thure, as moft fitte for the excellency of his perfon, being made famous by many mens former workes, and alfo furtheft from the daunger of enuy, and fufpition of prefent time. In which I haue followed all the antique poets hiftoricall; firft Homere, who in the perfons of Agamemnon and Ulyffes hath enfampled a good gouernour and a vertuous man, the one in his Ilias, the other in his Odyffeis; then Virgil, whofe like intention was to doe in the perfon of Æneas; after him Ariofto comprised them both in his Orlando; and lately Taffo diffeuered them again, and formed both parts in two perfons, namely that part which they in philofophy call Ethice, or vertues of a private man, coloured in his Rinaldo; the other named Politice in his Godfredo. By enfample of which excellente poets, I labour to pourtraict in Arthure, before he was king, the image of a braue Knight, perfected in the twelue priuate Morall Vertues, as Ariftotle hath deuifed; the which is the purpose of thefe firft 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 perfon, after that hee came to be king. To fome I know this methode will feem difpleafaunt, which had rather haue good difcipline deliuered plainly in way of precepts, or fermoned at large, as they ufe, then thus clowdily enwrapped in allegorical deuifes. But fuch, me feeme, fhould be fatisfide with the ufe of thefe days, feeing all things accounted by their fhowes, and nothing efteemed of, that is not delightfull and pleafing to commune fence. For this caufe is Xenophon preferred before Plato, for that the one, in the exquifite depth of his iudgement, formed a commune-" welth, fuch as it fhould be; but the other in the perfon of Cyrus, and the Perfians, fafhioned a gouernment, fuch as might best be: fo much more

per

profitable and gratious is doctrine by enfample, then by rule, So haue I laboured to do in the fon of Arthure: whom I conceiue, after his long education by Timon, to whom he was by Merlin deliuered to be brought up, fo foone as he was borne of the Lady Igrayne, to haue feene in a dream or vifion the Faery Queene, with whofe excellent beauty rauifhed, he awaking refolued to feeke her out; and fo being by Merlin armed, and by Timon throughly inftructed, he went to feeke her forth in Faerye land. In that Faery Queene I meane Glory in my generall intention, but in my particular I conceiue the moft excellent and glo rious perfon of our foueraine the Queene, and her kingdom in Faery Land. And yet, in fome places els, I do otherwife fhadow her. For confidering the beareth two perfons, the one of a moft royal Queene or Empreffe, the other of a moft vertuous and beautifull Lady, this latter part in fome places I doe exprefs in Belphoebe, fashioning her name according to your owne excellent conceipt of Cynthia: Phoebe and Cynthia being both names of Diana. So in the perfon of Prince Arthure I fette forth Magnificence in particular; which Vertue, for that (according to Ariftotle and the reft) it is the perfection of all the reft, and conteineth in it them all, therefore in the whole courfe I mention the deeds 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 hiftory: Of which these three Bookes contayn three.

The firft of the Knight of the Redcroffe, in whom I expreffe Holynes: The feconde of Sir Guyon, in whome I fette forth Temperaunce: The third of Britomartis a Lady Knight, in whome I picture Chastity. But, because the beginning of the

whole Worke feemeth abrupte and as depending upon other antecedents, it needs that ye know the occafion of these three Knights feuerall Aduentures. For the methode of a poet historical is not fuch, as of an hiftoriographer. For an hiftoriographer difcourfeth of affayres orderly as they were donne, accounting as well the times as the actions; but a poet thrusteth into the middeft, euen where it most concerneth him, and there recourfing to the thinges forepafte, and diuining of thinges to come, maketh a pleafing analysis of all.

The beginning therefore of my History, if it were to be told by an hiftoriographer fhould be the twelfth Booke, which is the laft; where I deuife that the Faery Queene kept her annual feafte xii. days; uppon which xii. feverall dayes, the occafions of the xii. feuerall Aduentures hapned, which, being undertaken by xii. feuerall Knights, are in thefe xii. Books feuerally handled and difcourfed. The firft was this. In the beginning of the feaft, there prefented himselfe a tall clownishe younge man, who falling before the Queene of Faries defired a boone (as the manner then was) which during that feaft the might not refufe; which was that hee might haue the atchiuement of any Aduenture, which during that feafte fhould happen. That being graunted, he rested him on the floore, unfitte through his rufticity for a better place. Soone after entred a faire Ladye in mourning weedes, riding on a white affe, with a Dwarfe behind her leading a warlike steed, that bore the arms of a Knight, and his fpeare 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 fhut up in a brafen Caftle, who thence fuffred them not to yffew: and therefore befought the Faerie Queene to affygne her fome one

of her Knights to take on him that exployt. Prefently that clownish perfon, upstarting, defired that Adventure: whereat the Queene much wondering, and the Lady much gainefaying, yet he earneftly importuned his defire. In the end the Lady told him, that unleffe that armour which the brought, would ferue him (that is, the armour of a Chriftian man specified by St. Paul, v. Ephef.) that he could not fucceed in that enterprise: which being forthwith put upon him with dew furnitures thereunto, he feemed the goodlieft man in al that company, and was well liked of the Lady. And eftefoones taking on him knighthood, and mounting on that ftraunge courfer, he went forth with her on that Adventure: where beginneth the first Booke, viz.

A gentle Knight was pricking on the playne. &c.

The second day there came in a Palmer bearing an Infant with bloody hands, whofe parents he complained to have bene slayn by an Enchauntreffe called Acrafia: and therefore craved of the Faery Queene, to appoint him fome Knight to performe that Adventure; which being affigned to Sir Guyon, he presently went forth with that fame Palmer: which is the beginning of the fecond Booke, and the whole fubiect thereof. The third day there came in a Groome, who complained before the Faery Queene, that a vile Enchaunter, called Bufirane, had in hand a most faire Lady, called Amoretta, whom he kept in moft grievous torment, becaufe fhe would not yield him the pleasure of her body. Whereupon Sir Scudamour, the lover of that Lady, prefently tooke on him that Adventure. But being unable to performe it by reason of the hard enchauntments, after long forrow, in the end met with Britomartis, who fuccoured him, and reskewed his Love.

.

But, by occafion hereof, many other Adventures are intermedled; but rather as accidents then intendments: as the Love of Britomart, the Overthrow of Marinell, the Mifery of Florimell, the Vertuoufnes of Belphoebe, the Lafcivioufnes of Hellenora; and many the like.

Thus much, Sir, I have briefly overronne to direct your understanding to the wel-head of the Hiftory; that, from thence gathering the whole intention of the conceit, ye may as in a handful gripe al the difcourfe, which otherwife may happily feem tedious and confufed. So, humbly craving the continuance of your honourable favour towards me, and th' eternall eftablifhment of your happines, I humbly take leave.

23. Ianuary 1589.

Yours moft humbly affectionate,

Ed. Spenfer.