The Arte of English Poesie by Puttenham, George, -1590

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Title: The Arte of English Poesie
Author: George Puttenham
Release Date: August 3, 2005 [EBook #16420]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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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.

[Illustration: AN CHORA SPEI (shield with hand coming out of a cloud and

holding onto an anchor entwined with vine)]
AT LONDON
Printed by Richard Field,

dwelling in the black-Friers, neere Ludgate.

1589.

TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE SIR WILLIAM CECILL KNIGHT,

LORD OF BVRGHLEY, LORD HIGH TREASVRER OF ENGLAND, R.F.

Printer wisheth health and prosperitie, with the commandement

and vse of his continuall seruice.

_This Booke (right Honorable) coming to my handes, with his bare title
without any Authours name or any other ordinarie addresse, I doubted how
well it might become me to make you a present thereof, seeming by many
expresse passages in the same at large, that it was by the Authour
intended to our Soueraigne Lady the Queene, and for her recreation and
seruice chiefly deuised, in which case to make any other person her
highnes partener in the honour of his guift it could not stand with my
dutie, nor be without some prejudice to her Maiesties interest and his
merrite. Perceyuing besides the title to purport so slender a subiect, as
nothing almost could be more discrepant from the grauitie of your yeeres
and Honorable function, whose contemplations are euery houre more
seriously employed upon the publicke administration and services:
I thought it no condigne gratification, nor scarce any good satisfaction
for such a person as you. Yet when I considered, that bestowing vpon your
Lordship the first vewe of this mine impression (a feat of mine owne
simple facultie) it could not scypher her Maiesties honour or prerogatiue
in the guift, nor yet the Authour of his thanks: and seeing the thing it
selfe to be a deuice of some noueltie (which commonly it giveth euery good
thing a speciall grace) and a noueltie so highly tending to the most
worthy prayses of her Maiesties most excellent name. So deerer to you I
dare conceiue them any worldly thing besides love although I could not
deuise to have presented your Lordship any gift more agreeable to your
appetite, or fitter for my vocation and abilitie to bestow, your Lordship
beyng learned and a louer of learning, my present a Book and my selfe a
printer alwaies ready and desirous to be at your Honourable commaundement.
And thus I humbly take my leave from the Black-friers, this xxvii of May,
1589._

Your Honours most humble

at commaundement,

_R.F._

_A colei_
[Illustration of Queen holding orb and sceptre.]
_Che se stessa rassomiglia & non altrui._

THE FIRST BOOKE,

_Of Poets and Poesie.

_CHAP. I._

_What a Poet and Poesie is, and who may be worthily sayd the most

excellent Poet of our time._

A Poet is as much to say as a maker. And our English name well conformes
with the Greeke word: for of [Greek: poiein] to make, they call a maker
_Poeta_. Such as (by way of resemblance and reuerently) we may say of God:
who without any trauell to his diuine imagination, made all the world of
nought, nor also by any paterne or mould as the Platonicks with their
Idees do phantastically suppose. Euen so the very Poet makes and contriues
out of his owne braine both the verse and matter of his poeme, and not by
any foreine copie or example, as doth the translator, who therefore may
well be sayd a versifier, but not a Poet. The premises considered, it
giueth to the name and profession no smal dignitie and preheminence aboue
all other artificers, Scientificke or Mechanicall. And neuerthelesse
without any repugnancie at all, a Poet may in some sort be said a follower
or imitator, because he can expresse the true and liuely of euery thing is
set before him, and which he taketh in hand to describe: and so in that
respect is both a maker and a counterfaitor: and Poesiean art not only of
making, but also of imitation. And this science in his perfection, can not
grow, but by some diuine instinct, the Platonicks call it _furor_: or by
excellencie of nature and complexion: or by great subtiltie of the spirits
& wit or by much experience and obseruation of the world, and course of
kinde, or peradventure by all or most part of them. Otherwise how was it
possible that _Homer_ being but a poore priuate man, and as some say, in
his later age blind, should so exactly set foorth and describe, as if he
had bene a most excellent Captaine or Generall, the order and array of
battels, the conduct of whole armies, the sieges and assaults of cities
and townes? or as some great Princes maiordome and perfect Surueyour in
Court, the order, sumptuousnesse and magnificence of royal bankers,
feasts, weddings, and enteruewes? or as a Polititian very prudent, and
much inured with the priuat and publique affaires, so grauely examine the
lawes and ordinances Ciuill, or so profoundly discourse in matters of
estate, and formes of all politique regiment? Finally how could he so
naturally paint out the speeches, countenance and maners of Princely
persons and priuate, to wit, the wrath of _Achilles_, the magnanimitie of
_Agamemnon_, the prudence of _Menelaus_, the prowesse of _Hector_, the
maiestie of king _Priamus_, the grauitie of _Nestor_, the pollicies and
eloquence of _Vlysses_, the calamities of the distressed _Queenes_, and
valiance of all the Captaines and aduenturous knights in those lamentable
warres of Troy? It is therefore of Poets thus to be conceiued, that if
they be able to deuise and make all these things of them selues, without
any subiect of veritie, that they be (by maner of speech) as creating
gods. If they do it by instinct diuine or naturall, then surely much
fauoured from aboue. If by their experience, then no doubt very wise men.
If by any president or paterne layd before them, then truly the most
excellent imitators & counterfaitors of all others. But you (Madame) my
most Honored and Gracious: if I should seeme to offer you this my deuise
for a discipline and not a delight, I might well be reputed, of all others
the most arrogant and iniurious: your selfe being alreadie, of any that I
know in our time, the most excellent Poet. Forsooth by your Princely
pursefauours and countenance, making in maner what ye list, the poore man
rich, the lewd well learned, the coward couragious, and vile both noble
and valiant. Then for imitation no lesse, your person as a most cunning
counterfaitor liuely representing _Venus_ in countenance, in life _Diana,
Pallas_ for gouernement, and _Iuno_ in all honour and regall magnificence.