The Arte of English Poesie Part 17

Or as another wrote very commendably.

_Why strive I with the streame, or hoppe against the hill, On search that neuer can be found, and loose my labour still?

_Cato_ vnderstanding that the Senate had appointed three citizens of Rome for emba.s.sadours to the king of _Bithinia_, whereof one had the Gowte, another the Meigrim, the third very little courage or discretion to be employd in any such businesse, said by way of skoffe in this figure.

_Must not (trowe ye) this message be well sped, That hath neither heart, nor heeles, nor hed?_

And as a great Princesse aunswered her seruitour, who distrusting in her fauours toward him, praised his owne constancie in these verses.

_No fortune base or frayle can alter me:_

To whome she in this figure repeting his words: _No fortune base or frayle can alter thee.

And can so blind a witch so conquere mee?_

[Sidenote: _Ecphonisis_, or the Outcry.]

The figure of exclamation, I call him [_the outcrie_] because it vtters our minde by all such words as do shew any extreme pa.s.sion, whether it be by way of exclamation or crying out, admiration or wondering, imprecation or cursing, obtestation or taking G.o.d and the world to witnes, or any such like as declare an impotent affection, as _Chaucer_ of the _Lady Cresseida_ by exclamation.

_O soppe of sorrow soonken into care, O caytife Cresseid, for now and evermare_.

Or as _Gascoine_ wrote very pa.s.sionatly and well to purpose: _Ay me the dayes that I in dole consume, Alas the nights which witnesse well mine woe: O wrongfull world which makest my fancie faine Fie fickle fortune, fie, fie thou art my foe: Out and alas so froward is my chance, No nights nor daies, nor worldes can me auance._

_Petrarche_ in a sonet which Sir _Thomas Wiat_ Englished excellently well, said in this figure by way of imprecation and obtestation: thus, _Perdie I said it not, Nor neuer thought to doo: Aswell as I ye wot, I haue no power thereto: "And if I did the lot That first did me enchaine, May neuer shake the knot But straite it to my paine.

"And if I did each thing, That may do harme or woe: Continually may wring, My harte where so I goe.

"Report may alwaies ring: Of shame on me for aye, If in my hart did spring, The wordes that you doo say.

"And if I did each starre, That is in heauen aboue._ And so forth, &c.

[Sidenote: _Brachiologa_, or the Cutted comma]

We vse sometimes to proceede all by single words, without any close or coupling, sauing that a little pause or comma is geuen to euery word. This figure for pleasure may be called in our vulgar the cutted comma, for that there cannot be a shorter diuision then at euery words end. The Greekes in their language call it short language, as thus.

_Enuy, malice, flattery, disdaine, Auarice, deceit, falsned, filthy gaine._

If this loose language be vsed, not in single words, but in long clauses, it is called _Asindeton_, and in both cases we vtter in that fas.h.i.+on, when either we be earnest, or would seeme to make hast.

[Sidenote: _Parison_, or the Figure of euen]

Ye haue another figure which we may call the figure of euen, because it goeth by clauses of egall quant.i.tie, and not very long, but yet not so short as the cutted comma: and they geue good grace to a dittie, but specially to a prose. In this figure we once wrote in a melancholike humor these verses.

_The good is geason, and short is his abode, The bad bides long, and easie to be found: Our life is loathsome, our sinnes a heavy lode, Conscience a curst iudge, remorse a priuie goade.

Disease, age and death still in our eare they round, That hence we must the sickly and the sound: Treading the steps that our forefathers troad, Rich, poore, holy, wise; all flesh it goes to ground._

In a prose there should not be vsed at once of such euen clauses past three or foure at the most.

[Sidenote: _Sinonimia_, or the Figure of store]

When so euer we multiply our speech by many words or clauses of one sence, the Greekes call it _Sinonimia_, as who would say like or consenting names: the Latines hauing no fitte terme to giue him, called it by a name of euent, for (said they) many words of one nature and sence, one of them doth expound another. And therefore they called this figure the [_Interpreter_] I for my part had rather call him the figure of [_store_]

because plenty of one manner of thing in our vulgar we call so. _aeneas_ asking whether his Captaine _Orontes_ were dead or aliue, vsed this store of speeches all to one purpose.

_It he aliue, Is he as I left him queauing and quick, And hath he not yet geuen up the ghost, Among the rest of those that I haue lost?_

Or if it be in single words, then thus.

_What is become of that beautifull face, Those louely lookes, that fauour amiable, Those sweete features, and visage full of grace, That countenance which is alonly able To kill and cure?_

Ye see that all these words, face, lookes, fauour, features, visage, countenance, are all in sence but all one. Which store, neuerthelesse, doeth much beautifie and inlarge the matter. So said another.

_My faith, my hope, my trust, my G.o.d and eke my guide, Stretch forth thy hand to saue the soule, what ere the body bide._

Here faith, hope and trust be words of one effect, allowed to vs by this figure of store.

[Sidenote: _Metanoia_, or the Penitent.]

Otherwhiles we speake and be sorry for it, as if we had not wel spoken, so that we seeme to call in our word againe, and to put in another fitter for the purpose: for which respects the Greekes called this manner of speech the figure of repentance: then for that vpon repentance commonly followes amendment, the Latins called it the figure of correction, in that the speaker seemeth to reforme that which was said amisse. I following the Greeke originall, choose to call him the penitent, or repentant: and singing in honor of the mayden Queen, meaning to praise her for her greatnesse of courage ouershooting my selfe, called it first by the name of pride: then fearing least fault might be found with that terme, by & by turned this word pride to praise: resembling her Maiesty to the Lion, being her owne n.o.ble armory, which by a slie construction purporteth magnanimitie. Thus in the latter end of a Parthemiade.

_O peereles you, or els no one aliue, Your pride serues you to seaze them all alone: Not pride madame, but praise of the lion, To conquer all and be conquerd by none._

And in another Parthemiade thus insinuating her Maiesties great constancy in refusall of all marriages offred her, thus: _Her heart is hid none may it see, Marble or flinte folke weene it be._

Which may imploy rigour and cruelty, than correcteth it thus.

_Not flinte I trowe I am a lier, But Siderite that feeles no fire._

By which is intended, that it proceeded of a cold and chast complexion not easily allured to loue.

[Sidenote: _Antenagoge_, or the Recompencer]

We haue another manner of speech much like to the _repentant_, but doth not as the same recant or vnsay a word that hath bene said before, putting another fitter in his place, but hauing spoken any thing to depraue the matter or partie, he denieth it not, but as it were helpeth it againe by another more fauourable speach and so seemeth to make amends, for which cause it is called by the originall name in both languages, the _Recompencer_, as he that was merily asked the question; whether his wife were not a shrewe as well as others of his neighbours wiues, answered in this figure as pleasantly, for he could not well denie it.

_I must needs say, that my wife is a shrewe, but such a huswife as I know but a fewe._

Another in his first preposition giuing a very faint commendation to the Courtiers life, weaning to make him amends, made it worse by a second proposition, thus: _The Courtiers life full delicate it is, but where no wise man will euer set his blis._

And an other speaking to the incoragement of youth in studie and to be come excellent in letters and armies, said thus: _Many are the paines and perils to be past, But great is the gaine and glory at the last._

[Sidenote: _Epithonema_, or the Surclose.]

Our poet in his short ditties, but specially playing the Epigrammatist will vse to conclude and shut vp his Epigram with a verse or two, spoken in such sort, as it may seeme a manner of allowance to all the premisses, and that wich a ioyfull approbation, which the Latines call _Acclamatio_, we therefore call this figure the _surcloze_ or _consenting close_, as _Virgill_ when he had largely spoken of Prince _Eneas_ his successe and fortunes concluded with this close.

_Tant molis erat Romanum condere gentens._

In English thus: _So huge a peece of worke it was and so hie, To reare the house of Romane progenie._

Sir _Philip Sidney_ very pretily closed vp a dittie in this sort.

_What medcine then, can such disease remoue, Where loue breedes hate, and hate engenders loue._

And we in a _Partheniade_ written of her Maiestie, declaring to what perils vertue is generally subiect, and applying that fortune to her selfe, closed it vp with this _Epiphoneme_.

_Than if there bee, Any so cancard hart to grutch, At your glories: my Queene: in vaine, Repining at your fatall raigne; It is for that they feele too much, Of your bountee._

As who would say her owne ouermuch lenitie and goodness, made her ill willers the more bold and presumptuous.

_Lucretius Carus_ the philosopher and poet inueighing sore against the abuses of the superst.i.tious religion of the Gentils, and recompting the wicked fact of king _Agamemnon_ in sacrificing his only daughter _Iphigenia_, being a yoong damsell of excellent bewtie, to th'intent to please the wrathfull G.o.ds, hinderers of his nauigation, after he had said all, closed it vp in this one verse, spoken in _Epiphonema_.

_Tantum relligio potuit suadere malorum._

In English thus: _Lo what an outrage, could cause to be done, The peevish scruple of blinde religion._

[Sidenote: _Auxesis_, or the Auancer]

It happens many times that to vrge and enforce the matter we speake of, we go still mounting by degrees and encreasing our speech with wordes or with sentences of more waight one then another, & is a figure of great both efficacie & ornament, as he that declaring the great calamitie of an infortunate prince, said thus: _He lost besides his children and his wife, His realme, ronowne, liege, libertie and life._

By which it appeareth that to any n.o.ble Prince the losse of his estate ought not to be so greeuous, as of his honour, nor any of them both like to the lacke of his libertie, but that life is the dearest detriment of any other. We call this figure by the Greeke originall the _Auancer_ or figure of encrease because every word that is spoken is one of more weight then another. And as we lamented the crueltie of an inexorable and unfaithfull mistresse.

_If by the lawes of love it be a falt, The faithfull friend, in absence to forget: But if it be (once do thy heart but halt,) A secret sinne: what forfet is so great: As by despute in view of every eye, The solemne vowes oft sworne with teares so salt, As holy Leagues fast seald with hand and hart: For to repeale and breake so wilfully?

But now (alas) without all iust desart, My lot is for my troth and much goodwill, To reape disdaine, hatred and rude refuse, Or if ye would worke me some greater ill: And of myne earned ioyes to feele no part, What els is this (o cruell) but to vse, Thy murdring knife to guiltlesse bloud to spill._

Where ye see how she is charged first with a fault, then with a secret sinne, afterward with a foule forfet, last of all with a most cruel & bloudy deede. And thus againe in a certaine lovers complaint made to the like effect.

_They say it is a ruth to see thy lover neede, But you can see me weepe, but you can see me bleede: And neuer shrinke nor shame, ne shed no teare at all, You make my wounds your selfe, and fill them up with gall: Yea you can see me sound, and faint for want of breath, And gaspe and grone for life, and struggle still with death, What can you now do more, sweare by your maydenhead, The for to flea me quicke, or strip me being dead._

In these verses you see how one crueltie surmounts another by degrees till it come to very slaughter and beyond, for it is thought a despite done to a dead carkas to be an euidence of greater crueltie then to haue killed him.