a defence of poesie and poems-第4章

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sopher　thereon　hath　his　name；　and　the　moral　philosopher　standeth　upon　the　natural　virtues；　vices；　or　passions　of　man；　and　follow　nature；　saith　he；　therein；　and　thou　shalt　not　err。　　The　lawyer　saith　what　men　have　determined。　　The　historian；　what　men　have　done。　　The　grammarian　speaketh　only　of　the　rules　of　speech；　and　the　rhetorician　and　logician；　considering　what　in　nature　will　soonest　prove　and　persuade；　thereon　give　artificial　rules；　which　still　are　compassed　within　the　circle　of　a　question；　according　to　the　proposed　matter。　The　physician　weigheth　the　nature　of　man's　body；　and　the　nature　of　things　helpful　and　hurtful　unto　it。　　And　the　metaphysic；　though　it　be　in　the　second　and　abstract　notions；　and　therefore　be　counted　supernatural；　yet　doth　he；　indeed；　build　upon　the　depth　of　nature。　Only　the　poet；　disdaining　to　be　tied　to　any　such　subjection；　lifted　up　with　the　vigour　of　his　own　invention；　doth　grow；　in　effect；　into　another　nature；　in　making　things　either　better　than　nature　bringeth　forth；　or　quite　anew；　forms　such　as　never　were　in　nature；　as　the　heroes；　demi…gods；　Cyclops；　chimeras；　furies；　and　such　like；　so　as　he　goeth　hand　in　hand　with　Nature；　not　enclosed　within　the　narrow　warrant　of　her　gifts；　but　freely　ranging　within　the　zodiac　of　his　own　wit。　｛13｝　　　Nature　never　set　forth　the　earth　in　so　rich　tapestry　as　divers　poets　have　done；　neither　with　so　pleasant　rivers；　fruitful　trees；　sweet…smelling　flowers；　nor　whatsoever　else　may　make　the　too…　much…loved　earth　more　lovely；　her　world　is　brazen；　the　poets　only　deliver　a　golden。

But　let　those　things　alone；　and　go　to　man；　｛14｝　for　whom　as　the　other　things　are；　so　it　seemeth　in　him　her　uttermost　cunning　is　employed；　and　know；　whether　she　have　brought　forth　so　true　a　lover　as　Theagenes；　so　constant　a　friend　as　Pylades；　so　valiant　a　man　as　Orlando；　so　right　a　prince　as　Xenophon's　Cyrus；　and　so　excellent　a　man　every　way　as　Virgil's　AEneas？　　Neither　let　this　be　jestingly　conceived；　because　the　works　of　the　one　be　essential；　the　other　in　imitation　or　fiction；　for　every　understanding　knoweth　the　skill　of　each　artificer　standeth　in　that　idea；　or　fore…conceit　of　the　work；　and　not　in　the　work　itself。　　And　that　the　poet　hath　that　idea　is　manifest　by　delivering　them　forth　in　such　excellency　as　he　had　imagined　them；　which　delivering　forth；　also；　is　not　wholly　imaginative；　as　we　are　wont　to　say　by　them　that　build　castles　in　the　air；　but　so　far　substantially　it　worketh　not　only　to　make　a　Cyrus；　which　had　been　but　a　particular　excellency；　as　nature　might　have　done；　but　to　bestow　a　Cyrus　upon　the　world　to　make　many　Cyruses；　if　they　will　learn　aright；　why；　and　how；　that　maker　made　him。　　Neither　let　it　be　deemed　too　saucy　a　comparison　to　balance　the　highest　point　of　man's　wit　with　the　efficacy　of　nature；　but　rather　give　right　honour　to　the　heavenly　Maker　of　that　maker；　who　having　made　man　to　His　own　likeness；　set　him　beyond　and　over　all　the　works　of　that　second　nature；　which　in　nothing　he　showeth　so　much　as　in　poetry；　when；　with　the　force　of　a　divine　breath；　he　bringeth　things　forth　surpassing　her　doings；　with　no　small　arguments　to　the　incredulous　of　that　first　accursed　fall　of　Adam；　since　our　erected　wit　maketh　us　know　what　perfection　is；　and　yet　our　infected　will　keepeth　us　from　reaching　unto　it。　　But　these　arguments　will　by　few　be　understood；　and　by　fewer　granted；　thus　much　I　hope　will　be　given　me；　that　the　Greeks；　with　some　probability　of　reason；　gave　him　the　name　above　all　names　of　learning。

Now　｛15｝　let　us　go　to　a　more　ordinary　opening　of　him；　that　the　truth　may　be　the　more　palpable；　and　so；　I　hope；　though　we　get　not　so　unmatched　a　praise　as　the　etymology　of　his　names　will　grant；　yet　his　very　description；　which　no　man　will　deny；　shall　not　justly　be　barred　from　a　principal　commendation。

Poesy；　｛16｝　therefore；　is　an　art　of　imitation；　for　so　Aristotle　termeth　it　in　the　word　＇Greek　text＇；　that　is　to　say；　a　representing；　counterfeiting；　or　figuring　forth：　　to　speak　metaphorically；　a　speaking　picture；　with　this　end；　to　teach　and　delight。

Of　｛17｝　this　have　been　three　general　kinds：　　the　CHIEF；　both　in　antiquity　and　excellency；　which　they　that　did　imitate　the　inconceivable　excellencies　of　God；　such　were　David　in　the　Psalms；　Solomon　in　the　Song　of　Songs；　in　his　Ecclesiastes；　and　Proverbs；　Moses　and　Deborah　in　their　hymns；　and　the　writer　of　Job；　which；　beside　others；　the　learned　Emanuel　Tremellius　and　Fr。　Junius　do　entitle　the　poetical　part　of　the　scripture；　against　these　none　will　speak　that　hath　the　Holy　Ghost　in　due　holy　reverence。　　In　this　kind；　though　in　a　wrong　divinity；　were　Orpheus；　Amphion；　Homer　in　his　hymns；　and　many　others；　both　Greeks　and　Romans。　　And　this　poesy　must　be　used　by　whosoever　will　follow　St。　Paul's　counsel；　in　singing　psalms　when　they　are　merry；　and　I　know　is　used　with　the　fruit　of　comfort　by　some；　when；　in　sorrowful　pangs　of　their　death…bringing　sins；　they　find　the　consolation　of　the　never…leaving　goodness。

The　｛18｝　SECOND　kind　is　of　them　that　deal　with　matter　philosophical；　either　moral；　as　Tyrtaeus；　Phocylides；　Cato；　or；　natural；　as　Lucretius；　Virgil's　Georgics；　or　astronomical；　as　Manilius　｛19｝　and　Pontanus；　or　historical；　as　Lucan；　which　who　mislike；　the　fault　is　in　their　judgment；　quite　out　of　taste；　and　not　in　the　sweet　food　of　sweetly　uttered　knowledge。

But　because　this　second　sort　is　wrapped　within　the　fold　of　the　proposed　subject；　and　takes　not　the　free　course　of　his　own　invention；　whether　they　properly　be　poets　or　no；　let　grammarians　dispute；　and　go　to　the　THIRD；　｛20｝　indeed　right　poets；　of　whom　chiefly　this　question　ariseth；　betwixt　whom　and　these　second　is　such　a　kind　of　difference；　as　betwixt　the　meaner　sort　of　painters；　who　counterfeit　only　such　faces　as　are　set　before　them；　and　the　more　excellent；　who　having　no　law　but　wit；　bestow　that　in　colours　upon　you　which　is　fittest　for　the　eye　to　see；　as　the　constant；　though　lamenting　look　of　Lucretia；　when　she　punished　in　herself　another's　fault；　wherein　he　painteth　not　Lucretia；　whom　he　never　saw；　but　painteth　the　outward　beauty　of　such　a　virtue。　　For　these　three　be　they　which　most　properly　do　imitate　to　teach　and　delight；　and　to　imitate；　borrow　nothing　of　what　is；　hath　been；　or　shall　be；　but　range　only；　reined　with　learned　discretion；　into　the　divine　consideration　of　what　may　be；　and　should　be。　　These　be　they；　that；　as　the　first　and　most　noble　sort；　may　justly　be　termed　〃vates；〃　so　these　are　waited　on　in　the　excellentest　languages　and　best　understandings；　with　the　fore…described　name　of　poets。　　For　these；　indeed；　do　merely　make　to　imitate；　and　imitate　both　to　delight　and　teach；　and　delight　to　move　men　to　take　that　goodness　in　hand；　which；　without　delight　they　would　fly　as　from　a　stranger；　and　teach　to　make　them　know　that　goodness　whereunto　they　are　moved；　which　being　the　noblest　scope　to　which　ever　any　learning　was　directed；　yet　want　there　not　idle　tongues　to　bark　at　them。

These　｛21｝　be　subdivided　into　sundry　more　special　denominations；　the　most　notable　be　the　heroic；　lyric；　tragic；　comic；　satyric；　iambic；　elegiac；　pastoral；　and　certain　others；　some　of　these　being　termed　according　to　the　matter　they　deal　with；　some　by　the　sort　of　verse　they　like　best　to　write　in；　for；　indeed；　the　greatest　part　of　poets　have　apparelled　their　poetical　inventions　in　that　numerous　kind　of　writing　which　is　called　verse。　　Indeed；　but　apparelied　verse；　being　but　an　ornament；　and　no　cause　to　poetry；　since　there　have　been　many　most　excellent　poets　that　never　versified；　and　now　swarm　many　versifiers　that　need　never　answer　to　the　name　of　poets。　｛22｝　　For　Xenophon；　who　did　imitate　so　excellently　as　to　give　us　effigiem　justi　imperii；　the　portraiture　of　a　just　of　Cyrus；　as　Cicero　saith　of　him；　made　therein　an　absolute　heroical　poem。　　So　did　Heliodorus；　｛23｝　in　his　sugared　invention　of　Theagenes　and　Chariclea；　and　yet　both　these　wrote　in　prose；　which　I　speak　to　show；　that　it　is　not　rhyming　and　versing　that　maketh　a　poet　（no　more　than　a　long　gown　maketh　an　advocate；　who；　though　he　pleaded　in　armour　should　be　an　advocate　and　no　soldier）；　but　it　is　that　feigning　notable　images　of　virtues；　vices；　or　what　else；　with　that　delightful　teaching；　which　must　be　the　right　describing　note　to　know　a　poet　by。　　Although；　indeed；　the　senate　of　poets　h