help himself. Thus Prince Arthur and Gloriana are the unifying characters of the poem.

of The

Faerie Queene

The first book of the "Faerie Queene" is considered to be the best one. It tells the story of the Red Cross Knight, or Holiness, who, accompanied by the lady Una, or Truth, goes to rescue Una's parents, who have been imprisoned by a terrible dragon. On the way they meet with many perilous adventures. The First Book They first are overtaken by a fearful storm, and, seeking refuge in a shady grove near by, they lose their way in a labyrinth, and encounter the dragon, Error, in her den in the thickest woods. The knight, by means of his spiritual armor and weapons, is able to kill the monster, and he and the lady at last regain the highway. Not long afterward they encounter Archimago, or Hypocrisy, who, in the guise of a venerable hermit, beguiles them to his cell with the promise of rest and food. The old man is a wicked magician, who succeeds in weaving such a spell about the young knight, that he thinks his lady Truth, is false, and he therefore forsakes her. He goes on alone for some time, but finally falls in with a Saracen, who is accompanied by a seemingly beautiful lady. The Red Cross Knight overcomes the Saracen, whereupon the lady throws herself upon his protection. Her story is so plausible that the knight is deceived. She is, in reality, a very wicked witch, Duessa, or Falsehood, and she is the cause of all of his subsequent misfortunes. She leads him to the House of Pride, and, later, persuades him to remove his heavenly armor and to drink of an enchanted fountain. He at once loses his strength, and falls an easy prey to a terrible giant, who takes him captive.

In the meanwhile the lady Una, who is seeking everywhere for the Red Cross Knight, has various experiences. She is followed by a lion, which becomes her protector for a time; she encounters many perils, but escapes; and, at last, meets the dwarf, her own servant, who had become separated from her at the house of Archimago. From him she learns of the imprisonment of the Red Cross Knight. She despairs at first of being able to help him, but finally comes upon Prince Arthur, who, when he has heard her story, goes at once with her to the giant's stronghold, and rescues the knight. The Red Cross Knight is, at first, very despondent because of his failures and sinfulness in the past; but Una leads him to the House of Religion, where he is ministered to by the three daughters of the house, Faith, Hope, and Charity, until he recovers his strength.

He then is able to attack the fearful dragon, and, after a three days' fight, succeeds in rescuing Una's parents. The book properly ends with the marriage of the knight and his faithful Una.

In the "Faerie Queene" we are interested not only in the story, but in the historical and, especially, the spiritual allegories that the poet has woven into this poem. In the story of the Red Cross Knight and his battles, Spenser has given us the allegory of the human soul, which struggles against the temptations and sins of the world, until, through God's grace, at last it triumphs gloriously because it is able to maintain the fight to the end.

SUGGESTIONS TO STUDENTS

1. Read some of the pictures which Spenser has given and note the beauty and melody of the lines. The following are especially good: the description of the Red Cross Knight and Una, Canto I, stanzas 1-5; the house of Morpheus, stanzas 39-44; Una and the lion, Canto III, stanzas 4-6, 9; the house of Pride, Canto IV, stanzas 4-8. Also make a brief study of the life of Spenser, the man who wrote the "Faerie Queen."

2. Try to work out a little of Spenser's allegory. For instance, in the first few stanzas of Canto I (1-14), what is meant by the "mightie armes and silver shield" that the young knight has on? (See Ephesians VI. 13-17.) Why does the young knight have on an old armor? Why does the armor show many "dints of deep wounds"? What is meant by the steed's disdaining to yield to the curb? Why the cross on the knight's breast and shield? What is the dragon that he has started out to overcome? Who is the lady? Notice her attributes: humility, innocence, purity;-how shown? Why is she veiled? Why does she mourn? What does the dwarf stand for? What is meant by the storm? The labyrinth? Why is one path so much broader and easier to follow than the rest? Why is the monster's cave in the thickest part of the woods? What is the significance of the lady's warning the knight of danger? Account for the spirit of the knight here. Why does the monster hide in the darkest part of the cave? How is the knight able to see the monster? What is signified by the thousand young ones? Why of different shapes, yet all ill favored? This, perhaps, will be sufficient to give you an idea as to how the allegory is carried out.

Later Metrical Romances.-The best metrical romances of later English literature are Scott's "Lady of the Lake," "Marmion," and "Lay of the Last Minstrel"; Moore's "Lalla Rookh"; and Tennyson's "The Princess."1 Tennyson's "Idylls of the King" are on the border-land between the metrical romance and the great

1 Chaucer's "Knight's Tale" is really a metrical romance, although classed by him as a tale.

epic, being neither one nor the other wholly. They are romantic in spirit, but more like the great epic in general treatment.

SUGGESTIONS TO STUDENTS AND QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW

1. Read, if there is time, one of the above mentioned metrical romances that you have not read before, or apply what you have learned here about the metrical romance to those with which you are already familiar. 2. What is the force of the word "metrical"? Have you ever read a romance to which this term did not apply? 3. What differences did you note between an earlier metrical romance like "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," or "The Faerie Queene," and one of the more modern metrical romances? How do you account for these differences? 4. Which of these romances interested you more? 5. Prove that the modern romances belong to the general type. 6. Can you point out any distinctions as regards the hero of a romance and the hero of a great epic? In which case are you especially impressed by the man himself as an individual? 7. How do the women characters of a romance differ in importance in the story from those of a great epic? 8. In what other particulars do you find a marked difference between a metrical romance and a great epic? 9. Do you think you can recognize a metrical romance when you see one? How?

CHAPTER III

THE BALLAD

The Origin of the Ballad.-The true ballads are 'distinguished from all other narrative poems because they are the songs of the unlettered folk instead of the work of educated writers. Inasmuch as the people could neither read nor write, the ballads were told, or sung; and, as there was no fixed form, each teller changed or modified the details to suit himself. Thus there are many variations of the same story. For instance, there are twenty-seven different versions in English of the ballad of the "Twa Sisters," and it is still sung by peasants in the British Isles, who have received it from past generations by word of mouth.

Let us see if we can imagine the circumstances under which a ballad was first produced. Story-telling itself is as old as mankind because it arises from a social instinct lying deep in the human heart. The uneducated folk would have plenty of material out of which ballads could be made, since the whole community would. know and have a common interest in events of their own lives, stories of war, love, human wrongs, or adventures. It was customary in those old days for the people to gather together and dance upon the village green after the day's work was done. Moved by the rhythm of the dance, some leader among them, with keener imagination than the rest of the throng, might, on the spur of the moment, composing as he went along, put into verse some story known to them all. The people might join in a sort of refrain or chorus, or some other singer be inspired to make additions to the verses. Thus the song would be started. It would then become popular and be handed down by word of mouth from one generation to another. Women, especially, would sing these ballads to their children and their children's children.

Although the ballad form dates back to about the eleventh century, it is only since the seventeenth century that ballad collecting has been done to any extent. Educated people have gone among the peasants and taken down, word for word, the ballads as they

1 They are probably older than that, but none have been preserved of those of earlier date.