University of Virginia Library

The Prologe.

The famous Poetes with the Muses nine
With wit inspired, fresh, pregnant and diuine,
Say, boldly indite in stile substanciall:
Some in Poemes hye and heroicall,
Some them delite in heauy Tragedies,
And some in wanton or mery Comedies.
Some in Satyres against vices dare carpe,
Some in sweete songes accordant with the harpe.
And eche of these all had laude and excellence
After their reason and stile of eloquence.
Who in fayre speeche could briefly comprehende
Moste fruitfull matter, men did him moste commende.
And who were fruitlesse, and in speeche superflue,
Men by their writing scantly set a qu.
Therefore wise Poetes to sharpe and proue their wit,
In homely iestes wrote many a mery fit.
Before they durst be of audacitie
Tauenture thinges of weyght and grauitie.
In this saide maner the famous Theocrite
First in Siracuse attempted for to write
Certayne Egloges or speeches pastorall,
Inducing Shepherdes, men homely and rurall.
Which in playne language, according to their name,
Had sundry talking, sometime of mirth and game,
Sometime of thinges more like to grauitie,
And not exceeding their small capacitie.
Moste noble Uirgill after him longe while
Wrote also Egloges after like maner stile.
His wittes prouing in matters pastorall,
Or he durst venture to stile heroicall.
And in like maner nowe lately in our dayes
Hath other Poetes attempted the same wayes:
As the moste famous Baptist Mantuan
The best of that sort since Poetes first began.
And Frauncis Petrarke also in Italy
In like maner stile wrote playne and meryly.
What shall I speake of the father auncient,
Which in briefe language both playne and eloquent,
Betwene Alathea, Sewstis stoute and bolde
Hath made rehearsall of all thy storyes olde,
By true historyes vs teaching to obiect
Against vayne fables of olde Gentiles sect.
Beside all these yet finde I many mo
Which haue employed their diligence also,
Betwene Shepherdes, as it were but a fable,
To write of matters both true and profitable.
But all their names I purpose not to write,
Which in this maner made bookes infinite.
Nowe to my purpose, their workes worthy fame
Did in my yonge age my heart greatly inflame.
Dull slouth eschewing, my selfe to exercise
In such small matters, or I durst enterprise
To hyer matter, like as these children do,
Which first vse to creepe, and afterwarde to go.
The birde vnused first flying from her nest
Dare not aduenture, and is not bold nor prest
With winges abroade to flye as doth the olde,
For vse and custome causeth all thing be bolde:
And litle cunning by craft and exercise
To perfect science causeth a man to rise.
But or the Paynter can sure his craft attayne,
Much froward fashion transfourmeth he in vayne.
But rasing superflue, and adding that doth want,
Rude picture is made both perfect and pleasant.
So where I in youth a certayne worke began,
And not concluded, as oft doth many a man:
Yet thought I after to make the same perfite,
But long I missed that which I first did write.
But here a wonder, I fortie yere saue twayne
Proceeded in age, founde my first youth agayne.
To finde youth in age is a probleme diffuse,
But nowe heare the truth, and then no longer muse.
As I late turned olde bookes to and fro,
One litle treatise I founde among the mo:
Because that in youth I did compile the same,
Egloges of youth I did call it by name.
And seing some men haue in the same delite,
At their great instance I made the same perfite.
Adding and bating where I perceyued neede,
All them desiring which shall this treatise rede,
Not to be grieued with any playne sentence
Rudely conuayed for lacke of eloquence.
It were not fitting a heard or man rurall
To speake in termes gay and rhetoricall.
So teacheth Horace in arte of poetry,
That writers namely their reason should apply
Mete speeche appropring to euery personage,
After his estate, behauour, wit and age.
But if that any would nowe to me obiect
That this my labour shall be of small effect,
And to the Reader not greatly profitable,
And by that maner as vayne and reprouable,
Because it maketh onely relation
Of Shepherdes maner and disputation.
If any suche reade my treatise to the ende
He shall well perceyue, if he thereto intende,
That it conteyneth both laudes of vertue,
And man infourmeth misliuing to eschue,
With diuers bourdes and sentences morall,
Closed in shadowe of speeches pastorall,
As many Poetes (as I haue sayde beforne)
Haue vsed longe time before that I was borne.
But of their writing though I ensue the rate,
No name I chalenge of Poete laureate.
That name vnto them is mete and doth agree
Which writeth matters with curiositee.
Mine habite blacke accordeth not with grene,
Blacke betokeneth death as it is dayly sene,
The grene is pleasour, freshe lust and iolite,
These two in nature hath great diuersitie.
Then who would ascribe, except he were a foole,
The pleasaunt laurer vnto the mourning cowle.
Another rewarde abideth my labour,
The glorious sight of God my sauiour,
Which is chiefe shepheard and head of other all,
To him for succour in this my worke I call,
And not on Clio nor olde Melpomene,
My hope is fixed of him ayded to be
[That he me direct, my mynde for to expresse:
That he, to good ende, my wyt and pen addresse.]
For to accomplishe my purpose and entent
To laude and pleasour of God omnipotent,
And to the profite, the pleasour and the mede,
Of all them which shall this treatise here and rede.
But to the Reader nowe to returne agayne,
First of this thing I will thou be certayne,
That fiue Egloges this whole treatise doth holde,
To imitation of other Poetes olde.
In whiche Egloges shepheardes thou mayst see
In homely language not passing their degree,
Sometime disputing of courtly misery,
Sometime of Uenus disceatfull tiranny.
Sometime commending loue honest and laudable,
Sometime despising loue false and deceyuable,
Sometime despising and blaming auarise,
Sometime exciting vertue to exercise,
Sometime of warre abhorring the outrage,
And of the same time the manifolde damage,
And other matters, as after shall appeare
To their great pleasure which shal them rede or heare.