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The Arte of English Poesie

  
[title page]

expand section1. 
THE FIRST BOOKE, Of Poets and Poesie.
expand section2. 
THE SECOND BOOKE, OF PROPORTION POETICAL.
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THE THIRD BOOKE, OF ORNAMENT.
 3.1. 
Of Ornament Poeticall.
 3.2. 
How our writing and speaches publike ought to be figuratiue, and if they be not doe greatly disgrace the cause and purpose of the speaker and writer.
 3.3. 
How ornament Poeticall is of two sortes according to the double vertue and efficacie of figures.
 3.4. 
Of Language.
 3.5. 
Of Stile.
 3.6. 
Of the high, low, and meane subiect.
 3.7. 
Of Figures and figuratiue speaches.
 3.8. 
Sixe points set downe by our learned forefathers for a generall regiment of all good utterance be it by mouth or by writing.
 3.9. 
How the Greeks first, and afterward the Latines, inuented new names for euery figure, which this Author is also enforced to doo in his vulgar.
 3.10. 
A diuision of figures, and how they serue in exornation of language.
 3.11. 
Of auricular figures apperteining to single wordes and working by their diuers soundes and audible tunes alteration to the eare onely and not the mynde.
 3.12. 
Of Auricular figures pertaining to clauses of speech and by them working no little alteration to the eare.
 3.13. 
Of your figures Auricular working by disorder.
 3.14. 
Of your figures Auricular that worke by Surplusage.
 3.15. 
Of auricular figures working by exchange.
 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.
 3.17. 
Of the figures which we call Sensable, because they alter and affect the minde by alteration of sence, and first in single wordes.
 3.18. 
Of sensable figures altering and affecting the mynde by alteration of sence or intendements in whole clauses or speaches.
 3.19. 
Of Figures sententious, otherwise called Rhetoricall.
 3.20. 
The last and principall figure of our poeticall Ornament.
 3.21. 
Of the vices or deformities in speach and writing principally noted by auncient Poets.
 3.22. 
Some vices in speaches and writing are alwayes intollerable, some others now and then borne withall by licence of approued authors and custome.
 3.23. 
What it is that generally makes our speach well pleasing & commendable, and of that which the Latines call Decorum.
 3.24. 
Of decencie in behauiour which also belongs to the consideration of the Poet or maker.
 3.25. 
That the good Poet or maker ought to dissemble his arte, and in what cases the artificiall is more commended then the naturall, and contrariwise.
 3.26. 
The Conclusion.

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3.20. The last and principall figure of our poeticall Ornament.

For the glorious lustre it setteth vpon our speech and language, the Greeks call is [Exargasia] the Latine [Expolitio] a terme

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transferred from these polishers of marble or porphirite, who after it is rough hewen & reduced to that fashion they will, do set vpon it a goodly glasse, so smoth and cleere as ye may see your face in it, or otherwise as it fareth by the bare and naked body, which being attired in rich and gorgious apparell, seemeth to the common vsage of th'eye much more comely & bewtifull then the naturall. So doth this figure (which therefore I call the Gorgious) polish our speech & as it were attire it with copious & pleasant amplifications and much varietie of sentences all running vpon one point & to one intent: so as I doubt whether I may terme it a figure, or rather a masse of many figuratiue speaches, applied to the bewtifying of our tale or argument. In a worke of ours entituled Philocalia we haue strained to shew the vse & application of this figure and all others mentioned in this booke, to which we referre you. I finde none example in English meetre, so well maintayning this figure as that dittie of her Maiesties owne making passing sweete and harmonicall, which figure beyng as his very originall name purporteth the most bewtifull and gorgious of all others, it asketh in reason to be reserued for a last complement, and desciphred by the arte of a Ladies penne, her selfe beyng the most bewtifull, or rather bewtie of Queenes. And this was the occasion: our soueraigne Lady perceiuing how by the Sc. Q. residence within this Realme at so great libertie and ease (as were skarce meete for so great and daungerous a prysoner) bred secret factions among her people, and made many of the nobilitie incline to fauour her partie: some of them desirous of innouation in the state: others aspiring to greater fortunes by her libertie and life. The Queene our soueraigne Lady to declare that she was nothing ignorant of those secret practizes, though she had long with great wisdome and pacience dissembled it, writeth this ditty most sweet and sententious, not hiding from all such aspiring minds the daunger of their ambition and disloyaltie: which afterward fell out most truly by th'exemplary chastisement of sundry persons, who in fauour of the sayd Sc. Q. declining from her Maiestie, sought to interrupt the quiet of the Realme by many euill and vndutifull Practizes. The ditty is as followeth.

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The doubt of future fores, exiles my present ioy,
And wit me warnes to shun such snares as threaten mine annoy.
For falshood now doth flow, and subiect faith doth ebbe,
Which would not be, if reason rul'd or wisdome weu'd the webbe.
But clowdes of tois vntried, do cloake aspiring mindes,
Which turne to raigne of late repent, by course of changed windes.
The toppe of hope supposed, the roote of ruth wil be,
And frutelesse all their graffed guiles, as shortly ye shall see.
Then dazeld eyes with pride, which great ambition blinds,
Shalbe vnseeld by worthy wights, whose foresight falshood finds.
The daughter of debate, that eke discord doth sowe
Shal reape no gaine where formor rule hath taught stil peace to growe.
No forreine bannisht wight shall ancre in this port,
Our realme it brookes no strangers force, let them elswhere resort.
Our rusty sworde with rest, shall first his edge employ,
To polle their toppes that seeke, such change and gape for ioy.

In a worke of ours entituled [Philo Calia] where we entreat of the loues betwene prince Philo and Lady Calia, in their mutual letters, messages, and speeches: we haue strained our muse to shew the vse and application of this figure, and of all others.

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