a defence of poesie and poems-第10章

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without　versing；　and　a　versifier　without　poetry。　　But　yet；　presuppose　it　were　inseparable；　as　indeed；　it　seemeth　Scaliger　judgeth　truly；　it　were　an　inseparable　commendation；　for　if　〃oratio〃　next　to　〃ratio；〃　speech　next　to　reason；　be　the　greatest　gift　bestowed　upon　mortality；　that　cannot　be　praiseless　which　doth　most　polish　that　blessing　of　speech；　which　considereth　each　word；　not　only　as　a　man　may　say　by　his　forcible　quality；　but　by　his　best　measured　quantity；　carrying　even　in　themselves　a　harmony；　without；　perchance；　number；　measure；　order；　proportion　be　in　our　time　grown　odious。

But　lay　aside　the　just　praise　it　hath；　by　being　the　only　fit　speech　for　musicmusic；　I　say；　the　most　divine　striker　of　the　senses；　thus　much　is　undoubtedly　true；　that　if　reading　be　foolish　without　remembering；　memory　being　the　only　treasure　of　knowledge；　those　words　which　are　fittest　for　memory；　are　likewise　most　convenient　for　knowledge。　　Now；　that　verse　far　exceedeth　prose　in　the　knitting　up　of　the　memory；　the　reason　is　manifest：　　the　words；　besides　their　delight；　which　hath　a　great　affinity　to　memory；　being　so　set　as　one　cannot　be　lost；　but　the　whole　work　fails：　　which　accusing　itself；　calleth　the　remembrance　back　to　itself；　and　so　most　strongly　confirmeth　it。　　Besides；　one　word　so；　as　it　were；　begetting　another；　as；　be　it　in　rhyme　or　measured　verse；　by　the　former　a　man　shall　have　a　near　guess　to　the　follower。　　Lastly；　even　they　that　have　taught　the　art　of　memory；　have　showed　nothing　so　apt　for　it　as　a　certain　room　divided　into　many　places；　well　and　thoroughly　known；　now　that　hath　the　verse　in　effect　perfectly；　every　word　having　his　natural　seat；　which　seat　must　needs　make　the　word　remembered。　　But　what　needs　more　in　a　thing　so　known　to　all　men？　　Who　is　it　that　ever　was　a　scholar　that　doth　not　carry　away　some　verses　of　Virgil；　Horace；　or　Cato；　which　in　his　youth　he　learned；　and　even　to　his　old　age　serve　him　for　hourly　lessons？　as；


〃Percontatorem　fugito：　　nam　garrulus　idem　est。　Dum　sibi　quisque　placet　credula　turba　sumus。〃　｛62｝


But　the　fitness　it　hath　for　memory　is　notably　proved　by　all　delivery　of　arts；　wherein；　for　the　most　part；　from　grammar　to　logic；　mathematics；　physic；　and　the　rest；　the　rules　chiefly　necessary　to　be　borne　away　are　compiled　in　verses。　　So　that　verse　being　in　itself　sweet　and　orderly；　and　being　best　for　memory；　the　only　handle　of　knowledge；　it　must　be　in　jest　that　any　man　can　speak　against　it。

Now　｛63｝　then　go　we　to　the　most　important　imputations　laid　to　the　poor　poets；　for　aught　I　can　yet　learn；　they　are　these。

First；　that　there　being　many　other　more　fruitful　knowledges；　a　man　might　better　spend　his　time　in　them　than　in　this。

Secondly；　that　it　is　the　mother　of　lies。

Thirdly；　that　it　is　the　nurse　of　abuse；　infecting　us　with　many　pestilent　desires；　with　a　syren　sweetness；　drawing　the　mind　to　the　serpent's　tail　of　sinful　fancies；　and　herein；　especially；　comedies　give　the　largest　field　to　ear；　as　Chaucer　saith；　how；　both　in　other　nations　and　ours；　before　poets　did　soften　us；　we　were　full　of　courage；　given　to　martial　exercises；　the　pillars　of　manlike　liberty；　and　not　lulled　asleep　in　shady　idleness　with　poets'　pastimes。

And　lastly　and　chiefly；　they　cry　out　with　open　mouth；　as　if　they　had　overshot　Robin　Hood；　that　Plato　banished　them　out　of　his　commonwealth。　　Truly　this　is　much；　if　there　be　much　truth　in　it。

First；　｛64｝　to　the　first；　that　a　man　might　better　spend　his　time；　is　a　reason　indeed；　but　it　doth；　as　they　say；　but　〃petere　principium。〃　｛65｝　　For　if　it　be；　as　I　affirm；　that　no　learning　is　so　good　as　that　which　teacheth　and　moveth　to　virtue；　and　that　none　can　both　teach　and　move　thereto　so　much　as　poesy；　then　is　the　conclusion　manifest；　that　ink　and　paper　cannot　be　to　a　more　profitable　purpose　employed。　And　certainly；　though　a　man　should　grant　their　first　assumption；　it　should　follow；　methinks；　very　unwillingly；　that　good　is　not　good　because　better　is　better。　　But　I　still　and　utterly　deny　that　there　is　sprung　out　of　earth　a　more　fruitful　knowledge。

To　｛66｝　the　second；　therefore；　that　they　should　be　the　principal　liars；　I　answer　paradoxically；　but　truly；　I　think　truly；　that　of　all　writers　under　the　sun；　the　poet　is　the　least　liar；　and　though　he　would；　as　a　poet；　can　scarcely　be　a　liar。　　The　astronomer；　with　his　cousin　the　geometrician；　can　hardly　escape　when　they　take　upon　them　to　measure　the　height　of　the　stars。　　How　often；　think　you；　do　the　physicians　lie；　when　they　aver　things　good　for　sicknesses；　which　afterwards　send　Charon　a　great　number　of　souls　drowned　in　a　potion　before　they　come　to　his　ferry。　　And　no　less　of　the　rest　which　take　upon　them　to　affirm。　　Now　for　the　poet；　he　nothing　affirmeth；　and　therefore　never　lieth；　for；　as　I　take　it；　to　lie　is　to　affirm　that　to　be　true　which　is　false：　　so　as　the　other　artists；　and　especially　the　historian；　affirmeth　many　things；　can；　in　the　cloudy　knowledge　of　mankind；　hardly　escape　from　many　lies：　　but　the　poet；　as　I　said　before；　never　affirmeth；　the　poet　never　maketh　any　circles　about　your　imagination；　to　conjure　you　to　believe　for　true　what　he　writeth：　　he　citeth　not　authorities　of　other　histories；　but　even　for　his　entry　calleth　the　sweet　Muses　to　inspire　into　him　a　good　invention；　in　troth；　not　labouring　to　tell　you　what　is　or　is　not；　but　what　should　or　should　not　be。　　And；　therefore；　though　he　recount　things　not　true；　yet　because　he　telleth　them　not　for　true　he　lieth　not；　without　we　will　say　that　Nathan　lied　in　his　speech；　before　alleged；　to　David；　which；　as　a　wicked　man　durst　scarce　say；　so　think　I　none　so　simple　would　say；　that　AEsop　lied　in　the　tales　of　his　beasts；　for　who　thinketh　that　AEsop　wrote　it　for　actually　true；　were　well　worthy　to　have　his　name　chronicled　among　the　beasts　he　writeth　of。　　What　child　is　there　that　cometh　to　a　play；　and　seeing　Thebes　written　in　great　letters　upon　an　old　door；　doth　believe　that　it　is　Thebes？　　If　then　a　man　can　arrive　to　the　child's　age；　to　know　that　the　poet's　persons　and　doings　are　but　pictures　what　should　be；　and　not　stories　what　have　been；　they　will　never　give　the　lie　to　things　not　affirmatively；　but　allegorically　and　figuratively　written；　and　therefore；　as　in　history；　looking　for　truth；　they　may　go　away　full　fraught　with　falsehood；　so　in　poesy；　looking　but　for　fiction；　they　shall　use　the　narration　but　as　an　imaginative　ground…plot　of　a　profitable　invention。

But　hereto　is　replied；　that　the　poets　give　names　to　men　they　write　of；　which　argueth　a　conceit　of　an　actual　truth；　and　so；　not　being　true；　proveth　a　falsehood。　　And　doth　the　lawyer　lie　then；　when；　under　the　names　of　John　of　the　Stile；　and　John　of　the　Nokes；　he　putteth　his　case？　　But　that　is　easily　answered；　their　naming　of　men　is　but　to　make　their　picture　the　more　lively；　and　not　to　build　any　history。　　Painting　men；　they　cannot　leave　men　nameless；　we　see　we　cannot　play　at　chess　but　that　we　must　give　names　to　our　chess…men：　and　yet；　methinks；　he　were　a　very　partial　champion　of　truth　that　would　say　we　lied　for　giving　a　piece　of　wood　the　reverend　title　of　a　bishop。　　The　poet　nameth　Cyrus　and　AEneas　no　other　way　than　to　show　what　men　of　their　fames；　fortunes；　and　estates　should　do。

Their　｛67｝　third　is；　how　much　it　abuseth　men's　wit；　training　it　to　a　wanton　sinfulness　and　lustful　love。　　For；　indeed；　that　is　the　principal　if　not　only　abuse　I　can　hear　alleged。　　They　say　the　comedies　rather　teach；　than　reprehend；　amorous　conceits；　they　say　the　lyric　is　larded　with　passionate　sonnets；　the　elegiac　weeps　the　want　of　his　mistress；　and　that　even　to　the　heroical　Cupid　hath　ambitiously　climbed。　　Alas！　Love；　I　would　thou　couldst　as　well　defend　thyself；　as　thou　canst　offend　others！　　I　would　those　on　whom　thou　dost　attend；　could　either　put　thee　away　or　yield　good　reason　why　they　keep　thee！　　But　grant　love　of　beauty　to　be　a　beastly　fault；　although　it　be　very　hard；　since　only　man；　and　no　beast；　hath　that　gift　to　discern　beauty；　grant　that　lovely　name　of　love　to　deserve　all　hateful　reproaches；　although　even　some　of　my　masters　the　philosophers　spent　a　good　deal　of　their　lamp…oil　in　setting　forth　the　excellency　of　it；　grant；　I　say；　what　they　will　have　granted；　that　not　only　love；　but　lust；　but　vanity；　but；　if　they　list；　scurrility；　possess　many　leaves　of　the　poets'　books；　ye