1.5. How the wilde and sauage people used a naturall Poesie in versicle and rime as our vulgar is.
And the Greeke and Latine Poesie was by verse numerous and metricall,
running vpon pleasant feete, sometimes swift, sometime slow (their words
very aptly seruing that purpose) but without any rime or tunable concord in
th'end of their verses, as we and all other nations now vse. But the Hebrues
& Chaldees who were more ancient then the Greekes, did not only vse a
metricall Poesie, but also with the same a maner of rime, as hath bene of
late obserued by learned men. Wherby it appeareth, that our vulgar running
Poesie was common to all the nations of the world besides, whom the
Latines and Greekes in speciall called barbarous. So as it was
notwithstanding the first and most ancient Poesie, and the most vniuersall,
which two points do otherwise giue to all humane inuentions and affaires no
small credit. This is proued by certificate of marchants & trauellers,
who by late nauigations haue surueyed the whole world, and discouered large
countries and strange peoples wild and sauage, affirming that the American,
the Perusine & the very Canniball, do sing and also say, their highest
and holiest matters in certaine riming versicles and not in prose, which
proues also that our maner of vulgar Poesie is more ancient then the
artificiall of the Greeks and Latines, ours comming by instinct of nature,
which was before Art or obseruation, and vsed with the sauage and vnciuill,
who were before all science or ciuilitie, euen as the naked by prioritie of
time is before the clothed, and the ignorant before the learned. The naturall
Poesie therefore being aided and amended by Art, and not vtterly altered or
obscured, but some signe left of it, (as the Greekes and Latines haue left
none) is no lesse to be allowed and commended then theirs.