The Political Allegory in " The Faerie Queene " i 5 



perance), and Elissa (Deficiency). He there meets the lovers of 

 the first and third. Sans Joy and Huddibras, and a conflict is 

 averted only by the prayers of Medina. If there is any political 

 allegory here, it is so slight that only a guess can be made. The 

 babe is made over to Medina. 



The third is a most interesting canto. While Guyon had been 

 busy with the babe, a vain braggart, Braggadocchio, had stolen his 

 horse and lance, and meeting with Trompart, a congenial soul, had 

 gone forth to show his finery to an admiring world. I am inclined 

 to agree with Upton and see in this a reference to Alengon, Anjou 

 as he was known after the first Duke of Anjou became Henry HI 

 of France, and Simier, and their courtship of Queen Elizabeth. 

 Guyon is embarrassed by their theft. Sussex was for a while 

 a warm advocate of the marriage, and by that step fell into some 

 political troubles. The whole story is told in Hume's Courtships 

 of Queen Elizabeth and need not be more than referred to here. 



Both Alencon and Simier were of course obstacles in the way 

 of Leicester. Indeed Leicester went so far as twice to hire des- 

 peradoes to murder Simier. And Simier retaliated by telling 

 Elizabeth of the Earl's marriage to the Countess of Essex, which 

 well nigh ruined the favorite politically. 



At this point Archimago appears on the scene and offers to get 

 for Braggadocchio Arthur's sword. That is, he promises to 

 undermine Leicester's influence at court. And both these things 

 are actually done. Leicester naturally did not desire the Alengon 

 match. But Sussex and Burleigh and others, who favored it, 

 came very near to bringing it about, and for a time Leicester's 

 influence was on the wane. Archimago, of course, was the strong 

 Catholic pressure that supported the match for conscientious 

 reasons, in order that the growing spirit of Protestantism might 

 be checked. The chief obstacle to the match was the strong 

 Puritan faction headed by Leicester (Arthur). 



The two now set forward and meet Belphoebe, whom Spenser 

 directly states in his prefatory note to be Queen Elizabeth. They 

 are at first terrified. But gradually Trompart comes to his senses 

 and begins a speech of marvelous compliment of the lady and 

 his lord. At this point, Braggadocchio appears on the scene from 



^73 



