blood I trust your entretainement will be to them right good They will not tarry long lo nowe I heare their drumme Behold lo nowe I sée them here in order howe they come Receiue them well my lord so shall I praye all wayes That God vouchsafe to blesse this house with many happie days After the maske was done the Actor tooke master Tho. Bro. by the hand an brought him to the Venetians with these words GVardate Signori my louely Lords behold This is another Mountacute hereof you may bee bold Of such our patrone here The viscont Mountacute Hath many comely sequences well sorted all in sute But as I spied him first I could not let him passe I tooke the carde that likt me best in order as it was And here to you my lords I do present the same Make much of him I pray you then for he is of your name For whome I dare aduante he may your Trounchman bée Your herald and ambassadour let him play all for me Then the Venetians embraced and receiued the same maister Tho. Browne and after they had a while whispered with him he torned to the Bridegroomes and Brides saying thus BRother these noblemen to you nowe haue me sent As for their Trounchman to expound the effect of their intent They bid me tell you then they like your worthy choyce And that they cannot choose therin but triumph and reioyce As farre as gesse may giue they séeme to praise it well They saye betwéene your Ladyes eyes doth Gentilezza dwell I terme it as they doe their english is but weake And I God knowes am al to yong beyond sea speach to speake And you my sister-eke they séeme for to commend With such good workes as may beséeme a cosin and a friend They lyke your chosen pheare so praye they for your sake That he maye alwayes be to you a faythfull louing make This in effect is all but that they craue aboone That you will giue them licence yet to come and sée you soone Then will they speake them selues such english as they can I feare much better then I speake that am an english man. Lo nowe they take their leaues of you and of your dames Here after shal you sée their face and knowe them by their nams Then when they had taken their leaues the Actor did make an ende thus And I your Seruidore vibascio le mani These wordes I learnt amongst them yet although I learnt not many Haud ictus sapio The refusal of a louer writen to a gentlewoman who had refused him and chosen a husband as he thought much inferior to himselfe both in knowledge birth and parsonage wherin he bewraieth both their names in clowdes and how she was won from him with swete gloues and broken ringes I Cannot wish thy griefe although thou worke my wooe Since I profest to be thy friend I cannot be thy foe But if thinges done and past might well be cald agayne Then would I wishe the wasted wordes which I haue spent in vayne Were yet vntold to thée in earnest or in game And that my doubtfull musing mint had neuer thought the same For whiles I thée beheld in carefull thoughtes I spent My liking lust my luckelesse loue which euer truely ment And whiles I sought a meane by pittie to procure Too latte I found that gorged haukes do not esteme the lure This vauntage hast thou then thou mayest wel brag and boast Thou mightest haue had a lustye lad of stature with the most And eke of noble mind his vertues nothing base Do well declare that he desends of auncient worthy race Saue that I not his name and though I could it tell My friendly pen shall let it passe bicause I loue him well And thou hast chosen one of meaner parentage Of stature smale and therewithall vnequall for thine age His thewes vnlike the first yet hast thou hote desire To play thée in his flitting flames God graunt they proue not fire Him holdest thou as deare and he thy Lord shall bée Too late alas thou louest him that neuer loued thée And for iust profe hereof marke what I tell is true Some dismold daye shall chaunge his minde and make him séeke a new Then wylt thou much repent thy bargaine made in haste And much lament those perfumd Gloues which yéeld such sower taste And eke the falsed faith which lurkes in broken ringes Though hand in hand say otherwise yet do I know such thinges Then shalt thou sing and saye farewell my trusty Squyer Would God my mind had yéelded once vnto thy iust desire Thus shalt thou wayle my want and I thy great vnrest Which cruel Cupid kindled hath within thy broken brest Thus shalt thou find it griefe which earst thou thoughtest game And I shall heare the wearie newes by true reporting fame Lamenting thy mishap in source of swelling teares Harding my heart with cruell care which frosen fansie beares And though my iust desert thy pittie could not moue Yet wyl I washe in wayling wordes thy careles childishe loue And saye as Troylus sayde since that I can no more Thy wanton wyll dyd wauer once and woe is me therefore Si fortunatus infoelix ¶ Pride in Court vvritten by a Gentlevvoman in Court vvho vvhen shee vvas there placed seemed to disdaine him contrarie to a former profession WHen daunger kéepes the doore of Ladye bewties bowre Whē ielouse toyes haue chased Trust out of hir strōgest towre Then faith and trooth maye flye then falshood winnes the field Then féeble naked fautlesse heartes for lacke of fence must yéeld And then preuailes as much to hoppe against the hyll As séeke by suite for to appease a froward Ladies wyll For oathes and solempne vowes are wasted then in vaine And truth is compted but a toye when such fond fancies raigne The sentence sone is sayde when will it selfe is Iudge And quickly is the quarrell pickt when Ladies list to grudge This sing I for my selfe which wroate this weary song Who iustly may complaine my case if euer man had wrong A Lady haue I seru'd a Lady haue I lou'd A Ladies good wyll once I had hir yll wyll late I prou'd In countrey first I knewe hir in countrey first I caught hir And out of countrey nowe in Court to my cost haue I sought hir In Court where Princes raigne hir place is nowe assignde And well were worthy for the roome if she were not vnkinde There I in wonted wise dyd shewe my selfe of late And found that as the soile was chang'd so loue was turnd to hate But why God knowes not I saue as I sayde before Pitie is put from porters place and daunger kéepes the dore If courting then haue skill to chaunge good Ladies so God send eche wilful Dame in Court some wound of my like wo. That with a troubled head she may both turne and tosse In restlesse bed when she should sléepe and féele of loue the losse And I since porters
The boldest Bassa then that dyd in life remaine Gan tremble at the sight hereof for priuy griefe and paine Thus when these fierce had fought from morning vntyl night Christ gaue his flocke the victory and put his foes to flight And of the Turkishe traine were eyght score Galleys tane Fiftéene sunke fiue and twenty burnt brought vnto their bane Of Christians set at large were fouretéene thousand soules Turkes twentie thousand registred in Belzebub his rolles Thus haue you nowe my Lordes the summe of all their fight And trust it all for true I tell for I was styll in sight But when the Seas were calme and skies began to cleare When foes were all or dead or fled and victors dyd appeare Then euery Christian sought amongst vs for his friende His kinsman or companion some succour them to lende And as they ransakte so loe God his wyll it was A noble wise Venetian by me dyd chaunce to passe Who gazing on my face dyd séeme to lyke me well And what my name and whence I was commaunded me to tel I now which waxed bolde as one that scaped had From déepest hell to highest heauen began for to be glad And with a liuely sprite began to plead◠my case And hid not from this worthy man myne auntient worthy race And tolde my fathers name and howe I dyd descende From Mountacutes by Mothers side nor there my tale dyd ende But furthermore I tolde my Fathers late exployte And how he left his lands goodes life to pay son Dieu son droit Nor of my selfe I craued so credited to bée For lo there were remaining yet These foure whom here you see Which all were Englishe borne and knewe I had not lyed And were my Fathers souldiors eke and sawe him how he dyed This graue Venetian who heard the famous name Of Mountacutes rehersed there which long had bene of fame In Italy and he of selfe same worthy race Gan straight with many curteous words in arms me to imbrace And kyssed me on chéeke and bad me make good chéere And thank the mighty hand of God for that which hapned there Confessing that he was him selfe a Mountacute And bare the selfe same armes that I dyd quarter in my scute And for a further proofe he shewed in his hat This token which the Mountacutes dyd beare alwaies for that They couet to be knowne from Capels where they passe For auncient grutch which lōg ago twene these two houses was Then tooke me by the hand and ledde me so aboorde His Galley where there were yféere full many a comely Lorde Of whome eyght Mountacutes dyd sitte in highest place To whome this first declared first my name and then my race Lo Lordings here quod he a babe of our owne bloods Whō Turks had tane his father slaine with losse of lands goods Sée how God fauours vs that I should find him nowe I straunge to him he straunge to mée we met I know not howe But sure when I him saw and gazed in his face Me thought he was a Mountacute I chose him by his grace Herewith he dyd rehearse my Fathers valiaunt deede For losse of whome eche Mountacute did séeme in heart to bléede They all embrast me then and straight as you may sée In comely garments trimde me vp as braue as braue may bée I was in sackcloath I nowe am I cladde in Golde And weare such roabes as I my selfe take pleasure to beholde Amongst their other giftes this token they me gaue And had me lyke a Mountacute my selfe alway behaue Nowe hearken then my Lordes I staying on the Seas In consort of these louely Lordes with comfort and with ease Determined with them in Italie to dwell And there by traine of youthfull yéeres in knowledge to excell That so I might at last réedifye the walles Which my good father had decaide by tossing fortunes balles And while they slice the Seas to their desired shore Beholde a lytle gale began encreasing more and more At last with raging blast which from Southeast dyd blowe Gan sende our sailes vpon these shores which I ful wel did know I spyed the Chalkie Clyues vpon the Kentishe coast Whereby our Lande hight Albyon as Brutus once dyd boast Which I no sooner sawe but to the rest I sayde Siate di buona voglta My Lordes be well apaide I sée by certaine signes these Tempestes haue vs cast Vpon my natiue countrey coastes with happy hap at last And if your honours please this honour me to doo In Englishe hauens to harbour you and sée our Citties too Lo London is not farre whereas my friendes would bée Right glad with fauour to requite your fauour shewed to mée Vouchsafe my Lordes quod I to stay vpon this strand And whiles your Barks be rigged new remaine with me on land Who though I bée a Boye my Father dead and slaine Yet shall you see I haue some friendes which wyll you entertaine These Noble men which are the flowre of curtesie Dyd not disdaine this my request but tooke it thankfullie And from their battered Barkes commaunded to be cast Some Gondalaes wherin vpon our pleasant streames they past Into the month of Thames thus dyd I them transport And to London at the last whereas I heard report Euen as we landed first of this twise happie day To thinke whereon I leapt for ioye as I both must and may And to these louely Lordes which are Magnificoes I dyd declare the whole discourse in order as it rose That you my Lorde who are the chiefest Mountacute And he whome Englishe Mountacutes their onely staye impute Had found the meanes this daye to match your sonne and heire In marriage with a worthy dame which is both fresh and faire And as reportes are spread of goodly quallyties A virgin trayned from hir youth in godly exercise Whose brother had like wise your daughter tane to wife And so by double lynkes enchaynde themselues in louers life These noble Mountacutes which were from Venice drouen By tempest as I tolde before wherewith they long had strouen Gan nowe giue thankes to God which so did them conuay To sée such honours of their kinne in such a happie day And straight they mée intreat whom they might wel commaund That I should come to you my Lord first them to recommaund And then this boone to craue that vnder your protection They might be bolde to enter here deuoyd of all suspection And so in friendly wise for to conselebrate This happie match solemnized according to your state Lo this is all they craue the which I can not doubt But that your Lordship soone will graunt with more if more ye mought Yea were it for no more but for the Curtesie Which as I saye they shewde to me in greate extremitye They are Venetians and though from Venice reft They come in such Venecian robes as they on seas had left And since they be your friendes and kinsmen too by
the end forgone with shamefull foyle This flitting world doth firmely nought retaine Wherin a man may boldly rest his trust Such fickle chaunce in fortune doth remaine As when she lust she threatneth whom she lust From high renoume to throwe him in the dust Thus may we sée that eche triumphing ioye By fortunes froune is turned to annoye Those elder heades may well be thought to erre The which for easie life and quiet dayes The vulgar sorte would séeme for to preferre If glorious Phoebe with-holde his glistring rayes From such a péere as crowne and scepter swayes No meruaile though he hide his heauenly face From vs that come of lesse renoumed race Selde shall you sée the ruine of a Prince But that the people eke like brunt doe beare And olde recordes of auncient time long since From age to age yea almost euerie where With proofe herof hath glutted euery eare Thus by the follies of the princes hart The bounden subiect still receiueth smart Loe how vnbrideled lust of priuat raigne Hath pricked both the brethren vnto warre Yet Polynice with signe of lesse disdaine Against this lande hath brought from countries farre A forraine power to end this cruell iarre Forgetting quite the dutie loue and zeale He ought to beare vnto this common weale But whosoeuer gets the victorie We wretched dames and thou O noble towne Shall féele therof the wofull miserie Thy gorgeous pompe thy glorious high renoume Thy stately towers and all shal fall a downe Sith raging Mars will eache of them assist In others brest to bathe his bloudie fist But thou O sonne of Semel and of Ioue That tamde the proude attempt of giaunts strong Doe thou defende euen of thy tender loue Thy humble thralls from this afflicting wrong Whom wast of warre hath now tormented long So shall we neuer faile ne day ne night With reuerence due thy prayses to resight Finis Actus primi Done by F. Kinwelmarshe The order of the second dumbe shevve BEfore the beginning of this seconde Acte dyd soūd a very dolefull noise of flutes during the which there came in vpon the stage two coffines couered with hearclothes brought in by .viij. in mourning weed accōpanied with .viij. other mourners after they had caried the coffins about the stage there opened appeared a Graue wherin they buried the coffins put fire to them but the flames did seuer parte in twaine signifying discord by the history of two brethrē whose discord in their life was not onely to be wondred at but being buried both in one Tombe as some writers affirme the flames of their funeralls did yet parte the one frō the other in like maner and would in no wise ioyne into one flame After the Funerals were ended the fire cōsumed the graue was closed vp again the mourners withdrew thē off the stage immediately by the gates Homoloydes entred Pollinyces accompanied with vj. gentlemen and a page that carried his helmet and Target he his men vnarmed sauing their gorgets for that they were permitted to come into the towne in time of truce to the end Iocasta might bring the two brethrē to a parle and Pollinyces after good regard takē round about him speake as foloweth Actus 2. Scena 1. POLINICES CHORVS IOCASTA ETEOCLES LOe here mine owne citie and natiue soyle Loe here the nest I ought to nestle in Yet being thus entrencht with mine owne towres And that from him the safeconduct is giuen Which doth enioye as much as mine should be My féete can treade no step without suspect For where my brother bides euen there behoues More warie scout than in an enmies campe Yet while I may wthin this right hand holde This bronde this blade vnyeldē euer yet My life shall not be lefte without reuenge But here beholde the holy sancturie Of Baccus eke the worthie Image loe The aultars where the sacred flames haue shone And where of yore these giltlesse hands of mine Full oft haue offered to our mightie gods I sée also a worthie companie Of Thebane dames resembling vnto me The traine of Iocasta my deare mother Beholde them clad in clothes of griesly blacke That hellishe hewe that nay for other harmes So well besemed wretched wightes to weare For why ere long their selues themselues shall sée Gramercy to their princes tyrannie Some spoyled of their swéete and sucking babes Some lese their husband other some their sire And some their friends that were to them full dere But now t is time to lay the sworde aside And eke of them to knowe where is the Quéene O woorthie dames heauie vnhappie ye Where resteth now the restlesse quéene of Thebes Chor. O woorthie impe sprong out of worthie race Renoumed Prince whom wée haue lookt for long And nowe in happie houre arte come to vs Some quiet bring to this vnquiet realme O quéene O quéene come foorth and sée thy sonne The gentle frute of all thy ioyfull séede Iocast My faithfull frends my deare beloued maydes I come at call and at your wordes I moue My féebled féete with age and agonie Where is my sonne O tell me where is he For whome I sighed haue so often syth For whom I spende both nightes and dayes in teares Poli. Here noble mother here not as the king Nor as a Citizen of stately Thebes But as a straunger nowe I thanke my brother Iocast O sonne O swéete and my desyred sonne These eyes they sée these handes of myne thée touche Yet scarsly can this mynde beléeue the same And scarsly can this brused breast susteyne The sodeyne ioye that is inclosde therein O gladsome glasse wherein I sée my selfe Chor. So graunt the Gods for our common good You frendly may your sonnes both frendes beholde Iocast At thy departe O louely chylde thou lefte My house in teares and mée thy wretched dame Myrrour of martirdome waymenting still Th'vnworthie exile thy brother to thée gaue Ne was there euer sonne or friende farre off Of his deare frendes or mother so desyred As thy returne in all the towne of Thebes And of my selfe more than the rest to speake I haue as thou mayste sée cleane cast asyde My princely roabes and thus in wofull wéede Bewrapped haue these lustlesse limmes of myne Naught else but teares haue trickled from myne eyes And eke thy wretched blynde and aged syre Since first he hearde what warre twéene you there was As one that did his bitter cursse repent Or that he prayed to Ioue for your decaye With stretching string or else with bloudie knyfe Hath sought full ofte to ende his loathed lyfe Thou this meane whyle my sonne hast lingred long In farre and forreyn coastes and wedded eke By whome thou mayste when heauens appoyntes it so Straunge issue haue by one a stranger borne Whiche greeues me sore and much the more deare chylde Bicause I was not present at the same There to performe thy louing mothers due But for I
the more How much the wished conquest at the first Fell happily vnto the towne of Thebes But wise men ought with patience to sustaine The sundrie haps that slipperie fortune frames Nuncius commeth in by the gates Electrae Nun. Alas who can direct my hastie steppes Vnto the brother of our wofull Quéene But loe where carefully he standeth here Cre. If so the minde may dread his owne mishap Then dread I much this man that séekes me thus Hath brought the death of my beloued sonne Nun. My Lorde the thing you feare is very true Your sonne Meneceus no longer liues Cre. Alas who can withstand the heauenly powers Well it beséemes not me ne yet my yeares In bootelesse plaint to wast my wailefull teares Do thou recount to me his lucklesse deathe The order forme and manner of the same Nun. Your sonne my Lorde came to Eteocles And tolde him this in presence of the rest Renoumed King neither your victorie Ne yet the safetie of this princely Realme In armour doth consist but in the death Of me of me O most victorious King So heauenly dome of mightie Ioue commaunds I knowing what auayle my death should yéeld Vnto your grace and vnto natiue land Might well be déemde a most vngratefull sonne Vnto this worthy towne if I would shunne The sharpest death to do my countrie good In mourning wéede now let the vestall Nimphes With fainyng tunes commend my faultlesse ghost To highest heauens while I despoyle my selfe That afterwarde sith Ioue will haue it so To saue your liues I may receyue my death Of you I craue O curteous Citizens To shrine my corps in tombe of marble stone Whereon graue this Meneceus here doth lie For countries cause that was content to die This saide alas he made no more a doe But drewe his sword and sheathde it in his brest Cre. No more I haue inough returne ye nowe From whence ye came Nuncius returneth by the gates Electrae Well since the bloud of my beloued sonne Must serue to slake the wrath of angrie Ioue And since his onely death must bring to Thebes A quiet ende of hir vnquiet state Me thinkes good reason would that I henceforth Of Thebane soyle should beare the kingly swaye Yea sure and so I will ere it belong Either by right or else by force of armes Of al mishap loe here the wicked broode My sister first espoused hath hir sonne That slewe his fire of whose accursed séede Two brethren sprang whose raging hatefull hearts By force of boyling yre are bolne so sore As each do thyrst to sucke the others bloude But why do I sustaine the smart hereof Why should my bloud be spilt for others gilte Oh welcome were that messenger to me That brought me word of both my nephewes deathes Then should it soone be sene in euery eye Twixt prince and prince what difference would appeare Then should experience shewe what griefe it is To serue the humours of vnbridled youth Now will I goe for to prepare with spéede The funerals of my yong giltlesse sonne The which perhaps may be accompanyed With th' obsequies of proude Eteocles Creon goeth out by the gates Homoloydes Finis Actus 4. Actus 4. CHORVS O Blisful concord bredde in sacred brest Of him that guides the restlesse rolling sky That to the earth for mans assured rest From heigth of heauens vouchsafest downe to flie In thée alone the mightie power doth lie With swete accorde to kepe the frouning starres And euery planet else from hurtfull warres In thée in thée such noble vertue bydes As may commaund the mightiest Gods to bend From thée alone such sugred frendship slydes As mortall wightes can scarcely comprehend To greatest strife thou setst delightfull ende O holy peace by thée are onely founde The passing ioyes that euery where abound Thou onely thou through thy celestiall might Didst first of al the heauenly pole deuide From th' olde confused heape that Chaos hight Thou madste the Sunne the Moone and starres to glide With ordred course about this world so wide Thou hast ordainde Dan Tytans shining light By dawne of day to chase the darkesome night When tract of time returnes the lustie Ver. By thée alone the buddes and blossomes spring The fieldes with floures be garnisht euery where The blooming trées aboundant fruite do bring The cherefull birds melodiously do sing Thou dost appoint the crop of sommers séede For mans reliefe to serue the winters néede Thou doest inspire the heartes of princely péeres By prouidence procéeding from aboue In flowring youth to choose their worthie féeres With whome they liue in league of lasting loue Till fearefull death doth flitting life remoue And loke how fast to death man payes his due So fast againe doste thou his stocke renue By thée the basest thing aduaunced is Thou euerie where dost graffe such golden peace As filleth man with more than earthly blisse The earth by thée doth yelde hir swete increase At becke of thée all bloudy discords cease And mightiest Realmes in quiet do remaine Wheras thy hand doth holde the royall raine But if thou faile then al things gone to wracke The mother then doth dread hir naturall childe Then euery towne is subiect to the sacke Then spotlesse maids the virgins be defilde Then rigor rules then reason is exilde And this thou wofull Thebes to our great paine With present spoile art likely to sustaine Me thinke I heare the wailfull wéeping cries Of wretched dames in euerie coast resound Me thinkes I sée how vp to heauenly skies From battred walls the thundring clappes rebound Me thinke I heare how all things go to ground Me thinke I sée how souldiers wounded lye With gasping breath and yet they can not dye By meanes wherof oh swete Meneceus he That giues for countries cause his guiltlesse life Of others all most happy shall he be His ghost shall flit from broiles of bloudy strife To heauenly blisse where pleasing ioyes be rife And would to God that this his fatall ende From further plagues our citie might defend O sacred God giue eare vnto thy thrall That humbly here vpon thy name doth call O let not now our faultlesse bloud be spilt For hote reuenge of any others gilt Finis Actus quarti Done by F. Kinwelmarshe The order of the laste dumbe shevve FIrst the Stillpipes sounded a very mournful melody in which time came vpon the Stage a womā clothed in a white garment on hir head a piller double faced the formost face fair smiling the other behinde blacke louring muffled with a white laune about hir eyes hir lap ful of Iewelles sitting in a charyot hir legges naked hir fete set vpō a great roūd bal beyng drawē in by .iiij. noble personages she led in a string on hir right hand .ij. kings crowned and in hir lefte hand .ij. poore slaues very meanly attyred After she was drawen about the stage she stayed a little changing the kings vnto the left hande the slaues
verses fal into xiiij fourtene sic de similibus the which is either forgetfulnes or carelesnes 4 And in your verses remembre to place euery worde in his natural Emphasis or sound that is to say in such wise and with such length or shortnesse eleuation or depression of sillables as it is cōmonly pronounced or vsed to expresse the same we haue thrée maner of accents grauis lenis circumflexa the whiche I would english thus the long accent the short accent that whiche is indifferent the graue accent is marked by this caracte the light accent is noted thus \ the circūflexe or indifferent is thus signified ˜ the graue accent is drawē out or eleuate and maketh that sillable long whervpō it is placed the light accēt is depressed or snatched vp and maketh that sillable short vpon the which it lighteth the circumflexe accent is indifferēt sometimes short sometimes long sometimes depressed sometimes eleuate For exāple of th'emphasis or natural sound of words this word Treasure hath the graue accent vpō the first sillable whereas if it shoulde be written in this sorte Treasure nowe were the second sillable long that were cleane contrarie to the cōmon vse wherwith it is pronounced For furder explanation hereof note you that cōmonly now a dayes in english rimes for I dare not cal them English verses we vse none other order but a foote of two sillables wherof the first is depressed or made short the second is eleuate or made lōg and that sound or scāning continueth throughout the verse We haue vsed in times past other kindes of Méeters as for example this following No wight in this world that wealth can attayne Vnlesse he beleue that all is but vayne Also our father Chaucer hath vsed the same libertie in féete and measures that the Latinists do vse and who so euer do peruse and well consider his workes he shall finde that although his lines are not alwayes of one selfe same number of Syllables yet beyng redde by one that hath vnderstanding the longest verse and that which hath most Syllables in it will fall to the eare correspondent vnto that whiche hath fewest sillables in it and like wise that whiche hath in it fewest syllables shal be founde yet to consist of woordes that haue suche naturall sounde as may séeme equall in length to a verse which hath many moe sillables of lighter accentes And surely I can lament that wee are fallen into suche a playne and simple manner of wryting that there is none other foote vsed but one wherby our Poemes may iustly be called Rithmes and cannot by any right challenge the name of a Verse But since it is so let vs take the forde as we finde it and lette me set downe vnto you suche rules or precepts that euen in this playne foote of two syllables you wreste no woorde from his natural and vsuall sounde I do not meane hereby that you may vse none other wordes but of twoo sillables for therein you may vse discretion according to occasion of matter but my meaning is that all the wordes in your verse be so placed as the first sillable may sound short or be depressed the second long or eleuate the third shorte the fourth long the fifth shorte c. For example of my meaning in this point marke these two verses I vnderstand your meanyng by your eye Your meaning I vnderstand by your eye In these two verses there séemeth no difference at all since the one hath the very selfe same woordes that the other hath and yet the latter verse is neyther true nor pleasant the first verse may passe the musters The fault of the latter verse is that this worde vnderstand is therein so placed as the graue accent falleth vpō der and therby maketh der in this worde vnderstand to be eleuated which is contrarie to the naturall or vsual pronūciation for we say vnderstand and not vnderstand 5 Here by the way I thinke it not amisse to forewarne you that you thrust as few wordes of many sillables into your verse as may be and herevnto I might alledge many reasons first the most auncient English wordes are of one sillable so that the more monasyllables that you vse the truer Englishman you shall séeme and the lesse you shall smell of the Inkehorne Also wordes of many syllables do cloye a verse and make it vnpleasant whereas woordes of one syllable will more easily fall to be shorte or long as occasion requireth or wil be adapted to become circumflexe or of an indifferent sounde 6 I would exhorte you also to beware of rime without reason my meaning is hereby that your rime leade you not from your firste Inuention for many wryters when they haue layed the platforme of their inuention are yet drawen sometimes by ryme to forget it or at least to alter it as when they cannot readily finde out a worde whiche maye rime to the first and yet continue their determinate Inuention they do then eyther botche it vp with a worde that will ryme howe small reason soeuer it carie with it or els they alter their first worde and so percase decline or trouble their former Inuention But do you alwayes hold your first determined Inuention and do rather searche the bottome of your braynes for apte wordes than chaunge good reason for rumbling rime 7 To help you a little with ryme which is also a plaine yong schollers lesson worke thus whē you haue set downe your first verse take the last worde thereof and coumpt ouer all the wordes of the selfe same sounde by order of the Alphabete As for example the laste woorde of your firste line is care to ryme therwith you haue bare clare dare fare gare hare and share mare snare rare stare ware c. Of all these take that which best may serue your purpose carying reason with rime and if none of them will serue so then alter the laste worde of your former verse but yet do not willingly alter the meanyng of your Inuention 8 You may vse the same Figures or Tropes in verse which are vsed in prose and in my iudgement they serue more aptly and haue greater grace in verse than they haue in prose but yet therein remembre this old adage Ne quid nimis as many wryters which do not know the vse of any other figure than that whiche is expressed in repeticion of sundrie wordes beginning all with one letter the whiche beyng modestly vsed lendeth good grace to a verse but they do so hunte a letter to death that they make it Crambe and Crambe bis positum mors est therfore Ne quid nimis 9 Also asmuche as may be eschew straunge words or obsoleta inusitata vnlesse the Theame do giue iust occasiō marie in some places a straunge worde doth drawe attentiue reading but yet I woulde haue you therein to vse discretion 10 And asmuch as you may frame your stile to