The second Chapter, declaring the vnaptnesse of Rime in Poesie.
I am not ignorant that whosoeuer shall by way of reprehension examine the imperfections of Rime, must encounter with many glorious enemies, and those very expert, and ready as their weapon, that can if neede be extempore (as they say) rime a man to death. Besides there is growne a kind of prescription in the vse of Rime, to forestall the right of true numbers, as also the consent of many nationd, against all which it may seeme a thing almost impossible, and vaine to contend. All this and more can not yet deterre me from a lawful defence of perfection, or make me any whit the sooner adheare to that which is lame and vnbeseeming. For custome I alleage, that ill vses are to be abolisht, and that things naturally imperfect can not be perfected by vse. Old customes, if they be better, why should they not be recald, as the yet flourishing outcome of numerous poesy vsed among the Romanes and Grecians : But the vnaptnes of our toongs, and the difficultie of imitation dishartens vs; againe the facilitie & popularitie of Rime creates as many Poets, as a hot sommer flies. But let me now examine the nature of that which we call Rime. By Rime is vnderstoode that which ends in the like sound, so that verses in such maner composed, yeeld but a continual repetition of that Rhetoricall figure which we tearme similiter desinentia, and that being but figura verbi, ought (as Tully and all other Rhetoricians haue iudicially obersru'd) sparingly to be vsd, least it should offend the care with tedious affectation. Such was that absurd following of the letter amongst our Enlish so much of late affected, but now hist out of Paules Churchyard: which foolish figuratiue repetition srept also into the Latin toong, as it is manifest in the book of Ps called prælia porcorum, and another pamphlet all of Fs, which I have seene imprinted; but I will leaue these follies to their owne ruine, and returne to the matter intended. The eare is a rationall sence, and a chiefe iudge of proportion, but in our kind of riming what proportion is there kept, where there remaines such a confusd inequalitie of sillables? Iambick and Trochaick feete which are opposd by nature, are by all Rimers confounded, nay oftentimes they place in stead of an Iambick the foote Pyrrychius, conssiting of two short sillables, curtalling their verse, which they supply in reading witha ridiculous, and vnapt drawing of their speech. As for example:
Was it my desteny, or dismall chance
In this verse the two last sillables of the word Desteny, being both short, and standing for a whole foote in the vers, cause the line to fall out shorter then it ought by nature. The like impure errors haue in time of rudenesse bene vsed in the Latine toong, as the Carmina prouerbiala can witnesse, and many other such reuerend bables. But the noble Grecians and Romaines whose skilfull monuments outliue barbarisme, tyed themselues to the strict obseruation of poeticall numbers, so abandoning the childish titillation of riming, that it was imputed a great error to Ouid for setting for this one riming verse,
Quot cœlum stellas tot habet tua Roma puellas.
For the establishing of this argument, what better argument can be had, then that of Sir Tomas Moore in his booke of Epigrams, where he makes two sundry Epitaphs vpon the death of a singing man at Westminster, the one in learned numbers and dislik't, the other in rude rime and highly extold: so that he concludes, tales lactucas talia labra petunt, like lips, like lettuce. But there is yet another fault in Rime altogether intollerable, which is, that it inforceth a man oftentimes to abiure his matter, and extend a short conceit beyond all bounds of arte: for in Quatorzens me thinks the Poet handles his bubiect as tyrannically as Procrustes the thiefe his prisoners, who when he had taken, he vsed to cast upon a be, which if they were too short to fill, he would stretch them longer, if too long, he would cut them shorter. Bring before me now any of the most selfe-lou'd Rimer, & let me see if without blushing he be able to reade his lame halting rimes. Is there not a curse of Nature laid vpon such rude Poesie, when the writer is himself asham'd of it, and the hearers in contempt call it Riming and Ballating? What Deuine in his Sermon, or graue Counseller in his Oration will alleage the testimonie of a rime? But the deuinity of the Romaines and the Gretians was all written in verse: and Aristotle, Galene, and the bookes of all the excellent Philosophers are full of the testimonies of the old Poets. By them was laid the foundation of all humane wisedome, and from them the knowledge of all antiquitie is deriued. I will propound but one question, and so conclude this point. If the Italians, Frenchmen and Spanyards, that with commendation haue written in Rime, were demaunded whether they had rather the bookes they haue publisht (if their toong would beare it) whould remain as they are in Rime, or be translated into the auncient numbers of the Greekes and Romaines, would they not answere into numbers? What honour were it then for our English language to be the first after so many yeares of barbarisme could second the perfection of the industrioes Greekes and Romaines? which how it may be effected I will now proceede to demonstrate.
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