The Faerie Queene, Book V. Justice: The Sword That Must Be Tempered by Mercy
- Ken Kalis
- 19 minutes ago
- 4 min read
When I returned to our Pentecostal church after my father died, the new pastor forced me out because I was divorced.
An Episcopal rector took me in and gave me a Sunday school class.
I came to love the Episcopal Church because of their justice and mercy.
For 30 years I stayed there until their justice became corrupt.
I think of Psalm 126, where each verse ends, For His mercy endureth forever. Praise God!
***********************************
Edmund Spenser’s Book V of The Faerie Queene is the most severe, controversial, and unsettling book in the entire poem. Here, the ruling virtue is Justice, embodied in the knight Artegal, and guided—some would say driven—by the iron enforcer Talus, a relentless man of metal who knows neither pity nor pause.
This is not the warm moral world of Holiness (Book I) or the alluring dangers of Temperance (Book II). Book V confronts us with a sobering truth: justice without mercy quickly becomes tyranny, yet justice withheld becomes chaos.
Spenser knew exactly what he was doing.
Artegal: Justice Under Authority
Artegal is trained not by a court or university, but by Astraea, the virgin goddess of Justice, who once dwelt among men but fled the earth when wickedness prevailed. Artegal’s task is not to invent justice, but to restore it.
“Justice, that was wont in heaven to reign,And from thenceforth to men was banished quite.”(V.i.11)
Justice, in Spenser’s vision, is objective, rooted in divine order—not in sentiment, popularity, or personal preference. This resonates deeply with Scripture:
“Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne.”—Psalm 89:14 (KJV)
Artegal’s problem is not that he lacks justice, but that he often lacks discernment—especially when justice must be applied to fallen, suffering, or deceptive human beings.
Talus: Justice Without a Soul
Talus, Artegal’s companion, is unforgettable—and disturbing. He is an iron man wielding an iron flail. He cannot be bribed, delayed, reasoned with, or restrained. Once judgment is decided, Talus executes it without mercy.
“He was of yron mould, and framed so strong,That neither Steele nor stone could him withstand.”(V.i.12)
Talus represents law without grace—justice stripped of compassion. He gets results. He clears corruption. He crushes rebellion.
But he also terrifies.
Talus is what happens when justice is severed from the heart of God.
Scripture warns us:
“For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy.”—James 2:13 (KJV)
Britomart Enters: Justice Needs Love
One of the most important correctives in Book V is the reappearance of Britomart, the knight of Chastity from Book III. Her presence is no accident. Justice, Spenser implies, cannot stand alone. It must be joined to love, faithfulness, and rightly ordered desire.
Where Artegal judges, Britomart restores. Where Talus crushes, Britomart protects.
This is profoundly biblical:
“Mercy and truth are met together;righteousness and peace have kissed each other.”—Psalm 85:10 (KJV)
Justice that does not finally aim at restoration is not God’s justice.
Political and Moral Tensions
Book V has long troubled readers because Spenser does not shy away from harsh political realities, especially in his views on rebellion, disorder, and authority. Writing in the shadow of English rule in Ireland, Spenser exposes the dangers of lawlessness—but also the dangers of rule enforced without wisdom.
This tension mirrors Paul’s warning in Romans:
“The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.”—Romans 7:12 (KJV)
Yet the law alone cannot save.
Christ: Justice Fulfilled, Not Abolished
For the Christian reader, Book V cries out for its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
Justice is not abandoned at the Cross—it is satisfied.
“Mercy rejoiceth against judgment.”—James 2:13 (KJV)
At Calvary, justice and mercy meet—not by ignoring sin, but by bearing its cost. Christ does what Artegal cannot and what Talus never would: He judges sin while redeeming sinners.
Why Book V Matters Now
We live in an age obsessed with justice—yet deeply confused about its source, limits, and purpose. Spenser reminds us that:
Justice without mercy becomes cruelty
Mercy without justice becomes sentimentality
True justice must be grounded in God’s character
Book V does not offer easy answers—but it asks the right questions, and that is its enduring gift.
Closing Reflection
Before we demand justice from others, we must ask:
Do I want Talus applied to my own life?
Or do I flee to the Cross, where justice is fulfilled in love?
“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good;and what doth the LORD require of thee,but to do justly, and to love mercy,and to walk humbly with thy God?”—Micah 6:8 (KJV)
Discussion Questions (Optional)
Why is Talus both effective and frightening?
Where do you see justice today divorced from mercy?
How does Christ fulfill what Artegal only points toward?
At Calvary
Years I spent in vanity and pride,
Caring not my Lord was crucified,
Knowing not it was for me He died
On Calvary.
o Mercy there was great, and grace was free;
Pardon there was multiplied to me;
There my burdened soul found liberty,
At Calvary.
o
By God's Word at last my sin I learned;
Then I trembled at the law I'd spurned,
Till my guilty soul imploring turned
To Calvary.
Now I've giv'n to Jesus everything,
Now I gladly own Him as my King,
Now my raptured soul can only sing
Of Calvary.
Oh, the love that drew salvation's plan!
Oh, the grace that brought it down to man!
Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span
At Calvary!
---- William Reed Newell, 1868-1956
Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied. Jude 2