The Faerie Queene (127 page)

35 8
markewhite: bull's eye, centre of the target. roued: shot with arrows.

39 9
shope: shaped, framed.

40 8
kynded: begotten.

41 9
ah': also.

42 1
let: hindrance.

45 5
adaw'd: subdued, confused.

48 2
compasse: accomplish, complete.

52 3
warelesse: unaware.

53 6
affyde: entrusted.

54 7
lade: load.

C
ANTO
6

2 1
streightnesse: distress.

2 6
th'Adamantine: hard and durable.

3
ff Britomart's worries are modelled on Bradamante's for her love Ruggiero (OF 30.84 ff; 32.10 ff).

3 6
vtmost date: see IV.6.43.

4 4
traine: trap.

6 9
enuide: grew angry at.

8 6
Artegall his: Arthegall's; old form of possessive.

8 9
tidings somme: i.e., his entire message.

9 4–5
albe he wanted sence And sorrowes feeling: i.e., he had no capacity for human emotion. 9 5 conscience: consciousness. 12–14See
OF
32.35 ff.

12 8
twight: twit.

13 8
alew: wail; cf. ‘halloo', ‘hallew'.

13 9
singulfs: sobs; Spenser's usual spelling
ofsingult.

16 1
wellaway: alas.

16 2
the while: at this time.

16 7
things compacte: i.e., a compact.

17 1
at large to her dilate: i.e., to explain in full detail. 17 5 sore bestad: badly off, in trouble.

17 6
attone: at the same time.

18 6
felnesse: fierceness.

19 6
shot: advanced.

19 9
semblant: demeanour. 21 1 lust: liking, inclination. 21 7 gree: goodwill.

21 8
heauens reach: the expanse of heaven.

22 4
wide by: away to the.

23 9
betide her wele or wo: i.e., no matter what happened to her.

24 6
recomfortlesse: without comfort.

27 1
-2 Jesus at the Last Supper predicts to Peter: ‘Verily I say unto thee, that this night, before the cock crow thou shalt deny me thrice.' The fulfilment of the prophecy is told in Matthew 26.60 ff. Peter's denial of Jesus was interpreted as the sin of despair.

29 7
keight: caught.

32 1
Dolon:
Greek: ‘crafty'. Some commentators see in Dolon's attempts to kill Britomart the plots of the Catholics, particularly Philip II of Spain, to assassinate Queen Elizabeth. See Il 10.314 ff.

33 6
Guizor:
perhaps the ‘groome of evill guize', whom Arthegall kills at V.2.11. The house of Guise, an ally of Philip II, in 1583 planned to invade England with the forces of the Spanish king to assassinate Elizabeth. Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland, was related to the house of Guise through her mother. The Spanish wanted to kill Elizabeth to put the Catholic Mary on the throne. See canto 9.

35 9
kond: conned, knew. 36–40Imitated from
OF
35.38 ff.

36 4
mountenance of a flight: extent of an arrow flight. 36 7 SeeV.2.4fE

38 2
fared: went.

38 5
losels: rascals.

38 7
beuer: faceguard of helmet.

38 9
Censer: bowl in which incense is burned.

40 1
Leuin: lightning.

40 4
Engin: i.e., the lightning.

40 9
bestow: dispose of.

C
ANTO
7

2 3
lent: gave.

2 5
Osyris:
Spenser relied heavily on Plutarch's treatise
Isis and Osiris,
but he took considerable liberties with his source. Plutarch tells of Osiris' reputation as a defender of justice while he was King of Egypt and of bis' traditional association with equity. Further, Plutarch associates Osiris with the sun and Isis with the moon. Spenser probably also used Diodorus Siculus,
Bibliotheca
1.11 ff.

2 7
fayned colours: i.e., shadowing forth the truth by means of poetic fictions, the method of allegory.

3 4
Equity: see V.1.7 and note. In 4.7–9Spenser compares the relation of equity and justice to the relation of moon and sun, an identification made both by Plutarch and Diodorus Siculus.

3 9
to her part: by her side.

4 7–9
On the implications of the solar and lunar identifications, see Fowler,
Spenser and the Numbers of Time,
pp. 208-15.

5 4
dispred: overspread.

6 4
line: linen.

6 8–9
The snake with its tail in its mouth originates in the
Hieroglyphics
of Hotapollo and symbolizes the universe.

8 3
desining: indicating.

8 j-9
The practice of sleeping in temples to receive the advice of the god was known as
incubatio.

9-i i
Spenser's description of the priests of Isis is derived from Plutarch, who tells that they took vows of chastity and abstained from mutton, pork, certain fish, onions and wine
(Isis and Osiris,
2, 5, 6-8). For Jove's defeat of the Giants see note to III.7.47.4. Spenser makes little distinction between the Giants and the Titans. The combination of the stories of abstention from wine and the defeat of the Giants was probably suggested to Spenser because the Giants were imprisoned under the volcano Vesuvius and volcanic soil is very good for the cultivation of grapes. 10 2 Paraphrase of Genesis 9.4. 12 8 implie: contain (Latin:
implicate,
‘enfold').

17 8
Mas: not necessarily the Roman Catholic Mass. Gough in his edition of Book V points out that Spenser's use of
church
and
mass
can mean simply temple or religious ritual.

18 8
apayd: pleased. 20 8 adawed: terrified.

21–3
In the manner of one of Malory's helpful hermits the priest of Isis explains the meaning of Britomart's
visio
(stanzas 13-16), relating it to the prophecy of Merlin (III.3.26-30). 25 9 forth to hold: to march out. 27–34The fight of Britomart and Radigund imitates the fight of Bradamante and Marfisa (OF 36). 28 2 streight: strict. 28 4 Radigund's demands are told in V.4.30-32. Like Dolon in his encounter with Britomart (canto 6), Radigund thinks her a man (but see stanza 32).

28 7
bad them sound: i.e., bade them sound the trumpet to begin the fight.

29 2
faulchins: falchions, broad swords. smot: past tense of smite.

29 5
practicke: practised.

35 3
preace: press, crowd.

35 8
leach: doctor.

35 9
empeach: hinder.

38 6
tofore: before.

39 3
drent: drowned.

39 6
Ulysses spent ten years at Troy and took another ten years to return to Penelope.

39 7
fauours likelynesse: appearance of his face.

40
a May-game: during the May games a man was dressed in woman's domes and portrayed Maid Marian, the May Queen, in re-enactment of the Robin Hood story.

42 9
taring: instruction.

44 5
priefe: proof.

45 8
Lady thrall: Irena.

C
ANTO
8

2
The men named in this stanza were subdued by women: Samson (‘Iewish swaine') subjected himself to Delilah (Judges 16); Hercules (‘Oetean Knight'), who died on Mount Oeta, subjected himself to Omphale (cf. ArthegalTs subjection to Radigund); and Antony gave up die Roman Empire for the sake of Cleopatra. Cf.
GL
16.3 ff, in which the gates of Armida's palace are decorated with the stories of Hercules and Antony.

2 3
lemans: sweetheart's.

4 5
ouerhent: overtaken.

5 4
at bace: an allusion to the game of prisoner's base, in which the chaser is chased.

5 9
abide: wait.

69
let: prevent.

9 9
quooke: quaked.

12 5
Ventailes: lower movable pieces of helmets.

12 8
hew: appearance.

14 4
eath: easily.

15 3
hire: reward.

15 6
aduenture: chance.

17 1
Mercilla:
see headnote to V and canto 9. vse to: are accustomed to. 19 7 ray: faith.

19 8
pelfe: wealth.

20 3
Adicia:
Greek: ‘injustice.' Her husband, the Souldan (24.7), probably signifies Philip II or the Pope, depicted as espousing injustice. Elizabeth I had been excommunicated by the Pope, and to Roman Catholics it would have been a service to Christianity to kill her, but to Protestant Spenser this was the supreme espousal of injustice.

21 7
enterdeale: negotiation.

23
Samient's speech about the betrayal of Mercilla's ambassadors (16-23) may refer historically to the detention of Holland's ambassadors by Philip II. Hankins, p. 174, suggests that her name may signify ‘togetherness' (Dutch:
samen).

24 7
Souldan: see note to 20.3.

25 3
complot: plot, conspiracy.

26 2
Arthegall was clad in Pagan armour by Britomart (V.7.41).

27 4
doubt: worry, fear.

28 2
banning: blaspheming.

28 3
hookes: scythes attached to the chariot wheels. For classical and Biblical sources see
Vat.,
p. 226. 30 7 tortious: wicked; see headnote to Book V, for etymology of Grantorto. regiment: rule, reign.

31 1
Thracian
Tyrant: Diomedes, who fed his guests to his horses, was killed by Hercules
(Abides,
grandson of Alcaeus). See
Met.
9.194-6; Boccaccio,
Gen.
13.1.

32 1
child: knight, i.e., Arthegall.

34 6
th'ayrie wyde: the expanse of air.

34 8
curat: i.e., cuirass, armour for the upper torso.

34 9
enriuen: torn.

37–38
Spenser is imitating Ariosto's description of the unveiling ofRuggiero's shield in OP 10.107-10. 37 1 trast: traced. 37 7 vaile: Arthur unveils his magical shield, which was so successful in I.7.33–6(see notes). empeach: hinder (i.e., veil). 39 4 bannes: curses. 39 6 resty: restive.

39 9
forlore: lost.

40
Phaethon drove the chariot of his father Apollo, destroying it, himself) and almost the entire world
{Met.
2.48 ff). The Renaissance interpreted Phaethon's act as prideful arrogance. See Rene Graziani
(JWCI
27, 1964. 322-4) for the relation of the defeat of the Souldan to the
impresa
of Philip n.

40 3
Scorpion: the constellation Scorpio.

40 4
craples: grapples, claws.

40 7
th'euer-burning lampe: the sun.

41 2
infants: Arthur's; an infant is a youth of noble birth.

43 1
sonne of
Theseus:
Hippoliytus. He rejected the advances of his stepmother, Phaedra, who in anger accused him to his father of having tried to seduce her (
Met.
15.500 ff). See also Boccaccio,
Gen.
10.50.

46 4
mayden messengere: Samient. See stanzas 16 ff.

47 1
Ino:
driven mad by the jealous Juno, Ino drowned both herself and her infant son Melicerta. They were changed into the sea gods Leucothoe and Palaemon
(Met.
4.416-542).

47 3
Medea:
revengeful daughter of the king of Colchis and wife of Jason
(Met.
7.1 ff).

47
$ madding mother: Agave. She joined the female worshippers of Bacchus (Maenades) in tearing her son Pentheus apart
(Met.3.72s ff)

48 5
enfelon'd: made mad.

49 7
scath: harm.

49 9
surname: i.c, Adicia, injustice.

C
ANTO
9

1 4
mell: meddle. 3 2 late delight: i.e., his palace. 3 5 Damzell: Samient. 5–19Malengin's name is derived from the Old French:
malengin
,from the
Latin:
malum,
‘evil',
ingenium,
‘natural ability'. The argument to this canto calls him ‘Guyle'. His cave is like the den of Cacus
(Am.
8.190; Ovid,
Fasti
1.555-6). His net (stanzas 11, 14.) is like that of Caligorante (OP 15.44). His transformations (stanzas 17-19) are modelled on those of Proteus
(Od.
4.399 ff, Virgil,
Georgics
4.440 ff and
Met.
8.731-7). See also III.8.39-41. Gough
(Var.,
p. 233) suggests that he represents the guile of the Irish rebels who rejected British rule. 7 9 will one foot: i.e., will go one foot, hent: taken.

10 3
boot: booty, plunder.

12 6
Sardonian: i.e., sardonic. Upton
(Var.,
p. 235) points out that herbs in Sardinia caused the mouth to be contorted into an expression ‘between grinning and laughing. Hence when a person feigns a laugh, or laughs with his lips only… he is said to laugh a Sardonian laugh.'

14 1
intentiue: attentive.

14 5
mew: den.