are rather execrable than ridiculous; or in miferable, which are rather to be pitied, than fcorned. For what is it to make folks gape at a wretched beggar, and a beggarly clown: or, against the law of hofpitality, to jeft at ftrangers, because they speak not English so well as we do? What do we learn, fince it is certain,

Nil habet infelix paupertas durius in fe,
Quam quod ridiculos homines facit ?

But rather a bufy loving courtier, and a heartlefs threatning Thrafo; a felf wife feeming fchool-mafter; a wry-transformed traveller: thefe, if we faw walk in ftage names, which we play naturally, therein were delightful laughter, and teaching delightfulness; as in the other, the tragedies of Buchanan do juftly bring forth a divine admiration.

But I have lavished out too many words on this play-matter; I do it, because, as they are excelling parts of Poefy, fo is there none fo much used in England, and none can be more pitifully abused; which, like an unmannerly daughter, fhewing a bad education, caufeth her, mother Poefy's honefty to be called in queftion.

Other fort of Poetry, almoft, have we none, but that Lyrical kind of fongs and fonnets, which, if the Lord gave us fo good minds, how well it might be employed, and with how hea

I venly fruits, both private and publick, in finging the praises of the immortal beauty, the im mortal goodness of that God, who giveth us hands to write, and wits to conceive; of which we might well want 'words, but never matter; of which we could turn our eyes to nothing, but we should ever have new budding occafions.

But, truly, many of fuch writings as come under the banner of unrefiftable love, if I were a mistress, would never perfuade me they were in love; fo coldly they apply fiery fpeeches, as men that had rather read lovers writings, and fo caught up certain fwelling phrafes, which hang together like a man that once told me, The wind was at North-west and by South; because he would be fure to name winds enough; than that, in truth, they feel those paffions, which eafily, as I think, may be bewrayed by the fame forcibleness, or Energia (as the Greeks call it) of the writer. But let this be a fufficient, though fhort note, that we mifs the right ufe of the material point of Poefy.

Now for the outfide of it, which is words, or (as I may term it) Diction, it is even well worse : fo is that honey flowing matron Eloquence, apparelled, or rather disguised in a courtezan like painted affectation. One time with so far-fetcht words that many feem monfters, but muft feem ftrangers to any poor Englishman: Another time with courfing of a letter, as if they were bound

to follow the method of a Dictionary: Another time with figures and flowers, extremely winterftarved.

But I would this fault were only peculiar to Verfifiers, and had not as large poffeffion among Profe-printers and, which is to be marvelled, among many scholars, and, which is to be pitied, among fome preachers. Truly, I could wish (if at least I might be fo bold to wifh, in a thing beyond the reach of my capacity), the diligent imitators of Tully and Demofthenes, moft worthy to be imitated, did not fo much keep Nizolian paper-books of their figures and phrafes, as by attentive tranflation, as it were, devour them whole, and make them wholly theirs. For now they caft fugar and fpice upon every difh that is ferved at the table: like thofe Indians, not content to wear ear-rings, at the fit and natural place of the ears, but they will thruft jewels through their nose and lips, because they will be sure to be fine. Tully, when he was to drive out Catiline, as it were with a thunderbolt of eloquence, often ufeth the figure of repetition, as Vivit & vincit, imo in fenatum venit, imo in fenatum venit, &c. Indeed, inflamed with a well-grounded rage, he would have his words (as it were) double out of his mouth; and fo do that artificially, which we fee men in choler do naturally. And we having noted the grace of those words hale them in sometimes to

a fa,

a familiar epiftle, when it were too much choler to be cholerick.

How well, ftore of Similiter Cadences doth found with the gravity of the pulpit, I would but invoke Demofthenes's foul to tell, who with a rare daintinefs ufeth them. Truly, they have made me think of the fophifter, that with too much fubtlety would prove two eggs three, and though he might be counted a fophifter, had none for his labour. So these men bringing in fuch a kind of eloquence, well may they obtain an opinion of a feeming fineness, but persuade few, which should be the end of their fineness.

Now for fimilitude in certain printed difcourses, I think all herbalists, all stories of beasts, fowls and fishes are rifled up, that they may come in multitudes to wait upon any of our conceits, which certainly is as abfurd a surfeit to the ears as is poffible. For the force of a fimilitude not being to prove any thing to a contrary difputer, but only to explain to a willing hearer; when that is done, the rest is a most tedious pratling, rather overfwaying the memory from the purpose whereto they were applied, than any whit informing the judgment already either fatisfied, or by fimilitudes not to be fatisfied.

For my part, I do not doubt, when Antonius and Craffus, the great forefathers of Cicero in eloquence, the one (as Cicero teftifieth of them)

pretended

pretended not to know art, the other not to fet by it, because with a plain fenfibleness they might win credit of popular ears, which credit is the nearest step to perfuafion (which perfuafion is the chief mark of oratory) I do not doubt, I fay, but that they used these knacks very sparingly; which who doth generally use, any man may fee, doth dance to his own mufick; and fo to be noted by the audience, more careful to fpeak curiously than truly. Undoubtedly (at least to my opinion undoubtedly) I have found in divers fmall-learned courtiers a more found stile, than in fome profeffors of learning; of which I can guess no other caufe, but that the courtier following that which by practice he findeth fittest to nature, therein (though he know it not) doth according to art, though not by art: where the other, ufing art to fhew art, and not hide art (as in thefe cafes he fhould do) flyeth from nature, and indeed abufeth art.

But what? methinks I deferve to be pounded for ftraying from Poetry to Oratory: but both have fuch an affinity in the wordifh confiderations, that I think this digreffion will make my meaning receive the fuller understanding: which is not to take upon me to teach Poets how they fhould do, but only finding myself fick among the reft, to fhew fome one or two fpots of the common infection grown among the most part of writers; that, acknowledging ourselves fomewhat