Moodes, and Tenses, which I thinke was a peece of the Tower of Babilons curse, that a man should be put to schoole to learne his mother-tongue. But for the uttering sweetly and properly the conceits of the minde, which is the end of speech, that hath it equally with any other tongue in the world: and is particulerly happy in compositions of two or three words together, neere the Greeke, far beyond the Latine: which is one of the greatest beauties can be in a language. Now, of versifying there are two sorts, the one Auncient, the other Moderne: the Auncient marked the quantitie of each silable, and according to that framed his verse: the Moderne, observing onely number, (with some regarde of the accent,) the chiefe life of it standeth in that lyke sounding of the words, which wee call Ryme. Whether of these be the most excellent, would beare many speeches. The Auncient, (no doubt) more fit for Musick, both words and tune observing quantity, and more fit lively to expresse divers passions by the low and lofty sounde of the wellweyed silable. The latter likewise, with hys Ryme, striketh a certaine musick to the eare: and in fine, sith it dooth delight, though by another way, it obtaines the same purpose: there beeing in eyther sweetnes, and wanting in neither majestie. Truely the English, before any other vulgar language I know, is fit for both sorts for, for the Ancient, the Italian is so full of Vowels that it must ever be cumbred with Elisions. The Dutch, so of the other side with Consonants, that they cannot yeeld the sweet slyding fit for a Verse. The French, in his whole language, hath not one word that hath his accent in the last silable saving two, called Antepenultima, and little more hath the Spanish: and therefore very gracelesly may they use Dactiles. The English is subject to none of these defects. Nowe, for the ryme, though wee doe not observe quantitie, yet wee observe the accent very precisely which other languages eyther cannot doe, or will not doe so absolutely. That Casura, or breathing place in the middest of the verse, neither Italian nor Spanish have, the French, and we, never almost fayle of. Lastly, even the very ryme it selfe, the Italian cannot put in the last silable, by the French named the Masculine ryme, but still in the next to the last, which the French call the Female; or the next before that, which the Italians terme Sdrucciola.31 The example of the former is Buono, Suono, of the Sdrucciola, Femina, Semina. The French, of the other side, hath both the Male, as Bon, Son, and the Female, as Plaise, Taise. But the Sdrucciola, hee hath not where the English hath all three, as Due, True, Father, Rather, Motion, Potion;32 with much more which might be sayd, but that I finde already the triflingnes of this discourse is much too much enlarged. So that sith the ever-praise-worthy Poesie is full of vertue-breeding delightfulnes, and voyde of no gyfte that ought to be in the noble name of learning: sith the blames laid against it are either false, or feeble: sith the cause why it is not esteemed in Englande, is the fault of Poet-apes, not Poets: sith lastly, our tongue is most fit to honor Poesie, and to bee honored by Poesie, I conjure you all, that have had the evill-lucke to reade this incke-wasting toy of mine, even in the name of the nyne Muses, no more to scorn the sacred misteries of Poesie: no more to laugh at the name of Poets, as though they were next inheritours to Fooles: no more to jest at the reverent title of a Rymer: but to beleeve with Aristotle, that they were the auncient Treasurers of the Græcians Divinity. To beleeve with Bembus, that they were first bringers in of all civilitie. Το beleeve with Scaliger, that no Philosophers precepts can sooner make you an honest man, then the reading of Virgill. To beleeve with Clauserus, the Translator of Cornutus, that it pleased the heavenly Deitie, by Hesiod and Homer, under the vayle of fables, to give us all knowledge, Logick, Rethorick, Philosophy, naturall, and morall; and Quid non? To beleeve with me, that there are many misteries contained in Poetrie, which of purpose were written darkely, least by prophane wits it should bee abused. To beleeve with Landin, that they are so beloved of the Gods that 31 gliding. 32 Pronounced as trisyllables, as in Shakspere. 33 What not? whatsoever they write proceeds of a divine fury. Lastly, to beleeve themselves, when they tell you they will make you immortall by their verses. Thus doing, your name shall flourish in the Printers shoppes; thus doing, you shall bee of kinne to many a poeticall Preface; thus doing, you shall bee most fayre, most ritch, most wise, most all, you shall dwell upon Superlatives. Thus dooing, though you be Libertino patre natus, you shall suddenly grow Hercules [Herculis ?] proles: 35 34 Si quid mea carmina possunt. 36 Thus doing, your soule shal be placed with Dantes Beatrix, or Virgils Anchises. But if, (fie of such a but) you be borne so neere the dull making Cataphract of Nilus, that you cannot heare the Plannet-like Musick of Poetrie, if you have so earth-creeping a mind, that it cannot lift it selfe up to looke to the sky of Poetry : or rather, by a certaine rusticall disdaine, will become such a Mome, as to be a Momus of Poetry: then, though I will not wish unto you the Asses eares of Midas, nor to bee driven by a Poets verses, (as Bubonax was) to hang himselfe, nor to be rimed to death, as is said to be doone in Ireland: yet thus much curse I must send you, in the behalfe of all Poets, that while you live, you live in love, and never get favour, for lacking skill of a Sonnet: and when you die, your memory die from the earth, for want of an Epitaph. 34 Born of a freedman father. 36 If my songs avail. 37 a dull, stupid person. III. RICHARD HOOKER. (1553-4-1600.) OF THE LAWS OF ECCLESIASTICAL POLITY. (BOOK I.) How reason doth lead men of human laws [Written about 1590.] X. That which hitherto we have set down is (I hope) sufficient to shew their brutishness, which imagine that religion and virtue are only as men will account of them; unto the making that we might make as much account, if we would, whereby politic of the contrary, without any harm unto ourselves, societies are gov- and that in nature they are as indifferent one as the We see then how nature itself teacheth laws laws whereby the and statutes to live by. hitherto mentioned do erned; and to agreement about fellowship or communion of cieties standeth. other. The laws which have been bind men absolutely even as independent so- they are men, although they have never any settled fellowship, never any solemn agreement amongst themselves what to do or not to do. But forasmuch as we are not by ourselves sufficient to furnish ourselves with competent store of things needful for such a life as our nature doth desire, a life fit for the dignity of man; therefore to supply those defects and imperfections which are in us living single and solely by ourselves, we are naturally induced to seek communion and fellowship with others. This was the cause of men's uniting themselves at the first in politic1 societies; which societies could not be without government, nor government without a distinct kind of law from that which hath been already declared. Two foundations there 1 political. are which bear up public societies; the one, a natural inclination, whereby all men desire sociable life and fellowship; the other, an order expressly or secretly agreed upon touching the manner of their union in living together. The latter is that which we call the law of a commonweal, the very soul of a politic body, the parts whereof are by law animated, held together, and set on work in such actions as the common good requireth. Laws politic, ordained for external order and regiment 2 amongst men, are never framed as they should be, unless presuming the will of man to be inwardly obstinate, rebellious, and averse from all obedience unto the sacred laws of his nature; in a word, unless presuming man to be in regard of his depraved mind little better than a wild beast, they do accordingly provide notwithstanding so to frame his outward actions, that they be no hindrance unto the common good for which societies are instituted unless they do this, they are not perfect. It resteth therefore that we consider how nature findeth out such laws of government as serve to direct even nature depraved to a right end. [2] All men desire to lead in this world a happy life. That life is led most happily, wherein all virtue is exercised without impediment or let. The Apostle, in exhorting men to contentment although they have in this world no more than very bare food and raiment, giveth us thereby to understand that those are even the lowest of things necessary; that if we should be stripped of all those things without which we might possibly be, yet these must be left; that destitution in these is such an impediment, as till it be removed suffereth not the mind of man to admit any other care. For this cause, first God assigned Adam maintenance of life, and then appointed him a law to observe. For this cause, after men began to grow to a number, the first thing we read they gave themselves unto was the tilling of the earth and the feeding of cattle. Having by this mean whereon to live, the principal actions of their life afterward are noted by the exercise of their |