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The Arte of English Poesie

  
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THE FIRST BOOKE, Of Poets and Poesie.
 1.1. 
What poet and Poesie is, and who may be worthily sayd the most excellent Poet of our time.
 1.2. 
That there may be an Art of our English Poesie, as well as there is of the Latine and Greeke.
 1.3. 
How Poets were the first priests, the first prophets, the first Legislators and politicians in the world.
 1.4. 
How the Poets were the first Philosophers, the first Astronomers and Historiographers and Oratours and Musitiens of the world.
 1.5. 
How the wilde and sauage people used a naturall Poesie in versicle and rime as our vulgar is.
 1.6. 
How the riming Poesie came first to the Grecians and Latines, and had altered and almost spilt their maner of Poesie.
 1.7. 
How in the time of Charlemaine and many yeares after him the Latine Poetes wrote in ryme.
 1.8. 
In what reputation Poesie and Poets were in old time with Princes and otherwise generally, and how they be now become contemptible and for what causes.
 1.9. 
How Poesie should not be imployed upon vayne conceits or vicious or infamous.
 1.10. 
The subiect or matter of Poesie.
 1.11. 
Of poemes and their sundry formes and how thereby the auncient Poets receaued surnames.
 1.12. 
In what forme of Poesie the gods of the Gentiles were praysed and honored.
 1.13. 
In what forme of Poesie vice and the common abuses of mans life was reprehended.
 1.14. 
How vice was afterward reproued by two other maner of poems, better reformed then the Satyre, whereof the first was Comedy, the second Tragedie.
 1.15. 
In what forme of Poesie the euill and outragious bahauiours of Princes were reprehended.
 1.16. 
In what forme of Poesie the great Princes and dominators of the world were honored.
 1.17. 
Of the places where their enterludes or poemes drammaticke were represented to the people.
 1.18. 
Of the Shepheards or pastorall Poesie called Eglogue, and to what purpose it was first inuented and used.
 1.19. 
Of historicall Poesie, by which the famous acts of Princes and the vertuous and worthy liues of our forefathers were reported.
 1.20. 
In what forme of Poesie vertue in the inferiour sort was commended.
 1.21. 
the forme wherein honest and profitable Artes and sciences were treated.
 1.22. 
In what forme of Poesie the amorous affections and allurements were uttered.
 1.23. 
The forme of Poeticall reioysings.
 1.24. 
The forme of Poeticall lamentations.
 1.25. 
Of the solemne reioysings at the natiuitie of Princes children.
 1.26. 
The maner of reioysings at mariages and weddings.
 1.27. 
The manner of Poesie by which they uttered their bitter taunts, and priuy nips, or witty scoffes and other merry conceits.
 1.28. 
Of the poeme called Epitaph used for memoriall of the dead.
 1.29. 
A certain auncient forme of poesie by which men did use to reproch their enemies.
 1.30. 
Of short Epigrames called Posies.
 1.31. 
Who in any age haue bene the most commended writers in our English Poesie, and the Authors censure giuen upon them.
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THE SECOND BOOKE, OF PROPORTION POETICAL.
 2.1. 
Of Proportion Poeticall.
 2.2. 
Of proportion in Staffe.
 2.3. 
Of proportion in measure.
 2.4. 
How many sorts of measures we use in our vulgar.
 2.5. 
How the good maker will not wrench his word to helpe his rime, either by falsifying his accent, or by untrue orthographie.
 2.6. 
Of concorde in long and short measures, and by neare or farre distaunces, and which of them is most commendable.
 2.7. 
Of proportion by situation.
 2.8. 
Of Proportion in figure.
 2.9. 
How if all maner of sodaine innouations were not very scandalous, specially in the lawes of any langage or arte, the use of the Greeke and Latine feete might be brought into our vulgar Poesie, and with good grace inough.
 2.10. 
A more particular declaration of the metricall feete of the auncient Poets Greeke and Latine and chiefly of the feete of two times.
 2.11. 
Of your feet of three times, and first of the Dactil.
 2.12. 
Of all your other feete of three times and how well they would fashion a meetre in our vulgar.
 2.13. 
Of your verses perfect and defectiue, and that which the Graecians called the halfe-foote.
 2.14. 
Of the breaking your bisillables and polysillables and when it is to be used.
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THE THIRD BOOKE, OF ORNAMENT.
 3.1. 
Of Ornament Poeticall.
 3.2. 
How our writing and speaches publike ought to be figuratiue, and if they be not doe greatly disgrace the cause and purpose of the speaker and writer.
 3.3. 
How ornament Poeticall is of two sortes according to the double vertue and efficacie of figures.
 3.4. 
Of Language.
 3.5. 
Of Stile.
 3.6. 
Of the high, low, and meane subiect.
 3.7. 
Of Figures and figuratiue speaches.
 3.8. 
Sixe points set downe by our learned forefathers for a generall regiment of all good utterance be it by mouth or by writing.
 3.9. 
How the Greeks first, and afterward the Latines, inuented new names for euery figure, which this Author is also enforced to doo in his vulgar.
 3.10. 
A diuision of figures, and how they serue in exornation of language.
 3.11. 
Of auricular figures apperteining to single wordes and working by their diuers soundes and audible tunes alteration to the eare onely and not the mynde.
 3.12. 
Of Auricular figures pertaining to clauses of speech and by them working no little alteration to the eare.
 3.13. 
Of your figures Auricular working by disorder.
 3.14. 
Of your figures Auricular that worke by Surplusage.
 3.15. 
Of auricular figures working by exchange.
 3.16. 
Of some other figures which because they serue chiefly to make the meeters turnable and melodious, and affect not the minde but very little, be placed among the auricular.
 3.17. 
Of the figures which we call Sensable, because they alter and affect the minde by alteration of sence, and first in single wordes.
 3.18. 
Of sensable figures altering and affecting the mynde by alteration of sence or intendements in whole clauses or speaches.
 3.19. 
Of Figures sententious, otherwise called Rhetoricall.
 3.20. 
The last and principall figure of our poeticall Ornament.
 3.21. 
Of the vices or deformities in speach and writing principally noted by auncient Poets.
 3.22. 
Some vices in speaches and writing are alwayes intollerable, some others now and then borne withall by licence of approued authors and custome.
 3.23. 
What it is that generally makes our speach well pleasing & commendable, and of that which the Latines call Decorum.
 3.24. 
Of decencie in behauiour which also belongs to the consideration of the Poet or maker.
 3.25. 
That the good Poet or maker ought to dissemble his arte, and in what cases the artificiall is more commended then the naturall, and contrariwise.
 3.26. 
The Conclusion.

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1.7. How in the time of Charlemaine and many yeares after him the Latine Poetes wrote in ryme.

And this appeareth euidently by the workes of many learned men, who wrote about the time of Charlemaines raigne in the Empire Occidentall, where the Christian Religion, became through the excessiue authoritie of Popes, and deepe deuotion of Princes strongly fortified and established by erection of orders Monastical, in which many simple clerks for deuotion sake & sanctitie were receiued more then for any learning, by which occasion & the solitarinesse of their life, waxing studious without discipline or instruction by any good methode, some of them grew to be historiographers,

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some Poets, and following either the barbarous rudenes of the time, or els their own idle inuentions, all that they wrote to the fauor or prayse of Princes, they did it in such maner of minstrelsie, and thought themselues no small fooles, when they could make their verses goe all in ryme as did the schoole of Salerne, dedicating their booke of medicinall rules vnto our king of England, with this beginning.

Anglorum Rege scripsit tota schola Salerni
Sivis incolumem, sivis, te reddere sanum
Curas tolle graues, irasci crede prophanum
Nec retine ventrem nec stringas fortiter annum.

And all the rest that follow throughout the whole booke more curiously then cleanely, neuerthelesse very well to the purpose of their arte. In the same time king Edward the iii. him selfe quartering the Armes of England and France, did discouer his pretence and clayme to the Crowne of Fraunce, in these ryming verses.

Rex sum regnorum bina ratione duorum
Anglorum regno sum rex ego iure paterno
Matris iure quidem Francorum nuncuporidem
Hinc est armorum variatio facta meorum

Which verses Phillip de Valois then possessing the Crowne as next heire male by pretexte of the law Salique, and holding out Edward the third, aunswered in these other as good stuffe.

Praedo regnorum qui diceris esse duorum
Regno materno priuaberis atque paterno
Prolis ius nullum vbi matris non fuit vllum
Hinc est armorum variatio stulta tuorum

It is found written of Pope Lusius, for his great auarice and tyranny vsed ouer the Clergy thus in ryming verses.

Lucius est piscis rex & tyrannus aquarum
A quo discordat Lucius iste parum
Deuorat hic homines, hic pidcibus insidiatur
Esurit hic semper hic aliquando satur
Amborum vitam silanus equata notaret
Plus rationis habet qui ratione caret.

And as this was vsed in the greatest and gayest matters of Princes and Popes by the idle inuention of Monasticall men then raigning

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al in their superlatiue. So did euery scholer & secular clerke or versifier, when he wrote any short poeme or matter of good lesson put in in ryme, whereby it came to passe that all your old Prouerbes and common sayinges, which they would haue plausible to the reader and easie to remember and beare away, were of that sorte as these.

Inmundo mira faciunt duo nummus & ira
Mollificant dura peruertunt omnia iura.

And this verse in disprayse of the Courtiers life following the Court of Rome.

Vita palatina dura est animaeq ruina.

And these written by a noble learned man.

Ire redire sequi regum sublimia castra
Eximius status est, sed non sic itur ad astra.

And this other which to the great iniurie of all women was written (no doubt by some forlorne louer, or els some old malicious Monke) for one womans sake blemishing the whole sexe.

Fallere flere nere mentiri nil q tacere
Haec quinque vere statuit Deus in muliere.

If I might haue bene his Iudge, I would haue had him for his labour, serued as Orpheus was by the women of Thrace. His eyes to be picket out with pinnes, for his so deadly belying of them, or worse handled if worse could be deuised. But will ye see how God raised a reuenger for the silly innocent women, for about the same tyming age came an honest ciuill Courtier somewhat bookish, and wrate these verses against the whole rable of Monkes.

O Monachi vestri stomachi sunt amphora Bacchi
Vos estis Deus est testis turpissima pestis.

Anon after came your secular Priestes as iolly rymers as the rest, who being sore agreeued with their Pope Calixius, for that he had enioyned them from their wiues, & railed as fast against him.

O bone Calixte totus mundus perodit te
Quondam Presbiteri, poterant uxoribus uti
Hoc destruxisti, postquam tu Papa fursti.

Thus what in writing of rymes and registring of lyes was the Clergy of that fabulous age wholly occupied.

We finde some but very few of these ryming verses among the

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Latines of the ciuiller ages, and those rather hapning by chaunce then of any purpose in the writer, as this Distick among the disportes of Ouid.
Quot caelum stellas tot habet tua Roman puellas
Pascua quotq haedos tot habet tua Roma Cynaedos.
The posteritie taking pleasure in this manner of Simphonie had leasure as it seems to deuise many other knackes in their versifying that the auncient and ciuill Poets had not vsed before, whereof one was to make euery word of a verse to begin with the same letter, as did Hugobald the Monke who made a large poeme to the honour of Carolus Caluus, euery word beginning with C. which was the first letter of the kings name thus.

Carmina clarisonae Caluis cantate camenae.

And this was thought no small peece of cunning, being in deed a matter of some difficultie to finde out so many wordes beginning with one letter as might make a iust volume, thought in truth it were but a phantasticall deuise and to no purpose at all more then to make them harmonicall to the rude eares of those barbarous ages.

Another of their pretie inuentions was to make a verse of such wordes as by their nature and manner of construction and situation might be turned backward word by word, and make another perfit verse, but of quite contrary sence as the gibing Monke that wrote of Pope Alexander these two verses.

Laus tua non tua fraus, virtus non copia rerum,
Scandere te faciunt hoc decus eximium.

Which if ye will turne backward they make two other good verses, but of a contrary sence, thus.

Eximium decus hoc faciunt te scandere rerum
Copia, non virtus, frans tua non tua laus.

And they called it Verso Lyon.

Thus you may see the humors and appetites of men how diuers and chaungeable they be in liking new fashions, though many tymes worse then the old, and not onely in the manner of their life and vse of their garments, but also in their learninges and arts and specially of their languages.

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