Matter
Books I-III
Printer's Contractions
Bibliography
Biographical Material

The start of each of these is marked with the string "=>"

=> THE FAERIE QUEENE

Editor's Introduction

Acknowledgements
Purpose of the edition
The text of the poem
The form of the poem
The numbering system
How the Glossary works
The Textual Appendix
Suggestions for new readers

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

No endeavour of this kind would be possible without the work of
previous editors and critics, and I offer thanks to all who
have advanced our understanding of Spenser and his work. In
particular the scholarship of Professor A. C. Hamilton has
provided much enlightenment: his commentary (see Bibliography) is
required reading for those who would explore the secret meanings
of _The Faerie Queene_. To the compilers and publishers of the
monumental _Oxford English Dictionary_ I am deeply indebted. I
wish also to acknowledge the assistance of the staff of the
British Library, who kindly allowed me to consult copies of the
original editions.

PURPOSE OF THE EDITION

When reading a book such as _The Faerie Queene_, it is tempting
to minimize the looking up of difficult words, which are often
glossed, if at all, in the end pages. Although Spenser's use of
certain words appears quaint and lumpish, the language is
superficially modern enough to enable the reader to "get by".
Yet such an approach can lead only to a faulty appreciation of
the poem, and deprives one of much enchantment. Queen Elizabeth
would have found nothing lumpish about the language: her only
impatience might have been with Spenser's weakness for archaisms.
To her, the _FQ_ will have revealed Spenser's exact and liberal
style in all its glory: his words almost always make perfect
sense.

The purpose of this edition is to make the language of the poem
readily accessible. Interruptions to consult separate
dictionaries and so on are eliminated, preserving as far as
possible the flow of reading and accelerating one's apprehension
of the poem.

The sustained power and scope of Spenser's master-work, of his
"sacred fury", comprise a feat unsurpassed in English literature.
But, by its very nature, language changes with time, and access
to S