our advantage, that we raise a profit of new words from the
same Stock, which yet in their owne Country are not marchantable.
For example, we deduce divers words from the Latine, which in the
Latine itselfe cannot be yeelded: as the verbs, to aire, to beard,
to crosse, to flame, and their Derivations, ayring, ayred,
bearder, bearding, bearded, &c. as also closer, closely, closenesse,
glosingly, hourely, majesticall, majestically. In like sort we
grasse upon French words those Buds, to which that soile affordeth
no growth; as, chiefly, faultie, slavish, precisenesse. Divers words
we derive also out of the Latine at second hand by the French,
and make good English, tho' both Latine and French haue their hands
closed in that behalfe, as in these verbes, pray, point, paze, prest,
rent, &c. and also in the adverbes, carpingly, currantly, colourably,
actively, &c. Againe, in other Languages there fall out defects,
while they want means to deliver that which another Tongue expresseth,
as (by Cicero's Observation) you cannot interpret INEPTUS, unapt,
unfit, untoward, in Greeke. Neither PORCUS, CAPO, VERVEX,
a Barrow Hog, a Capon, a Weather, as Cuiacius noteth (*). No more
can you expresse to STAND in French, to TYE in Cornish, nor KNAVE
in Latin, (for Nebulo is a cloudy Fellow) or in Irish (**),
whereas you see our Abilitie extendeth thereunto.
(*) Ad Tit. de verb signif.
(**) See the Survey of Cornwall fol. 55]
Moreover, the Copiousnesse of our Language appeareth in the
diversitie of our Dialects; for we have Court and we have
Countrie English, we have Northerne and Southerne, grosse
and ordinarie, which differ each from the other not onely in
the Terminations, but also in many words, termes, and phrases,
and expresse the same thinges in divers sorts, yet all right
English alike. Neither can any Tongue, as I am perswaded,
deliver a Matter with more Variety than ours, both plainly, and by
Proverbes and Metaphors: for example, when we would be rid of one,
we use to say, Be going, trudge, packe, bee faring hence, away shift;
and by Circumlocution, Rather your Roome than your Companie,
lets see your backe, come againe when I bid you, when you are called,
sent for, intreated, willed, desired, invited; spare us your place,
another in your stead, a ship of salt for you, save your credite,
you are next the doore, the doore is open for you, there is no body
holdeth you, no body teares your sleeve, &c. Likewise this
word FORTIS, we may sinonymize after all these fashions, stout,
hardy, valiant, doughty, couragious, adventrous, &c.
And in a word, to close up these proofs of our Copiousnesse,
look into our imitations, of all sorts of Verses affoorded by any
other Language, and you shall finde that Sir PHILIP SIDNEY,
M. PUTTENHAM, M. STANIHURST, and divers more have made use how
farre we are within compasse of a fore-imagined possibilitie in
that behalfe.
IV. I come now to the last and sweetest point, of the SWEETNESSE of
our Tongue, which shall appeare the more plainely if we match it
with our Neighboures. The Italian is pleasante, but without Sinews,
as a still fleeting Water; the French delicate, but even nice as
a Woman, scarce daring to open her Lippes, for feare of marring
her Countenance; the Spanish Majestical, but fulsome, running too
much on the v, and terrible like the Devill in a Play; the Dutch
manlike, but withall very harsh, as one ready at every word to picke
a quarrel. Now we, in borrowing from them, give the Strength of
Consonants to the Italian, the full Sound of Words to the French,
the Varietie of Terminations to the Spanish, and the mollifying of
more Vowels to the Dutch; and so, like Bees, gather the Honey of
their good Properties, and leave the Dregs to themselves. And thus
when substantialnesse combineth with delightfullnesse, fullnesse with
finenesse, seemlinesse with portlinesse, and currantnesse
with staidnesse, how can the Language which consisteth of all these
sound other than most full of Sweetnesse?
Againe, the long wordes that we borrow being intermingled with the
short of our owne store, make up a perfect Harmonie, by culling from
out which Mixture (with judgment) you may frame your Speech according
to the Matter you must worke on, majesticall, pleasant, delicate,
or manly, more or lesse, in what sort you please. Adde hereunto,
that whatsoever Grace any other Language carrieth in Verse or Prose,
in Tropes or Metaphors, in Eccho's and Agnominations, they may all be
lively and exactly represented in ours. Will you have Plato's Veine?
read Sir THOMAS SMITH; the Ionicke? Sir THOMAS MOORE; Cicero's?
ASCHAM; Varro? CHAUCER; Demosthenes? Sir JOHN CHEEKE (*); who hath
comprised all the Figures of Rhetoricke. Will you read Virgil?
take the Earle of SURRY; Catullus? SHAKSPEARE, and BARLOWES Fragment;
Ovid? DANIEL; Lucan? SPENCER; Martial? Sir JOHN DAVIES, and others.
Will you have all in all for Prose and Verse? take the Miracle of
our Age, Sir PHILIP SIDNEY.
(*) In his Treatise to the rebells.
And thus, if mine owne Eies bee not blinded by Affection, I haue
made yours to see, that the most renowned of all other Nations
have laid up, as in a Treasure, and entrusted the Divtisos orbe
Brttannos with the rarest Jewels of the Lips Perfections;
whether you respect the Understanding for Significancie, or the
Memorie for Easinesse, or the Conceit for Plentifullnesse,
or the Eare for Pleasantnesse: wherein if enough be delivered,
to add more than enough were superfluous; if too little, I leave it
to be supplied by better stored Capacities; if ought amisse,
I submit the same to the Discipline of everie able and
impartiall Censurer.
F I N I S.
Transcriber's notes:
i) This transcript retains the original spelling, except
for the obsolete "long ess" character which has been
replaced by 's' throughout.
Spellings of proper names tend to be phonetic and
haphazard. Eg Pensanz, Pensans, Pensants, Pensance, and
Penzance are all the same place.
ii) The Latin is worse than the English. I am 99.9% certain
that I have transcribed it correctly, the doubt being
where the printer has randomly mixed the "long ess" and "f"
characters & neither form is in my Collin's Little Gem
Latin Dictionary.
iii) This transcript omits the original page numbering from
the introduction and appendix, but retains it in the main
text to support cross-referencing and the index.
Each double-page spread was given a single page number.
I have given these in []s at the beginning of the left-
hand page.
iv) Marginalia have been inserted into the text surrounded
by []s
v) Footnotes have been placed beneath the sections to
which they refer.
vi) Italics, which Carew uses heavily, have been mostly
removed, but sometimes replaced with quotes.
vii) The original capitalisation & over-punctuation is retained.