The Poetical Works of - OUDL Home

630 THREE PROPER AND WITTIE
630 THREE PROPER
nothing else for vs to do or we were borne to I
be the only Nonprofiaents and Nthilagents of
the world Cuiusmodi tu nugis, atque menus
nisi vna tnecum (qui solemm quodam tureiuran
do, atque voto obstrtngor, rehcto isto amoris
Poculo, tuns Poculum primo quoque tempore
exkaurire) tarn tandem ahquando valeduas,
(quod lamen, vnum tibi, credo,
vtdehiur) nihil dicam amphus, Valeas E meo
mumapio Nono Calendas Matas
But hoe I pray you, gentle sirra, a word
with you more In good sooth, and by the
faith I beare to the Muses, you shal neuer haue
my subscription or consent (though you should
charge me wyth the authontie of fiue hundreth
Maister Drants,) to make your Carpenter our
Carpenter, an mche longer, or bigger, than God
and his Enghshe people haue made him Is
there no other Polhcie to pull downe Ryming,
and set vppe Versifying, but you must needes
correcte Magnificat and againste all order of
Lawe, and in despite of Custome, forcibly
vsurpe, and tyrannize vppon a quiet companye
of wordes, that so farre beyonde the memone
of man, haue so peaceably enioyed their seueral
Pnuiledges and Liberties, without any dis
turbance, or the leaste controlement ? What ?
Is Horaces Ars Poettca so quite out of our
Enghshe Poets head, that he muste haue his
Remembrancer, to pull hym by the sleeue, and
put him in mind, of, Penes vsum, et tus, et
norma loquendt ? Indeed I remember, who
was wont in a certame brauene, to call our
M Valanger Noble M Valanger Else neuer
heard I any, that durst presume so much ouer
the Enghshe, (excepting a fewe suche stam
merers, as haue not the mastene of their owne
Tongues) as to alter the Quantitie of any one
sillable, otherwise, than oure common speache,
and generall receyued Custome woulde beare
them oute Woulde not I laughe, thinke you,
to heare Messer Immerito come in baldely with
his Matestie, Royaltte, Honestte, Sciences, Facul
ties, Excellent, Tauernour, Manfully, Faith
fully, and a thousande the like in steade of
Matfstte, Royaltte, Honfstte, and so forth ?
And trowe you anye coulde forbeare the bytmg
of his Lippe, or smyling in his Sleeue, if a lolly
fellowe, and greate Clarke, (as it mighte be
youre selfe,) reading a fewe Verses vnto him,
for his own credite and commendation, should
nowe and then, tell him of, bargaineth, follow
tng, harrowing, thoroughly, Trauatlers, or the
like, in steade of, bargaineth, following, harrfiw
ing, and the reste ? Or will Segnior Immerito,
bycause, may happe, he hathe a fat bellyed
Archedeacon on his side, take vppon him to
controll Maister Doctor Watson for his All
Trauatlers, in a Verse so highly extolled of
Master Ascham? or Maister Ascham himselfe,
for abusing Homer, and corrupting our Tongue,
in that he saith
Quite ihrofighe a Doore fltwe a shafte with a
brassehead?
Nay, haue we not somtime, by your leaue,
both the Position of the firste, and Dipthong
of the seconde, concurring in one, and the same
sillable, which neuerthelesse is commonly and
ought necessarily to be pronounced short ?
I haue nowe small time, to bethink me of
many examples But what say you to the
second in Merckaundise? to the third in
Couenaiinteth ? and to the fourth in Appurtenaiinces
? Durst you aduenture to make any
of them long, either in Prose, or in Verse ?
I assure you I knowe who dareth not, and
suddenly feareth the displeasure of all true
Englishmen if he should Say you suddamly, if
you hste: by my certainly, and certainly I wil
not You may preceiue by the Premisses, (which
very worde I woulde haue you note by the waye
to) the Latme is no rule for vs or imagine afore
hande, (bycause you are like to proue a great
Purchaser, and leaue suche store of money,
and possessions behinde you) your Executors
wil deale fraudulently, or violently with your
succtssour, (whiche in a maner is euery mans
case) and it will fall oute a resolute pomte
the third m Execiitores, frauduleler, violeter,
and the seconde in Successor, being long in the
one, and shorte in the other as in seauen
hundreth more suche as, disciple, recited,
excited tenement, orilour, laudible and a num
ber of their fellowes are long in English, short
in Latme long in Latine, short in English
Howbeit, m mv fancy, such words, as violently,
diligently, magnificently, indifferently, seeme in
a manner reasonably indifferent, and tollerable
either waye, neither woulde I greately stande
with him, that translated the Verse
Cur mittis violas ? vt me vwlentws vras ?
Why send you violets ? to burne my poore hart
violently
Marry so, that being left common for verse,
they are to be pronounced shorte in Prose, after
the maner of the Latmes, in suche wordes as
these, Cathedra, Volucres, mediocres, Celebres
And thus farre of your Carpenter, and his
fellowes, wherin we are to be moderated, and
I ouerruled by the vsuall, and common receiued