a defence of poesie and poems-第9章

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drew　abundance　of　tears；　who　without　all　pity　had　murdered　infinite　numbers；　and　some　of　his　own　blood；　so　as　he　that　was　not　ashamed　to　make　matters　for　tragedies；　yet　could　not　resist　the　sweet　violence　of　a　tragedy。　　And　if　it　wrought　no　farther　good　in　him；　it　was　that　he；　in　despite　of　himself；　withdrew　himself　from　hearkening　to　that　which　might　mollify　his　hardened　heart。　　But　it　is　not　the　tragedy　they　do　dislike；　for　it　were　too　absurd　to　cast　out　so　excellent　a　representation　of　whatsoever　is　most　worthy　to　be　learned。

Is　it　the　lyric　that　most　displeaseth；　who　with　his　tuned　lyre　and　well…accorded　voice；　giveth　praise；　the　reward　of　virtue；　to　virtuous　acts？　who　giveth　moral　precepts　and　natural　problems？　who　sometimes　raiseth　up　his　voice　to　the　height　of　the　heavens；　in　singing　the　lauds　of　the　immortal　God？　　Certainly；　I　must　confess　mine　own　barbarousness；　I　never　heard　the　old　song　of　Percy　and　Douglas；　that　I　found　not　my　heart　moved　more　than　with　a　trumpet；　｛55｝　and　yet　it　is　sung　but　by　some　blind　crowder；　with　no　rougher　voice　than　rude　style；　which　being　so　evil　apparelled　in　the　dust　and　cobweb　of　that　uncivil　age；　what　would　it　work；　trimmed　in　the　gorgeous　eloquence　of　Pindar？　　In　Hungary　I　have　seen　it　the　manner　at　all　feasts；　and　all　other　such…like　meetings；　to　have　songs　of　their　ancestors'　valour；　which　that　right　soldier…like　nation　think　one　of　the　chiefest　kindlers　of　brave　courage。　　The　incomparable　Lacedaemonians　did　not　only　carry　that　kind　of　music　ever　with　them　to　the　field；　but　even　at　home；　as　such　songs　were　made；　so　were　they　all　content　to　be　singers　of　them；　when　the　lusty　men　were　to　tell　what　they　did；　the　old　men　what　they　had　done；　and　the　young　what　they　would　do。　　And　where　a　man　may　say　that　Pindar　many　times　praiseth　highly　victories　of　small　moment；　rather　matters　of　sport　than　virtue；　as　it　may　be　answered；　it　was　the　fault　of　the　poet；　and　not　of　the　poetry；　so；　indeed；　the　chief　fault　was　in　the　time　and　custom　of　the　Greeks；　who　set　those　toys　at　so　high　a　price；　that　Philip　of　Macedon　reckoned　a　horse…race　won　at　Olympus　among　three　fearful　felicities。　　But　as　the　inimitable　Pindar　often　did；　so　is　that　kind　most　capable；　and　most　fit；　to　awake　the　thoughts　from　the　sleep　of　idleness；　to　embrace　honourable　enterprises。

There　rests　the　heroical；　｛56｝　whose　very　name；　I　think；　should　daunt　all　backbiters。　　For　by　what　conceit　can　a　tongue　be　directed　to　speak　evil　of　that　which　draweth　with　him　no　less　champions　than　Achilles；　Cyrus；　AEneas；　Turus；　Tydeus；　Rinaldo？　who　doth　not　only　teach　and　move　to　truth；　but　teacheth　and　moveth　to　the　most　high　and　excellent　truth：　　who　maketh　magnanimity　and　justice　shine　through　all　misty　fearfulness　and　foggy　desires？　who；　if　the　saying　of　Plato　and　Tully　be　true；　that　who　could　see　virtue；　would　be　wonderfully　ravished　with　the　love　of　her　beauty；　this　man　setteth　her　out　to　make　her　more　lovely；　in　her　holiday　apparel；　to　the　eye　of　any　that　will　deign　not　to　disdain　until　they　understand。　　But　if　any　thing　be　already　said　in　the　defence　of　sweet　poetry；　all　concurreth　to　the　maintaining　the　heroical；　which　is　not　only　a　kind；　but　the　best　and　most　accomplished　kind；　of　poetry。　　For；　as　the　image　of　each　action　stirreth　and　instructeth　the　mind；　so　the　lofty　image　of　such　worthies　most　inflameth　the　mind　with　desire　to　be　worthy；　and　informs　with　counsel　how　to　be　worthy。　　Only　let　AEneas　be　worn　in　the　tablet　of　your　memory；　how　he　governeth　himself　in　the　ruin　of　his　country；　in　the　preserving　his　old　father；　and　carrying　away　his　religious　ceremonies；　in　obeying　God's　commandments；　to　leave　Dido；　though　not　only　passionate　kindness；　but　even　the　human　consideration　of　virtuous　gratefulness；　would　have　craved　other　of　him；　how　in　storms；　how　in　sports；　how　in　war；　how　in　peace；　how　a　fugitive；　how　victorious；　how　besieged；　how　besieging；　how　to　strangers；　how　to　allies；　how　to　enemies；　how　to　his　own；　lastly；　how　in　his　inward　self；　and　how　in　his　outward　government；　and　I　think；　in　a　mind　most　prejudiced　with　a　prejudicating　humour；　he　will　be　found　in　excellency　fruitful。　　Yea；　as　Horace　saith；　〃Melius　Chrysippo　et　Crantore：〃　｛57｝　but；　truly；　I　imagine　it　falleth　out　with　these　poet…whippers　as　with　some　good　women　who　often　are　sick；　but　in　faith　they　cannot　tell　where。　　So　the　name　of　poetry　is　odious　to　them；　but　neither　his　cause　nor　effects；　neither　the　sum　that　contains　him；　nor　the　particularities　descending　from　him；　give　any　fast　handle　to　their　carping　dispraise。

Since；　then；　｛58｝　poetry　is　of　all　human　learnings　the　most　ancient；　and　of　most　fatherly　antiquity；　as　from　whence　other　learnings　have　taken　their　beginnings；　since　it　is　so　universal　that　no　learned　nation　doth　despise　it；　nor　barbarous　nation　is　without　it；　since　both　Roman　and　Greek　gave　such　divine　names　unto　it；　the　one　of　prophesying；　the　other　of　making；　and　that　indeed　that　name　of　making　is　fit　for　him；　considering；　that　where　all　other　arts　retain　themselves　within　their　subject；　and　receive；　as　it　were；　their　being　from　it；　the　poet　only；　only　bringeth　his　own　stuff；　and　doth　not　learn　a　conceit　out　of　a　matter；　but　maketh　matter　for　a　conceit；　since　neither　his　description　nor　end　containeth　any　evil；　the　thing　described　cannot　be　evil；　since　his　effects　be　so　good　as　to　teach　goodness；　and　delight　the　learners　of　it；　since　therein　（namely；　in　moral　doctrine；　the　chief　of　all　knowledges）　he　doth　not　only　far　pass　the　historian；　but；　for　instructing；　is　well　nigh　comparable　to　the　philosopher；　for　moving；　leaveth　him　behind　him；　since　the　Holy　Scripture　（wherein　there　is　no　uncleanness）　hath　whole　parts　in　it　poetical；　and　that　even　our　Saviour　Christ　vouchsafed　to　use　the　flowers　of　it；　since　all　his　kinds　are　not　only　in　their　united　forms；　but　in　their　severed　dissections　fully　commendable；　I　think；　and　think　I　think　rightly；　the　laurel　crown　appointed　for　triumphant　captains；　doth　worthily；　of　all　other　learnings；　honour　the　poet's　triumph。

But　｛59｝　because　we　have　ears　as　well　as　tongues；　and　that　the　lightest　reasons　that　may　be；　will　seem　to　weigh　greatly；　if　nothing　be　put　in　the　counterbalance；　let　us　hear；　and；　as　well　as　we　can；　ponder　what　objections　be　made　against　this　art；　which　may　be　worthy　either　of　yielding　or　answering。

First；　truly；　I　note；　not　only　in　these　＇Greek　text＇；　poet…haters；　but　in　all　that　kind　of　people　who　seek　a　praise　by　dispraising　others；　that　they　do　prodigally　spend　a　great　many　wandering　words　in　quips　and　scoffs；　carping　and　taunting　at　each　thing；　which；　by　stirring　the　spleen；　may　stay　the　brain　from　a　thorough　beholding；　the　worthiness　of　the　subject。　　Those　kind　of　objections；　as　they　are　full　of　a　very　idle　uneasiness　（since　there　is　nothing　of　so　sacred　a　majesty；　but　that　an　itching　tongue　may　rub　itself　upon　it）；　so　deserve　they　no　other　answer；　but；　instead　of　laughing　at　the　jest；　to　laugh　at　the　jester。　　We　know　a　playing　wit　can　praise　the　discretion　of　an　ass；　the　comfortableness　of　being　in　debt；　and　the　jolly　commodities　of　being　sick　of　the　plague；　so；　of　the　contrary　side；　if　we　will　turn　Ovid's　verse；


〃Ut　lateat　virtus　proximitate　mali。〃


〃That　good　lies　hid　in　nearness　of　the　evil；〃　Agrippa　will　be　as　merry　in　the　showing　the　Vanity　of　Science；　as　Erasmus　was　in　the　commending　of　Folly；　｛60｝　neither　shall　any　man　or　matter　escape　some　touch　of　these　smiling　railers。　　But　for　Erasmus　and　Agrippa；　they　had　another　foundation　than　the　superficial　part　would　promise。　Marry；　these　other　pleasant　fault…finders；　who　will　correct　the　verb　before　they　understand　the　noun；　and　confute　others'　knowledge　before　they　confirm　their　own；　I　would　have　them　only　remember；　that　scoffing　cometh　not　of　wisdom；　so　as　the　best　title　in　true　English　they　get　with　their　merriments；　is　to　be　called　good　fools；　for　so　have　our　grave　forefathers　ever　termed　that　humorous　kind　of　jesters。

But　that　which　giveth　greatest　scope　to　their　scorning　humour；　is　rhyming　and　versing。　｛61｝　　It　is　already　said；　and；　as　I　think；　truly　said；　it　is　not　rhyming　and　versing　that　maketh　poesy；　one　may　be　a　poet　without　versing；　and　a　versifier　without　poetry。　　But　yet；　presuppose　it　were　inseparable；　as　indeed