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

About this Item

Title
The arte of English poesie Contriued into three bookes: the first of poets and poesie, the second of proportion, the third of ornament.
Author
Puttenham, George, d. 1590.
Publication
At London :: Printed by Richard Field, dwelling in the black-Friers, neere Ludgate,
1589.
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Subject terms
Poetics -- Early works to 1800.
Link to this Item
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A68619.0001.001
Cite this Item
"The arte of English poesie Contriued into three bookes: the first of poets and poesie, the second of proportion, the third of ornament." In the digital collection Early English Books Online 2. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A68619.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 9, 2024.

Pages

Page 119

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 set vpon the matter with wordes, and speaches smothly and tunably running: ano∣ther by certaine intendments or sence of such wordes & speaches inwardly working a stirre to the mynde: that first qualitie the Greeks called Enargia, of this word argos, because it geueth a glo∣rious lustre and light. This latter they called Energia of ergon, be∣cause it wrought with a strong and vertuous operation; and fi∣gure 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 commō seruitours appointed for th'one and th'other purpose, which shal∣be hereafter spoken of in place: but because we haue alleaged be∣fore that ornament is but the good or rather bewtifull habite of language and stile, and figuratiue speaches the instrument where∣with we burnish our language fashioning it to this or that mea∣sure and proportion, whence finally resulteth a long and continu∣all 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.

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