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.
For the respectes aforesayd in all former ages and in the most ciuill
countreys and common wealthes, good Poets and Poesie were highly
esteemed and much fauoured of the greatest Princes. For proofe whereof we
read how much Amyntas king of Macedonia made of the
Tragicall Poet Euripides. And the Athenians of
Sophocles. In what price the noble poemes of Homer were
holden with Alexander the great, in so much as euery night they were
layd vnder his pillow, and by day were carried in the rich iewell cofer of
Darius lately before vanquished by him in battaile. And not onely
Homer the father and Prince of the Poets was so honored by him, but
for his sake all other meaner Poets, in so much as Cherillus one no
very great good Poet had for euery verse well made a Phillips noble of
gold, amounting in value to an angell English, and so for euery hundreth
verses (which a cleanely pen could speedely dispatch) he had a hundred
angels. And since Alexander the great how Theocritus the
Greeke Poet was fauored by Tholomee king of Egipt & Queene
Berenice his wife, Ennius likewise by Scipio Prince of
the Romaines, Virgill also by th'Emperour Augustus. And in
later times how much were Iehan de Menune & Guillaume de Loris
made of by the French kinges, and Geffrey Chaucer father of our
English Poets by Richard the second, who as it was supposed gaue him
the maner of new Holme in Oxfordshire. And Gower to Henry
the fourth and Harding to Edward the fourth. Also how
Frances the Frenche king made Sangelais, Salmonius, Macrinus,
and Clement Marot of his priuy Chamber for their excellent skill in
vulgare and Latine Poesie. And king Henry the 8 her Maiesties
father for a few Psalmes of Dauid turned into English meetre by
Sternhold, made him groome of his priuy chamber, & gaue him many
other good gifts. And one Gray what good estimation did he grow vnto
with the same king Henry & afterward with the Duke of
Sommerset Protectour, for making certaine merry Ballades, whereof one
chiefly was, The hunte is up, the hunte is up. And Queene Mary
his daughter for one Epithalamie
or nuptiall song made by
Vargas a Spanish Poet at her
mariage with king
Phillip in Winchester gaue him during his life two
hundred Crownes pension: nor this reputation was giuen them in auncient
times altogether in respect that Poesie was a delicate arte, and the Poets
them selues cunning Princepleasers, but for that also they were thought for
their vniversall knowledge to be vary sufficient men for the greatest
charges in their common wealthes, were it for counsell or for conduct,
whereby no man neede to doubt but that both skilles may very well concurre
and be most excellent in one person. For we finde that
Iulius Caesar
the first Emperour and a most noble Captaine, was not onely the most
eloquent Orator of his time, but also a very good Poet, though none of his
doings therein be now extant. And
Quintus Catalus a good Poet, and
Cornelius Gallus treasurer of Egipt, and
Horace the most
delicate of all the Romain
Lyrickes, was thought meete and by many
letters of great instance prouoked to be Secretarie of estate to
Augustus th'Emperour, which neuertheless he refused for his
vnhealthfulnesse sake, and being a quiet mynded man and nothing ambitious
of glory:
non voluit accedere ad Rempublicam, as it is reported. And
Ennius the Latine Poet was not as some perchaunce thinke, onely
fauored by
Scipio the
Africane for his good making of verses,
but vsed as his familiar and Counsellor in the warres for his great
knowledge and amiable conuersation. And long before that
Antimenides and other Greeke Poets, as
Aristotle reportes in
his Politiques, had charge in the warres. And
Tyrteus the Poet being
also a lame man & halting vpon one legge, was chosen by the Oracle of
the gods from the
Athenians to be generall of the
Lacedemonians armie, not for his Poetrie, but for his wisedome and
graue perswasions, and subtile Stratagemes whereby he had the victory ouer
his enemies. So as the Poets seemed to haue skill not onely in the subtilties
of their arte, but also to be meete for all maner of functions ciuill and
martiall, euen as they found fauour of the times they liued in, insomuch as
their credit and estimation generally was not small. But in these dayes
(although some learned Princes may take delight in them) yet vniversally it
is not so. For as well Poets and Poesie are despised, & the name
become, of honorable infamous, subiect to scorne and derision,
and rather a reproch than a prayse to any that vseth it: for commonly
who so is studious in th'Arte or shewes him selfe excellent in it, they call
him in disdayne a
phantasticall: and a light headed or phantasticall
man (by conuersion) they call a Poet. And this proceedes through he
barbarous ignoraunce of the time, and pride of many Gentlemen, and others,
whose grosse heads not being brought vp or acquainted with any excellent
Arte, nor able to contriue, or in manner conceiue any matter of subtiltie in
any businesse or science, they doe deride and scorne it in all others as
superfluous knowledges and vayne sciences, and whatsoeuer deuise be of
rare inuention they terme it
phantasticall, construing it to the worst
side and among men such as be modest and graue, & of litel
conuersation, nor delighted in the busie life and vayne ridiculous actions of
the popular, they call him in scorne a
Philosopher or
Poet, as
much as to say as a phantasticall man, very iniuriously (God wot) and to the
manifestation of their own ignoraunce, not making difference betwixt
termes. For as the euill and vicious disposition of the braine hinders the
sounde iudgement and discourse of man with busie & disordered
phantasies, for which cause the Greekes call him
faitasikos, so is
that part being well affected, not onely nothing disorderly or confused with
any monstruous imaginations or conceits, but very formall, and in his much
multiformitie
uniforme, that is well proportioned, and so passing
cleare, that by it as by a glasse or mirrour, are represented vnto the soule
all maner of bewtifull visions, whereby the inuentiue parte of the mynde is
so much holpen, as without it not man could deuise any new or rare thing:
and where it is not excellent in his kind, there could be no politique
Captaine, nor any witty engineer or cunning artificer, nor yet any law maker
or counsellor of deepe discourse, yea the Prince of Philosophers stickes not
to say
animam no intelligere absque phantasmate, which text to
another purpose
Alexander Aphrodiseus well noteth, as learned men
know. And this phantasie may be resembled to a glasse as hath bene sayd,
whereof there be many tempers and manner of makinges, as the
perspectiues doe acknowledge, for some be false glasses and shew
thinges otherwise than they be in deede, and others right as they be in
deede, neither fairer nor fouler, nor greater nor smaller. There be againe of
these
glasses that shew thinges exceeding faire and comely, others that shew
figures very monstrous & illfauored. Euen so is the phantasticall part
of man (if it be not disordered) a representer of the best, most comely and
bewtifull images or apparances of thinges to the soule and according to
their very truth. If otherwise, then doth it breede
Chimeres &
monsters in mans imaginations, & not onely in his imaginations, but
also in all his ordinarie actions and life which ensues. Wherefore such
persons as be illuminated with the brightest irradiations of knowledge and
of the veritie and due proportion of things, they are called by the learned
men not
phantastici but
euphantasiote, and of this sorte of
phantasie are all good Poets, notable Captaines stratagematique, all cunning
artificers and enginers, all Legislators Polititiens & Counsellours of
estate, in whose exercises the inuentiue part is most employed and is to the
sound & true iudgement of man most needful. This diuersitie in the
termes perchance euery man hath not noted, & thus much be said in
defence of the Poets honour, to the end no noble and generous minde be
discomforted in the studie thereof, the rather for that worthy &
honorable memoriall of that noble woman twise French Queene, Lady
Anne of Britaine, wife first to king
Charles the viii. and after
to
Lewes the xii. who passing one day from her lodging toward the
kinges side, saw in a gallerie
Maister Allaine Chartier the kings
Secretarie, an excellent maker or Poet leaning on a tables end a sleepe,
& stooped downe to kiss him, saying thus in all their hearings, we may
not of Princely courtesie passe by and not honor with our kisse the mouth
from whence so many sweete ditties & golden poems haue issued. But
me thinks at these words I heare some smilingly say, I would be loath to
lacke liuing of my own till the Prince gaue me a maner of new Elme for my
riming. And another to say I haue read that the Lady
Cynthia came
once downe out of her skye to kiss the faire yong lad
Endimion as he
lay a sleep: & many noble Queenes that haue bestowed kisses vpon their
Princes paramours, but neuer vpon any Poets. The third me thinks
shruggingly saith, I kept not to sit sleeping with my Poesie till a Queene
came and kissed me. but what of all this? Princes may giue a good Poet
such countenaunce and also benefite as are due to an excellent artificer,
though they neither
kisse nor cokes them, and the discret Poet lookes for no such
extraordinarie fauors, and aswell doth he honour by his pen the iust,
liberall, or magnanimous Prince, as the valiaunt, amiable or bewtifull though
they be euery one of them the good giftes of God. So it seemes not
altogether the scorne and ordinarie disgrace offered vnto Poets at these
dayes, is cause why few Gentlemen do delight in the Art, but for that
liberalitie, is come to sayle in Princes, who for their largesse were wont to
be accompted th'onley patrons of learning, and first founders of all
excellent artificers. Besides it is not perceiued, that Princes them selues
do take any pleasure in this science, by whose example the subiect is
commonly led, and allured to all delights and exercises be they good or bad,
according to the graue saying of the historian.
Rex multitudinem
religione impleuit, quae semper regenti similis est. And peraduenture in
this iron & malitious age of ours, Princes are lesse delighted in it,
being ouer earnestly bent and affected to the affaires of Empire &
ambition, whereby they are as it were inforced to indeuour them selues to
armes and practises of hostilitie, or to entend to the right pollicing of their
states, and haue not one houre to bestow vpon any other ciuill or delectable
Art of naturall or morall doctrine: nor scarce any leisure to thincke one
good thought in perfect and godly contemplation, whereby their troubled
mindes might be moderated and brought to tranquillitie. So as, it is hard to
find in these dayes of noblemen or gentlemen any good
Mathematician,
or excellent
Musitian, or notable
Philosopher, or els a cunning
Poet: because we find few great Princes much delighted in the same
studies. Now also of such among the Nobilitie or gentrie as be very well
seene in many laudable sciences, and especially in making or Poesie, it is so
come to passe that they haue no courage to write & if they haue, yet are
they loath to be a knowen of their skill. So as I know very many notable
Gentlemen in the Court that haue written commendable, and suppressed it
agayne, or else suffred it to be publisht without their owne names to it: as
if it were a discredit for a Gentleman, to seeme learned, and to shew
himselfe amorous of any good Art. In other ages it was not so, for we read
that Kinges & Princes haue written great volumes and publisht them
vnder their own regall titles. As to begin with
Salomon the wisest
of Kings,
Iulius Caesar the greatest of Emperours,
Hermes
Trismegistus the holiest of Priestes and Prophetes,
Euax king of
Arabia wrote a booke of precious stones in verse, Prince
Auicenna of Phisicke and Philosophie,
Alphonsus king of Spaine
his Astronomicall Tables,
Almansor a king of
Marrocco diuerse
Philosophicall workes, and by their regal example our late soueraigne Lord
king
Henry the eight wrote a booke in defence of his faith, then
perswaded that it was the true and Apostolicall doctrine, though it hath
appeared otherwise since, yet his honour and learned zeale was nothing
lesse to be allowed. Queenes also haue bene knowen studious, and to write
large volumes, as Lady
Margaret of Fraunce Queene of
Nauarre
ion our time. But of all others the Emperour
Nero was so well learned
in Musique and Poesie, as when he was taken by order of the Senate and
appointed to dye, he offered violence to him selfe and sayd,
O quantus
artivex pereo! as much to say, as, how is it possible a man of such
science and learning as my selfe, should come to this shamefull death?
Th'emperour
Octavian being made executor to
Virgill, who had
left by his last will and testament, that his bookes of the
Aeneidos
should be committed to the fire as things not perfited by him, made his
excuse for infringing the deads will, by a nomber of verses most excellently
written whereof these are part.
Frangatur potius legum veneranda potestas,
Quam tot congestos noctesque diesque labores
Hauserit una dies.
And put his name to them. And before him his vncle & father adoptiue
Iulius Caesar was not ashamed to publish vnder his owne name, his
Commentaries of the French and Britaine warres. Since therefore so many
noble Emperours, Kings and Princes haue bene studious of Poesie and other
ciuill arts, & not ashamed to bewray their skils in the same, let none
other meaner person despise learning, nor (whether it haue written any
thing well or of rare inuention) be any whit squeimish to let it be publisht
vnder their names, for reason serues it, and modestie doth not repugne.
