's
_Faerie Queene_. You are encouraged to use and copy it.
The edition includes the following elements:
- an entirely new composite text, based on the edition of 1596 (the
"Original Text")
- details of departures, or proposed departures, from the copy text
(the "Textual Appendix")
- a modernized version of the Original Text (the "Shadow Text")
- definitions of difficult words and phrases in the Shadow Text (the
"Glossary").
The Original Text was not scanned, but typed, and proofed against the
Scolar Press facsimile (see Bibliography). Editing took place between
November 1989 and July 1992, using EMACS.
Edition 10 (faeri10.txt) was prepared especially for Project Gutenberg
in February 2003.
Thus edition (August 2004) corrects a few errors in the convention for
italic type. A few definitions appearing in the wrong place have also
been fixed, as have anomalous top-bit set characters in the Hales
Biography, which has been reformatted to make it easier to read.
The edition is best viewed with a monospaced font. Plain ASCII
text is used throughout. Accented, etc., characters are indicated by
symbols contained in curly brackets, e.g.:
{e/} = lower-case e + acute accent (pointing up to right)
{e\} = lower-case e + grave accent (pointing up to left)
{o^} = lower-case o + circumflex accent
{o"} = lower-case o + diaeresis mark
{e~} = lower-case e + tilde
{ae} = lower-case ae diphthong
{Ae} = ae diphthong with initial capital
{AE} = fully capitalized ae diphthong
etc.
In this way all the characters of the 1596 edition have been shown
except the long "s", which has been throughout converted to its modern
equivalent. In Roman type, the long "s" most closely resembles a
lower-case "f" lacking part of the crossbar. It is used in the copy-text
in nearly all places where this edition has an ordinary lower-case "s",
except at the ends of words and when preceding the letter "k". Using
the oblique character in place of the long "s", then, the first lines of
the poem read:
Lo I the man, who/e Mu/e whilome did maske,
As time her taught in lowly Shepheards weeds,
Am now enfor/t a far vnfitter taske,
For trumpets /terne to chaunge mine Oaten reeds ...
These rules are on occasion broken, apparently by mistake. The long
"s" does nothing to aid comprehension, and indeed causes problems, noted
in the Textual Appendix: e.g. confusion between "besit" and "befit".
Special characters contained in the list of printers' contractions
are noted in the preamble to that list.
Regions of text printed, or intended to be shown, in italic type are
defined by underscores, thus: the _second_ word is in italics.
Spenser's original text of _The Faerie Queene_ is here described as
"Spenser's Text" and is in the public domain. The biography by
John W. Hales has passed out of copyright and was published by Messrs
Macmillan. Copyright in all other parts of this edition, including
editorial treatment of Spenser's Text, is reserved. You may not sell the
whole or any part of this edition in any form whatsoever, nor may you
supply it as an inducement to any party to purchase any product. Except
for private study, you may not alter the text in any way.
WARRANTY
This edition is supplied as is. No warranty of any description is given
in relation to the edition. Time and care have gone into its preparation,
but no guarantee of accuracy is implied or made.
In such a large work, despite the stringent and repeated manual and
electronic checking that has been carried out, some errors are bound to
have slipped through. Please tell me about any that you find. All readers'
emendations will be gratefully acknowledged in future releases.
-- Jonathan Barnes
jonathan.barnes[at]conexil.co.uk
20 August 2004
Main components:
Editor's Introduction
Abbreviations Used
List of Proper Nouns
Table of Contents of Volume I
Introductory Matter
Books I-III
Printer's Contractions
Bibliography
Biographical Material
The start of each of these is marked with the string "=>"
=> THE FAERIE QUEENE
Editor's Introduction
Acknowledgements
Purpose of the edition
The text of the poem
The form of the poem
The numbering system
How the Glossary works
The Textual Appendix
Suggestions for new readers
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
No endeavour of this kind would be possible without the work of
previous editors and critics, and I offer thanks to all who
have advanced our understanding of Spenser and his work. In
particular the scholarship of Professor A. C. Hamilton has
provided much enlightenment: his commentary (see Bibliography) is
required reading for those who would explore the secret meanings
of _The Faerie Queene_. To the compilers and publishers of the
monumental _Oxford English Dictionary_ I am deeply indebted. I
wish also to acknowledge the assistance of the staff of the
British Library, who kindly allowed me to consult copies of the
original editions.
PURPOSE OF THE EDITION
When reading a book such as _The Faerie Queene_, it is tempting
to minimize the looking up of difficult words, which are often
glossed, if at all, in the end pages. Although Spenser's use of
certain words appears quaint and lumpish, the language is
superficially modern enough to enable the reader to "get by".
Yet such an approach can lead only to a faulty appreciation of
the poem, and deprives one of much enchantment. Queen Elizabeth
would have found nothing lumpish about the language: her only
impatience might have been with Spenser's weakness for archaisms.
To her, the _FQ_ will have revealed Spenser's exact and liberal
style in all its glory: his words almost always make perfect
sense.
The purpose of this edition is to make the language of the poem
readily accessible. Interruptions to consult separate
dictionaries and so on are eliminated, preserving as far as
possible the flow of reading and accelerating one's apprehension
of the poem.
The sustained power and scope of Spenser's master-work, of his
"sacred fury", comprise a feat unsurpassed in English literature.
But, by its very nature, language changes with time, and access
to Spenser's magic kingdom is becoming ever more difficult. I
hope this edition provides a key.
THE TEXT OF THE POEM
No manuscript of _The Faerie Queene_ is known; we depend for our
text upon printed copies of the work.
The first of these appeared in 1590. It is a quarto edition,
published by William Ponsonby, and contains Books I-III. The
Registers of the Stationers' Company for 1589 include the
following entry:
_Primo Die Decembris.--Master Ponsonbye. Entered for his
Copye a book intituled the fayre Queene, dyposed into xii.
bookes &c. Aucthorysed vnder thandes of the Archb. of
Canterbury & bothe the Wardens, vjd._
The date of Spenser's letter to Raleigh is 23 January 1589 (1590
New Style); the book itself appeared some time after 25 March.
The text was indifferently proof-read, and a list of corrigenda
(Faults Escaped in the Print) accompanies it. Moreover, there is
variation between individual copies of the edition. Early copies
contain only ten dedicatory sonnets, while later ones contain the
full set of seventeen: for Spenser had made the signal blunder of
omitting Lord Burleigh from the illustrious company of
dedicatees. To confuse matters further, a few copies contain a
mixture of pages from the original and revised versions.
The quarto edition of 1596 was also published by Ponsonby, and
contains Books I-VI, variously bound into one or two volumes.
Books I-III were completely reset, apparently not from the MS.
but from a copy of 1590 heavily annotated by the author. Some,
but not all, of the corrections listed in the Faults Escaped were
incorporated in 1596. The end of Book III was changed,
continuing rather than ending the story of Scudamour and Amoret.
Spenser also added a new stanza at the beginning of Book I, Canto
xi, rewrote some single lines, and made sundry adjustments to
others. This process continued even as pages passed through the
press, so that there is variation from copy to copy, made more
complex by the mixing of sheets from different printings during
binding. No single copy of 1596 can therefore be said to be
definitive. 1596 does, however, have the advantage of Spenser's
personal supervision, and for this reason it is chosen as the
core of modern composite texts.
The third edition of _The Faerie Queene_ was published by Mathew
Lownes in 1609, ten years after Spenser's death. It is a folio
edition, and contains not only Books I-VI but also two cantos
"which, both for Forme and Matter, appeare to be parcell of some
following Booke of the Faerie Queene, vnder the Legend of
Constancie". This fragment comprises what are now called the
"Mutability Cantos".
The edition of 1609 is fundamentally a reprint of 1596. There is
reason to suspect that its editor was guided, at least in part,
by some authorial source which has now been lost: an annotated
copy of 1596, perhaps; or material found among the assorted
papers of the Mutability Cantos.
1609 is a conscientious edition which often achieves a higher
degree of consistency and intelligibility than 1596 itself,
although it is plain that a more modern hand than Spenser's is
responsible for many of its emendations: the punctuation, for
example, though often more logical, is blander than that of the
editions produced in Spenser's lifetime. Furthermore, the editor
of 1609 virtually ignores 1590, even though knowledge of that
text is often essential for filling in the gaps left by errors in
1596.
The editions of 1611 onwards throw little light on problems
raised by the three former editions.
A modern editor, then, must go to three different sources in
order to assemble a text which tries to do justice to Spenser's
original intention.
The copy-text for this edition is the facsimile published in 1976
by Scolar Press (see Bibliography).
THE FORM OF THE POEM
The basic unit of the poem is a verse or _stanza_ made up of nine
lines. This "Spenserian stanza", much imitated (for example, by
Byron), is Spenser's own invention. Typically, it consists of
eight pentameters and a final alexandrine. Lines are sometimes
short or long, on occasion perhaps through typographical error
(see for example II iii 26.9), but at other times for deliberate
effect (e.g. III iv 39.7, IV i 3).
The rhyming scheme is generally _ababbcbcc_, though this too is
subject to change, whether by authorial oversight or authorial
intention (e.g. II ii 7, VII vii 28).
The stanzas are not numbered in the original editions.
Between 30 and 87 stanzas comprise a _canto_ (Italian, "song"), a
term borrowed from Lodovico Ariosto, the Italian poet, whose work
influenced Spenser.
A canto is preceded by a four-line verse called an _argument_.
This summarizes what follows, often with particular emphasis on
its allegorical meaning. The metre of the argument is that of
the _Book of Common Prayer_.
Each complete book is introduced by a _proem_, a group of between
four and eleven stanzas preceding the argument of Canto i.
Twelve cantos comprise a _book_. Book VII is incomplete.
Spenser's stated plan was to write twelve books, one on each of
the twelve moral or private virtues; it is not known whether he
composed any more of _The Faerie Queene_ than has survived. _The
Faerie Queene_ was to have been followed by another epic poem of
twelve more books, one on each of the political or public
virtues. No trace of this work has ever been found.
THE SHADOW TEXT
The Shadow Text is intended as no more than a lowly companion to
the original. It makes no attempt to preserve metre or rhyme,
but renders a prosaic version, unifying the spelling in order to
make the meaning easier to understand.
I have altered the punctuation for the shadow version, though not
without trepidation. My aim has been to make crystal clear the
mechanical sense expressed by each stanza, but quite often this
is impossible. For one thing, the original pointing, rather than
being used strictly logically, may also influence the rhythm or
emphasis of the words when spoken (and _The Faerie Queene_ is a
poem which should be read aloud--although perhaps not in its
entirety!--to be fully appreciated). For another, the
functions of the punctuation marks themselves have undergone
change since Spenser's day. The semicolon, for example, is found
in _FQ_ introducing direct speech, where today a comma or a colon
would be used. Again, the comma is often required to carry long
parentheses, themselves sprinkled with commas; these passages can
become very confusing, especially where Spenser has also adopted
a contorted and latinistic word-order.
Then there are problems introduced by deliberately ambiguous
pointing. Spenser's immense command of the language, and his
quicksilver gift for wordplay and puns, allow him, when he
chooses, to pack great complexities of meaning into a line or
even a single word, and in this his punctuation is frequently his
accomplice.
A famous example comes right at the beginning of Book I:
But on his brest a bloudie Crosse he bore,
The deare remembrance of his dying Lord,
For whose sweete sake that glorious badge he wore,
And dead as liuing euer him ador'd:
Is the meaning of line 4: "dead, as living, ever him adored", or:
"dead, as living ever, him adored"? In fact, both meanings are
probably intended.
Thus it cannot be overemphasized that, where ambiguity is
occasioned by the punctuation of the original, the Shadow Text
can do no more than propose what seems to me the more or most
likely interpretation. Sometimes (as in the case cited above) I
suggest alternatives, but the pointing of the original poem
should always be given precedence in case of doubt.
The Glossary does not seek to interpret the poem. From time to
time it hints at what lies behind the bare words in order to aid
understanding, but its sole purpose is to make the _language_
more accessible to the modern reader. Interpretation is left to
the teacher, and to the large and growing body of criticism
devoted to _The Faerie Queene_.
THE NUMBERING SYSTEM
In the Glossary and Textual Appendix, references to parts of the
poem are given in the condensed form BCN.SN, where B = book
number (from 1 to 7), CN = canto number (from 01 to 12; canto 00
is the proem), and SN = stanza number (from 1 to a maximum of 87;
stanza 0 is the argument).
If a line within a stanza needs to be specified, it is preceded
by a colon. Ranges of cantos, stanzas, or lines are indicated by
a dash.
For example:
401.31 Book IV, Canto i, stanza 31
611.11:3 Book VI, Canto xi, stanza 11, line 3
503.2-9 Book V, Canto iii, stanzas 2 to 9
503-4 Book V, Cantos iii-iv
207.0 Book II, Canto vii, Argument
100.3 Book I, Proem, stanza 3
500.1:2-4 Book V, Proem, stanza 1, lines 2-4
In addition, a line of the Introductory Matter is specified by
its number, preceded by a colon and a capital "I". For example,
"I:123" refers to line 123 in the Introductory Matter.
HOW THE GLOSSARY WORKS
Entries relating to each line of Shadow Text are shown below that
line. In cases where a glossed word appears more than once in a
line, plus signs are used if necessary to highlight the
particular word being glossed. For example, in the line:
Till some end they find, +or+ in or out,
it is the first "or" which is glossed.
Editorial policy in the Glossary is as follows. Words which
appear in modern concise dictionaries and whose meanings are
unchanged are rarely glossed. The reader is expected to
understand words such as "quoth", "hither", and "aught" in their
_modern_ senses. Where an apparently modern form has a different
contextual meaning, it is glossed; and where the modern sense is
also to be understood, this is included in the definition.
Similar senses are grouped with commas; changes in sense are
indicated by semicolons. For example:
sad > heavy, heavily laden; sad
The commoner obsolete forms have been silently converted: "thee"
to "you", "dost" to "does", "mought" to "might", "whenas" to
"when", and so on. Others (generally speaking, those less common
words sufficiently distinct from their modern counterparts to
merit a separate entry in the _Shorter Oxford English
Dictionary_) have been unified to the spelling preferred by that
and its parent dictionary. This should allow the reader, during
very close scrutiny of any passage, quickly to find any of
Spenser's words in the _OED_.
All the Glossary entries are context-sensitive: Spenser often
uses the same word in several different ways. Thus no single
Glossary entry should be taken as generally definitive.
Types of entry
(a) Translations
An entry not enclosed in brackets should be read as a straight
translation of the quoted text which can be directly substituted
for it.
For example, in stanza 1 of the proem to Book I, line 1:
whilom > formerly
Line 1 can thus be understood to mean:
Lo I, the man whose Muse formerly did mask
Very often, additional meanings are given in such definitions:
weeds > clothes, garb
These additional meanings may complement one another, indicating
the hybrid sense which seems to be required, or they may
constitute a set of alternative meanings, any or all of which may
have been intended by Spenser. Each entry in any unbracketed
list may always be substituted for the original without
disturbing the syntax.
Similar senses are grouped with commas; changes in sense are
indicated with semicolons. For example:
gentle > noble; courteous, generous
In this case, an apparently modern form has a different
contextual meaning, and so it is glossed; and when the modern
sense is also to be understood, this is included in the
definition:
dull > dull, lacklustre; blunt
Where the contrast between alternatives is particularly great,
words are separated by _or_, _also_, etc.
Sometimes the meaning is forced or metaphorical. In these cases
the straight "dictionary" meaning of the word is given first, and
_hence_, _thus_, or _so_ are used to indicate contextual
departure from this. For example:
style > literary composition; _hence_: poem, song (cf. _SC_,
"Januarie", 10)
In this example, parenthesized editorial comment has also been
included.
Editorial comment in entries of this class is either enclosed in
round brackets, as above, or set in "italic" type, as in this
entry:
bale > torment; infliction of death; _also, mainly in northern
usage_: great consuming fire, funeral pyre; _hence,
perhaps_: hell-fire
A question-mark, as may be expected, indicates doubt, usually
about words which are not found in the _OED_ but whose meaning
might be inferred from the context. For example:
mill > ?mill-wheel; ?cogs of the mill (or because the sallow
grows by water)
(b) Definitions
An entry in curly brackets should be read as a dictionary
definition of the quoted text which cannot be directly fitted
into the syntax of the original line. For example:
scrine > {Casket or cabinet for archival papers}
(c) Notes
Entries in round brackets should be read as if they were
footnotes, typically giving background information or editorial
speculation. For example:
Muse > (The nine Muses are usually represented as the
daughters of Jupiter and Mnemosyne (Memory); each goddess
presides over an area of the arts and sciences and gives
inspiration to its practitioners)
and:
chief > chief, first; best (here Spenser is addressing either
Clio, the Muse of history, or Calliope, the Muse of epic
poetry; probably Clio. Clio is the first of the nine Muses
in Hesiod's _Theogony_, and is usually represented with an
open roll of paper or a chest of books. Spenser calls her
"thou eldest Sister of the crew" at _TM_ 53. See 111.5:6-
8, 303.4:6, 706.37:9, 707.1:1)
It should be added that on occasion the distinction between a
"note", requiring round brackets, and a "definition", requiring
curly brackets, is somewhat moot.
(d) Hints and expansions
Entries in square brackets are hints or expansions to make the
quoted text more intelligible, and can be thought of as being
preceded by the qualifications "that is", "in other words", or
"what Spenser appears to mean is". For example:
in his help > [to help him; in his armoury]
Such entries can be mentally substituted for the quoted word or
phrase in order to aid comprehension.
Sometimes square brackets are employed in other sorts of
definitions to indicate words which should be understood. For
example:
mask > {Disguise [herself]; take part in a masque or
masquerade}
and:
time > [her] term of apprenticeship
(e) Explanations of character-names
Most of the names of major characters in the poem have special
meanings. These are briefly explained as follows:
Archimago > "Arch Mage", "Arch Magician"
Sometimes there is a qualifying parenthesis giving information on
the etymology or adding comment:
Una > "One" (Latin; she is the sole Truth)
Character-names from the poem and from classical mythology are
typically explained once only, on their first occurrence. If you
encounter a name which is not defined, then it has appeared
somewhere before. The list of proper nouns will quickly help you
to find it.
THE TEXTUAL APPENDIX
A textual appendix, detailing actual or proposed departures from
the copy-text, is incorporated. The Textual Appendix records:
(a) obvious misprints;
(b) lections from 1590 or 1609 which seem preferable;
(c) lections from 1590 or 1609 which throw light on the spelling,
punctuation or sense of 1596;
(d) illuminating conjectures or suggestions made by Spenserian
scholars and editors.
The four main sources for the text are quoted as follows:
1590: the 1590 quarto edition (Books I-III)
1596: the 1596 quarto edition (Books I-VI)
1609: the 1609 folio edition (Books I-VII)
FE: the corrigenda (Faults Escaped in the Print) which accompany
1590 (Books I-III)
In the Textual Appendix, all original text is shown in "roman"
type, except where it occurs in italic type in the sources. All
editorial comment in the Textual Appendix is shown in "italic"
type.
Examples
(a) Departures from the text of 1596
Elfe > Elfe, _1596_
The lection from 1590 and 1609 is to be preferred, since 1596
(with an extraneous comma) appears to be in error.
sawe > saw _1596, 1609_
The lection from 1590 is to be preferred.
there > their _1590, 1596_
The lection from 1609 is to be preferred.
that > _omitted from 1596_
The word has been supplied from the lection of 1590 and 1609.
who > _omitted from 1596 and 1609_
The word has been supplied from 1590.
has > _omitted from 1590 and 1596_
The word has been supplied from 1609.
wite > wote _1590 etc.; this correction is generally agreed_.
All three editions contain a blatant error, which has been
corrected by editorial conjecture.
those > these _1590 etc.: FE_
All three editions are in error and the word has been supplied
from FE.
Harrow > Horrow _1590, 1596: FE_
The error occurs in 1590 and 1596, and was corrected in 1609 from
FE.
(b) Variants on the text of 1596
in her sight > to her might _1590_
The variant occurs in 1590, but not in 1596 or 1609.
traile > trayle _1609_
The variant occurs in 1609, but not in 1590 or 1596.
fair > fayre, _1590_; Faire _1609_
These two variants occur in 1590 and 1609, so that the word in
question is different in all three editions.
hand > hond _sugg. Morris_
Morris (see Bibliography) suggested this alternative to the given
text.
So that any reader will be able to start anywhere and understand
any stanza immediately, I have glossed even the common archaisms
throughout (e.g. "gan", "eftsoons", "wont"). Occasionally,
however, as with "squire", or "palmer", or "foster", when
repetitious glossing would be locally irritating, I have glossed
the word once or twice only at the beginning of each canto. Thus
it is possible that you will alight somewhere and find an unknown
word unglossed.
If this should happen, you will almost certainly be able to find
the word glossed in at least one other place earlier in the
canto. Or, if it is does not seem to be glossed at all, you will
find it in any competent concise English dictionary.
SUGGESTIONS FOR NEW READERS
Readers who are new to _The Faerie Queene_ and who are working
without the help of a teacher may be daunted by its sheer size.
Such readers are invited to sample some of the poem before
deciding to embark on a detailed reading.
If you are at present unfamiliar with Elizabethan spelling and
usage, I recommend that, in the beginning, you read each stanza
first in the Shadow Text, just to get the mechanical meaning.
Then go to the original and read that, for its structure, for its
rhythm and its music, and to absorb the idiom of the language.
After a short while you will be able to read the Original Text
immediately, referring to the Shadow Text only when difficulty is
encountered.
The following passages provide a brief survey of the variety of
Spenser's style.
101. The sequence in Error's den (101.11-27) is perhaps the most
crudely allegorical in the _FQ_, and shows signs of having been
drafted before Spenser hit upon his "dark conceit". None the
less, the whole of this canto should be read as an introduction
to the poem. Stanzas 39-41 are especially beautiful.
102.15-19. The first of many titanic battles between armed
knights.
103.0-9. Una finds her champion in the gentle lion.
104.17-36. Spenser's rendition of the Seven Deadly Sins is
grotesquely medieval in tone.
105.19-28. The goddess Night prepares to descend into hell. The
quality of Spenser's imagination defeats what may have been his
original intention to produce a pastiche here. For example, the
choice of the word "tarre" at 105.28:8 evinces artistry of the
highest order.
107.1-7. The Redcross Knight brought low. You are challenged
not to want to continue reading this canto!
107.38-41. Prince Arthur's "goodly reason, and well guided
speach".
108.45-50. The spoiling of Duessa.
109.35-54. The counsel of Despair. The central stanzas are
often quoted out of context; 109.40 was raided by Joseph Conrad
for his epitaph.
111.8-55. The Redcross Knight slays the dragon.
112.9-11. Spenser's sense of humour, at its most savage in Book
III, here shows a gentler face.
204.16-32. The confession of Phedon. Spenser's handling of this
old story is both vivid and economical.
205.28-34. Cymochles in the Bower of Bliss. The sensuousness of
the poet's imagination is still, unbelievably, developing, and
has yet further to go.
207. Mammon's cave. One of Milton's favourite cantos. The
word-picture of Mammon himself (207.3-4) is quite superb.
210.7-11. The long chronicle of Britain, often dismissed as
tedious, nevertheless contains many striking images. See the
potted _King Lear_ at 210.27-32.
212.30-33. Guyon tempted by the mermaids. The whole of this
canto is recommended to the new reader; see especially 212.42-45,
212.58-82.
301.20-30. Britomart rescues the Redcross Knight.
302.17-27. Britomart falls for Arthegall.
304.17 is one of the most graphic stanzas in the _FQ_.
Cymodoce's grief, 304.29-39, is wonderfully portrayed.
305.41-48. Timias's love for Belphoebe.
308.0-19. The Snowy Florimell. This is just a specimen: cantos
308-310 are mercilessly funny.
311.47-49. The image of Cupid, quite different in conception
from Venus's "little sonne" of 306.11 ff.
312.1-27. The Masque of Cupid.
If your interest has been now been aroused, I suggest you read
the Letter to Raleigh before venturing on your journey through
the landscape of _The Faerie Queene_.
You will find there a spacious playground for the mind. Its
knights and ladies, dragons and satyrs, forests and castles, seem
at first to be those of fantasy. Yet the _FQ_ is by no means an
exercise in escapism. Even incomplete, it triumphantly succeeds
in Spenser's declared intention of fashioning a "noble person in
vertuous and gentle discipline".
=> ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE GLOSSARY AND TEXTUAL APPENDIX
adj. adjective, adjectival, adjectivally
adv. adverb, adverbial, adverbially
_Aen._ _Aeneid_ (Virgil)
app. apparently
BC before Christ
c. circa, about
catachr. catachresis, catachrestic, catachrestically
_CC_ _Colin Clouts Come Home Againe_ (Spenser)
cf. compare
_Col._ _Colossians_
conj. conjectured by
corr. corrected by
_Dan._ _Daniel_
_DGDG_ _De Genealogia Deorum Gentilium_ (Boccaccio)
_Deut._ _Deuteronomy_
dub. dubitative, dubitatively
_Eccl._ _Ecclesiastes_
_Ephes._ _Ephesians_
erron. erroneous, erroneously
esp. especial, especially
_et seq_. and the following words, passages
euphem. euphemism, euphemistic, euphemistically
_Exod._ _Exodus_
_Ezek._ _Ezekiel_
ff. following, _et. seq._
fig. figurative, figuratively
fl. floruit (indicating the period during which a
person "flourished"
_FQ_ _The Faerie Queene_
_Gal._ _Galatians_
_Gen._ _Genesis_
_GL_ _Gerusalemme Liberata_ (Tasso)
_Heb._ _Hebrews_
_Hos._ _Hosea_
_HRB_ _Historia Regum Britanniae_ (Geoffrey of Monmouth)
_Hubberd_ _Mother Hubberds Tale_ (Spenser)
intr. intransitive, intransitively
_Isa._ _Isaiah_
_Josh._ _Joshua_
_Judg._ _Judges_
lit. literal, literally
_LR_ Spenser's letter to Raleigh (see Introductory Matter)
_Matt._ _Matthew_
_Met._ _Metamorphoses_ (Ovid)
_Myth._ _Mythologiae_ (Comes)
_Odes_ _Odes_ (Ovid)
OE Old English
_OED_ _Oxford English Dictionary_, 1989 edition
_OF_ _Orlando Furioso_ (Ariosto)
OFr Old French
_PL_ _Paradise Lost_ (Milton)
ppl. past participle
prep. preposition, prepositional, prepositionally
_Ps._ _Psalms_
refl. reflexive, reflexively
_Rev._ _Revelation_
_Rinaldo_ _Rinaldo_ (Tasso)
_Rom._ _Romans_
_RR_ _Ruines of Rome_ (Spenser)
sb. substantive, substantival, substantivally
_SC_ _The Shepheardes Calender_ (Spenser)
_Song Sol._ _Song of Solomon_
sp., spp. species
SU sense unique (i.e. this sense is found only here)
SUFQ sense unique to _FQ_
sugg. suggested by
SUS sense unique to Spenser
_TM_ _Teares of the Muses_ (Spenser)
trans. transitive, transitively
usu. usually
Var. the variorum edition of Spenser's works (see
Bibliography)
vb. verb
WU word unique (i.e. this word is found only here)
WUFQ word unique to _FQ_
WUS word unique to Spenser
=> PROPER NOUNS
The proper nouns in Books I-III (excluding the Introductory
Matter) are catalogued here. The spellings given are those used
in the Shadow Text. If the proper noun is glossed, reference to
the stanza or stanzas containing the glossary entry or entries is
given; otherwise, the stanza where the proper noun first occurs
is noted.
The list has been extended to include characters who are not
actually named. Entries for such characters begin with a lower-
case letter. For example, Una's dwarf is listed as: dwarf
[Una's].
The categories are as follows:
masculine character in history (i.e. a real person)
feminine character in history
neuter or animal character in history
masculine character in mythology
feminine character in mythology
neuter or animal character in mythology
masculine character in Bible
feminine character in Bible
masculine character unique to FQ
feminine character unique to FQ
neuter or animal character unique to FQ
personification in FQ (e.g. Wrath, Despair)
personification in general use (e.g. Nature, Time)
real place
locus in mythology
locus in Bible
locus in FQ
tribes, nations, peoples, or individuals of these (e.g.
Briton)
not classified
any historical character or real place
M> any character or locus in mythology
B> any character or locus in the Bible
Q> any locus, character, or personification unique to _FQ_
Abessa 103.18
Abus 210.16
Acheron 105.33
Achilles I:330, 302.25
Acontius 207.55
Acrasia (Pleasure) 201.51, 301.2
Acrates 204.41
Adam 210.50
Admetus 311.39
Adonis 301.34, 306.0
Adrian Gulf [Adriatic Sea] 207.14
Aegean 307.26
Aegeria 210.42
Aegina 311.35
Aeneas I:83
Aeolus (1) 107.9
Aeolus (2) 311.42
Aesculapius 105.36
African Ismael 303.6
Aganippus 210.29
Agdistes (Genius) 212.48
Aidan [Adin] 303.37
Alba [Alba Longa]
Albanact 210.14
Albania 210.29
Albion (1) 210.6
Albion (2) 210.11
Alcides (Hercules) 107.17
Alcluith 210.63
Alcmene 311.33
Aldebaran 103.16
Alexander 209.45
Allectus 210.57
Allen [the Bog of Allen, in Ireland] 209.16
Alma (Temperance) 209.0
Amarant 306.45
Amavia 201.0
Amazon 200.2
Ambition 207.46
Ambrosius 210.67
Amendment 110.26
America 210.72
Amintas 306.45
Ammon 105.48
Amoret 306.0
Amphisa 306.4
Anamnestes 209.58
Anchises 309.41
Androgeus 210.46
angel [watching over Guyon] 208.3
Angela 303.56
Anger 312.25
Angles 303.56
Annoyance 304.55
Antiochus 105.47
Antiope 311.35
Antiquity of Faery Land 209.60
Antonius 105.49
Apollo 105.43, 304.41
Appetite 209.28
Arabia 105.4
Arachne 207.28
Archimago (Hypocrisy) 101.43, 304.45
Argante 307.47
Argo 212.44
Argus 104.17, 309.7
armed knight [Sir Ferraugh] 308.15
Armorica 303.41
Arne 311.42
Arras 301.34
Artegall 209.6, 302.0
Arthgallo 210.44
Arthur 107.0
Arviragus 210.51
Asclepiodotus 210.50
Asia 309.39
Assaracus 209.56
Asteria 311.34
Atalanta 207.54
Ate 207.55
Athens 210.25
Atin 204.42
Atlas 207.54
Augustine 303.35
Aurelius 210.67
Aurora 104.16, 310.1
Avarice 104.27
Ave 103.13
Ave Maria 101.35
Avernus 105.31
Aveugle 105.23
Babel 209.21
Babylon 105.47
Bacchante 301.45
Bacchus (Lyaeus) 106.15
Bangor 303.35
Barry 303.8
Basciante 301.45
Bath (Caer-badus) 111.30
beadmen 110.36
Belinus 210.40
Belphoebe 203.0
Biblis 302.41
Bisaltis 311.41
Bladud 303.60
Boadicea 210.54
Boreas 102.33
Bower of Bliss 201.51
Braggadocchio 203.0
Brennus 210.40
Britain 110.65
Britomart 301.0
Briton 111.7
Briton Moniments 209.59
Britoness 301.58
Brocmail [Brockwell] 303.35
Brunchild 210.24
Brutus 210.9
Busirane 311.0
Cadmus 209.45
Cador 303.27
Caduceus 212.41
Cadwallader 303.40
Cadwalla [Cadwallin] 303.36
Cadwan 303.35
Caecily 210.34
Caelia 110.4
Caer-badus (Bath) 210.26
Caer-lion 210.25
Caer-merdin (Maridunum) 303.7
Caer-verulam [St Albans] 303.52
Caesar [Gaius Julius Caesar] 105.49
Calidore 308.28
Camber 210.14
Cambria 210.29
Camilla 304.2
Cantium (Canutium, Kent) 210.12
Canute 210.11
Canutium (Cantium, Kent)
Carados 303.55
Carausius 210.57
Care 101.40; ?another? at 312.25
Careticus 303.33
Carlisle 210.25
Caspian 207.14
Cassibellaun 210.47
Cassiopeia 103.16
Castle Joyeous 301.20
Celeno 207.23
Celtic mainland 210.5
Celtica 210.29
Centaur 210.29
Cephissus 302.44
Cephisus 111.30
Cerberus 105.34
Ceres 301.51
Change 312.25
Chanticleer 102.1
Chaos 306.36
Charissa 110.4
Christ (Saviour, Redeemer) 210.53
Christianity 210.53
Christians 108.36
Chrysogone 306.4
Church 303.34
Claribella 204.26
Claudius 210.51
Cleopatra 105.50
Cleopolis 107.46
Clio 304.4
Clymene 311.38
Cnidus 306.29
Cocytus 101.37
Coel 210.58
Coillus 210.53
Colchester 210.58
Columbell 307.51
Concoction 209.31
Constantine (1) 210.60
Constantine (2) 303.29
Constantius 210.59
Contemplation 110.46
Coradin 204.36
Corceca (Devotion) 103.18
Cordelia 210.28
Corineus 210.10
Cornewaile (Cornwall) 210.12
Coronis 311.37
Coulin 210.11
Covetise 105.46
Creusa 212.45
Critias 207.52
Croesus 105.47
Cruelty 312.19
Cunedagius 210.33
Cupid (Love) 110.30
Cybele 106.15
Cymbeline 210.50
Cymbrian plain 108.11
Cymochles 204.41
Cymodoce 304.19
Cynthia (Diana, Lucina, Phoebe) 101.39, 107.34, 300.4
Cynthus 203.31
Cyparissus 106.17
Cytherea (Venus, Dame Pleasure) 306.20
Cytheron 306.29
Dame Pleasure (Venus, Cytherea) 101.47
Danae 311.31
Danger 312.11
Danius 210.43
Daphne 212.52, 311.36
Day (Phoebus, Light) 302.48
Death 206.44
Debon 210.11
Deborah 304.2
Deceit 105.26
Dee 303.35
Dehenbarth (South Wales) 302.18
Dell 210.24
Delos 212.13
Demogorgon 105.22
Denmark 210.41
Desire 312.9
Despair 109.0
Despite 204.41
Deucalion 311.42
Devonshire 210.12
