3.1. Of Ornament Poeticall.
As no doubt the good proportion of any thing doth greatly adorne and
commend it and right so our late remembred proportions doe to our vulgar
Poesie: so is there yet requisite to the perfection of this arte, another
maner of exornation, which resteth in the fashioning of our makers language
and stile, to such purpose as it may delight and allure as well the mynde as
the eare of the hearers with a certaine noueltie and strange maner of
conueyance, disguising it no litle from the ordinary and accustomed:
neuerthelesse making it nothing the more vnseemely or misbecomming, but
rather decenter and more agreable to any ciuill eare and vnderstanding. And
as we see in these great Madames of honour, be they for personage or
otherwise neuer so comely and bewtifull, yet if they want their courtly
habillements or at leastwise such other apparell as custome and ciuilitie
haue ordained to couer their naked bodies, would be halfe ashamed or greatly
out of countenaunce to be seen in that sort, and perchance do then thinke
themselues more amiable in euery mans eye, when they be in their richest
attire, suppose of silkes or tyssewes & costly embroderies, then when
they go in cloth or in any other plaine and simple apparell. Euen so cannot
our vulgar Poesie shew it selfe either gallant or gorgious, if any lymme be
left naked and bare and not clad in his kindly clothes and colours, such as my
conuey them somwhat out of sight, that is from the common course of
ordinary
speach and capacitie of the vulgar iudgement, and yet being artificially
handled must needes yeld it much more bewtie and commendation. This
ornament we speake of is giuen to it by figures and figuratiue speaches,
which be the flowers as it were and coulours that a Poet setteth vpon his
language by arte, as the embroderer doth his stone and perle, or passements
of gold vpon the stuffe of a Princely garment, or as th'excellent painter
bestoweth the rich Orient coulours vpon his table of pourtraite: so
neuerthelesse as if the same coulours in our arte of Poesie (as well as in
those other mechanicall artes) be not well tempered, or not well layd, or be
vsed in excesse, or neuer so litle disordered or misplaced, they not onely
giue it no maner of grace at all, but rather do disfigure the stuffe and spill
the whole workmanship taking away all bewtie and good liking from it, no
lesse then if the crimson tainte, which should be laid vpon a Ladies lips, or
right in the center of her cheekes should by some ouersight or mishap be
applied to her forhead or chinne, it would make (ye would say) but a very
ridiculous bewtie, wherfore the chief prayse and cunning of our Poet is in
the discreet vsing of his figures, as the skilfull painters is in the good
conueyance of his coulours and shadowing traits of his pensill, with a
delectable varietie, by all measure and iust proportion, and in places most
aptly to be bestowed.