3.10. A diuision of figures, and how they serue in exornation of language.
And because our chiefe purpose herein is for the learning of Ladies and
young Gentlewomen, or idle Courtiers, desirous to become skilful in their
owne mother tongue, and for their priuate recreation to make now &
then dittie of pleasure, thinking for our parte none other science so fit for
them & the place as that which teacheth beau semblant, the
chiefe profession aswell of Courting as of poesie: since to such manner of
mindes nothing is more combersome then tedious doctrines and schollarly
methodes of discipline, we haue in our owne conceit deuised a new and
strange modell of this arte, fitter to please the Court then the schoole, and
yet not vnnecessarie for all such as be willing themselues to become good
makers in the vulgar, or to be able to iudge of other mens makings:
wherefore, intending to follow the course which we haue begun, thus we say:
that though the language of our Poet or maker being pure & clenly,
& not disgraced by such vicious parts as haue bene before remembred in
the Chapter of language, be sufficiently pleasing and commendable for the
ordinarie vse of speech; yet is not the same so well appointed for all
purposes of the excellent Poet, as when it is gallantly arrayed in all his
colours which figure can set vpon it, therefore we are now further to
determine of figures and figuratiue speeches. Figuratiue speech is a
noueltie of language euidently (and yet not absurdly) estranged from the
ordinarie habite and manner of our dayly talke and writing
and figure it selfe is a certaine liuely or good grace set vpon wordes,
speaches and sentences to some purpose and not in vaine, giuing them
ornament or efficacie by many maner of alterations in shape, in sounde, and
also in sence, sometime by way of surplusage, sometime by defect,
sometime by disorder, or mutation, & also by putting into our speaches
more pithe and substance, subtiltie, quicknesse, efficacie or moderation, in
this or that sort tuning and tempring them by amplification, abridgement,
opening, closing, enforcing, meekening, or otherwise disposing them to the
best purpose: whereupon the learned clerks who haue written methodically
of this Arte in the two master languages, Greeke and Latine, haue sorted all
their figures into three rankes, and the first they bestowed vpon the Poet
onely: the second vpon the Poet and Oratour indifferently: the third vpon
the Oratour alone. And that first sort of figures doth serue th'eare onely and
may be therefore called
Auricular: your second serues the conceit
onely and not th'eare, and may be called
sensable, not sensible nor yet
sententious: your third sort serues as well th'eare as the conceit and may
be called
sententious figures, because not only they properly
apperteine to full sentences, for bewtifying them with a currant &
pleasant numerositie, but also giuing them efficacie, and enlarging the
whole matter besides with copious amplifications. I doubt not but some
busie carpers will scorne at my new deuised termes:
auricular and
sensable, saying that I might with better warrant haue vsed in their
steads these words,
orthographicall or
syntacticall, which the
learned Grammarians left ready made to our hands, and do import as much as
th'other that I haue brought, which thing peraduenture I deny not in part, and
neuerthelesse for some cause; thought them not so necessarie: but with
these maner of men I do willingly beare, in respect of their laudable
endeuour to allow antiquitie and flie innouation: with like beneuolence I
trust they will beare with me writing in the vulgar speach and seeking by
my nouelties to satisfie not the schoole but the Court: whereas they know
very well all old things soone waxe stale & lothsome, and the new
deuises are euer dainty and delicate, the vulgar instruction requiring also
vulgar and comunicable termes, not clerkly or vncouthe as are all these of
the Greeke and Latine languages
primitiuely receiued, vnlesse they be qualified or by much vse and custome
allowed and our eares made acquainted with them. Thus then I say that
auricular figures be those which worke alteration in th'eare by sound,
accent, time, and slipper volubilitie in vtteraunce, such as for that respect
was called by the auncients numerositie of speach. And not onely the whole
body of a tale in poeme or historie may be made in such sort pleasant and
agreable to the eare, but also euery clause by it selfe, and euery single word
carried in a clause, may haue their pleasant sweetenesse apart. And so long
as this qualitie extendeth but to the outward tuning of the speach reaching
no higher then th'eare and forcing the mynde little or nothing, it is that
vertue which the Greeks call
Enargia and is the office of the
auricularfigures to performe. Therefore as the members of language
at large are whole sentences, and sentences are compact of clauses, and
clauses of words, and euery word of letters and sillables, so is the
alteration (be it but of a sillable or letter) much materiall to the sound and
sweetenesse of vtterance. Wherefore beginning first at the smallest
alterations which rest in letters and sillables, the first sort of our figures
auricular we do appoint to single words as they lye in language; the
second to clauses of speach; the third to perfit sentences and to the whole
masse of body of the tale be it poeme or historie written or reported.
