Season 4 Podcast 116 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 4, Episode 10 “The Seven Deadly Sins.”

Season 4 Podcast 116 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 4, Episode 10 “The Seven Deadly Sins.” Duessa is at home in the house of pride; however, the goodly Red Cross Knight sees only vanity.Goodly they all that knight do entertain,Right glad with him to have increased their crew:But to Duess' each one himself did pay All kindness and faire courtesy to shew;For in that court while her well they knew:Yet the stout Faerie amongst the middest crowdThought all their glory vain in knightly view,And that great Princess too exceeding proud, That to strange knight no better countenance allowed.Lucifera who overlooks the crowd suddenly rises up and calls for her coach. Everyone stops and looks with admiration at Lucifera for they see the imposter as a great queen. The Seven Deadly Sins—sloth, gluttony, lust, greed, envy, and wrath—are often pitted against the Seven Cardinal Virtues—chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, and humility. What artists have done in painting the Seven Deadly Sins, Spenser has done in vivid poetic imagery: Lucifera, wife of Lucifer, symbolizing pride accompanied by Duessa, duplicity, leads the parade, her carriage pulled by peacocks. She is followed by Sloth riding on a mule; Gluttony riding on a swine; Lust riding on a goat; Greed riding on a camel; Envy riding on a wolf; And Wrath riding on a lion. The animals fit the sin. Driving the parade is Satan with a long whip in his hand. They parade through the streets of the House of Pride cheered on by thousands of admirers. The entire scene represents the world and the natural man.   Sudden uprises from her stately placeThe royal Dame, and for her coach did call:All hurtled forth, and she with Princely pace,As faire Aurora in her purple pall, Out of the east the dawning day doth call:So forth she comes: her brightness broad doth blaze;The heaps of people thronging in the hall,Do ride each other, upon her to gaze:Her glorious glittering light doth all men’s eyes amaze.Lucifera climbs upon her coach adorned with flowers. Her coach is drawn by peacocks symbolizing her glorious vanity. So forth she comes, and to her coach does clyme,Adorned all with gold, and garlands gay,That seemed as fresh as Flora in her prime,And strove to match, in royal rich array,Great Junos golden chair, the which they say The Gods stand gazing on, when she does rideTo Jove’s high house through heavens brass-paved wayDrawn of faire Peacocks, that excel in pride,And full of Argus eyes their tails dispreading wide.The Six other deadly sins are her counselors. They ride on unequal beasts that symbolize their sins. Immediately behind PRIDE is IDLENESS who rides on a slothful mule. Spenser calls IDLENESS the “nurse of sin.” It is the synonym for SLOTH. But this was drawn of six unequal beasts, On which her six sage Counselors did ride,Taught to obey their bestial behest’s,With like conditions to their kinds applied:Of which the first, that all the rest did guide,Was sluggish Idleness the nurse of sin; Upon a slothful Asse he chose to ride,Arrayed in habit black, and amis thin,Like to an holy Monk, the service to begin.Idleness dressed like a monk carries the holy scriptures with him but doesn’t read them. Idleness though he appears sanctimonious is a hypocrite and does not care for religion. He sleeps most of the time.And in his hand his Portesse still he bare,That much was worn, but therein little read,