1.31. Who in any age haue bene the most commended writers in our English Poesie, and the Authors censure giuen upon them.
It appeareth by sundry records of bookes both printed & written, that
many of our countreymen haue painfully trauelled in this part: of whose
works some appeare to be but bare translations, other some matters of their
owne inuention and very commendable, whereof some recitall shall be made
in this place, to th'intent chiefly that their names should not be defrauded
of such honour as seemeth due to them for hauing by their thankefull studies
so much beautified our English tong (as at this day it will be found our
nation is in nothing inferiour to the French or Italian for copie of language,
subtiltie of deuice, good method and proportion in any forme of poeme, but
that they may compare with the most, and perchance passe a great many of
them. And I will not reach aboue the time of king Edward the third,
and Richard the second for any that wrote in English meeter: because
before their times by reason of the late Normane conquest, which had
brought into this Realme much alteration both of our langage and lawes, and
there withall a certain martiall barbarousnes, whereby the study of all good
learning was so much decayd, as long time after no man or very few
entended to write in any laudable science: so as beyond that time there is
litle or nothing worth commendation to be founde written in this arte. And
those of the first age were Chaucer and Gower both of them as
I suppose Knightes. After whom followed Iohn Lydgate the monke of
Bury, & that nameles, who wrote the Satyre called Piers
Plowman, next him followed Harding the Chronicler, then in king
Henry th'eight times Skelton, (I wot not for what great
worthines) surnamed the Poet Laureat. In the latter end of the same
kings raigne sprong vp a new company of courtly makers, of whom Sir
Thomas Wyat at th'elder & Henry Earle of Surrey were the
two chieftaines, who hauing trauailed into Italie, and there tasted the
sweete and stately measures and stile of the Italian Poesie as nouices
newly crept out of the schooles of Dante Arioste and Petrarch,
they greatly pollished our rude & homely maner of vulgar Poesie, from
that it had bene before, and for that cause may iustly be sayd the first
reformers of our English
meetre and stile. In the same time or not long after was the Lord
Nicholas Vaux, a man of much facilitie in vulgar makings. Afterward
in king
Edward the sixths time came to be in reputation for the same
facultie
Thomas Sternehold, who first translated into English
certaine Psalmes of Dauid, and
Iohn Heywood the Epigrammatist who
for the myrth and quicknesse of his conceits more then for any good learning
was in him came to be well benefited by the king. But the principall man in
this profession at the same time was Maister
Edward Ferrys a man of
no lesse mirth & felicitie that way, but of much more skil, &
magnificence in this meeter, and therefore wrate for the most part to the
stage, in Tragedie and sometimes in Comedie or Enterlude, wherein he gaue
the king so much good recreation, as he had thereby many good rewardes. In
Queenes
Maries time florished aboue any other Doctour
Phaer
one that was well learned & excellently well translated into English
verse Heroicall certaine bookes of
Virgils Aeneidos. since him
followed Maister
Arthure Golding, who with no lesse commendation
turned into English meetre the Metamorphosis of
Ouide, and that other
Doctour, who made the supplement to those bookes of
Virgiles
Aeneidos, which Maister
Phaer left vndone. And in her Maiesties
time that now is are sprong vp an other crew of Courtly makers Noble men
and Gentlemen of her Maiesties owne seruantes, who haue written
excellently well as it would appeare if their doings could be found out and
made publicke with the rest, of which number is first that noble Gentleman
Edward Earle of Oxford.
Thomas Lord of Bukhurst, when he was
young,
Henry Lord Paget, Sir
Philip Sydney, Sir
Walter
Rawleigh, Master
Edward Dyar Maister
Fulke Greuell, Gascon,
Britton, Turberuille and a great many other learned Gentlemen, whose
names I do not omit for enuie, but to auoyde tediousnesse, and who haue
deserued no little commendation. But of them all particularly this is myne
opinion, that
Chaucer, with
Gower, Lidgat and
Harding
for their antiquitie ought to haue the first place, and
Chaucer as the
most renowmed of them all, for the much learning appeareth to be in him
aboue any of the rest. And though many of his bookes be but bare
translations out of the Latin & French, yet are they wel handled, as his
bookes of
Troilus
Cresseid, and the Romant of the Rose, whereof he translated but one
halfe, the deuice was
Iohn de Mahunes a French Poet, the Canterbury
tales were
Chaucers owne inuention as I suppose, and where he
sheweth more the naturall of his pleasant wit, then in any other of his
workes, his similitudes comparisons and all other descriptions are such as
can not be amended. His meetre Heroicall of
Troilus and
Cresseid is very graue and stately, keeping the staffe of seuen, and
the verse of ten, his other verses of the Canterbury tales be but riding ryme,
neuerthelesse very well becomming the matter of that pleasaunt pilgrimage
in which euery mans part is playd with much decency.
Gower sauing
for his good and graue moralities, had nothing in him highly to be
commended, for his verse was homely and without good measure, his wordes
strained much deale out of the French writers, his ryme wrested, and in his
inuentions small subtilitie: the applications of his moralities are the best
in him, and yet those many times very grossely bestowed, neither doth the
substance of his workes sufficiently aunswere the subtiltie of his titles.
Lydgat a translatour onely and no deuiser of that which he wrate, but
one that wrate in good verse.
Harding a Poet Epick or Historicall,
handled himselfe well according to the time and maner of his subiect He
that wrote the Satyr of Piers Ploughman, seemed to haue bene a malcontent
of that time, and therefore bent himselfe wholy to taxe the disorders of
that age, and specially the pride of the Romane Clergy, of whose fall he
seemeth to be a very true Prophet, his verse is but loose meetre, and his
termes hard and obscure, so as in them is litle pleasure to be taken.
Skelton a sharpe Satirist, but with more rayling and scoffery then
became a Poet Lawreat, such among the Greekes were called
Pantomimi, with vs Buffons, altogether applying their wits to
Scurrillities & other ridiculous matters.
Henry Earle of Surrey
and Sir
Thomas Wyat, betweene whom I finde very litle difference, I
repute them (as before) for the two chief lanternes of light to all others
that haue since employed their pennes vpon English Poesie, their conceits
were loftie, their stiles stately, their conueyance cleanely, their termes
proper, their meetre sweete and well proportioned, in all imitating very
naturally and studiously their Maister
Francis Petrarcha.
The Lord
Vaux his commendation lyeth chiefly in the facillitie of his
meetre, and the aptnesse of his descriptions such as he taketh vpon him to
make, namely in sundry of his Songs, wherein he sheweth the counterfaie
action very liuely & pleasantly. Of the later sort I thinke thus. That for
Tragedie, the Lord of Burckhurst, & Maister
Edward Ferrys for
such doings as I haue sene of their do deserue the hyest price: Th'Earle of
Oxford and Maister
Edwardes of her Maiesties Chappell for comedy
and Enterlude. For Eglogue and pastorall Poesie, Sir
Philip Sydney and
Maister
Challenner, and that other Gentleman who wrate the late
shepheardes Callender. For dittie and amorous
Ode I finde Sir
Walter Rawleyghs vayne most loftie, insolent, and passionate.
Maister
Edward Dyar, for Elegie most sweete, solempne and of high
conceit.
Gascon for a good meeter and for a plentifull vayne.
Phaer and
Golding for a learned and well corrected verse,
specially in translation cleare and very faithfuly answering their authors
intent. Others haue also written with much facillitie, but more
commendably perchance if they had not written so much nor so popularly.
But last in recitall and first in degree is the Queene our soueraigne Lady,
whose learned, delicate, noble Muse, easily surmounteth all the rest that
haue written before her time or since, for sence, sweetnesse and subtillitie,
be it in Ode, Elegie, Epigram, or any other kinde of poeme Heroick or Lyricke,
wherein it shall please her Maiestie to employ her penne, euen by as much
oddes as her owne excellent estate and degree exceedeth all the rest of her
most humble vassalls.
