I. The Plot: In this and the following canto
the adventures of the Redcross Knight are continued
from Canto II. Guided by Duessa, he enters the
House of Pride. There he sees Lucifera, the Queen
of Pride, attended by her sinful court. Her six
Counselors are described in detail, with an account
of a pleasure trip taken by the Queen and her court.
Sansjoy unexpectedly arrives and challenges the Knight
to mortal combat for the shield of Sansfoy. That
night Duessa holds a secret conference with the Saracen
knight.
II. The Allegory: 1. The Christian Soldier,
under the influence of false ideals (Duessa), is exposed
to the temptations of the Seven Deadly Sins, chief
among which is Pride. In the midst of these sinful
pleasures, he is assailed by Joylessness, on whose
side is Falsehood secretly.
2. The religious and political allegory is here
vague and somewhat discontinuous. There is a
hint, however, of the attempts of Mary Queen of Scots
to bring England back to Romanism. The pride and
corruption of the false church and its clergy are
set forth. There is also a suggestion of the
perilous position of the English in Ireland.
20. OF EACH DEGREE AND PLACE, of every rank and
order of society.
21. HAVING SCAPED HARD, having escaped with difficulty.
24. LAZARS. Leprosy was a common disease
in England even as late as the sixteenth century.
49. MALVENU, ill-come, as opposed to Bienvenu,
welcome.
73. LIKE PHOEBUS FAIREST CHILDE, Phaethon, the
son of Helios. He was killed by a thunderbolt
from the hand of Zeus, as a result of his reckless
driving of the chariot of the sun.
86. A DREADFULL DRAGON, Fallen Pride.
94. This genealogy of Pride is invented by the
poet in accord with the Christian doctrine concerning
this sin.
107. SIX WIZARDS OLD, the remaining six of the
Seven Deadly Sins, Wrath, Envy, Lechery, Gluttony,
Avarice, and Idleness. See Chaucer’s Parson’s
Tale for a sermon on these mortal sins, Gower’s
Dance of the Seven Deadly Sins, and Laugland’s
Piers Plowman.
145. COCHE. Spenser imitates Ovid and Homer
in this description of Juno’s chariot.
The peacock was sacred to the goddess, who transferred
to its tail the hundred eyes of the monster Argus.
See Ovid’s Metamorphoses, i, 625 seq.
157. WITH LIKE CONDITIONS, etc. The
behests were of a kind similar to the nature of the
six Sins.
174. HE CHALENGED ESSOYNE, he claimed exemption.
185. LIKE A CRANE. This refers to Aristotle’s
story of a man who wished that his neck were as long
as a crane’s, that he might the longer enjoy
the swallowing of his food. Nic. Ethics,
iii, 13.
205. A DRY DROPSIE, a dropsy causing thirst.
236. UPON A CAMELL, etc. The reference
is to a story in Herodotus’ History (iii,
102 seq.), in which the Indians are described
as carrying off on camels gold dust hoarded by enormous
ants.
