Chapter V: Part 5

Neither truely doe I see any other reason in that lawe (though in other rules of shortning and prolonging a sillable there may be reason) but that it stands vpon bare tradition. Such as the _Cabalists_ auouch in their mysticall constructions Theologicall and others, saying that they receaued the same from hand to hand from the first parent _Adam, Abraham_ and others, which I will giue them leaue alone both to say and beleeue for me, thinking rather that they haue bene the idle occupations, or perchaunce the malitious and craftie constructions of the _Talmudists_ and others of the Hebrue clerks to bring the world into admiration of their lawes and Religion. Now peraduenture with vs Englishmen it be somewhat too late to admit a new inuention of feet and times that our forefathers neuer vused nor neuer observed till this day, either in their measures or in their pronuntiation, and perchaunce will seeme in vs a presumptuous part to attempt, considering also it would be hard to find many men to like of one mans choise in the limitation of times and quantities of words, with which not one, but euery eare is to be pleased and made a particular iudge, being most truly sayd, that a multitude or comminaltie is hard to please and easie to offend, and therefore I intend not to proceed any further in this curiositie then to shew some small subtillitie that any other hath not yet done, and not by imitation but by obseruation, nor to th'intent to haue it put in execution in our vulgar Poesie, but to be pleasantly scanned vpon, as are all nouelties so friuolous and ridiculous as it.

_CHAP. XIII._

_A more particular declaration of the metricall feete of the ancient Poets Greeke and Latine and chiefly of the feete of two times_.

Their Grammarians made a great multitude of feete, I wot not to what huge number, and of so many sizes as their wordes were of length, namely sixe sizes, whereas indeede, the metricall feete are but twelve in number, wherof foure only be of two times, and eight of three times, the rest compounds of the premised two sorts, even as the Arithmeticall numbers aboue three are made of two and three. And if ye will know how many of these feete will be commodiously received with vs, I say all the whole twelve, for first for the foote, _spondeus_ of two long times ye haue these English words _mo-rni-ng, mi-dni-ght, mi-scha-unce_, and a number moe whose ortographie may direct your iudgement in this point: for your _Trocheus_ of a long and short ye haue these words _ma-ne`r, bro-ke`n, ta-ke`n, bo-die`, me-mbe`r_, and a great many moe if there last sillables abut not vpon the consonant in the beginning of another word, and in these whether they do abut or no _wi-tti`e, di-tti`e, so-rro`w, mo-rro`w_, & such like, which end in a vowell for your _Iambus_ of a short and a long, ye haue these words [_re`sto-re_] [_re`mo-rse_] [_de`si-re_] [_e`ndu-re_] and a thousand besides. For your foote _pirrichius_ or of two short silables ye haue these words [_ma`ni`e_] [_mo`ne`y_] [_pe`ni`e_] [_si`lie`_] and others of that construction or the like: for your feete of three times and first your _dactill_, ye haue these words & a number moe _pa-ti`e`nce, te-mpe`ra`nce, wo-ma`nhea`d, io-li`ti`e, dau-nge`ro`us, du-eti`fu`ll_ & others. For your _molossus_, of all three long, ye haue a member of wordes also and specially most of your participles actiue, as _pe-rsi-sti-ng, de-spo-ili-ng, e-nde-nti-ng_, and such like in ortographie: for your _anapestus_ of two short and a long ye haue these words but not many moe, as _ma`ni`fo-ld, mo`ni`le-sse, re`ma`ne-nt, ho`li`ne-sse_. For your foote _tribracchus_ of all three short, ye haue very few _trissillables_, because the sharpe accent will aways make one of them long by pronunciation, which els would be by ortographie short as, [me`ri`ly`] [minion] & such like. For your foote _bacchius_ of a short & two long ye haue these and the like words _trissillables_ [_la`me-nti-ng_] [_re`que-sti-ng_] [_re`nou-nci-ng_] [_re`pe-nta-nce_] [_e`nu-ri-ng_]. For your foote _antibacchius_, of two long and a short ye haue these words [_fo-rsa-ke`n_] [_i-mpu-gne`d_] and others many: For your _amphimacer_ that is a long, a short and a long ye haue these words and many more [_e-xce`lle-nt_] [_i-mi`ne-nt_] and specially such as be propre names of persons or townes or other things and namely Welsh words; for your foote _amphibracchus_, of a short, a long and a short, ye haue these words and many like to these [_re`si-ste`d_] [_de`li-ghtfu`ll_] [_re`pri-sa`ll_] [_i`nau-nte`r_] [_e`na-mi`ll_] so as for want of English wordes if your eare be not to daintie and your rules to precise, ye neede not be without the _metricall_ feete of the ancient Poets such as be most pertinent and not superfluous. This is (ye will perchaunce say) my singular opinion: then ye shall see how well I can maintaine it. First the quantitie of a word comes either by (preelection) without reason or force as hath bene alledged, and as the auncient Greekes and Latines did in many wordes, but not in all, or by (election) with reason as they did in some, and not a few. And a sound is drawen at length either by the infirmitie of the toung, because the word or sillable is of such letters as hangs long in the palate or lippes ere he will come forth, or because he is accented and tuned hier and sharper then another, whereby he somewhat obscureth the other sillables in the same word that be not accented so high, in both these cases we will establish our sillable long, contrariwise the shortning of a sillable is, when his sounde or accent happens to be heauy and flat, that is to fall away speedily, and as it were inaudible, or when he is made of such letters as be by nature slipper & voluble and smoothly passe from the mouth. And the vowell is alwayes more easily deliuered then the consonant: and of consonants, the liquide more than the mute, & a single consonant more then a double, and one more then twayne coupled together: all which points were obserued by the Greekes and Latines, and allowed for _maximes_ in versifying. Now if ye will examine these foure _bissillables_ [_re-mna-nt_] [_re`ma-ine_] [_re-nde`r_] [_re`ne`t_] for an example by which ye may make a generall rule, and ye shall finde, that they aunswere our first resolution. First in [_remnant_] [_rem_] bearing the sharpe accent and hauing his consonant abbut vpon another, soundes long. The sillable [_nant_] being written with two consonants must needs be accompted the same, besides that [_nant_] by his Latin originall is long, viz. [_remane-ns._] Take this word [_remaine_] because the last sillable beares the sharpe accent, he is long in the eare, and [_re_] being the first sillable, passing obscurely away with a flat accent is short, besides that [_re_] by his Latine originall and also by his ortographie is short. This word [_render_] bearing the sharpe accent upon [_ren_] makes it long, the sillable [_der_] falling away swiftly & being also written with a single consonant or liquide is short and makes the _trocheus._ This word [_re`ne`t_] hauing both syllables sliding and slipper make the foote _Pirrichius_, because if he be truly vttered, he beares in maner no sharper accent upon the one then the other sillable, but be in effect egall in time and tune, as is also the _Spondeus._ And because they be not written with any hard or harsh consonants, I do allow them both for short sillables, or to be used for common, according as their situation and place with other words shall be: and as I haue named to you but onely foure words for an example, so may ye find out by diligent obseruation foure hundred if ye will. But of all your words _bissillables_ the most part naturally do make the foot _Iambus_, many the _Trocheus_, fewer the _Spondeus_, fewest of all the _Pirrichius_, because in him the sharpe accent (if ye follow the rules of your accent as we haue presupposed) doth make a litle oddes: and ye shall find verses made all of _monosillables_, and do very well, but lightly they be _Iambickes_, bycause for the more part the accent falles sharpe vpon euery second word rather then contrariwise, as this of Sir _Thomas Wiats_. _I fi-nde no` pea-ce a`nd ye-t mi`e wa-rre i`s do-ne, I feare and hope, and burne and freese like ise._

And some verses where the sharpe accent falles vpon the first and third,
and so make the verse wholly _Trochaicke_, as thus,
_Worke not, no nor, with thy friend or foes harme
Try but, trust not, all that speake thee so faire._

And some verses made of _monosillables_ and _bissillables_ enterlaced as this of th'Earles, _When raging loue with extreme paine_ And this _A fairer beast of fresher hue beheld I neuer none._

And some verses made all of _bissillables_ and others all of
_trissillables_, and others of _polisillables_ egally increasing and of
diuers quantities, and sundry situations, as in this of our owne, made to
daunt the insolence of a beautifull woman.
_Brittle beauty blossome daily fading
Morne, noone, and eue in age and eke in eld
Dangerous disdaine full pleasantly perswading
Easie to gripe but combrous to weld.
For slender bottome hard and heauy lading
Gay for a while, but little while durable
Suspicious, incertaine, irreuocable,
O since thou art by triall not to trust
Wisedome it is, and it is also iust
To sound the stemme before the tree be feld
That is, since death will driue us all to dust
To leaue thy loue ere that we be compeld._

In which ye haue your first verse all of _bissillables_ and of the foot _trocheus._ The second all of _monosillables_, and all of the foote _Iambus_, the third all of _trissillables_, and all of the foote _dactilus_, your fourth of one _bissillable_, and two _monosillables_ interlarded, the fift of one _monosillable_ and two _bissillables_ enterlaced, and the rest of other sortes and scituations, some by degrees encreasing, some diminishing: which example I haue set downe to let you perceiue what pleasant numerosity in the measure and disposition of your words in a meetre may be contriued by curious wits & these with other like were the obseruations of the Greeke and Latine versifiers.

_CHAP. XIIII_.

_Of your feet of three times, and first of the Dactil._

Your feete of three times by prescription of the Latine Grammariens are of eight sundry proportions, for some notable difference appearing in euery sillable of three falling in a word of that size: but because aboue the _antepenultima_ there was (among the Latines) none accent audible in any long word, therfore to deuise any foote of longer measure then of three times was to them but superfluous: because all aboue the number of three are but compounded of their inferiours. Omitting therefore to speake of these larger feete, we say that of all your feete of three times the _Dactill_ is most usuall and fit for our vulgar meeter, & most agreeable to the eare, specially if ye ouerlade not your verse with too many of them but here and there enterlace a _Iambus_ or some other foote of two times to giue him grauitie and stay, as in this _quadrein Trimeter_ or of three measures. _Rende`r a`gai-ne mi`e li-be`rti`e a`nd se-t yo`ur ca-pti`ue fre-e Glo-ri`ou`s i`s the` vi-cto`ri`e Co-nque`ro`urs u-se wi`th le-ni`ti`e_

Where ye see euery verse is all of a measure, and yet vnegall in number of sillables: for the second verse is but of sixe sillables, where the rest are of eight. But the reason is for that in three of the same verses are two _Dactils_ a peece, which abridge two sillables in euery verse: and so maketh the longest euen with the shortest. Ye may note besides by the first verse, how much better some _bisillable_ becommeth to peece out an other longer foote then another word doth: for in place of [_render_] if ye had sayd [_restore_] it had marred the _Dactil_, and of necessitie driuen him out at length to be a verse _Iambic_ of foure feet, because [_render_] is naturally a _Trocheus_ & makes the first two times of a _dactil._ [_Restore_]is naturally a _Iambus_, & in this place could not possibly haue made a pleasant _dactil_.

Now againe if ye will say to me that these two words [_libertie_] and [_conquerours_] be not precise _Dactils_ by the Latine rule. So much will I confesse to, but since they go currant inough vpon the tongue and be so vsually pronounced, they may passe wel inough for _Dactils_ in our vulgar meeters, & that is inough for me, seeking but to fashion an art, & not to finish it: which time only & custom haue authoritie to do, specially in all cases of language as the Poet hath wittily remembred in this verse _si volet usus, Quem penes arbitrium est & vis & norma loquendi._

The Earle of Surrey upon the death of Sir _Thomas Wiat_ made among other this verse _Pentameter_ and of ten sillables, _What holy graue (alas) what sepulcher_

But if I had had the making of him, he should haue bene of eleuen sillables and kept his measure of fiue still, and would so haue runne more pleasantly a great deale; for as he is now, though he be euen he seemes odde and defectiue, for not well obseruing the natural accent of euery word, and this would haue bene soone holpen by inserting one _monosillable_ in the middle of the verse, and drawing another sillable in the beginning into a _Dactil_, this word [_holy_] being a good [_Pirrichius_] & very well seruing the turne, thus, _Wha-t ho`li`e gra-ue a`la-s wha`t fit se`pu-lche`r._ Which verse if ye peruse throughout ye shall finde him after the first _dactil_ all _Trochaick_ & not _Iambic_, nor of any other foot of two times. But perchance if ye would seeme yet more curious, in place of these four _Trocheus_ ye might induce other feete of three times, as to make the three sillables next following the _dactil_, the foote [_amphimacer_] the last word [_Sepulcher_] the foote [_amphibracus_] leauing the other midle word for a [_Iambus_] thus. _Wha-t ho`li`e gra-ue a`la-s wha`t fit se`pu-lche`r._ If ye aske me further why I make [_what_] first long & after short in one verse, to that I satisfied you before, that it is by reason of his accent sharpe in one place and flat in another, being a common _monosillable_, that is, apt to receive either accent, & so in the first place receiuing aptly the sharpe accent he is made long: afterward receiuing the flat accent more aptly then the sharpe, because the sillable precedent [_las_] vtterly distaines him, he is made short & not long, & that with very good melodie, but to haue giuen him the sharpe accent & plucked it from the sillable [_las_] it had bene to any mans eare a great discord: for euermore this word [_alás_] is accented vpon the last, & that lowdly & notoriously as appeareth by all our exclamations vsed vnder that terme. The same Earle of Surrey & Sir _Thomas Wyat_ the first reformers & polishers of our vulgar Poesie much affecting the stile and measures of the Italian _Petrarcha_, vsed the foote _dactil_ very often but not many in one verse, as in these, _Fu-ll ma`ni`e that in presence of thy li-ueli`e he`d, Shed Cæsars teares vpon Po-mpe`iu`s he`d. Th'e-ne`mi`e to life destroi er of all kinde, If a-mo` ro`us faith in an hart un fayned, Myne old dee-re e`ne` my my froward master. The- fu`ri` ous gone in his most ra ging ire._

And many moe which if ye would not allow for _dactils_ the verse would halt vnlesse ye would seeme to helpe it contracting a sillable by vertue of the figure _Syneresis_ which I thinke was neuer their meaning, nor in deede would haue bred any pleasure to the eare, but hindred the flowing of the verse. Howsoeuer ye take it the _dactil_ is commendable inough in our vulgar meetres, but most plausible of all when he is sounded vpon the stage, as in these comicall verses shewing how well it becommeth all noble men and great personages to be temperat and modest, yea more then any meaner man, thus. _Le-t no` no`bi-li`ti`e ri-che`s o`r he-ri`ta`ge Ho-no`r o`r e-mpi`re o`r ea-rthli`e do`mi-ni`o`n Bre-ed I`n yo`ur hea-d a`ni`e pe-euish o`pi-ni`o`n That ye` ma`y sa-fe`r a`uo-uch a`ni`e o-utra-ge._

And in this distique taxing the Prelate symoniake standing all upon
perfect _dactils_.
_No-w ma-ni-e bi-e mo-ne-y pu-rue`y pro`mo-ti`o`n
For mony mooues any hart to deuotion._

But this aduertisement I will giue you withall, that if ye vse too many _dactils_ together ye make your musike too light and of no solemne grauitie such as the amorous _Elegies_ in court naturally require, being alwaies either very dolefull or passionate as the affections of loue enforce, in which busines ye must make your choice of very few words _dactilique_, or them that ye cannot refuse, to dissolue and breake them into other feete by such meanes as it shall be taught hereafter: but chiefly in your courtly ditties take heede ye vse not these maner of long _polisillables_ and specially that ye finish not your verse them as [_retribution_] _restitution_] _remuneration_] _recapitulation_] and such like: for they smatch more the schoole of common players than of any delicate Poet _Lyricke_ or _Elegiacke._

_CHAP. XV._

_Of all your other feete of three times and how well they would fashion a meetre in our vulgar.__

All your other feete of three times I find no vse of them in our vulgar meeters nor no sweetenes at all, and yet words inough to serue their proportions. So as though they haue not hitherto bene made artificiall, yet nowe by more curious obseruation they might be. Since all artes grew first by obseruation of natures proceedings and custome. And first your [Molossus] being of all three long is euidently discouered by this word [_pe-rmi-tti-ng_] The [_Anapestus_] of two short and a long by this word [_fu`ri`o-us_] if the next word beginne with a consonant. The foote [_Bacchius_] of a short and two long by this word [_re`si-sta-nce_] the foote [_Antibachius_] of two long and a short by this word [_e-xa-mple`_] the foote [_Amphimacer_] of a long a short & a long by this word [_co-nque`ri-ng_] the foote of [_Amphibrachus_] of a short a long and a short by this word [_re`me-mbe`r_] if a vowell follow. The foote [Tribrachus_] of three short times is very hard to be made by any of our _trissillables_ vnles they be compounded of the smoothest sort of consonants or sillables vocals, or of three smooth _monosillables_, or of some peece of a long _polysillable_ & after that sort we may with wresting of words shape the foot [_Tribrachus_] rather by vsurpation then by rule, which neuertheles is allowed in euery primitiue arte & inuention: & so it was by the Greekes and Latines in their first versifying, as if a rule should be set downe that from henceforth these words should be counted al _Tribrachus_ [_e`ne`mi`e_] _re`me`di`e_] _se`li`ne`s_] _mo`ni`le`s_] _pe`ni`le`s_] _cru`e`lli`e_] & such like, or a peece of this long word [_re`co-ue`ra`ble`_] _innu`me`ra`ble`_] _rea`di`li`e_] and others. Of all which manner of apt wordes to make these stranger feet of three times which go not so currant with our eare as the _dactil_, the maker should haue a good iudgement to know them by their manner of orthographie and by their accent which serue most fitly for euery foote, or else he shoulde haue always a little calender of them apart to vse readily when he shall neede them. But because in very truth I thinke them but vaine & superstitious obseruations nothing at all furthering the pleasant melody of our English meeter, I leaue to speake any more of them and rather wish the continuance of our old maner of Poesie, scanning our verse by sillables rather than by feete, and vsing most commonly the word _Iambique_ & sometime the _Trochaike_ which ye shall discerne by their accents, and now and then a _dactill_ keeping precisely our symphony or rime without any other mincing measures, which an idle inuentiue head could easily deuise, as the former examples teach.

_CHAP. XVI._

_Of your verses perfect and defectiue; and that which the Graecians called the halfe foote._

The Greekes and Latines vsed verses in the odde sillable of two sortes, which they called _Catalecticke_ and _Acatalecticke_, that is odde vnder and odde ouer the iust measure of their verse, & we in our vulgar finde many of the like, and specially in the rimes of Sir Thomas Wiat, strained perchaunce out of their originall, made first by _Francis Petrarcha_: as these _Like vnto these, immeasurable mountaines, So is my painefull life the burden of ire: For hie be they, and hie is my desire And I of teares, and they are full of fountaines._ Where in your first second and fourth verse, ye may find a sillable superfluous, and though in the first ye will seeme to helpe it, by drawing these three sillables,[_i-m me` su`_] into a _dactil_, in the rest it can not be so excused, wherefore we must thinke he did it of purpose, by the odde sillable to giue greater grace to his meetre, and we finde in our old rimes, this odde sillable, sometime placed in the beginning and sometimes in the middle of a verse, and is allowed to go alone & to hang to any other sillable. But this odde sillable in our meetres is not the halfe foote as the Greekes and Latines vsed him in their verses, and called such measure _pentimimeris_ and _eptamimeris_, but rather is that, which they called the _catalectik_ or maymed verse. Their _hemimeris_ or halfe foote serued not by licence Poeticall or necessitie of words, but to bewtifie and exornate the verse by placing one such halfe foote in the middle _Cesure_, & one other in the end of the verse, as they vfed all their _pentameters elegiack_: and not by coupling them together, but by accompt to make their verse of a iust measure and not defectiue or superflous: our odde sillable is not altogether of that nature, but is in a maner drownd and supprest by the flat accent, and shrinks away as it were inaudible and by that meane the odde verse comes almost to be an euen in euery mans hearing. The halfe foote of the auncients was reserued purposely to an vse, and therefore they gaue such odde sillable, wheresoeuer he fell the sharper accent, and made by him a notorious pause as in this _pentameter_. _Ni-l mi` hi` re-scri-ba`s a-tta`me`n i-pse` ve` ni`_.

Which in all make fiue whole feete, or the verse _Pentameter._ We in our vulgar haue not the vse of the like halfe foote.

_CHAP. XVII._

_Of the breaking your bissillables and polysillables and when it is to be used._

Bvt whether ye suffer your sillable to receiue his quantitie by his accent, or by his ortography, or whether ye keepe your _bissillable_ whole or whether ye breake him, all is one to his quantitie, and his time will appeare the selfe same still and ought not to be altered by our makers, vnlesse it be when such sillable is allowed to be common and to receiue any of both times, as in the _dimeter_, made of two sillables entier. _e-xtre-ame de`si-re_

The first is a good _spondeus_, the second a good _iambus_, and if the same wordes be broken thus it is not so pleasant. _I`n e-x tre-ame de` sire_

And yet the first makes a _iambus_, and the second a _trocheus_ ech sillable retayning still his former quantities. And alwaies ye must haue regard to the sweetenes of the meetre, so as if your word _polysillable_ would not sound pleasantly whole, ye should for the nonce breake him, which ye may easily doo by inserting here and there one _monosillable_ among your _polysillables_, or by changing your word into another place then where he soundes vnpleasantly, and by breaking, turne a _trocheus_ to a _iambus_, or contrariwise: as thus: _Ho-llo`w va-lle`is u-nde`r hi-e`st mou-ntai`nes Cra-ggi`e cli-ffes bri`ng foo-rth the` fai-re`st fou-ntai`nes_

These verses be _trochaik_, and in mine eare not so sweete and harmonicall
as the _iambicque_, thus:
_The` ho-llo`wst va-ls li`e u-nde`r hi-e`st mo-unta-ines
The` cra-ggi`st clifs bri-ng fo-rth the` fai-re`st fou-nta-ines_.

All which verses bee now become _iambicque_ by breaking the first _bissillables_, and yet alters not their quantities though the feete be altered: and thus, _Restlesse is the heart in his desires Rauing after that reason doth denie_.

Which being turned thus makes a new harmonie.
_The restlesse heart, renues his old desires
Ay rauing after that reason doth it deny_.

And following this obseruation your meetres being builded with _polysillables_ will fall diuersly out, that is some to be _spondaick_, some _iambick_, others _dactilick_, others _trochaick_, and of one mingled with another, as in this verse. _He-aui`e I-s the` bu-rde`n of Pri`nce`s i-re_

The verse is _trochaick_, but being altered thus, is _iambicque_.
_Fu`ll he-aui`e i-s the` pa-ise o`f Pri-nce`s i-re_

And as _Sir Thomas Wiat_ song in a verse wholly _trochaick_, because the wordes do best shape to that foote by their naturall accent, thus, _Fa-rewe`ll lo-ue a`nd a-ll thi`e la-wes fo`r e-ve`r_

And in this ditty of th'Erle of Surries, passing sweete and harmonicall:
all be _Iambick_.
_When raging loue with extreme paine
So cruell doth straine my hart,
And that the teares like fluds of raine
Beare witnesse of my wofull smart._

Which beyng disposed otherwise or not broken, would proue all _trochaick_, but nothing pleasant.

Now furthermore ye are to note, that al _monosyllables_ may receiue the sharp accent, but not so aptly one as another, as in this verse where they serue well to make him _iambicque_, but not _trochaick_. _Go`d grau-nt thi`s pea-ce ma`y lo-ng e`ndu-re_

Where the sharpe accent falles more tunably vpon [graunt] [peace] [long] [dure] then it would by conuersion, as to accent then thus: _Go-d grau`nt - thi-s pea`ce - ma-y lo`ng - e-ndu-re._

And yet if ye will aske me the reason I can not tell it, but that it shapes so to myne eare, and as I thinke to euery other mans. And in this meeter where ye haue whole words _bissillable_ vnbroken, that maintaine (by reason of their accent) sundry feete, yet going one with another be very harmonicall.

Where ye see one to be a _trocheus_ another the _iambus_, and so entermingled not by election but by constraint of their seuerall accents, which ought not to be altred, yet comes it to passe that many times ye must of necessitie alter the accent of a sillable, and put him from his naturall place, and then one sillable, of a word _polysillable_, or one word _monosillable_, will abide to be made sometimes long, sometimes short, as in this _quadreyne_ of ours playd in a mery moode. _Gèue mé mìne ówne ànd whén I dó dèsíre Geue others theirs, and nothing that is mine_ _Nòr gíue mè thát, wherto all men aspire Then neither gold, nor faire women nor wine._

Where in your first verse these two words [_giue_] and [_me_] are accented one high th'other low, in the third verse the same words are accented contrary, and the reason of this exchange is manifest, because the maker playes with these two clauses of sundry relations [_giue me_] and [_giue others_] so as the _monosillable_ [_me_] being respectiue to the word [_others_] and inferring a subtilitie or wittie implication, ought not to haue the same accent, as when he hath no such respect, as in this _distik_ of ours. _Pro-ue me` (Madame) ere ye re-pro`ue Meeke minds should e-xcu`se not a-ccu`se_.

In which verse ye see this word [_reprooue_,] the sillable [_prooue_] alters his sharpe accent into a flat, for naturally it is long in all his singles and compoundes [_reproòue_] [_approòue_] [_disproòue_] & so is the sillable [_cuse_] in [_excuse_] [_accuse_] [_recuse_] yet in these verses by reason one of them doth as it were nicke another, and haue a certaine extraordinary sence with all, it behoueth to remoue the sharpe accents from whence they are most naturall, to place them where the nicke may be more expresly discouered, and therefore in this verse where no such implication is, nor no relation it is otherwise, as thus. _If ye re`pro-ue my constancie I will excu-se you curtesly_.

For in this word [_reproóue_] because there is no extraordinary sence to be inferred, he keepeth his sharpe accent vpon the sillable [_proóue_] but in the former verses because they seeme to encounter ech other, they do thereby merite an audible and pleasant alteration of their accents in those sillables that cause the subtiltie. Of these maner of nicetees ye shal finde in many places of our booke, but specially where we treate of ornament, vnto which we referre you, sauing that we thought good to set down one example more to solace your mindes with mirth after all these scholasticall preceptes, which can not but bring with them (specially to Courtiers) much tediousnesse, and so to end. In our Comedie intituled _Ginecocratia:_ the king was supposed to be a person very amorous and effeminate, and therefore most ruled his ordinary affaires by the aduise of women either for the loue he bare to their persons of liking he had to their pleasant ready witts and vtterance. Comes me to the Court one _Polemon_ an honest plaine man of the country, but rich: and hauing a suite to the king, met by chaunce with one _Philino_, a louer of wine and a merry companion in Court, and praied him in that he was a stranger that he would vouchsafe to tell him which way he were best to worke to get his suite, and who were most in credit and fauour about the king, that he might seek to them to furder his attempt. _Philino_ perceyuing the plainnesse of the man, and that there would be some good done with him, told _Polemon_ that if he would well consider him for his labor he would bring him where he should know the truth of all his demaundes by the sentence of the Oracle. _Polemon_ gaue him twentie crownes, _Philino_ brings him into a place where behind an arras cloth hee himselfe spake in manner of an Oracle in these matters, for so did all the Sybils and sothsaiers in old times giue their answers. _Your best way to worke - and marke my words well, Not money: nor many, Nor any: but any, Not weemen, but weemen beare the bell._

_Polemon_ wist not what to make of this doubtfull speach, & not being lawfull to importune the oracle more then once in one matter, conceyued in his head the pleasanter construction, and stacke to it: and hauing at home a fayre yong damsell of eighteene yeares old to his daughter, that could very well behaue her self in countenance and also in her language, apparelled her as gay as he could, and brought her to the Court, where _Philino_ harkning daily after the euent of this matter, met him, and recommended his daughter to the Lords, who perceiuing her great beauty and other good parts, brought her to the King, to whom she exhibited her fathers supplication, and found so great fauour in his eye, as without any long delay she obtained her sute at his hands. _Poleman_ the diligent solliciting of his daughter, wanne his purpose: _Philino_ gat a good reward and vsed the matter so, as howsoeuer the oracle had bene construed, he could not haue receiued blame nor discredit by the successe, for euery waies it would haue proued true, whether _Polemons_ daughter had obtayned the sute, or not obtained it. And the subtiltie lay in the accent and Ortographie of these two wordes [any] and [weemen] for [any] being deuided sounds _a nie_ or neere person to the king: and [weemen] being diuided soundes _wee men_, and not [weemen] and so by this meane _Philino_ serued all turnes and shifted himselfe from blame, not vnlike the tale of the Rattlemouse who in the warres proclaimed betweene the foure footed beasts and the birdes, beyng sent for by the Lyon to beat his musters, excused himselfe for that he was a foule and flew with winges: and beying sent for my the Eagle to serue him, sayd that he was a foure footed beast, and by that craftie cauill escaped the danger of the warres, and shunned the seruice of both Princes. And euer since sate at home by the fire side, eating vp the poore husbandmans baken, halfe lost for lacke of a good huswifes looking too.

_FINIS_.

THE THIRD BOOKE,
OF ORNAMENT.

_CHAP. I_.

_Of Ornament Poeticall_.

As no doubt the good proportion of any thing doth greatly adorne and commend it and right so our late remembred proportions doe to our vulgar Poesie: so is there yet requisite to the perfection of this arte, another maner of exornation, which resteth in the fashioning of our makers language and stile, to such purpose as it may delight and allure as well the mynde as the eare of the hearers with a certaine noueltie and strange maner of conueyance, disguising it no litle from the ordinary and accustomed: neuertheless making it nothing the more vnseemely or misbecomming, but rather decenter and more agreable to any ciuill eare and understanding. And as we see in these great Madames of honour, be they for personage or otherwise neuer so comely and bewtifull, yet if they want their courtly habillements or at leastwise such other apparell as custome and ciuilitie haue ordained to couer their naked bodies, would be halfe ashamed or greatly out of countenaunce to be seen in that sort, and perchance do then thinke themselves more amiable in euery mans eye, when they be in their richest attire, suppose of silkes or tyssews & costly embroderies, then when they go in cloth or in any other plaine and simple apparell. Euen so cannot our vulgar Poesie shew it self either gallant or gorgious, if any lymme be left naked and bare and not clad in his kindly clothes and coulours, such as may conuey them somewhat our of sight, that is from the common course of ordinary speach and capacitie of the vulgar iudgement, and yet being artificially handled must needes yeld it much more bewtie and commendation. This ornament we speake of is giuen to it by figures and figurative speaches, which be the flowers as it were and coulours that a Poet setteth vpon his language by arte, as the embroderer doth his stone and perle, or passements of golde vpon the stuffe of a Princely garment, or as th'excellent painter bestoweth the rich Orient coulours vpon his table of pourtraite: so neuerthelessse as if the same coulours in our art of Poesie (as well as in those other mechanicall artes) be not well tempered, or not well layd, or be vused in excesse, or neuer so litle disordered or misplaced, they not onely giue it no maner of grace at all, but rather do disfigure that stuffe and spill the whole workmanship taking away all bewtie and good liking from it, no lesse then if the crimson tainte, which should be laid vpon a Ladies lips, or right in the center of her cheekes should by some ouersight or mishap be applied to her forhead or chinne, it would make (ye would say) but a very ridiculous bewtie, wherfore the chief prayse and cunning of our Poet is in the discreet vsing of his figures, as the skilfull painters is in the good conueyance of his coulours and shadowing traits of his pensill, with a delectable varietie, by all measure and iust proportion, and in places most aptly to be bestowed.

_CHAP. II_.

_How our writing and speaches publike ought to be figuratiue, and if they be not doe greatly disgrace the cause and purpose of the speaker and writer._

Bvt as it hath bene alwayes reputed a great fault to vse figuratiue speaches foolishly and indiscretly, so is it esteemed no lesse an imperfection in mans vtterance, to haue none vse of figure at all, specially in our writing and speaches publike, making them but as our ordinary talke, then which nothing can be more vnsauourie and farre from all ciuilitie. I remember in the first yeare of Queenes Maries raigne a Knight of Yorkshire was chosen speaker of the Parliament, a good gentleman and wise, in the affaires of his shire, and not vnlearned in the lawes of the Realme, but as well for some lack of his teeth, as for want of language nothing well spoken, which at that time and businesse was most behooffull for him to haue bene: this man after he had made his Oration to the Queene; which ye know is of course to be done at the first assembly of both houses; a bencher of the Temple both well learned and very eloquent, returning from the Parliament house asked another gentleman his frend how he liked M. Speakers Oration: mary quoth th'other, methinks I heard not a better alehouse tale told this seuen yeares. This happened because the good old Knight made no difference betweene an Oration or publike speach to be deliuered to the eare of a Princes Maiestie and state of a Realme, then he would haue done of an ordinary tale to be told at his table in the countrey, wherein all men know the oddes is very great. And though graue and wise counsellours in their consultations doe not vse much superfluous eloquence, and also in their iudicall hearings do much mislike all scholasticall rhetoricks: yet in such a case as it may be (and as this Parliament was) if the Lord Chancelour of England or Archbishop of Canterbury himselfe were to speake, he ought to doe it cunningly and eloquently, which can not be without the vse of figures: and neuerthelesse none impeachment or blemish to the grauitie of the persons or of the cause: wherein I report me to them that knew Sir _Nicholas Bacon_ Lord keeper of the great Seale, or the now Lord Treasorer of England, and haue bene conuersant with their speaches made in the Parliament house & Starrechamber. From whose lippes I haue seene to proceede more graue and naturall eloquence, then from all the Oratours of Oxford or Cambridge, but all is as it is handled, and maketh no matter whether the same eloquence be naturall to them or artificiall (though I thinke rather naturall) yet were they knowen to be learned and not vnskilfull of th'arte, when they were yonger men: and as learning and arte teacheth a schollar to speake, so doth it also teach a counsellour, and aswell an old man as a yong, and a man in authoritie, aswell as a priuate person and a pleader aswell as a preacher, euery man after his sort and calling as best becommeth: and that speach which becommeth one, doth not become another, for maners of speaches, some serue to work in excesse, some in mediocritie, some to graue purposes, some to light, some to be short and brief, some to be long, some to stirre vp affections, some to pacifie and appease them, and these common despisers of good vtterance, which resteth altogether in figuratiue speaches, being well vsed whether it come by nature or by arte or by exercise, they be but certaine grosse ignorance of whom it is truly spoken, _scientia non habet inimicum nisi ignorantem._ I haue come to the Lord Keeper Sir _Nicholas Bacon_, & found him sitting in his gallery alone with the works of _Quintilian_ before him, in deede he was a most eloquent man, and of rare learning and wisedome, as euer I knew England to breed, and one that ioyed as much in learned men and men of good witts. A Knight of the Queenes priuie chamber, once intreated a noble woman of the Court, being in great fauour about her Maiestie (to th'intent to remoue her from a certaine displeasure, which by sinister opinion she had conceiued against a gentleman his friend) that it would please her to heare him speake in his own cause & not to condemne him vpon his aduersaries report: God forbid said she, he is to wise for me to talke with, let him goe and satisfie such a man naming him: why quoth the Knight againe, had your Ladyship rather heare a man talke like a foole or like a wise man? This was because the Lady was a litle peruerse, and not disposed to reforme her selfe by hearing reason, which none other can so well beate into the ignorant head, as the well spoken and eloquent man. And because I am so farre waded into this discourse of eloquence and figuratiue speaches, I will tell you what hapned on a time my selfe being present whene certaine Doctours of the ciuil law were heard in a litigious cause betwixt a man and his wife: before a great Magistrat who (as they can tell that knew him) was a man very well learned and graue, but somewhat sowre, and of no plausible vtterance: the gentlemans chaunce, was to say: my Lord the simple woman is not so much to blame as her lewde abbettours, who by violent perswasions haue lead her into this wilfulnesse. Quoth the iudge, what neede such eloquent termes in this place, the gentleman replied, doth your Lordship mislike the terme, [_violent_] & me thinkes I speake it to great purpose: for I am sure she would neuer haue done it, but by force of perswasion. & if perswasions were not very violent to the minde of man it could not haue wrought so strange an effect as we read that it did once in _Ægypt_, & would haue told the whole tale at large, if the Magistrate had not passed it ouer very pleasantly. Now to tell you the whole matter as the gentleman intended, thus it was. There came into Ægypt a notable Oratour, whose name was _Hegesias_ who inueyed so much against the incommodities of this transitory life, & so highly commended death the dispatcher of all euils; as a great number of his hearers destroyed themselues, some with weapon, some with poyson, others by drowning and hanging themselues to be rid out of this vale of misery, in so much as it was feared least many moe of the people would haue miscaried by occasion of his perswasions, if king _Ptolome_ had not made a publicke proclamation, that the Oratour should auoyde the countrey, and no more be allowed to speake in any matter. Whether now perswasions, may not be said violent and forcible to simple myndes in speciall, I referre it to all mens iudgements that heare the story. At least waies, I finde this opinion, confirmed by a pretie deuise or embleme that _Lucianus_ alleageth he saw in the pourtrait of _Hercules_ within the Citie of Marseills in Prouence: where they had figured a lustie old man with a long chayne tyed by one end at his tong, by the other end at the peoples eares, who stood a farre of and seemed to be drawen to him by the force of that chayne fastned to his tong, as who would say, by force of his perswasions. And to shew more plainly that eloquence is of great force (and not as many men thinke amisse) the propertie and gift of yong men onely, but rather of old men, and a thing which better becommeth hory haires then beardlesse boyes, they seeme to ground it vpon this reason: age (say they and most truly) brings experience, experience bringeth wisedome, long life yeldes long vse and much exercise of speach, exercise and custome with wisedome, make an assured and volluble vtterance: so is it that old men more then any other sort speake most grauely, wisely, assuredly, and plausibly, which partes are all that can be required in perfite eloquence, and so in all deliberations of importance where counsellours are allowed freely to opyne & shew their conceits, good perswasion is no lesse requisite then speach it selfe: for in great purposes to speake and not to be able or likely to perswade, is a vayne thing: now let vs returne backe to say more of this Poeticall ornament.

_CHAP. III._

_How ornament Poeticall is of two sortes according to the double vertue and efficacie of figures._

This ornament then is of two sortes, one to satisfie & delight th'eare onely by a goodly outward shew fet vpon the matter with wordes, and speaches smothly and tunably running: another by certaine intendments or sence of such wordes & speeches inwardly working a stirre to the mynde: that first qualitie the Greeks called _Enargia_, of this word _argos_, because it geueth a glorious lustre and light. This latter they callled _Energia_ of _ergon_, because it wrought with a strong and vertuous operation; and figure breedeth them both, some seruing to giue glosse onely to a language, some to geue it efficacie by sence, and so by that meanes some of them serue th'eare onely, some serue the conceit onely and not th'eare: there be of them also that serue both turnes as common seruitours appointed for th'one and th'other purpose, which shalbe hereafter spoken of in place: but because we haue alleaged before that ornament is but the good or rather bewtifull habite of language and stile and figuratiue speaches the instrument wherewith we burnish our language fashioning it to this or that measure and proportion, whence finally resulteth a long and continuall phrase or maner of writing or speach, which we call by the name of _stile_: we wil first speake of language; then of stile, lastly of figure, and declare their vertue and differences, and also their vse and best application, & what portion in exornation euery of them bringeth to the bewtifying of this Arte.

_CHAP. IIII._

_Of Language._

Speach is not naturall to man sauing for his onely habilitie to speake, and that he is by kinde apt to vtter all his conceits with sounds and voyces diuersified many maner of wayes, by meanes of the many & fit instruments he hath by nature to that purpose, as a broad and voluble tong, thinne and mouable lippes, teeth euen and not shagged; thick ranged, a round vaulted pallate, and a long throte, besides an excellent capacitie of wit that maketh him more disciplinable and imitative than any other creature: then as to the forme and action of his speach, it commeth to him by arte & teaching, and by vse or exercise. But after a speach is fully fashioned to the common vnderstanding, & accepted by consent of a whole countrey & nation, it is called a language, & receaueth none allowed alteration, but by extraordinary occasions by little & little, as it were insensibly bringing in of many corruptions that creepe along with the time: of all which matters, we haue more largely spoken in our bookes of the originals and pedigree of the English tong. Then when I say language, I meane the speach wherein the Poet or maker writeth be it Greek or Latine or as our case is the vulgar English, & when it is peculiar vnto a countrey it is called the mother speach of that people: the Greekes terme it _Idioma_: so is ours at this day the Norman English. Before the Conquest of the Normans it was the Anglesaxon and before that the British, which as some will, is at this day, the Walsh, or as others affirme the Cornish: I for my part thinke neither of both, as they be now spoken and ponounced. This part in our maker or Poet must be heedyly looked vnto, that it be naturall, pure, and the most vsuall of all his countrey: and for the same purpose rather that which is spoken in the kings Court, or in the good townes and Cities within the land, then in the marches and frontiers, or in port townes, where straungers haunt for traffike sake, or yet in Vniuersities where Schollers vse much peeuish affectation of words out of the primatiue languages, or finally, in any vplandish village or corner of a Realme, where is no resort but of poore rusticall or vnciuill people: neither shall he follow the speach of a craftes man or carter, or other of the inferiour sort, though he be inhabitant or bred in the best towne and Citie in this Realme, for such persons doe abuse good speaches by strange accents or illshapen soundes, and false ortographie. But he shall follow generally the better brought vp sort, such as the Greekes call [_charientes_] men ciuill and graciously behauoured and bred. Our maker therefore at these dayes shall not follow _Piers plowman_ nor _Gower_ nor _Lydgate_ nor yet _Chaucer_, for their language is now out of vfe with vs: neither shall he take the termes of Northern-men, such as they vse in dayly talke, whether they be noble men or gentlemen, or of their best clarkes all is a matter: nor in effect any speach vsed beyond the riuer of Trent, though no man can deny but that theirs is the purer English Saxon at this day, yet it is not so Courtly nor so currant as our Southerne English is, no more is the far Westerne mans speach: ye shall therfore take the vsuall speach of the Court, and that of London and the shires lying about London within lx. myles, and not much aboue. I say not this but that in euery shyre of England there be gentlemen and others that speake but specially write as good Southerne as we of Middlesex or Surrey do, but not the common people of euery shire, to whom the gentlemen, and also their learned clarkes do for the most part condescend, but herein we are already ruled by th'English Dictionaries and other bookes written by learned men, and therefore it needeth none other direction in that behalfe. Albeit peradventure some small admonition be not impertinent, for we finde in our English writers many wordes and speaches amendable & ye shall see in some many inkhorne termes so ill affected brought in by men of learning as preachers and schoolmasters and many straunge termes of other languages by Secretaries and Marchaunts and trauailours, and many darke wordes and not vsuall nor well sounding, though they be dayly spoken in Court. Wherefore great heed must be taken by our maker in this point that his choise be good. And peraduenture the writer hereof be in that behalfe no lesse faultie then any other, vsing many straunge and vnaccustomed wordes and borrowed from other languages: and in that respect him selfe no meete Magistrate to refome the same errours in any other person, but since he is not vnwilling to acknowledge his owne fault, and can the better tell how to amend it, he may seeme a more excusable correctour of other mens: he intendeth therefore for an indifferent way and vniuersall benefite to taxe himselfe first and before any others.