The Arte of English Poesie | Page 5

and gallant thing: Yea their Oratours proses nor the Doctors Sermons were acceptable to Princes nor yet to the common people vnlesse it went in manner of tunable rime or metricall sentences, as appeares by many of the auncient writers, about that time and since. And the great Princes, and Popes, and Sultans would one salute and greet an other sometime in frendship and sport, sometime in earnest and enmitie by ryming verses, & nothing seemed clerkly done, but must be done in ryme: Whereof we finde diuers examples from the time of th'Emperours Gracian & Valentinian downwardes; For then aboutes began the declination of the Romain Empire, by the notable inundations of the Hunnes_ and _Vandalles in Europe, vnder the conduict of Totila_ & _Atila and other their generalles. This brought the ryming Poesie in grace, and made it preuaile in Italie and Greece (their owne long time cast aside, and almost neglected) till after many yeares that the peace of Italie and of th'Empire Occidentall reuiued new clerkes, who recouering and perusing the bookes and studies of the ciuiler ages, restored all maner of arts, and that of the Greeke and Latine Poesie withall into their former puritie and netnes. Which neuerthelesse did not so preuaile, but that the ryming Poesie of the Barbarians remained still in his reputation, that one in the schole, this other in Courts of Princes more ordinary and allowable.
CHAP VII.
_How in the time of Charlemaine and many yeares after him the Latine Poetes wrote in ryme._
And this appeareth euidently by the workes of many learned men, who wrote about the time of Charlemaines_ raigne in the Empire _Occidentall, where the Christian Religion, became through the excessive authoritie of Popes, and deepe deuotion of Princes strongly fortified and established by erection of orders Monastical in which many simple clerks for deuotion sake & sanctitie were receiued more then for any learning, by which occasion & the solitarinesse of their life, waxing studious without discipline or instruction by any good methode, some of them grew to be historiographers, some Poets, and following either the barbarous rudenes of the time, or els their own idle inuentions, all that they wrote to the fauor or prayse of Princes, they did it in such maner of minstrelsie, and thought themselues no small fooles, when they could make their verses goe all in ryme as did the Schoole of Salerno, dedicating their booke of medicinall rules vnto our king of England, with this beginning. _Anglorum Regi scripsit tota schola Salerni?Sivus incolumem, sivis te reddere sanicari?Curas tolle graues, irasci crede prophanum?Necretine ventram nec stringas as fortiter annum._
And all the rest that follow throughout the whole booke more curiously than cleanely, neuerthelesse very well to the purpose of their arte. In the same time king Edward the iij. him selfe quartering the Armes of England and France, did discouer his pretence and clayme to the Crowne of Fraunce, in these ryming verses.?_Rex sum regnorum bina ratione duorum?Anglorum regnio sum rex ego iure paterno?Matris iure quidem Francorum nuncupor idem?Hinc est armorum variatio facta meorum._
Which verses Philip de Valois then possessing the Crowne as next heire male by pretexte of the law Salique_, and holding our _Edward the third, aunswered in these other of as good stuffe.?_Pr?do regnorum qui diceris esse duorum?Regno materno priuaberis atque paterno?Prolis ius nullum ubi matris non fuit vllum?Hinc est armorum variatio stulta tuorum._
It is found written of Pope Lucius, for his great auarice and tyranny vsed ouer the Clergy thus in ryming verses.?_Lucius est piscis rex et tyrannus aquarum?A quo discordat Lucius iste parum?Deuorat hic hom homines, his piscibus insidiatur?Esurit hic semper hic aliquando satur?Amborum vitam si laus aquata notaret?Plus rationis habet qui ratione caret._
And as this was vsed in the greatest and gayest matters of Princes and Popes by the idle inuention of Monasticall men then raigning al in their superlative. So did every scholer & secular clerke or versifier, when he wrote any short poeme or matter of good lesson put it in ryme, whereby it came to passe that all your old Proverbes and common sayinges, which they would have plausible to the reader and easy to remember and beare away, were of that sorte as these.?_In mundo mira faciunt duo nummias & ira?Molleficant dura peruertunt omnia iura._
And this verse in disprayse of the Courtiers life following the Court of Rome.?Vita palatina dura est animaque ruina.
And these written by a noble learned man.?_Ire redire fequi regum sublimia castra?Eximiius status est, sed non sic itur ad astra._
And this other which to the great injurie of all women was written (no doubt by some forlorne lover, or else some old malicious Monke) for one woman's sake blemishing the whole sex.?_Fallere stere nere mentari nilque tacere?Haec qumque vere statuit Deus in muliere._
If I might have bene his Iudge,