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"colneshire man for a voide benefice". This point he illustrates with other familiar and pleasant instances'.

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In enforcing the application and explaining the nature of fables, for the purpose of amplification, he gives a general idea of the Iliad and Odyffey. "The faying of poetes, and al "their fables, are not to be forgotten. For by them we maie "talke at large, and win men by perfwafion, if we declare be"fore hand, that these tales wer not fained of fuche wisemen "without cause, neither yet continued vntill this time, and "kept in memorie without good confideracion, and therevpon "declare the true meanyng of all svche writynge. For vndoubtedly, there is no one Tale among all the poetes, but "vnder the fame is comprehended fomethyng that perteyneth "either to the amendement of maners, to the knowledge of "truthe, to the fettyng forth natures worke, or els to the vnderstanding of some notable thing doen. For what other is "the painful trauaile of Vliffes, defcribed so largely by Ho"mere, but a liuely picture of mans miferie in this life? And "as Plutarche faith, and likewife Bafilius Magnus, in the "ILIADES are described strength and valiauntneffe of bodie: in "ODISSEA, is fet forthe a liuely paterne of the mynde. The "Poetes are Wifemen, and wished in harte the redreffe of

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thinges, the which when for feare thei durft not openly re"buke, they did in colours paint them out, and tolde men by "shadowes what thei shold do in good fothe: or els, because "the wicked were vnworthy to heare the trueth, thei spake fo

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"that none might vnderstande but those vnto whom thei please "to vtter their meanyng, and knewe them to be men of honest "conuerfacioni.

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Wilson thus recommends the force of circumftantial defcription, or, what he calls, An euident or plaine fetting forthe of a thing as though it were prefently doen. An example. If our "enemies fhal inuade and by treafon win the victory, we shal "all die euery mothers fonne of vs, and our citee fhal be def"troied, fticke and ftone: I fe our children made flaues, our "daughters rauifhed, our wiues carried away, the father forced "to kill his owne fonne, the mother her daughter, the fonne "his father, the fucking childe flain in his mothers bofom, one ftandyng to the knees in anothers blood, churches spoiled, "houses plucte down, and al set on fire round about vs, euery "one cvrfing the daie of their birth, children criyng, women wailing, &c. Thus, where I might haue said, We fal al be deftroied, and fay [no] more, I haue by defcription fet the "euill forthe at large." It must be owned that this picture of a facked city is literally tranflated from Quintilian. But it is a proof, that we were now beginning to make the beauties of the antients our own.

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On the neceffity of a due preservation of character he has the following precepts, which feem to be directed to the writers of Historical Plays. "In defcribyng of perfons, there ought al"waies a comelineffe to be vfed, fo that nothing be spoken "which may be thought is not in them. As if one fhold de"fcribe Henry the fixt, He might call hym jentle, milde of nature, ledde by perswacion, and ready to forgiue, carelesse for wealth, fufpecting none, mercifull to al, fearful in aduersitie, "and without forecast to efpie his misfortvne. Againe, for "Richarde the thirde, I might brynge him in cruell of harte, "ambicious by nature, enuious of minde, a deepe diffembler, "a close man for weightie matters, hardie to reuenge and feare

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i Lib. iii. fol. 99. b.

* Fol. 91. a.

"full

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"full to lose hys high estate, truftie to none, liberall for a pur"pose, caftyng ftill the worfte, and hoping euer for the best'. By this figure" alfo, we imagine a talke for fome one to fpeake, and accordyng to his perfone we frame the oration. "As if one shoulde bryng in noble Henry the eight of famous memory, to enuegh against rebelles, thus he might order his "oration. What if Henry the eight were aliue, and fawe fuche "rebellion in the realme, would be not faie thus and thus? Yea " methinkes I heare hym fpeake euen nowe. And fo fette "forthe fuche wordes as we would haue hym to say "." Shakespeare himself has not delineated the characters of these English monarchs with more truth. And the firft writers of the MIRROUR OF MAGISTRATES, who imagine a talke for fome one to Speake, and according to his perfon frame the oration, appear to have availed themselves of thefe directions, if not to have catched the notion of their whole plan from this remarkable passage.

He next shews the advantages of perfonification in enlivening a compofition. "Some times it is good to make God, the "Countray, or some one Towne, to speake; and looke what "we would faie in our owne perfone, to frame the whole tale "to them. Such varietie doeth much good to auoide tedious"nesse. For he that speaketh all in one forte, though he speake

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thinges neuer fo wittilie, shall sone weary his hearers. Figures "therefore were inuented, to auoide fatietie, and caufe delite : "to refresh with pleasure and quicken with grace the dulneffe "of mans braine. Who will looke on a white wall an houre "together where no workemanshippe is at all? Or who will "eate still one kynde of meate and neuer defire chaunge ° ?"

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Prolix Narratives, whether jocose or serious, had not yet ceased to be the entertainment of polite companies: and rules for telling a tale with grace, now found a place in a book of general rhetoric. In treating In treating of pleafaunt fporte made rebearfyng of a whole matter, he says, “Thei that can liuely tell pleasaunt tales "and mery dedes doen, and fet them out as wel with gefture as "with voice, leauing nothing behinde that maie ferue for beautifying of their matter, are most mete for this purpose,

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P Yet he has here alfo a reference to the utility of tales both at the Bar and in the Pulpit. For in another place, professedly both fpeaking of Pleadings and Sermons, he fays, "If tyme maie fo ferue, it were good when menne be wearied, to make "them fomewhat merie, and to begin with "fome pleafaunte tale, or take occafion

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to iefte wittelie, &c." fol. 55. b. Again, "Men commonlie tarie the ende of a me"rie Plaie, and cannot abide the half "hearyng of a fower checkyng Sermon. "Therefore euen these aunciente preach"ers muste nowe and then plaie the fooles "in the pulpite to ferue the tickle eares "of their fletyng audience, &c." fol. 2. a. I know not if he means Latimer here, whom he commends, "There is no better "preacher among them al except Hugh "Latimer the father of al preachers." fol. 63. a. And again, "I would thinke "it not amiffe to fpeake muche accordyng to the nature and phanfie of the ig"norant, that the rather thei might be wonne through fables to learne more

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weightie and graue matters. For al men cannot brooke fage caufes and aun"cient collations, but will like earnest

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"ther fall aflepe, or els bid you farewell. "The multitude muft nedes be made merry; and the more foolish your talke is, "the more wife will thei compt it to be. "And yet it is no foolishnes but rather "wisdome to win men, by telling of fa "bles to heare Gods goodnes." fol. 101. See alfo fol. 52. a. 69. a. Much to the fame purpose he fays, " Euen in this our tyme, fome offende muche in te"diousneffe, whofe parte it were to com"fort all men with cherefulneffe. Yea, "the preachers of God mind fo muche edifiyng of foules, that thei often forgette we have any bodies. And there"fore, fome doe not fo muche good with

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tellyng the truthe, as thei doe harme "with dullyng the hearers; beyng fo "farre gone in their matters, that often"times thei cannot tell when to make an "ende." fol. 70. a. Yet ftill he allows "much praise to the preachers in ge"neral of his age. "Yea, what tell I

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nowe of fuche leffons, feeyng God hath "raifed fuche worthy preachers in this our tyme, that their godlie and learned doynges maie be a moft iufte example "for all other to followe." fol. 55. b. By the way, although a zealous gofpeller, in another place he obliquely cenfures the rapacity with which the reformation was conducted under Edward the fixth. [See fupr. vol. ii. p. 452.] "I had rather, "faid one, make my child a cobler than 86 a preacher, a tankard-bearer than a scho"ler. For what shall my fonne seke for learnyng, when he fhall neuer get thereby any livyng? Set my fonne to that whereby he maie get fomewhat. Doe you not fee, how euery one catcheth and "pulleth

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"whereof affuredly ther are but fewe. And whatsoeuer he is, "that can aptlie tell his tale, and with countenaunce, voice, and "gefture, fo temper his reporte, that the hearers may still take "delite, hym coompte I a man worthie to be highlie eftemed. "For vndoubtedly no man can doe any fuch thing excepte that "thei haue a greate mother witte, and by experience confirmed "suche their comelineffe, whervnto by nature thei were most "apte. Manie a man readeth hiftories, heareth fables, feeth "worthie actes doen, euen in this our age; but few can set

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them out accordinglie, and tell them liuelie, as the matter "felfe requireth to be tolde. The kyndes of delityng in this "fort are diuers: whereof I will fet forth many.-Sporte moued by tellyng of olde tales. - If there be any olde tale or ftraunge "historie, well and wittelie applied to fome man liuyng, all "menne loue to heare it of life. As if one were called Ar"thure, fome good felowe that were wel acquainted with KYNG "ARTHURES BOOKE and the Knightes of his Rounde Table, "would want no matter to make good sport, and for a nede "would dubbe him knight of the Rounde Table, or els proue

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hym to be one of his kynne, or else (which were muche) 66 proue him to be Arthur himself. And fo likewife of other names, merie panions would make madde pastyme. Often66 tymes the deformitie of a mannes body giueth matter enough "to be right merie, or elles a picture in flape like another "manne will make some to laugh right hartelye', &c." This is no unpleafing image of the arts and accomplishments, which seasoned the mirth, and enlivened the converfations of our forefathers. Their wit seems to have chiefly confifted in mimicry '.

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