The arte of English poesie Contriued into three bookes: the first of poets and poesie, the second of proportion, the third of ornament.

CHAP. XIIII.

Of your feet of three times, and first of the Dactil.

YOur feete of three times by prescription of the Latine Gram∣mariens are of eight sundry proportions, for some notable dif∣ference appearing in euery sillable of three falling in a word of that size: but because aboue the antepenultima there was (amōg the La∣tines) none accent audible in any long word, therfore to deuise any foote of lōger measure then of three times was to them but super∣fluous: because all aboue the number of three are but compoun∣ded of their inferiours. Omitting therefore to speake of these lar∣ger feete, we say that of all your feete of three times the Dactill is most vsuall 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.

Rendĕr ăgaīne mĭe lībĕrtĭe ănd sēt yoŭr cāptĭue frēe

Glōrĭoŭs īs thĕ vīctŏrĭe Cōnquĕrŏurs ūse wĭth lēnĭtĭe

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 bissilla∣ble 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 Iambie of foure feet, because [render] is naturally a Trocheus & makes the first two times of a dactil. [Restore] is naturally a Iā∣bus, & 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 vsus, Quem penes arbitrium est & vis & norma loquendi.

The Earle of Surrey vpon the death of Sir Thomas Wiat made among other this verse Pentameter and of ten sillables,

What holy graue (alas) vvhat sepulcher

But if I had had the making of him, he should haue bene of ele∣uen sillables and kept his measure of fiue still, and would so haue runne more pleasantly a great deale: for as he is now, though he be euen he seemes odde and defectiue, for not well obseruing the na∣tural accent of euery word, and this would haue bene soone holpen by inserting one monosillable in the middle of the verse, and draw∣ing another sillable in the beginning into a Dactil, this word [ho∣ly] being a good [Pirrichius] & very well seruing the turne, thus,

Whāt hŏlĭe grāue ă lās whăt fīt sĕpūlchĕr.

Which verse if ye peruse throughout ye shall finde him after the first dactil all Trochaick & not Iambic, nor of any other foot of two

times. But perchance if ye would seeme yet more curious, in place of these foure Trocheus ye might induce other feete of three times, as to make the three sillables next following the dactil, the foote [amphimacer] the last word [Sepulcher] the foote [amphibracus] leauing the other midle word for a [Iambus] thus.

Whāt hŏlĭe grāue ă lās whăt fīt sĕpūlchĕr.

If ye aske me further why I make [vvhat] first long & after short in one verse, to that I satisfied you before, that it is by reason of his accent sharpe in one place and flat in another, being a commō mo∣nosillable, that is, apt to receiue either accent, & so in the first place receiuing aptly the sharpe accent he is made long: afterward recei∣uing the flat accent more aptly thē the sharpe, because the sillable precedent [las] vtterly distaines him, he is made short & not long, & that with very good melodie, but to haue giuen him the sharpe accent & plucked it frō the sillable [las] it had bene to any mans eare a great discord: for euermore this word [alás] is accēted vpon the last, & that lowdly & notoriously as appeareth by all our ex∣clamations vsed vnder that terme. The same Earle of Surrey & Sir Thomas Wyat the first reformers & polishers of our vulgar Poesie much affecting the stile and measures of the Italian Petrarcha, vsed the foote dactil very often but not many in one verse, as in these,

Fūll mănĭe that in presence of thy līuelĭe hĕd, Shed Caesars teares vpon Pōmpĕūis hĕd. Th'ēnĕmĭe to life destroi er of all kinde, If āmŏ rŏus faith in an hart vn fayned, Myne old deēre ĕnĕ my my froward master. Thē fŭrĭ ous gone in his most ra ging ire.

And many moe which if ye would not allow for dactils the verse would halt vnlesse ye would seeme to helpe it contracting a sillable by vertue of the figure Syneresis which I thinke was neuer their meaning, nor in deede would haue bred any pleasure to the eare, but hindred the flowing of the verse. Howsoeuer ye take it the dactil is commendable inough in our vulgar meetres, but most plausible of all when he is sounded vpon the stage, as in these comicall verses shewing how well it becommeth all noble men and great personages to be temperat and modest, yea more then any meaner man, thus.

Lēt nŏ nŏbīlĭtĭe rīchĕs ŏr hērĭtăge Hōnŏur ŏr ēmpĭre ŏr eārthlĭe dŏmīnĭŏn Brēed ĭn yŏur heād ănie pēeuish ŏpīnĭŏn That ye măy sāfĕr ăuōuch ănĭe ōutrāge.

And in this distiquetaxing the Prelate symoniake standing all vpon perfect dactils.

Nōvv mānīe bīe mōnēy pūruĕy prŏmōtĭŏn For mony mooues any hart to deuotion.

But this aduertisement I will giue you withall, that if ye vse too many dactils together ye make your musike too light and of no solemne grauitie such as the amorous Elegies in court naturally require, being alwaies either very dolefull or passionate as the af∣fections of loue enforce, in which busines ye must make your choise of very few words dactilique, or them that ye can not refuse, to dissolue and breake them into other feete by such meanes as it shall be taught hereafter: but chiefly in your courtly ditties take heede ye vse not these maner of long polisillables and specially that ye finish not your verse with thē as [retribution] restitution] remu∣neration [recapitulation] and such like: for they smatch more the schoole of common players than of any delicate Poet Lyricke or Elegiacke.