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[B.II.r] INtending to write some discourse of English Poetrie, I thinke it not amysse if I speake something generally of Poetrie, as, what it is, whence it had the beginning, and of what estimation it hath alwayes beene and ought to be among al sorts of people. Poetrie called in Greeke ποετρια, beeing deriued from the Uerbe ποίεω, which signifieth in Latine facere in English, to make, may properly be defined, the arte of making: which word as it hath alwaies beene especially vsed of the best of our English Poets, to expresse yt very faculty of speaking or wryting Poetically: so doth it in deede containe most fitly the whole grace and property of the same, ye more fullye and effectually then any other English Uerbe. That Poetry is an Arte, (or rather a more excellent thing then can be contayned wythin the compasse of Arte) though I neede not stande long to prooue, both the witnes of Horace, who wrote de arte Poetica, and of Terence, who calleth it Artem Musicam, and the very naturall property thereof may sufficiently declare: The beginning of it as appeareth by Plato, was of a vertuous and most deuout purpose, who witnesseth, that by occasion of meeting of a great company of young men, to solemnize ye feasts which were called Panegeryca, and were wont to be celebrated euery fift yeere, there, they that were most pregnant in wytt, [B.II.v] and indued with great gyfts of wysedome & knowledge in Musicke aboue the rest did vse commonly to make goodly verses, measured according to the sweetest notes of Musicke, containing the prayse of some noble vertue, or of immortalitie, or of some such thing of greatest estimation: which vnto them seemed, so heauenly and ioyous a thing, that, thinking such men to be inspyrde with some diuine instinct from heauen, they called them Vates. So when other among them of the finest wits and aptest capacities beganne in imitation of these to frame ditties of lighter matters, and tuning them to the stroake of some of the pleasantest kind of Musicke, then began there to growe a distinction and great diuersity betwéene makers and makers. Whereby (I take it) beganne thys difference: that they which handled in the audience of the people, graue and necessary matters, were called wise men or eloquent men, which they meant by Uates: and the rest which sange of loue matters, or other lighter deuises alluring vnto pleasure and delight, were called Poetæ or makers. Thus it appeareth, both Eloquence and Poetrie to haue had their beginning and originall from these exercises, beeing framed in such sweete measure of sentences & pleasant harmonic called Ρίθμος, which is an apt composition of wordes or clauses, drawing as it were by force ye hearers eares euen whether soeuer it lysteth: that Plato affirmeth therein to be contained λοητεία an inchauntment, as it were to perswade them anie thing whether they would or no. And heerehence is sayde, that men were first withdrawne from a wylde and sauadge kinde of life, to ciuillity and gentlenes, and ye right knowledge of humanity by the force of this measurable or tunable speaking.
This opinion shall you finde confirmed throughout the whole workes of Plato and Aristotle. And that such was the estimation of this Poetry at those times, that they supposed all wisedome and knowledge to be included mystically in that diuine instinction, wherewith they thought their Uates to bee inspyred. Wherevpon, throughout the noble workes of those most excellent Philosophers before named, are the authorities of Poets very often alledged And Cicero in his Tusculane que[B.III.r]stions is of that minde, that a Poet cannot expresse verses aboundantly, sufficiently, and fully, neither his eloquence can flowe pleasauntly, or his wordes sounde well and plenteously, without celestiall instinction: which Poets themselues doo very often and gladlie witnes of themselues, as namely Ouid in 6. Fasto: Est deus in nobis Agitante callescimus illo. &c. Wherevnto I doubt not equally to adioyne the authoritye of our late famous English Poet, who wrote the Sheepheards Calender, where lamenting the decay of Poetry, at these dayes, saith most sweetely to the same.
Then make thee winges of thine aspyring wytt,
And whence thou camest flye backe to heauen apace. &c.
Whose fine poeticall witt, and most exquisite learning, as he shewed aboundantly in that peece of worke, in my iudgment inferiour to the workes neither of Theocritus in Greeke, nor Virgill in Latine, whom hee narrowly immitateth: so I nothing doubt, but if his other workes were common abroade, which are as I thinke in ye close custodie of certaine his freends, we should haue of our owne Poets, whom wee might matche in all respects with the best. And among all other his workes whatsoeuer, I would wysh to haue the sight of hys English Poet, which his freend E. K. did once promise to publishe, which whether he performed or not, I knowe not, if he did, my happe hath not beene so good as yet to see it.
But to returne to the estimation of Poetry. Besides ye great and profitable fruites contained in Poetry, for the instruction of manners and precepts of good life (for that was cheefly respected in the first age of Poetry) this is also added to the eternall commendations of that noble faculty: that Kinges and Princes, great and famous men, did euer encourage, mayntaine, and reward Poets in al ages: because they were thought onely to haue the whole power in their handes, of making men either immortally famous for their valiaunt exploytes and vertuous exercises, or perpetually infamous for their vicious liues. Wherevppon it is said of Achilles, that this onely vanque[B.III.v]tage he had of Hector, that it was his fortune to be extolled and remowned by the heauenly verse of Homer. And as Tully recordeth to be written of Alexander, that with natural teares he wept ouer Achilles Tombe, in ioy that he conceiued at the consideration, howe it was his happe to be honoured wyth so diuine a worke, as Homers was. Aristotle, a most prudent and learned Philosopher, beeing appointed Schoolemaster to the young Prince Alexander, thought no worke so meete to be reade vnto a King, as the worke of Homer: wherein the young Prince being by him instructed throughly, sound such wonderfull delight in the same when hee came to maturity, that hee would not onely haue it with him in all his iourneyes, but in his bedde also vnder his pyllowe, to delight him and teache him both nights and dayes. The same is reported of noble Scipio, who finding the two Bookes of Homer in the spoyle of Kyng Darius, esteemed them as wonderfull precious Iewelles, making one of them his companion for the night, the other for the day. And not onely was he thus affected to ye one peece or parte of Poetry, but so generally he loued the professors thereof, that in his most serious affayres, and hottest warres against Numantia and Carthage, he could no whitte be without that olde Poet Ennius in his company. But to speake of all those noble and wyse Princes, who bare speciall fauour and countenaunce to Poets, were tedious, and would require a rehearsall of all such, in whose time there grewe any to credite and estimation in that faculty. Thus farre therefore may suffice for the estimation of Poets. Nowe I thinke most meete, to speake somewhat, concerning what hath beene the vse of Poetry, and wherin it rightly consisted, and whereof consequently it obteyned such estimation.
To begin therefore with the first that was first worthelye memorable in the excellent gyft of Poetrye, the best wryters agree that it was Orpheus, who by the sweete gyft of his heauenly Poetry, withdrew men from raungyng vncertainly, and wandring brutishly about, and made them gather together, and keepe company, made houses, and kept fellowshippe together, who therefore is reported (as Horace sayth) to asswage the fiercenesse [B.IIII.r] of Tygers, and mooue the harde Flynts. After him was Amphion, who was the first that caused Citties to bee builded, and men therein to liue decently and orderly according to lawe and right. Next, was Tyrtæus, who began to practise warlike defences, to keepe backe enemies, and saue themselues from inuasion of foes. In thys place I thinke were most conuenient to rehearse that auncient Poet Pyndarus: but of the certaine time wherein he flourished, I am not very certaine: but of the place where he continued moste, it shoulde seeme to be the Citty of Thebes, by Plinie who reporteth, that Alexander in sacking the same Cittie, woulde not suffer the house wherein he dwelt to be spoyled as all the rest were. After these was Homer, who as it were in one summe comprehended all knowledge, wisedome, learning, and pollicie, that was incident to the capacity of man. And who so liste to take viewe of hys two Bookes, one of his Iliades, the other his Odissea, shall throughly perceiue what the right vse of Poetry is: which indeede is to mingle profite with pleasure, and so to delight the Reader with pleasantnes of hys Arte, as in ye meane time, his mind may be well instructed with knowledge and wisedome. For so did that worthy Poet frame those his two workes, that in reading the first, that is his Iliads, by declaring and setting forth so liuely the Grecians assembly against Troy, together with their prowesse and fortitude against their foes, a Prince shall learne not onely courage, and valiantnesse, but discretion also and pollicie to encounter with his enemies, yea a perfect forme of wyse consultations, with his Captaines, and exhortations to the people, with other infinite commodities.
Agayne, in the other part, wherein are described the manifold and daungerous aduentures of Vlisses, may a man learne many noble vertues: and also learne to escape and auoyde the subtyll practises, and perrilous entrappinges of naughty persons: and not onely this, but in what sort also he may deale to knowe and perceiue the affections of those which be neere vnto him, and most familiar with him, the better to put them in trust with his matters of waight and importaunce. Therefore [B.IIII.v] I may boldly sette downe thys to be the truest, auncientest and best kinde of Poetry, to direct ones endeuour alwayes to that marke, that with delight they may euermore adioyne commoditie to theyr Readers: which because I grounde vpon Homer the Prince of all Poets, therefore haue I alledged the order of his worke, as an authority sufficiently proouing this assertion.
Erstdruck und Druckvorlage
William Webbe: A Discourse of English Poetrie.
Together, with the Authors iudgment, touching the reformation of our English Verse.
London: Charlewood 1586.
Unpaginiert; sig. B.II.r-B.IIII.v.
Die Textwiedergabe erfolgt nach dem ersten Druck
(Editionsrichtlinien).
Kommentierte und kritische Ausgabe
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Edition
Lyriktheorie » R. Brandmeyer