Defence of Poesie (51-55)

Do we not see skill of Phisicke the best ramper to our often assaulted bodies, being abused, teach poyson the most violent destroyer ? Doth not knowledge of Law, whose end is, to euen & right all things, being abused, grow the crooked fosterer of horrible iniuries? Doth not (to go to the highest) Gods word abused, breede heresie, and his name abused, become blasphemie? Truly a Needle cannot do much hurt, and as truly (with leaue of Ladies be it spoken) it cannot do much good. With a swoord thou maist kill thy Father, and with a swoord thou maist defende thy Prince and Countrey: so that, as in their calling Poets, fathers of lies, they said nothing, so in this their argument of abuse, they prooue the commendation. They alledge herewith, that before Poets began to be in price, our Nation had set their hearts delight vppon action, and not imagination, rather doing things worthie to be written, then writing things fit to be done. What that before time was, I think scarcely Spinx can tell: since no memerie is so ancient, that hath not the precedens of Poetrie. And certain it is, that in our plainest homelines, yet neuer was the Albion Nation without Poetrie. Marry this Argument, thou it be leuiled against Poetrie, yet is it indeed a chain-shot against all learning or bookishnes, as they commonly terme it. Of such mind were certaine Gothes, of whom it is written, that hauing in the spoile of a famous Cittie, taken a faire Librarie, one hangman belike fit to execute the frutes of their wits, who had murthered a great number of bodies, would haue set fire in it. No said an other verie grauely, take heed what you do, for while they are busie about those toyes, wee shall with more leisure conquere their Countries. This indeed is the ordinarie doctrine of ignorance, and many words sometimes I haue heard spent in it: but bicause this reason is generally against al learning, as wel as Poetrie, or rather all learning but Poetrie, because it were too large a digression to handle it, or at least too superfluous, since it is manifest that all gouernment of action is to be gotten by knowledge, and knowledge best, by gathering manie knowledges, which is reading; I onely with Horace, to him that is of that opinion, Iubio stultum esse libenter: for as for Poetrie it selfe, it is the freest from this obiection, for Poetrie is the Companion of Camps. I dare vndertake, Orlando Furioso, or honest king Arthure, will neuer displease a souldier: but the quidditie of Ens et Prima materia, will hardly agree with a Corcelet.

And therefore as I said in the beginning, euen Turkes and Tartars, are delighted with Poets. Homer a Greeke, flourished, before Greece flourished: and if to a slight coniecture, a coniecture may bee apposed, truly it may seem, that as by him their learned men tooke almost their first light of knowledge, so their actiue men, receiued their first motions of courage. Onely Alexanders example may serue, who by Plutarche is accounted of such vertue, that fortune was not his guide, but his footestoole, whose Acts speake for him, though Plutarche did not: indeede the Phoenix of warlike Princes. This Alexander, left his Schoolemaister liuing Aristotle behinde him, but tooke dead Homer with him. Hee put the Philosopher Callisthenes to death, for his seeming Philosophicall, indeed mutinous stubbornnesse, but the chiefe thing hee was euer heard to wish for, was, that Homer had bene aliue. Hee well founde hee receiued more brauerie of minde by paterne of Achilles, then by hearing the definition of fortitude. And therefore if Cato misliked Fuluius for carrying Ennius with him to the field, It may be answered, that if Cato misliked it, the Noble Fuluius liked it, or else he had not done it ; for it was not the excellent Cato Vticencis, whose authoritie I would much more haue reuerenced: But it was the former, in truth a bitter punisher of faultes, but else a man that had neuer sacrificed to the Graces. Hee misliked and cried out against all Greeke learning, and yet being foure score yeares olde beganne to learne it, belike fearing that Pluto vnderstood not Latine. Indeed the Romane lawes allowed no person to bee carried to the warres, but hee that was in the souldiers Role. And therefore though Cato misliked his vnmustred person, he misliked not his worke. And if hee had, Scipio Nasica (iudged by common consent the best Romane) loued him: both the other Scipio brothers, who had by their vertues no lesse surnames then of Asia and Affricke, so loued him, that they caused his bodie to be buried in their Sepulture. So as Catoes authoritie beeing but against his person, and that answered with so farre greater then himselfe, is herein of no validitie.

But now indeede my burthen is great, that Plato his name is laide vppon mee, whom I must confesse of all Philosophers, I haue euer esteemed most worthie of reuerence ; and with good reason, since of all Philosophers hee is the most Poeticall: yet if hee will defile the fountaine out of which his flowing streames haue proceeded, let vs boldly examine with what reasons hee did it . First truly a man might maliciously obiect, that Plato being a Philosopher, was a naturall enemy of Poets. For indeede after the Philosophers had picked out of the sweete misteries of Poetrie, the right discerning true points of knowledge: they foorthwith putting it in methode, and making a Schoole Art of that which the Poets did onely teach by a diuine delightfulnes, beginning to spurne at their guides, like vngratefull Prentices, were not content to set vp shop for themselues, but sought by all meanes to discredit their maisters, which by the force of delight being barred them, the lesse they could ouerthrow them, the more they hated them. For indeed they found for Homer, seuen Cities straue who should haue him for their Cittizen, where many Cities banished Philosophers, as not fit members to liue among them. For onely repeating certaine of Euripides verses, many Atheniens had their liues saued of the Siracusans; where the Atheniens themselues thought many Philosophers vnworthie to liue.

Certaine Poets, as Simonides, and Pindarus, had so preuailed with Hiero the first, that of a Tyrant they made him a iust King: where Plato could do so little with Dionisius, that he himselfe of a Philosopher, was made a slaue. But who should do thus, I confesse should requite the obiections made against Poets, with like cauillations against Philosophers: as likewise one should do, that should bid one read Phaedrus or Simposium in Plato, or the discourse of loue in Plutarch, and see whether any Poet do authorise abhominable filthinesse as they doo. Againe, a man might aske, out of what Common-wealth Plato doth banish them, in sooth, thence where he himselfe alloweth communitie of women. So as belike this banishment grew not for effeminate wantonnesse, since little should Poetical Sonnets be hurtful, when a man might haue what woman he listed. But I honor Philosophicall instructions, and blesse the wits which bred them: so as they be not abused, which is likewise stretched to Poetrie. S. Paul himselfe sets a watch-word vppon Philosophie, indeed vppon the abuse. So doth Plato vppon the abuse, not vpon Poetrie. Plato found fault that the Poettes of his time, filled the worlde with wrong opinions of the Gods, making light tales of that vnspotted essence ; and therfore wold not haue the youth depraued with such opinions: heerein may much be said ; let this suffice.

The Poets did not induce such opinions, but did imitate those opinions alreadie induced. For all the Greeke stories can well testifie, that the verie religion of that time, stood vpon many, and many fashioned Gods: Not taught so by Poets, but followed according to their nature of imitation. Who list may read in Plutarch, the discourses of Isis and Osiis, of the cause why Oracles ceased, of the diuine prouidence, & see whether the Theology of that nation, stood not vpon such dreams, which the Poets indeede superstitiously obserued. And truly since they had not the light of Christ, did much better in it, then the Philosophers, who shaking off superstition, brought in Atheisme. Plato therfore, whose authoritie, I had much rather iustly consture, then vniustly resist: ment not in generall of Poets, in those words of which Iulius Scaliger saith; Qua authoritate barbari quidam atque hispidi abuti velint ad poetas et U00E8 rep. Exigendos. But only ment to driue out those wrong opinions of the Deitie: wherof now without further law, Christianitie hath taken away all the hurtful beliefe, perchance as he thought nourished by then esteemed Poets. And a man need go no further then to Plato himselfe to knowe his meaning: who in his Dialogue called Ion, giueth high, and rightly, diuine commendation vnto Poetrie. So as Plato banishing the abuse, not the thing, not banishing it, but giuing due honour to it, shall be our Patron, and not our aduersarie. For indeed, I had much rather, since truly I may do it, shew their mistaking of Plato, vnder whose Lyons skinne, they would make an Aslike braying against Poesie, then go about to ouerthrow his authoritie ; whome the wiser a man is, the more iust cause he shall finde to haue in admiration: especially since he attributeth vnto Poesie, more then my selfe do ; namely, to be a verie inspiring of a diuine force, farre aboue mans wit, as in the forenamed Dialogue is apparant.