a defence of poesie and poems-第6章

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m　he　pre…supposeth　it　was　done；　so　as　he　coupleth　the　general　notion　with　the　particular　example。　　A　perfect　picture；　I　say；　for　he　yieldeth　to　the　powers　of　the　mind　an　image　of　that　whereof　the　philosopher　bestoweth　but　a　wordish　description；　which　doth　neither　strike；　pierce；　nor　possess　the　sight　of　the　soul；　so　much　as　that　other　doth。　　For　as；　in　outward　things；　to　a　man　that　had　never　seen　an　elephant；　or　a　rhinoceros；　who　should　tell　him　most　exquisitely　all　their　shape；　colour；　bigness；　and　particular　marks？　or　of　a　gorgeous　palace；　an　architect；　who；　declaring　the　full　beauties；　might　well　make　the　hearer　able　to　repeat；　as　it　were；　by　rote；　all　he　had　heard；　yet　should　never　satisfy　his　inward　conceit；　with　being　witness　to　itself　of　a　true　living　knowledge；　but　the　same　man；　as　soon　as　he　might　see　those　beasts　well　painted；　or　that　house　well　in　model；　should　straightway　grow；　without　need　of　any　description；　to　a　judicial　comprehending　of　them；　so；　no　doubt；　the　philosopher；　with　his　learned　definitions；　be　it　of　virtue　or　vices；　matters　of　public　policy　or　private　government；　replenisheth　the　memory　with　many　infallible　grounds　of　wisdom；　which；　notwithstanding；　lie　dark　before　the　imaginative　and　judging　power；　if　they　be　not　illuminated　or　figured　forth　by　the　speaking　picture　of　poesy。

Tully　taketh　much　pains；　and　many　times　not　without　poetical　help；　to　make　us　know　the　force　love　of　our　country　hath　in　us。　　Let　us　but　hear　old　Anchises；　speaking　in　the　midst　of　Troy's　flames；　or　see　Ulysses；　in　the　fulness　of　all　Calypso's　delights；　bewail　his　absence　from　barren　and　beggarly　Ithaca。　　Anger；　the　Stoics　said；　was　a　short　madness；　let　but　Sophocles　bring　you　Ajax　on　a　stage；　killing　or　whipping　sheep　and　oxen；　thinking　them　the　army　of　Greeks；　with　their　chieftains　Agamemnon　and　Menelaus；　and　tell　me；　if　you　have　not　a　more　familiar　insight　into　anger；　than　finding　in　the　schoolmen　his　genus　and　difference？　　See　whether　wisdom　and　temperance　in　Ulysses　and　Diomedes；　valour　in　Achilles；　friendship　in　Nisus　and　Euryalus；　even　to　an　ignorant　man；　carry　not　an　apparent　shining；　and；　contrarily；　the　remorse　of　conscience　in　OEdipus；　the　soon…repenting　pride　in　Agamemnon；　the　self…devouring　cruelty　in　his　father　Atreus；　the　violence　of　ambition　in　the　two　Theban　brothers；　the　sour　sweetness　of　revenge　in　Medea；　and；　to　fall　lower；　the　Terentian　Gnatho；　and　our　Chaucer's　Pandar；　so　expressed；　that　we　now　use　their　names　to　signify　their　trades；　and　finally；　all　virtues；　vices；　and　passions　so　in　their　own　natural　states　laid　to　the　view；　that　we　seem　not　to　hear　of　them；　but　clearly　to　see　through　them？

But　even　in　the　most　excellent　determination　of　goodness；　what　philosopher's　counsel　can　so　readily　direct　a　prince　as　the　feigned　Cyrus　in　Xenophon？　　Or　a　virtuous　man　in　all　fortunes；　as　AEneas　in　Virgil？　　Or　a　whole　commonwealth；　as　the　way　of　Sir　Thomas　More's　Utopia？　　I　say　the　way；　because　where　Sir　Thomas　More　erred；　it　was　the　fault　of　the　man；　and　not　of　the　poet；　for　that　way　of　patterning　a　commonwealth　was　most　absolute；　though　he；　perchance；　hath　not　so　absolutely　performed　it。　　For　the　question　is；　whether　the　feigned　image　of　poetry；　or　the　regular　instruction　of　philosophy；　hath　the　more　force　in　teaching。　　Wherein；　if　the　philosophers　have　more　rightly　showed　themselves　philosophers；　than　the　poets　have　attained　to　the　high　top　of　their　profession；　（as　in　truth；


〃Mediocribus　esse　poetis　Non　Di；　non　homines；　non　concessere　columnae；〃　｛33｝）


it　is；　I　say　again；　not　the　fault　of　the　art；　but　that　by　few　men　that　art　can　be　accomplished。　　Certainly；　even　our　Saviour　Christ　could　as　well　have　given　the　moral　common…places　｛34｝　of　uncharitableness　and　humbleness；　as　the　divine　narration　of　Dives　and　Lazarus；　or　of　disobedience　and　mercy；　as　the　heavenly　discourse　of　the　lost　child　and　the　gracious　father；　but　that　his　thorough　searching　wisdom　knew　the　estate　of　Dives　burning　in　hell；　and　of　Lazarus　in　Abraham's　bosom；　would　more　constantly；　as　it　were；　inhabit　both　the　memory　and　judgment。　　Truly；　for　myself　（me　seems）；　I　see　before　mine　eyes　the　lost　child's　disdainful　prodigality　turned　to　envy　a　swine's　dinner；　which；　by　the　learned　divines；　are　thought　not　historical　acts；　but　instructing　parables。

For　conclusion；　I　say　the　philosopher　teacheth；　but　he　teacheth　obscurely；　so　as　the　learned　only　can　understand　him；　that　is　to　say；　he　teacheth　them　that　are　already　taught。　　But　the　poet　is　the　food　for　the　tenderest　stomachs；　the　poet　is；　indeed；　the　right　popular　philosopher。　　Whereof　AEsop's　tales　give　good　proof；　whose　pretty　allegories；　stealing　under　the　formal　tales　of　beasts；　make　many；　more　beastly　than　beasts；　begin　to　hear　the　sound　of　virtue　from　those　dumb　speakers。

But　now　may　it　be　alleged；　that　if　this　managing　of　matters　be　so　fit　for　the　imagination；　then　must　the　historian　needs　surpass；　who　brings　you　images　of　true　matters；　such　as；　indeed；　were　done；　and　not　such　as　fantastically　or　falsely　may　be　suggested　to　have　been　done。　　Truly；　Aristotle　himself；　in　his　Discourse　of　Poesy；　plainly　determineth　this　question；　saying；　that　poetry　is　＇Greek　text＇；　that　is　to　say；　it　is　more　philosophical　and　more　ingenious　than　history。　His　reason　is；　because　poesy　dealeth　with　＇Greek　text＇；　that　is　to　say；　with　the　universal　consideration；　and　the　history　＇Greek　text＇；　the　particular。　　〃Now；〃　saith　he；　〃the　universal　weighs　what　is　fit　to　be　said　or　done；　either　in　likelihood　or　necessity；　which　the　poesy　considereth　in　his　imposed　names；　and　the　particular　only　marks；　whether　Alcibiades　did；　or　suffered；　this　or　that：〃　thus　far　Aristotle。　｛35｝　　Which　reason　of　his；　as　all　his；　is　most　full　of　reason。　　For；　indeed；　if　the　question　were；　whether　it　were　better　to　have　a　particular　act　truly　or　falsely　set　down？　there　is　no　doubt　which　is　to　be　chosen；　no　more　than　whether　you　had　rather　have　Vespasian's　picture　right　as　he　was；　or；　at　the　painter's　pleasure；　nothing　resembling？　　But　if　the　question　be；　for　your　own　use　and　learning；　whether　it　be　better　to　have　it　set　down　as　it　should　be；　or　as　it　was？　then；　certainly；　is　more　doctrinable　the　feigned　Cyrus　in　Xenophon；　than　the　true　Cyrus　in　Justin；　｛36｝　and　the　feigned　AEneas　in　Virgil；　than　the　right　AEneas　in　Dares　Phrygius；　｛37｝　as　to　a　lady　that　desired　to　fashion　her　countenance　to　the　best　grace；　a　painter　should　more　benefit　her；　to　portrait　a　most　sweet　face；　writing　Canidia　upon　it；　than　to　paint　Canidia　as　she　was；　who；　Horace　sweareth；　was　full　ill…favoured。　　If　the　poet　do　his　part　aright；　he　will　show　you　in　Tantalus；　Atreus；　and　such　like；　nothing　that　is　not　to　be　shunned；　in　Cyrus；　AEneas；　Ulysses；　each　thing　to　be　followed；　where　the　historian；　bound　to　tell　things　as　things　were；　cannot　be　liberal；　without　he　will　be　poetical；　of　a　perfect　pattern；　but；　as　in　Alexander；　or　Scipio　himself；　show　doings；　some　to　be　liked；　some　to　be　misliked；　and　then　how　will　you　discern　what　to　follow；　but　by　your　own　discretion；　which　you　had；　without　reading　Q。　Curtius？　｛38｝　　And　whereas；　a　man　may　say；　though　in　universal　consideration　of　doctrine；　the　poet　prevaileth；　yet　that　the　history；　in　his　saying　such　a　thing　was　done；　doth　warrant　a　man　more　in　that　he　shall　follow；　the　answer　is　manifest：　　that　if　he　stand　upon　that　WAS；　as　if　he　should　argue；　because　it　rained　yesterday　therefore　it　should　rain　to…day；　then；　indeed；　hath　it　some　advantage　to　a　gross　conceit。　　But　if　he　know　an　example　only　enforms　a　conjectured　likelihood；　and　so　go　by　reason；　the　poet　doth　so　far　exceed　him；　as　he　is　to　frame　his　example　to　that　which　is　most　reasonable；　be　it　in　warlike；　politic；　or　private　matters；　where　the　historian　in　his　bare　WAS　hath　many　times　that　which　we　call　fortune　to　overrule　the　best　wisdom。　　Many　times　he　must　tell　events　whereof　he　can　yield　no　cause；　or　if　he　do；　it　must　be　poetically。

For；　that　a　feigned　example　bath　as　much　force　to　teach　as　a　true　example　（for　as　for　to　move；　it　is　clear；　since　the　feigned　may　be　tuned　to　the　highest　key　of　passion）；　let　us　take　one　example　wherein　an　historian　and　a　poet　did　concur。　　Herodotus　and　Justin　do　both　testify；　that　Zopyrus；　King　Darius's　faithful　servant；　seeing　his