a defence of poesie and poems-第11章

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ve；　but　lust；　but　vanity；　but；　if　they　list；　scurrility；　possess　many　leaves　of　the　poets'　books；　yet；　think　I；　when　this　is　granted；　they　will　find　their　sentence　may；　with　good　manners；　put　the　last　words　foremost；　and　not　say　that　poetry　abuseth　man's　wit；　but　that　man's　wit　abuseth　poetry。　　For　I　will　not　deny　but　that　man's　wit　may　make　poesy；　which　should　be　＇Greek　text＇；　which　some　learned　have　defined；　figuring　forth　good　things；　to　be　＇Greek　text＇；　which　doth　contrariwise　infect　the　fancy　with　unworthy　objects；　as　the　painter；　who　should　give　to　the　eye　either　some　excellent　perspective；　or　some　fine　picture　fit　for　building　or　fortification；　or　containing　in　it　some　notable　example；　as　Abraham　sacrificing　his　son　Isaac；　Judith　killing　Holofernes；　David　fighting　with　Goliath；　may　leave　those；　and　please　an　ill…pleased　eye　with　wanton　shows　of　better…hidden　matters。

But；　what！　shall　the　abuse　of　a　thing　make　the　right　use　odious？　Nay；　truly；　though　I　yield　that　poesy　may　not　only　be　abused；　but　that　being　abused；　by　the　reason　of　his　sweet　charming　force；　it　can　do　more　hurt　than　any　other　army　of　words；　yet　shall　it　be　so　far　from　concluding；　that　the　abuse　shall　give　reproach　to　the　abused；　that；　contrariwise；　it　is　a　good　reason；　that　whatsoever　being　abused；　doth　most　harm；　being　rightly　used　（and　upon　the　right　use　each　thing　receives　his　title）　doth　most　good。　　Do　we　not　see　skill　of　physic；　the　best　rampire　｛68｝　to　our　often…assaulted　bodies；　being　abused；　teach　poison；　the　most　violent　destroyer？　　Doth　not　knowledge　of　law；　whose　end　is　to　even　and　right　all　things；　being　abused；　grow　the　crooked　fosterer　of　horrible　injuries？　　Doth　not　（to　go　in　the　highest）　God's　word　abused　breed　heresy；　and　His　name　abused　become　blasphemy？　　Truly；　a　needle　cannot　do　much　hurt；　and　as　truly　（with　leave　of　ladies　be　it　spoken）　it　cannot　do　much　good。　With　a　sword　thou　mayest　kill　thy　father；　and　with　a　sword　thou　mayest　defend　thy　prince　and　country；　so　that；　as　in　their　calling　poets　fathers　of　lies；　they　said　nothing；　so　in　this　their　argument　of　abuse；　they　prove　the　commendation。

They　allege　herewith；　that　before　poets　began　to　be　in　price；　our　nation　had　set　their　heart's　delight　upon　action；　and　not　imagination；　rather　doing　things　worthy　to　be　written；　than　writing　things　fit　to　be　done。　　What　that　before　time　was；　I　think　scarcely　Sphynx　can　tell；　since　no　memory　is　so　ancient　that　gives　not　the　precedence　to　poetry。　　And　certain　it　is；　that；　in　our　plainest　homeliness；　yet　never　was　the　Albion　nation　without　poetry。　　Marry；　this　argument；　though　it　be　levelled　against　poetry；　yet　it　is　indeed　a　chain…shot　against　all　learning　or　bookishness；　as　they　commonly　term　it。　　Of　such　mind　were　certain　Goths；　of　whom　it　is　written；　that　having　in　the　spoil　of　a　famous　city　taken　a　fair　library；　one　hangman；　belike　fit　to　execute　the　fruits　of　their　wits；　who　had　murdered　a　great　number　of　bodies；　would　have　set　fire　in　it。　　〃No；〃　said　another；　very　gravely；　〃take　heed　what　you　do；　for　while　they　are　busy　about　those　toys；　we　shall　with　more　leisure　conquer　their　countries。〃　　This；　indeed；　is　the　ordinary　doctrine　of　ignorance；　and　many　words　sometimes　I　have　heard　spent　in　it；　but　because　this　reason　is　generally　against　all　learning　as　well　as　poetry；　or　rather　all　learning　but　poetry；　because　it　were　too　large　a　digression　to　handle　it；　or　at　least　too　superfluous；　since　it　is　manifest　that　all　government　of　action　is　to　be　gotten　by　knowledge；　and　knowledge　best　by　gathering　many　knowledges；　which　is　reading；；　I　only　say　with　Horace；　to　him　that　is　of　that　opinion；


〃Jubeo　stultum　esse　libenter〃　｛69｝


for　as　for　poetry　itself；　it　is　the　freest　from　this；　objection；　for　poetry　is　the　companion　of　camps。　　I　dare　undertake；　Orlando　Furioso；　or　honest　King　Arthur；　will　never　displease　a　soldier：　　but　the　quiddity　of　〃ens〃　and　〃prima　materia〃　will　hardly　agree　with　a　corslet。　　And；　therefore；　as　I　said　in　the　beginning；　even　Turks　and　Tartars　are　delighted　with　poets。　　Homer；　a　Greek；　flourished　before　Greece　flourished；　and　if　to　a　slight　conjecture　a　conjecture　may　be　opposed；　truly　it　may　seem；　that　as　by　him　their　learned　men　took　almost　their　first　light　of　knowledge；　so　their　active　men　receive　their　first　notions　of　courage。　　Only　Alexander's　example　may　serve；　who　by　Plutarch　is　accounted　of　such　virtue　that　fortune　was　not　his　guide　but　his　footstool；　whose　acts　speak　for　him；　though　Plutarch　did　not；　indeed；　the　phoenix　of　warlike　princes。　　This　Alexander　left　his　schoolmaster；　living　Aristotle；　behind　him；　but　took　dead　Homer　with　him。　　He　put　the　philosopher　Callisthenes　to　death；　for　his　seeming　philosophical；　indeed　mutinous；　stubbornness；　but　the　chief　thing　he　was　ever　heard　to　wish　for　was　that　Homer　had　been　alive。　　He　well　found　he　received　more　bravery　of　mind　by　the　pattern　of　Achilles；　than　by　hearing　the　definition　of　fortitude。　And；　therefore；　if　Cato　misliked　Fulvius　for　carrying　Ennius　with　him　to　the　field；　it　may　be　answered　that　if　Cato　misliked　it　the　noble　Fulvius　liked　it；　or　else　he　had　not　done　it；　for　it　was　not　the　excellent　Cato　Uticensis　whose　authority　I　would　much　more　have　reverenced；　but　it　was　the　former；　in　truth　a　bitter　punisher　of　faults；　but　else　a　man　that　had　never　sacrificed　to　the　Graces。　　He　misliked；　and　cried　out　against；　all　Greek　learning；　and　yet；　being　fourscore　years　old；　began　to　learn　it；　belike　fearing　that　Pluto　understood　not　Latin。　　Indeed；　the　Roman　laws　allowed　no　person　to　be　carried　to　the　wars　but　he　that　was　in　the　soldiers'　roll。　　And；　therefore；　though　Cato　misliked　his　unmustered　person；　he　misliked　not　his　work。　　And　if　he　had；　Scipio　Nasica　（judged　by　common　consent　the　best　Roman）　loved　him：　　both　the　other　Scipio　brothers；　who　had　by　their　virtues　no　less　surnames　than　of　Asia　and　Afric；　so　loved　him　that　they　caused　his　body　to　be　buried　in　their　sepulture。　So；　as　Cato's　authority　being　but　against　his　person；　and　that　answered　with　so　far　greater　than　himself；　is　herein　of　no　validity。

But　｛70｝　now；　indeed；　my　burthen　is　great；　that　Plato's　name　is　laid　upon　me；　whom；　I　must　confess；　of　all　philosophers　I　have　ever　esteemed　most　worthy　of　reverence；　and　with　good　reason；　since　of　all　philosophers　he　is　the　most　poetical；　yet　if　he　will　defile　the　fountain　out　of　which　his　flowing　streams　have　proceeded；　let　us　boldly　examine　with　what　reason　he　did　it。

First；　truly；　a　man　might　maliciously　object　that　Plato；　being　a　philosopher；　was　a　natural　enemy　of　poets。　　For；　indeed；　after　the　philosophers　had　picked　out　of　the　sweet　mysteries　of　poetry　the　right　discerning　of　true　points　of　knowledge；　they　forthwith；　putting　it　in　method；　and　making　a　school　of　art　of　that　which　the　poets　did　only　teach　by　a　divine　delightfulness；　beginning　to　spurn　at　their　guides；　like　ungrateful　apprentices；　were　not　content　to　set　up　shop　for　themselves；　but　sought　by　all　means　to　discredit　their　masters；　which；　by　the　force　of　delight　being　barred　them；　the　less　they　could　overthrow　them；　the　more　they　hated　them。　　For；　indeed；　they　found　for　Homer　seven　cities　strove　who　should　have　him　for　their　citizen；　where　many　cities　banished　philosophers　as　not　fit　members　to　live　among　them。　　For　only　repeating　certain　of　Euripides'　verses　many　Athenians　had　their　lives　saved　of　the　Syracusans；　where　the　Athenians　themselves　thought　many　of　the　philosophers　unworthy　to　live。　　Certain　poets；　as　Simonides　and　Pindar；　had　so　prevailed　with　Hiero　the　First；　that　of　a　tyrant　they　made　him　a　just　king；　where　Plato　could　do　so　little　with　Dionysius　that　he　himself；　of　a　philosopher；　was　made　a　slave。　　But　who　should　do　thus；　I　confess；　should　requite　the　objections　raised　against　poets　with　like　cavillations　against　philosophers；　as　likewise　one　should　do　that　should　bid　one　read　Phaedrus　or　Symposium　in　Plato；　or　the　discourse　of　Love　in　Plutarch；　and　see　whether　any　poet　do　authorise　abominable　filthiness　as　they　do。

Again；　a　man　might　ask；　out　of　what　Commonwealth　Plato　doth　banish　them？　　In　sooth；　thence　where　he　himself　alloweth　community　of　women。　　So；　as　belike　this　banishment　grew　not　for　effeminate　wantonness；　since　little　should　poetical　sonnets　be　hurtful；　wh