ABSTRACT
The Garden of Proserpina, for example, has been described by one critic as "the most puzzling aspect of Mammon's realm". If the authors recall that the golden age was the time when the earth produced food in natural abundance, then Proserpina's Garden may be seen for what it is: a grotesque parody of nature's uncorrupted fertility. As an educational experience, the purpose of Guyon's visit to Alma's castle is to teach him that, though the prince whom he serves may be "the flowre of grace and chastitie/Throughout the world renowmed far and neare", nevertheless she rules in a fallen world. Its purpose is twofold: to sum up the lesson concerning the need to suppress that which history has shown to be the most potent threat to civilized order; and at the same time to reveal the true significance of the artifice for which Elizabeth's own court was renowned.
