¶ To the moſt excellent and learned both
Orator and Poet, Maiſter Gabriel Haruey, his
very ſpecial and ſingular good friend E.K. commendeth
the good liking of this his good labour, and the
patronage of the newe Poet.
(⁂)
Ncouthe Vnkiſte, Sayde the olde famous Poet Chaucer: whom for his excellencie and wonderfull skill in making, his ſcholler Lidgate, a worthy ſcholler of ſo excellent a maſter, calleth the Loadeſtarre of our language: and whom our Colin Clout in his Aeglogue calleth Tityrus the God of ſhepheards, comparing him to the worthineſſe of the Romane Tityrus Virgil. Which prouerbe, mine owne good friend M. Haruey, as in that good olde Poet it ſerued well Pandares purpoſe, for the bolſtering of his baudy brocage, ſo very well taketh place in this our newe Poet, who for that he is vncouthe (as ſayde Chaucer) is vnkiſt, and vnknowen to moſt men, is regarded but of fewe. But I doubt not, ſo ſoone as his name ſhall come into the knowledge of men, and his worthineſſe be founded in the trump of Fame, but that he ſhall be not onely kiſt, but alſo beloued of all, embraced of the moſt, and wondred at of the beſt. No leſſe I thinke, deſerueth his wittineſſe in deuiſing, his pithinſſse in vttering, his complaintes of loue ſo louely, his diſcourſes of pleaſure ſo pleaſantly, his paſtorall rudeneſſe, his morall wiſeneſſe, his due obſeruing of Decorum euey where, in perſonages, in ſeaſons, in matter, in ſpeach, and generally in all ſeemely ſimplicitie of handling his matter, and framing his wordes: the which of many things which in him be ſtraunge, I knowe will ſeeme the ſtrangeſt, the words themſelues being ſo ancient, the knitting of them ſo ſhort and intricate, and the whole Period and compaſſe of ſpeach ſo delightſome for the roundneſſe, and ſo graue for the ſtraungeneſſe. And firſt of the wordes to ſpeake, I graunt they be ſomething hard, and of moſt men vnuſed, yet both Engliſh, and alſo vſed of moſt excellent Authours and moſt famous Poets. In whom when as this our Poet hath bene much traueiled and throughly read, how could it be, (as that worthy Oratour ſayd) but that walking in the ſunne, although for other cauſe he walked, yet needes he mought be ſunburnt, and hauing the ſound of thoſe auncient Poets ſtill ringing in his eares, he mought needes in ſinging his out ſome of their tunes. But whether he vſeth them by ſuch caſualtie and cuſtome, or of ſet purpoſe and choyſe, as thinking them fitteſt for ſuch ruſticall rudeneſſe of ſhepheards, eyther for that their rough ſounde would make his rimes more ragged and ruſticall, or elſe becauſe ſuch olde and obſolete wordes are moſt vſed of countrey folke. ſure I thinke, and thinke I thinke not amiſſe, that they bring great grace, and as one would ſay, authoritie to the verſe. For albe amongſt many other faultes it ſpecially be obiected of Vallæ againſt Liuie, and of other againſt Saluſt, that with ouer much ſtudie they affect antiquitie, as coneting thereby credence and honour of elder yeeres, yet I am of opinion, and eke the beſt learned are of the like, that thoſe auncient ſolemne wordes are a great ornament both in the one and in the other: the one labouring to ſet forth in his worke an eternall image of antiquitie, and the other carefully diſcourſing matters of grauitie and importance. For if my memory faile not, Tullie in that booke, wherein he endeuoureth to ſet forth the paterne of a perfect Oratour, ſayth that ofttimes an auncient word maketh the ſtyle ſeeme graue, and as it were reuerend: no otherwiſe then we honour and reuerence gray haires for a certaine religious regard, which we haue of old age. Yet neither euery where muſt old words be ſtuffed in, nor the common Dialecte and maner of ſpeaking ſo corrupted thereby, that as in old buildings it ſeeme diſorderly and ruinous. But all is in moſt exquiſite pictures they vie to blaze and portract not onely the daintie lineaments of beautie, but alſo rounde about it to ſhadowe the rude thickets and craggy clifts, that by the baſeneſſe of ſuch parts, more excellency may accrew to the principall: for oftentimes we finde our ſelues, I know not how, ſingularly delighited with the ſhew of ſuch naturall rudeneſſe, and take great pleaſure in that disorderlyorder.
