4 Philo M. Buck, Jr. 



I am inclined to regard Archimago as Cardinal Pole or Bishop 

 Gardiner, both of whom were expelled from England in the reign 

 of Edward VI, but plotted ceaselessly for the return of England 

 to the ancient faith ; and on the accession of Mary guided the 

 Catholic policy of the Queen. At first I was inclined to regard 

 him as typifying the Jesuits who so unceasingly plotted the over- 

 throw of Elizabeth. This, however, is probable only in the later 

 books where the chief events of the reign of Elizabeth are 

 shadowed in the allegory. 



The Red-Cross Knight, now divorced from True Religion, 

 wanders aimlessly until he meets Sans Foy and Duessa.^ Sans 

 Foy is defeated and slain, and the victor takes Duessa as his com- 

 panion. The former (the faithless one) is the eldest of three 

 brothers, of whom the other two are Sans Loy (the lawless one), 

 and Sans Joy (the joyless one). Their father is old Aveungle 

 (the blind one). They seem to be historical characters — Sans 

 Foy suggests France,^" which was for a while under the faithless 

 Henry II, who we know made advances for an alliance with 

 Queen Mary (Duessa, as we shall see below). Sans Joy can 

 hardly be any other than the king of Spain, Philip II. Sans Loy, 

 the lawless one, as we shall see, may be the figure of the Duke of 

 Alva. Aveungle, the blind one, may stand for the Pope. The 

 alliance with France was broken oiT, and Mary came to be the 

 Queen of England. The jockeying of Philip of Spain and Henry 

 of France for an advantageous position on the accession of Mary 

 to the throne, and the final defeat of France are well shown by 

 Martin Hume.^^ 



* For sonie reason or other Spenser avoids any reference to the reign of 

 Edward VI and the protectorships of Somerset and Northumberland. 

 Perhaps the fate of these two protectors, and the fact that one of them was 

 the father of Leicester, made it a delicate subject for even an allegory. 

 In the list of British Kings in Book H, Canto xi both Edward and Mary 

 are excluded. 



" France was always regarded by the English as being utterly devoid of 

 faith, either in religion or policy. The Massacre of St. Bartholemew, 

 1572, did not restore English confidence in a French pledge. This was 

 the time of the Guises. 



" Two English Queens and PliU'ip, p. 41. 



162 



