Edmund Spenser hoped that his epic, The Faerie Queene, would earn him favor with Elizabeth I and restore his reputation at court. To that end, he sought the support of Sir Walter Ralegh, one of the queen's favorites and a fellow man of letter. In his letter to Ralegh, Spenser sketches out the whole ambitious scope of his project, which (alas) he was not able to complete. Still, the letter helps readers sort through the layers of religious, moral, and historical allegory, and anchor all of them in Spenser's several (and not always harmonious) purposes for writing.
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.
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 lieftenaunt of the County of
Cornewayll.
Sir knowing how
doubtfully all Allegories may be construed, and this booke of mine, which I
have entituled the Faery Queene, being a continued Allegory, or darke conceit,
I haue thought good aswell for auoyding of gealous opinions and
misco[n]structions, as also for your better light in reading thereof, (being so
by you commanded) to discouer vnto you the general intention and meaning, which
in the whole course thereof I haue fashioned, without expressing of any
particular purposes or by accidents therein occasioned.
The generall end
therefore of all the booke is to fashion a gentleman or noble person in
vertuous and gentle discipline: Which for that I conceiued shoulde be most
plausible and pleasing, being coloured with an historicall fiction, the which
the most part of men delight to read, rather for variety of matter, then for
profite of the ensample: I chose the historye of king Arthure, as most fitte
for the excellency of his person being made famous by many mens former workes,
and also furthest from the daunger of enuy, and suspition of present time. In
which I haue followed all the antique Poets historicall [...].
By ensample of which excellente Poets, I labour to
pourtraict in Arthure, before he was king, the image of a braue knight,
perfected in the twelue morall vertues, as Aristotle hath deuised, the which is
the purpose of these first twelue bookes: which if I finde to be well accepted,
I may be perhaps encoraged, to frame the other part of polliticke vertues in
his person, after that hee came to be king.
To some I know this Methode will
seeme displeasaunt, which had rather haue good discipline deliuered plainly in
way of precepts, or sermoned at large, as they vse, then thus clowdily enrapped
in Allegoricall deuises. But such, me seeme, should be satisfide with the vse
of these dayes seeing all things accounted by their showes, and nothing
esteemed of, that is not delightfull and pleasing to commune sence. [...]
So haue I laboured to doe in the person of Arthure: whome I conceiue
after his long education by Timon, to whome he was by Merlin deliuered to be
brought vp, so soone as he was borne of the Lady Igrayne, to haue seene in a
dream or vision the Faery Queen, with whose excellent beauty rauished, he
awaking resolued to seeke her out, and so being by Merlin armed, and by Timon
throughly instructed, he went to seeke her forth in Faerye land.
In that Faery
Queene I meane glory in my generall intention, but in my particular I conceiue
the most excellent and glorious person of our soueraine the Queene, and her
kingdome in Faery land. And yet in some places els I do otherwise shadow her. [...]
So in the person of Prince Arthure I sette forth magnificence in particular,
which vertue for that (according to Aristotle and the rest) it is the
perfection of all the rest, and conteineth in it them all, therefore in the
whole course I mention the deedes of Arthure applyable to that vertue, which I
write of in that booke. But of the xii. other vertues, I make xii. other
knights the patrones, for the more variety of the history. Of which these three
bookes contayn three. The first of the knight of the Redcrosse, in whome I
express Holynes. [...]
The beginning therefore of my history, if it were to be told
by an Historiographer should be the twelfth booke, which is the last, where I
deuise that the Faery Queene kept her Annuall feaste xii. dayes, vppon which
xii. seuerall dayes, the occasions of the xii. seuerall aduentures, hapned,
which being vndertaken by xii. seuerall knights, are in these xii. books
seuerally handled and discoursed.
The first was this. In the beginning of the
feast, there presented himselfe a tall clownish younge man, who falling before
the Queen of Faries desired a boone (as the manner then was) which during that
feast she might not refuse: which was that hee might haue the atchieument of
any aduenture, which during that feaste should happen: that being graunted, he
rested him on the floore, vnfitte through his rusticity for a better place. Soone 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 vp 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 vpstarting, 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 he could not succeed in that enterprise, which being
forthwith put upon him with dewe furnitures 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 beginneth the first booke [...].
[...]
Thus much Sir, I haue briefly ouerronne to direct your
vnderstanding 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 towardes me, and th'eternall
establishment of your happines, I humbly take leaue.
23 Ianuary, 1589.
Yours most humbly affectionate
Ed. Spenser.
Ed. Spenser.
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