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George Puttenham - The Arte of English Poesie

G >> George Puttenham >> The Arte of English Poesie




And we in our Enterlude called the woer, plaid with these two words,
lubber and louer, thus, the countrey clowne came & woed a young maide of
the Citie, and being agreeued to come so oft, and not to haue his answere,
said to the old nurse very impatiently.
[Sidenote: Woer.]
_Iche pray you good mother tell our young dame,
Whence I am come and what is my name,
I cannot come a woing euery day._

Quoth the nurse.
[Sidenote: Nurse.]
_They be lubbers not louers that so use to say._

Or as one replyed to his mistresse charging him with some disloyaltie
towards her.
_Proue me madame ere ye fall to reproue,
Meeke mindes should rather excuse than accuse._

Here the words proue and reproue, excuse and accuse, do pleasantly
encounter, and (as it were) mock one another by their much resemblance:
and this is by the figure _Prosonomatia_, as wel as if they were mens
proper names, alluding to each other.

[Sidenote _Traductio_, or the tranlacer.]
Then haue ye a figure which the Latines call _Traductio_, and I the
tranlacer: which is when ye turne and tranlace a word into many sundry
shapes as the Tailor doth his garment, & after that sort do play with him
in your dittie: as thus,
_Who liues in loue his life is full of feares,
To lose his loue, liuelode or libertie
But liuely sprites that young and recklesse be,
Thinke that there is no liuing like to theirs._

Or as one who much gloried in his owne wit, whom _Persius_ taxed in a
verse very pithily and pleasantly, thus.
_Scire tuum nihil est nisi te scire, hoc sciat alter._

Which I haue turned into English, not so briefly, but more at large of
purpose the better to declare the nature of the figure: as thus,
_Thou weenest thy wit nought worth if other weet it not
As wel as thou thy selfe, but a thing well I wot,
Who so in earnest weenes, he doth in mine aduise,
Shew himselfe witlesse, or more wittie than wise._

Here ye see how in the former rime this word life is tranlaced into liue,
liuing, liuely, liuelode: & in the latter rime this word wit is translated
into weete, weene, wotte, witlesse, witty & wise: which come all from one
originall.

[Sidenote: _Antipophora_, or Figure of responce.]
Ye haue a figuratiue speach which the Greeks cal _Antipophora_, I name him
the _Responce_, and is when we will seeme to aske a question to th'intent
we will aunswere it our selues, and is a figure of argument and also of
amplification. Of argument, because proponing such matter as our
aduersarie might obiect and then to answere it our selues, we do vnfurnish
and preuent him of such helpe as he would otherwise haue vsed for
himselfe: then because such obiection and answere spend much language it
serues as well to amplifie and enlarge our tale. Thus for example.
_Wylie worldling come tell me I thee pray,
Wherein hopest thou, that makes thee so to swell?
Riches? alack it taries not a day,
But where fortune the fickle list to dwell:
In thy children? how hardlie shalt thou finde,
Them all at once, good and thriftie and kinde:
Thy wife? o' faire but fraile mettall to trust,
Seruants? what theeues? what threachours and iniust?
Honour perchance? it restes in other men:
Glorie? a smoake: but wherein hopest thou then?
In Gods iustice? and by what merite tell?
In his mercy? o' now thou speakest wel,
But thy lewd life hath lost his loue and grace,
Daunting all hope to put dispaire in place._

We read that _Crates_ the Philosopher Cinicke in respect of the manifold
discommodities of mans life, held opinion that it was best for man neuer
to haue bene borne or soone after to dye, [_Optimum non nasci vel cito
mori_] of whom certaine verses are left written in Greeke which I haue
Englished, thus.
_What life is the liefest? the needy is full of woe and awe,
The wealthie full of brawle and brabbles of the law:
To be a married man? how much art thou beguild,
Seeking thy rest by carke, for houshold wife and child:
To till it is a toyle, to grase some honest gaine,
But such as gotten is with great hazard and paine:
The sayler of his shippe, the marchant of his ware,
The souldier in armes, how full of dread and care?
A shrewd wife brings thee bate, wiue not and neuer thriue,
Children a charge, childlesse the greatest lacke aliue:
Youth witlesse is and fraile, age sicklie and forlorne,
Then better to dye soone, or neuer to be borne._

_Metrodorus_ the Philosopher _Stoick_ was of a contrary opinion, reuersing
all the former suppositions against _Crates_, thus.
_What life list ye to lead? in good Citie and towne
Is wonne both wit and wealth, Court gets vs great renowne,
Countrey keepes vs in heale, and quietnesse of mynd,
Where holesome aires and exercise and pretie sports we find:
Traffick it turnes to gaine, by land and eke by seas,
The land-borned liues safe, the forriene at his ease:
Housholder hath his home, the roge romes with delight,
And makes moe merry meales, then dothe the Lordly wight:
Wed and thost hast a bed, of solace and of ioy,
Wed not and haue a bed, of rest without annoy:
The setled loue is safe, sweete is the loue at large,
Children they are a store, no children are no charge,
Lustie and gay is youth, old age honourd and wise:
Then not to dye or be unborne, is best in myne aduise._

_Edward_ Earle of Oxford a most noble & learned Gentleman made in this
figure of responce an emble of desire otherwise called _Cupide_ which for
his excellencie and wit, I set downe some part of the verses, for example.
_When wert thou borne desire?
In pompe and pryme of May,
By whome sweete boy wert thou begot?
By good conceit men say,
Tell me who was they nurse?
Fresh youth in sugred ioy.
What was thy meate and dayly foode?
Sad sighes with great annoy.
What hast thou then to drinke?
Vnfayned louers teares.
What cradle wert thou rocked in?
In hope deuoyde of feares._

[Sidenote: _Synteiosis_, or the Crosse copling.]
Ye haue another figure which me thinkes may well be called (not much
sweruing from his originall in sence) the _Crosse-couple_, because it
takes me two contrary words, and tieth them as it were in a paire of
couples, and so makes them agree like good fellowes, as I saw once in
Fraunce a wolfe coupled with a mastiffe, and a foxe with a hounde. Thus it
is.
_The niggards fault and the unthrifts is all one,
For neither of them both knoweth how to vse his owne._

Or thus.
_The couetous miser, of all his goods ill got,
Aswell wants that he hath, as that he hath not_.

In this figure of the _Crosse-couple_ we wrate for a forlorne louer
complaining of his mistresse crueltie these verses among other.
_Thus for your sake I daily dye,
And do but seeme to liue in deede:
Thus is my blisse but miserie,
My lucre losse without your meede._

[Sidenote: Atanaclasis, or the Rebounde.]
Ye haue another figure which by his nature we may call the _Rebound_,
alluding to the tennis ball which being smitten with the racket reboundes
backe againe, and where the last figure before played with two wordes
somewhat like, this playeth with one word written all alike but carrying
diuers sences as thus.
_The maide that soone married is, soone marred is._

Or thus better because _married_ & _marred_ be different in one letter.
_To pray for you euer I cannot refuse,
To pray vpon you I should you much abuse._

Or as we once sported vpon a countrey fellow who came to runne for the
best game, and was by his occupation a dyer and had very bigge swelling
legges.
_He is but course to runne a course,
Whose shankes are bigger then his thye:
Yet is his lucke a little worse,
That often dyes before he dye.

Where ye see this word _course_, and _dye_, vsed in diuers sences, one
giuing the _Rebounde_ vpon th'other.

[Sidenote: _Clymax_, or the Marching figure.]
Ye haue a figure which as well by his Greeke and Latine originals, & also
by allusion to the maner of a mans gate or going may be called the
_marching figure_, for after the first steppe all the rest proceeds by
double the space, and so in our speach one word proceedes double to the
first that was spoken, and goeth as it were by strides or paces: it may
aswell be called the _clyming_ figure, for _Clymax_ is as much to say as a
ladder, as in one of our Epitaphes shewing how a very meane man by his
wisedome and good forture came to great estate and dignitie.
_His vertue made him wise, his wisedome broght him wealth,
His wealth won many friends, his friends made much supply:
Of aides in weale and woe in sicknesse and in health,
Thus came he from a low, to sit in state so hye._

Or as _Ihean de Mehune_ the French Poet.
_Peace makes plentie, plentie makes pride,
Pride breeds quarrell, and quarrell brings warre:
Warre brings spoile, and spoile pouertie,
Pouertie pacience, and pacience peace.
So peace brings warre, and warre brings peace._

[Sidenote: _Antimetauole_, or the Counterchange]
Ye haue a figure which takes a couple of words to play with in a verse,
and by making them to chaunge and shift one into others place they do very
pretily exchange and shift the sence, as thus.
_We dwell not here to build us boures,
And halles for pleasure and good cheare:
But halles we build for us and ours,
To dwell in then whilst we are here._

Meaning that we dwell not here to build, but we build to dwel, as we liue
not to eate, but eate to liue, or thus.
_We wish not peace to maintaine cruell warre,
But we make warre to maintaine us in peace._

Or thus.
_If Poesie be, as some haue said,
A speaking picture to the eye:
Then is a picture not denaid,
To be a muet Poesie._

Or as the Philosopher _Musonius_ wrote.
_With pleasure if we worke vnhonestly and ill,
The pleasure passeth, the bad it bideth still.
Well if we worke with trauaile and with paines,
The paine passeth and still the good remaines._

A wittie fellow in Rome wrate vnder the Image of _Caesar_ the Dictator
these two verses in Latine, which because they are spoke by this figure of
_Counterchaunge_ I haue turned into a couple of English verses very well
keeping the grace of the figure.
_Brutus for casting out of kings, was first of Consuls past,
Caesar for casting Consuls out, is of our kings the last._

_Cato_ of any Senatour not onely the grauest but also the promptest and
wittiest in any ciuill scoffe, misliking greatly the engrossing of offices
in Rome that one should haue many at once, and a great number goe without
that were as able men, said thus by _Counterchaunge_.
_It seemes your offices are very litle worth,
Or very few of you worthy of offices._

Againe:
_In trifles earnest as any man can bee,
In earnest matters no such trifler as hee._

[Sidenote: _Insultatio_, or the Disdainefull.]
Yee haue another figure much like to the _Sarcasimus_, or bitter taunt wee
spake of before: and is when with proud and insolent words, we do vpbraid
a man, or ride him as we terme it: for which cause the Latines also call
it _Insultatio_, I chose to name him the _Reproachfull_ or _scorner_, as
when Queene _Dido_ saw, that for all her great loue and entertainements
bestowed vpon _AEneas_, he would needs depart and follow the _Oracle_ of
his destinies, she brake out in a great rage and said disdainefully.
_Hye thee, and by the wild waues and the wind,
Seeke Italie and Realmes for thee to raigne,
If piteous Gods haue power amidst the mayne,
On ragged rocks thy penaunce thou maist find._

Or as the poet _Iuuenall_ reproached the couetous Merchant, who for lucres
sake passed on no perill either by land or sea, thus:
_Goe now and giue thy life unto the winde,
Trusting unto a piece of bruckle wood,
Foure inches from thy death or seauen good
The thickest planke for shipboord that we finde._

[Sidenote: _Antitheton_, or the renconter]
Ye haue another figure very pleasnt and fit for amplification, which to
answer the Greeke terme, we may call the encounter, but following the
Latine name by reason of his contentious nature, we may call him the
Quarreller, for so be al such persons as delight in taking the contrary
part of whatsoeuer shalbe spoken: when I was scholler in Oxford they
called euery such one _Iohannes ad oppositum._
_Good haue I doone you, much, harme did I neuer none,
Ready to ioy your gaines, your losses to bemone,
Why therefore should you grutch so sore as my welfare:
Who onely bred your blisse, and neuer causd your care._

Or as it is in these two verses where one speaking of _Cupids_ bowe,
deciphered thereby the nature of sensual loue, whose beginning is more
pleasant than the end, thus allegorically and by _antitheton_.
_His bent is sweete, his loose is somewhat sowre,
In ioy begunne, ends oft in wofull bowre._

Maister _Diar_ in this quarelling figure.
_Nor loue hath now the force, on me which it ones had,
Your frownes can neither make me mourne, nor fauors make me glad._

_Socrates_ the Greek Oratour was a litle too full of this figure, & so was
the Spaniard that wrote the life of _Marcus Aurelius_ & many of our
moderne writers in vulgar, vse it in excesse & incurre the vice of fond
affectation: otherwise the figure is very commendable.

In this quarrelling figure we once plaid this merry Epigrame of an
importune and shrewd wife, thus:
_My neighbour hath a wife, not fit to make him thriue,
But good to kill a quicke man, or make a dead reuiue.
So shrewd she is for God, so cunning and so wise,
To counter with her goodman, and all by contraries.
For when he is merry, she lurcheth and she loures,
When he is sad she singes, or laughes it out by houres.
Bid her be still her tongue to talke shall neuer cease,
When she should speake and please, for spight she holds her peace,
Bid spare and she will spend, bid spend she spares as fast,
What first ye would haue done, be sure it shalbe last.
Say go, she comes, say come, she goes, and leaues him all alone,
Her husband (as I thinke) calles her ouerthwart Ione._

[Sidenote: _Erotema_, or the Questioner.]
There is a kinde of figuratiue speach when we aske many questions and
looke for none answere, speaking indeed by interrogation, which we might
as well say by affirmation. This figure I call the _Questioner_ or
inquisitiue, as when _Medea_ excusing her great crueltie vsed in the
murder of her owne children which she had by _Iason_, said:
_Was I able to make them I praie you tell,
And am I not able to marre them all aswell?_

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 embassadours 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 passion, whether it be
by way of exclamation or crying out, admiration or wondering, imprecation
or cursing, obtestation or taking God 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 passionatly 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 fashion, 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 quantitie, 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 God 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 noble 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 superstitious 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 gods, 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._

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