Prolix Narratives, whether jocofe 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 pleafaunt 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, Yet he has here alfo a reference to the utility of tales both at the Bar and in the Pulpit. For in another place, profeffedly both speaking of Pleadings and Sermons, he fays, "If tyme maie fo ferue, it were "good when menne be wearied, to make "them somewhat merie, and to begin with "fome pleafaunte tale, or take occafion "to iefte wittelie, &c." fol. 55. b. Again, "Men commonlie tarie the ende of a me"rie Plate, and cannot abide the half "hearyng of a fower checkyng Sermon. "Therefore euen thefe aunciente preach"ers mufte 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 accord yng to the nature and phanfie of the ignorant, that the rather thei might be wonne through fables to learne more weightie and graue matters. For al men cannot brooke fage caufes and aun"cient collations, but will like earnest "matters the rather, if fome be spoken "there among agreeing to their natures. "The multitude, as Horace doth faie, is "a beast or rather a monfter that hath many heddes, and therefore, like vnto "the diuerfitie of natvres, varietie of in"uention must alwaies be vfed. Talke altogether of mofte graue matters, or "deppely fearce out the ground of "thynges, or vfe the quiddities of Duns "[Scotus] to fet forth Gods mifteries, you hal fe the ignorant, I warrant you, ei "ther fall aflepe, or els bid you farewell. "The multitude muft nedes be made mer ry; and the more foclifh your talke is, "the more wife will thei compt it to be. "And yet it is no foolishnes but rather "wifdome to win men, by telling of fa❝bles to heare Gods goodnes." fol. 101. a. See alfo fol. 52, a. 69. a. Much to the fame purpose he fays, " Euen in this "our tyme, fome offende muche in te"dioufneffe, 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 for"gette we have any bodies. And there"fore, fome doe not so muche good with 66 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 praife to the preachers in ge"neral of his age. "Yea, what tell I "nowe of fuche leffons, feeyng God hath "raised suche 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 "a preacher, a tankard-bearer than a fcho"ler. For what fhall 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 "whereof affuredly ther are but fewe. And whatsoeuer he is, that can aptlie tell his tale, and with countenaunce, voice, and "gesture, so temper his reporte, that the hearers may ftill 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 "fuche their comelineffe, whervnto by nature thei were moft "apte. Manie a man readeth histories, heareth fables, feeth "worthie actes doen, euen in this our age; but few can fet "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 hiftorie, well and wittelie applied to fome man liuyng, all "menne loue to heare it of life. As if one were called Arthure, 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 fport, and for a nede "would dubbe him knight of the Rounde Table, or els proue hym to be one of his kynne, or else (which were muche) 66 proue him to be Arthur himself. And fo likewife of other 66 names, merie panions would make madde paftyme. Oftentymes the deformitie of a mannes body giueth matter enough "to be right merie, or elles a picture in shape like another "manne will make some to laugh right hartelye ', &c." This is no unpleafing image of the arts and accomplishments, which feafoned the mirth, and enlivened the converfations of our forefathers. Their wit feems to have chiefly confifted in mimicry'. 66 He thus defcribes the literary and ornamental qualifications of a young nobleman which were then in fashion, and which he exemplifies in the characters of his lamented pupils, Henry duke of Suffolk and lord Charles Brandon his brother. "I maie "commende hym for his learnyng, for his skill in the French "or in the Italian, for his knowlege in cofmographie, for his "kill in the lawes, in the hiftories of al countrees, and for "his gift of enditing. Againe, I maie commende him for playing at weapons, for running vpon a great horfe, for chargyng his staffe at the tilt, for vauting, for plaiyng upon in"strumentes, yea and for painting, or drawing of a plat, as in “ olde time noble princes muche delited therin ".” And again, 66 "Suche a man is an excellent fellowe, faithe one, he can speake "the tongues well, he plaies of inftrumentes, fewe men better, "he feigneth to the lvte marveilous fweetlie", he endites ex"cellentlie: but for al this, the more is the pitee, he hath his "faultes, he will be dronke once a daie, he loues women "well, &c *. The following paffage acquaints us, among other things, that many now studied, and with the highest applause, to write elegantly in English as well as in Latin. "When we haue learned vfuall and accvftomable wordes to fet forthe our meanynge, "we ought to ioyne them together in apte order, that the eare "maie delite in hearyng the harmonie. I knowe fome Eng"lishemen, that in this poinct haue fuche a gift in the Englishe "as fewe in Latin haue the like; and therefore delite the Wife "and Learned fo muche with their pleafaunte compofition, "that many reioyce when thei maie heare fuche, and thinke "muche learnyng is gotte when thei maie talke with them '." But he adds the faults which were fometimes now to be found in English compofition, among which he cenfures the excess of alliteration." Some will bee fo fhorte, and in fuch wife cur as they terme it, and therevpon made a "folemne longe diner, the whiche perhaps. "began at eleuen and continued well nigh "till fower in the afternoone, at the whiche "dinner this bisfhoppe was: It fortvned "that as they were fette, the Italian knockt "at the gate, vnto whom the porter, per"ceiuing his errand, anfwered, that my "lorde bisfhoppe was at diner. The Ita"lian departed, and retourned betwixte "twelve and one; the porter aunswered they were yet at dinner. He came againe at twoo of the clocke; the porter "tolde hym thei had not half dined. He 66 came at three a clocke, vnto whom the porter in a heate answered neuer a worde, "but churlishlie did fhutte the gates vpon "him. Wherevpon, o hers told the Ita"lian, that ther was no fpeaking with my "Lord, almoste all that daie, for the fo "lemne diner fake. The gentilman Ita lian, wonderyng muche at fuche a long "fitting, and greatly greued because he "could not then fpeake with the archbys"fhoppes grace, departed ftraight towardes "London; and leauyng the difpatche of "his matters with a dere frende of his, "toke his iourney towardes Italie. Three yeres after, it hapened that an Englishman came to Rome, with whom this Italian by chance fallyng acquainted, asked "him if he knewe the archbishoppe of "Yorke? The Englishman faid, he knewe hym right well. I praie you tell me, quath the Italian, hath that archbishop yet dined?" The Italian explaining himfelf, they both laughed heartily, fol. 78. b. 79. a. He commends Dr. Haddon's latinity, which is not always of the pureft caft. "There is no better Latine man within "England, except Gualter Haddon the "lawier." fol. 63. a. Again, he commends a profopopeia of the duchess of Suffolk, in Haddon's Oratio de vita et obitu fratrum Suffolcienfium Henrici et Caroli Brandon. [edit. Hatcher, Lond. 1577. 4to. p. 89. viz. LUCUBRATIONES G. Haddon.] fol. 94. a. He mentions John Heiwood's PROVERBS. [See fupr. p. 91.] "The Eng. "lishe Proverbes gathered by Jhon Hei"woode helpe weil in this behaulfe [alle gory], the which commonlie are nothyng "els but Allegories, and dark deuifed fen"tences." fol. 90. a. Again, for furnishing fimilitudes, "The Prouerbes of Hei"wood helpe wonderfull well for thys pur"pose." fol. 96. b. He condemns, in an example, the growing practice of mothers who do not fuckle their own children, which he endeavours to prove to be both against the law of nature and the will of God. fol. 56. a. Here is an early proof of a custom, which may feem to have originated in a more luxurious and delicate age. To thefe mifcellaneous extracts I fhall only add, that our author who was always esteemed a fincere advocate for proteftantifm, and never fufpected of leaning to popery, fpeaking of an artificial memory, has this theory concerning the ufe of images in churches. "When I fee a lion, the "image thereof abideth faster in my minde, "than if I should heare fome reporte made "of a lion. Emong all the fences, the "iye [eye] fight is moft quicke, and con"teineth the impreffion of thinges more "affuredlie than any of the other fences "doe. And the rather, when a manne "both heareth and feeth a thing, (as by "artificial memorie he doeth almost fee "thinges it "tall their fentences, that thei had neede to make a commentary immediatelie of their meanyng, or els the mofte that "heare them shal be forced to kepė counfaile. Some wil speake "oracles, that a man can not tell, which waie to take them. "Some will be fo fine, and fo poeticall withall, that to their feming there fhall not ftande one heare [hair] amiffe, and yet euery bodie els fhall think them meter [fitter] for a ladies "chamber, than for an earneft matter in any open affembly. "Some vse overmuche repetition of one letter, as pitifull - 2 povertie prayeth for a penie, but puffed prefumpcion passeth not "a poinct, pamperyng his panche with peftilent pleasure, procuryng "bis paffeport to pofte it to hell pitte, there to be punished with paines perpetuall." Others, he blames for the affectation of ending a word with a vowel and beginning the next with another. "Some, he says, ende their fentences al alike, makyng their "talke [style] rather to appere rimed meter, than to feme plaine fpeache. I heard a preacher delityng muche in this kinde " of compoficion, who vsed so often to ende his fentence with "woordes like vnto that which went before, that in my iudge66 mente, there was not a dofen fentences in his whole fermon "but thei ended all in rime for the mofte parte. Some, not " beft difpofed, wifhed the Preacher a Lute, that with his "rimed fermon he might vfe fome pleafaunte melodie, and fo "the people might take pleasure diuers waies, and daunce if "thei lifte." Some writers, he obferves, disturbed the natural arrangement of their words: others were copious when they should be concise. The most frequent fault feems to have been, the rejection of common and proper phrafes, for those that were more curious, refined, and unintelligible 1. |