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.
The Greeks vsed a manner of speech or writing in their proses, that went by
clauses, finishing in words of like tune, and might be by vsing like cases,
tenses, and other points of consonance, which they called
Omioteleton, and is that wherin they neerest approched to our vulgar
ryme, and may thus be expressed.
Weeping creeping beseeching I wan,
The loue at length of Lady Lucian.
Or thus if we speake in prose and not in meetre.
Mischaunces ought not to be lamented,
But rather by wisedome in time preuented:
For such mishappes as be remedilesse,
To sorrow them it is but foolishnesse:
Yet are we all so frayle of nature,
As to be greeued with euery displeasure.
The craking Scotts as the Cronicle reportes at a certaine time made this
bale rime vpon the English-men.
Long beards hartlesse,
Painted hoodes witlesse:
Gay coates gracelesse,
Make all England thriftlesse.
Which is no perfit rime in deede, but clauses finishing in the self same tune:
for a rime of good simphonie should not conclude his concords with one
& the same terminant sillable, as less, less, less, but with diuers
and like terminants, as les, pres, mes, as was before declared in the
chapter of your cadences, and your clauses in prose should neither finish
with the same nor with the like terminants, but with the contrary as hath
bene shewed before in the booke of proportions, yet many vse it otherwise,
neglecting the Poeticall harmonie and skill. And th'Earle of Surrey
with Syr Thomas Wyat the most excellent makers of their time, more
peraduenture respecting the fitnesse and ponderositie of their wordes then
the true cadence or simphonie, were very licencious in this point. We call
this figure following the originall, the [like loose] alluding to
th'Archers terme who is not said to finishe the feate of his shot before he
giue the loose, and deliuer his arrow from his bow, in which respect we vse
to say marke the loose of a thing for marke the end of it.
Ye do by another figure notably affect th'eare when ye make euery word of
the verse to begin with a like letter, as for example in this verse written in
an Epithaphe of our making.
Time tried his truth his trauailes and his trust,
And time to late tried his integritie.
It is a figure much vsed by our common rimers, and doth well if it be not too
much vsed, for then it falleth into the vice which shalbe hereafter spoken of
called Tautologia.
Ye haue another sort of speach in a maner defectiue because it wants good
band or coupling, and is the figure [Asyndeton] we call him [loose
language] and doth not a lite alter th'eare as thus.
I saw it, I said it, I will sweare it.
Cesar the Dictator vpon the victorie hee obtained against
Pharnax king of Bithinia shewing the celeritie of his conquest,
wrate home to the Senate in this tenour of speach no lesse swift and speedy
then his victorie.
Veni, vidi, vici,
I came, I saw, I ouercame.
Meaning thus I was no sooner come and beheld them but the victorie fell on
my side.
The Prince of Orenge for his deuise of Armes in banner displayed against the
Duke of Alua and the Spaniards in the Low-countrey vsed the like maner of
speach.
Pro Rege, pro lege, pro grege,
For the king, for the commons, for the countrey lawes.
It is a figure to be vsed when we will seeme to make hast, or to be earnest,
and these examples with a number more be spoken by the figure of [lose
language].
Quite contrary to this ye haue another maner of construction which they
called [Polisindeton] we may call him the [couple clause] for
that euery clause is knit and coupled together with a coniunctiue thus.
And I saw it, and I say it and I
Will sweare it to be true.
So might the Poesie of Caesar haue bene altered thus.
I came, and I saw, and I ouercame.
One wrote these verses after the same sort.
For in her mynde no thought there is,
But how she may be true iwis:
And tenders thee and all thy heale,
And wisheth both thy health and weale:
And is thine owne, and so she sayes,
And cares for thee ten thousand wayes.
Ye haue another maner of speach drawen out at length and going all after one
tenure and with an imperfit sence till you come to the last word or verse
which concludes the whole premisses with a perfit sence & full
periode, the Greeks call it Irmus, I call him the [long loose]
thus appearing in a dittie of Sir Thomas Wyat where he describes the
diuers distempers of his bed.
The restlesse state renuer of my smart,
The labours salue increasing my sorrow:
The bodies ease and troubles of my hart,
Quietour of mynde mine unquiet foe:
Forgetter of paine remembrer of my woe,
The place of sleepe wherein I do but wake:
Besprent with teares my bed I thee forsake.
Ye see here how ye can gather no perfection of sence in all this
dittie till ye come to the last verse in these wordes
my bed I thee
forsake. And in another Sonet of
Petrarcha which was thus
Englished by the same Sir
Thomas Wyat.
If weaker care, of sodaine pale collour,
If many sighes with little speach to plaine:
Now ioy now woe, if they my ioyes distaine,
For hope of small, if much to feare therefore,
Be signe of loue then do I loue againe.
Here all the whole sence of the dittie is suspended till ye come to the last
three wordes, then do I loue againe, which finisheth the song with a
full and perfit sence.
When ye will speake giuing euery person or thing besides his proper name a
qualitie by way of addition whether it be of good or of bad it is a figuratiue
speach of audible alteration, so is it also of sence as to say.
Fierce Achilles, wise Nestor wile Vlysses,
Diana the chast and thou louely Venus:
With thy blind boy that almost neuer misses,
but hits our hartes when he leuels at us.
Or thus commending the Isle of great Brittaine.
Albion hugest of Westerne Ilands all,
Soyle of sweete ayre and of good store:
God send we see thy glory neuer fall,
But rather dayly to grow more and more.
Or as we sang of our Soueraigne Lady giuing her these Attributes besides her
proper name.
Elizabeth regent of the great Brittaine Ile,
Honour of all regents and of Queenes.
But if we speake thus not expressing her proper name Elizabeth, videl.
The English Diana, the great Britton mayde.
Then is it not by Epitheton or figure of Attribution but by the figures
Antonomasia, or Periphrasis.
Ye haue yet another manner of speach when ye will seeme to make two of
one no thereunto constrained, which therefore we call the figure of
Twynnes, the Greekes Endiadis thus.
Not you coy dame your lowrs nor your lookes.
For [your lowring lookes]. And as one of our ordinary rimers said.
Of fortune nor her frowning face,
I am nothing agast.
In stead, of [fortunes frowning face]. One praysing the Neapolitans
for good men at armes, said by the figure of Twynnes thus.
A proud people and wise and valiant,
Fiercely fighting with horses and with barbes:
By whose prowes the Romain Prince did daunt,
Wild Affricanes and the lawlesse Alarbes:
The Nubiens marching with their armed cartes,
And sleaing a farre with venim and with dartes.
Where ye see this figure of Twynnes twise vsed, once when he said
horses and barbes for barbd horses: againe when he saith with
venim and with dartes for venimous dartes.
