The enimies of Temperaunce
besiege her dwelling place:
Prince Arthur them repelles, and fowle
Maleger doth deface.

-20-
Which suddeine horrour and confused cry,
When as their Captaine heard, in haste he yode,
The cause to weet, and fault to remedy;
Vpon a Tygre swift and fierce he rode,
That as the winde ran vnderneath his lode,
Whiles his long legs nigh raught vnto the ground;
Full large he was of limbe, and shoulders brode,
But of such subtile substance and vnsound,
That like a ghost he seem'd, whose graue-clothes were vnbound.

And in his hand a bended bow was seene,

Stanza 21 The bended bow of our villain can be traced to the bible verse Ps. 11.2 where it states that the wicked use the bows of sin to shoot at the hearts of the upright; the arrows are symbolic of sin. 5 ‘Indians in there quivers hide’ is a reference to the Tawny Indian race of the lower Niger.

And many arrowes vnder his right side,
All deadly daungerous, all cruell keene,
Headed with flint, and feathers bloudie dide,
Such as the Indians in their quiuers hide;
Those could he well direct and streight as line,
And bid them strike the marke, which he had eyde,
Ne was their salue, ne was their medicine,
That mote recure their wounds: so inly they did tine.

As pale and wan as ashes was his looke,

Stanza 22 This entire stanza abounds with the melancholic and the serpentine. In the humor/element relationships melancholy is paired with the earth and is betrothed to all things worldly, thus it is also associated with sinful behavior. The un-legged serpent, in addition to its close proximity with the earth, is also a long-standing symbol of sin and earthly obsessions. 5 and 9 Play on the word seemd.

His bodie leane and meagre as a rake,
And skin all withered like a dryed rooke,
Thereto as cold and drery as a Snake,
That seem'd to tremble euermore, and quake:
All in a canuas thin he was bedight,
And girded with a belt of twisted brake,
Vpon his head he wore an Helmet light,
Made of a dead mans skull, that seem'd a ghastly sight.

Maleger was his name, and after him,

Stanza 23 1 ‘Maleger was his name’ comes from the third book of Nincander’s ‘Metamorphosis’ where Meleager ensued in several battles. The name of his lame Hag ‘Impotence’ stems from the Latin phrase Impotia Nohardonalis which means appallingly disfigured woman who waddles swiftly for the shaft *see also Alstepho in room 214. The name of the other, more well-endowed, hag ‘Impatience’ stems from the Latin phrase Impatia Primashura Unloadenous which means, ‘one who, in times of great moral crisis, comes to a hasty intervention *see also Martinae in stall 7 (come early).

There follow'd fast at hand two wicked Hags,
With hoarie lockes all loose, and visage grim;
Their feet vnshod, their bodies wrapt in rags,
And both as swift on foot, as chased Stags;
And yet the one her other legge had lame,
Which with a staffe, all full of litle snags
She did support, and Impotence her name:
But th'other was Impatience, arm'd with raging flame.

Soone as the Carle from farre the Prince espyde,
Glistring in armes and warlike ornament,
His Beast he felly prickt on either syde,
And his mischieuous bow full readie bent,
With which at him a cruell shaft he sent:

Stanza 24 This entire stanza is an anagram split duplitiously with a caesura.

But he was warie, and it warded well
Vpon his shield, that it no further went,
But to the ground the idle quarrell fell:
Then he another and another did expell.

 

Stanza 25 1 mortall speare Arthur’s mighty weapon whose aim is the destruction of an adversary.

-25-
Which to preuent, the Prince his mortall speare
Soone to him raught, and fierce at him did ride,
To be auenged of that shot whyleare:
But he was not so hardie to abide
That bitter stownd, but turning quicke aside
His light-foot beast, fled fast away for feare:
Whom to pursue, the Infant after hide,
So fast as his good Courser could him beare,
But labour lost it was, to weene approch him neare.

Stanza 26 7 Tartars In the great schism of 1217 The Russians split from The Church because they didn’t believe that the Pope should be the middle-man to Jesus. Spenser draws a direct comparison between the fighting style of Maleger and the Tartars, in which they shoot their arrows from the tails of their animals while in flight. There is also room for a comparison on a grander scale in that Maleger as a creature of sin is a component of Satan’s plan to expand the borders of his kingdom by propagating sin throughout the world. Similarly the imperialistic tendencies possessed by the Tartars inspired them to increase their physical borders across the eastern hemisphere. This calls to mind a more recent attempt at border expansion though the area being so small and isolated, the specific location eludes me at present.

For as the winged wind his Tigre fled,
That vew of eye could scarse him ouertake,
Ne scarse his feet on ground were seene to tred;
Through hils and dales he speedie way did make,
Ne hedge ne ditch his readie passage brake,
And in his flight the villein turn'd his face,
(As wonts the Tartar by the Caspian lake,
When as the Russian him in fight does chace)
Vnto his Tygres taile, and shot at him apace.

Apace he shot, and yet he fled apace,
Still as the greedy knight nigh to him drew,
And oftentimes he would relent his pace,
That him his foe more fiercely should pursew:
Who when his vncouth manner he did vew,
He gan auize to follow him no more,
But keepe his standing, and his shaftes eschew,
Vntill he quite had spent his perlous store,

Stanza 27 8 Until “up till the time it got dark we danced with an old nurse named poor haggard” from Uptown Jimmies Lost Downfall 1519 ½.

And then assayle him fresh, ere he could shift for more.

But that lame Hag, still as abroad he strew
His wicked arrowes, gathered them againe,
And to him brought, fresh battell to renew:
Which he espying, cast her to restraine
From yielding succour to that cursed Swaine,
And her attaching, thought her hands to tye;
But soone as him dismounted on the plaine,
That other Hag did farre away espy
Binding her sister, she to him ran hastily.

Stanza 28 1 That lame hag is Impotence. 8 That other Hag is Impatience. In this stanza Impotence retrieves the arrows and Arthur pursues, hoping to slay her and keep Maleger from shooting arrows at him. All the while Impatience is trying to prevent Arthur from stopping Impotence. Maleger being the body of sin is related to Impotence who is the result of the sin and Impatience who is the act of the sin. So if a week body begets sin and sin begets a week body you have the relationship between Maleger, Impotence and Impatience. All the while Impotence is retrieving the arrows that Maleger shot as a result of him shooting them and Impatience is the act of sin trying to prevent Arthur from stopping the weak body, which in turn would stop the sin. It’s a trinity of the damned. 9 Binding her sister is Arthur tying up Impotence.

And catching hold of him, as downe he lent,
Him backward ouerthrew, and downe him stayd
With their rude hands and griesly graplement,
Till that the villein comming to their ayd,
Vpon him fell, and lode vpon him layd;
Full litle wanted, but he had him slaine,
And of the battell balefull end had made,
Had not his gentle Squire beheld his paine,
And commen to his reskew, ere his bitter bane.

 

Stanza 29 It is curious that the poet considered Arthur’s doom at hand had it not been for a courteous protection from the body of sin. My mind recalls some precedent for this idea in a book I’ve read. Though it’s title I have wholy forgotten.

-30-
So greatest and most glorious thing on ground
May often need the helpe of weaker hand;
So feeble is mans state, and life vnsound,
That in assurance it may neuer stand,
Till it dissolued be from earthly band.
Proofe be thou Prince, the prowest man aliue,
And noblest borne of all in Britayne land;
Yet thee fierce Fortune did so nearely driue,
That had not grace thee blest, thou shouldest not suruiue.

Stanza 30 5 earthly band earthly bound

The Squire arriuing, fiercely in his armes
Snatcht first the one, and then the other Iade,
His chiefest lets and authors of his harmes,

Stanza 31 3 lets encumberances.

And them perforce withheld with threatned blade,
Least that his Lord they should behind inuade;
The whiles the Prince prickt with reprochfull shame,
As one awakt out of long slombring shade,
Reuiuing thought of glorie and of fame,
Vnited all his powres to purge himselfe from blame.

Like as a fire, the which in hollow caue

Stanza 32 1 Like as fire i.e. Arthur’s rage.

Hath long bene vnderkept, and downe supprest,
With murmurous disdaine doth inly raue,
And grudge, in so streight prison to be prest,
At last breakes forth with furious vnrest,
And striues to mount vnto his natiue seat;
All that did earst it hinder and molest,
It now deuoures with flames and scorching heat,
And carries into smoake with rage and horror great.

So mightily the Briton Prince him rouzd
Out of his hold, and broke his caitiue bands,
And as a Beare whom angry curres haue touzd,

Stanza 33 3-6 And as a Bear an audacious yet appropriate metaphor. Spenser was a seasoned bearbaiter and as a young man was the Queen’s favorite. She would travel many miles to watch him perform.

Hauing off-shakt them, and escapt their hands,
Becomes more fell, and all that him withstands
Treads downe and ouerthrowes. Now had the Carle
Alighted from his Tigre, and his hands
Discharged of his bow and deadly quar'le,
To seize vpon his foe flat lying on the marle.

Which now him turnd to disauantage deare;

Stanza 34 After previously being described as an enraged volcanic flame and a sorely harassed bear, the magnificent knight is motivated by his rage. In an attempt to defeat sin this method will not prove victorious.

For neither can he fly, nor other harme,
But trust vnto his strength and manhood meare,
Sith now he is farre from his monstrous swarme,
And of his weapons did himselfe disarme.
The knight yet wrothfull for his late disgrace,
Fiercely aduaunst his valorous right arme,
And him so sore smote with his yron mace,
That groueling to the ground he fell, and fild his place.

Stanza 35 2 Labor eludes to the trials of Herakles, thus aiding readers in recalling the proper mythological history. 3 vp the villeine ouerthrowne Antaeus, son of Gai, fought Herakles on the way to his eleventh labor. This particular word choice alludes to the classical myth, of which this story is a transformation. Since Gai is the earth, just as Maleger is born of earthly lusts, whenever Antaeus touched the ground he was invincible and his strength renewed.

-35-
Well weened he, that field was then his owne,
And all his labour brought to happie end,
When suddein vp the villein ouerthrowne,
Out of his swowne arose, fresh to contend,
And gan himselfe to second battell bend,
As hurt he had not bene. Thereby there lay
An huge great stone, which stood vpon one end,
And had not bene remoued many a day;
Some land-marke seem'd to be, or signe of sundry way.

Stanza 36 4 beare again Spenser is alluding to his youthful days as carefree bearbaiter in the motherland. 6 faulcon fayre quite often Spenser refers to the falcon, being a predatorial creature. His long time companion Carle was his favorite falcon. Back in his bearbaiting days the falcon would help him in his bearbaiting expeditions. It was a lamentable day on the eve that he lost his faithful friend. This is a rare poem from the Carlenion Cantos, about which there is much debate amongst the great Spenserian scholars. There is wide speculation as to whether or not Spenser wrote these cantos or if perhaps it was his talented doppelganger at the time. The fire falcons of her lady’s land / Soaring high in Iove’s noble air / depart of the steady falconeer’s hand / too swift and high for the baited bear / how high he flies, how intricately he stears / to help blind the bear with vtmost tumult / whip him they wovld into a new fear / breaking free of the chain with dire resvlts / the Earl of Leicester’s falcon too wovld catapvlt

The same he snatcht, and with exceeding sway
Threw at his foe, who was right well aware
To shunne the engin of his meant decay;
It booted not to thinke that throw to beare,
But ground he gaue, and lightly leapt areare:
Eft fierce returning, as a Faulcon faire
That once hath failed of her souse full neare,
Remounts againe into the open aire,
And vnto better fortune doth her selfe prepaire.

So braue returning, with his brandisht blade,
He to the Carle himselfe againe addrest,
And strooke at him so sternely, that he made
An open passage through his riuen brest,
That halfe the steele behind his back did rest;
Which drawing backe, he looked euermore
When the hart bloud should gush out of his chest,

Stanza 37 In Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso, Griffin and Aquilant lay waste to the body of Orylo with their swords, but to no avail. Similarities and differences abound between these two particular episodes, which our author has most certainly read.

Or his dead corse should fall vpon the flore;
But his dead corse vpon the flore fell nathemore.

Ne drop of bloud appeared shed to bee,
All were the wounde so wide and wonderous,
That through his carkasse one might plainely see:
Halfe in a maze with horror hideous,

Stanza 38 2 W The use of alliteration with the letter W is intricately executed. Maleger being represented by the letter M, is repeatedly rendered on his back with his feet and arms to the heavens during this battle, thus, the letter W. 8 Spright i.e. soul. This term is more appropriate for a demon, such as Maleger.

And halfe in rage, to be deluded thus,
Againe through both the sides he strooke him quight,
That made his spright to grone full piteous:
Yet nathemore forth fled his groning spright,
But freshly as at first, prepard himselfe to fight.

Thereat he smitten was with great affright,
And trembling terror did his hart apall,

Stanza 39 As Stoll indicates, Spenser names four of the five forms of ghostly apparitions as understood in Spenser’s time: illusions magical, aerie spirits, ghosts in want of funeral and fiends raised by demonic machinations. The only ghosts omitted are those seen as a result of psychological disorders. This exclusion is deftly made by our poet. I hope you will agree with me shortly.

Ne wist he, what to thinke of that same sight,
Ne what to say, ne what to doe at all;
He doubted, least it were some magicall
Illusion, that did beguile his sense,
Or wandring ghost, that wanted funerall,
Or aerie spirit vnder false pretence,
Or hellish feend raysd vp through diuelish science.

-40-
His wonder farre exceeded reasons reach,
That he began to doubt his dazeled sight,

Stanza 40 This is quite a compounding riddle by our poet. It would seem that the answer could most certainly elude one up to their death.

And oft of error did himselfe appeach:
Flesh without bloud, a person without spright,
Wounds without hurt, a bodie without might,
That could doe harme, yet could not harmed bee,
That could not die, yet seem'd a mortall wight,
That was most strong in most infirmitee;
Like did he neuer heare, like did he neuer see.

A while he stood in this astonishment,
Yet would he not for all his great dismay

Stanza 41 This once again alludes to the wrestling match of Herakles and Antaeus.

Giue ouer to effect his first intent,
And th'vtmost meanes of victorie assay,
Or th'vtmost issew of his owne decay.
His owne good sword Morddure, that neuer fayld
At need, till now, he lightly threw away,
And his bright shield, that nought him now auayld,
And with his naked hands him forcibly assayld.

Twixt his two mightie armes him vp he snatcht,

Stanza 42 This stanza begins with an acronym on the first letters of the first words. Some would venture to say this acronym shrewdly implicates a certain countries meager inhabitants after their nightly festivities. 6 Lumpish corse vnto the senceless grownd is synonymous with the acronym.

And crusht his carkasse so against his brest,
That the disdainfull soule he thence dispatcht,
And th'idle breath all vtterly exprest:
Tho when he felt him dead, a downe he kest
The lumpish corse vnto the senselesse grownd;
Adowne he kest it with so puissant wrest,
That backe againe it did aloft rebownd,
And gaue against his mother earth a gronefull sownd.

Stanza 43 8 Carle This makes reference to Spenser’s greatest companion. As part of mine own inspiration / A friend to him this man was thare / A lascivious man with lamentation / retourning as a falcon fayre / oh how he missed this friendly stare / with gleaming eyes nastalgia past / made him feel yet not a care / vpon his heart he’ll euerlast / and miss his sweet, sweet carass.

As when Ioues harnesse-bearing Bird from hie
Stoupes at a flying heron with proud disdaine,
The stone-dead quarrey fals so forciblie,
That it rebounds against the lowly plaine,
A second fall redoubling backe againe.
Then thought the Prince all perill sure was past,
And that he victor onely did remaine;
No sooner thought, then that the Carle as fast
Gan heap huge strokes on him, as ere he downe was cast.

Stanza 44 3 Spenser changed “this” to “his” in 1590, which indicates that Arthur’s true enemy is a “shadow” within himself. The sin that fuels Maleger is truly combated on a spiritual level and not a physical one, indicating a psychomachia. Arthur must vanquish the “shadow” of his own sin: a task left to this highly-tested knight by our poet. And rightly so, as the sun is still too low upon the eastern horizon for Book II’s principle knight, thus rendering his shadow far too long.

Nigh his wits end then woxe th'amazed knight,
And thought his labour lost and trauell vaine,
Against this lifelesse shadow so to fight:
Yet life he saw, and felt his mightie maine,
That whiles he marueild still, did still him paine:
For thy he gan some other wayes aduize,
How to take life from that dead-liuing swaine,
Whom still he marked freshly to arize
From th'earth, & from her wombe new spirits to reprize.

 

Stanza 45 2 th’Earth his mother was his mother Ge is a direct correlation to Antaeus’s mother Gai. 4 to him restore like Antaeus, when Maleger touches the ground he is invincible.

-45-
He then remembred well, that had bene sayd,
How th'Earth his mother was, and first him bore;

Stanza 46 The only way to defeat the embodiment of sin is through the grace of God, thus Arthur’s consistent struggle. In this stanza Arthur defeats Maleger by taking him from his mother, Ge, the Earth, and heaving him into a lake. This is representative of his internal struggle and his ineptitude to defeat him with his own brute strength. He defeats him with the grace of God in a manner reminiscent of baptism. John the Baptist merited his name by means similar to this, the defeat of sin through baptism, representative of the grace of God. John the Baptist was eventually slain by King Herod through means of decapitation, much like Orylo.

She eke so often, as his life decayd,
Did life with vsury to him restore,
And raysd him vp much stronger then before,
So soone as he vnto her wombe did fall;
Therefore to ground he would him cast no more,
Ne him commit to graue terrestriall,
But beare him farre from hope of succour vsuall.

Tho vp he caught him twixt his puissant hands,
And hauing scruzd out of his carrion corse
The lothfull life, now loosd from sinfull bands,

Stanza 45-46 The similarities between these stanzas and the myth of Herakles and Antaeus are evident. Also Ariosto’s episode of Orylo vs Griffin and Aquilant is recalled. Griffin and Aquilant were unable to vanquish there opponent with force. Astolfo, having remembrance of the secret to Orylo’s power, strikes off the villains head and rides away with it so that he may chop of all of Orylos hair and in doing so severe the single strand of hair that is the key to Orylos mortality. This story of superhuman power contained within one’s hair has a precedent undoubtedly familiar to our poet. The story of Samson and Delilah is quite synonymous with that of Ariosto. Samson the leader of Israel was the most powerful man of the time, and he led his people to conquer the Philistines with the grace of God, which was endowed to him through his hair. The Philistine Delilah was sent to him to find out his secret. After much manipulation she tricked him into trusting her and giving up the secret of his divine power. The Philistines then had no trouble capturing him, because of his willingness to give up the grace of God to prove his love for this vile succubus. While the Philistines where in the rafters of the coliseum Samson asked to be tied to the columns so that he could rest his back whilst they watched him perish. He then asked God for his grace one last time to defeat the Philistines, and it was granted. He pushed the pillars over and killed more Philistines than he had ever killed and in the process ended his own life. The many allusions in this canto dilate from the one true womb of literary relevance with regard to this canto: the first Meleager from Nicander’s ‘Metamorphoses.’ Meleager was a mighty warmonger whose life was bound into a single brand by the Fates and given to his Siren mother. When he displeased her on one of his crusades she burned it, thus destroying him.

Vpon his shoulders carried him perforse
Aboue three furlongs, taking his full course,
Vntill he came vnto a standing lake;
Him thereinto he threw without remorse,
Ne stird, till hope of life did him forsake;
So end of that Carles dayes, and his owne paines did make.

Which when those wicked Hags from farre did spy,
Like two mad dogs they ran about the lands,
And th'one of them with dreadfull yelling cry,
Throwing away her broken chaines and bands,
And hauing quencht her burning fier brands,
Hedlong her selfe did cast into that lake;
But Impotence with her owne wilfull hands,
One of Malegers cursed darts did take,
So riu'd her trembling hart, and wicked end did make.

Thus now alone he conquerour remaines;
Tho comming to his Squire, that kept his steed,
Thought to haue mounted, but his feeble vaines
Him faild thereto, and serued not his need,
Through losse of bloud, which from his wounds did bleed,
That he began to faint, and life decay:
But his good Squire him helping vp with speed,
With stedfast hand vpon his horse did stay,
And led him to the Castle by the beaten way.

Where many Groomes and Squiers readie were,

Stanza 47 Once Maleger is destroyed the two Hags vanquish themselves, as their particular means of existence apparently cannot continue without him. The raging sin of Impatience is washed away in the same waters of grace that took Maleger. Impotence, after the death of Maleger and earthly lusts, loses her source of strength and most ‘infirmitee.’

To take him from his steed full tenderly,
And eke the fairest Alma met him there
With balme and wine and costly spicery,
To comfort him in his infirmity;
Eftsoones she causd him vp to be conuayd,
And of his armes despoyled easily,
In sumptuous bed she made him to be layd,
And all the while his wounds were dressing, by him stayd.

Stanza 48 Arthur, in a swoon after the battle with Maleger, requires the attendance of his good Sqyre Timias. In like manner Jesus also required help from the Angels after his psychomachia battle with Satan. Jesus defeated Satan with the grace of God after his forty day fast. In every trial he was divinely victorious. 5 through losse of blood, which from his wounds did bleed Arthur’s encompassment of all knightly virtues makes him magnificent, or a prefiguration of Christ. The previous quote comes from the stanza after the psychomachia battle against original sin and the allusion to the temptation of Jesus, thus implying Arthur’s receipt of stigmata.