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University of Virginia Library

The Arte of English Poesie

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1.

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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2.

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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3.

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.

3.5.

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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1.18. Of the Shepheards or pastorall Poesie called Eglogue, and to what purpose it was first inuented and used.

Some be of opinion, and the chiefe of those who haue written in this Art among the Latines, that the pastorall Poesie which we commonly call by the name of Eglogue and Bucolick, a tearme brought in by the Sicilian Poets, should be the first of any others, and before the Satyre comedie or tragedie, because, say they, the shepheards and haywards assemblies & meetings when they kept their cattell and heards in the common fields and forests, was the first familiar conuersation, and their babble and talk vnder bushes and shadie trees, the first disputation and contentious reasoning, and their fleshly heates growing of ease, the first idle wooings, and their songs made to their mates or paramours either vpon sorrow or iolity of courage, the first amorous musicks, sometime also they sang and played on their pipes for wagers, striuing who should get the best game, and be counted cunningest. All this I do agree vnto, for no doubt the shepheards life was the first example of honest felowship, their trade the first art of lawfull acquisition or purchase, for at those daies robbery was a manner of purchase. So saith Aristotle in his bookes of the Politiques, and that pasturage was before tillage, or fishing or fowling, or any other predatory art or cheuisance. And all this may be true, for before there was a shepheard keeper of his owne, or of some other bodies flocke, there was none owner in the world, quick cattel being the first property of any forreine possession. I say forreine, because alway men claimed property in their apparell and armour, and other like things made by their owne trauel and industry, nor thereby was there yet any good towne or city or Kings palace, where pageants and pompes might be shewed by Comedies or Tragedies. But for all this, I do deny that the Eglogue should be the first and most auncient forme of artificiall Poesie, being perswaded that the Poet deuised the Eglogue long after the other drammatick poems, not of purpose to counterfait or represent the

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rusticall manner of loues and communication: but vnder the vaile of homely persons, and in rude speeches to insinuate and glaunce at greater matters, and such as perchance had not bene safe to haue beene disclosed in any other sort, which may be perceiued by the Eglogues of Virgill, in which are treated by figure matters of greater importance then the loues of Titirus and Corydon. These Eglogues came after to containe and enforme morall discipline, for the amendment of mans behauiour, as be those of Mantuan and other moderne Poets.