THE Conteyning tvvelue Æglogues proportionable Entitled TO THE NOBLE AND VERTV- Philip Sidney. Printed by Hugh Singleton, dwelling in JuCreede Lane neere vnto Ludgate at the free ligne of the gylden Tunne, and Vinda wifi. are there to be folde. TO HIS BOOKE. Goe little booke: thy selfe present, As child whose parent is vnkent: To him that is the president Of noblesse and of cheualree, And if that Enuie barke at thee, As sure it will, for succoure flee Vnder the shadow of his wing, And asked, who thee forth did bring, A shepheards swaine saye did thee sing, All as his straying flocke he fedde: ΙΟ And when his honor has thee redde, Craue pardon for my hardyhedde. But if that any aske thy name, Say thou wert base begot with blame : For thy thereof thou takest shame. And when thou art past ieopardee, Come tell me, what was sayd of mee And I will send more after thee. Immeritó. ¶ To the most excellent and learned both Drator and Poete, Mayster Gabriell Haruey, his verie special and singular good frend E. K. commendeth the good lyking of this his labour, and the patronage of the new Poete. famous Poete Chaucer: whom for his excellencie and wonderfull skil in making, his scholler Lidgate, a worthy scholler of so excellent a maister, calleth the Loadestarre of our Language: and whom our Colin clout in his Aglogue calleth Tityrus the God of shepheards, comparing hym to the worthines of the Roman Tityrus Virgile. Which prouerbe, myne owne good friend Ma. Haruey, as in that good old Poete it serued well Pandares purpose, for the bolstering of his baudy brocage, so very well taketh place in this our new Poete, who for that he is vncouthe (as said Chaucer) is vnkist, and vnknown to most men, is regarded but of few. But I dout not, so soone as his name shall come into the knowledg of men, and his worthines be sounded in the tromp of fame, but that he shall be not onely kiste, but also beloued of all, embraced of the most, and wondred at of the best. No lesse I thinke, deserueth his wittinesse in deuising, his pithinesse in vttering, his complaints of loue so louely, his discourses of pleasure so pleasantly, his pastorall rudenesse, his morall wisenesse, his dewe obseruing of Decorum euerye where, in personages, in sea speach, and generally in al seemely simplycitie of handeling his matter, and framing his words: the which of many thinges which in him be straunge, I know will seeme the straungest, the words them selues being so auncient, the knitting of them so short and intricate, and the whole Periode and compasse of speache so delightsome for the roundnesse, and so graue for the strangenesse. And firste of the wordes to speake, I graunt they be something hard, and of most men vnused, yet both English, and also vsed of most excellent Authors and most famous Poetes. In whom whenas this our Poet hath bene much traueiled and throughly redd, how could it be, (as that worthy Oratour sayde) but that walking in the sonne although for other cause he walked, yet needes he mought be sunburnt; and hauing the sound of those auncient Poetes still ringing in his eares, he mought needes in singing hit out some of theyr tunes. But whether he vseth them by such casualtye and custome, or of set purpose and choyse, as thinking them fittest for such rusticall rudenesse of shepheards, eyther for that theyr rough sounde would make his rymes more ragged and rustical, or els because such olde and obsolete | onely cause, that our Mother tonge, which wordes are most vsed of country folke, sure truely of it self is both ful enough for prose I think, and think I think not amisse, that they and stately enough for verse, hath long time bring great grace and, as one would say, ben counted most bare and barrein of both. auctoritie to the verse. For albe amongst Which default when as some endeuoured to many other faultes it specially be obiected of salue and recure, they patched vp the holes Valla against Liuie, and of other against with peces and rags of other languages, borrowSaluste, that with ouer much studie they affect ing here of the french, there of the Italian, antiquitie, as coueting thereby credence and euery where of the Latine, not weighing how il, honor of elder yeeres, yet I am of opinion, and those tongues accorde with themselues, but eke the best learned are of the lyke, that those much worse with ours: So now they haue auncient solemne wordes are a great ornament made our English tongue, a gallimaufray or both in the one and in the other; the one hodgepodge of al other speches. Other some labouring to set forth in hys worke an eternall not so wel seene in the English tonge as perhaps image of antiquitie, and the other carefully dis- in other languages, if they happen to here an coursing matters of grauitie and importaunce. olde word albeit very naturall and significant, For if my memory fayle not, Tullie in that crye out streight way, that we speak no Engbooke, wherein he endeuoureth to set forth the lish, but gibbrish, or rather such, as in old time paterne of a perfect Oratour, sayth that oft- Euanders mother spake. Whose first shame is, times an auncient worde maketh the style that they are not ashamed, in their own mother seeme graue, and as it were reuerend: no tonge straungers to be counted and alienes. otherwise then we honour and reuerence gray The second shame no lesse then the first, that heares for a certein religious regard, which we what so they vnderstand not, they streight haue of old age. Yet nether euery where must way deeme to be sencelesse, and not at al to be old words be stuffed in, nor the commen vnderstode. Much like to the Mole in Æsopes Dialecte and maner of speaking so corrupted fable, that being blynd her selfe, would in no therby, that as in old buildings it seme dis- wise be perswaded, that any beast could see. orderly and ruinous. But all as in most The last more shameful then both, that of their exquisite pictures they vse to blaze and por owne country and natural speach, which traict not onely the daintie lineaments of together with their Nources milk they sucked, beautye, but also rounde about it to shadow they haue so base regard and bastard iudgethe rude thickets and craggy clifts, that by the ment, that they will not onely themselues not basenesse of such parts, more excellency may labor to garnish and beautifie it, but also repine, accrew to the principall; for oftimes we fynde that of other it shold be embellished. Like to ourselues, I knowe not how, singularly de- the dogge in the maunger, that him selfe can lighted with the shewe of such naturall rude- eate no hay, and yet barketh at the hungry nesse, and take great pleasure in that disorderly bullock, that so faine would feede: whose order. Euen so doe those rough and harsh currish kind though it cannot be kept from termes enlumine and make more clearly to barking, yet I conne them thanke that they appeare the brightnesse of braue and glorious refrain from byting. words. So oftentimes a dischorde in Musick maketh a comely concordaunce: so great delight tooke the worthy Poete Alceus to behold a blemish in the ioynt of a wel shaped body. But if any will rashly blame such his purpose in choyşe of old and vnwonted words, him may I more iustly blame and condemne, or of witlesse headinesse in iudging, or of heedelesse hardinesse in condemning for not marking the compasse of hys bent, he wil iudge of the length of his cast. For in my opinion it is one special prayse, of many whych are dew to this Poete, that he hath laboured to restore, as to theyr rightfull heritage such good and naturall English words, as haue ben long time out of vse and almost cleane disherited. Which is the Now for the knitting of sentences, whych they call the ioynts and members therof, and for al the compasse of the speach, it is round without roughnesse, and learned wythout hardnes, such indeede as may be perceiued of the leaste, vnderstoode of the moste, but iudged onely of the learned. For what in most English wryters vseth to be loose, and as it were vngyrt, in this Authour is well grounded, finely framed, and strongly trussed vp together. In regard wherof, I scorne and spue out the rakehellye route of our ragged rymers (for so themselues vse to hunt the letter) which without learning boste, without iudgement iangle, without reason rage and fome, as if some instinct of Poeticall spirite had newly rauished them aboue the meanenesse of commen capacitie. | these xij. Æglogues, which for that they be And being in the middest of all theyr brauery, proportioned to the state of the xij. monethes, sodenly eyther for want of matter, or of ryme, or hauing forgotten theyr former conceipt, they seeme to be so pained and traueiled in theyr remembrance, as it were a woman in childebirth or as that same Pythia, when the traunce came vpon her. Os rabidum fera corda domans &c. Nethelesse let them a Gods name feede on theyr owne folly, so they seeke not to darken the beames of others glory. As for Colin, vnder whose person the Author selfe is shadowed, how furre he is from such vaunted titles and glorious showes, both him selfe sheweth, where he sayth. Of Muses Hobbin. I conne no skill. And, Enough is me to paint out my vnrest, &c. And also appeareth by the basenesse of the name, wherein, it semeth, he chose rather to vnfold great matter of argument couertly, then professing it, not suffice thereto accordingly. Which moued him rather in Eglogues, then other wise to write, doubting perhaps his habili tie, which he little needed, or mynding to furnish our tongue with this kinde, wherein it faulteth, or following the example of the best and most auncient Poetes, which deuised this kind of wryting, being both so base for the matter, and homely for the manner, at the first to trye theyr habilities: and as young birdes, that be newly crept out of the nest, by little first to proue theyr tender wyngs, before they make a greater flyght. So flew Theocritus, as you may perceiue he was all ready full fledged. So flew Virgile, as not yet well feeling his winges. So flew Mantuane, as being not full somd. So Petrarque. So Boccace; So Marot, Sanazarus, and also diuers other excellent both Italian and French Poetes, whose foting this Author euery where followeth, yet so as few, but they be wel sented can trace him out. So finally flyeth this our new Poete, as a bird, whose principals be scarce growen out, but yet as that in time shall be hable to keepe wing with the best. Now as touching the generall dryft and purpose of his glogues, I mind not to say much, him selfe labouring to conceale it. Onely this appeareth, that his vnstayed yougth had long wandred in the common Labyrinth of Loue, in which time to mitigate and allay the heate of his passion, or els to warne (as he sayth) the young shepheards .s. his equalls and companions of his vnfortunate folly, he compiled he termeth the SHEPHEARDS CALENDAR, Your owne assuredly to be commaunded E. K. Post scr yourselfe, in smoothering your deserued prayses, Now I trust M. Haruey, that upon sight and all men generally, in withholding front of your speciall frends and fellow Poets doings, or els for enuie of so many vnworthy Quidams, which catch at the garlond, which to you alone is dewe, you will be perswaded to pluck out of the hateful darknesse, those so many excellent English poemes of yours, which lye hid, and bring them forth to eternall light. Trust me you doe both them great wrong, in depriuing them of the desired sonne, and also them so diuine pleasures, which they might conceive of your gallant English verses, as they haue already doen of your Latine Poemes, which in my opinion both for inuention and Elocution are very delicate, and superexcellent. And thus againe, I take my leaue of my good Mayster Haruey. From my lodging at London thys 10. of Aprill. 1579. The generall argument of the whole booke. Ittle I hope, needeth me at large to discourse the net originall of Eglogues, hauing alreadie touched the same. But for the word Eglogues I know is vnknowen to most, and also mistaken of some the best learned (as they think) I wyll say somewhat thereof, being not at all impertinent to my present purpose. They were first of the Greekes the inuentours of them called glogaj as it were alyov or alyovópar. λóyo, that is Goteheards tales. For although in Virgile and others the speakers be more shepheards, then Goteheards, yet Theocritus in whom is more ground of authoritie, then in Virgile, this specially from that deriuing, as from the first head and welspring the whole Inuention of his Æglogues, maketh Goteheards the persons and authors of his tales. This being, who seeth not the grossenesse of such as by colour of learning would make vs beleeue that they are more rightly termed Eclogai, as they would say, extraordinary discourses of vnnecessarie matter, which difinition albe in substaunce and meaning it agree with the nature of the thing, yet no whit answereth with the ȧvá vous and interpretation of the word. For they be not termed Eclogues, but Eglogues. Which sentence this authour very well obseruing, vpon good iudgement, though indeede few Goteheards haue to doe herein, nethelesse doubteth not to cal them by the vsed and best knowen name. Other curious discourses hereof I reserue to greater occasion. These xij. Eclogues euery where answering to the seasons of the twelue monthes may be well deuided into three formes or ranckes. For ether they be Plaintiue, as the first, the sixt, the eleuenth, and the twelfth, or recreatiue, such as al those be, which conceiue matter of loue, or commendation of special personages, or Moral: which for the most part be mixed with some Satyrical bitternesse, namely the second of reuerence dewe to old age, the fift of coloured deceipt, the seuenth and ninth of dissolute shepheards and pastours, the tenth of contempt of Poetrie and pleasaunt wits. And to this diuision may euery thing herein be reasonably applyed: A few onely except, whose speciall purpose and meaning I am not priuie to. And thus much generally of these xij. Eclogues. Now will we speake particularly of all, and first of the first. Which he calleth by the first monethes name Ianuarie: wherein to some he may seeme fowly to haue faulted, in that he erroniously beginneth with that moneth, which beginneth not the yeare. For it is wel known, and stoutely mainteyned with stronge reasons of the learned, that the yeare beginneth in March. For then the sonne reneweth his finished course, and the seasonable spring refresheth the earth, and the plesaunce thereof being buried in the sadnesse of the dead winter now worne away, reliueth. This opinion maynteine the olde Astrologers and Philosophers, namely the reuerend Andalo, and Macrobius in his holydayes of Saturne, which accoumpt also was generally obserued both of Grecians and Romans. But sauing the leaue of such learned heads, we mayntaine a custome of |