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a defence of poesie and poems-第5章

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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
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