speaches foolishly and indiscretly, so is it esteemed no lesse an
imperfection in mans vtterance, to haue none vse of figure at all,
specially in our writing and speaches publike, making them but as our
ordinary talke, then which nothing can be more vnsauourie and farre from
all ciuilitie. I remember in the first yeare of Queenes Maries raigne a
Knight of Yorkshire was chosen speaker of the Parliament, a good gentleman
and wise, in the affaires of his shire, and not vnlearned in the lawes of
the Realme, but as well for some lack of his teeth, as for want of
language nothing well spoken, which at that time and businesse was most
behooffull for him to haue bene: this man after he had made his Oration to
the Queene; which ye know is of course to be done at the first assembly of
both houses; a bencher of the Temple both well learned and very eloquent,
returning from the Parliament house asked another gentleman his frend how
he liked M. Speakers Oration: mary quoth th'other, methinks I heard not a
better alehouse tale told this seuen yeares. This happened because the
good old Knight made no difference betweene an Oration or publike speach
to be deliuered to the eare of a Princes Maiestie and state of a Realme,
then he would haue done of an ordinary tale to be told at his table in the
countrey, wherein all men know the oddes is very great. And though graue
and wise counsellours in their consultations doe not vse much superfluous
eloquence, and also in their iudicall hearings do much mislike all
scholasticall rhetoricks: yet in such a case as it may be (and as this
Parliament was) if the Lord Chancelour of England or Archbishop of
Canterbury himselfe were to speake, he ought to doe it cunningly and
eloquently, which can not be without the vse of figures: and neuerthelesse
none impeachment or blemish to the grauitie of the persons or of the
cause: wherein I report me to them that knew Sir _Nicholas Bacon_ Lord
keeper of the great Seale, or the now Lord Treasorer of England, and haue
bene conuersant with their speaches made in the Parliament house &
Starrechamber. From whose lippes I haue seene to proceede more graue and
naturall eloquence, then from all the Oratours of Oxford or Cambridge, but
all is as it is handled, and maketh no matter whether the same eloquence
be naturall to them or artificiall (though I thinke rather naturall) yet
were they knowen to be learned and not vnskilfull of th'arte, when they
were yonger men: and as learning and arte teacheth a schollar to speake,
so doth it also teach a counsellour, and aswell an old man as a yong, and
a man in authoritie, aswell as a priuate person and a pleader aswell as a
preacher, euery man after his sort and calling as best becommeth: and that
speach which becommeth one, doth not become another, for maners of
speaches, some serue to work in excesse, some in mediocritie, some to
graue purposes, some to light, some to be short and brief, some to be
long, some to stirre vp affections, some to pacifie and appease them, and
these common despisers of good vtterance, which resteth altogether in
figuratiue speaches, being well vsed whether it come by nature or by arte
or by exercise, they be but certaine grosse ignorance of whom it is truly
spoken, _scientia non habet inimicum nisi ignorantem._ I haue come to the
Lord Keeper Sir _Nicholas Bacon_, & found him sitting in his gallery alone
with the works of _Quintilian_ before him, in deede he was a most eloquent
man, and of rare learning and wisedome, as euer I knew England to breed,
and one that ioyed as much in learned men and men of good witts. A Knight
of the Queenes priuie chamber, once intreated a noble woman of the Court,
being in great fauour about her Maiestie (to th'intent to remoue her from
a certaine displeasure, which by sinister opinion she had conceiued
against a gentleman his friend) that it would please her to heare him
speake in his own cause & not to condemne him vpon his aduersaries report:
God forbid said she, he is to wise for me to talke with, let him goe and
satisfie such a man naming him: why quoth the Knight againe, had your
Ladyship rather heare a man talke like a foole or like a wise man? This
was because the Lady was a litle peruerse, and not disposed to reforme her
selfe by hearing reason, which none other can so well beate into the
ignorant head, as the well spoken and eloquent man. And because I am so
farre waded into this discourse of eloquence and figuratiue speaches, I
will tell you what hapned on a time my selfe being present whene certaine
Doctours of the ciuil law were heard in a litigious cause betwixt a man
and his wife: before a great Magistrat who (as they can tell that knew
him) was a man very well learned and graue, but somewhat sowre, and of no
plausible vtterance: the gentlemans chaunce, was to say: my Lord the
simple woman is not so much to blame as her lewde abbettours, who by
violent perswasions haue lead her into this wilfulnesse. Quoth the iudge,
what neede such eloquent termes in this place, the gentleman replied, doth
your Lordship mislike the terme, [_violent_] & me thinkes I speake it to
great purpose: for I am sure she would neuer haue done it, but by force of
perswasion. & if perswasions were not very violent to the minde of man it
could not haue wrought so strange an effect as we read that it did once in
_Ægypt_, & would haue told the whole tale at large, if the Magistrate had
not passed it ouer very pleasantly. Now to tell you the whole matter as
the gentleman intended, thus it was. There came into Ægypt a notable
Oratour, whose name was _Hegesias_ who inueyed so much against the
incommodities of this transitory life, & so highly commended death the
dispatcher of all euils; as a great number of his hearers destroyed
themselues, some with weapon, some with poyson, others by drowning and
hanging themselues to be rid out of this vale of misery, in so much as it
was feared least many moe of the people would haue miscaried by occasion
of his perswasions, if king _Ptolome_ had not made a publicke
proclamation, that the Oratour should auoyde the countrey, and no more be
allowed to speake in any matter. Whether now perswasions, may not be said
violent and forcible to simple myndes in speciall, I referre it to all
mens iudgements that heare the story. At least waies, I finde this
opinion, confirmed by a pretie deuise or embleme that _Lucianus_ alleageth
he saw in the pourtrait of _Hercules_ within the Citie of Marseills in
Prouence: where they had figured a lustie old man with a long chayne tyed
by one end at his tong, by the other end at the peoples eares, who stood a
farre of and seemed to be drawen to him by the force of that chayne
fastned to his tong, as who would say, by force of his perswasions. And to
shew more plainly that eloquence is of great force (and not as many men
thinke amisse) the propertie and gift of yong men onely, but rather of old
men, and a thing which better becommeth hory haires then beardlesse boyes,
they seeme to ground it vpon this reason: age (say they and most truly)
brings experience, experience bringeth wisedome, long life yeldes long vse
and much exercise of speach, exercise and custome with wisedome, make an
assured and volluble vtterance: so is it that old men more then any other
sort speake most grauely, wisely, assuredly, and plausibly, which partes
are all that can be required in perfite eloquence, and so in all
deliberations of importance where counsellours are allowed freely to opyne
& shew their conceits, good perswasion is no lesse requisite then speach
it selfe: for in great purposes to speake and not to be able or likely to
perswade, is a vayne thing: now let vs returne backe to say more of this
Poeticall ornament.
_CHAP. III._
_How ornament Poeticall is of two sortes according to the double vertue
and efficacie of figures._
This ornament then is of two sortes, one to satisfie & delight th'eare
onely by a goodly outward shew fet vpon the matter with wordes, and
speaches smothly and tunably running: another by certaine intendments or
sence of such wordes & speeches inwardly working a stirre to the mynde:
that first qualitie the Greeks called _Enargia_, of this word _argos_,
because it geueth a glorious lustre and light. This latter they callled
_Energia_ of _ergon_, because it wrought with a strong and vertuous
operation; and figure breedeth them both, some seruing to giue glosse
onely to a language, some to geue it efficacie by sence, and so by that
meanes some of them serue th'eare onely, some serue the conceit onely and
not th'eare: there be of them also that serue both turnes as common
seruitours appointed for th'one and th'other purpose, which shalbe
hereafter spoken of in place: but because we haue alleaged before that
ornament is but the good or rather bewtifull habite of language and stile
and figuratiue speaches the instrument wherewith we burnish our language
fashioning it to this or that measure and proportion, whence finally
resulteth a long and continuall phrase or maner of writing or speach,
which we call by the name of _stile_: we wil first speake of language;
then of stile, lastly of figure, and declare their vertue and differences,
and also their vse and best application, & what portion in exornation
euery of them bringeth to the bewtifying of this Arte.
_CHAP. IIII._
_Of Language._
Speach is not naturall to man sauing for his onely habilitie to speake,
and that he is by kinde apt to vtter all his conceits with sounds and
voyces diuersified many maner of wayes, by meanes of the many & fit
instruments he hath by nature to that purpose, as a broad and voluble
tong, thinne and mouable lippes, teeth euen and not shagged; thick ranged,
a round vaulted pallate, and a long throte, besides an excellent capacitie
of wit that maketh him more disciplinable and imitative than any other
creature: then as to the forme and action of his speach, it commeth to him
by arte & teaching, and by vse or exercise. But after a speach is fully
fashioned to the common vnderstanding, & accepted by consent of a whole
countrey & nation, it is called a language, & receaueth none allowed
alteration, but by extraordinary occasions by little & little, as it were
insensibly bringing in of many corruptions that creepe along with the
time: of all which matters, we haue more largely spoken in our bookes of
the originals and pedigree of the English tong. Then when I say language,
I meane the speach wherein the Poet or maker writeth be it Greek or Latine
or as our case is the vulgar English, & when it is peculiar vnto a
countrey it is called the mother speach of that people: the Greekes terme
it _Idioma_: so is ours at this day the Norman English. Before the
Conquest of the Normans it was the Anglesaxon and before that the British,
which as some will, is at this day, the Walsh, or as others affirme the
Cornish: I for my part thinke neither of both, as they be now spoken and
ponounced. This part in our maker or Poet must be heedyly looked vnto,
that it be naturall, pure, and the most vsuall of all his countrey: and
for the same purpose rather that which is spoken in the kings Court, or in
the good townes and Cities within the land, then in the marches and
frontiers, or in port townes, where straungers haunt for traffike sake, or
yet in Vniuersities where Schollers vse much peeuish affectation of words
out of the primatiue languages, or finally, in any vplandish village or
corner of a Realme, where is no resort but of poore rusticall or vnciuill
people: neither shall he follow the speach of a craftes man or carter, or
other of the inferiour sort, though he be inhabitant or bred in the best
towne and Citie in this Realme, for such persons doe abuse good speaches
by strange accents or illshapen soundes, and false ortographie. But he
shall follow generally the better brought vp sort, such as the Greekes
call [_charientes_] men ciuill and graciously behauoured and bred. Our
maker therefore at these dayes shall not follow _Piers plowman_ nor
_Gower_ nor _Lydgate_ nor yet _Chaucer_, for their language is now out of
vfe with vs: neither shall he take the termes of Northern-men, such as
they vse in dayly talke, whether they be noble men or gentlemen, or of
their best clarkes all is a matter: nor in effect any speach vsed beyond
the riuer of Trent, though no man can deny but that theirs is the purer
English Saxon at this day, yet it is not so Courtly nor so currant as our
Southerne English is, no more is the far Westerne mans speach: ye shall
therfore take the vsuall speach of the Court, and that of London and the
shires lying about London within lx. myles, and not much aboue. I say not
this but that in euery shyre of England there be gentlemen and others that
speake but specially write as good Southerne as we of Middlesex or Surrey
do, but not the common people of euery shire, to whom the gentlemen, and
also their learned clarkes do for the most part condescend, but herein we
are already ruled by th'English Dictionaries and other bookes written by
learned men, and therefore it needeth none other direction in that
behalfe. Albeit peradventure some small admonition be not impertinent, for
we finde in our English writers many wordes and speaches amendable & ye
shall see in some many inkhorne termes so ill affected brought in by men
of learning as preachers and schoolmasters and many straunge termes of
other languages by Secretaries and Marchaunts and trauailours, and many
darke wordes and not vsuall nor well sounding, though they be dayly spoken
in Court. Wherefore great heed must be taken by our maker in this point
that his choise be good. And peraduenture the writer hereof be in that
behalfe no lesse faultie then any other, vsing many straunge and
vnaccustomed wordes and borrowed from other languages: and in that
respect him selfe no meete Magistrate to refome the same errours in any
other person, but since he is not vnwilling to acknowledge his owne fault,
and can the better tell how to amend it, he may seeme a more excusable
correctour of other mens: he intendeth therefore for an indifferent way
and vniuersall benefite to taxe himselfe first and before any others.
These be words vsed by th'author in this present treatise, _scientificke_,
but with some reason, for it ausuereth the word _mechanicall_, which no
other word could haue done so properly, for when hee spake of all
artificers which rest either in science or in handy craft, it followed
necessarilie that _scientifique_ should be coupled with _mechanicall_: or
els neither of both to haue bene allowed, but in their places: a man of
science liberall, and a handicrafts man, which had not bene so cleanly a
speech as the other _Maior-domo_: in truth this word is borrowed of the
_Spaniard_ and _Italian_, and therefore new and not vsuall, but to them
that are acquainted with the affaires of Court: and so for his iolly
magnificence (as this case is) may be accepted among Courtiers, for whom
this is specially written. A man might haue said in steade of
_Maior-domo_, the French word (_maistre d'hostell_) but ilfauouredly, or
the right English word (_Lord Steward_.) But me thinks for my owne opinion
this word _Maior-domo_ though he be borrowed, is more acceptable than any
of the rest, other men may iudge otherwise. _Politien_, this word also is
receuied from the Frenchmen, but at this day vsuall in Court and with all
good Secretaries: and cannot finde an English word to match him, for to
haue said a man politique, had not bene so wel: bicause in trueth that had
bene no more than to haue said a ciuil person. _Politien_ is rather a
surueyour of ciuilitie than ciuil, & a publique minister or Counseller in
the state. Ye haue also this worde _Conduict_, a French word, but well
allowed of vs, and long since vsuall, it soundes somewhat more than this
word (leading) for it is applied onely to the leading of a Captaine, and
not as a little boy should leade a blinde man, therefore more proper to
the case when he saide, _conduict_ of whole armies: ye finde also this
word _Idiome_, taken from the Greekes, yet seruing aptly, when a man
wanteth to expresse so much vnles it be in two words, which surplussage to
auoide, we are allowed to draw in other words single, and asmuch
significatiue: this word _significatiue_ is borrowed of the Latine and
French, but to vs brought in first by some Noble-mans Secretarie, as I
thinke, yet doth so well serue the turne, as it could not now be spared:
and many more like vsurped Latine and French words: as, _Methode,
methodicall, placation, function, assubriling, refining, compendious,
prolixe, figuratiue, inueigle_. A terme borrowed of our common Lawyers,
_impression_, also a new terme, but well expressing the matter, and more
than our English word. These words, _Numerous, numerositee, metricall,
harmonicall_, but they cannot be refused, specially in this place for
description of the arte. Also ye finde these words, _penetrate,
penetrable, indignitie_, which I cannot see how we may spare them,
whatsoeuer fault wee finde with Ink-horne termes: for our speach wanteth
words to such sense so well to be vsed: yet in steade of _indignitie_, yee
haue vnworthinesse: and for _penetrate_, we may say _peerce_, and that a
French terme also, or _broche_, or enter into with violence, but not so
well sounding as _penetrate_. Item, _sauage_, for wilde: _obscure_, for
darke. Item these words, _declamation, delineation, dimention_, are
scholasticall termes in deede, and yet very proper. But peraduenture (& I
could bring a reason for it) many other like words borrowed out of the
Latin and French, were not so well to be be allowed by vs, as these words,
_audacious_, for bold: _facunditie_, for eloquence, _egregious_, for great
or notable: _implete_, for replenished; _attemptat_, for attempt:
_compatible_, for agreeable in nature, and many more. But herein the noble
Poet _Horace_ hath said inough to satisfie vs all in these few verses.
_Multa renascentur quae iam cecidere cadentque
Quae nunc sunt in honore vocabula si volet usus
Quem penes artibrium est et ius et norma loquendi._
Which I haue thus englished, but nothing with so good grace, nor so
briefly as the Poet wrote.
_Many a word if able shall est arise
And such as now bene held in hiest prise
Will fall as fast, when vse and custome will
Onely vmpiers of speach, for force and skill._
_CHAP. V._
_Of Stile_.
Stile is a constant & continuall phrase or tenour of speaking and writing,
extending to the whole tale or processe of the poeme or historie, and not
properly to any peece or member of a tale: but is of words speeches and
sentences together, a certaine contriued forme and qualitie, many times
naturall to the writer, many times his peculier by election and arte, and
such as either he keepeth by skill, or holdeth on by ignorance, and will
not or peraduenture cannot easily alter into any other. So we say that
_Ciceros_ stile and _Salusts_ were not one, nor _Cesars_ and _Linies_, nor
_Homers_ and _Hesiodus_, nor _Herodotus_ and _Theucidides_, nor
_Euripides_ & _Aristophones_, nor _Erasmus_ and _Budeus_ stiles. And
because this continuall course and manner of writing or speech sheweth the
matter and disposition of the writers minde, more than one or few words or
sentences can shew, therefore there be that haue called stile, the image
of man [_mentes character_] for man is but his minde, and as his minde is
tempered and qualified, so are his speeches and language at large, and his
inward conceits be the mettall of his minde and his manner of vtterance
the very warp & woofe of his conceits, more plaine, or busie and
intricate, or otherwise affected after the rate. Most men say that not any
one point in all _Phisiognomy_ is so certaine, as to iudge a mans manners
by his eye: but more assuredly in mine opinion, by his dayly maner of
speech and ordinary writing. For if the man be graue, his speech and stile
is graue: if light-headed, his stile and language also light: if the
minde be haughtie and hoate, the speech and stile is also vehement and
stirring: if it be colde and temperate, the stile is also very modest: if
it be humble, or base and meeke, so is also the language and stile. And
yet peraduenture not altogether so, but that euery mans stile is for the
most part according to the matter and subiect of the writer, or so ought
to be and conformable thereunto. Then againe may it be said as wel, that
men doo chuse their subjects according to the mettal of their minds, &
therfore a high minded man chuseth him high & lofty matter to write of.
The base courage, matter base & lowe, the meane & modest mind, meane &
moderate matters after the rate. Howsoeuer it be, we finde that vnder
these three principall complexions (if I may with leaue so terme them)
high, meane and base stile, there be contained many other humors or
qualities of stile, as the plaine and obscure, the rough and smoth, the
facill and hard, the plentifull and barraine, the rude and eloquent, the
strong and feeble, the vehement and cold stiles, all which in their euill
are to be reformed, and the good to be kept and vsed. But generally to
haue the stile decent & comely it behooueth the maker or Poet to follow
the nature of his subiect, that is if his matter be high and loftie that
the stile be so to, if meane, the stile also to be meane, if base, the
stile humble and base accordingly: and they that do otherwise vse it,
applying to meane matter, hie and loftie stile, and to hie matters, stile
eyther meane or base, and to the base matters, the meane or hie stile, do
vtterly disgrace their poesie and shew themselues nothing skilfull in
their arte, nor hauing regard to the decencie, which is the chiefe praise
of any writer. Therefore to ridde all louers of learning from that errour,
I will as neere as I can set downe, which matters be hie and loftie, which
be but meane, and which be low and base, to the intent the stiles may be
fashioned to the matters, and keepe their _decorum_ and good proportion in
euery respect: I am not ignorant that many good clerkes be contrary to
mine opinion, and say that the loftie style may be decently vsed in a
meane and base subiect & contrariwise, which I do in parte acknowledge,
but with a reasonable qualification. For _Homer_ hath so vsed it in his
trifling worke of _Batrachomyomachia_: that is in his treatise of the
warre betwixt the frogs and the mice. _Virgill_ also in his _bucolickes_,
and in his _georgicks_, whereof the one is counted meane, the other base,
that is the husbandmans discourses and the shepheards, but hereunto
serueth a reason in my simple conceite: for first to that trifling poeme
of _Homer_, though the frog and the mouse be but litle and ridiculous
beasts, yet to treat of warre is an high subiect, and a thing in euery
respect terrible and daungerous to them that it alights on: and therefore
of learned dutie asketh martiall grandiloquence, if it be set foorth in
his kind and nature of warre, euen betwixt the basest creatures that can
be imagined: so also is the Ante or pismire, and they be but little
creeping things, not perfect beasts, but _insects_, or wormes: yet in
describing their nature & instinct, and their manner of life approching to
the forme of a common-welth, and their properties not vnlike to the
vertues of most excellent gouernors and captaines, it asketh a more
maiestie of speach then would the description of any other beastes life or
nature, and perchance of many matters perteyning vnto the baser sort of
men, because it resembleth the historie of a ciuill regiment, and of them
all the chiefs and most principall which is _Monarchie_: so also in his
_bucolicks_, which are but pastorall, speaches and the basest of any other
poeme in their owne proper nature: _Virgill_ vsed a somewhat swelling
stile when he came to insinuate the birth of _Marcellus_ heire apparant to
the Emperour _Augustus_, as child to his sister, aspiring by hope and
greatnes of the house, to the succession of the Empire, and establishment
thereof in that familie: whereupon _Virgill_ could do no lesse then to vse
such manner of stile, whatsoeuer condition the poeme were of and this was
decent, & no fault or blemish, to confound the tennors of the stiles for
that cause. But now when I remember me againe that this _Eglogue_, (for I
haue read it somewhere) was conceiued by _Octauian_ th'Emperour to be
written to the honour of _Pollio_ a citizen of Rome, & of no great
nobilitie, the same was misliked againe as an implicatiue, nothing decent
nor proportionable to _Pollio_ his fortunes and calling, in which respect
I might say likewise the stile was not to be such as if it had bene for
the Emperours owne honour, and those of the bloud imperiall, then which
subiect there could not be among the _Romane_ writers an higher nor grauer
to treat vpon: so can I not be remoued from mine opinion, but still me
thinks that in all decencie the stile ought to conforme with the nature of
the subiect, otherwise if a writer will seeme to obserue no _decorum_ at
all, nor passe how he fashion his tale to his matter, who doubteth but he
may in the lightest cause speake like a Pope, & in the grauest matters
prate like a parrat, & finde wordes & phrases ynough to serue both turnes,
and neither of them commendably, for neither is all that may be written of
Kings and Princes such as ought to keepe a high stile, nor all that may be
written vpon a shepheard to keepe the low, but according to the matter
reported, if that be of high or base nature: for euery pety pleasure, and
vayne delight of a king are not to accompted high matter for the height of
his estate, but meane and perchaunce very base and vile: nor so a Poet or
historiographer, could decently with a high stile reporte the vanities of
_Nero_, the ribaudries of _Caligula_, the idleness of _Domitian_, & the
riots of _Heliogabalus_. But well the magnanimitie and honorable ambition
of _Caesar_, the prosperities of _Augustus_, the grauitie of _Tiberius_,
the bountie of _Traiane_, the wisedome of _Aurelius_, and generally all
that which concerned the highest honours of Emperours, their birth,
alliaunces, gouernment, exploits in warre and peace, and other publike
affaires: for they be matter stately and high, and require a stile to be
lift vp and aduaunced by choyse of wordes, phrases, sentences, and
figures, high, loftie, eloquent, & magnifik in proportion: so be the meane
matters, to be caried with all wordes and speaches of smothnesse and
pleasant moderation, & finally the base things to be holden within their
teder, by low, myld, and simple maner of vtterance, creeping rather then
clyming, & marching rather then mounting vpwardes, with the wings of the
stately subiects and stile.
_CHAP. VI._
_Of the high, low, and meane subiect._