The Arte of English Poesie Part 19

And in these verses.

_Accused though I be without desart, Sith none can proue beleeue it not for true: For neuer yet since first ye had my hart, Entended I to false or be untrue._

And in this Disticque.

_And for her beauties praise, no right that with her warres: For where she comes she shewes her selfe like sun among the stars._

And in this other dittie of ours where the louer complaines of his Ladies crueltie, rendring for euery surmise a reason, and by telling the cause, seeketh (as it were) to get credit, thus.

_Cruel you be who can say nay, Since ye delight in others wo: Vnwise am I, ye may well say, For that I haue, honourd you so.

But blamelesse I, who could not chuse To be enchaunted by your eye: But ye to blame, thus to refuse My seruice, and to let me die._

[Sidenote: _Dichologia_, or the Figure of excuse.]

Sometimes our error is so manifest, or we be so hardly prest with our aduersaries, as we cannot deny the fault layd vnto our charge: in which case it is good pollicie to excuse it by some allowable pretext, as did one whom his mistresse burdened with some vnkindne speeches which he had past of her, thus.

_I said it: but by lapse of lying tongue, When furie and iust griefe my heart opprest: I sayd it: as ye see, both fraile and young, When your rigor had ranckled in my brest.

The cruell wound that smarted me so sore, Pardon therefore (sweete sorrow) or at least Beare with mine youth that neuer fell before, Least your offence encrease my griefe the more._

And againe in these, _I spake amysse I cannot it deny.

But caused by your great discourtesie: And if I said that which I now repent, And said it not, but by misgouernment Of youthfull yeres, your selfe that are so young Pardon for once this error of my tongue, And thinke amends can neuer come to late: Loue may be curst, but loue can neuer hate._

[Sidenote: _Noema_, or the Figure of close conceit.]

Speaking before of the figure [_Synechdoche_] wee called him [_Quicke conceit_] because he inured in a single word onely by way of intendment or large meaning, but such as was speedily discouered by euery quicke wit, as by the halfe to vnderstand the whole, and many other waies appearing by the examples. But by this figure [_Noema_] the obscurity of the sence lieth not in a single word, but in an entier speech, whereof we do not so easily conceiue the meaning, but as it were by coniecture, because it is wittie and subtile or darke, which makes me therefore call him in our vulgar the [_Close conceit_] as he that said by himselfe and his wife, I thanke G.o.d in fortie winters that we haue liued together, neuer any of our neighbours set vs at one, meaning that they neuer fell out in all that s.p.a.ce, which had bene the directer speech and more apert, and yet by intendment amounts all to one, being neuerthelesse dissemblable and in effect contrary. _Pawlet_ Lord Treasorer of England, and first Marques of Winchester, with the like subtill speech gaue a quippe to Sir _William Gifford_, who had married the Marques sister, and all her life time cound neuer loue her nor like of her company, but when she was dead made the greatest moane for her in the world, and with teares and much lamentation vttered his griefe to the L. Treasorer, o good brother, quoth the Marques, I am right sory to see you now loue my sister so well, meaning that he shewed his loue too late, and should haue done it while she was aliue.

A great counsellour somewhat forgetting his modestie, vsed these words: G.o.ds lady I reckon my selfe as good a man as he you talke of, and yet I am not able to do so. Yea sir quoth the party, your L. is too good to be a man, I would ye were a Saint, meaning he would he were dead, for none are shrined for Saints before they be dead.

[Sidenote: _Orismus_, or the Definer of difference.]

The Logician vseth a definition to expresse the truth or nature of euery thing by his true kinde and difference, as to say wisedome is a prudent and wittie foresight and consideration of humane or worldly actions with their euentes. This definition is Logicall. The Oratour vseth another maner of definition, thus: Is this wisedome? no it is a certaine subtill knauish craftie wit, it is no industrie as ye call it, but a certaine busie brainsicknesse, for industrie is a liuely and vnweried search and occupation in honest things, egernesse is an appet.i.te in base and small matters.

[Sidenote: _Procatalepsis_, or the presumptuous, otherwise the figure of Presupposall.]

It serueth many times to great purpose to preuent our aduersaries arguments, and take vpon vs to know before what our iudge or aduersary or hearer thinketh, and that we will seeme to vtter it before it be spoken or alleaged by them, in respect of which boldnesse to enter so deepely into another mans conceit or conscience, and to be so priuie of another mans mynde, gaue cause that this figure was called the [_presumptuous_] I will also call him the figure of _presupposall_ or the _preuenter_, for by reason we suppose before what may be said, or perchaunce would be said by our aduersary or any other, we do preuent them of their aduantage, and do catch the ball (as they are wont to say) before it come to the ground.

[Sidenote: _Paralepsis_, or the Pa.s.sager.]

It is also very many times vsed for a good pollicie in pleading or perswasion to make wise as if we set but light of the matter, and that therefore we do pa.s.se it ouer lightly when in deede we do then intend most effectually and despightfully if it be inuectiue to remember it: it is also when we will not seeme to know a thing, and yet we know it well inough, and may be likened to the maner of women, who as the common saying is, will say nay and take it.

_I hold my peace and will not say for shame, The much vntruth of that vnciuill dame: For if I should her coullours kindly blaze, It would so make the chast eares amaze, &c._

[Sidenote: _Commoratio_, or the figure of abode.]

It is said by maner of a prouerbiall speach that he who findes himselfe well should not wagge, euen so the perswader finding a substantiall point in his matter to serue his purpose, should dwell upon that point longer then vpon any other lesse a.s.sured, and vse all endeuour to maintaine that one, & as it were to make his chief aboad thereupon, for which cause I name him the figure of aboad, according to the Latine name: Some take it not but for a course of argument & therefore hardly may one giue any examples thereof.

[Sidenote: _Metastasis_, or the Flitting figure, or the Remoue.]

Now as arte and good pollicy in perswasion bids vs to abide & not to stirre from the point of our most aduantage, but the same to enforce and tarry vpon with all possible argument, so doth discretion will vs sometimes to flit from one matter to another, as a thing meete to be forsaken, and another entred vpon, I call him therefore the _flitting_ figure, or figure of _remoue_, like as the other before was called the figure of _aboade_.

[Sidenote: _Parecuasis, or the Stragler.]

Euen so againe, as it is wisdome for a perswader to tarrie and make his aboad as long as he may conueniently without tediousness to the hearer, vpon his chiefe proofes or points of the cause tending to his aduantage, and likewise to depart againe when time serues, and goe to a new matter seruing the purpose aswell. So is it requisite many times for him to talke farre from the princ.i.p.all matter, and as it were to range aside, to th'intent by such extraordinary meane to induce or inferre other matter, aswell or better seruing the princ.i.p.al purpose, and neuertheles in season to returne home where he first strayed out. This maner of speech is termed the figure of digression by the Latines, following the Greeke originall, we also call him the _straggler_ by allusion to the souldier that marches out of his array, or by those that keepe no order in their marche, as the battailes well ranged do: of this figure there need be geuen no example.

[Sidenote: _Expeditio_, or the speedie dispatcher.]

Occasion offers many times that our maker as an oratour, or perswader, or pleader should go roundly to worke, and by a quick and swift argument dispatch his perswasion, & as they are woont to say not stand all day trifling to no purpose, but to rid it out of the way quickly. This is done by a manner of speech, both figuratiue and argumentatiue, when we do briefly set down all our best reasons seruing the purpose and reiect all of them sauing one, which we accept to satisfie the cause: as he that in a litigious case for land would prooue it not the aduersaries, but his clients.

_No man can say its his by heritage, Nor by Legacie, or Testatours deuice: Nor that it came by purchase or engage, Nor from his Prince for any good seruice.

Then needs must it be his by very wrong, Which he hath offred this poore plaintife so long._

Though we might call this figure very well and properly the [_Paragon_]

yet dare I not so to doe for feare of the Courtiers enuy, who will haue no man vse that terme but after a courtly manner, that is, in praysing of horses, haukes, hounds, pearles, diamonds, rubies, emerodes, and other precious stones: specially of faire women whose excellencie is discouered by paragonizing or setting one to another, which moued the zealous Poet, speaking of the mayden Queene, to call her the paragon of Queenes. This considered, I will let our figure enioy his best beknowen name, and call him stil in all ordinarie cases the figure of comparison: as when a man wil seeme to make things appeare good or bad, or better or worse, or more or lesse excellent, either vpon spite or for pleasure, or any other good affection, then he sets the lesse by the greater, or the greater to the lesse, the equall to his equall, and by such confronting of them together, driues out the true ods that is betwixt them, and makes it better appeare, as when we sang of our Soueraigne Lady thus, in the twentieth Partheniade.

_As falcon fares to bussards flight, As egles eyes to owlates sight, As fierce saker to coward kite, As brightest noone to darkest night: As summer sunne exceedeth farre, The moone and euery other starre: So farre my Princesse praise doeth pa.s.se, The famoust Queene that euer was._

And in the eighteene Partheniade thus.

_Set rich rubie to red esmayle, The rauens plume to peac.o.c.ks tayle, Lay me the larkes to lizards eyes, The duskie cloude to azure skie, Set shallow brookes to surging seas, An orient pearle to a white pease._

&c. Concluding.

_There shall no lesse an ods be seene In mine from euery other Queene._

[Sidenote: Dialogismus, or the right reasoner.]

We are sometimes occasioned in our tale to report some speech from another mans mouth, as what a king said to his priuy counsel or subiect, a captaine to his souldier, a souldiar to his captaine, a man to a woman, and contrariwise: in which report we must always geue to euery person his fit and naturall, & that which best becommeth him. For that speech becommeth a king which doth not a carter, and a young man that doeth not an old: and so, in euery sort and degree. _Virgil_ speaking in the person of _Eneas, Turnus_ and many other great Princes, and sometimes of meaner men, ye shall see what decencie euery of their speeches holdeth with the qualitie, degree and yeares of the speaker. To which examples I will for this time referre you.

So if by way of fiction we will seem to speake in another mans person, as if king _Henry_ the eight were aliue, and should say of the towne of Bulleyn, what we by warretime hazard of our person hardly obteined, our young sonne without any peril at all, for little mony deliuered vp againe.

Or if we should faine king _Edward_ the thirde, vnderstanding how his successour Queene _Marie_ had lost the towne of Calays by negligence, should say: That which the sword wanne, the distaffe hath lost. This manner of speech is by the figure _Dialogismus_, or the right reasoner.

[Sidenote: _Gnome_, or the Director.]

In waightie causes and for great purposes, wise perswaders vse graue & weighty speaches, specially in matter of aduise or counsel, for which purpose there is a maner of speach to alleage textes or authorities of wittie sentence, such as smatch morall doctrine and teach wisedome and good behauiour, by the Greeke originall we call him the _directour_, by the Latin he is called _sententia_: we may call him the _sage sayer_, thus.

[Sidenote: _Sententia_, or the Sage sayer.]

_Nature bids vs as a louing mother, To loue our selues first and next to loue another.

The Prince that couets all to know and see, Had neede full milde and patient to bee.

Nothing stickes faster by us as appeares, Then that which we learne in our tender yeares._

And that which our foueraigne Lady wrate in defiance of fortune.

_Neuer thinke you fortune can beare the sway, Where vertues force, can cause her to obay._

Heede must be taken that such rules or sentences be choisly made and not often vsed least excesse breed lothsomnesse.

[Sidenote: _Sinathrismus_, or the Heaping figure.]

Arte and good pollicie moues vs many times to be earnest in our speach, and then we lay on such load and so go to it by heapes as if we would winne the game by mult.i.tude of words & speaches, not all of one but of diuers matter and sence, for which cause the Latines called it _Congeries_ and we the _heaping figure_, as he that said _To muse in minde how faire, how wise, how good, How braue, how free, how curteous and how true, My Lady is doth but inflame my blood._

Or thus.

_I deeme, I dreame, I do, I tast, I touch, Nothing at all but smells of perfit blisse_.

And thus by maister _Edward Diar_, vehement swift & pa.s.sionatly.

_But if my faith my hope, my loue my true intent, My libertie, my seruice vowed, my time and all be spent, In vaine, &c._

But if such earnest and hastie heaping vp of speaches be made by way of recapitulation, which commonly is in the end of euery long tale and Oration, because the speaker seemes to make a collection of all the former materiall points, to binde them as it were in a bundle and lay them forth to enforce the cause and renew the hearers memory, then ye may geue him more properly the name of the [_collectour_] or recapitulatour, and serueth to very great purpose as in an hympne written by vs to the Queenes Maiestie ent.i.tled [_Mourua_] wherein speaking of the mutabilitie of fortune in the case of all Princes generally, wee seemed to exempt her Maiestie of all such casualtie, by reason she was by her destinie and many diuine partes in her, ordained to a most long and constant prosperitie in this world, concluding with this recapitualtion.

_But thou art free, but were thou not in deede, But were thou not, come of immortall seede: Neuer yborne, and thy minde made to blisse, Heauens mettall that euerlasting is: Were not thy wit, and that thy vertues shall, Be deemd diuine thy fauour face and all: And that thy loze, ne name may neuer dye, Nor thy state turne, stayd by destinie: Dread were least once thy n.o.ble hart may feele, Some rufull turne, of her unsteady wheele._

[Sidenote: _Apostrophe_, or the turne tale.]

Many times when we haue runne a long race in our tale spoken to the hearers, we do sodainly flye out & either speake or exclaime at some other person or thing, and therefore the Greekes call such figure (as we do) the turnway or turnetale, & breedeth by such exchaunge a certaine recreation to the hearers minds, as this vsed by a louer to his vnkind mistresse.

_And as for you (faire one) say now by proofe ye finde, That rigour and ingrat.i.tude soone kill a gentle minde._

And as we in our triumphals, speaking long to the Queenes Maiestie, vpon the sodaine we burst out in an exclamtion to _Phebus_, seeming to draw in a new matter, thus.

_But O Phebus, All glistering in thy gorgious gowne, Wouldst thou wit safe to slide a downe: And dwell with us,

But for a day, I could tell thee close in thine eare, A tale that thou hadst leuer heare --I dare well say:

Then ere thou wert, To kisse that unkind runneaway, Who was transformed to boughs of bay: For her curst hert. &c ._