a defence of poesie and poems-第4节

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　surpassing　her　doings；　with　no　small　arguments　to　the　incredulous　of　that　first　accursed　fall　of　Adam；　since　our　erected　wit　maketh　us　know　what　perfection　is；　and　yet　our　infected　will　keepeth　us　from　reaching　unto　it。　　But　these　arguments　will　by　few　be　understood；　and　by　fewer　granted；　thus　much　I　hope　will　be　given　me；　that　the　Greeks；　with　some　probability　of　reason；　gave　him　the　name　above　all　names　of　learning。

Now　｛15｝　let　us　go　to　a　more　ordinary　opening　of　him；　that　the　truth　may　be　the　more　palpable；　and　so；　I　hope；　though　we　get　not　so　unmatched　a　praise　as　the　etymology　of　his　names　will　grant；　yet　his　very　description；　which　no　man　will　deny；　shall　not　justly　be　barred　from　a　principal　commendation。

Poesy；　｛16｝　therefore；　is　an　art　of　imitation；　for　so　Aristotle　termeth　it　in　the　word　＇Greek　text＇；　that　is　to　say；　a　representing；　counterfeiting；　or　figuring　forth：　　to　speak　metaphorically；　a　speaking　picture；　with　this　end；　to　teach　and　delight。

Of　｛17｝　this　have　been　three　general　kinds：　　the　CHIEF；　both　in　antiquity　and　excellency；　which　they　that　did　imitate　the　inconceivable　excellencies　of　God；　such　were　David　in　the　Psalms；　Solomon　in　the　Song　of　Songs；　in　his　Ecclesiastes；　and　Proverbs；　Moses　and　Deborah　in　their　hymns；　and　the　writer　of　Job；　which；　beside　others；　the　learned　Emanuel　Tremellius　and　Fr。　Junius　do　entitle　the　poetical　part　of　the　scripture；　against　these　none　will　speak　that　hath　the　Holy　Ghost　in　due　holy　reverence。　　In　this　kind；　though　in　a　wrong　divinity；　were　Orpheus；　Amphion；　Homer　in　his　hymns；　and　many　others；　both　Greeks　and　Romans。　　And　this　poesy　must　be　used　by　whosoever　will　follow　St。　Paul's　counsel；　in　singing　psalms　when　they　are　merry；　and　I　know　is　used　with　the　fruit　of　comfort　by　some；　when；　in　sorrowful　pangs　of　their　death…bringing　sins；　they　find　the　consolation　of　the　never…leaving　goodness。

The　｛18｝　SECOND　kind　is　of　them　that　deal　with　matter　philosophical；　either　moral；　as　Tyrtaeus；　Phocylides；　Cato；　or；　natural；　as　Lucretius；　Virgil's　Georgics；　or　astronomical；　as　Manilius　｛19｝　and　Pontanus；　or　historical；　as　Lucan；　which　who　mislike；　the　fault　is　in　their　judgment；　quite　out　of　taste；　and　not　in　the　sweet　food　of　sweetly　uttered　knowledge。

But　because　this　second　sort　is　wrapped　within　the　fold　of　the　proposed　subject；　and　takes　not　the　free　course　of　his　own　invention；　whether　they　properly　be　poets　or　no；　let　grammarians　dispute；　and　go　to　the　THIRD；　｛20｝　indeed　right　poets；　of　whom　chiefly　this　question　ariseth；　betwixt　whom　and　these　second　is　such　a　kind　of　difference；　as　betwixt　the　meaner　sort　of　painters；　who　counterfeit　only　such　faces　as　are　set　before　them；　and　the　more　excellent；　who　having　no　law　but　wit；　bestow　that　in　colours　upon　you　which　is　fittest　for　the　eye　to　see；　as　the　constant；　though　lamenting　look　of　Lucretia；　when　she　punished　in　herself　another's　fault；　wherein　he　painteth　not　Lucretia；　whom　he　never　saw；　but　painteth　the　outward　beauty　of　such　a　virtue。　　For　these　three　be　they　which　most　properly　do　imitate　to　teach　and　delight；　and　to　imitate；　borrow　nothing　of　what　is；　hath　been；　or　shall　be；　but　range　only；　reined　with　learned　discretion；　into　the　divine　consideration　of　what　may　be；　and　should　be。　　These　be　they；　that；　as　the　first　and　most　noble　sort；　may　justly　be　termed　〃vates；〃　so　these　are　waited　on　in　the　excellentest　languages　and　best　understandings；　with　the　fore…described　name　of　poets。　　For　these；　indeed；　do　merely　make　to　imitate；　and　imitate　both　to　delight　and　teach；　and　delight　to　move　men　to　take　that　goodness　in　hand；　which；　without　delight　they　would　fly　as　from　a　stranger；　and　teach　to　make　them　know　that　goodness　whereunto　they　are　moved；　which　being　the　noblest　scope　to　which　ever　any　learning　was　directed；　yet　want　there　not　idle　tongues　to　bark　at　them。

These　｛21｝　be　subdivided　into　sundry　more　special　denominations；　the　most　notable　be　the　heroic；　lyric；　tragic；　comic；　satyric；　iambic；　elegiac；　pastoral；　and　certain　others；　some　of　these　being　termed　according　to　the　matter　they　deal　with；　some　by　the　sort　of　verse　they　like　best　to　write　in；　for；　indeed；　the　greatest　part　of　poets　have　apparelled　their　poetical　inventions　in　that　numerous　kind　of　writing　which　is　called　verse。　　Indeed；　but　apparelied　verse；　being　but　an　ornament；　and　no　cause　to　poetry；　since　there　have　been　many　most　excellent　poets　that　never　versified；　and　now　swarm　many　versifiers　that　need　never　answer　to　the　name　of　poets。　｛22｝　　For　Xenophon；　who　did　imitate　so　excellently　as　to　give　us　effigiem　justi　imperii；　the　portraiture　of　a　just　of　Cyrus；　as　Cicero　saith　of　him；　made　therein　an　absolute　heroical　poem。　　So　did　Heliodorus；　｛23｝　in　his　sugared　invention　of　Theagenes　and　Chariclea；　and　yet　both　these　wrote　in　prose；　which　I　speak　to　show；　that　it　is　not　rhyming　and　versing　that　maketh　a　poet　（no　more　than　a　long　gown　maketh　an　advocate；　who；　though　he　pleaded　in　armour　should　be　an　advocate　and　no　soldier）；　but　it　is　that　feigning　notable　images　of　virtues；　vices；　or　what　else；　with　that　delightful　teaching；　which　must　be　the　right　describing　note　to　know　a　poet　by。　　Although；　indeed；　the　senate　of　poets　have　chosen　verse　as　their　fittest　raiment；　meaning；　as　in　matter　they　passed　all　in　all；　so　in　manner　to　go　beyond　them；　not　speaking　table…talk　fashion；　or　like　men　in　a　dream；　words　as　they　changeably　fall　from　the　mouth；　but　piecing　each　syllable　of　each　word　by　just　proportion；　according　to　the　dignity　of　the　subject。

Now；　｛24｝　therefore；　it　shall　not　be　amiss；　first；　to　weight　this　latter　sort　of　poetry　by　his　WORKS；　and　then　by　his　PARTS；　and　if　in　neither　of　these　anatomies　he　be　commendable；　I　hope　we　shall　receive　a　more　favourable　sentence。　　This　purifying　of　wit；　this　enriching　of　memory；　enabling　of　judgment；　and　enlarging　of　conceit；　which　commonly　we　call　learning　under　what　name　soever　it　come　forth；　or　to　what　immediate　end　soever　it　be　directed；　the　final　end　is；　to　lead　and　draw　us　to　as　high　a　perfection　as　our　degenerate　souls；　made　worse　by；　their　clay　lodgings；　｛25｝　can　be　capable　of。　This；　according　to　the　inclination　of　man；　bred　many　formed　impressions；　for　some　that　thought　this　felicity　principally　to　be　gotten　by　knowledge；　and　no　knowledge　to　be　so　high　or　heavenly　as　to　be　acquainted　with　the　stars；　gave　themselves　to　astronomy；　others；　persuading　themselves　to　be　demi…gods；　if　they　knew　the　causes　of　things；　became　natural　and　supernatural　philosophers。　Some　an　admirable　delight　drew　to　music；　and　some　the　certainty　of　demonstrations　to　the　mathematics；　but　all；　one　and　other；　having　this　scope　to　know；　and　by　knowledge　to　lift　up　the　mind　from　the　dungeon　of　the　body　to　the　enjoying　his　own　divine　essence。　　But　when；　by　the　balance　of　experience；　it　was　found　that　the　astronomer；　looking　to　the　stars；　might　fall　in　a　ditch；　that　the　enquiring　philosopher　might　be　blind　in　himself；　and　the　mathematician　might　draw　forth　a　straight　line　with　a　crooked　heart；　then　lo！　did　proof；　the　over…ruler　of　opinions；　make　manifest　that　all　these　are　but　serving　sciences；　which；　as　they　have　a　private　end　in　themselves；　so　yet　are　they　all　directed　to　the　highest　end　of　the　mistress　knowledge；　by　the　Greeks　called　＇Greek　text＇；　which　stands；　as　I　think；　in　the　knowledge　of　a　man's　self；　in　the　ethic　and　politic　consideration；　with　the　end　of　well　doing；　and　not　of　well　knowing　only；　even　as　the　saddler's　next　end　is　to　make　a　good　saddle；　but　his　farther　end　to　serve　a　nobler　faculty；　which　is　horsemanship；　so　the　horseman's　to　soldiery；　and　the　soldier　not　only　to　have　the　skill；　but　to　perform　the　practice　of　a　soldier。　So　that　the　ending　end　of　all　earthly　learning　being　virtuous　action；　those　skills　that　most　serve　to　bring　forth　that　have　a　most　just　title　to　be　princes　over　all　the　rest；　wherein；　if　we　can　show　it　rightly；　the　poet　is　worthy　to　have　it　before　any　other　competitors。　｛26｝

Among　｛27｝　whom　principally　to　challenge　it；　step　forth　the　moral　philosophers；　whom；　methinks；　I　see　coming　toward　me　with　a　sullen　gravity　（as　though　they　could　not　abide　vice　by　daylight）；　rudely　clothed；　for　to　witness　outwardly　their　contempt　of　outward　things；　with　books　in　their　hands　against　glory；　whereto　they　set　their　names；　sophistically　speaking　against　subtlety；　and　angry　with　any　man　in　whom　they　see　the　foul　fault　of　anger。　　These　men；　casting　largesses　as　they　go；　of　definitions；　divisions；　and　distinctions；　with　a　scornful　interrogative　do　soberly　ask：　　Whether　it　be　possible　to　find　any　path　so　ready　to　lead　a　man　to　virtue；　as　that　which　teacheth　what　virtue　is；　and　teacheth　it　not　only　by　delivering　forth　his　very　being；　his　causes　and　effects；　but　also　by　making　known　his　enemy；　vice；　which　must　be　destroyed；　and　his　cumbersome　servant；　passion；　which　must　be　mastered；　by　showing　the　generalities　that　contain　it；　and　the　specialities　that　are　derived　from　it；　lastly；　by　plain　setting　down　how　it　extends　itself　out　of　the　limits　of　a　man's　own　little　world；　to　the　government　of　families；　and　maintaining　of　public　societies？

The　historian　｛28｝　scarcely　gives　leisure　to　the　moralist　to　say　so　much；　but　that　he　（laden　with　old　mouse…eaten　records；　authorizing　｛29｝　himself；　for　the　most　par