is, as the aged sire says, a “man of earth,” and his spirit needs to be purified of all the grossness of sense. (I. x. 52.) When this has been accomplished, the Knight is prepared to “see the way, That never yet was seene of Faeries sonne.” (I. x. 52.) While on this Mount he is initiated into a knowledge of the glories of the Heavenly Jerusalem, and through this experience he is made aware of the relative insignificance of that beauty which he had thought the greatest to be known on earth. He thus says to the aged man, Heavenly Contemplation, who has revealed this vision to him: “Till now, said then the knight, I weened well, That great _Cleopolis_, where I have beene, In which that fairest _Faerie Queene_ doth dwell, The fairest Citie was, that might be seene; And that bright towre all built of christall cleene, _Panthea_, seemd the brightest thing, that was: But now by proofe all otherwise I weene; For this great Citie that does far surpas, And this bright Angels towre quite dims that towre of glas.” (I. x. 58.) With his soul filled with the radiance of this vision of beauty, his eyes dazed— “Through passing brightnesse, which did quite confound His feeble sence, and too exceeding shyne. So darke are earthly things compard to things divine—” (I. x. 67.) the Red Cross Knight descends from the Mount; and when after the completion of his labors he sees Una on the day of her betrothal, he wonders at a beauty in her which he has never before seen. Una has now laid aside her black veil, and shines upon him in the native undimmed splendor of truth. “The blazing brightnesse of her beauties beame, And glorious light of her sunshyny face To tell, were as to strive against the streame. My ragged rimes are all too rude and bace, Her heavenly lineaments for to enchace. Ne wonder; for her owne deare loved knight, All were she dayly with himselfe in place, Did wonder much at her celestiall sight: Oft had he seene her faire, but never so faire dight.” (I. xii. 23.)