a defence of poesie and poems-第13章

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For　poesy　must　not　be　drawn　by　the　ears；　it　must　be　gently　led；　or　rather　it　must　lead；　which　was　partly　the　cause　that　made　the　ancient　learned　affirm　it　was　a　divine；　and　no　human　skill；　since　all　other　knowledges　lie　ready　for　any　that　have　strength　of　wit；　a　poet　no　industry　can　make；　if　his　own　genius　be　not　carried　into　it。　And　therefore　is　an　old　proverb；　〃Orator　fit；　poeta　nascitur。〃　｛79｝　Yet　confess　I　always；　that　as　the　fertilest　ground　must　be　manured；　so　must　the　highest　flying　wit　have　a　Daedalus　to　guide　him。　　That　Daedalus；　they　say；　both　in　this　and　in　other；　hath　three　wings　to　bear　itself　up　into　the　air　of　due　commendation；　that　is　art；　imitation；　and　exercise。　　But　these；　neither　artificial　rules；　nor　imitative　patterns；　we　much　cumber　ourselves　withal。　　Exercise；　indeed；　we　do；　but　that　very　forebackwardly；　for　where　we　should　exercise　to　know；　we　exercise　as　having　known；　and　so　is　our　brain　delivered　of　much　matter　which　never　was　begotten　by　knowledge。　　For　there　being　two　principal　parts；　matter　to　be　expressed　by　words；　and　words　to　express　the　matter；　in　neither　we　use　art　or　imitation　rightly。　　Our　matter　is　〃quodlibet；〃　｛80｝　indeed；　although　wrongly；　performing　Ovid's　verse；


〃Quicquid　conabor　dicere；　versus　erit；〃　｛81｝


never　marshalling　it　into　any　assured　rank；　that　almost　the　readers　cannot　tell　where　to　find　themselves。

Chaucer；　undoubtedly；　did　excellently　in　his　Troilus　and　Cressida；　of　whom；　truly；　I　know　not　whether　to　marvel　more；　either　that　he　in　that　misty　time　could　see　so　clearly；　or　that　we　in　this　clear　age　go　so　stumblingly　after　him。　　Yet　had　he　great　wants；　fit　to　be　forgiven　in　so　reverend　antiquity。　　I　account　the　Mirror　of　Magistrates　meetly　furnished　of　beautiful　parts。　　And　in　the　Earl　of　Surrey's　Lyrics；　many　things　tasting　of　a　noble　birth；　and　worthy　of　a　noble　mind。　　The　〃Shepherds'　Kalendar〃　hath　much　poesy　in　his　eclogues；　indeed；　worthy　the　reading；　if　I　be　not　deceived。　　That　same　framing　of　his　｛82｝　style　to　an　old　rustic　language；　I　dare　not　allow；　since　neither　Theocritus　in　Greek；　Virgil　in　Latin；　nor　Sannazaro　in　Italian；　did　affect　it。　　Besides　these；　I　do　not　remember　to　have　seen　but　few　（to　speak　boldly）　printed　that　have　poetical　sinews　in　them。　　For　proof　whereof；　let　but　most　of　the　verses　be　put　in　prose；　and　then　ask　the　meaning；　and　it　will　be　found　that　one　verse　did　but　beget　another；　without　ordering　at　the　first　what　should　be　at　the　last；　which　becomes　a　confused　mass　of　words；　with　a　tinkling　sound　of　rhyme；　barely　accompanied　with　reason。

Our　｛83｝　tragedies　and　comedies；　not　without　cause；　are　cried　out　against；　observing　rules　neither　of　honest　civility　nor　skilful　poetry。　　Excepting　Gorboduc　（again　I　say　of　those　that　I　have　seen）；　which　notwithstanding；　as　it　is　full　of　stately　speeches；　and　well…　sounding　phrases；　climbing　to　the　height　of　Seneca　his　style；　and　as　full　of　notable　morality；　which　it　does　most　delightfully　teach；　and　so　obtain　the　very　end　of　poesy；　yet；　in　truth；　it　is　very　defectuous　in　the　circumstances；　which　grieves　me；　because　it　might　not　remain　as　an　exact　model　of　all　tragedies。　　For　it　is　faulty　both　in　place　and　time；　the　two　necessary　companions　of　all　corporal　actions。　　For　where　the　stage　should　always　represent　but　one　place；　and　the　uttermost　time　presupposed　in　it　should　be；　both　by　Aristotle's　precept；　and　common　reason；　but　one　day；　there　is　both　many　days　and　many　places　inartificially　imagined。

But　if　it　be　so　in　Gorboduc；　how　much　more　in　all　the　rest？　where　you　shall　have　Asia　of　the　one　side；　and　Afric　of　the　other；　and　so　many　other　under　kingdoms；　that　the　player；　when　he　comes　in；　must　ever　begin　with　telling　where　he　is；　｛84｝　or　else　the　tale　will　not　be　conceived。　　Now　shall　you　have　three　ladies　walk　to　gather　flowers；　and　then　we　must　believe　the　stage　to　be　a　garden。　　By　and　by；　we　hear　news　of　shipwreck　in　the　same　place；　then　we　are　to　blame　if　we　accept　it　not　for　a　rock。　　Upon　the　back　of　that　comes　out　a　hideous　monster　with　fire　and　smoke；　and　then　the　miserable　beholders　are　bound　to　take　it　for　a　cave；　while；　in　the　meantime；　two　armies　fly　in；　represented　with　four　swords　and　bucklers；　and　then；　what　hard　heart　will　not　receive　it　for　a　pitched　field？

Now　of　time　they　are　much　more　liberal；　for　ordinary　it　is；　that　two　young　princes　fall　in　love；　after　many　traverses　she　is　got　with　child；　delivered　of　a　fair　boy；　he　is　lost；　groweth　a　man；　falleth　in　love；　and　is　ready　to　get　another　child；　and　all　this　in　two　hours'　space；　which；　how　absurd　it　is　in　sense；　even　sense　may　imagine；　and　art　hath　taught　and　all　ancient　examples　justified；　and　at　this　day　the　ordinary　players　in　Italy　will　not　err　in。　　Yet　will　some　bring　in　an　example　of　the　Eunuch　in　Terence；　that　containeth　matter　of　two　days；　yet　far　short　of　twenty　years。　　True　it　is；　and　so　was　it　to　be　played　in　two　days；　and　so　fitted　to　the　time　it　set　forth。　　And　though　Plautus　have　in　one　place　done　amiss；　let　us　hit　it　with　him；　and　not　miss　with　him。　　But　they　will　say；　How　then　shall　we　set　forth　a　story　which　contains　both　many　places　and　many　times？　　And　do　they　not　know；　that　a　tragedy　is　tied　to　the　laws　of　poesy；　and　not　of　history；　not　bound　to　follow　the　story；　but　having　liberty　either　to　feign　a　quite　new　matter；　or　to　frame　the　history　to　the　most　tragical　convenience？　　Again；　many　things　may　be　told；　which　cannot　be　showed：　　if　they　know　the　difference　betwixt　reporting　and　representing。　　As　for　example；　I　may　speak；　though　I　am　here；　of　Peru；　and　in　speech　digress　from　that　to　the　description　of　Calicut；　but　in　action　I　cannot　represent　it　without　Pacolet's　horse。　　And　so　was　the　manner　the　ancients　took　by　some　〃Nuntius；〃　｛85｝　to　recount　things　done　in　former　time；　or　other　place。

Lastly；　if　they　will　represent　an　history；　they　must　not；　as　Horace　saith；　begin　〃ab　ovo；〃　｛86｝　but　they　must　come　to　the　principal　point　of　that　one　action　which　they　will　represent。　　By　example　this　will　be　best　expressed；　I　have　a　story　of　young　Polydorus；　delivered；　for　safety's　sake；　with　great　riches；　by　his　father　Priamus　to　Polymnestor；　King　of　Thrace；　in　the　Trojan　war　time。　　He；　after　some　years；　hearing　of　the　overthrow　of　Priamus；　for　to　make　the　treasure　his　own；　murdereth　the　child；　the　body　of　the　child　is　taken　up；　Hecuba；　she；　the　same　day；　findeth　a　sleight　to　be　revenged　most　cruelly　of　the　tyrant。　　Where；　now；　would　one　of　our　tragedy…writers　begin；　but　with　the　delivery　of　the　child？　　Then　should　he　sail　over　into　Thrace；　and　so　spend　I　know　not　how　many　years；　and　travel　numbers　of　places。　　But　where　doth　Euripides？　Even　with　the　finding　of　the　body；　leaving　the　rest　to　be　told　by　the　spirit　of　Polydorus。　　This　needs　no　farther　to　be　enlarged；　the　dullest　wit　may　conceive　it。

But；　besides　these　gross　absurdities；　how　all　their　plays　be　neither　right　tragedies　nor　right　comedies；　mingling　kings　and　clowns；　not　because　the　matter　so　carrieth　it；　but　thrust　in　the　clown　by　head　and　shoulders　to　play　a　part　in　majestical　matters；　with　neither　decency　nor　discretion；　so　as　neither　the　admiration　and　commiseration；　nor　the　right　sportfulness；　is　by　their　mongrel　tragi…comedy　obtained。　　I　know　Apuleius　did　somewhat　so；　but　that　is　a　thing　recounted　with　space　of　time；　not　represented　in　one　moment：　and　I　know　the　ancients　have　one　or　two　examples　of　tragi…comedies　as　Plautus　hath　Amphytrio。　　But；　if　we　mark　them　well；　we　shall　find；　that　they　never；　or　very　daintily；　match　horn…pipes　and　funerals。　　So　falleth　it　out；　that　having　indeed　no　right　comedy　in　that　comical　part　of　our　tragedy；　we　have　nothing　but　scurrility；　unworthy　of　any　chaste　ears；　or　some　extreme　show　of　doltishness；　indeed　fit　to　lift　up　a　loud　laughter；　and　nothing　else；　where　the　whole　tract　of　a　comedy　should　be　full　of　delight；　as　the　tragedy　should　be　still　maintained　in　a　well…raised　admiration。

But　our　comedians　think　there　is　no　delight　without　laughter；　which　is　very　wrong；　for　though　laughter　may　come　with　delight；　yet　cometh　it　not　of　delight；　as　though　delight　should　be　the　cause　of　laughter；　but　well　may　one　thing　breed　both　together。　　Nay；　in　themselves；　they　have；　as　it　were；　a　kind　of　contrariety。　　For　delight　we　s