2.5. How the good maker will not wrench his word to helpe his rime, either by falsifying his accent, or by untrue orthographie.
Now there can not be in a maker a fowler fault, then to falsifie his accent to
serue his cadence, or by vntrue orthographie to wrench his words to helpe
his rime, for it is a signe that such a maker is not copious in his owne
language, or (as they are wont to say) not halfe his crafts maister: as for
example, if one should rime to this word [Restore] he may not match
him with [Doore] or [Poore] for neither of both are of like
terminant, either by good orthography or in naturall sound, therfore such
rime is strained, so is it to this word [Ram] to say [came] or to
[Beane] [Den] for the sound not nor be written alike, & many
other like cadences which were superfluous to recite, and are vsuall with
rude rimers who obserue not precisely the rules of [prosidie]
neuerthelesse in all such cases (if necessitie constrained) it is somewhat
more tollerable to help the rime by false orthographie, then to leaue an
vnpleasant dissonance to the eare, by keeping trewe orthographie and
loosing the rime, as for example it is better to rime [Dore] with
[Restore] then his truer orthographie, which is [Doore] and to
this word [Desire] to say [Fier] then fyre though it be otherwise
better written fire. For since the cheife grace of our vulgar Poesie
consisteth in the Symphonie, as hath bene already sayd, our maker must not
be too licentious in his concords, but see that they go euen, iust and
melodious in the eare, and right so in the numerositie or currantnesse of the
whole body of his verse, and in euery other of his proportions. For a
licentious maker is in truth but a bungler and not a Poet. Such men were in
effect the most part of all your old rimers and specially Gower, who
to make vp his rime would for the most part write his terminant sillable
with false orthographie, and many times not sticke to put in a plane French
word for an English, & so by your leaue do many of our common rimers
at this day: as he that by all likelyhood, hauing no word at hand to rime to
this word [ioy] he made his other verse ende in [Roy] saying
very impudently thus,
O mightie Lord of loue, dame Venus onely ioy
Who art the highest God of any heauenly Roy.
Which word was neuer yet receiued in our language for an English word.
Such extreme licentiousnesse is vtterly to be banished from our schoole,
and better it might haue bene borne with in old riming writers, bycause they
liued in a barbarous age, & were graue morall men but very homely
Poets, such also as made most of their workes by translation out of the
Latine and French toung, & few or none of their owne engine as may
easely be knowen to them that lift to looke vpon the Poemes of both
languages.
Finally as ye may ryme with wordes of all sortes, be they of many sillables
or few, so neuerthelesse is there a choise by which to make your cadence
(before remembred) most commendable, for some wordes of exceeding great
length, which haue bene fetched from the Latine inkhorne or borrowed of
strangers, the vse of them in ryme is nothing pleasant, sauing perchaunce to
the common people, who reioyse much to be at playes and enterludes, and
besides their naturall ignoraunce, haue at all such times their eares so
attentiue to the matter, and their eyes vpon the shewes of the stage, that
they take little heede to the cunning of the rime, and therefore be as well
satisfied with that which is grosse, as with any other finer and more
delicate.
