Season 4 Podcast 191 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 11 Pt III Episode 35 “The Well of Living Water.”

Season 4 Podcast 191 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 11 Pt III Episode 35 “The Well of Living Water.” In last week’s episode, we see a close-up of the fiery dragon. His eyes burn like fire. His scales are like steel and could not be pierced with ordinary weapons. His tail was over three football fields long. His wide wings were like the sails of a ship. Badly wounded the dragon cries in anguish. Fire shot from his mouth deep from the furnace of his vast belly. The Redcross Knight was astonished at the fierceness of the dragon’s cries. The heat was so intense however that it singed even the Redcross Knight’s face and even burned his body through his armor. He could not endure such pain and considered taking off his armor and his helmet. This of course represents the torment of hell which is compared to a lake of fire and brimstone. Then full of griefe and anguish vehement, He lowdly brayd, that like was never heard, And from his wide devouring oven sent A flake of fire, that, flashing in his beard, Him all amazd, and almost made affeard: The scorching flame sore swinged all his face, And through his armour all his body seard, That he could not endure so cruell cace, But thought his armes to leave, and helmet to unlace. His armor burned like the poisoned garment of Hercules that burned the flesh from his body. The Redcross Knight felt the sorrows of ten thousand such sufferings from his fiery steel which before protected him but now caused him tremendous harm. Not that great Champion of the antique world, Whom famous Poetes verse so much doth vaunt, And hath for twelve huge labours high extold, So many furies and sharpe fits did haunt, When him the poysond garment did enchaunt, With Centaures bloud and bloudie verses charm'd; As did this knight twelve thousand dolours daunt, Whom fyrie steele now burnt, that earst him arm'd, That erst him goodly arm'd, now most of all him harm'd. The Redcross Knight was tired and sore and embroiled in grief from heat, toil, wounds, and fire such that no other man had felt. He felt that he would be better off dead, but death never comes when needed though he often desired it. He was disheartened just by looking at the dragon. The dragon decided to end the battle and grant him not one more breath. With a mighty stroke he knocked the Redcross Knight to the ground. Faint, wearie, sore, emboyled, grieved, brent With heat, toyle, wounds, armes, smart, and inward fire, That never man such mischiefes did torment; Death better were, death did he oft desire, But death will never come, when needes require. Whom so dismayd when that his foe beheld, He cast to suffer him no more respire, But gan his sturdy sterne about to weld, And him so strongly stroke, that to the ground him feld. Fortunately, unknowingly to the Knight, behind where he stood was a gushing well that from ancient times rushed forth a silver flood, full of great virtues and effective medicine. The Knight discovered it before the cursed dragon defiled it with the blood of innocent souls. It was nothing less than the Well of Life which the Redcross Knight in his anguish had forgotten. It is, of course, none other than that which is offered by Christ Himself when at the well he offered living waters to the woman of Samaria. As we read in John 4: “Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”