Amphion Homer in his hymnes and many other both Greekes and Romaines and this Poesie must be vsed by whosoeuer will follow S. Iames his counsell in singing Psalmes when they are merry and I knowe is vsed with the fruite of comfort by some when in sorrowfull pangs of their death-bringing sinnes they find the consolation of the neuer-leauing goodnesse The second kinde is of them that deale with matters Philosophicall eyther morrall as Tirteus Phocilides and Cato or naturall as Lucretius and Virgils Georgicks or Astronomicall as Manilius Pontanus or historical as Lucan which who mislike the faulte is in their iudgements quite out of taste and not in the sweet foode of sweetly vttered knowledge But because thys second sorte is wrapped within the folde of the proposed subiect and takes not the course of his owne inuention whether they properly be Poets or no let Gramarians dispute and goe to the thyrd indeed right Poets of whom chiefly this question ariseth betwixt whom these second is such a kinde of difference as betwixt the meaner sort of Painters who counterfet onely such faces as are sette before them and the more excellent who hauing no law but wit bestow that in cullours vpon you which is fittest for the eye to see as the constant though lamenting looke of Lucrecia when she punished in her selfe an others fault VVherein he painteth not Lucrecia whom he neuer sawe but painteth the outwarde beauty of such a vertue for these third be they which most properly do imitate to teach and delight and to imitate borrow nothing of what is hath been or shall be but range onely rayned with learned discretion into the diuine consideration of what may be and should be These bee they that as the first and most noble sorte may iustly bee termed Vates so these are waited on in the excellenst languages and best vnderstandings with the fore described name of Poets for these indeede doo meerely make to imitate and imitate both to delight teach and delight to moue men to take that goodnes in hande which without delight they would flye as from a stranger And teach to make them know that goodnes whereunto they are mooued which being the noblest scope to which euer any learning was directed yet want there not idle tongues to barke at them These be subdiuided into sundry more speciall denominations The most notable bee the Heroick Lirick Tragick Comick Satirick Iambick Elegiack pastorall and certaine others Some of these being deemed according to the matter they deale with some by the sorts of verses they liked best to write in for indeede the greatest part of Poets haue apparelled their poeticall inuentions in that 〈◊〉 kinde of writing which is called verse indeed but apparelled verse being but an ornament and no cause to Poetry sith there haue beene many most excellent Poets that neuer versified and nowe swarme many versifiers that neede neuer aunswere to the name of Poets For Xenophon who did imitate so excellently as to giue vs effigiem iusti imperij the portraiture of a iust Empire vnder the name of Cyrus as Cicero sayth of him made therein an absolute heroicall Poem So did Heliodorus in his sugred inuention of that picture of loue in Theagines and Cariclea and yet both these writ in Prose which I speak to shew that it is not riming and versing that maketh a Poet no more then a long gowne maketh an Aduocate who though he pleaded in armor fhould be an Aduocate and no Souldier But it is that fayning notable images of vertues vices or what els with that delightfull teaching which must be the right describing note to know a Poet by although indeed the Senate of Poets hath chosen verse as their fittest rayment meaning as in matter they passed all in all so in maner to goe beyond them not speaking table talke fashion or like men in a dreame words as they chanceably fall from the mouth but peyzing each sillable of each worde by iust proportion according to the dignitie of the subiect Nowe therefore it shall not bee amisse first to waigh this latter sort of Poetrie by his works then by his partes and if in neyther of these Anatomies hee be condemnable I hope wee shall obtaine a more fauourable sentence This purifiing of wit this enritching of memory enabling of iudgment and enlarging of conceyt which cōmonly we call learning vnder what name soeuer it comforth or to what immediat end soeuer it be directed the final end is to lead draw vs to as high a perfection as our degenerate soules made worse by theyr clayey lodgings can be capable of This according to the inclination of the man bred many formed impressions for some that thought this fellcity principally to be gotten by knowledge and no knowledge to be so high and heauenly as acquaintance with the starres gaue themselues to Astronomie others perswading themselues to be Demi-gods if they knewe the causes of things became naturall and supernaturall Philosophers some an admirable delight drew to Musicke and some the certainty of demonstration to the Mathematickes But all one and other hauing this scope to knowe and by knowledge to lift vp the mind from the dungeon of the body to the enioying his owne diuine essence But when by the ballance of experience it was found that the Astronomer looking to the starres might fall into a ditch that the enquiring Philosopher might be blinde in himselfe and the Mathematician might draw foorth a straight line with a crooked hart then loe did proofe the ouer ruler of opinions make manifest that all these are but seruing Sciences which as they haue each a priuate end in themselues so yet are they all directed to the highest end of the mistres Knowledge by the Greekes called Arkitecktonike which stands as I thinke in the knowledge of a mans selfe in the Ethicke and politick consideration with the end of well dooing and not of well knowing onely euen as the Sadlers next end is to make a good saddle but his farther end to serue a nobler facultie which is horsemanship so the horsemans to souldiery and the Souldier not onely to haue the skill but to performe the practise of a Souldier so that the ending end of all earthly learning being vertuous action those skilles that most serue to bring forth that haue a most iust title to bee Princes ouer all the rest wherein if wee can shewe the Poets noblenes by setting him before his other Competitors among whom as principall challengers step forth the morrall Philosophers whom me thinketh I see comming towards mee with a sullen grauity as though they could not abide vice by day light rudely clothed for to witnes outwardly their cōtempt of outward things with bookes in their hands agaynst glory whereto they sette theyr names sophistically speaking against subtility and angry with any man in whom they see the foule fault of anger these men casting larges as they goe of Definitions Diuisions and Distinctions
which from almost the highest estimation of learning is fallen to be the laughingstocke of children So haue I need to bring some more auaileable proofes sith the former is by no man barred of his deserued credite the silly latter hath had euen the names of Philosophers vsed to the defacing of it with great danger of ciuill war amōg the Muses And first truly to al thē that professing learning inueigh against Poetry may iustly be obiected that they goe very neer to vngratfulnes to seek to deface that which in the noblest nations languages that are knowne hath been the first light-giuer to ignorance and first Nurse whose milk by little little enabled them to feed afterwards of tougher knowledges will they now play the Hedghog that being receiued into the den draue out his host or rather the Vipers that with theyr birth kill their Parents Let learned Greece in any of her manifold Sciences be able to shew me one booke before Musaeus Homer Hesiodus all three nothing els but Poets Nay let any historie be brought that can say any VVriters were there before thē if they were not men of the same skil as Orpheus Linus and some other are named who hauing beene the first of that Country that made pens deliuerers of their knowledge to their posterity may iustly chalenge to bee called their Fathers in learning for not only in time they had this priority although in it self antiquity be venerable but went before them as causes to drawe with their charming sweetnes the wild vntamed wits to an admiration of knowledge So as Amphion was sayde to moue stones with his Poetrie to build Thebes And Orpheus to be listened to by beastes indeed stony and beastly people So among the Romans were Liuius Andronicus and Ennius So in the Italian language the first that made it aspire to be a Treasure-house of Science were the Poets Dante Boccace and Petrarch So in our English were Gower and Chawcer After whom encouraged and delighted with theyr excellent fore-going others haue followed to beautifie our mother tongue as wel in the same kinde as in other Arts. This did so notably shewe it selfe that the Phylosophers of Greece durst not a long time appeare to the worlde but vnder the masks of Poets So Thales Empedocles and Parmenides sange their naturall Phylosophie in verses so did Pythagoras and Phocilides their morral counsells so did Tirteus in war matters Solon in matters of policie or rather they beeing Poets dyd exercise their delightful vaine in those points of highest knowledge which before them lay hid to the world For that wise Solon was directly a Poet it is manifest hauing written in verse the notable fable of the Atlantick Iland which was continued by Plato And truely euen Plato whosoeuer well considereth shall find that in the body of his work though the inside strength were Philosophy the skinne as it were beautie depended most of Poetrie for all standeth vpon Dialogues wherein he faineth many honest Burgesses of Athens to speake of such matters that if they had been sette on the racke they would neuer haue confessed them Besides his poetical describing the circumstances of their meetings as the well ordering of a banquet the delicacie of a walke with enterlacing meere tales as Giges Ring and others which who knoweth not to be flowers of Poetrie did neuer walke into Apollos Garden And euen Historiographers although theyr lippes sounde of things doone veritie be written in theyr fore-heads haue been glad to borrow both fashion and perchance weight of Poets So Herodotus entituled his Historie by the name of the nine Muses and both he and all the rest that followed him either stole or vsurped of Poetrie their passionate describing of passions the many particularities of battailes which no man could affirme or if that be denied me long Orations put in the mouthes of great Kings and Captaines which it is certaine they neuer pronounced So that truely neyther Phylosopher nor Historiographer coulde at the first haue entred into the gates of populer iudgements if they had not taken a great pasport of Poetry which in all Nations at this day wher learning florisheth not is plaine to be seene in all which they haue some feeling of Poetry In Turky besides their lawe-giuing Diuines they haue no other VVriters but Poets In our neighbour Countrey Ireland where truelie learning goeth very bare yet are theyr Poets held in a deuoute reuerence Euen among the most barbarous and simple Indians where no writing is yet haue they their Poets who make and sing songs which they call Areytos both of theyr Auncestors deedes praises of theyr Gods A sufficient probabilitie that if euer learning come among thē it must be by hauing theyr hard dull wits softned and sharpened with the sweete delights of Poetrie For vntill they find a pleasure in the exercises of the minde great promises of much knowledge will little perswade them that knowe not the fruites of knowledge In VVales the true remnant of the auncient Brittons as there are good authorities to shewe the long time they had Poets which they called Bardes so thorough all the conquests of Romaines Saxons Danes and Normans some of whom did seeke to ruine all memory of learning from among them yet doo their Poets euen to this day last so as it is not more notable in soone beginning then in long continuing But since the Authors of most of our Sciences were the Romans and before them the Greekes let vs a little stand vppon their authorities but euen so farre as to see what names they haue giuen vnto this now scorned skill Among the Romans a Poet was called Vates which is as much as a Diuiner Fore-seer or Prophet as by his conioyned wordes Vaticinium Vaticinari is manifest so heauenly a title did that excellent people bestow vpō this hart-rauishing knowledge And so farre were they carried into the admiration thereof that they thought in the chaunceable hitting vppon any such verses great fore-tokens of their following fortunes were placed VVhereupon grew the worde of Sortes Virgilianae when by suddaine opening Virgils booke they lighted vpon any verse of hys making whereof the histories of the Emperors liues are full as of Albinus the Gouernour of our Iland who in his childe-hoode mette with this verse Arma amens capio nec sat rationis in armis And in his age performed it which although it were a very vaine and godles superstition as also it was to think that spirits were commaunded by such verses whereupon this word charmes deriued of Carmina commeth so yet serueth it to shew the great reuerence those wits were helde in And altogether not without ground since both the Oracles of Delphos and Sibillas prophecies were wholy deliuered in verses For that same exquisite obseruing of number and measure in words and that high flying liberty of conceit proper to the Poet did seeme to haue some dyuine force in it And may
for whatsoeuer action or faction whatsoeuer counsell pollicy or warre stratagem the Historian is bound to recite that may the Poet if he list with his imitation make his own beautifying it both for further teaching and more delighting as it pleaseth him hauing all from Dante his heauen to hys hell vnder the authoritie of his penne VVhich if I be asked what Poets haue done so as I might well name some yet say I and say againe I speak of the Arte and not of the Artificer Nowe to that which commonly is attributed to the prayse of histories in respect of the notable learning is gotten by marking the successe as though therein a man should see vertue exalted and vice punished Truely that commendation is peculiar to Poetrie and farre of from History For indeede Poetrie euer setteth vertue so out in her best cullours making Fortune her wel-wayting hand-mayd that one must needs be enamored of her VVell may you see Vlisses in a storme and in other hard plights but they are but exercises of patience magnanimitie to make them shine the more in the neere-following prosperitie And of the contrarie part if euill men come to the stage they euer goe out as the Tragedie VVriter answered to one that misliked the shew of such persons so manacled as they little animate folkes to followe them But the Historian beeing captiued to the trueth of a foolish world is many times a terror frō well dooing and an incouragement to vnbrideled wickednes For see wee not valiant Milciades rot in his fetters The iust Phocion and the accomplished Socrates put to death like Traytors The cruell Seuerus liue prosperously The excellent Seuerus miserably murthered Sylla and Marius dying in theyr beddes Pompey and Cicero slaine then when they would haue thought exile a happinesse See wee not vertuous Cato driuen to kyll himselfe and rebell Caesar so aduaunced that his name yet after 1600. yeeres lasteth in the highest honor And marke but euen Caesars own words of the fore-named Sylla who in that onely did honestly to put downe his dishonest tyrannie Literas nesciuit as if want of learning caused him to doe well Hee meant it not by Poetrie which not content with earthly plagues deuiseth new punishments in hel for Tyrants nor yet by Philosophie which teacheth Occidendos esse but no doubt by skill in Historie for that indeede can affoord you Cipselus Periander Phalaris Dionisius and I know not how many more of the same kennell that speede well enough in theyr abhominable vniustice or vsurpation I conclude therefore that hee excelleth Historie not onely in furnishing the minde with knowledge but in setting it forward to that which deserueth to be called and accounted good which setting forward and moouing to well dooing indeed setteth the Lawrell crowne vpon the Poet as victorious not onely of the Historian but ouer the Phylosopher howsoeuer in teaching it may bee questionable For suppose it be granted that which I suppose with great reason may be denied that the Philosopher in respect of his methodical proceeding doth teach more perfectly then the Poet yet do I thinke that no man is so much Philophilosophos as to compare the Philosopher in moouing with the Poet. And that moouing is of a higher degree then teaching it may by this appeare that it is wel nigh the cause and the effect of teaching For who will be taught if hee bee not mooued with desire to be taught and what so much good doth that teaching bring forth I speak still of morrall doctrine as that it mooueth one to doe that which it dooth teach for as Aristotle sayth it is not Gnosis but Praxis must be the fruit And howe Praxis cannot be without being mooued to practise it is no hard matter to consider The Philosopher sheweth you the way hee informeth you of the particularities as well of the tediousnes of the way as of the pleasant lodging you shall haue when your iourney is ended as of the many by-turnings that may diuert you from your way But this is to no man but to him that will read him and read him with attentiue studious painfulnes VVhich constant desire whosoeuer hath in him hath already past halfe the hardnes of the way and therefore is beholding to the Philosopher but for the other halfe Nay truely learned men haue learnedly thought that where once reason hath so much ouer-mastred passion as that the minde hath a a free desire to doe well the inward light each minde hath in it selfe is as good as a Philosophers booke seeing in nature we know it is wel to doe well and what is well and what is euill although not in the words of Arte which Philosophers bestowe vpon vs. For out of naturall conceit the Philosophers drew it but to be moued to doe that which wee know or to be mooued with desire to knowe Hoc opus Hic labor est Nowe therein of all Sciences I speak still of humiane according to the humiane conceits is our Poet the Monarch For he dooth not only show the way but giueth so sweete a prospect into the way as will intice any man to enter into it Nay he dooth as if your iourney should lye through a fayre Vineyard at the first giue you a cluster of Grapes that full of that taste you may long to passe further He beginneth not with obscure definitions which must blur the margent with interpretations and load the memory with doubtfulnesse but hee commeth to you with words set in delightfull proportion either accompanied with or prepared for the well inchaunting skill of Musicke and with a tale forsooth he commeth vnto you with a tale which holdeth children from play and old men from the chimney corner And pretending no more doth intende the winning of the mind from wickednesse to vertue euen as the childe is often brought to take most wholsom things by hiding them in such other as haue a pleasant tast which if one should beginne to tell them the nature of Aloes or Rubarb they shoulde receiue woulde sooner take their Phisicke at their eares then at their mouth So is it in men most of which are childish in the best things till they bee cradled in their graues glad they will be to heare the tales of Hercules Achilles Cyrus and Aeneas and hearing them must needs heare the right description of wisdom valure and iustice which if they had been barely that is to say Philosophically set out they would sweare they bee brought to schoole againe That imitation wherof Poetry is hath the most conueniency to Nature of all other in somuch that as Aristotle sayth those things which in themselues are horrible as cruell battailes vnnaturall Monsters are made in poeticall imitation delightfull Truely I haue knowen men that euen with reading Amadis de Gaule which God knoweth wanteth much of a perfect Poesie haue found their harts mooued to the exercise of courtesie liberalitie and especially courage VVho readeth Aeneas carrying olde
his old time in putting Esops fables into verses And therefore full euill should it become his scholler Plato to put such words in his Maisters mouth against Poets But what need more Aristotle writes the Arte of Poesie and why if it should not be written Plutarch teacheth the vse to be gathered of thē and how if they should not be read And who reades Plutarchs eyther historie or philosophy shall finde hee trymmeth both theyr garments with gards of Poesie But I list not to defend Poesie with the helpe of her vnderling Historiography Let it suffise that it is a fit soyle for prayse to dwell vpon and what dispraise may set vpon it is eyther easily ouer-come or transformed into iust commendation So that sith the excellencies of it may be so easily and so iustly confirmed the low-creeping obiections so soone troden downe it not being an Art of lyes but of true doctrine not of effeminatenes but of notable stirring of courage not of abusing mans witte but of strengthning mans wit not banished but honored by Plato let vs rather plant more Laurels for to engarland our Poets heads which honor of beeing laureat as besides thē onely tryumphant Captaines weare is a sufficient authority to shewe the price they ought to be had in then suffer the ill-sauouring breath of such wrong-speakers once to blowe vpon the cleere springs of Poesie But sith I haue runne so long a careere in this matter me thinks before I giue my penne a full stop it shalbe but a little more lost time to inquire why England the Mother of excellent mindes should bee growne so hard a step-mother to Poets vvho certainly in wit ought to passe all other sith all onely proceedeth frō their wit being indeede makers of themselues not takers of others How can I but exclaime Musa mihi causas memora quo numine laeso Sweete Poesie that hath aunciently had Kings Emperors Senators great Captaines such as besides a thousand others Dauid Adrian Sophocles Germanicus not onely to fauour Poets but to be Poets And of our neerer times can present for her Patrons a Robert king of Sicil the great king Francis of France king Iames of Scotland Such Cardinals as Bembus and Bibiena Such famous Preachers Teachers as Beza and Melancthon So learned Philosophers as Fracastorius and Scaliger So great Orators as Pontanus Muretus So piercing wits as George Buchanan So graue Counsellors as besides many but before all that Hospitall of Fraunce then whom I thinke that Realme neuer brought forth a more accomplished iudgement more firmely builded vpon vertue I say these with numbers of others not onely to read others Poesies but to poetise for others reading that Poesie thus embraced in all other places should onely finde in our time a hard welcome in England I thinke the very earth lamenteth it and therefore decketh our Soyle with fewer Laurels then it was accustomed For heertofore Poets haue in England also florished And which is to be noted euen in those times when the trumpet of Mars did sounde loudest And now that an ouer-faint quietnes should seeme to strew the house for Poets they are almost in as good reputation as the Mountibancks at Venice Truly euen that as of the one side it giueth great praise to Poesie which like Venus but to better purpose had rather be troubled in the net with Mars then enioy the homelie quiet of Vulcan so serues it for a peece of a reason why they are lesse gratefull to idle England which nowe can scarce endure the payne of a pen. Vpon this necessarily followeth that basemen with seruile wits vndertake it who think it inough if they can be rewarded of the Printer And so as Epaminondas is sayd with the honor of his vertue to haue made an office by his exercising it which before was contemptible to become highly respected so these no more but setting their names to it by their owne disgracefulnes disgrace the most gracefull Poesie For now as if all the Muses were gotte with childe to bring foorth bastard Poets without any commission they doe poste ouer the banckes of Helicon tyll they make the readers more weary then Post-horses while in the meane tyme they Queis meliore luto finxit praecordia Titan are better content to suppresse the out-flowing of their wit then by publishing them to bee accounted Knights of the same order But I that before euer I durst aspire vnto the dignitie am admitted into the company of the Paper-blurrers doe finde the very true cause of our wanting estimation is want of desert taking vpon vs to be Poets in despight of Pallas Nowe wherein we want desert were a thanke-worthy labour to expresse but if I knew I should haue mended my selfe But I as I neuer desired the title so haue I neglected the meanes to come by it Onely ouer-mastred by some thoughts I yeelded an inckie tribute vnto them Mary they that delight in Poesie it selfe should seeke to knowe what they doe and how they doe and especially looke themselues in an vnflattering Glasse of reason if they bee inclinable vnto it For Poesie must not be drawne by the eares it must bee gently led or rather it must lead VVhieh was partly the cause that made the auncient-learned affirme it was a diuine gift and no humaine skill sith all other knowledges lie ready for any that hath strength of witte A Poet no industrie can make if his owne Genius bee not carried vnto it and therefore is it an old Prouerbe Orator fit Poeta nascitur Yet confesse I alwayes that as the firtilest grounde must bee manured so must the highest flying wit haue a Dedalus to guide him That Dedalus they say both in this and in other hath three wings to beare it selfe vp into the ayre of due commendation that is Arte Imitation and Exercise But these neyther artificiall rules nor imitatiue patternes we much cumber our selues withall Exercise indeeede wee doe but that very fore-backwardly for where we should exercise to know wee exercise as hauing knowne and so is our braine deliuered of much matter which neuer was begottē by knowledge For there being two principal parts matter to be expressed by wordes and words to expresse the matter in neyther wee vse Arte or Imitation rightly Our matter is Quodlibit indeed though wrongly perfourming Ouids verse Quicquid conabor discere versus erit neuer marshalling it into an assured rancke that almost the readers cannot tell where to finde themselues Chaucer vndoubtedly did excellently in hys Troylus and Cresseid of whom truly I know not whether to meruaile more either that he in that mistie time could see so clearely or that wee in this cleare age walke so stumblingly after him Yet had he great wants fitte to be forgiuen in so reuerent antiquity I account the Mirrour of Magistrates meetely furnished of beautiful parts and in the Earle of Surries Liricks many things tasting of a noble birth and worthy of a noble minde The Sheapheards