s,
to make himself intelligible and interesting; and it is not easy to be
interesting, unless the parts of the story are in their place.

The defect seems to have come upon Spenser when it was too late to
remedy it in the construction of his poem; and he adopted the somewhat
clumsy expedient of telling us what the poem itself ought to have told
us of its general story, in a letter to Sir Walter Ralegh. Ralegh
himself, indeed, suggested the letter: apparently (from the date, Jan.
23, 1590), after the first part had gone through the press. And without
this after-thought, as the twelfth book was never reached, we should
have been left to gather the outline and plan of the story, from
imperfect glimpses and allusions, as we have to fill up from hints and
assumptions the gaps of an unskilful narrator, who leaves out what is
essential to the understanding of his tale.

Incidentally, however, this letter is an advantage: for we have in it
the poet's own statement of his purpose in writing, as well as a
necessary sketch of his story. His allegory, as he had explained to
Bryskett and his friends, had a moral purpose. He meant to shadow forth,
under the figures of twelve knights, and in their various exploits, the
characteristics of "a gentleman or noble person," "fashioned in virtuous
and gentle discipline." He took his machinery from the popular legends
about King Arthur, and his heads of moral philosophy from the current
Aristotelian catalogue of the Schools.

Sir, knowing how doubtfully all Allegories may be construed,
and this booke of mine, which I have entituled the Faery
Queene, being a continued Allegory, or darke conceit, I haue
thought good, as well for avoyding of gealous opinions and
misconstructions, as also for your better light in reading
thereof, (being so by you commanded,) to discover unto you the
general intention and meaning, which in the whole course
thereof I have fashioned, without expressing of any particular
purposes, or by accidents, therein occasioned. The generall
end therefore of all the booke is to fashion a gentleman or
noble person in vertuous and gentle discipline: Which for that
I conceived shoulde be most plausible and pleasing, being
coloured with an historicall fiction, the which the most part
of men delight to read, rather for variety of matter then for
profite of the ensample, I chose the historye of King Arthure,