George Puttenham - The Arte of English Poesie

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And as this resemblance is of one mans action to another, so may it be
made by examples of bruite beastes, aptly corresponding in qualitie or
euent, as one that wrote certaine prety verses of the Emperor _Maximinus_,
to warne him that he should not glory too much in his owne strength, for
so he did in very deede, and would not take any common souldier to taske
at wrastling, or weapon, or in any other actiuitie and feates of armes,
which was by the wiser sort mislliked, these were the verses.
The Elephant is strong, yet death doeth it subdue,
The bull is strong, yet cannot death eschue.
The Lion strong, and slaine for all his strength:
The Tygar strong, yet kilde is at the length.
Dread thou many, that dreadest not any one,
Many can kill, that cannot kill alone._

And so it fell out, for _Maximinus_ was slaine in a mutinie of his
souldiers, taking no warning by these examples written for his
admonition.

_CHAP. XX._

_The last and principall figure of our poeticall Ornament._

[Sidenote: _Exargasia_ or The Gorgious.]
For the glorious lustre it setteth vpon our speech and language, the
Greeks call it [_Exargasia_] the Latine [_Expolisio_] a terme transferred
from these polishers of marble or porphirite, who after it is rough hewen
& reduced to that fashion they will do set vpon it a goodly glasse, so
smoth and cleere as ye may see your face in it, or otherwise as it fareth
by the bare and naked body, which being attired in rich and gorgious
apparell, seemeth to the common vsage of th'eye much more comely &
bewtifull then the naturall. So doth this figure (which therefore I call
the _Gorgious_) polish our speech & as it were attire it with copious &
pleasant amplifications and much varietie of sentences all running vpon
one point & to one intent so as I doubt whether I may terme it a figure,
or rather a masse of many figurative speaches, applied to the bewtifying
of our tale or argument. In a worke of ours intituled _Philocalia_ we have
strained to shew the vse & application of this figure and all others
mentioned in this booke, to which we referre you. I finde none example in
English meetre, so well maintaining this figure as that dittie of her
Maiesties owne making passing sweete and harmonicall, which figure beyng
as his very originall name purporteth the most bewtifull and gorgious of
all others, it asketh in reason to be reserued for a last complement, and
desciphred by the arte of a Ladies penne, her selfe being the most
bewtifull, or rather bewtie of Queenes. And this was the occasion: our
soueraigne Lady perceiuing how by the Sc.Q. residence within this Realme
at so great libertie and ease (as were skarce meete for so great and
daungerous a prysoner) bred secret factions among her people, and made
many of the nobilitie incline to fauour her partie: some of them desirous
of innouation in the state: others aspiring to greater fortunes by her
libertie and life. The Queene our soueraigne Lady to declare that she was
nothing ignorant of those secret practizes, though she had long with great
wisdome and pacience dissembled it, writeth this ditty most sweet and
sententious, not hiding from all such aspiring minds the daunger of their
ambition and disloyaltie: which afterward fell out most truly by
th'exemplary chastisement of sundry persons, who in fauour of the said
Sc.Q. declining from her Maiestie, sought to interrupt the quiet of the
Realme by many euill and vndutifull practizes. The ditty is as followeth.
_The doubt of future foes, exiles my present ioy,
And wit me warnes to shun such snares as threaten mine annoy.
For falshood now doth flow, and subiect faith doth ebbe,
Which would not be, if reason rul'd or widsome wev'd the webbe.
But clowdes of tois vntried, do cloake aspiring mindes,
Which turne to raigne of late repent, by course of changed windes.
The toppe of hope supposed, the roote of ruth wil be,
And frutelesse all their grassed guiles, as shortly ye shall see.
The dazeld eyes with pride, which great ambition blinds,
Shalbe vnseeld by worthy wights, whose foresight falshood finds.
The daughter of debate, that eke discord doth sowe
Shal reap no gaine where formor rule hath taught stil peace to growe.
No forreine bannisht wight shall ancre in this port,
Our realme it brookes no strangers force, let them elsewhere resort.
Our rusty sworde with rest shall first his edge employ,
To polle their toppes that seeke, such change and gape for ioy._

In a worke of ours entituled [_Philo Calia_] where we entreat of the loues
betwene prince _Philo_ and Lady _Calia_ in their mutual letters messages,
and speeches: we have strained our muse to shew the vse and application of
this figure, and of all others.

_CHAP. XXI._

_Of the vices or deformities in speach and writing principally noted by
auncient Poets._

It hath bene said before how by ignorance of the maker a good figure may
become a vice, and by his good discretion, a vicious speach go for a
vertue in the Poeticall science. This saying is to be explaned and
qualified, for some maner of speaches are always intollerable and such as
cannot be vsed with any decencie, but are euer vndecent namely
barbarousnesse, incongruitie, ill disposition, fond affectation,
rusticitie, and all extreme darknesse, such as it is not possible for a
man to vnderstand the matter without an interpretour, all which partes are
generally to be banished out of euery language, vnlesse it may appeare
that the maker or Poet do it for the nonce, as it was reported by the
Philosopher _Heraclitus_ that he wrote in obscure and darke termes of
purpose not to be vnderstood, whence he merited the nickname _Scotinus_,
otherwise I see not but the rest of the common faultes may be borne with
sometimes, or passe without any greate reproofe, not being vsed ouermuch
or out of season as I said before: so as euery surplusage or preposterous
placing or vndue iteration or darke word, or doubtfull speach are not so
narrowly to be looked vpon in a large poeme, nor specially in the pretie
Poesies and deuises of Ladies, and Gentlewomen makers, whom we would not
haue too precise Poets least with their shrewd wits, when they were maried
they might become a little too phantasticall wiues, neuerthelesse because
we seem to promise an arte, which doth not iustly admit any wilful errour
in the teacher, and to th'end we may not be carped at by these methodicall
men, that we haue omitted any necessary point in this businesse to be
regarded, I will speake somewhat touching these viciosities of language
particularly and briefly, leauing no little to the Grammarians for
maintenaunce of the scholasticall warre, and altercations: we for our part
condescending in this deuise of ours, to the appetite of Princely
personages & other so tender & quesie complexions in Court, as are annoyed
with nothing more then long lessons and ouermuch good order.

_CHAP. XXII._

_Some vices in speaches and writing are alwayes intollerable, some others
now and then borne withall by licence of approued authors and custome._

[Sidenote: _Barbarismus_, or Forrein speech.]
The foulest vice in language is to speake barbarously: this terme grew by
the great pride of the Greekes and Latines, when they were dominatours of
the world reckoning no language so sweete and ciuill as their owne, and
that all nations beside them selues were rude and vnciuill, which they
called barbarous: So as when any straunge word not of the naturall Greeke
or Latin was spoken, in the old time they called it _barbarisme_, or when
any of their owne naturall wordes were sounded and pronounced with
straunge and ill shapen accents, or written by wrong ortographie, as he
that would say with vs in England, a dousand for a thousand, asterday, for
yesterday, as commonly the Dutch and French people do, they said it was
barbarously spoken. The Italian at this day by like arrogance calleth the
Frenchman, Spaniard, Dutch, English, and all other breed behither their
mountaines _Appennines_, _Tramontani_, as who would say Barbarous. This
terme being then so vsed by the auncient Greekes, there haue bene since,
notwithstanding who haue digged for the Etimologie somethat deeper, and
many of them haue said that is was spoken by the rude and barking language
of the Affricans now called Barbarians, who had great trafficke with the
Greekes and Romanes, but that can not be so, for that part or Affricke
hath but of late receiued the name of Burbarie and some others rather
thinke that of this word Barbarous, that countrey came to be called
_Barbaria_ and but few yeares in respect agone. Others among whom is _Ihan
Leon_ a Moore of _Granada_, will seeme to deriue _Barbaria_, from this
word _Bar_, twice iterated thus _Barbar_, as much to say as flye, flye,
which chaunced in a persecution of the Arabians by some seditious
Mahometanes in the time of their Pontif, _Habdul mumi_, when they were had
in the chase, & driuen out of Arabia Westward into the countreys of
_Mauritania_, & during the pursuite cried one vpon another flye away, flye
away, or passe passe, by which occasion they say, when the Arabians which
were had in chase came to stay and settle themselues in that part of
Affrica, they called it _Barbar_, as much to say, the region of their
flight or pursuite. Thus much for the terme, though not greatly pertinent
to the matter, yet not vnpleasant to know for them that delight in such
niceties.

[Sidenote: _Solecismus_, or Incongruitie.]
Your next intollerable vice is _solecismus_ or incongruitie, as when we
speake halfe English, that is by misusing the _Grammaticall_ rules to be
obserued in cases, genders, tenses, and such like, euery poore scholler
knowes the fault, & cals it the breaking of _Priscians_ head, for he was
among the Latines a principall Grammarian.

[Sidenote: Cacozelia, or Fonde affectation.]
Ye haue another intollerable ill maner of speach, which by the Greekes
originall we may call _fonde affectation_ and is when we affect new words
and phrases other then the good speakers and writers in any language, or
then custome hath allowed, & is the common fault of young schollers not
halfe well studied before they come from the Vniuersitie or schooles, and
when they come to their friends, or happen to get some benefice or other
promotion in their countreys, will seeme to coigne fine wordes out of the
Latin, and to vse new fangled speaches, thereby to shew thenselues among
the ignorant the better learned.

[Sidenote: Soraismus, or The mingle mangle.]
Another of your intollerable vices is that which the Greekes call
_Soraismus_, & we may call the [_mingle mangle_] as when we make our
speach or writinges of sundry languages vsing some Italian word, or
French, or Spanish, or Dutch, or Scottish, not for the nonce or for any
purpose (which were in part excusable) but ignorantly and affectedly as
one that said vsing this French word _Roy_, to make ryme with another
verse, thus.
_O mightie Lord of loue, dame Venus onely ioy,
Whose Princely power exceedes ech other heauenly roy._

The verse is good but the terme peeuishly affected.

Another of reasonable good facilitie in translation finding certaine of
the hymnes of _Pyndarus_ and of _Anacreons odes_, and other _Lirickes_
among the Greekes very well translated by _Rounsard_ the French Poet, &
applied to the honour of a great Prince in France, comes our minion and
translates the same out of French into English, and applieth them to the
honour of a great noble man in England (wherein I commend his reuerent
minde and duetie) but doth so impudently robbe the French Poet both of his
prayse and also of his French termes, that I cannot so much pitie him as
be angry with him for his inurious dealing, our sayd maker not being
ashamed to vfe these French wordes _freddon, egar, superbous, filanding,
celest, calabrois, thebanois_ and a number of others, for English wordes,
which haue no maner of conformitie with our language either by custome or
deriuation which may make them tollerable. And in the end (which is worst
of all) makes his vaunt that neuer English finger but his hath toucht
_Pindars_ string which was neuerthelesse word by word as _Rounsard_ had
said before by like braggery. These be his verses.
_And of an ingenious inuention infanted with pleasant trauaile._

Whereas the French word is _enfante_ as much to say borne as a
child, in another verse he saith.
_I will freddon in thine honour._

For I will shake or quiuer my fingers, for so in French is _freddon_,
and in another verse.
_But if I will thus like pindar,
In many discourses egar._

This word _egar_ is as much to say as to wander or stray out of the way,
which in our English is not receiued, nor these wordes _calabrois,
thebanois_, but rather _calabrian, theba_ [_filanding sisters_] for the
spinning sisters: this man deserues to be endited of pety _larceny_ for
pilfring other mens deuices from them & conuerting them to his owne vfe
for in deede as I would with euery inuentour which is the very Poet to
receaue the prayses of his inuention, so would I not haue a translatour be
ashamed to be acknowen of this translation.

[Sidenote: _Cacosintheton_, or the Misplacer.]
Another of your intollerable vices is ill disposiiton or placing of your
words in a clause or sentence: as when you will place your adiectiue after
your substantiue, thus: _Mayde faire, widow riche, priest holy_, and such
like, which though the Latines did admit, yet our English did not, as one
that said ridiculously.
_In my yeares lustie, many a deed doughtie did I._

All these remembred faults be intollerable and euer vndecent.

[Sidenote: _Cacemphaton_, or figure of foule speech.]
Now haue ye other vicious manners of speech, but sometimes and in some
cases tollerable, and chiefly to the intent to mooue laughter, and to make
sport, or to giue it some prety strange grace, and is when we vse such
wordes as may be drawen to a foule and vnshamefast sence, as one that
would say to a young woman, _I pray you let me iape with you_, which
indeed is no more but let me sport with you. Yea and though it were not
altogether so directly spoken the very sounding of the word were not
commendable, as he that in the presence of Ladies would vse this common
Prouerbe,
_Iape with me but hurt me not,
Bourde with me but shame me not._

For it may be taken in another peruerser sence by that sorte of persons
that heare it, in whose eares no such matter ought almost to be called in
memory, this vice is called by the Greekes _Cacemphaton_, we call it the
vnshamefast or figure of foule speech, which our courtly maker shall in
any case shunne, least of a Poet he become a Buffon or rayling companion,
the Latines called him _Scurra_. There is also another sort of ilfauoured
speech subiect to this vice, but resting more in the manner of the
ilshapen sound and accent, than for the matter it selfe, which may easily
be auoyded in choosing your wordes those that bee of the pleasantest
orthography, and not to rune too many like sounding words together.

[Sidenote: _Tautologia_, or the figure of selfe saying.]
Ye haue another manner of composing your metre nothing commendable,
specially if it be too much vsed, and is when our maker takes too much
delight to fill his verse with wordes beginning all with a letter, as an
English rimer that said:
_The deadly droppes of darke disdaine,
Do daily drench my due desartes._

And as the Monke we spake of before, wrote a whole Poeme to the honor of
_Carolus Caluus_ euery word in his verse beginning with C, thus:
_Carmina clarifone Caluis cantate camena._

Many of our English makers vse it too much, yet we confesse it doth not
ill but pretily becomes the meetre, if ye passe not two or three words in
one verse, and vse it not very much, as he that said by way of _Epithete._
_The smoakie sighes: the trickling teares._

And such like, for such composition makes the meetre runne away smoother,
and passeth from the lippes with more facilitie by iteration of a letter
then by alteration, which alteration of a letter requires an exchange of
ministery and office in the lippes, teeth or palate, and so doth not the
iteration.

[Sidenote: _Histeron, proteron_, or the Preposterous.]
Your misplacing and preposterous placing is not all one in behauiour of
language, for the misplacing is alwaies intollerable, but the preposterous
is a pardonable fault, and many times giues a pretie grace vnto the
speech. We call it by a common saying to _set the carte before the horse_,
and it may be done eyther by a single word or by a clause of speech: by a
single word thus:
_And if I not performe, God let me neuer thriue._

For performe not: and this vice is sometime tollerable inough, but if the
word carry any notable sence, it is a vice not tollerable, as he that said
praising a woman for her red lippes, thus:
_A corrall lippe of hew._

Which is no good speech, because either he should haue sayd no more but a
corrall lip, which had bene inough to declare the rednesse or els he
should haue said a lip of corrall hew, and not a corrall lip of hew. Now
if this disorder be in a whole clause which carieth more sentence then a
word, it is then worst of all.

[Sidenote: _Acyron_, or the Vncouthe.]
Ye haue another vicious speech which the Greeks call _Acyron_, we call it
the _vncouthe_, and is when we vse an obscure and darke word, and vtterly
repugnant to that we would expresse, if it be not by vertue of the figures
_metaphore, allegorie, abusion_, or such other laudable figure before
remembred, as he that said by way of _Epithete_.
_A dongeon deep, a dampe as darke as hell._

Where it is euident that a dampe being but a breath or vapour, and not to
be discerned by the eye, ought not to haue this _epithete (darke,)_ no
more then another that praysing his mistresse for her bewtifull haire,
said very improperly and with an vncouth terme.
_Her haire surmounts Apollos pride,
In it such bewty raignes._

Whereas this word _raigne_ is ill applied to the bewtie of a womans haire,
and might better haue bene spoken of her whole person, in which bewtie,
fauour, and good grace, may perhaps in some sort be said to raigne as our
selues wrate, in a _Partheniade_ praising her Maiesties countenance, thus:
_A cheare where loue and Maiestie do raigne,
Both milde and sterne, &c._

Because this word Maiestie is a word expressing a certaine Soueraigne
dignitie, as well as a quallitie of countenance, and therefore may
properly be said to _raigne_, & requires no meaner a word to set him
foorth by. So it is not of the bewtie that remaines in a womans haire, or
in her hand or any other member: therfore when ye see all these unproper
or harde Epithets vsed, ye may put them in the number of [_uncouths_] as
one that said, the _flouds of graces_: I haue heard of _the flouds of
teares_, and _the flouds of eloquence_, or of any thing that may resemble
the nature of a water-course, and in that respect we say also, _the
streames of teares_, and _the streames of utterance_, but not _the
streames of graces_, or of _beautie_. Such manner of vncouth speech did
the Tanner of Tamworth vse to king _Edward_ the fourth, which Tanner
hauing a great while mistaken him, and vsed very broad talke with him, at
length perceiuing by his traine that it was the king, was afraide he
should be punished for it, said thus with a certaine rude repentance.
_I hope I shall be hanged tomorrow._

For _[I fear me] I shall be hanged_, whereat the king laughed a good, not
only to see the Tanners vaine feare, but also to heare his ill shapen
terme, and gaue him for recompence of his good sport, the inheritance of
Plumton parke, I am afraid the Poets of our time that speake more finely
and correctedly will come too short of such a reward.

[Sidenote: The vice of Surplusage.]
Also the Poet or makers speech becomes vicious and vnpleasant by nothing
more than by vsing too much surplusage: and this both not only in a word
or two more than ordinary, but in whole clauses, and peraduenture large
sentences impertinently spoken, or with more labour and curiositie than is
requisite.

[Sidenote: _Pleonasmus_, or Too ful speech.]
The first surplusage the Greekes call _Pleonasmus_, I call him [_too much
speech_] and is no great fault, as if one should say, _I heard it with
mine eares, and saw it with mine eyes_, as if a man could heare with his
heeles, or see with his nose. We our selues vsed this superfluous speech
in a verse written of our mistresse, neuertheles, not much to be misliked,
for euen a vice sometime being seasonably vsed, hath a pretie grace,
_For euer may my true loue liue and neuer die
And that mine eyes may see her crownde a Queene._

As, if she liued euer, she could euer die, or that one might see her
crowned without his eyes.

[Sidenote: _Macrologia_, or Long language.]
Another part of surplusage is called _Macrologia_, or long language, when
we vse large clauses or sentences more than is requisite to the matter: it
is also named by the Greeks _Perissologia_, as he that said, the
Ambassadours after they had receiued this answere at the kings hands, they
tooke their leaue and returned home into their countrey from whence they
came.

So said another of our rimers, meaning to shew the great annoy and
difficultie of those warres of Troy, caused for _Helenas_ sake.
_Nor Menelaus was vnwise,
Or troupe of Troians mad,
When he with them and they with him,
For her such combat had._

The clauses (_he with them and they with him_) are surpluage, and one of
them very impertinent, because it could not otherwise be intended, but
that _Menelaus_, fighting with the Troians, the Troians must of necessitie
fight with him.

[Sidenote: _Periergia_, or Ouerlabor, otherwise called the curious.]
Another point of surplusage lieth not so much in superfluitie of your
words, as of your trauaile to describe the matter which yee take in hand,
and that ye ouer-labour your selfe in your businesse. And therefore the
Greekes call it _Periergia_, we call it ouer-labor, iumpe with the
originall: or rather [_the curious_] for his ouermuch curiositie and
studie to shew himselfe fine in a light matter, as one of our late makers,
who in most of his things wrote very well, in this (to mine opinion) more
curiously than needed, the matter being ripely considered: yet is his
verse very good, and his meetre cleanly. His intent was to declare how
vpon the tenth day of March he crossed the riuer of Thames, to walke in
Saint _Georges_ field, the matter was not as great as ye may suppose.
_The tenth of March when Aries receiued
Dan Phoebus raies into his horned head,
And I my selfe by learned lore perceiued
That Ver approcht and frosty winter fled
I crost the Thames to take the cheerefull aire,
In open fields, the weather was so faire._

First, the whole matter is not worth all this solemne circumstance to
describe the tenth day of March, but if he had left at the two first
verses it had bene inough. But when he comes with two other verses to
enlarge his description, it is not only more than needes, but also very
ridiculous for he makes wise, as if he had not bene a man learned in some
of the mathematickes (by learned lore) that he could not haue told that
the x. of March had fallen in the spring of the yeare: which euery carter,
and also euery child knoweth without any learning. Then also when he saith
[_Ver approcht, and frosty winter fled_] though it were a surplusage
(because one season must needes geue place to the other) yet doeth it well
inough passe without blame in the maker. These, and a hundred more of such
faultie and impertinent speeches may yee finde amongst vs vulgar Poets
when we be carelesse of our doings.

[Sidenote: _Tapinosis_, or the Abbaser.]
It is no small fault in a maker to vse such wordes and termes as do
diminish and abbase the matter he would seeme to set forth, by imparing
the dignitie, height vigour or maiestie of the cause he takes in hand, as
one that would say king _Philip_ shrewdly harmed the towne of
_S. Quinaines_, when in deede he wanne it and put it to the sacke, and
that king _Henry_ the eight made spoiles in _Turwin_, when as in deede he
did more than spoile it, for he caused it to be defaced and razed flat to
the earth, and made in inhabitable. Therefore the historiographer that
should by such wordes report of these two kings gestes in that behalfe,
should greatly blemish the honour of their doings and almost speake
untruly and iniuriously by way of abbasement, as another of our bad rymers
that very indecently said.
_A misers mynde thou hast, thou hast a Princes pelfe._

A lewd terme to be giuen to a Princes treasure (_pelfe_) and was a little
more manerly spoken by _Seriant Bendlowes_, when in a progresse time
comming to salute the Queene in Huntingtonshire he said to her Cochman,
stay thy cart good fellow, stay thy cart, that I may speake to the Queene,
whereat her Maiestie laughed as she had bene tickled, and all the rest of
the company although very graciously (as her manner is) she gaue him great
thanks and her hand to kisse. These and such other base wordes do greatly
disgrace the thing & the speaker or writer: the Greekes call it
[_Tapinosis_] we the [_abbaser._]

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