a defence of poesie and poems-第1节

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A　Defence　of　Poesie　and　Poems

by　Philip　Sidney





Contents：

Introduction　by　Henry　Morley
A　Defence　of　Poesie
Poems




INTRODUCTION



　Philip　Sidney　was　born　at　Penshurst；　in　Kent；　on　the　29th　of　November；　1554。　　His　father；　Sir　Henry　Sidney；　had　married　Mary；　eldest　daughter　of　John　Dudley；　Duke　of　Northumberland；　and　Philip　was　the　eldest　of　their　family　of　three　sons　and　four　daughters。　Edmund　Spenser　and　Walter　Raleigh　were　of　like　age　with　Philip　Sidney；　differing　only　by　about　a　year；　and　when　Elizabeth　became　queen；　on　the　17th　of　November；　1558；　they　were　children　of　four　or　five　years　old。

In　the　year　1560　Sir　Henry　Sidney　was　made　Lord　President　of　Wales；　representing　the　Queen　in　Wales　and　the　four　adjacent　western　counties；　as　a　Lord　Deputy　represented　her　in　Ireland。　　The　official　residence　of　the　Lord　President　was　at　Ludlow　Castle；　to　which　Philip　Sidney　went　with　his　family　when　a　child　of　six。　　In　the　same　year　his　father　was　installed　as　a　Knight　of　the　Garter。　　When　in　his　tenth　year　Philip　Sidney　was　sent　from　Ludlow　to　Shrewsbury　Grammar　School；　where　he　studied　for　three　or　four　years；　and　had　among　his　schoolfellows　Fulke　Greville；　afterwards　Lord　Brooke；　who　remained　until　the　end　of　Sidney's　life　one　of　his　closest　friends。　When　he　himself　was　dying　he　directed　that　he　should　be　described　upon　his　tomb　as　〃Fulke　Greville；　servant　to　Queen　Elizabeth；　counsellor　to　King　James；　and　friend　to　Sir　Philip　Sidney。〃　　Even　Dr。　Thomas　Thornton；　Canon　of　Christ　Church；　Oxford；　under　whom　Sidney　was　placed　when　he　was　entered　to　Christ　Church　in　his　fourteenth　year；　at　Midsummer；　in　1568；　had　it　afterwards　recorded　on　his　tomb　that　he　was　〃the　tutor　of　Sir　Philip　Sidney。〃

Sidney　was　in　his　eighteenth　year　in　May；　1572；　when　he　left　the　University　to　continue　his　training　for　the　service　of　the　state；　by　travel　on　the　Continent。　　Licensed　to　travel　with　horses　for　himself　and　three　servants；　Philip　Sidney　left　London　in　the　train　of　the　Earl　of　Lincoln；　who　was　going　out　as　ambassador　to　Charles　IX。；　in　Paris。　　He　was　in　Paris　on　the　24th　of　August　in　that　year；　which　was　the　day　of　the　Massacre　of　St。　Bartholomew。　　He　was　sheltered　from　the　dangers　of　that　day　in　the　house　of　the　English　Ambassador；　Sir　Francis　Walsingham；　whose　daughter　Fanny　Sidney　married　twelve　years　afterwards。

From　Paris　Sidney　travelled　on　by　way　of　Heidelberg　to　Frankfort；　where　he　lodged　at　a　printer's；　and　found　a　warm　friend　in　Hubert　Languet；　whose　letters　to　him　have　been　published。　　Sidney　was　eighteen　and　Languet　fifty…five；　a　French　Huguenot；　learned　and　zealous　for　the　Protestant　cause；　who　had　been　Professor　of　Civil　Law　in　Padua；　and　who　was　acting　as　secret　minister　for　the　Elector　of　Saxony　when　he　first　knew　Sidney；　and　saw　in　him　a　future　statesman　whose　character　and　genius　would　give　him　weight　in　the　counsels　of　England；　and　make　him　a　main　hope　of　the　Protestant　cause　in　Europe。　　Sidney　travelled　on　with　Hubert　Languet　from　Frankfort　to　Vienna；　visited　Hungary；　then　passed　to　Italy；　making　for　eight　weeks　Venice　his　head…quarters；　and　then　giving　six　weeks　to　Padua。　　He　returned　through　Germany　to　England；　and　was　in　attendance　it　the　Court　of　Queen　Elizabeth　in　July；　1575。　　Next　month　his　father　was　sent　to　Ireland　as　Lord　Deputy；　and　Sidney　lived　in　London　with　his　mother。

At　this　time　the　opposition　of　the　Mayor　and　Corporation　of　the　City　of　London　to　the　acting　of　plays　by　servants　of　Sidney's　uncle；　the　Earl　of　Leicester；　who　had　obtained　a　patent　for　them；　obliged　the　actors　to　cease　from　hiring　rooms　or　inn　yards　in　the　City；　and　build　themselves　a　house　of　their　own　a　little　way　outside　one　of　the　City　gates；　and　wholly　outside　the　Lord　Mayor's　jurisdiction。　Thus　the　first　theatre　came　to　be　built　in　England　in　the　year　1576。　Shakespeare　was　then　but　twelve　years　old；　and　it　was　ten　years　later　that　he　came　to　London。

In　February；　1577；　Philip　Sidney；　not　yet　twenty…three　years　old；　was　sent　on　a　formal　embassy　of　congratulation　to　Rudolph　II。　upon　his　becoming　Emperor　of　Germany；　but　under　the　duties　of　the　formal　embassy　was　the　charge　of　watching　for　opportunities　of　helping　forward　a　Protestant　League　among　the　princes　of　Germany。　　On　his　way　home　through　the　Netherlands　he　was　to　convey　Queen　Elizabeth's　congratulations　to　William　of　Orange　on　the　birth　of　his　first　child；　and　what　impression　he　made　upon　that　leader　of　men　is　shown　by　a　message　William　sent　afterwards　through　Fulke　Greville　to　Queen　Elizabeth。　　He　said　〃that　if　he　could　judge；　her　Majesty　had　one　of　the　ripest　and　greatest　counsellors　of　State　in　Philip　Sidney　that　then　lived　in　Europe；　to　the　trial　of　which　he　was　pleased　to　leave　his　own　credit　engaged　until　her　Majesty　was　pleased　to　employ　this　gentleman；　either　amongst　her　friends　or　enemies。〃

Sidney　returned　from　his　embassy　in　June；　1577。　　At　the　time　of　his　departure；　in　the　preceding　February；　his　sister　Mary；　then　twenty　years　old；　had　become　the　third　wife　of　Henry　Herbert；　Earl　of　Pembroke；　and　her　new　home　as　Countess　of　Pembroke　was　in　the　great　house　at　Wilton；　about　three　miles　from　Salisbury。　　She　had　a　measure　of　her　brother's　genius；　and　was　of　like　noble　strain。　Spenser　described　her　as


〃The　gentlest　shepherdess　that　lives　this　day；　And　most　resembling；　both　in　shape　and　spright；　Her　brother　dear。〃


Ben　Jonson；　long　after　her　brother　had　passed　from　earth；　wrote　upon　her　death　the　well…known　epitaph：…


〃Underneath　this　sable　herse　Lies　the　subject　of　all　verse；　Sidney's　sister；　Pembroke's　mother。　Death；　ere　thou　hast　slain　another；　Learn'd；　and　fair；　and　good　as　she；　Time　shall　throw　a　dart　at　thee。〃


Sidney's　sister　became　Pembroke's　mother　in　1580；　while　her　brother　Philip　was　staying　with　her　at　Wilton。　　He　had　early　in　the　year　written　a　long　argument　to　the　Queen　against　the　project　of　her　marriage　with　the　Duke　of　Anjou；　which　she　then　found　it　politic　to　seem　to　favour。　　She　liked　Sidney　well；　but　resented；　or　appeared　to　resent；　his　intrusion　of　advice；　he　also　was　discontented　with　what　seemed　to　be　her　policy；　and　he　withdrew　from　Court　for　a　time。　That　time　of　seclusion；　after　the　end　of　March；　1580；　he　spent　with　his　sister　at　Wilton。　　They　versified　psalms　together；　and　he　began　to　write　for　her　amusement　when　she　had　her　baby　first　upon　her　hands；　his　romance　of　〃Arcadia。〃　　It　was　never　finished。　　Much　was　written　at　Wilton　in　the　summer　of　1580；　the　rest　in　1581；　written；　as　he　said　in　a　letter　to　her；　〃only　for　you；　only　to　you　。　。　。　for　severer　eyes　it　is　not；　being　but　a　trifle；　triflingly　handled。　Your　dear　self　can　best　witness　the　manner；　being　done　in　loose　sheets　of　paper；　most　of　it　in　your　presence；　the　rest　by　sheets　sent　unto　you　as　fast　as　they　were　done。〃　　He　never　meant　that　it　should　be　published；　indeed；　when　dying　he　asked　that　it　should　be　destroyed；　but　it　belonged　to　a　sister　who　prized　the　lightest　word　of　his；　and　after　his　death　it　was　published　in　1590　as　〃The　Countess　of　Pembroke's　Arcadia。〃

The　book　reprinted　in　this　volume　was　written　in　1581；　while　sheets　of　the　〃Arcadia〃　were　still　being　sent　to　Wilton。　　But　it　differs　wholly　in　style　from　the　〃Arcadia。〃　　Sidney's　〃Arcadia〃　has　literary　interest　as　the　first　important　example　of　the　union　of　pastoral　with　heroic　romance；　out　of　which　came　presently；　in　France；　a　distinct　school　of　fiction。　　But　the　genius　of　its　author　was　at　play；　it　followed　designedly　the　fashions　of　the　hour　in　verse　and　prose；　which　tended　to　extravagance　of　ingenuity。　　The　〃Defence　of　Poesy〃　has　higher　interest　as　the　first　important　piece　of　literary　criticism　in　our　literature。　　Here　Sidney　was　in　earnest。　　His　style　is　wholly　free　from　the　euphuistic　extravagance　in　which　readers　of　his　time　delighted：　　it　is　clear；　direct；　and　manly；　not　the　less；　but　the　more；　thoughtful　and　refined　for　its　unaffected　simplicity。　As　criticism　it　is　of　the　true　sort；　not　captious　or　formal；　still　less　engaged；　as　nearly　all　bad　criticism　is；　more　or　less；　with　indirect　suggestion　of　the　critic　himself　as　the　one　owl　in　a　world　of　mice。　　Philip　Sidney's　care　is　towards　the　end　of　good　literature。　　He　looks　for　highest　aims；　and　finds　them　in　true　work；　and　hears　God's　angel　in　the　poet's　song。

The　writing　of　this　piece　was　probably　suggested　to　him　by　the　fact　that　an　earnest　young　student；　Stephen　Gosson；　who　came　from　his　university　about　the　time　when　the　first　theatres　were　built；　and　wrote　plays；　was　turned　by　the　bias　of　his　mind　into　agreement　with　the　Puritan　attacks　made　by　the　pulpit　on　the　stage　（arising　chiefly　from　the　fact　that　plays　were　then　acted　on　Sundays）；　and　in　1579　transferred　his　pen　from　service　of　the　players　to　attack　on　them；　in　a　piece　which　he　called　〃The　School　of　Abuse；　containing　a　Pleasant　Invective　against　Poets；　Pipers；　Players；　Jesters；　and　such　like　Caterpillars　of　a　Commonwealth；　setting　up　the　Flag　of　Defiance　to　their　mischievous　exercise；　and　overthrowing　their　Bulwarks；　by　Profane　Writers；　Natural　Reason；　and　Common　Experience：　　a　Discourse　as　pleasant　for　Gentlemen　that　favour　Learning　as　profitable　for　all　that　will　follow　Virtue。〃　　This　Discourse　Gosson　dedicated　〃To　the　right　noble　Gentleman；　Master　Philip　Sidney