The Poetical Works of - OUDL Home

SPENSER IN LONDON (1579-80) xxi
has been lost For of all the poems mentioned to Harvey, Eptthalamion
Thamests alone is spoken of as an attempt at the new ' English versifying',
and had others been written in this manner they would surely have been
the subject of Harvey's enthusiastic comment Spenser's interest in the
movement did not check his more natural poetic utterance, and while
he acted as arbiter between the theories of Harvey and the London
Areopagus, and threw off a few verses as absurdly unmusical as theirs, he
only accepted their man contentions ' against his better judgment, not
deceiv'd ' His interjected query, ' why, a God's name may we not have
the kingdom of our language ?' expressed for Spenser the vital truth1
upon the whole matter
But full as the time was of strenuous and varied poetic activity, the more
worldly and practical side of Spenser had now the upper hand Poetry
was a noble pastime, even a vocation, but for a gentleman it was not
a profession All it could do for him would be to bring his talents to the
notice of those who were in the position to better his fortunes In the
service of the great Leicester, on terms of easy intercourse with Sidney
and Dyer, received in audience of the queen, and enjoying some at least
of the pleasures of court life, he seemed to be on the threshold of a brilliant
public career He was under no delusions as to the sordid aspects of the
world in which he found himself, he saw much about him that was
degenerate, and even now he contrasted it with that nobler society which
he imagined in the past 2 But he was ready enough to make the best
of things as he found them, and with all the energy of his ardent nature
he threw himself into the new life that was opening out before him The
success he had already won seemed to justify his ambitions, and to urge
him on to bolder action Whiles the iron ls hote it is good striking and
mindes ofNobles varie as their Estates he writes to" Harvey (October 1 579).
and the whole tone of his letter expresses the mood of one who thinks
less of poetry for its own sake than for the effect it is calculated to produce
upon his fortunes He hesitates about the publication of the Shepheardes
Calender then ready to appear, and withholds other poems, ' least by
over-much cloying their noble cares, I should gather a contempt of myself,
or else seeme rather for game and commoditie to doe it, for some sweetenesse
that I have already tasted' He is about to go overseas for his
1 Vide Letter to Harvey, p 612
2 Spenser's belief in a golden age need not be taken literally, but there can be no
doubt that his criticisms of the shortcomings of his own time were intensely sincere
He was always acutely sensitive to the unlovely, both in things external and things
of the spirit , and they often weighed heavy upon his mind and found forcible
utterance both in his letters and poems The more practical Harvey continually
criticized his friend's uncompromising idealism A long letter from Harvey about
this time (quoted Grosart, Life of Spenser, pp 74-5), in answer to one from Spenser
that is lost, rates him for it Cf also Harvey's criticism of Mother Hubberds Tale
(quoted p xxIII), and the words put into the mouth of Hobbinol in Colin Clouts Come
Home Agatne ( 731-48)