3.13. Of your figures Auricular working by disorder.
To all their speaches which wrought by disorder the Greekes gaue a general
name [Hiperbaton] as much to say as the [trespasser] and
because such disorder may be committed many wayes it receiueth sundry
particulars vnder him, whereof some are onely proper to the Greekes and
Latines and not to vs, other some ordinarie in our maner of speaches, but so
foule and intollerable as I will not seeme to place them among the figures,
but do raunge them as they deserue among the vicious or faultie speaches.
Your first figure of tollerable disorder is [Parenthesis] or by an
English name the [Insertour] and is when ye will seeme for larger
information or some other purpose, to peece or graffe in the middest of your
tale an vnnecessary parcell of speach, which neuerthelesse
may be thence without any detriment to the rest. The figure is so
common that it needeth none example, neuerthelesse because we are to
teache Ladies and Gentlewomen to know their school points and termes
appertaining to the Art, we may not refuse to yeeld examples euen in the
plainest cases, as that of maister
Diars very aptly.
But now my Deere (for so my loue makes me to call you still)
That loue I say, that lucklesse loue, that works me all this ill.
Also in our Eglogue intituled Elpine, which we made being but
eightene yeares old, to king Edward the sixt a Prince of great hope,
we surmised that the Pilot of a ship answering the King, being inquisitiue
and desirous to know all the parts of the ship and tackle, what they were,
& to what vse they serued, vsing this insertion or Parenthesis.
Soueraigne Lord (for why a greater name
To one on earth no mortall tongue can frame
No statelie stile can giue the practisd penne:
To one on earth conuersant among men.)
And so proceedes to answere the kings question?
The shippe thou seest sayling in sea so large, &c.
This insertion is very long and vtterly impertinent to the principall matter,
and makes a great gappe in the tale, neuerthelesse is no disgrace but rather
a bewtie and to very good purpose, but you must not vse such insertions
often nor to thick, nor those that bee very long as this of ours, for it will
breede great confusion to haue the tale so much interrupted.
Ye haue another manner of disordered speach, when ye misplace your words
or clauses and set that before which should be behind & è
conuerso, we call it in English prouerbe, the cart before the horse, the
Greeks call it Histeron proteron, we name it the Preposterous, and if
it be not too much vsed is tollerable inough, and many times scarse
perceiueable vnlesse the sence be thereby made very abused: as he that
described his manner of departure from his mistresse, said thus not much to
be misliked.
I kist her cherry lip and tooke my leaue:
For I tooke my leaue and kist her: And yet I cannot well say whether a man
vse to kisse before hee take his leaue, or take his
leaue before the kisse, or that it be all one busines. It seemes the taking
leaue is by vsing some speach, intreating license of departure: the kisse a
knitting vp of the farewell, and as it were a testimoniall of the license
without which here in England one may not presume of courtesie to depart,
let yong Courtiers decide this controuersie. Our describing his landing vpon
a strange coast, sayd thus preposterously.
When we had claimde the clifs, and were a shore,
Whereas he should haue said by good order.
When we were come a shore and clymed had the cliffs
For one must be on land ere he can clime. And as another said:
My dame that bred me up and bare me in her wombe.
Whereas the hearing is before the bringing vp. All your other figures of
disorder because they rather seeme deformities then bewties of language,
for so many of them as be notoriously vndecent, and make no good harmony, I
place them in the Chapter of vices hereafter following.