was thought that she had conspired to overthrow Eliz-
abeth’s rule and reestablish Roman Catholicism as the
state religion, the queen of England was pressed by her
advisers to execute Mary, for murder if nothing else.
Elizabeth did not wish to execute her cousin, not
because of family ties but because she feared setting a
precedent for executing monarchs that could eventu-
ally be used against her. As a compromise, she had
Mary confi ned to various estates in the country as Eliz-
abeth herself had been confi ned before she was queen.
Mary continued to conspire against her cousin, how-
ever, and when the plots against her became too egre-
gious, Elizabeth was forced to agree to Mary’s execution
in 1587.
The poem concerns Queen Elizabeth’s meditations
back and forth between the threats to her person and
her realm and her desire to meet these threats and
maintain peace in her realm. The poem consists of
eight, four-line STANZAs whose second and fourth lines
rhyme. There is a fi nal phrase unattached to a stanza
that ends the poem. In the fi rst stanza, the speaker wor-
ries about the “doubt” or the “dread” caused by “future
foes” (l. 1) who have “exiled” her “present joy” (l, 2).
Much of the language in this poem is that of monarchy
and government, and exile was a punishment usually
given to a noble who was a threat or an annoyance to a
prince. Here the foe is not exiled, but the speaker feels
that all her joy has been banished by the foe. The foe
also seems to have set “snares,” or traps, that threaten
the queen, though her “wit” (l. 3) helps her to avoid
them by warning her of their existence.
Stanza 2 continues this worrying as the queen points
out that “falsehood now doth fl ow” (l. 5) in her king-
dom and the “faith” of her subjects “ebbs” (l. 6), or
recedes, like the tide. This should not be happening if
“reason ruled” (l. 7) or the web of the kingdom were
woven with “wit” (l. 8), or intellect. Elizabeth could be
referring to herself as the person who is not ruling with
reason or wit, as she refers to herself as being governed
by wit in stanza 1. Or, she could be alluding to a lack
of wisdom, as well as faith, among her subjects or
courtiers that allows them to doubt that things will end
happily.
The third stanza considers the “aspiring minds” (l.
10) of potential traitors that conceive of “joys untried”
(l. 9), which they hope to experience by treasonous
action. However, they may soon “repent” (l. 11) of
those thoughts—and perhaps actions—when the
“winds” (l. 12) of politics change. Stanza 4 continues
in this manner by stating that what these potential trai-
tors envisioned as the “top,” or summit, of what they
“supposed” to be their “hope” (l. 13) may “shortly” (l.
16) turn out to be the “root,” or base ground, of what
they “rue” (l. 16), or regret. The fourth stanza again
refl ects upon the contrast between good and bad sub-
jects and how truth will always reveal falsehood. The
potential traitors essentially cannot see straight: Their
eyes are “dazzled” by “pride” (l. 17) and blinded by
“ambition” (l. 18). It is important to remember that
pride was the fi rst of the SEVEN DEADLY SINS; it was the
sin of Lucifer, whose pride allowed him to develop the
ambition to overthrow God and take God’s place.
These unidentifi ed subjects, like Lucifer, seek to over-
throw their legitimate queen. However, their eyes
“Shall be unsealed by worthy wights,” or people (l. 19),
who discover falsehood by “foresight” (l. 20)—liter-
ally, “looking ahead.” This stanza is also incorporates
an image from falconry in the “unsealed” eyes. Cap-
tured adult falcons or hawks were tamed by having
their eyes sewn shut—or sealed—for a period of time.
Being blind, the birds had to trust their handler for
food. After a while, their eyes were unsealed—the
stitches removed—and they could see again in a better
way; they had come to “see” their handler meant them
no harm.
The “daughter of debate” (l. 21) in stanza 6 is Mary
of Scotland, who, like a farmer, “sows” discord in Eliz-
abeth’s kingdom. The “aye” in line 22 would mean
something like “for sure”; it is also a sound pun on the
blind “eyes” in stanza 5. But even though Mary may
sow discord, she will not “reap” her crop because the
“former rule” (l. 23), Elizabeth’s, has taught the coun-
try to know peace, and it would shun the discord Mary
would bring. While in the earlier stanzas Elizabeth
may have worried about how her people would react
to Mary’s arrival, in the last stanzas she indicates that
she is fearless in protecting her realm from traitors and
invaders.
In stanza 7, Elizabeth indicates that she will not
allow any “banished wight” (l. 25)—as Mary was from“DOUBT OF FUTURE FOES, THE” 147