English_ standing most vpon wordes _monosillable_, and little vpon
_polysillables_ doth hardly admit the vse of those fine inuented feete of
the Greeks & Latines, and that for the most part wise and graue men doe
naturally mislike with all sodaine innouations specially of lawes (and
this the law of our auncient English Poesie) and therefore lately before
we imputed it to a nice & scholasticall curiositie in such makers as haue
fought to bring into our vulgar Poesie some of the auncient feete, to wit
the _Dactile_ into verses _exameters_, as he that translated certaine
bookes of _Virgils Eneydos_ in such measures & not vncommendably: if I
should now say otherwise it would make me seeme contradictorie to my
selfe, yet for the information of our yong makers, and pleasure of all
others who be delighted in noueltie, and to th'intent we may not seeme by
ignorance or ouersight to omit any point of subtillitie, materiall or
necessarie to our vulgar arte, we will in this present chapter & by our
own idle obseruations shew how one may easily and commodiously lead all
those feete of the auncients into our vulgar language. And if mens eares
were not perchaunce to daintie, or their iudgementes ouer partiall, would
peraduenture nothing at all misbecome our arte, but make in our meetres a
more pleasant numerositie then now is. Thus farre therefore we will
aduenture and not beyond, to th'intent to shew some singularitie in our
arte that euery man hath not heretofore obserued, and (her maiesty good
liking always had) whether we make the common readers to laugh or to
lowre, all is a matter, since our intent is not so exactlie to prosecute
the purpose, nor so earnestly, as to thinke it should by authority of our
owne iudgement be generally applauded at to the discredit of our
forefathers maner of vulgar Poesie, or to the alteration or peraduenture
totall destruction of the same, which could not stand with any good
discretion or curtesie in vs to attempt, but thus much I say, that by some
leasurable trauell it were no hard matter to induce all their auncient
feete into vse with vs, and that it should proue very agreable to the eare
and well according with our ordinary times and pronunciation, which no man
could then iustly mislike, and that is to allow euery world _polisillable_
one long time of necessitie, which should be where his sharpe accent falls
in our owne _ydiome_ most aptly and naturally, wherein we would not follow
the license of the Greeks and Latines, who made not their sharpe accent
any necessary prolongation of their tunes, but vsed such sillable
sometimes long sometimes short at their pleasure. The other sillables of
any word where the sharpe accent fell not, to be accompted of such time
and quantitie as his _ortographie_ would best beare hauing regard to
himselfe, or to his next neighbour word, bounding him on either side,
namely to the smoothnes & hardnesse of the sillable in his vtterance,
which is occasioned altogether by his _ortographie_ & situation as in this
word [_dáyly_] the first sillable for his vsuall and sharpe accentes sake
to be always long, the second for his flat accents sake to be alwayes
shoft, and the rather for his _ortographie_, bycause if he goe before
another word commencing with a vowell not letting him to be eclipsed, his
vtterance is easie & currant, in this trissilable [_dau-nge`ro`us_] the
first to be long, th'other two short for the same causes. In this word
[_da-nge`rou`sne-sse_] the first & last to be both long, bycause they
receiue both of them the sharpe accent, and the two middlemost to be
short, in these words [_remedie_] & [_remedilesse_] the time to follow
also the accent, so as if it please better to set the sharpe accent vpon
[_re_] then vpon [_dye_] that sillable should be made long and _é
conuerso_, but in this word [_remedilesse_] bycause many like better to
accent the sillable [_me_] then the sillable [_les_] therefore I leaue him
for a common sillable to be able to receiue both a long and a short time
as occasion shall serue. The like law I set in these wordes
[_reuocable_][_recouerable_] [_irreuocable_][_irrecouerable_] for
sometimes it sounds better to say _ré-uo`ca-blé_ then _re`uo-ca`ble`,
re-cóue`rable_ then _réco-ue`ra`blé_ for this one thing ye must alwayes
marke that if your time fall either by reason of his sharpe accent or
otherwise vpon the _penultima_, ye shal finde many other words to rime
with him, bycause such terminations are not geazon, but if the long time
fall vpon the _antepenultima_ ye shall not finde many wordes to match him
in his termination, which is the cause of his concord or rime, but if you
would let your long time by his sharpe accent fall aboue the
_antepenultima_ as to say [_co-ue`ra`ble_] ye shall seldome or perchance
neuer find one to make vp rime with him vnlesse it be badly and by abuse,
and therefore in all such long _polisillables_ ye doe commonly giue two
sharpe accents, and thereby reduce him into two feete as in this word
[_re-mu`nèra`ti`on_] which makes a couple of good _Dactils_, and in this
word [_contribu-ti`o`n_] which makes a good _spo-ndeus_ & a good
_dactill_, and in this word [_reca-pi`tu`la-tio`n_] it makes two
_dactills_ and a sillable ouerplus to annexe to the word precedent to
helpe peece vp another foote. But for wordes _monosillables_ (as be most
of ours) because in pronouncing them they do of necessitie retaine a
sharpe accent, ye may iustly allow then to be all long if they will so
best serue your turne, and if they be tailed one to another, or th'one to
a _dissillable_ or _polyssillable_ ye ought to allow them that time that
best serues your purpose and pleaseth your eare most, and truliest
aunsweres the nature of the _ortographie_ in which I would as neare as I
could obserue and keepe the lawes of the Greeke and Latine versifiers,
that is to prolong the sillable which is written with double consonants or
by dipthong or with finale consonants that run hard and harshly vpon the
toung: and to shorten all sillables that stand vpon vowels, if there were
no cause of _elision_ and single consonants & such of them as are most
flowing and slipper vpon the toung as _n.r.t.d.l._ for this purpose to
take away all aspirations, and many times the last consonant of a word as
the Latine Poetes vsed to do, specially _Lucretius_ and _Ennnius_ to say
[_finibu_] for [_finibus_] and so would not I stick to say thus [delite]
for [delight] [hye] for [high] and such like, & doth nothing at all
impugne the rule I gaue before against the wresting of wordes by false
_ortographie_ to make vp rime, which may not be falsified. But this
omission of letters in the middest of a meetre to make him the more
slipper, helpes the numerositie and hinders not the rime. But generally
the shortning or prolonging of the _monosillables_ dependes much vpon the
nature or their _ortographie_ which the Latin Grammariens call the rule of
position, as for example if I shall say thus.
_No-t ma`ni`e daye-s pa-st_. Twentie dayes after,
This makes a good _Dactill_ and a good _spondeus_, but if ye turne
them backward it would not do so, as.
_Many dayes, not past_.
And the _distick_ made all of _monosillables_.
_Bu-t no-ne o-f u-s tru-e me-n a-nd fre-e,
Could finde so great good lucke as he_.
Which words serue well to make the verse all _spondiacke_ or _iambicke_,
but not in _dactil_, as other words or the same otherwise placed would do,
for it were at illfauored _dactil_ to say.
_Bu-t no`ne o`f, u-s a`ll tre`we._
Therefore whensoeuer your words will not make a smooth _dactil_, ye must
alter them or their situations or else turne them to other feete that may
better beare their maner of sound and orthographie: or if the word be
_polysillable_ to deuide him, and to make him serue by peeces, that he
could not do whole and entierly. And no doubt by like consideration did
the Greeke & Latine versifiers fashion all their feete at the first to be
of sundry times, and the selfe same sillable to be sometime long and
sometime short for the eares better satisfaction as hath bene before
remembred. Now also wheras I said before that our old Saxon English for
his many _monosillables_ did not naturally admit the vse of the ancient
feete in our vulgar measures so aptly as in those languages which stood
most vpon _polisillables_, I sayd it in a sort truly, but now I must
recant and confesse that our Normane English which hath growen since
_William_ the Conquerour doth admit any of the auncient feete, by reason
of the many _polysillables_ euen to sixe and seauen in one word, which we
at this day vse in our most ordinarie language: and which corruption hath
bene occasioned chiefly by the peeuish affectation not of the Normans them
selues, but of clerks and scholars or secretaries long since, who not
content with the vsual Normane or Saxon word, would conuert the very
Latine and Greeke word into vulgar French, as to say innumerable for
innombrable, reuocable, irreuocable, irradiation, depopulation & such
like, which are not naturall Normane nor yet French, but altered Latines,
and without any imitation at all: which therefore were long time despised
for inkehorne termes, and now be reputed the best & most delicat of any
other. Of which & many other causes of corruption of our speach we haue in
another place more amply discoursed, but by this meane we may at this day
very well receiue the auncient feete _metricall_ of the Greeks and Latines
sauing those that be superfluous as be all the feete aboue the
_trissillable_, which the old Grammarians idly inuented and distinguisht
by speciall names, whereas in deede the same do stand compounded with the
inferiour feete, and therefore some of them were called by the names of
_didactilus_, _dispondeus_, and _disiambus:_ which feete as I say we may
be allowed to vse with good discretion & precise choise of wordes and with
the fauorable approbation of readers, and so shall our plat in this one
point be larger and much surmount that which _Stamhurst_ first tooke in
hand by his _exameters dactilicke_ and _spondaicke_ in the translation of
_Virgills Eneidos_, and such as for a great number of them my stomacke can
hardly digest for the ill shapen sound of many of his wordes
_polisillable_ and also his copulation of _monosillables_ supplying the
quantitie of a _trissillable_ to his intent. And right so in promoting
this deuise of ours being (I feare me) much more nyce and affected, and
therefore more misliked then his, we are to bespeake fauour, first of the
delicate eares, then of the rigorous and seuere dispositions, lastly to
craue pardon of the learned & auncient makers in our vulgar, for if we
should seeke in euery point to egall our speach with the Greeke and Latin
in their _metricall_ observations it could not possible be by vs
perfourmed, because their sillables came to be timed some of them long,
some of them short not by reason of any euident or apparant cause in
writing or sounde remaining vpon one more then another, for many times
they shortned the sillable of sharpe accent and made long that of the
flat, & therefore we must needes say, it was in many of their wordes done
by preelection in the first Poetes, not hauing regard altogether to the
_ortographie_, and hardnesse or softnesse of a sillable, consonant, vowell
or dipthong, but at their pleasure, or as it fell out: so as he that first
put in a verse this word [_Penelope_] which might be _Homer_ or some other
of his antiquitie, where he made [_pe-_] in both places long and [_ne`_]
and [_lo`_] short, he might haue made them otherwise and with as good
reason, nothing in the world appearing that might moue them to make such
(preelection) more in th'one sillable then in the other for _pe_,
_ne_, and _lo_, being sillables vocals be egally smoth and currant vpon
the toung, and might beare aswel the long as the short time, but it
pleased the Poet otherwise: so he that first shortned, _ca_, in this word
_cano_, and made long _tro_, in _troia_, and _o_, in _oris_, might haue
aswell done the contrary, but because he that first put them into a verse,
found as it is to be supposed a more sweetnesse in his owne eare to haue
them so tymed, therefore all other Poets who followed, were fayne to doe
the like, which made that _Virgill_ who came many yeares after the first
reception of wordes in their seuerall times, was driuen of neceisiitie to
accept them in such quantities as they were left him and therefore said.
_a-rma` ni` ru-mqu-e ca`ro- tro- ie- qui- pri-mu`s a`bo-ris._
Neither truely doe I see any other reason in that lawe (though in other
rules of shortning and prolonging a sillable there may be reason) but that
it stands vpon bare tradition. Such as the _Cabalists_ auouch in their
mysticall constructions Theologicall and others, saying that they receaued
the same from hand to hand from the first parent _Adam, Abraham_ and
others, which I will giue them leaue alone both to say and beleeue for me,
thinking rather that they haue bene the idle occupations, or perchaunce
the malitious and craftie constructions of the _Talmudists_ and others of
the Hebrue clerks to bring the world into admiration of their lawes and
Religion. Now peraduenture with vs Englishmen it be somewhat too late to
admit a new inuention of feet and times that our forefathers neuer vused
nor neuer observed till this day, either in their measures or in their
pronuntiation, and perchaunce will seeme in vs a presumptuous part to
attempt, considering also it would be hard to find many men to like of one
mans choise in the limitation of times and quantities of words, with which
not one, but euery eare is to be pleased and made a particular iudge,
being most truly sayd, that a multitude or comminaltie is hard to please
and easie to offend, and therefore I intend not to proceed any further in
this curiositie then to shew some small subtillitie that any other hath
not yet done, and not by imitation but by obseruation, nor to th'intent to
haue it put in execution in our vulgar Poesie, but to be pleasantly
scanned vpon, as are all nouelties so friuolous and ridiculous as it.
_CHAP. XIII._
_A more particular declaration of the metricall feete of the ancient Poets
Greeke and Latine and chiefly of the feete of two times_.
Their Grammarians made a great multitude of feete, I wot not to what huge
number, and of so many sizes as their wordes were of length, namely sixe
sizes, whereas indeede, the metricall feete are but twelve in number,
wherof foure only be of two times, and eight of three times, the rest
compounds of the premised two sorts, even as the Arithmeticall numbers
aboue three are made of two and three. And if ye will know how many of
these feete will be commodiously received with vs, I say all the whole
twelve, for first for the foote, _spondeus_ of two long times ye haue
these English words _mo-rni-ng, mi-dni-ght, mi-scha-unce_, and a number
moe whose ortographie may direct your iudgement in this point: for your
_Trocheus_ of a long and short ye haue these words _ma-ne`r, bro-ke`n,
ta-ke`n, bo-die`, me-mbe`r_, and a great many moe if there last sillables
abut not vpon the consonant in the beginning of another word, and in these
whether they do abut or no _wi-tti`e, di-tti`e, so-rro`w, mo-rro`w_, &
such like, which end in a vowell for your _Iambus_ of a short and a long,
ye haue these words [_re`sto-re_] [_re`mo-rse_] [_de`si-re_] [_e`ndu-re_]
and a thousand besides. For your foote _pirrichius_ or of two short
silables ye haue these words [_ma`ni`e_] [_mo`ne`y_] [_pe`ni`e_]
[_si`lie`_] and others of that construction or the like: for your feete of
three times and first your _dactill_, ye haue these words & a number moe
_pa-ti`e`nce, te-mpe`ra`nce, wo-ma`nhea`d, io-li`ti`e, dau-nge`ro`us,
du-eti`fu`ll_ & others. For your _molossus_, of all three long, ye haue a
member of wordes also and specially most of your participles actiue, as
_pe-rsi-sti-ng, de-spo-ili-ng, e-nde-nti-ng_, and such like in
ortographie: for your _anapestus_ of two short and a long ye haue these
words but not many moe, as _ma`ni`fo-ld, mo`ni`le-sse, re`ma`ne-nt,
ho`li`ne-sse_. For your foote _tribracchus_ of all three short, ye haue
very few _trissillables_, because the sharpe accent will aways make one of
them long by pronunciation, which els would be by ortographie short as,
[me`ri`ly`] [minion] & such like. For your foote _bacchius_ of a short &
two long ye haue these and the like words _trissillables_ [_la`me-nti-ng_]
[_re`que-sti-ng_] [_re`nou-nci-ng_] [_re`pe-nta-nce_] [_e`nu-ri-ng_]. For
your foote _antibacchius_, of two long and a short ye haue these words
[_fo-rsa-ke`n_] [_i-mpu-gne`d_] and others many: For your _amphimacer_
that is a long, a short and a long ye haue these words and many more
[_e-xce`lle-nt_] [_i-mi`ne-nt_] and specially such as be propre names of
persons or townes or other things and namely Welsh words; for your foote
_amphibracchus_, of a short, a long and a short, ye haue these words and
many like to these [_re`si-ste`d_] [_de`li-ghtfu`ll_] [_re`pri-sa`ll_]
[_i`nau-nte`r_] [_e`na-mi`ll_] so as for want of English wordes if your
eare be not to daintie and your rules to precise, ye neede not be without
the _metricall_ feete of the ancient Poets such as be most pertinent and
not superfluous. This is (ye will perchaunce say) my singular opinion:
then ye shall see how well I can maintaine it. First the quantitie of a
word comes either by (preelection) without reason or force as hath bene
alledged, and as the auncient Greekes and Latines did in many wordes, but
not in all, or by (election) with reason as they did in some, and not a
few. And a sound is drawen at length either by the infirmitie of the
toung, because the word or sillable is of such letters as hangs long in
the palate or lippes ere he will come forth, or because he is accented and
tuned hier and sharper then another, whereby he somewhat obscureth the
other sillables in the same word that be not accented so high, in both
these cases we will establish our sillable long, contrariwise the
shortning of a sillable is, when his sounde or accent happens to be heauy
and flat, that is to fall away speedily, and as it were inaudible, or when
he is made of such letters as be by nature slipper & voluble and smoothly
passe from the mouth. And the vowell is alwayes more easily deliuered then
the consonant: and of consonants, the liquide more than the mute, & a
single consonant more then a double, and one more then twayne coupled
together: all which points were obserued by the Greekes and Latines, and
allowed for _maximes_ in versifying. Now if ye will examine these
foure _bissillables_ [_re-mna-nt_] [_re`ma-ine_] [_re-nde`r_] [_re`ne`t_]
for an example by which ye may make a generall rule, and ye shall finde,
that they aunswere our first resolution. First in [_remnant_] [_rem_]
bearing the sharpe accent and hauing his consonant abbut vpon another,
soundes long. The sillable [_nant_] being written with two consonants must
needs be accompted the same, besides that [_nant_] by his Latin originall
is long, viz. [_remane-ns._] Take this word [_remaine_] because the last
sillable beares the sharpe accent, he is long in the eare, and [_re_]
being the first sillable, passing obscurely away with a flat accent is
short, besides that [_re_] by his Latine originall and also by his
ortographie is short. This word [_render_] bearing the sharpe accent upon
[_ren_] makes it long, the sillable [_der_] falling away swiftly & being
also written with a single consonant or liquide is short and makes the
_trocheus._ This word [_re`ne`t_] hauing both syllables sliding and
slipper make the foote _Pirrichius_, because if he be truly vttered, he
beares in maner no sharper accent upon the one then the other sillable,
but be in effect egall in time and tune, as is also the _Spondeus._ And
because they be not written with any hard or harsh consonants, I do allow
them both for short sillables, or to be used for common, according as
their situation and place with other words shall be: and as I haue named
to you but onely foure words for an example, so may ye find out by
diligent obseruation foure hundred if ye will. But of all your words
_bissillables_ the most part naturally do make the foot _Iambus_, many the
_Trocheus_, fewer the _Spondeus_, fewest of all the _Pirrichius_, because
in him the sharpe accent (if ye follow the rules of your accent as we haue
presupposed) doth make a litle oddes: and ye shall find verses made all of
_monosillables_, and do very well, but lightly they be _Iambickes_,
bycause for the more part the accent falles sharpe vpon euery second word
rather then contrariwise, as this of Sir _Thomas Wiats_.
_I fi-nde no` pea-ce a`nd ye-t mi`e wa-rre i`s do-ne,
I feare and hope, and burne and freese like ise._
And some verses where the sharpe accent falles vpon the first and third,
and so make the verse wholly _Trochaicke_, as thus,
_Worke not, no nor, with thy friend or foes harme
Try but, trust not, all that speake thee so faire._
And some verses made of _monosillables_ and _bissillables_ enterlaced as
this of th'Earles,
_When raging loue with extreme paine_
And this
_A fairer beast of fresher hue beheld I neuer none._
And some verses made all of _bissillables_ and others all of
_trissillables_, and others of _polisillables_ egally increasing and of
diuers quantities, and sundry situations, as in this of our owne, made to
daunt the insolence of a beautifull woman.
_Brittle beauty blossome daily fading
Morne, noone, and eue in age and eke in eld
Dangerous disdaine full pleasantly perswading
Easie to gripe but combrous to weld.
For slender bottome hard and heauy lading
Gay for a while, but little while durable
Suspicious, incertaine, irreuocable,
O since thou art by triall not to trust
Wisedome it is, and it is also iust
To sound the stemme before the tree be feld
That is, since death will driue us all to dust
To leaue thy loue ere that we be compeld._
In which ye haue your first verse all of _bissillables_ and of the foot
_trocheus._ The second all of _monosillables_, and all of the foote
_Iambus_, the third all of _trissillables_, and all of the foote
_dactilus_, your fourth of one _bissillable_, and two _monosillables_
interlarded, the fift of one _monosillable_ and two _bissillables_
enterlaced, and the rest of other sortes and scituations, some by degrees
encreasing, some diminishing: which example I haue set downe to let you
perceiue what pleasant numerosity in the measure and disposition of your
words in a meetre may be contriued by curious wits & these with other like
were the obseruations of the Greeke and Latine versifiers.
_CHAP. XIIII_.
_Of your feet of three times, and first of the Dactil._
Your feete of three times by prescription of the Latine Grammariens are of
eight sundry proportions, for some notable difference appearing in euery
sillable of three falling in a word of that size: but because aboue the
_antepenultima_ there was (among the Latines) none accent audible in any
long word, therfore to deuise any foote of longer measure then of three
times was to them but superfluous: because all aboue the number of three
are but compounded of their inferiours. Omitting therefore to speake of
these larger feete, we say that of all your feete of three times the
_Dactill_ is most usuall and fit for our vulgar meeter, & most agreeable
to the eare, specially if ye ouerlade not your verse with too many of them
but here and there enterlace a _Iambus_ or some other foote of two times
to giue him grauitie and stay, as in this _quadrein Trimeter_ or of three
measures.
_Rende`r a`gai-ne mi`e li-be`rti`e
a`nd se-t yo`ur ca-pti`ue fre-e
Glo-ri`ou`s i`s the` vi-cto`ri`e
Co-nque`ro`urs u-se wi`th le-ni`ti`e_
Where ye see euery verse is all of a measure, and yet vnegall in number of
sillables: for the second verse is but of sixe sillables, where the rest
are of eight. But the reason is for that in three of the same verses are
two _Dactils_ a peece, which abridge two sillables in euery verse: and so
maketh the longest euen with the shortest. Ye may note besides by the
first verse, how much better some _bisillable_ becommeth to peece out an
other longer foote then another word doth: for in place of [_render_] if
ye had sayd [_restore_] it had marred the _Dactil_, and of necessitie
driuen him out at length to be a verse _Iambic_ of foure feet, because
[_render_] is naturally a _Trocheus_ & makes the first two times of a
_dactil._ [_Restore_]is naturally a _Iambus_, & in this place could not
possibly haue made a pleasant _dactil_.
Now againe if ye will say to me that these two words [_libertie_] and
[_conquerours_] be not precise _Dactils_ by the Latine rule. So much will
I confesse to, but since they go currant inough vpon the tongue and be so
vsually pronounced, they may passe wel inough for _Dactils_ in our vulgar
meeters, & that is inough for me, seeking but to fashion an art, & not to
finish it: which time only & custom haue authoritie to do, specially in
all cases of language as the Poet hath wittily remembred in this verse
_si volet usus,
Quem penes arbitrium est & vis & norma loquendi._
The Earle of Surrey upon the death of Sir _Thomas Wiat_ made among other
this verse _Pentameter_ and of ten sillables,
_What holy graue (alas) what sepulcher_