 | The Preservation of Henry VII |  |
To the Right honorabel, worshipfull, gentel, and learned Readers, whosoeuer; that are bothe trew fauorits of poetry, and of right ancient Heroicke Hexameters.
[_]
There follows a prose preface at this point from which the exemplary verses have been extracted.
If the Poet Stanihurst yet liue and feedeth on ay-er,
I do request him (as one that wisheth a grace to the meter)
With wordes significant to refile and finely to polishe
Those fower Ænëis, that he late translated in English.
I doe the man reuerence, as a fine, as an exquisit Author:
For that he first did atempt, to translate verse as a Doctor.
I do request him (as one that wisheth a grace to the meter)
With wordes significant to refile and finely to polishe
Those fower Ænëis, that he late translated in English.
I doe the man reuerence, as a fine, as an exquisit Author:
For that he first did atempt, to translate verse as a Doctor.
Naught can at once be begonne, or present made, to be perfect.
By trauel, all hard thinges are brought to singular effect.
Yer that Apelles could Cytheræas beawty depolish;
Had not he time to delyne, hir picture finely to finnysh?
By trauel, all hard thinges are brought to singular effect.
Yer that Apelles could Cytheræas beawty depolish;
Had not he time to delyne, hir picture finely to finnysh?
As yelo gould purified doth surmount euery mettell:
So fine verse metrifyed, this rythme-prose greatly doth excell.
With wordes significant, such rurall rythmery confound,
And metricall verses with a new rythme lawraly compound.
For sily Muse feare not: since euery paltery Rythmor
With wordes vnmetrifyed would seeme to be counted a Doctor:
Whose workes seeme to be good, representing Tantalus appels,
Which did apeare to be gold; but toucht were, turned in ashes.
So fine verse metrifyed, this rythme-prose greatly doth excell.
With wordes significant, such rurall rythmery confound,
And metricall verses with a new rythme lawraly compound.
For sily Muse feare not: since euery paltery Rythmor
With wordes vnmetrifyed would seeme to be counted a Doctor:
Whose workes seeme to be good, representing Tantalus appels,
Which did apeare to be gold; but toucht were, turned in ashes.
Clowde not your Orient fyne skyll, with dregges of a drowzy
Conterfaited prose: This Romane verse hath a glory.
As redolent Gilyflowers perfumes a delight to the senses;
Mens memories to refresh: So scanning Rythmery verses
Bringes a delight to the mindes, &c.
Conterfaited prose: This Romane verse hath a glory.
As redolent Gilyflowers perfumes a delight to the senses;
Mens memories to refresh: So scanning Rythmery verses
Bringes a delight to the mindes, &c.
As domiport slug-y snayle, his passage plainly to disclose,
Leaueth a print as he goes, but a shining slyme to no purpose:
So doth a bawdy Poet (his brainesicke folly to publish)
Write amorous madrigals; some lewd loue-toy to recognise.
Aime at a trew Period, Christ Iesus: flee from al euil:
Roaue not aside to detract his praise: learne rightly to leauell.
VVits misabus'd will apeare as a goulden ring in a swines snowte.
Gods worde such reprobate lewde wits doth worthily confute.
Shew me the tree by the fruite: so saith Saint Luke that Euangel,
Do men gather grapes of thornes, or fygges of a thystel?
Christ shewes by parables, who be tares and who be the good seede:
Th' one by the diuell sowen, and th' other sowne by the goodhead:
Bothe to be reapt at a time, and both to be parted asonder:
Bothe to be bound in sheaues, and bothe to be laid from another:
Th' one to be laid in a barne, th' other to be throwne by Iehoua,
Into that burning lake, that burning fyry Gehenna.
Leaueth a print as he goes, but a shining slyme to no purpose:
So doth a bawdy Poet (his brainesicke folly to publish)
Write amorous madrigals; some lewd loue-toy to recognise.
Aime at a trew Period, Christ Iesus: flee from al euil:
Roaue not aside to detract his praise: learne rightly to leauell.
VVits misabus'd will apeare as a goulden ring in a swines snowte.
Gods worde such reprobate lewde wits doth worthily confute.
Shew me the tree by the fruite: so saith Saint Luke that Euangel,
Do men gather grapes of thornes, or fygges of a thystel?
Th' one by the diuell sowen, and th' other sowne by the goodhead:
Bothe to be reapt at a time, and both to be parted asonder:
Bothe to be bound in sheaues, and bothe to be laid from another:
Th' one to be laid in a barne, th' other to be throwne by Iehoua,
Into that burning lake, that burning fyry Gehenna.
Only the fault was this; they liu'd in a time then of error,
And to the Pagan goddes most of them yeelded an honnor.
Those secular sages, which gods trew worde did abandon,
Wilfully lost them selues, and others left at a randon.
But should we Christians (confessing one God Imortall,
Trinity, Vnity, one, deifyed with glory coequall)
Call to the Pagan gods; to detract praise from the Redeemer,
Our soules sole-sauiour? Should we such blasphemy suffer?
And to the Pagan goddes most of them yeelded an honnor.
Those secular sages, which gods trew worde did abandon,
But should we Christians (confessing one God Imortall,
Trinity, Vnity, one, deifyed with glory coequall)
Call to the Pagan gods; to detract praise from the Redeemer,
Our soules sole-sauiour? Should we such blasphemy suffer?
When that Alexander did come to the Tombe of Achilles,
That monument to behold; he pronounced these very speaches,
And with a sigh thus said: Thrice Larissæus is happy,
For that he greek Homer had, to record his glory so worthy.
And when he had conquerd great spoyles from king Darius,
There was a chest of gould, that, he said, was fit for Homerus
Bookes, to be safely repos'd. For he kept them safe, as a Iewell,
Vnder his owne beads-head: whose worke diuinely doth excell.
And Maro laurigerent, in verse most glorious enrold
Venturous Æneas exployts, and worthines extold.
Which brought Rome in a muse, with a grace so loftily flowing.
Whose praise still wil abide, while seas or earthe ar abiding.
That monument to behold; he pronounced these very speaches,
And with a sigh thus said: Thrice Larissæus is happy,
For that he greek Homer had, to record his glory so worthy.
And when he had conquerd great spoyles from king Darius,
There was a chest of gould, that, he said, was fit for Homerus
Bookes, to be safely repos'd. For he kept them safe, as a Iewell,
Vnder his owne beads-head: whose worke diuinely doth excell.
And Maro laurigerent, in verse most glorious enrold
Venturous Æneas exployts, and worthines extold.
Which brought Rome in a muse, with a grace so loftily flowing.
Whose praise still wil abide, while seas or earthe ar abiding.
Learne of Mæonides; who writeth of Hector, Achilles,
Of Troilus, Diomede, of craft-contriuer Vlisses.
If so be that Chronicles had not bin skilfuly written,
Kinges valiant exployts, lordes fame, and knightes valor had bin
Drowned in obliuion. For time (fames greedy deuowrer)
Leaues fame vnmemoriz'd; as a tree consum'd with a canker.
You fine metricians, that verses skilfully compile
(As fine artificers hard Iron do refile on an Anuile)
This verse irregular, this rustick rythmery bannish:
Which doth abase Poetry: such verse such meter abolish.
For lily milke-white swannes flote on streames cleare as a crystall.
And in a fowle mud-y lake, donguehill duckes striue for an offall.
Both Greekes and Latinists such verselesse verse did abandon:
Whose verse is purifi'd, as gould is try'd by the touchstone.
As vineger doth aford, no pleasant taste to the palate:
So wordes vnmetrifi'd, which rythmers rudely promulgate,
Bringe no delight to the wits, nor sound with a grace in a mans eare.
Euery worthie Poet will such rude rythmery forbeare.
Of Troilus, Diomede, of craft-contriuer Vlisses.
If so be that Chronicles had not bin skilfuly written,
Kinges valiant exployts, lordes fame, and knightes valor had bin
Drowned in obliuion. For time (fames greedy deuowrer)
Leaues fame vnmemoriz'd; as a tree consum'd with a canker.
You fine metricians, that verses skilfully compile
(As fine artificers hard Iron do refile on an Anuile)
This verse irregular, this rustick rythmery bannish:
Which doth abase Poetry: such verse such meter abolish.
For lily milke-white swannes flote on streames cleare as a crystall.
And in a fowle mud-y lake, donguehill duckes striue for an offall.
Both Greekes and Latinists such verselesse verse did abandon:
Whose verse is purifi'd, as gould is try'd by the touchstone.
So wordes vnmetrifi'd, which rythmers rudely promulgate,
Bringe no delight to the wits, nor sound with a grace in a mans eare.
Euery worthie Poet will such rude rythmery forbeare.
For curious cauilist but a small mote easily will see,
Sooner in each strangers eysight, then a beame in his owne eye.
Hardly he will such bookes in a trew verse notably perfect.
For many men ready be to finde faults, hasty to correct.
Such Sycophant humorists, like quayles feede chiefly by poyson:
Whose Stoicall censures and selfe-mindes stand for a reason.
Sooner in each strangers eysight, then a beame in his owne eye.
Hardly he will such bookes in a trew verse notably perfect.
Such Sycophant humorists, like quayles feede chiefly by poyson:
Whose Stoicall censures and selfe-mindes stand for a reason.
| The Preservation of Henry VII | |