3.21. Of the vices or deformities in speach and writing principally noted by auncient Poets.
It hath bene said before how by ignorance of the maker a good figure may
become a vice, and by his good discretion, a vicious speach go for a vertue in
the Poeticall science. This saying is to be explaned and qualified, for some
maner of speaches are alwayes intollerable and such as cannot be vsed with
any decencie, but are euer vndecent namely barbarousnesse, incongruitie, ill
disposition, fond affectation, rusticitie, and all extreme darknesse, such as
it is not possible for a man to vnderstand the matter without an
interpretour, all which partes are generall t be banished out of euery
langage, vnlesse it may appeare that the maker or Poet do it for the nonce,
as it was reported by the Philosopher Heraclitus that he wrote in
obscure and darker termes of purpose not to be vnderstood, whence he
merited the nickname Scotinus, otherwise I see not but the rest of
the common faultes may be borne with
sometimes, or passe without any great reproofe, not being vsed ouermuch or
out of season as I said before: so as euery surplusage or preposterous
placing or vndue iteration or darke word, or doubtfull speach are not so
narrowly to be looked vpon in a large poeme, nor specially in the pretie
Poesies and deuises of Ladies, and Gentlewomen makers, whom we would
not haue too precise Poets least with their shrewd wits, when they were
maried they might become a little to phantasticall wiues, neuerthelesse
because we seem to promise an arte, which doth not iustly admit any wilful
errour in the teacher, and to th'end we may not be carped at by these
methodicall men, that we haue omitted any necessary point in this
businesse to be regarded, I will speake somewhat touching these viciosities
of language particularly and briefly, leauing no little to the Grammarians
for maintenaunce of the scholasticall warre, and altercations: we for our
part condescending in this deuise of ours, to the appetite of Princely
personages & other so tender & quesie complexions in Court, as are
annoyed with nothing more then long lessons and ouermuch good order.