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

CHAP. XII.

Of your figures Auricular vvorking by disorder.

TO all their speaches which wrought by disorder the Greekes gaue a general name [Hiperbaton] as much to say as the [tres∣passer] and because such disorder may be committed many wayes it receiueth sundry particulars vnder him,* 1.1 whereof some are onely proper to the Greekes and Latines and not to vs, other some ordi∣narie in our maner of speaches, but so foule and intolerable as I will not seeme to place them among the figures, but do raunge thē as they deserue among the vicious or faultie speaches.

* 1.2Your first figure of tollerable disorder is [Parenthesis] or by an English name the [Insertour] and is when ye will seeme for larger information or some other purpose, to peece or graffe in the mid∣dest of your tale an vnnecessary parcell of speach, which neuerthe∣lesse

may be thence without any detriment to the rest. The figure is so common that it needeth none example, neuerthelesse be∣cause we are to teache Ladies and Gentlewomen to know their schoole points and termes appertaining to the Art, we may not refuse to yeeld examples euen in the plainest cases, as that of mai∣ster Diars very aptly.

But novv my Deere (for so my loue makes me to call you still) That loue I say, that lucklesse loue, that vvorks me all this ill.

Also in our Eglogue intituled Elpine, which we made being but eightene yeares old, to king Edvvard the sixt a Prince of great hope, we surmised that the Pilot of a ship answering the King, be∣ing inquisitiue and desirous to know all the parts of the ship and tackle, what they were, & to what vse they serued, vsing this inser∣tion or Parenthesis.

Soueraigne Lord (for vvhy a greater name To one on earth no mortall tongue can frame No statelie stile can giue the practisd penne: To one on earth conuersant among men.)

And so proceedes to answere the kings question?

The shippe thou seest sayling in sea so large, &c.

This insertion is very long and vtterly impertinent to the prin∣cipall matter, and makes a great gappe in the tale, neuerthelesse is no disgrace but rather a bewtie and to very good purpose, but you must not vse such insertions often nor to thick, nor those that bee very long as this of ours, for it will breede great confusion to haue the tale so much interrupted.

Ye haue another manner of disordered speach, when ye mis∣place your words or clauses and set that before which should be behind, & è conuerso, we call it in English prouerbe,* 1.3 the cart before the horse, the Greeks call it Histeron proteron, we name it the Pre∣posterous, and if it be not too much vsed is tollerable inough, and many times scarse perceiueable, vnlesse the sence be thereby made very absurd: as he that described his manner of departure from his mistresse, said thus not much to be misliked.

I kist her cherry lip and tooke my leaue:

For I tooke my leaue and kist her: And yet I cannot well say whether a man vse to kisse before hee take his leaue, or take his

leaue before he kisse, or that it be all one busines. It seemes the ta∣king leaue is by vsing some speach, intreating licence of departure: the kisse a knitting vp of the farewell, and as it were a testimoni∣all of the licence without which here in England one may not pre∣sume of courtesie to depart, let yong Courtiers decide this contro∣uersie. One describing his landing vpon a strange coast, sayd thus preposterously.

When we had climbde the clifs, and were a shore,

Whereas he should haue said by good order.

When vve vvere come a shore and clymed had the cliffs

For one must be on land ere he can clime. And as another said:

My dame that bred me vp and bare me in her vvombe.

Whereas the bearing is before the bringing vp. All your other figures of disorder because they rather seeme deformities then bewties of language, for so many of them as be notoriously vnde∣cent, and make no good harmony, I place them in the Chapter of vices hereafter following.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Hiperbaton, or the Trespasser.
• * 1.2

  Parenthesis. or the Insertour.
• * 1.3

  Histeron proteron, or the Preposterous.