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not of the Poetry; fo, indeed, the chief fault was in the time and cuftom of the Greeks, who fet thofe toys at fo high a price, that Philip of Macedon reckoned a horfe race won at Olympus, among his three fearful felicities. But as the inimitable Pindar often did, fo is that kind most capable, and moft fit, to awake the thoughts from the fleep of idleness, to embrace honourable enterprizes.

There refts the Heroical, whofe very name, I think, thould daunt all back-biters. For by what conceit cap a tongue be directed to speak evil of that

champions draweth with him no lefs

champions than Achilles, Cyrus, Æneas, Turnus, Tydaus, Rinaldo? Who doth not only teach and move to truth, but teacheth and moveth to the moft bigh and excellent truth? Who maketh magnanimity and juftice fhine through all mifty fearfulnefs and foggy defires? Who, if the faying of Plato and Tully be true, That who could fee virtue, would be wonderfully ravished with the love of her beauty; This man fetteth her out, to make her more lovely, in her holiday apparel, to the eye of any that would deign not to disdain, until they understand. But if any thing be already faid in the defence of sweet Poetry, all concurreth to the maintaining the Heroical, which is not only a kind, but the beft and moft accomplished kind of Poetry. For, as the image of each action stirreth and inflructeth

the

Image of war hres & how to be 1 hebdic

the mind, fo the lofty image of fuch worthies, moft inflameth the mind with defire to be worthy, and informs with counsel how to be worthy. Only let Æneas be worn in the tablet of your memory; how he governeth himself in the ruin of his country; in the preserving his old father, and carrying away his religious ceremonies; in obeying God's commandments, to leave Dido, though not only all paffionate kindness, but even the human confideration of virtuous gratefulness, would have craved other of him; How in ftorms; how in fports; how in war; how in peace; how a fugitive; how victorious; how befieged; how befieging; how to ftrangers; how to allies; how to enemies; how to his own; laftly, how in his inward felf; and how in his outward government; and I think, in a mind moft prejudiced with a prejndicating humour, he will be found in excellency fruitful. Yea, as Horace faith, melius, Chryfippo, & Crantore: But, truly, I imagine it falleth out with thefe Poet-whippers, as with fome good women, who often are fick, but, in faith, they cannot tell where. So the name of Poetry is odious to them, but neither his caufe nor effects, neither the fum that contains him, nor the particularities defcending from him, give any faft handle to their carping difpraife.

Since, then, Poetry is of all human learning the most antient, and of moft fatherly antiquity,

as

pro

as from whence other learnings have taken their beginnings; Since it is fo univerfal, that no learned nation doth despise it, nor barbarous nation is without it; Since both Roman and Greek gave fuch divine names unto it, the one of phefying, the other of making, and that, indeed, that name of making is fit for him, confidering, that where all other arts retain themselves within their fubject, and receive, as it were, their being from it, the Poet only bringeth his own ftuff, and doth not learn a conceit out of the matter, but maketh matter for a conceit; Since neither his defcription, nor end, containing any evil, the thing defcribed cannot be evil; Since his effects be fo good as to teach goodnefs, and delight the learners of it; Since therein (namely, in moral doctrine, the chief of all knowledges) he doth not only far pass the Hif torian, but, for inftructing, is well nigh comparable to the Philofopher; for moving, leaveth him behind him; Since the holy Scripture (wherein there is no uncleannefs) hath whole. parts in it poetical, and that even our Saviour Chrift vouchfafed to use the flowers of it; Since all his kinds are not only in their united forms, but in their fevered diffections fully commendable; I think (and think I think rightly) the laurel crown appointed for triumphant captains, doth worthily, of all other learnings, honour the Poet's triumph.

But because we have ears as well as tongues, and that the lighteft reafons that may be, will feem to weigh greatly, if nothing be put in the counter-balance, let us hear, and, as well as we can, ponder what objections be made against this art, which may be worthy either of yielding or anfwering. debate

:

First, truly, I note, not only in thefe μwoμsoo Poet-haters, but in all that kind of people who seek a praise by difpraifing others, that they do prodigally spend a great niany wandering words in quips and fcoffs, carping and taunting at each thing, which, by ftirring the spleen, may ftay the brain from a thorough beholding the worthiness of the fubject. Thofe kind of objections, as they are full of a very idle eafiness, (fince there is nothing of fo facred a majefty, but that an itching tongue may rub itself upon

fo deferve they no other anfwer, but, inftead of laughing at the jeft, to laugh at the jefter. We know a playing wit can praise the difcretion of an ass, the comfortableness of being in debt, and the jolly commodities of being fick of the plague: So, of the contrary fide, if we will turn Ovid's verfe,

Ut lateat virtus proximitate mali,

That good lies hid in nearness of the evil, Agrippa will be as merry in the fhewing the vanity of fcience, as Erafmus was in the commending of

folly :

folly neither fhall MAN or MATTER escape fome touch of thefe fmiling railers. But for Erafmus and Agrippa, they had another foundation than the superficial part would promise. Marry, these other pleasant fault-finders, who will correct the Verb before they understand the Noun, and confute others knowledge, before they confirm their own; I would have them only remember, That fcoffing cometh not of wisdom; fo as the best title in true English they get with their merriments, is to be called good fools; for fo have our fore-fathers ever termed that humourous kind of jesters.

But that which giveth greatest scope to their fcorning humour, is rhyming and verfing. It is already said (and, as I think, truly faid) It is not rhyming and verfing that maketh Poefy: one may be a Poet without verfing, and a Verfifier without Poetry. But yet, presuppose it were infeparable, as, indeed, it feemeth Scaliger judgeth truly, it were an infeparable commendation: For if Oratio next to Ratio, Speech next to Reason, be the greatest gift bestowed upon mortality, that cannot be praiseless, which doth most polish that bleffing of speech; which confidereth each word, not only, as a man may say, by his forcible quality, but by his beft meafured quantity; carrying even in themselves ä harmony; without, perchance, number, measure, order, proportion, be in our time grown odious.