The Canterbury tales and Faerie queene &c., &c., &c., ed. for popular perusal with current illustrations and explanatory notes, by D. Laing Purves.

556 POEMS OF EDMUND SPENSER.
who for that he is uncouth (as said Chaucer) is seem- disorderly and ruinous. But all as in
unkiss'd, and, unknownto most men, is regarded most exquisite pictures they use to blaze and
but of a few. But I doubt not, so soon as his portraynot onlythe daintylineaments of beauty,
name shall come into the knowledge of men, but also round about it to shadow the rude
-and his worthiness be sounded in the trump of thickets and craggy cliffs, that, by the baseFame, but that he shall be not only kiss'd, but ness of such parts, more excellency may accrue
also beloved of all, embraced of the most, and to the principal: for ofttimes we find ourselves,
wonder'd at of the best. No less, I think, de- I know not how, singularly delighted with the
serveth his wittiness in devising, his pithiness show of such natural rudeness, and take great
in uttering, his complaints of love so lovely, his pleasure in that disorderly order. Even so do
discourses of pleasure so pleasantly, his pastoral those rough and' harsh terms enlumine, and
rudeness, his moral wiseness, his due observing make more clearly to appear, the' brightness
-of decorum everywhere, in personages, in sea- of brave and glorious words. So oftentimes a
sons, in matter, in speech; and generally,,in all discord in music maketh a comely concordance:
seemly simplicity of handling his matters and so great delight took the worthy poet Alcaeus
framing his words: the which, of many things to behold a blemish in the joint of a well-shaped
which in him be strange, I know will seem the body. But, if any will rashly blame such his
strangest, thewords themselves being so ancient, purpose in choice of old and unwonted words,
the knitting of them so short and intricate, and him may I more justly blame and condemn, or3
the whole period and compass of speech so de- of witless headiness in judging, or of heedless
lightsome for the roundness, and so grave for hardiness in condemning: for, not marking the
the strangeness. And first of the words to compass of his bent, he will judge of the length
speak, I grant they be something hard, and of of his cast: for in my opinion it is one especial
most men unused, yet both English, and also praise of many, which are due to this Poet, that
used of most excellent authors and most famous he hath laboured to restore, as to their rightful
poets. In whom when as this our Poet hath heritage, such good and natural English words
been much travailed and throughly read, how as have been long time out of use, and almost
could it be (as that worthy orator said) but that clean disherited. Which is the only cause that
walking in the sun, although for other cause he our mother tongue, which truly of itself is
walks, yet needs he must be sunburnt; and, both full enough for prose, and stately enough
having the sound of those ancient poets still for verse, hath long time been counted most
ringing in -his ears, he must needs, in singing, bare and barren of both. Which default when
hit out some of their tunes. But whether he as some endeavoured to salve and recure, they
useth them by such casualty and custom, or of patched up the holes with pieces and rags of
set purpose and choice, as thinking them fittest other languages, borrowing here of the French,
for such rustical rudeness of shepherds, either there of the Italian, everywhere of the Latin;
for that their rough sound would make his not weighing how ill those tongues accord with
rhymes more ragged and rustical, or else be- themselves, but much worse with ours: So now
cause such old and obsolete words are most used they have made our English tongue a galliof country folk, sure I think, and think I think maufrey, or hodge-podge of all other speeches.
not amiss, that they bring great grace, and, as Other some, not so well seen4 in the English
one would say, authority to the verse. For all tongue as perhaps in other languages, if they
be, amongst many other faults, it specially be happen to hear an old word, albeit very natural
objected of Valla against Livy, and of other and significant, cry out straightway, that we
against Sallust, that with over much study they speak no English, but gibberish, or rather such
affect antiquity, as coveting thereby credence as in old time Evander's mother spake: whose
and honour of elder years; yet I am of opinion, first shame is, that they are not ashamed, in
and eke the best learned are of the like, that their own mother tongue, to be counted strangers
those ancient solemn'words are a great orna- and aliens. The second shame no less than the
ment, both in the one and in the other: the first, that whatso they understand not, they
one labouring to set forth in his work an eternal straightway deem to be senseless, and not at all
image of antiquity, and the other carefully dis- to be understood. Much like to the mole in
coursing matters of gravity and importance. AEsop's fable, that, being blind herself, would
For, if my memory fail not, Tully, in that book in no wise be persuaded that any beast could
wherein he endeavoureth to set forth the pattern see. The last, more shameful than both, that
of a perfect orator,2 saith that ofttimes an an- of their own country and natural speech, which
cient word maketh the style seem grave, and as together with their nurse's milk they sucked,
it were reverend, no otherwise than we honour they have so base regard and bastard judgment,
and reverence gray hairs for a certain religious that they will not only themselves not labour
regard which we have of old age. Yet neither to garnish and beautify it, but also repine that
everywhere must old words be stuffed in, nor of other it should be embellished. Like to the
the common dialect and manner of speaking so dog in the manger, that himself can eat no hay,
corrupted thereby, that, as in old buildings, it and yet barketh at the hungry bullock, that so
1 Laurence Valla, a celebrated Italian philologer, 2 Cicero, "De Oratore." 3 Either. 4 Instructed.
who lived in the first half of the fifteenth century, and 5 Carmentis, who fled with her son from Arcadia to
made important contributions to the revival of learning. Latium, and uttered oracles on the Capitoline Hill.