But whether he vseth them by

such casualtye and custome, or of set purpose and choyse, as

thinking them fittest for such rusticall rudenesse of

shepheards, eyther for that theyr rough sounde would make

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his rymes more ragged and rustical, or els because such olde

and obsolete wordes are most vsed of country folke, sure I

think, and think I think not amisse, that they bring great grace

and, as one would say, auctoritie to the verse. For albe amongst

many other faultes it specially be obiected of Valla against

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Liuie, and of other against Saluste, that with ouer much studie

they affect antiquitie, as coueting thereby credence and honor

of elder yeeres, yet I am of opinion, and eke the best learned

are of the lyke, that those auncient solemne wordes are a great

ornament both in the one and in the other; the one labouring

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to set forth in hys worke an eternall image of antiquitie,

and the other carefully discoursing matters of grauitie and

importaunce. For if my memory fayle not, Tullie in that

booke, wherein he endeuoureth to set forth the paterne of a

perfect Oratour, sayth that ofttimes an auncient worde maketh

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the style seeme graue, and as it were reuerend: no otherwise

then we honour and reuerence gray heares for a certein

religious regard, which we haue of old age. yet nether euery

where must old words be stuffed in, nor the commen Dialecte

and maner of speaking so corrupted therby, that as in old

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buildings it seme disorderly and ruinous. But all as in most

exquisite pictures they vse to blaze and portraict not onely

the daintie lineaments of beautye, but also rounde about it

to shadow the rude thickets and craggy clifts, that by the

basenesse of such parts, more excellency may accrew to the

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principall; for oftimes we fynde ourselues, I knowe not how,

singularly delighted with the shewe of such naturall rudenesse,

and take great pleasure in that disorderly order. Euen so doe

those rough and harsh termes enlumine and make more clearly

to appeare the brightnesse of braue and glorious words. So

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ofentimes a dischorde in Musick maketh a comely concordaunce:

so great delight tooke the worthy Poete Alceus to

behold a blemish in the ioynt of a wel shaped body. But if

any will rashly blame such his purpose in choyse of old and

vnwonted words, him may I more iustly blame and condemne,

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or of witlesse headinesse in iudging, or of heedelesse hardinesse

in condemning. for not marking the compasse of hys bent, he

wil iudge of the length of his cast. for in my opinion it is one

special prayse, of many whych are dew to this Poete, that he

hath laboured to restore, as to theyr rightfull heritage such

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good and naturall English words, as haue ben long time out

of vse and almost cleare disherited. Which is the onely cause,

that our Mother tonge, which truely of it self is both ful

enough for prose and stately enough for verse, hath long time

ben counted most bare and barrein of both. which default

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when as some endeuoured to salue and recure, they patched

vp the holes with peces and rags of other languages, borrowing

here of the french, there of the Italian, euery where of the

Latine, not weighing how il, those tongues accorde with

themselues, but much worse with ours: So now they haue

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made our English tongue, a gallimaufray or hodgepodge of al

other speches. Other some not so wel seene in the English

tonge as perhaps in other languages, if them happen to here

an olde word albeit very naturall and significant, crye out

streight way, that we speak no English, but gibbrish, or rather

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such, as in old time Euanders mother spake, whose first shame

is, that they are not ashamed, in their own mother tonge

straungers to be counted and alienes. The second shame no

lesse then the first, that what so they vnderstand not, they

streight way deeme to be sencelesse, and not at al to be

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vnderstode. Much like to the Mole in Æsopes fable, that being

blynd her selfe, would in no wise be perswaded, that any beast

could see. The last more shameful then both, that of their

owne country and natural speach, which together with their

Nources milk they sucked, they haue so base regard and

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bastard iudgement, that they will not onely themselues not

labor to garnish and beautifie it, but also repine, that of other

it shold be embellished. Like to the dogge in the maunger,

that him selfe can eate no hay, and yet barketh at the hungry

bullock, that so faine would feede: whose currish kind though

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cannot be kept from barking, yet I conne them thanke that

they refrain from byting.

Now for the knitting of sentences, whych they call the

ioynts and members therof, and for al the compasse of the

speach, it is round without roughnesse, and learned wythout

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hardnes, such indeede as may be perceiued of the leaste,

vnderstoode of the moste, but iudged onely of the learned.

For what in most English wryters vseth to be loose, and as it

were vngyrt, in this Authour is well grounded, finely framed,

and strongly trussed vp together. In regard wherof, I scorne

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and spue out the rakehellye route of our ragged rymers (for

so themselues vse to hunt the letter) which without learning

boste, without iudgement iangle, without reason rage and

fome, as if some instinct of Poeticall spirite had newly rauished

them aboue the meanenesse of commen capacitie. And being

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in the middest of all theyr brauery, sodenly eyther for want

of matter, or of ryme, or hauing forgotten theyr former

conceipt, they seeme to be so pained and traueiled in theyr

remembrance, as it were a woman in childebirth or as that

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same Pythia, when the traunce came vpon her.

Os rabidum fera corda domans &c.

Nethelesse let them a Gods name feede on theyr owne

folly, so they seeke not to darken the beames of others glory.

As for Colin, vnder whose person the Authour selfe is

shadowed, how furre he is from such vaunted titles and

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glorious showes, both him selfe sheweth, where he sayth.

Of Muses Hobbin. I conne no skill. And,

Enough is me to paint out my vnrest, &c.

And also appeareth by the basenesse of the name, wherein,

it semeth, he chose rather to vnfold great matter of argument

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couertly, then professing it, not suffice thereto accordingly.

which moued him rather in Æglogues, then other wise to

write, doubting perhaps his habilitie, which he little needed,

or mynding to furnish our tongue with this kinde, wherein it

faulteth, or following the example of the best and most auncient

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Poetes, which deuised this kind of wryting, being both so base

for the matter, and homely for the manner, at the first to trye

theyr habilities: and as young birdes, that be newly crept out

of the nest, by little first to proue theyr tender wyngs, before

they make a greater flyght. So flew Theocritus, as you may

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perceiue he was all ready full fledged. So flew Virgile, as not

yet well feeling his winges. So flew Mantuane, as being not

full somd. So Petrarque. So Boccace; So Marot, Sanazarus,

and also diuers other excellent both Italian and French Poetes,

whose foting this Author euery where followeth, yet so as

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few, but they be wel sented can trace him out. So finally flyeth

this our new Poete, as a bird, whose principals be scarce

growen out, but yet as that in time shall be hable to keepe

wing with the best.

Now as touching the generall dryft and purpose of his

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Æglogues, I mind not to say much, him selfe labouring to

conceale it. Onely this appeareth, that his vnstayed yougth

had long wandred in the common Labyrinth of Loue, in which

time to mitigate and allay the heate of his passion, or els to

warne (as he sayth) the young shepheards .s. his equalls and

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companions of his vnfortunate folly, he compiled these xij.

Æglogues, which for that they be proportioned to the state

of the xij.