S I i r knowing how doubtfully all Alle-gories may be construed, and this booke of mine, which I haue have entitu-led the Faery Queene, being a con-tinued Allegory, or darke conceit, I haue have thought good aswell for auoy-ding avoy-ding of gealous opinions and miscõ-structions, miscon-structions, as also for your better light in reading therof, (being so by you cõmanded commanded ,) to discouer discover vnto unto you the general intention & and meaning, which in the whole course thereof I haue have 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 conceived shoulde be most plausible and pleasing, being coloured with an histo-ricall fiction, the which the most part of men delight to read, rather for variety of matter, 1590.back.Letter.13. then: than then than 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 592 with former workes, and also furthest from the daunger of enuyenvy, and suspition of present time. In which I haue have followed all the antique Poets historicall, first Homere, who in the Per-sons of Agamemnon and Vlysses Ulysses hath ensampled a good go-uernour go-vernour and a vertuous man, the one in his Ilias, the other in his Odysseis: then Virgil, whose like intention was to doe in the person of Aeneas: after him Ariosto comprised them both in his Orlando: and lately Tasso disseuered dissevered them a-gaine, and formed both parts in two persons, namely that part which they in Philosophy call Ethice, or vertues of a priuate private man, coloured in his Rinaldo: The other named Politice in his Godfredo. By ensample of which excellente Poets, I labour to pourtraict in Arthure, before he was king, the image of a braue brave knight, perfected in the twelue twelve priuate private morall vertues, as Aristotle hath deuised devised , the which is the purpose of these first twelue twelve 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 displea-saunt, which had rather haue have good discipline deliuered delivered plain-ly in way of precepts, or sermoned at large, as they vse use , 1590.back.Letter.32. then: than then than thus clowdily enwrapped in Allegoricall deuises devises . But such, me seeme, should be satisfide with the vse use of these dayes, seeing all things accounted by their showes, and nothing esteemed of, that is not delightfull and pleasing to commune sence. For this cause is Xenophon preferred before Plato, for that the one in the exquisite depth of his iudgement judgement , formed a Commune welth such as it should be, but the other in the person of Cyrus and the Persians fashioned a gouernement governement such as might best be: So much more profitable and grati-ous is doctrine by ensample, 1590.back.Letter.40. then: than then than by rule. So haue have I laboured to doe in the person of Arthure: whome I conceiue conceive after his long education by Timon, to whom he was by Merlin deli-uered deli-vered to be brought vp up , so soone as he was borne of the Lady Igrayne, to haue have seene in a dream or vision the Faery Queen, 593 Pp2 pher with whose excellent beauty rauished ravished , he awaking resolued resolved 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 conceive the most excellent and glorious person of our soueraine soveraine the Queene, and her kingdome in Faery land. And yet in some places els, I doe otherwise shadow her. For considering she beareth two per-sons, the one of a most royall Queene or Empresse, the other of a most vertuous and beautifull Lady, this latter part in some places I doe express ezpresse in Belphœbe, fashioning her name according to your owne excellent conceipt of Cynthia, (Phæ-be and Cynthia being both names of Diana). Diana.) So in the person of Prince Arthure I sette forth magnificence in parti-cular, 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 app’yable to that vertue, which I write of in that booke. But of the xii. other vertues, I make xii. other knight 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 expresse Holynes: The seconde of Sir Guyon, in whome I sette forth Temperaunce: The third of Britomartis a Lady knight, in whome I picture Cha-stity. But because the beginning of the whole worke see-meth abrupte and as depending vpon upon other antecedents, it needs that ye know the occasion of these three knights seuerall severall aduentures adventures . For the Methode of a Poet historical is not such, as of an Historiographer. For an Historiographer dis-courseth of affayres orderly as they were donne, accounting as well the times as the actions, but a Poet thrusteth into the middest, euen even where it most concerneth him, and there re-coursing to the thinges forepaste, and diuining divining of thinges to come, maketh a pleasing Analysis of all. The beginning therefore of my history, if it were to be told by an Historiogra-594Thepher should be the twelfth booke which is the last, where I deuise devise that the Faery Queene kept her Annuall feaste xii. dayes, vppon uppon which xii. seuerall severall dayes, the occasions of the xii. seuerall severall aduentures adventures hapned, which being vndertaken undertaken by xii. seuerall severall knights, are in these xii books seuerally severally han-dled and discoursed. The first was this. In the beginning of the feast, there presented him selfe a tall clownishe 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 have the atchieuement of any aduenture adventure , which during that feaste should happen, that being graunted, he rested him on the floore, vnfitte unfitte 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 up in a brasen Ca-stle, who thence suffred them not to yssew: and therefore be-sought the Faery Queene to assygne her some one of her knights to take on him that exployt. Presently that clownish person vpstarting upstarting , desired that aduenture adventure : 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 unlesse that armour which she brought, would serue serve 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 vpon 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 adventure : where beginneth the first booke, vz.

A gentle knight was pricking on the playne. &c etc .

595 Pp3 A The second day ther came in a Palmer bearing an Infant with bloody hands, whose Parents he complained to haue have bene slayn by an Enchaunteresse called Acrasia: and therfore cra-ued cra-ved of the Faery Queene, to appoint him some knight, to per-forme that aduenture adventure , which being assigned to Sir Guyon, he presently went forth with that same Palmer: which is the beginning of the second booke and the whole subiect subject thereof. The third day there came in, a Groome who complained be-fore the Faery Queene, that a vile Enchaunter called Busi-rane had in hand a most faire Lady called Amoretta, whom he kept in most grieuous grievous torment, because she would not yield him the pleasure of her body. Whereupon Sir Scudamour the louer lover of that Lady presently tooke on him that aduenture adventure . But being vnable unable to performe it by reason of the hard En-chauntments, after long sorrow, in the end met with Brito-martis, who succoured him, and reskewed his loue love .

But by occasion hereof, many other aduentures adventures are inter-medled, but rather as Accidents, then intendments. As the loue love of Britomart, the ouerthrow overthrow of Marinell, the misery of Florimell, the vertuousnes of Belphœbe, the lasciuiousnes lasciviousnes of Hellenora, and many the like.

Thus much Sir, I haue have briefly ouerronne overronne to direct your vn-derstanding un-derstanding 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 craving the conti-nuaunce of your honorable fauour favour towards me, and th’eter-nall establishment of your happines, I humbly take leaue leave .