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

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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.
Rights/Permissions: This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. Searching, reading, printing, or downloading EEBO-TCP texts is reserved for the authorized users of these project partner institutions. Permission must be granted for subsequent distribution, in print or electronically, of this text, in whole or in part. Please contact project staff at eebotcp-info@umich.edu for further information or permissions.
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 18, 2024.

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A Table of the Chapters in this booke, and euery thing in them conteyned.

WHat a Poet and Poesie is, and who may be said the most excellent Poet in our time. fol. 1
Whether there may be an arte of our English or vulgar Poesie 3
How Poets were the first Priests, the first Prophets, the first Legis-lators and Po∣litiens in the world. 3
How Poets were the first Philosophers, the first Astronomers, and Historiographers, and Orators, and Musicians in the world. 5
How euery wilde and sauadge people vse a kinde of naturall Poesie in versicle and rime, as our vulgar is. 7
Whence the riming Poesie came first to the Greekes and Latines, and how it had alte∣red, and almost spilt their maner of Poe∣sie. 7
How in the time of Charlemaynes raigne and many yeares after him, the Latine Poets wrote in rime. 8
In what reputation Poets and Poesie were in the olde time with Princes, and other∣wise generally, & how they be now become contemptible, and for what causes. 12
How Poesie shoulde not be employed vpon vaine conceits, nor specially those that bee vitious or infamous. 18
The subiect or matter of Poesie what it is. 18
Of Poems and their sundrie sortes, and how thereby the auncient Poets receiued Sur∣names. 19
In what forme of Poesie the gods of the gen∣tils were praysed and honoured. 21
In what forme of Poesie vice, & the common abuses of mans life were reprehended. 24
How the Poesie for reprehension of vice, was reformed by two manner of Poems, more ciuill than the first. 25
In what forme of Poesie the euill and outra∣gious behauiours of Princes were repre∣hended. 26
In what forme of Poesie the great Princes and dominators of the world were praised and honoured. 27
Of the places where in auncient time their en∣terludes and other Poemes drammaticke were represented vnto the people. 28
Of the shepheards or pastorall poesie called E∣glogue, and to what purpose it was first inuented and deuised. 30
Of historicall Poesie, by which the famous acts of princes and the vertuous and wor∣thy liues of our forefathers were reported. 31
In what forme of poesie vertue in the inferi∣or sort was commended. 34
The forme wherein honest & profitable arts and sciences were treated. 35
In what forme of poesie the amarous affe∣ctions and entertainments were vttered. 36
The forme of poeticall reioysings. 36
The forme of poeticall lamentations. 37
The solemne reioysings at the birth and nati∣uitie of princes children. 40
The manner of reioysings at weddings and marriages, specially of great Ladies and Gentlewomen and Dames of honour. 40
The manner of poesie by which they vttered their bitter taunts or priuy nippes, and witty scoffes and other merry conceits. 43
What manner of poeme they vsed for memo∣riall of the dead. 45
An auncient forme of poesie by which men did vse to reproch their enimies. 46
Of the short poeme called with vs posie. 47
Who in any age haue beene the most com∣mended writers in our English poesie, and the Authors censure giuen vpon them. 48

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The Table of the second booke.

OF proportion poeticall. fol. 53
Of proportion in Staff. 54
Of proportion in Measure. 55
How many sortes of measures we vse in our vulgar. 58
Of the distinctions of mans voice and pauses allowed to our speech, & of the first pawse called Ceazure. 61
Of proportion in concord called Rime. 63
Of accent, stirre and time, euidently percey∣ued in the distinction of mans voice, and is that which maketh the flowing of a Meetre. 64
Of your Cadēces by which the meeter is made Symphonicall, & when they be most sweet and solemne. 65
How the good maker wil not wrench his word to helpe his rime, either by falsifying his accent or his Ortographie. 67
Of concord in long and short measures, & by neere or farre distances, and which of thē is most commendable. 68
Of proportion by situation. 69
Of proportion in figure. 75
How if all manner of suddaine innouations were not very scandalous, specially in the lawes of any language, the vse of the Greeke and Latine feet might be brought into our vulgar poesie & with good grace inough. 85
A more particular declaration of the Metri∣call feete of the Greekes and Latines, and of your feete of two times. 91
Of the feete of three times, and what vse we may haue of them in our vulgar. 103
Of all the other of three times besides the Da∣ctill. 106
Of your halfe foote in a verse▪ & those verses which they called perfect and defectiue. 107
Of the breaking of your wordes of many sil∣lables, & whē & how it is to be vsed. 108

The Table of the third booke.

OF ornament poeticall and that it resteth in figures. 114
How our writing & speeches publique ought to be figuratiue, and if they be not doo greatly disgrace the cause and purpose of the speaker and writer. 115
How ornament poeticall is of two sortes ac∣cording to the double nature and efficacy of figures. 119
Of language and what speech our maker ought to vse. 119
Of stile, and that it is of three kindes, loftie, meane, and low according to the nature of the subiect. 123
Of the loftie, meane, and low subiect. 127
Of figures and figuratiue speeches. 128
Sixe points set downe by our learned forefa∣thers for a generall rule or regiment of all good vtterance, be it by mouth or by writing. 129
How the Greekes first and afterwardes the Latines inuented new names for euery fi∣gure, which this Author is also enforced to doo in his vulgar arte. 130
A diuision of figures, and how they serue in exornation of language. 132
Of Auricular figures apperteyning to single words and working by their diuers sounds and audible tunes, alteration to the eare onely and not to the minde. 134
Of Auricular figures perteyning to clawses of speech, and by them working no little alte∣ration to the eare. 135
Of Auricular figures working by disorder. 140
Of Auricular figures working by surplusage. 142
Of Auricular figures working by exchange. 142
Of Auricular figures that serue to make the meetre tuneable and melodious, but not by defect nor surplusage, disorder nor ex∣change. 145

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The names of your figures Auricular.

ECclipsis, or the figure of default. 136
Zeugma, or the single supply. 136
Prozeugma, or the ringleader. 137
Mezozeugma, or the middlemarcher. 137
Hypozeugma, or the rerewarder. 137
Sillepsis, or the double supply. 137
Hypozeuxis, or the substitute. 138
Aposiopesis, or the figure of silence, other∣wise called the figure of interruption. 139
Prolepsis, or the propounder. 139
Hiperbaton, or the trespasser. 140
Parenthesis, or the insertour. 140
Histeron proteron, or the preposterous. 141
Enallage, or figure of exchange. 142
Hipallage, or the changeling. 143
Omoioteleton, or the figure of likeloose. 144
Parimion, or figure of like letter. 145
Asindeton, or figure of lose language. 145
Polisindeton, or the coople clause. 146
Irmus, or the long lose. 146
Epitheton, or the qualifier. 147
Endiades, or the figure of twinnes. 147
Of the figures which we call Sensable, because they alter and affect the minde by altera∣tion of sense and first in single words. 148
Metaphora, or the figure of transport. 148
Catacresis, or the figure of abuse. 150
Metonymia, or the misnamer. 150
Antonomasia, or the surnamer. 151
Onomatopeia, or the newnamer. 151
Epitheton, or figure of attribution, other∣wise called the qualifier. 152
Metalepsis, or the far-fet, 152
Liptote, or the moderator. 153
Paradiastole, or the currifauel, otherwise called the soother. 154
Meiosis, or the disabler. 154
Tapinosis, or the abbaser. 154
Synecdoche, or the figure of quick conceit. 154
Of sensable figures appertaining to whole speeches, and by them affecting and alte∣ring the minde by force of sence and in∣tendment. 155
Allegoria, or figure of faire semblant. 155
Enigma, or the riddle. 157
Parimia, or the prouerbe. 157
Ironia, or the drie mock. 157
Sarcasmus, or the bitter taunt. 158
Asteismus, the merry scoffe, or ciuill iest. 158
Micterismus, or the fleering frumpe. 159
Antiphrasis, or the broad floute. 159
Charientismus, or the priuie nippe. 159
Hyperbole, or the loud lier, otherwise cal∣led the ouerreacher. 159
Periphrasis, or the figure of ambage. 161
Synecdoche, or the figure of quick conceit. 162
Of figures sententious, otherwise called rhe∣toricall. 163
Anaphora, or the figure of report. 165
Antistrophe, or the counterturne. 165
Simploche, or figure of reiteration. 166
Anadiplosis, or the redouble. 167
Epanalepsis, or the slow returne, otherwise called the Eccho sound. 167
Epizeuxis, or the vnderlay, otherwise cal∣led the Cuckowspell. 167
Ploche, or the doubler, otherwise called the swift repeate. 168
Paronomasia, or the nicknamer. 168
Traductio, or the tranlacer. 170
Antipophora, or the figure of respōce. 170
Sineciosis, or the crossecoople. 172
Atanaclasis, or the rebound. 173
Clymax, or the marching figure. 173
Antimetauole, or the counterchange. 174
Insultatio, or the disdainfull. 175
Antitheton, or the quareller, otherwise called the ouerthwart or rencounter. 175
Erotema, or the questioner. 176
Echphonisis, or the outcrie. 177
Brachiologia, or the cutted comma. 178
Parison, or the figure of euen. 178
Sinonimya, or the figure of store. 179
Metanoia, or the penitent, otherwise called

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the figure of repentance. 179
Antenagoge, or the recompencer. 180
Epiphonema, or the close. 181
Auxesis, or the auancer. 182
Meiosis, or the disabler. 183
Dialisis, or the dismembrer. 185
Merismus, or the distributor. 185
Epimone, or the loueburden. 188
Paradoxon, or the wonderer. 189
Aporia, or the doubtfull. 189
Epitropi, or the figure of reference, other∣wise called the figure of submission. 189
Parrisia, or the licentious. 190
Anachmosis, or the impartener. 190
Paramologia, or figure of admittance. 190
Etiologia, or the tell-cause, otherwise called the reason rendrer. 191
Dicheologia, or the figure of excuse. 192
Noema, or the figure of close conceit. 193
Orismus, or the definer by difference. 193
Procatalepsis, or the presumptuous. 194
Paralepsis, or the passenger. 194
Commoratio, or figure of aboade. 194
Metastasis, or figure of remoue, otherwise called the flitter. 194
Parecuasis, or the straggler, otherwise cal∣led the figure of digression. 195
Expeditio, or the dispatcher. 195
Dialogismus, or the right reasoner. 196
Gnome, or the director, otherwise called the sage sayer. 197
Sinathrismus, or the heaping figure. 197
Apostrophe, or the turne tale. 198
Hipotiposis, or the counterfait, otherwise called the figure of representation. 199
Prosopographia, or the counterfet coun∣tenaunce. 199
Prosopopeia, or the false impersonation. 200
Chronographia, or the counterfait of time 200
Topographia, or counterfait of place. 200
Pragmatographia, or counterfait action. 201
Omoiosis, or the figure of resemblance. 201
Icon, or resemblance by purtrait, and yma∣gerie. 204
Parabola, or resemblance misticall. 205
Paradigma, or resemblance by exāple. 205
Exargasia, or the gorgious, otherwise cal∣led the bewtifull. 206
Of the vices and deformitie in speech princi∣pally noted by ancient Poets. 208
How some vices in speeches are alwaies intol∣lerable some others now and then borne withal by licence of approued authors. 209
Barbarismus, or barbarous speech. 209
Solecismus, or false speech. 210
Cacozelia, or fonde affectation. 210
Soraismus, or the vice called the mingle-mangle. 211
Cacosintheton, or the misplacer. 212
Cacemphaton, or foule speech. 212
Tautologia, or selfe saying. 213
Acyron, or the vncouth. 214
Pleonasmus, or fault of full speech. 215
Macrologia, or long language. 215
Periergia, or ouerlabor, otherwise called the curious. 216
Tapinosis, or the abbaser. 216
Bomphiologia, or pompous speech. 217
Amphibologia, or the ambiguous. 217
What it is that generally makes our speech vertuous or vicious, & of that which the Latines call decorum. 218
Of decencie in behauiour and action, which also belongs to the consideration of a Poet or maker. 231
How the good poet or maker ought to dissem∣ble his arte, and in what cases the artifi∣ciall is more commended then the natu∣rall and contrariwise. 250
The conclusion. 257

FINIS.

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