westward ho-第53章

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〃Don't　speak　to　a　man　at　his　business；　Master　Amyas。　　Five　mortal　times　have　I　missed；　but　I　will　have　that　accursed　Popish　rag　down；　as　I'm　a　sinner。〃

〃Down　with　it；　then；　nobody　wants　you　to　shoot　crooked。　　Take　good　iron　to　it；　and　not　footy　paving…stones。〃

〃I　believe；　sir；　that　the　foul　fiend　is　there；　a　turning　of　my　shot　aside；　I　do。　　I　thought　I　saw　him　once：　but；　thank　Heaven；　here's　ball　again。　　Ah；　sir；　if　one　could　but　cast　a　silver　one！　　Now；　stand　by；　men！〃

And　once　again　Yeo's　eighteen…pounder　roared；　and　away。　　And；　oh　glory！　the　great　yellow　flag　of　Spain；　which　streamed　in　the　gale；　lifted　clean　into　the　air；　flagstaff　and　all；　and　then　pitched　wildly　down　head…foremost；　far　to　leeward。

A　hurrah　from　the　sailors；　answered　by　the　soldiers　of　the　opposite　camp；　shook　the　very　cloud　above　them：　but　ere　its　echoes　had　died　away；　a　tall　officer　leapt　upon　the　parapet　of　the　fort；　with　the　fallen　flag　in　his　hand；　and　rearing　it　as　well　as　he　could　upon　his　lance　point；　held　it　firmly　against　the　gale；　while　the　fallen　flagstaff　was　raised　again　within。

In　a　moment　a　dozen　long　bows　were　bent　at　the　daring　foeman：　but　Amyas　behind　shouted

〃Shame；　lads！　　Stop　and　let　the　gallant　gentleman　have　due　courtesy！〃

So　they　stopped；　while　Amyas；　springing　on　the　rampart　of　the　battery；　took　off　his　hat；　and　bowed　to　the　flag…holder；　who；　as　soon　as　relieved　of　his　charge；　returned　the　bow　courteously；　and　descended。

It　was　by　this　time　all　but　dark；　and　the　firing　began　to　slacken　on　all　sides；　Salvation　and　his　brother　gunners；　having　covered　up　their　slaughtering　tackle　with　tarpaulings；　retired　for　the　night；　leaving　Amyas；　who　had　volunteered　to　take　the　watch　till　midnight；　and　the　rest　of　the　force　having　got　their　scanty　supper　of　biscuit　（for　provisions　were　running　very　short）　lay　down　under　arms　among　the　sand…hills；　and　grumbled　themselves　to　sleep。

He　had　paced　up　and　down　in　the　gusty　darkness　for　some　hour　or　more；　exchanging　a　passing　word　now　and　then　with　the　sentinel；　when　two　men　entered　the　battery；　chatting　busily　together。　　One　was　in　complete　armor；　the　other　wrapped　in　the　plain　short　cloak　of　a　man　of　pens　and　peace：　but　the　talk　of　both　was　neither　of　sieges　nor　of　sallies；　catapult；　bombard；　nor　culverin；　but　simply　of　English　hexameters。

And　fancy　not；　gentle　reader；　that　the　two　were　therein　fiddling　while　Rome　was　burning；　for　the　commonweal　of　poetry　and　letters；　in　that　same　critical　year　1580；　was　in　far　greater　danger　from　those　same　hexameters　than　the　common　woe　of　Ireland　（as　Raleigh　called　it）　was　from　the　Spaniards。

Imitating　the　classic　metres；　〃versifying；〃　as　it　was　called　in　contradistinction　to　rhyming；　was　becoming　fast　the　fashion　among　the　more　learned。　　Stonyhurst　and　others　had　tried　their　hands　at　hexameter　translations　from　the　Latin　and　Greek　epics；　which　seem　to　have　been　doggerel　enough；　and　ever　and　anon　some　youthful　wit　broke　out　in　iambics；　sapphics；　elegiacs；　and　what　not；　to　the　great　detriment　of　the　queen's　English　and　her　subjects'　ears。

I　know　not　whether　Mr。　William　Webbe　had　yet　given　to　the　world　any　fragments　of　his　precious　hints　for　the　〃Reformation　of　English　poetry；〃　to　the　tune　of　his　own　〃Tityrus；　happily　thou　liest　tumbling　under　a　beech…tree：〃　but　the　Cambridge　Malvolio；　Gabriel　Harvey；　had　succeeded　in　arguing　Spenser；　Dyer；　Sidney；　and　probably　Sidney's　sister；　and　the　whole　clique　of　beaux…esprits　round　them；　into　following　his　model　of


　　　　〃What　might　I　call　this　tree？　　A　laurel？　　O　bonny　laurel！　　　　　　Needes　to　thy　bowes　will　I　bowe　this　knee；　and　vail　my　bonetto；〃


after　snubbing　the　first　book　of　〃that　Elvish　Queene；〃　which　was　then　in　manuscript；　as　a　base　declension　from　the　classical　to　the　romantic　school。

And　now　Spenser　（perhaps　in　mere　melancholy　wilfulness　and　want　of　purpose；　for　he　had　just　been　jilted　by　a　fair　maid　of　Kent）　was　wasting　his　mighty　genius　upon　doggerel　which　he　fancied　antique；　and　some　piratical　publisher　（bitter　Tom　Nash　swears；　and　with　likelihood　that　Harvey　did　it　himself）　had　just　given　to　the　world；〃Three　proper　wittie　and　familiar　Letters；　lately　past　between　two　University　men；　touching　the　Earthquake　in　April　last；　and　our　English　reformed　Versifying；〃　which　had　set　all　town　wits　a…buzzing　like　a　swarm　of　flies；　being　none　other　than　a　correspondence　between　Spenser　and　Harvey；　which　was　to　prove　to　the　world　forever　the　correctness　and　melody　of　such　lines　as；


　　　　〃For　like　magnificoes；　not　a　beck　but　glorious　in　show；　　　　　　In　deede　most　frivolous；　not　a　looke　but　Tuscanish　always。〃


Let　them　passAlma　Mater　has　seen　as　bad　hexameters　since。　　But　then　the　matter　was　serious。　　There　is　a　story　（I　know　not　how　true）　that　Spenser　was　half　bullied　into　re…writing　the　〃Faerie　Queene〃　in　hexameters；　had　not　Raleigh；　a　true　romanticist；　〃whose　vein　for　ditty　or　amorous　ode　was　most　lofty；　insolent；　and　passionate；〃　persuaded　him　to　follow　his　better　genius。　　The　great　dramatists　had　not　yet　arisen；　to　form　completely　that　truly　English　school；　of　which　Spenser；　unconscious　of　his　own　vast　powers；　was　laying　the　foundation。　　And；　indeed；　it　was　not　till　Daniel；　twenty　years　after；　in　his　admirable　apology　for　rhyme；　had　smashed　Mr。　Campian　and　his　〃eight　several　kinds　of　classical　numbers；〃　that　the　matter　was　finally　settled；　and　the　English　tongue　left　to　go　the　road　on　which　Heaven　had　started　it。　　So　that　we　may　excuse　Raleigh's　answering　somewhat　waspish　to　some　quotation　of　Spenser's　from　the　three　letters　of　〃Immerito　and　G。　H。〃

〃Tut；　tut；　Colin　Clout；　much　learning　has　made　thee　mad。　　A　good　old　fishwives'　ballad　jingle　is　worth　all　your　sapphics　and　trimeters；　and　'riff…raff　thurlery　bouncing。'　　Hey？　have　I　you　there；　old　lad？　　Do　you　mind　that　precious　verse？〃

〃But；　dear　Wat；　Homer　and　Virgil〃

〃But；　dear　Ned；　Petrarch　and　Ovid〃

〃But；　Wat；　what　have　we　that　we　do　not　owe　to　the　ancients？〃

〃Ancients；　quotha？　　Why；　the　legend　of　King　Arthur；　and　Chevy　Chase　too；　of　which　even　your　fellow…sinner　Sidney　cannot　deny　that　every　time　he　hears　it　even　from　a　blind　fiddler　it　stirs　his　heart　like　a　trumpet…blast。　　Speak　well　of　the　bridge　that　carries　you　over；　man！　　Did　you　find　your　Redcross　Knight　in　Virgil；　or　such　a　dame　as　Una　in　old　Ovid？　　No　more　than　you　did　your　Pater　and　Credo；　you　renegado　baptized　heathen；　you！〃

〃Yet；　surely；　our　younger　and　more　barbarous　taste　must　bow　before　divine　antiquity；　and　imitate　afar〃

〃As　dottrels　do　fowlers。　　If　Homer　was　blind；　lad；　why　dost　not　poke　out　thine　eye？　　Ay；　this　hexameter　is　of　an　ancient　house；　truly；　Ned　Spenser；　and　so　is　many　a　rogue：　but　he　cannot　make　way　on　our　rough　English　roads。　　He　goes　hopping　and　twitching　in　our　language　like　a　three…legged　terrier　over　a　pebble…bank；　tumble　and　up　again；　rattle　and　crash。〃

〃Nay；　hear；　now


　　　　'See　ye　the　blindfolded　pretty　god　that　feathered　archer；　　　　　　　　Of　lovers'　miseries　which　maketh　his　bloody　game？'*


True；　the　accent　gapes　in　places；　as　I　have　often　confessed　to　Harvey；　but〃


*　Strange　as　it　may　seem；　this　distich　is　Spenser's　own；　and　the　other　hexameters　are　all　authentic。


Harvey　be　hanged　for　a　pedant；　and　the　whole　crew　of　versifiers；　from　Lord　Dorset　（but　he；　poor　man；　has　been　past　hanging　some　time　since）　to　yourself！　　Why　delude　you　into　playing　Procrustes　as　he　does　with　the　queen's　English；　racking　one　word　till　its　joints　be　pulled　asunder；　and　squeezing　the　next　all　a…heap　as　the　Inquisitors　do　heretics　in　their　banca　cava？　　Out　upon　him　and　you；　and　Sidney；　and　the　whole　kin。　　You　have　not　made　a　verse　among　you；　and　never　will；　which　is　not　as　lame　a　gosling　as　Harvey's　own


'Oh　thou　weathercocke；　that　stands　on　the　top　of　Allhallows；　　Come　thy　ways　down；　if　thou　dar'st　for　thy　crown；　and　take　the　wall　　　　on　us。'


Hark；　now！　　There　is　our　young　giant　comforting　his　soul　with　a　ballad。　　You　will　hear　rhyme　and　reason　together　here；　now。　　He　will　not　miscall　'blind…folded；'　'blind…fold…ed；　I　warrant；　or　make　an　'of'　and　a　'which'　and　a　'his'　carry　a　whole　verse　on　their　wretched　little　backs。〃

And　as　he　spoke；　Amyas；　who　had　been　grumbling　to　himself　some　Christmas　carol；　broke　out　full…mou