a defence of poesie and poems-第3章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


t　country　that　made　pens　deliverers　of　their　knowledge　to　posterity；　may　justly　challenge　to　be　called　their　fathers　in　learning。　　For　not　only　in　time　they　had　this　priority　（although　in　itself　antiquity　be　venerable）　but　went　before　them　as　causes　to　draw　with　their　charming　sweetness　the　wild　untamed　wits　to　an　admiration　of　knowledge。　　So　as　Amphion　was　said　to　move　stones　with　his　poetry　to　build　Thebes；　and　Orpheus　to　be　listened　to　by　beasts；　indeed；　stony　and　beastly　people；　so　among　the　Romans　were　Livius　Andronicus；　and　Ennius；　so　in　the　Italian　language；　the　first　that　made　it　to　aspire　to　be　a　treasure…house　of　science；　were　the　poets　Dante；　Boccace；　and　Petrarch；　so　in　our　English　were　Gower　and　Chaucer；　after　whom；　encouraged　and　delighted　with　their　excellent　foregoing；　others　have　followed　to　beautify　our　mother　tongue；　as　well　in　the　same　kind　as　other　arts。

This　｛5｝　did　so　notably　show　itself　that　the　philosophers　of　Greece　durst　not　a　long　time　appear　to　the　world　but　under　the　mask　of　poets；　so　Thales；　Empedocles；　and　Parmenides　sang　their　natural　philosophy　in　verses；　so　did　Pythagoras　and　Phocylides　their　moral　counsels；　so　did　Tyrtaeus　in　war　matters；　and　Solon　in　matters　of　policy；　or　rather　they；　being　poets；　did　exercise　their　delightful　vein　in　those　points　of　highest　knowledge；　which　before　them　lay　hidden　to　the　world；　for　that　wise　Solon　was　directly　a　poet　it　is　manifest；　having　written　in　verse　the　notable　fable　of　the　Atlantic　Island；　which　was　continued　by　Plato。　｛6｝　　And；　truly；　even　Plato；　whosoever　well　considereth　shall　find　that　in　the　body　of　his　work；　though　the　inside　and　strength　were　philosophy；　the　skin；　as　it　were；　and　beauty　depended　most　of　poetry。　　For　all　stands　upon　dialogues；　wherein　he　feigns　many　honest　burgesses　of　Athens　speaking　of　such　matters　that　if　they　had　been　set　on　the　rack　they　would　never　have　confessed　them；　besides；　his　poetical　describing　the　circumstances　of　their　meetings；　as　the　well…ordering　of　a　banquet；　the　delicacy　of　a　walk；　with　interlacing　mere　tiles；　as　Gyges's　Ring；　｛7｝　and　others；　which；　who　knows　not　to　be　flowers　of　poetry；　did　never　walk　into　Apollo's　garden。

And　｛8｝　even　historiographers；　although　their　lips　sound　of　things　done；　and　verity　be　written　in　their　foreheads；　have　been　glad　to　borrow　both　fashion　and；　perchance；　weight　of　the　poets；　so　Herodotus　entitled　the　books　of　his　history　by　the　names　of　the　Nine　Muses；　and　both　he；　and　all　the　rest　that　followed　him；　either　stole　or　usurped；　of　poetry；　their　passionate　describing　of　passions；　the　many　particularities　of　battles　which　no　man　could　affirm；　or；　if　that　be　denied　me；　long　orations；　put　in　the　months　of　great　kings　and　captains；　which　it　is　certain　they　never　pronounced。

So　that；　truly；　neither　philosopher　nor　historiographer　could；　at　the　first；　have　entered　into　the　gates　of　popular　judgments；　if　they　had　not　taken　a　great　disport　of　poetry；　which　in　all　nations；　at　this　day；　where　learning　flourisheth　not；　is　plain　to　be　seen；　in　all　which　they　have　some　feeling　of　poetry。　　In　Turkey；　besides　their　lawgiving　divines　they　have　no　other　writers　but　poets。　　In　our　neighbour…country　Ireland；　where；　too；　learning　goes　very　bare；　yet　are　their　poets　held　in　a　devout　reverence。　　Even　among　the　most　barbarous　and　simple　Indians；　where　no　writing　is；　yet　have　they　their　poets　who　make　and　sing　songs；　which　they　call　〃Arentos；〃　both　of　their　ancestor's　deeds　and　praises　of　their　gods。　　A　sufficient　probability；　that　if　ever　learning　comes　among　them；　it　must　be　by　having　their　hard　dull　wits　softened　and　sharpened　with　the　sweet　delight　of　poetry；　for　until　they　find　a　pleasure　in　the　exercise　of　the　mind；　great　promises　of　much　knowledge　will　little　persuade　them　that　know　not　the　fruits　of　knowledge。　　In　Wales；　the　true　remnant　of　the　ancient　Britons；　as　there　are　good　authorities　to　show　the　long　time　they　had　poets；　which　they　called　bards；　so　through　all　the　conquests　of　Romans；　Saxons；　Danes；　and　Normans；　some　of　whom　did　seek　to　ruin　all　memory　of　learning　from　among　them；　yet　do　their　poets；　even　to　this　day；　last；　so　as　it　is　not　more　notable　in　the　soon　beginning　than　in　long…continuing。

But　since　the　authors　of　most　of　our　sciences　were　the　Romans；　and　before　them　the　Greeks；　let　us；　a　little；　stand　upon　their　authorities；　but　even　so　far；　as　to　see　what　names　they　have　given　unto　this　now　scorned　skill。　｛9｝　　Among　the　Romans　a　poet　was　called　〃vates；〃　which　is　as　much　as　a　diviner；　foreseer；　or　prophet；　as　by　his　conjoined　words　〃vaticinium；〃　and　〃vaticinari；〃　is　manifest；　so　heavenly　a　title　did　that　excellent　people　bestow　upon　this　heart…　ravishing　knowledge！　　And　so　far　were　they　carried　into　the　admiration　thereof；　that　they　thought　in　the　changeable　hitting　upon　any　such　verses；　great　foretokens　of　their　following　fortunes　were　placed。　　Whereupon　grew　the　word　of　sortes　Virgilianae；　when；　by　sudden　opening　Virgil's　book；　they　lighted　upon　some　verse；　as　it　is　reported　by　many；　whereof　the　histories　of　the　Emperors'　lives　are　full。　　As　of　Albinus；　the　governor　of　our　island；　who；　in　his　childhood；　met　with　this　verse　…


Arma　amens　capio；　nec　sat　rationis　in　armis


and　in　his　age　performed　it。　　Although　it　were　a　very　vain　and　godless　superstition；　as　also　it　was；　to　think　spirits　were　commanded　by　such　verses；　whereupon　this　word　charms；　derived　of　〃carmina；〃　cometh；　so　yet　serveth　it　to　show　the　great　reverence　those　wits　were　held　in；　and　altogether　not　without　ground；　since　both　the　oracles　of　Delphi　and　the　Sibyl's　prophecies　were　wholly　delivered　in　verses；　for　that　same　exquisite　observing　of　number　and　measure　in　the　words；　and　that　high…flying　liberty　of　conceit　proper　to　the　poet；　did　seem　to　have　some　divine　force　in　it。

And　｛10｝　may　not　I　presume　a　little　farther　to　show　the　reasonableness　of　this　word　〃vates；〃　and　say；　that　the　holy　David's　Psalms　are　a　divine　poem？　　If　I　do；　I　shall　not　do　it　without　the　testimony　of　great　learned　men；　both　ancient　and　modern。　　But　even　the　name　of　Psalms　will　speak　for　me；　which；　being　interpreted；　is　nothing　but　Songs；　then；　that　is　fully　written　in　metre；　as　all　learned　Hebricians　agree；　although　the　rules　be　not　yet　fully　found。　Lastly；　and　principally；　his　handling　his　prophecy；　which　is　merely　poetical。　　For　what　else　is　the　awaking　his　musical　instruments；　the　often　and　free　changing　of　persons；　his　notable　prosopopoeias；　when　he　maketh　you；　as　it　were；　see　God　coming　in　His　majesty；　his　telling　of　the　beasts'　joyfulness；　and　hills　leaping；　but　a　heavenly　poesy；　wherein；　almost；　he　sheweth　himself　a　passionate　lover　of　that　unspeakable　and　everlasting　beauty；　to　be　seen　by　the　eyes　of　the　mind；　only　cleared　by　faith？　　But　truly；　now；　having　named　him；　I　fear　I　seem　to　profane　that　holy　name；　applying　it　to　poetry；　which　is；　among　us；　thrown　down　to　so　ridiculous　an　estimation。　　But　they　that；　with　quiet　judgments；　will　look　a　little　deeper　into　it；　shall　find　the　end　and　working　of　it　such；　as；　being　rightly　applied；　deserveth　not　to　be　scourged　out　of　the　church　of　God。

But　｛11｝　now　let　us　see　how　the　Greeks　have　named　it；　and　how　they　deemed　of　it。　　The　Greeks　named　him　＇Greek　text＇；　which　name　hath；　as　the　most　excellent；　gone　through　other　languages；　it　cometh　of　this　word　＇Greek　text＇；　which　is　TO　MAKE；　wherein；　I　know　not　whether　by　luck　or　wisdom；　we　Englishmen　have　met　with　the　Greeks　in　calling　him　〃a　maker；〃　which　name；　how　high　and　incomparable　a　title　it　is；　I　had　rather　were　known　by　marking　the　scope　of　other　sciences；　than　by　any　partial　allegation。　　There　is　no　art　delivered　unto　mankind　that　hath　not　the　works　of　nature　for　his　principal　object；　without　which　they　could　not　consist；　and　on　which　they　so　depend　as　they　become　actors　and　players；　as　it　were；　of　what　nature　will　have　set　forth。　｛12｝　　So　doth　the　astronomer　look　upon　the　stars；　and　by　that　he　seeth　set　down　what　order　nature　hath　taken　therein。　　So　doth　the　geometrician　and　arithmetician；　in　their　diverse　sorts　of　quantities。　　So　doth　the　musician；　in　times；　tell　you　which　by　nature　agree；　which　not。　　The　natural　philosopher　thereon　hath　his　name；　and　the　moral　philosopher　standeth　upon　the　natural　virtues；　vices；　or