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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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2.6. Of concorde in long and short measures, and by neare or farre distaunces, and which of them is most commendable.

Bvt this ye must obserue withall, that bycause your concordes containe the chief part of Musicke in your meetre, their distaunces may not be too wide or farre a sunder, lest th'eare should loose the tune, and be defrauded of his delight, and whensoeuer ye see any maker vse large and extraordinary distaunces, ye must thinke he doth intende to shew himselfe more artificiall then popular, and yet therein is not to be discommended, for respects that shalbe remembred in some other place of this booke.

Note also that rime or concorde is not commendably vsed both in the end and middle of a verse, vnlesse it be in toyes and trifling Poesies, for it sheweth a certaine lightnesse either of the matter or of the makers head, albeit these common rimers vse it much, for

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as I sayd before, like as the Symphonie in a verse of great length, is (as it were) lost by looking after him, and yet may the meetre be very graue and stately: so on the other side doth the ouer busie and too speedy returne of one maner of tune, too much annoy & as it were glut the eare, vnlesse it be in small & popular Musickes song by these Cantabanqui vpon benches and barrels heads where they haue none other audience then boys or countrey fellowes that passe by them in the streete, or else by blind harpers or such like tauerne minstrels that giue a fit of mirth for a groat, & their matters being for the most part stories of old time, as the tale of Sir Topas, the reportes of Beuis of Southampton, Guy of Warwicke, Adam Bell, and Clymme of the Clough & such other old Romances or historicall rimes, made purposely for recreation of the common people at Christmasse diners & brideales, and in tauernes & alehouses and such other places of base resort, also they be vsed in Carols and rounds and such light or lasciuious Poemes, which are commonly more commodiously vttered by these bussons or vices in playes then by any other person. Such were the rimes of Skelton (vsurping the name of a Poet Laureat) being in deede but a rude rayling rimer & all his doings ridiculous, he vsed both short distaunces and short measures pleasing onely the popular eare: in euery song or ditty concorde by compasse & concorde entertangled and a mixt of both, what that is and how they be vsed shalbe declared in the chapter of proportion by scituation.