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APPENDIX II.

LETTERS FROM SPENSER (IMMERITO) TO GABRIEL HARVEY.

TO THE WORSHIPFULL
HIS VERY SINGULAR GOOD FRIEND,
MAISTER G. H.

FELLOW OF TRINITIE HALL IN CAMBRIDGE.*

GooD Master G. I perceive by your most curteous and frendly Letters your good will to be no lesse in deed than I alwayes esteemed. In recompence wherof, think I beseech you, that I wil spare neither Speech nor wryting, nor aught else, whensoever, and wheresoever occasion shal be offred me: yea, I will not stay, till it be offred, but will seeke it in al that possibly I may. And that you may perceive how much your Counsel in al things prevaileth with me, and how altogither I am ruled and over. ruled thereby: I am now determined to alter mine owne former purpose, and to subscribe to your advizement: being notwithstanding resolved stil, to abide your farther resolution. My principal doubts are these. First, I was minded for a while to have intermitted the uttering of my writings: leaste by over-much cloying their noble eares. I should gather a contempt of myself, or else seeme rather for gaine and commoditie to doe it, for some sweetnesse that I have already tasted. Then also, meseemeth, the work too base for his excellent Lordship, being made in honour of a private Personage unknowne, which of some yl-willers might be upbraided not to be so worthie, as you knowe she is or the matter not so weightie, that it should be offred to so welghtie a Personage: or the like. The selfe former Title still liketh me well ynongh, and your fine Addition no lesse. If these, and the like doubtes, maye be of importaunce in your seeming, to frustrate any parte of your advice, I beseeche you without the least selfe love of your own purpose, concell me for the beste: and the rather doe it faithfullye and carefully, for that, in all things I attribute so muche to your judgement, that I am evermore content to annihilate mine owne determinations, in respecte thereof. And indeede for your selfe to, it sitteth with yon now, to call your wits and senses togither (which are alwaies at call) when Occasion is so fairely offered of Estimation and Preferment. For whiles the iron is hote, it is good striking, and minds of Noble: varie as their Estates. Verum ne quid durius.

Reprinted from Two other very commendable Letters, of the same mens writing: both touching the f resaid Artificiall Versifying, a certain other Particulars.-More lately delivered nto the Printer. -Imprinted at London by H. Bynnemann, dwelling in Thames streate, neere unto Baynardes Castell. Anno Domini, 1580. Cum gratia et privilegio Regiæ Majestatis.'

I pray you bethinke you well hereof, good Maister G. and forthwith write me those two or three special points and caveats for the nonce, De quibus in superioribus illis mellitissimis longissimisque Litteris tuis. Your desire to heare of my late being with hir Majestie muste dye in it selfe. As for the twoo worthy Gentlemen, Master Sidney and Master Dyer, they have me, I thanke them, in some use of familiarity: of whom and to whome, what speache passeth for youre credite and estimation, I leave to your selfe to conceive, having alwayes so well conceived of my unfained affection and zeale towardes you. And nowe they have proclaimed in their away a general surceasing and silence of balde Rymers, and also of the verie beste to: in stende whereof they haue, by authoritie of their whole Senate, prescribed certaine Lawes and rules of Quantities of Englishe sillables for English Verse: having had thereof already great practise, and drawen mee to their faction. Newe Bookes 1 heare of none, but only of one, that writing a certaine Booke, called The Schoole of Abuse, and dedicating it to Maister Sidney, was for his labor scorned: if at leaste it be in the goodnesse of that nature to scorne. Suche follie is it, not to regarde aforehande the inclination and qualitie of him to whome wee dedicate oure Bookes. Suche mighte I happily incurre entituling My Slomber and the other Pamphlets unto his honor. I meant them rather to Maister Dyer. But I am of late more in love wyth my Englishe Versifying than with Ryming: whyche I should have done long since, if I would then haue followed your councell. jam tum suspicabar cum Aschamo sapere: RunC Aulam video egregios alere Poètas Anglicos.

Sed te soit m

Maister E. K. hartily desireth to be commended unto your Worshippe: of whome what accompte he maketh, your selfe shall hereafter perceive, by hys paynefull and dutifull Verses of your eife.

Thus much was written at Westminster yesternight: but comming this morning, beeing the sixteenth of October, to Mystresse Kerkes, to have it delivered to the Carrier, I receyved your letter, sente me the laste weeke: whereby I perceive you otherwhiles continue your old exercise of Versifying in Englishe; whych glorie I had now thought shoulde have bene onely ours heere at London and the Court.

Truste me, your Verses I like passingly well, ani envye your hidden paines in this kinde, or rather maligne, and grudge at your selfe, that woulde not once imparte so muche to me. But once or twice you make a breache in Maister Drants Rules: gum tamen condonabimus tanto Poëtæ, tuæque ipsius marima in his rebus autoritati. You shall see when we meete in London (whiche, when it shall be, certifye us) howe fast I have followed after you in that

Course: beware leaste in time I overtake you. Veruntamen te solum sequar, (ut sæpenumero sum professus,) nunquam sanè assequar dum vivam.

And nowe requite I you with the like, not with the verye beste, but with the verye shortest, namely, with a few lambickes: I dare warrant they be precisely perfect for the feete (as you can easily judge), and varie not one inch from the Rule. I will imparte yours to Maister Sidney and Maister Dyer at my nexte going to the Courte. mine close to your selfe, or your verie entire friendes, I praye you, keepe Maister Preston, Maister Still, and the reste.

Næ tu grande sapis, Sapor at sapientia non est :
Omnis et in parvis benè qui scit desipuisse,
Sæpe superciliis palmam sapientibus anfert.
Ludit Aristippum modò tetrica Turba Sophorum,
Mitia purpureo moderantem verba Tyranno
Ludit Aristippus dictamina vana Sophorum,
Quod levis emensi male torquet Culicis umbia:
Et quisquis placuisse Studet Heroibus altis,
Desipuisse studet sic gratia crescit ineptis
Denique laurigeris quisquis sua tempora vittis,

Insignire volet, Populoque placere faventi,
Desipere insanus discit, turpemque pudendæ
Stultitiæ laudem quærit. Pater Ennius unus
Dictus in innumeris sapiens: laudatur at ipsa
Carmina vesano fudisse liquentia vino:
Nec tu pace tua, nostri Cato Maxime sæcli,
Nomen honorati sacrum mereare Poëtæ,
Quantumvis illustre canas, et nobile Carmen,
Ni stultire velis, sic S[t]ultorum omnia plena,
Tuta sed in medio superest via gurgite, nam Qui
Nec reliquis nimium vult desipuisse videri,
Nec sapuisse nimis, Sapientem dixeris unum.
Hinc te merserit unda, illinc combusserit Ignis;
Nec tu delicias nimis aspernare fluentes,
Nec sero Dominam,venientem in vota, nec Aurum,
Si apis, ablatum, (Curiis ea, Fabriciisque
Linque viris miseris miseranda Sophismata:
quondam

Grande sui decus ii, nostri sed dedecus ævi :)
Nec sectare nimis. Res utraque crimine plena.
Hoc bene qui callet, (si quis tamen hoc bene callet)
Scribe, vel invito sapientem hunc Socrate solum.
Vis facit una pios: Justos facit altera: et altra
Egregiè cordata, ac fortia pectora: verùm
Omne tulit punctum, qui miscuit utile dulci,
Dii mihi, dulce diu dederant: verum utile nun-

quam:

Utile nunc etiam, ô utinam quoque dulce dedis

sent.

Dii mihi (quippe Diis æquivalia maxima parvis)
Ni nimis invideant mortalibus esse beatis,
Dulce simni tribuisse queant, simul utile: tanta
Sed Fortuna tun est: pariter quæque utile, quæque
Dulce dat ad placitum: sævo nos sydere nati
Quæsitum imus eam per inhospita Caucasa longè,
Perque Pyrenæos montes. Babilonaque turpem.
Quod si quæsitum nec ibi invenerimus, ingens
Æquor inexhaustis permensi erroribus, ultrà
Fluctibus in mediis socii quæremus Ulyssis.
Passibus inde Deam fessis comitabimur ægram,
Nobile qui furtum quærenti defuit orbis.
Namque sinu pudet in patrio, tenebrisque pu-

dendis

Non nimis ingenio Juvenem infœlic e virentes
Officiis frustra deperdere vilibus Anno,
Frugibus et vacuas speratis cernere spicas.
Ibimus ergo statim: (quis eunti fausta pre-

cetur ?)

Et pede Clibosas fesso calcabimus Alpes.
Quis dabit interea conditas rore Britanno,

I was minded also to have sent you some English
verses or Rymes, for a farewell: but by my troth,
I have no spare time in the world, to thinke on
such Toyes, that you know will demaund a freer
head, than mine is presently. I beseeche you by
all your Curtesies and Graces let me be answered
ere I goe: which will be (I hope, I feare, I thinke),
the next weeke, if I can be dispatched of my Lorde.
I goe thither, as sent by him, and maintained most
what of him and there am to employ my time, my
body, my minde, to his Honours service. Thus
with many superhartie Commendations and Re-
commendations to your selfe, and all my friendes
with you, I ende my last Farewell, not thinking
any more to write unto you, before I goe: and
withall committing to your faithfull Credence the
eternall Memorie of our everlasting friendship, the
inviolable Memorie of our unspotted friendshippe,
the sacred Memorie of our vowed friendship: which
I beseech you Continue with usuall writings, as you
may, and of all things let me heare some Newes
from you. As gentle M. Sidney, I thanke his good
Worship, hath required of me, and so promised to
doe againe. Qui monet, ut facias, quod jam facis ;
you knowe the rest. You may alwayes send them
most safely to me by Mistresse Kerke, and by none
other. So once againe, and yet once more, Fare-
well most hartily, mine owne good Master H. and
love me, as I love you, and thinke upon poore Im
merito, as he thinketh uppon you.

Leycester House, this 5 [? 16] of October, 1579.
Per mare, per terras,
Virus, mortuusque
Tuus Immerito.

TO MY LONG APPROOVED AND SINGULAR
GOOD FRENDE, MASTER G. H.*

GOOD Master H. I doubt not but you have some
while restraineth your Penne, and wonted readi-
great important matter in hande, which al this
nesse in provoking me unto that, wherein your selfe
nowe faulte. If there bee any such thing in hatch-
ing, I pray you hartily, lette us knowe, before al the
in Justinians Courte, and give your selfe to be de-
worlde see it. But if happly you dwell altogither
voured of secreate Studies, as of all likelyhood you
doe yet at least imparte some your olde, or newe
Latine or Englishe, Eloquent and Gallant Poesies

Quis tibi Litterulas? quis carmen amore petul- to us, from whose eyes, you save, you keepe in a

cum!

Musa sub Oebalii desueta cacumine montis,
Flebit inexhausto tam longa silentia planctu,
Lugebitque sacrum lacrymis Helicona tacentem.
Harveiusque bonus (charus licet omnibus idem,
Idque suo merito, prope suavior omnibus unus,)
Angelus et Gabriel, (quamvis comitatus amicis
Innumeris, geniúmque choro stipatus ameno)
Immerito tamen unum absentem sæpe requiret,
Optabitque Utinam meus hic Edmundus adesset,
Qui nova scripsisset, nec Amores conticuisset
Ipse suos, et sæpe animo verbisque benignis
Fausta precaretur, Deus illum aliquando reducat,

&c.

manner nothing hidden. Little newes is here stirred but that olde greate matter still depending. His Honoure never better. I thinke the Earthquake was also there wyth you (which I would gladly learne) as it was here with us: overthrowing divers old buildings and peeces of Churches. Sure verye

straunge to be hearde of in these Countries, and
yet I heare some saye (I knowe not howe trucly)
that they have knowne the like before in their
dayes. Sed quid vobis videtur magnis Philosophis?
I like your late Englishe Hexameters so exceedingly
well, that I also enure my Penne sometime in that
inde: whyche I fynd indeede, as I have heard you
often defende in worde, neither so harde, nor so
harshe, that it will easily and fairely yeelde it selfe
to our Moother tongue. For the onely, or chiefest
hardnesse, whych seemeth, is in the Accente:
whyche sometime gapeth, and, as it were, yawneth
ilfavouredly, comming shorte of that it should, and
sometime exceeding the measure of the Number,
as in Carpenter, the middle sillable being used
shorte in speache, when it shall be read long in
Verse, seemeth like a lame Gosling that draweth one
legge after hir: and Heaven being used shorte as one
sillable, when it is in verse stretched out with a
Diastole, is like a lame dogge that holdes up one
legge. But it is to be wonne with Custome, and
rough words must be subdued with Use. For, why
a Gods name, may not we, as else the Greekes,
have the kingdome of oure owne Language, and
measure our Accentes by the sounde, reserving the
Quantitie to the Verse? Loe, here I let you see
my olde use of toying in Rymes turned into your
artificial straightnesse of Verse by this Tetrasticon.
I beseech you tell me your fansie without parcialitie.
See yee the blindfoulded pretie God, that fea
thered Archer,

Of Lovers Miseries which maketh his bloodie
game?

Wote ye why, his Moother with a Veale hath

Coovered his Face?

Trust me, least he my Loove happely chaunce

to beholde.

Seeme they comparable to those two, which I
translated you ex tempore in bed, the last time we
lay togither in Westminster?

That which I eate did I joy, and that which I
greedily gorged,

As for those many goodly matters leaft I for

others.

I would hartily wish, you would either send me
the Rules and Precepts of Arte, which you observe
in Quantities, or else followe mine, that M. Philip
Sidney gave me, being the very same which M.
Drant devised, but enlarged with M. Sidneys own
judgement, and augmented with my Observations,
that we might both accorde and agree in one:
leaste we overthrowe one an other, and be over-
thrown of the rest. Trust me, you will hardly be-
leeve what greate good liking and estimation Mais-
ter Duer had of your Satyricall Verses, and I, since
the viewe thereof, having before of my sele had
special liking of Englishe Versifying, am even
nowe aboute to give you some token, what, and
howe well therein I am able to doe: for, to tell yon
trueth, I minde shortely at convenient leysure, to
sette forth a Booke in this kinde, whiche I entitle
Epithalamion Thamesis; whyche Booke, I dare un-
dertake wil be very profitable for the knowledge,
and rare for the Invention and manner of handling.
For in setting forth the marriage of the Thames:
I shewe his first beginning, and offspring, and all

709

the Countrey, that he passeth thorough, and also describe all the Rivers throughout Englande, whyche came to this Wedding, and their righte names, and right passage, &c. A worke, beleeve me, of muca labour, wherein notwithstanding Master Holinshed hath muche furthered and advantaged me, who therein hath bestowed singular paines, in searching oute their firste heades and sources: and also in tracing and dogging oute all their Course, til they fall into the Sea.

O Tite, siquid, ego,

Ecquid erit pretij?

But of that more hereafter. Nowe, my Dreames and Dying Pellicane, being fully finished (as I partelye signified in my laste Letters) and presentlye to bee imprinted, I wil in hande forthwith with my Faery Queene, whyche I praye you hartily send me with al expedition and your frendly Letters, and long expected Judgement wythal, whyche let not be shorte, but in all pointes snche, as you ordinarilye use, and 1 extraordinarily desire. Multum vale. Sed, amabo te, meum Corculum tibi se ex animo comWestminster. mendat plurimùm : jamdiu mirata, te nihil ad literas Quarto Nonas Aprilis 1580. suas responsi dedisse. tale sit: Mihi certè quidemerit, neque tibi hercle impunè, ut opinor, Iterum vale, & quàm voles sœpè, Vide quæso, ne id tibi CapiYours alwayes to commaunde,

Postscripte.

IMMERITO.

alone, being growen by meanes of the Glosse I take best my Dreames shoulde come forth full as great as my Calendar. (running continually in maner of a Paraphrase) coursed of E. K. and the pictures so singularly set things excellently, and many things wittily disTherin be some there, he could (I think) nor amende the beste, nor forth and purtrayed, as if Michael Angelo were reprehende the worst. dressed you knowe to whome, must more advisethem passing wel. Of my Stemmata Dudleiana, and I know you woulde lyke especially of the sundry Apostrophes therein, adhow beit, trust me (though I doe never very well) ment be had, than so lightly to sende them abroade : tamen te sequor solùm: nunquam verò assequar. yet, in my owne fancie, I never dyd better. Verun

EXTRACT FROM HARVEY'S REPLY.* But Master Collin Cloute is not every body, and Master Hobbinoll be as little beholding to their albeit his olde Companions, Master Cuddy and Mistresse Poetrie, as ever you writ: yet he peradventure by the meanes of hir special favour. and some personall priviledge, may happely live by Dying Pellicanes, and purchase great landes, and lordshippes, with the money, which his Calendar and Dreames have, and will affourde him. Extra jocum, I like your Dreames passingly well: and the rather, bicause they savour of that singular extraordinarie veine and invention, which I ever fancied Petrarche, Aretine, Pasquill, and all the most delimoste, and in a maner admired onelye in Lucian,

ar Letters, &c.'
* Reprinted from Three Proper and wittie fami