THOMAS CAMPION

(c. 1575-1620)

OBSERUATIONS IN THE Art of English Poesie

Wherein it is demonstratively proved, and by example confirmed, that the English toong will receive eight severall kinds of numbers, proper to itself, which are all in this book set forth, and were never before this time by any man attempted. (First published in 1602.)

TO THE RIGHT NOBLE AND WORTHILY HONOURD, THE LORD BUCKHURST, LORD HIGH TREASURER OF ENGLAND.

IN two things (right honorable) it is generally agreed that man excels all other creatures, in reason, and speech: and in them by how much one man surpasseth an other, by so much the neerer he aspires to a celestiall essence.

Poesy in all kind of speaking is the chiefe beginner, and maintayner of eloquence, not only helping the eare with the acquaintance of sweet numbers, but also raysing the minde to a more high and lofty conceite. For this end haue I studyed to induce a true forme of versefying into our language: for the vulgar and vnarteficiall custome of riming hath I know deter'd many excellent wits from the exercise of English Poesy. The obseruations which I haue gathered for this purpose, I humbly present to your Lordship, as to the noblest judge of Poesy, and the most honorable protector of all industrious learning; which if your Honour shall vouchsafe to receiue, who both in your publick, and priuate Poemes haue so deuinely crowned your fame, what man will dare to repine? or not striue to imitate them? VVherefore with all humility I subiect my selfe and them to your gratious fauour, beseeching you in the noblenes of your mind to take in worth so simple a present, which by some worke drawne from my more serious studies, I will hereafter endeauour to excuse.

Your Lordships humbly deuoted

THOMAS CAMPION.

THE WRITER TO HIS BOOKE.

Whether thus hasts my little booke so fast?
To Paules Churchyard; what in those cels to stād,
With one leafe like a riders cloke put up

To catch a termer? or lye mustie there
With rimes a terme set out, or two before?
Some will redeeme me; fewe; yes, reade me too;
Fewer; nay loue me; now thou dot'st I see;
Will not our English Athens arte defend?
Perhaps will lofty courtly wits not ayme
Still at perfection? If I graunt? I flye;
Whether? to Pawles; Alas poore booke I rue
Thy rash selfe-loue, goe spread thy pap'ry wings,
Thy lightnes can not helpe, or hurt my fame.

THE FIRST CHAPTER, INTREATING OF NUMBERS IN

GENERALL.

THERE is no writing too breefe, that without obscuritie comprehends the intent of the writer. These my late obseruations in English Poesy I haue thus briefely gathered, that they might proue the lesse troublesome in perusing, and the more apt to be retayn'd in memorie. And I will first generally handle the nature of Numbers. Number is discreta quantitas, so that when we speake simply of number, we intend only the disseuer'd quantity; But when we speake of a Poeme written in number, we consider not only the distinct number of the sillables, but also their value, which is contained in the length or shortnes of their sound. As in Musick we do not say a straine of so many notes, but so many sem briefes (though sometimes there are no more notes then sem briefes) so in a verse the numeration of the sillables is not so much to be obserued, as their waite, and due proportion. In ioyning of words to harmony there is nothing more offensiue to the eare then to place a long sillable with a short note, or a short sillable with a long note, though in the last the vowell often beares it out. The world is made by Simmetry and proportion, and is in that respect compared to Musick, and Musick to Poetry: for Terence saith speaking of Poets, artem qui tractant musicam, confounding musick and Poesy together. What musick can there be where there is no proportion obserued? Learning first flourished in Greece, from thence it was deriued vnto the Romaines, both diligent obseruers of the number, and quantity of sillables, not in their verses only, but

likewise in their prose. Learning after the declining of the Romaine Empire, and the pollution of their language through the conquest of the Barbarians, lay most pitifully deformed, till the time of Erasmus, Rewcline, Sir Thomas More, and other learned men of that age, who brought the Latine toong againe to light, redeeming it with much labour out of the hands of the illiterate Monks and Friers: as a scoffing booke, entituled Epistolæ obscurorum virorum, may sufficiently testifie. In those lack-learning times, and in barbarized Italy, began that vulgar and easie kind of Poesie which is now in vse throughout most parts of Christendome, which we abusiuely call Rime, and Meeter, of Rithmus and Metrum, of which I will now discourse.

THE SECOND CHAPTER, DECLARING THE VNAPTNESSE OF RIME IN POESIE.

I am not ignorant that whosoeuer shall by way of reprehension examine the imperfections of Rime, must encounter with many glorious enemies, and those very expert, and ready at their weapon, that can if neede be extempore (as they say) rime a man to death. Besides there is growne a kind of prescription in the vse of Rime, to forestall the right of true numbers, as also the consent of many nations, against all which it may seeme a thing almost impossible, and vaine to contend. All this and more can not yet deterre me from a lawful defence of perfection, or make me any whit the sooner adheare to that which is lame and vnbeseeming. For custome I alleage, that ill vses are to be abolisht, and that things naturally imperfect can not be perfected by vse. Old customes, if they be better, why should they not be recald, as the yet florishing custome of numerous poesy vsed among the Romanes and Grecians: But the vnaptnes of our toongs, and the difficultie of imitation dishartens vs; againe the facilitie & popularitie of Rime creates as many Poets, as a hot sommer flies. But let me now examine the nature of that which we call Rime. By Rime is vnderstoode that which ends in the like sound, so that

verses in such maner composed, yeeld but a continual repetition of that Rhetoricall figure which we tearme similiter desinentia, and that being but figura verbi, ought (as Tully and all other Rhetoritians haue iudicially obseru'd) sparingly to be vsd, least it should offend the eare with tedious affectation. Such was that absurd following of the letter amõgst our English so much of late affected, but now hist out of Paules Churchyard: which foolish figuratiue repetition crept also into the Latine toong, as it is manifest in the booke of Ps cald prælia porcorum, and an other pamphlet all of Fs, which I haue seene imprinted; but I will leaue these follies to their owne ruine, and returne to the matter intended. The eare is a rationall sence, and a chiefe iudge of proportion, but in our kind of riming what proportion is there kept, where there remaines such a confused inequalitie of sillables? Iambick and Trochaick feete which are opposd by nature, are by all Rimers confounded, nay oftentimes they place in stead of an Iambick the foote Pyrrychius, consisting of two short sillables, curtalling their verse, which they supply in reading with a ridiculous, and vnapt drawing of their speech. As for example:

Was it my desteny, or dismall chaunce?

In this verse the two last sillables of the word, Desteny, being both short, and standing for a whole foote in the verse, cause the line to fall out shorter then it ought by nature. The like impure errors haue in time of rudenesse bene vsed in the Latine toong, as the Carmina prouerbialia can witnesse, and many other such reuerend bables. But the noble Grecians and Romaines whose skilfull monuments outliue barbarisme, tyed themselues to the strict obseruation of poeticall numbers, so abandoning the childish titillation of riming, that it was imputed a great error to Ouid for setting forth this one riming verse,

Quot cælum stellas tot habet tua Roma puellas.

For the establishing of this argument, what better

confirmation can be had, then that of Sir Thomas Moore in his booke of Epigrams, where he makes two sundry Epitaphs vpon the death of a singing man at Westminster, the one in learned numbers and dislik't, the other in rude rime and highly extold: so that he concludes, tales lactucas talia labra petunt, like lips, like lettuce. But there is yet another fault in Rime altogether intollerable, which is, that it inforceth a man oftentimes to abiure his matter, and extend a short conceit beyond all bounds of arte: for in Quatorzens me thinks the Poet handles his subiect as tyrannically as Procrustes the thiefe his prisoners, whom when he had taken, he vsed to cast vpon a bed, which if they were too short to fill, he would stretch the longer, if too long, he would cut them shorter. Bring before me now any the most selfe-lou'd Rimer, & let me see if without blushing he be able to reade his lame halting rimes. Is there not a curse of Nature laid vpon such rude Poesie, when the Writer is himself asham'd of it, and the hearers in contempt call it Riming and Ballating? What Deuine in his Sermon, or graue Counseller in his Oration will alleage the testimonie of a rime? But the deuinity of the Romaines and Gretians was all written in verse: and Aristotle, Galene, and the bookes of all the excellent Philosophers are full of the testimonies of the old Poets. By them was laid the foundation of all humane wisedome, and from them the knowledge of all antiquitie is deriued. I will propound but one question, and so conclude this point. If the Italians, Frenchmen and Spanyards, that with commendation haue written in Rime, were demaunded whether they had rather the bookes they haue publisht (if their toong would beare it) should remaine as they are in Rime, or be translated into the auncient numbers of the Greekes and Romaines, would they not answere into numbers? What honour were it then for our English language to be the first that after so many yeares of barbarisme could second the perfection of the industrious Greekes and Romaines? which how it may be effected I will now proceede to demonstrate.

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