3.6. Of the high, low, and meane subiect.
The matters therefore that concerne the Gods and diuine things are highest
of all other to be couched in writing, next to them the noble gests and great
fortunes of Princes, and the notable accidents of time, as the greatest
affaires of war & peace, these be all high subiectes, and therefore are
deliuered ouer to the Poets Hymnick & historicall who be
occupied either in diuine laudes, or in heroicall reports: the meane
matters be those that concerne meane men their life and busines, as layers,
gentlemen, and merchants, good housholders and honest Citizens, and which
found neither to matters of state nor of warre, nor leagues, nor great
alliances, but smatch all the common conuersation, as of the ciuiller and
better sort of men: the base and low matters be the doings of the common
artificer, seruingman, yeoman, groome, husbandman, day-labourer, sailer,
shepheard, swynard, and such like of homely calling, degree and bringing vp:
so that in euery of the sayd three degrees not the selfe same vertues be
egally to be praysed nor the same vices, egally to be dispraised, nor their
loues, mariages, quarels, contracts and other behauiours, be like high nor do
require to be set fourth with the like stile: but euery one in his degree and
decencie, which made that all hymnes and histories, and Tragedies,
were written in the high stile: all Comedies and Enterludes and other
common Poesies of loues, and such like in the meane stile, some to the base
or meane, some common to all three, as shalbe declared more at large
hereafter when we come to speake of figure and phrase: also some wordes
and speaches and sentences doe become the high stile, that do not become
th'other two. And contrariwise, as shalbe said when we talke of words and
sentences: finally some kinde of measure and concord, doe not beseeme the
high stile, that well become the meane and low, as we haue said spea
king of concord and measure. But generally the high stile is disgraced and
made foolish and ridiculous by all wordes affected, counterfait, and puffed
vp, as it were a windball carrying more countenance then matter, and can
not be better resembled then to these midsommer pageants in London, where
to make the people wonder are set forth great and vglie Gyants marching as
if they were aliue, and armed at all points, but within they are stuffed full
of browne paper and tow, which the shrewd boyes and vnderpeering, do
guilefully discouer and turne to a great derision: also all darke and
vnaccustomed workes, or rusticall and homely, and sentences that hold too
much of the mery & light, or infamous & vnshamefast are to
accounted of the same sort, for such speaches become not Princes, nor great
estates, nor them that write of their doings to vtter or report and
intermingle with the graue and weightie matters.
