Notes 55–6 consists of a fragmentary commentary on Spenser’s Mutabilitie Cantoes, with no clues as to date. Along with other miscellaneous, unrelated typescripts, it resides in the NFF, 1992, box 28, file 3d. Throughout this particular typescript, “M.” stands for Mutability. Spenser’s publisher claimed that the Mutabilitie Cantoes were a fragment of a seventh book of The Faerie Queene, so all references to particular lines should be assumed to be from such.
[1] Mutability is the daughter of Titan, and evidently one of the Titanesses (this word seems to be Spenser’s coinage) given power again by Jove after the original defeat of the Titans. Hecate and Bellona are the other two, so M. is associated with Hecate.
[2] M. is said to be the original perverter of Nature, destroying the original model world, “And death for life exchanged foolishly” [canto 6, stanza. 6, 1. 4]—cf. the later inclusion of Life and Death in her exhibit. She’s quite explicitly the Classical equivalent of Satan here.
[3] Unlike Milton, Spenser apparently accepts a sphere of fire, so that’s the limit of M.’s range—again anticipation of later parade. Cynthia is the upper earth-mother, more or less—identifying M. with Hecate would have made it incestuous. Cynthia’s throne is “Drawn of two steeds, th’one black, the other white” [canto 6, stanza. 9, 1.2]—more anticipation. M. wants the “kingdom of the Night” [canto 6, stanza. 10, 1. 9]. Could be a political allegory of the monstrous regiment against Elizabeth, at least dimly.
[4] Result of M.’s thrusting in is something like an eclipse of the moon, and Mercury (the next planet, only the evening star is said to be Cynthia’s page, so there’s not complete consistency) runs to Jove to convey the message. Reference to earthly magicians that could “with charms or Magic her molest” [canto 6, stanza. 16, 1. 6], i.e., the moon. Note that M. herself is, quite correctly, called “th’ Earth’s daughter” [canto 6, st. 22, 1. 7]. She says she is, and grand-daughter of Chaos, here female, and grandmother of all the gods. Titan, her father, “Was Saturn’s elder brother by birth-right” [canto 6, st. 27, 1. 2]. Except that she’s female, the overtones of Satan or Lucifer are very clear: she’s as tall and handsome as any of the gods, who are all afraid of her. Jove puts on quite an act of threatening, but he’s partly overcome by her beauty, and partly scared himself, so he echoes Genesis 6:3. She’s also earth-bound, another point of contrast with Satan. She calls him “Saturn’s son” [canto 6, st. 34, 1.7]—the second time he’s referred to as that. M. appeals to Nature as a superior power, which Jove doesn’t like but has to go along with.
[5] Then follows the Faunus episode [canto 6, stanza. 42 ff.], which I’ll look at later: note that Diana is introduced as Cynthia [canto 6, st. 51, 1.1], so that identification is explicit. As for that damn business about whether the Faunus episode is Clio taking over from Calliope or Calliope taking over from Clio, I dunno: the hell with it.
[6] Congregation of all the gods, including Pluto and Proserpina from hell but nobody else, on account the heavenly gods woulda got scared again-—they scare easy. “They would have caused much confusion and disorder” [canto 7, stanza. 4, 1. 9]—doggerel, though imitative harmony too. Nature is veiled, probably because otherwise she’s too bright—comparison with the Transfiguration. She’s placed in a “pavilion” [canto 7, st. 8, 1. 2] constructed by the earth herself, as an earthly paradise of bowing trees. Flowers under her feet, “that voluntary grew” [canto 7, st. 10, 1. 2]. References to tapestry and painted imagery. The Mole river gets into the act, just to have a river. “As if the love of some new Nymph late seen” [canto 7, st. 11, 1. 6] so that’s included. Renewal imagery: “And made him change his gray attire to green” [canto 7, st. 11, 1. 8].
[7] First time there’d been such a conference since the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. Note that Nature is called “Grandmother of all creatures” [canto 7, stanza. 13, 1.1]. M. is very explicit that Nature is greater than the gods, who are to her as men are to the gods. Also “heaven and earth are both alike to thee” [canto 7, st. 15, 1.7]. Yet M. says Earth is “great mother of us all” [canto 7, st. 17, 1. 6]—the “us” apparently includes Nature. Renewal imagery repeated in her plea “And of their Winter spring another Prime” [canto 7. st. 18, 1. 7], There’s mutability in every aspect of human life, physical and mental, and in the four elements. Repulsion as well as attraction between them. Fire is said to be eternal in itself [canto 7, st. 24, 1.1], doubtless to get hell accounted for.
[8] The four seasons each hold weapons, javelin, bow-and-arrows, sickle and tipped staff [cantos 28–31] respectively.
[9] A mysterious passage in the Epithalamion [11. 330–1], after talking about Jove’s begetting of Hercules on Alcmena, says he begot “Majesty” when lying with Night. Dunno what that means, but in VII, vii, 45, Jove lies with Night and begets the Hours. The hours are, natch, virgins, but they’re also “porters,” Genius-Janus figures.
[10] Incidentally, in the next stanza (46), after a beautiful negative description of Death, Life is identified with Eros or Cupid.
[11] After Genius Janus1
Eros
Unreality of ordinary experience of Time.
Charge it up to God: pure present: N.T. [New Testament]
Demonic time: Macbeth.
[12] Unreality of ord. exp. [ordinary experience] of Time.
Demonic element: Shak. [Shakespeare] sonnet, Macbeth.
Ours not so bad: cyclical element.
Heightening of this: Orchestra.
God (charge up to): N.T. [New Testament]
So: four levels.
Fairy world of Celts: dislocations of Time.
Spenser: Bower of Bliss: demonic time;
Gardens of Adonis.
Faerie as place of moral realization.
Mut. Coes. [Mutabilitie Cantos] & two kinds of cycle.