According to Jonathan Goldberg, "Spenser had more success as a professional
poet than any other poet of his time. No other poet was granted so large a
pension -- fifty pounds a year -- by the queen" (Endlesse Worke 171).
I've heard this elsewhere, in conversation mainly, but haven't seen it
documented. There has been good work done on Spenser's annuity. Herbert
Berry and E. K. Timings traced the disbursement records in "Spenser's
Pension," RES n.s. 11 (1960): 254-59. More recently, Richard S. Peterson
has shown that Spenser may have put his pension in danger by publishing
MHT; see "Laurel Crown and Ape's Tail: New Light on Spenser's Career from
Sir Thomas Tresham," Spenser Studies 12 (1998): 1-36.
What I can't find, though, is information on who ELSE the queen patronized.
Any suggestions?
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David Wilson-Okamura http://virgil.org [log in to unmask]
East Carolina University Virgil reception, discussion, documents, &c
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