Puslapio vaizdai
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doubtedly) I have found in divers small-
learned courtiers a more sound style than
in some professors of learning; of which
I can guess no other cause, but that the
courtier following that which by practice 5
he findeth fittest to nature, therein (though
he know it not) doth according to art,
though not by art: where the other, using
art to show art, and not to hide art (as
in these cases he should do), flieth from 10
nature, and indeed abuseth art.

more fit for music, both words and tune observing quantity; and more fit lively to express divers passions, by the low and lofty sound of the well-weighed syllable. The latter, likewise, with his rime striketh a certain music to the ear; and, in fine, since it doth delight, though by another way, it obtains the same purpose; there being in either, sweetness, and wanting in neither, majesty. Truly the English, before any other vulgar language I know, is fit for both sorts; for, for the ancient, the Italian is so full of vowels, that it must ever be cumbered with elisions. The Dutch so of the other side with consonants, that they cannot yield the sweet sliding fit for a verse. The French, in his whole language, hath not one word that hath its accent in the last syllable, saving two, called antepenultima; and little more hath the Spanish; and, therefore, very gracelessly may they use dactyls. The English is subject to none of these defects.

But what! methinks I deserve to be pounded for straying from poetry to oratory: but both have such an affinity in the wordish considerations, that I think this 15 digression will make my meaning receive the fuller understanding: which is not to take upon me to teach poets how they should do, but only finding myself sick among the rest, to show some one or two 20 spots of the common infection grown among the most part of writers; that, acknowledging ourselves somewhat awry, we may bend to the right use both of matter and manner: whereto our language 25 Now for rime, though we do not obgiveth us great occasion, being, indeed, serve quantity, yet we observe the accent capable of any excellent exercising of it. very precisely, which other languages. I know some will say, it is a mingled either cannot do, or will not do so ablanguage: and why not so much the better, solutely. That cæsura, or breathingtaking the best of both the other? An- 30 place, in the midst of the verse, neither other will say, it wanteth grammar. Nay, Italian nor Spanish have, the French and truly, it hath that praise, that it wanteth we never almost fail of. Lastly, even the not grammar; for grammar it might have, very rime itself the Italian cannot put in but it needs it not; being so easy in itself, the last syllable, by the French named the and so void of those cumbersome differ- 35 masculine rime, but still in the next to ences of cases, genders, moods, and the last, which the French call the female; tenses; which, I think, was a piece of the or the next before that, which the Italians Tower of Babylon's curse, that a man term sdrucciola: the example of the forshould be put to school to learn his mer is, buono, suono; of the sdrucciola is, mother tongue. But for the uttering 40 femina, semina. The French, of the sweetly and properly the conceits of the other side, hath both the male, as bon, son, mind, which is the end of speech, that and the female, as plaise, taise; but the hath it equally with any other tongue in sdrucciola he hath not; where the Engthe world, and is particularly happy in lish hath all three, as due,' 'true,' compositions of two or three words to- 45' father,' 'rather,' 'motion,' 'potion'; gether, near the Greek, far beyond the Latin; which is one of the greatest beauties can be in a language.

Now, of versifying there are two sorts, the one ancient, the other modern; the an- 50 cient marked the quantity of each syllable, and according to that, framed its verse; the modern, observing only number, with some regard of the accent, the chief life of it standeth in that like sounding of the 55 words, which we call rime. Whether of these be the more excellent, would bear many speeches; the ancient, no doubt

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with much more which might be said, but that I find already the triflingness of this discourse is much too much enlarged.

So that since the ever praiseworthy poesy is full of virtue-breeding delightfulness, and void of no gift that ought to be in the noble name of learning; since the blames laid against it are either false or feeble; since the cause why it is not esteemed in England is the fault of poetapes, not poets; since, lastly, our tongue is most fit to honor poesy, and to be honored by poesy; I conjure you all that

poets; that while you live, you live in love, and never get favor, for lacking skill of a sonnet; and when you die, your memory die from the earth for want of

tave had the evil luck to read this ink-
#asting toy of mine, even in the name of
he Nine Muses, no more to scorn the sa-
cred mysteries of poesy; no more to laugh
at the name of poets, as though they were 5 an epitaph.
next inheritors to fools; no more to jest
at the reverend title of a rimer; but to
elieve, with Aristotle, that they were the
ancient treasurers of the Grecians' divin-

ASTROPHEL AND STELLA

to show,

I

That she, dear she, might take some pleasure of my pain,

Pleasure might cause her read, reading might make her know,

Knowledge might pity win, and pity grace obtain,―

I sought fit words to paint the blackest face of woe,

y; to believe, with Bembus, that they 10 Loving in truth, and fain in verse my love were the first bringers in of all civility; to believe, with Scaliger, that no philosopher's precepts can sooner make you an honest man, than the reading of Virgil; to believe, with Clauserus, the translator 15 of Cornutus, that it pleased the heavenly deity by Hesiod and Homer, under the veil of fables, to give us all knowledge, ogic, rhetoric, philosophy natural and moral, and Quid non? [Why not] to 20 believe, with me, that there are many mysteries contained in poetry, which of purpose were written darkly, lest by profane wits it should be abused; to believe, with Landin, that they are so beloved of 25 the gods that whatsoever they write proceeds of a divine fury. Lastly, to believe themselves, when they tell you they will make you immortal by their verses.

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Thus doing, your names shall flourish in the printers' shops: thus doing, you shall be of kin to many a poetical preface: thus doing, you shall be most fair, most rich, most wise, most all: you shall dwell upon superlatives: thus doing, though you be 35 Libertino patre natus [Born of a freedman father], you shall suddenly grow Herculea proles [Descendant of Hercules],

Si quid mea Carmina possunt: [If my poems are good for anything]

Thus doing, your soul shall be placed with
Dante's Beatrice, or Virgil's Anchises.

40

45

But if (fie of such a but!) you be born 50 near the dull-making cataract of Nilus, that you cannot hear the planet-like music of poetry; if you have so earth-creeping a mind, that it cannot lift itself up to look to the sky of poetry, or rather, by a cer- 50 tain rustical disdain, will become such a Mome, as to be a Momus of poetry; then, though I will not wish unto you the ass's ears of Midas, nor to be driven by a poet's verses, as Bubonax was, to hang 55 himself; nor to be rimed to death, as is said to be done in Ireland; yet thus much curse I must send you in the behalf of all

5

Studying inventions fine, her wits to entertain,

Oft turning others' leaves, to see if thence would flow

Some fresh and fruitful showers upon my sunburnt brain.

But words came halting forth, wanting In-
vention's stay;

Invention, Nature's child, fled step-dame
Study's blows;

10

And others' feet still seemed but strangers' in my way.

Thus, great with child to speak, and helpless in my throes,

Biting my truant pen, beating myself for spite;

'Fool,' said my Muse to me, 'look in thy heart, and write.'

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