a defence of poesie and poems-第7节

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t　full　of　that　taste　you　may　long　to　pass　farther。　　He　beginneth　not　with　obscure　definitions；　which　must　blur　the　margin　with　interpretations；　and　load　the　memory　with　doubtfulness；　but　he　cometh　to　you　with　words　set　in　delightful　proportion；　either　accompanied　with；　or　prepared　for；　the　well…　enchanting　skill　of　music；　and　with　a　tale；　forsooth；　he　cometh　unto　you　with　a　tale　which　holdeth　children　from　play；　and　old　men　from　the　chimney…corner；　｛41｝　and；　pretending　no　more；　doth　intend　the　winning　of　the　mind　from　wickedness　to　virtue；　even　as　the　child　is　often　brought　to　take　most　wholesome　things；　by　hiding　them　in　such　other　as　have　a　pleasant　taste；　which；　if　one　should　begin　to　tell　them　the　nature　of　the　aloes　or　rhubarbarum　they　should　receive；　would　sooner　take　their　physic　at　their　ears　than　at　their　mouth；　so　it　is　in　men　（most　of　them　are　childish　in　the　best　things；　till　they　be　cradled　in　their　graves）；　glad　they　will　be　to　hear　the　tales　of　Hercules；　Achilles；　Cyrus；　AEneas；　and　hearing　them；　must　needs　hear　the　right　description　of　wisdom；　valour；　and　justice；　which；　if　they　had　been　barely　（that　is　to　say；　philosophically）　set　out；　they　would　swear　they　be　brought　to　school　again。　　That　imitation　whereof　poetry　is；　hath　the　most　conveniency　to　nature　of　all　other；　insomuch　that；　as　Aristotle　saith；　those　things　which　in　themselves　are　horrible；　as　cruel　battles；　unnatural　monsters；　are　made；　in　poetical　imitation；　delightful。　　Truly；　I　have　known　men；　that　even　with　reading　Amadis　de　Gaule；　which；　God　knoweth；　wanteth　much　of　a　perfect　poesy；　have　found　their　hearts　moved　to　the　exercise　of　courtesy；　liberality；　and　especially　courage。　　Who　readeth　AEneas　carrying　old　Anchises　on　his　back；　that　wisheth　not　it　were　his　fortune　to　perform　so　excellent　an　act？　　Whom　doth　not　those　words　of　Turnus　move　（the　tale　of　Turnus　having　planted　his　image　in　the　imagination）


〃fugientem　haec　terra　videbit？　Usque　adeone　mori　miserum　est？〃　｛42｝


Where　the　philosophers　（as　they　think）　scorn　to　delight；　so　much　they　be　content　little　to　move；　saving　wrangling　whether　〃virtus〃　be　the　chief　or　the　only　good；　whether　the　contemplative　or　the　active　life　do　excel；　which　Plato　and　Boetius　well　knew；　and　therefore　made　mistress　Philosophy　very　often　borrow　the　masking　raiment　of　poesy。　For　even　those　hard…hearted　evil　men；　who　think　virtue　a　school…　name；　and　know　no　other　good　but　〃indulgere　genio；〃　and　therefore　despise　the　austere　admonitions　of　the　philosopher；　and　feel　not　the　inward　reason　they　stand　upon；　yet　will　be　content　to　be　delighted；　which　is　all　the　good…fellow　poet　seems　to　promise；　and　so　steal　to　see　the　form　of　goodness；　which　seen；　they　cannot　but　love；　ere　themselves　be　aware；　as　if　they　took　a　medicine　of　cherries。

Infinite　｛43｝　proofs　of　the　strange　effects　of　this　poetical　invention　might　be　alleged；　only　two　shall　serve；　which　are　so　often　remembered；　as；　I　think；　all　men　know　them。　　The　one　of　Menenius　Agrippa；　who；　when　the　whole　people　of　Rome　had　resolutely　divided　themselves　from　the　senate；　with　apparent　show　of　utter　ruin；　though　he　were；　for　that　time；　an　excellent　orator；　came　not　among　them　upon　trust；　either　of　figurative　speeches；　or　cunning　insinuations；　and　much　less　with　far…fetched　maxims　of　philosophy；　which；　especially　if　they　were　Platonic；　they　must　have　learned　geometry　before　they　could　have　conceived；　but；　forsooth；　he　behaveth　himself　like　a　homely　and　familiar　poet。　　He　telleth　them　a　tale；　that　there　was　a　time　when　all　the　parts　of　the　body　made　a　mutinous　conspiracy　against　the　belly；　which　they　thought　devoured　the　fruits　of　each　other's　labour；　they　concluded　they　would　let　so　unprofitable　a　spender　starve。　　In　the　end；　to　be　short　（for　the　tale　is　notorious；　and　as　notorious　that　it　was　a　tale）；　with　punishing　the　belly　they　plagued　themselves。　　This；　applied　by　him；　wrought　such　effect　in　the　people　as　I　never　read　that　only　words　brought　forth；　but　then　so　sudden；　and　so　good　an　alteration；　for　upon　reasonable　conditions　a　perfect　reconcilement　ensued。

The　other　is　of　Nathan　the　prophet；　who；　when　the　holy　David　had　so　far　forsaken　God；　as　to　confirm　adultery　with　murder；　when　he　was　to　do　the　tenderest　office　of　a　friend；　in　laying　his　own　shame　before　his　eyes；　being　sent　by　God　to　call　again　so　chosen　a　servant；　how　doth　he　it？　but　by　telling　of　a　man　whose　beloved　lamb　was　ungratefully　taken　from　his　bosom。　　The　application　most　divinely　true；　but　the　discourse　itself　feigned；　which　made　David　（I　speak　of　the　second　and　instrumental　cause）　as　in　a　glass　see　his　own　filthiness；　as　that　heavenly　psalm　of　mercy　well　testifieth。

By　these；　therefore；　examples　and　reasons；　I　think　it　may　be　manifest　that　the　poet；　with　that　same　hand　of　delight；　doth　draw　the　mind　more　effectually　than　any　other　art　doth。　　And　so　a　conclusion　not　unfitly　ensues；　that　as　virtue　is　the　most　excellent　resting…place　for　all　worldly　learning　to　make　his　end　of；　so　poetry；　being　the　most　familiar　to　teach　it；　and　most　princely　to　move　towards　it；　in　the　most　excellent　work　is　the　most　excellent　workman。

But　I　am　content　not　only　to　decipher　him　by　his　works　（although　works　in　commendation　and　dispraise　must　ever　hold　a　high　authority）；　but　more　narrowly　will　examine　his　parts；　so　that　（as　in　a　man）　though　all　together　may　carry　a　presence　full　of　majesty　and　beauty　perchance　in　some　one　defectious　｛44｝　piece　we　may　find　blemish。

Now；　｛45｝　in　his　parts；　kinds；　or　species；　as　you　list　to　term　them；　it　is　to　be　noted　that　some　poesies　have　coupled　together　two　or　three　kinds；　as　the　tragical　and　comical；　whereupon　is　risen　the　tragi…comical；　some；　in　the　manner；　have　mingled　prose　and　verse；　as　Sannazaro　and　Boetius；　some　have　mingled　matters　heroical　and　pastoral；　but　that　cometh　all　to　one　in　this　question；　for；　if　severed　they　be　good；　the　conjunction　cannot　be　hurtful。　　Therefore；　perchance；　forgetting　some；　and　leaving　some　as　needless　to　be　remembered；　it　shall　not　be　amiss；　in　a　word；　to　cite　the　special　kinds；　to　see　what　faults　may　be　found　in　the　right　use　of　them。

Is　it；　then；　the　pastoral　poem　which　is　misliked？　｛46｝　　For；　perchance；　where　the　hedge　is　lowest；　they　will　soonest　leap　over。　Is　the　poor　pipe　disdained；　which　sometimes；　out　of　Melibaeus's　mouth；　can　show　the　misery　of　people　under　hard　lords　and　ravening　soldiers？　　And　again；　by　Tityrus；　what　blessedness　is　derived　to　them　that　lie　lowest　from　the　goodness　of　them　that　sit　highest？　Sometimes　under　the　pretty　tales　of　wolves　and　sheep；　can　include　the　whole　considerations　of　wrong　doing　and　patience；　sometimes　show；　that　contentions　for　trifles　can　get　but　a　trifling　victory；　where；　perchance；　a　man　may　see　that　even　Alexander　and　Darius；　when　they　strove　who　should　be　cock　of　this　world's　dunghill；　the　benefit　they　got　was；　that　the　after…livers　may　say；


〃Haec　memini；　et　victum　frustra　contendere　Thyrsim。　Ex　illo　Corydon；　Corydon　est　tempore　nobis。〃　｛47｝


Or　is　it　the　lamenting　elegiac；　｛48｝　which；　in　a　kind　heart；　would　move　rather　pity　than　blame；　who　bewaileth；　with　the　great　philosopher　Heraclitus；　the　weakness　of　mankind；　and　the　wretchedness　of　the　world；　who；　surely；　is　to　be　praised；　either　for　compassionately　accompanying　just　causes　of　lamentations；　or　for　rightly　pointing　out　how　weak　be　the　passions　of　wofulness？

Is　it　the　bitter；　but　wholesome　iambic；　｛49｝　who　rubs　the　galled　mind；　making　shame　the　trumpet　of　villany；　with　bold　and　open　crying　out　against　naughtiness？

Or　the　satiric？　who；


〃Omne　vafer　vitium　ridenti　tangit　amico；〃　｛50｝


who　sportingly　never　leaveth；　until　he　make　a　man　laugh　at　folly；　and；　at　length；　ashamed　to　laugh　at　himself；　which　he　cannot　avoid　without　avoiding　the　folly；　who；　while　〃circum　praecordia　ludit；〃　giveth　us　to　feel　how　many　headaches　a　passionate　life　bringeth　us　to；　who　when　all　is　done；


〃Est　Ulubris；　animus　si　nos　non　deficit　aequus。〃　｛51｝


No；　perchance；　it　is　the　comic；　｛52｝　whom　naughty　play…makers　and　stage…keepers　have　justly　made　odious。　　To　the　arguments　of　abuse　I　will　after　answer；　only　thus　much　now　is　to　be　said；　that　the　comedy　is　an　imitation　of　the　common　errors　of　our　life；　which　he　representeth　in　the　most　ridiculous　and　scornful　sort　that　may　be；　so　as　it　is　impossible　that　any　beholder　can　be　content　to　be　such　a　one。　　Now；　as　in　geometry；　the　oblique　must　be　known　as　well　as　the　right；　and　in　arithmetic；　the　odd　as　well　as　the　even；　so　in　the　actions　of　our　life；　who　seeth　not　the　filthiness　of　evil；　wanteth　a　great　foil　to　perceive　the　beauty　of　virtue。　　This　doth　the　comedy　handle　so；　in　our　private　and　domestical　matters；　as；　with　hearing　it；　we　get；　as　it　were；　an　experience　of　what　is　to　be　looked　for；　of　a　niggardly　Demea；　of　a　crafty　Davus；　of　a　flattering　Gnatho；　of　a　vain…glorious　Thraso；　and　not　only　to　know　what　effects　are　to　be　expected；　but　to　know　who　be　such；　by　the　signifying　badge　given　them　by　the　comedian。　　And　little　reason　hath　any　man　to　say；　that　men　learn　the　evil　by　seeing　it　so　set　out；　since；　as　I　said　before；　there　is　no　man　living；　but　by　the　force　truth　hath　in　nature；　no　sooner　seeth　these　men　play　their　parts；　but　wisheth　them　in　〃pistrinum；〃　｛53｝　although；　perchance；　the　sack　o