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

CHAP. I.

Of Ornament Poeticall.

AS no doubt the good proportion of any thing doth greatly adorne and commend it and right so our late remembred propor∣tions doe to our vulgar Poesie: so is there yet requisite to the perfection of this arte, another maner of exornation, which re∣steth in the fashioning of our makers lan∣guage and stile, to such purpose as it may delight and allure as well the mynde as the eare of the hearers with a certaine noueltie and strange maner of conueyance, dis∣guising it no litle from the ordinary and accustomed: neuerthe∣lesse making it nothing the more vnseemely or misbecomming, but rather decenter and more agreable to any ciuill eare and vn∣derstanding. And as we see in these great Madames of honour, be they for personage or otherwise neuer so comely and bewti∣full, yet if they want their courtly habillements or at leastwise such other apparell as custome and ciuilitie haue ordained to co∣uer their naked bodies, would be halfe ashamed or greatly out of countenaunce to be seen in that sort, and perchance do then thinke themselues more amiable in euery mans eye, when they be in their richest attire, suppose of silkes or tyssewes & costly embroderies, then when they go in cloth or in any other plaine and simple ap∣parell. Euen so cannot our vulgar Poesie shew it selfe either gal∣lant or gorgious, if any lymme be left naked and bare and not clad in his kindly clothes and coulours, such as may conuey them som∣what out of sight, that is from the common course of ordinary

speach and capacitie of the vulgar iudgement, and yet being arti∣ficially handled must needes yeld it much more bewtie and com∣mendation. This ornament we speake of is giuen to it by figures and figuratiue speaches, which be the flowers as it were and cou∣lours that a Poet setteth vpon his language by arte, as the embro∣derer doth his stone and perle, or passements of gold vpon the stuffe of a Princely garment, or as th'excellent painter bestoweth the rich Orient coulours vpon his table of pourtraite: so neuer∣thelesse as if the same coulours in our arte of Poesie (as well as in those other mechanicall artes) be not well tempered, or not well layd, or be vsed in excesse, or neuer so litle disordered or mispla∣ced, they not onely giue it no maner of grace at all, but rather do disfigure the stuffe and spill the whole workmanship taking a∣way all bewtie and good liking from it, no lesse then if the crim∣son tainte, which should be laid vpon a Ladies lips, or right in the center of her cheekes should by some ouersight or mishap be ap∣plied to her forhead or chinne, it would make (ye would say) but a very ridiculous bewtie, wherfore the chief prayse and cunning of our Poet is in the discreet vsing of his figures, as the skilfull pain∣ters is in the good conueyance of his coulours and shadowing traits of his pensill, with a delectable varietie, by all measure and iust proportion, and in places most aptly to be bestowed.