Protogenes can know Apelles by his line though he se him not, and wise men can consider by the penn the aucthoritie of the Writer thoughe they know him not. The Rubie is discerned by his pale rednes; and who hath not hard that the Lyon is knowne by hys clawes? Though Æsopes craftie crowe be neuer so deftlye decked, yet is his double dealing esely desiphered: and though men never so perfectly pollish there wrytings with others sentences, yet the simple truth will discover the shadow of ther follies: and bestowing euery fether in the bodye of the right M. tourne out the naked dissembler into his owen cote, as a spectacle of follye to all those which can rightlye judge what imperfections be.

There came to my hands lately a litle (woulde God a wittye) pamphelet, baring a fayre face as though it were the Scoole of Abuse; but being by me aduisedly wayed I fynd it the oftscome of imperfections, the writer fuller of wordes then judgement, the matter certainely as ridiculus as serius: assuredly his mother witte wrought this wonder, the child to disprayse his father, the dogg to byte his mayster for his dainty morcell. But I se (with Seneca) that the wrong is to be suffered, since he disprayseth, who by costome hath left to speake well. But I meane to be short: and teach the Maister what he knoweth not, partly that he may se his own follie, and partly that I may discharge my promise, both bind me: therefore I would wish the good scholmayster to ouer looke his Abuses againe with me, so shall he see an ocean of inormities which begin in his first prinsiple in the disprayse of Poetry. And first let me familiarly consider with this find faulte what the learned have alwayes esteemed of Poetrie.

Seneca thoughe a stoike would have a poeticall sonne, and amongst the auncientest Homer was no les accompted then Humanus deus. What made Alexander, I pray you, esteme of him so much? why allotted he for his Works so curious a closset? was ther no fitter underprop for his pillow then a simple pamphelet? in all Darius cofers was there no jewell so costly? Forsoth my thinks these two (the one the father of Philosophers, the other the cheftaine of Chiualrie) were both deceiued if all were as a GossON would wish them; yf poets paynt naughte but palterie toyes in vearse, their studies tended to foolishnesse, and in all their indeuors they did naught els but agendo nihil agere. Lord, howe Virgil's poore Gnatt pricketh him, and how Ouid's Fley byteth him! he can beare no bourde, he hath raysed up a new sect of serius Stoikes, that can abide naught but their owen shadowe, and alow nothing worthye, but what they conceaue. Did you never reade (my ouer wittie frend) that vnder the persons of beastes many abuses were dissiphered? have you not reason to waye? that whatsoeuer ether Virgil did write of his Gnatt, or Ouid of his Fley, was all couertly to declare abuse? but you are (homo literatus) a man of the letter, little sauoring of learning, your giddy brain made you leave your thrift, aud your abuses in London some part of your honestie. You say that Poets are subtil, if so, you have learned that poynt of them, you can well glose on a trifeling text. But you have dronke perhaps of Lethe, your gramer learning is out of your head, you forget your Accidence, you remember not that under the person of Æneas in Virgil the practice of a dilligent captaine is discribed; under the shadow of byrds, beastes and trees, the follies of the world were disiphered; you know not, that the creation is signified in the image of Prometheus; the fall of pryde in the person of Narcissus; these are toyes because they sauor of wisedome which you want. Marke what Campanus sayth, Mira fabularum vanitas, sed quæ si introspiciantur videri possunt non vanæ. The vanitie of tales is

wonderful, yet if we aduisedly look into them they wil seme and proue wise. How wonderful are the pithie poemes of Cato? the curious comedies of Plautus? how brauely discouereth Terence our imperfection in his Eunuch? how neatly dissiphereth he Dauus? how pleasauntly paynteth he out Gnatho? whom if we shoulde seeke in our dayes, I suppose he would not be farr from your Parson.

But I see you would seeme to be that which you are not, and as the prouerb sayth, Nodum in Cirpo quærere. Poetes you say use coullors to couer their incouiences, and wittie sentences to burnish their bawdery, and you diuinite to cover your knauerye. But tell mee truth Gosson, speakest thou as thou thinkest? what coelers findest thou in a Poete not to be admitted? are his speeches unperfect? sauor they of inscience. I think, if thou hast any shame, thou canst not but like and approve them: are their gods displesant vnto thee? doth Saturne in his majesty moue thee? doth Juno with her riches displease thee? doth Minerua with her weapon discomfort thee? doth Apollo with his harping harme thee? thou mayst say nothing les then harme thee, because they are not, and I thinke so to[o], because thou knowest them not. For wot thou that in the person of Saturne our decaying yeares are signified; in the picture of angry Juno, our affections are dissiphered; in the person of Minerua is our understanding signified, both in respect of warre, as policie. When they faine that Pallas was begotten of the braine of Jupiter, their meaning is none other, but that al wisedome (as the learned say) is from aboue, and commeth from the Father of Lights: in the portrature of Apollo all knowledge is denocated. So that, what so they wrot, it was to this purpose, in the way of pleasure to draw men to wisedome: for seing the world in those daies was vnperfect, yt was necessary that they like good Phisi[ti]ons: should so frame their potions, that they might be appliable to the quesie stomachs of their werish patients. But our

studientes by your meanes have made shipwrack of theyr labors, our schoolemaisters haue so offended that by your judgement they shall subire poenam capitis for teaching Poetry; the universitie is litle beholding to you, al their practices in teaching are friuolus. Witt hath wrought that in you, that yeares and studie neuer setled in the heads of our sagest doctors. No mervel though you disprayse Poetrye, when you know not what it meanes.

Erasmus will make that the path waye to knowledge which you disprayse; and no meane Fathers vouchsafe in their seriouse questiones of deuinitie, to inserte poeticall sensures. I think if we shal wel ouerloke the Philosophers, we shal find their judgements not halfe perfect. Poetes, you saye, fayle in their fables, Philosophers in the verye secrets of Nature. Though Plato could wish the expulsion of Poetes from his well publiques, which he might doe with reason, yet the wisest had not all that same opinion, it had bene better for him to have sercht more narowly what the soul was, for his difinition was verye friuolous, when he would make it naught els but Substantiam intellectu predictam. If you say that Poetes did labour about nothing, tell me (I besech you) what wonders wroughte those your dunce Doctors in ther reasons de ente, et non ente? in [is] theyr definition of no force, and les witt? how sweate they power soules in makinge more things then cold be? that I may use your owne phrase, did not they spende one candle by seeking another. Democritus, Epicurus, with ther scholler Metrodorus, how labored they in finding out more worlds then one? your Plato in midst of his presisnes wrought that absurdite that neuer may be redd in Poets, to make a yearthly creature to beare the person of the Creator, and a corruptible substance, an incomprehensible God! for determining of the principall causes of all thinges, a made them naughte els but an Idea which if it be conferred wyth the truth, his sentence will sauour of Inscience. But I speake

for Poetes, I answeare your Abuse, therefore I will disprove, or disprayse naught, but wish you with the wise Plato, to disprayse that thing you offend not in. Seneca sayth, that the studdie of Poets, is to make children, ready to the vnderstanding of wisdom, and that our auncients did teache artes Eleutherias, i. liberales, because the instructed children, by the instrument of knowledg in time became, homines liberi, i. Philosophye. It may be that in reiding of poetry, it happened to you as it is with the Oyster, for she in her swimming receiueth no ayre, and you in your reiding lesse instruction. It is reported that the sheepe of Euboia want ther gale, and one the contrarye side that the beastes of Naxus have distentum fel. Men hope that scollers should have witt brought upp in the Universite; but your sweet selfe, with the cattell of Euboia, since you left your College, have lost your learning. You disprayse Maximus Tirius pollicey, and that thinge that he wrott to manifest learned Poets mening, you atribute to follye. O holy hedded man! why may not Juno resemble the ayre? why not Alexander valour? why not Vlisses pollice? Will you have all for your owne tothe? must men write that you maye know theyr meaning? as though your wytt were to wrest all things? Alas! simple Irus, begg at knowledge gate awhile, thou haste not wonne the mastery of learning. Weane thy selfe to wisedome, and use thy tallant in zeale not for enuie: abuse not thy knowledge in dispraysing that which is pereles. I shold blush from a Player, to become an enuiouse Preacher, if thou hadst zeale to preach, if for Sions sake thou coldst not holde thy tongue, thy true dealing were prayse worthy, thy reuolting woulde counsell me to reuerence thee. Pittie weare it, that Poetrye shoulde be displaced; full little could we want Buchanan's workes, and Boetius Comfortes may not be banished. What made Erasmus labor in Euripides tragedies? Did he indeuour by painting them out of Greeke into Latine to manifest sinne unto us? or to confirme vs in goodness? Labor (I pray thee)