To the Reader.

THear are but fewe of many that can rightly iudge of Poetry, and yet thear at many of those few, that carry so left­handed an opinion of it, as some of them thinke it halfe sacrilege for pro­phane Poetrie to deale with divine and heauenly matters, as though David wear to be sentenced by them, for vtte­ [...]ng his graue matter vpon the harpe: others something more [...]olent in their censure, but sure lesse reasonable (as though [...]oetrie corrupted all good witts, when, indeed, bad witts cor­ [...]pt Poetrie) banish it with Plato out of all well-ordered Commonwealths. Both theas I will strive rather to satisfie, [...]en refute.

And of the first I would gladlie knowe, whither they sup­ [...]ose it fitter, that the sacred songs in the Scripture of those he­ [...]oicall Saincts, Moses, Deborah, Ieremie, Mary, Simeon, Da­ [...]id, Salomon, (the wisest Scholeman, and wittiest Poet) should [...]ee eiected from the canon, for wante of grauitie, or rather this [...]rroure eraced out of their mindes, for wante of truth. But, it maye bee, they will giue the Spirit of God leaue to breath [...]hrough what pipe it please, & will confesse, because they must [...]eeds, that all the songs dittied by him, must needs bee, as their Fountaine is, most holy: but their common clamour is, who may compare with [...], & yet as none may compare without presum [...] all may imitat, and not without com­mendation: [Page] which made Nazianzen, on of the Starrs of [...] Greeke Church, that nowe shines as bright in heauen, as [...] did then on earth, write so manie diuine Poems of the Ge [...] alogie, Miracles, Parables, Passion of Christ, called by him h [...] [...], which when Basil, the Prince of the Fathen [...] and his Chamberfellowe, had seene, his opinion of them was, that he could haue deuised nothing either more fruitfull to o­thers: because it kindely woed them to Religion, or more ho­nourable to himselfe, [...], because by imitating the singing Angels in heau'n, himselfe became, though before his time, an earth­ly Angel. What should I speake of Iuvencus, Prosper, & the wise Prudentius? the last of which liuing in Hieroms time twelue hundred yeares agoe, brought foorth in his declining age, so many, & so religious poems, straitly charging his soule, not to let passe so much as one either night or daye without some diuine song, Hymnis continuet dies, Nec nox vlla vacet, quin Dominum canat. And as sedulous Prudentius, so pru­dent Sedulius was famous in this poeticall diuinity, the coetan of Bernard, who sung the historie of Christ with as much de­uotion in himself, as admitation to others; all which wear followed by the choicest witts of Christendome: Nonnius tran­slating all Sainct Iohns Ghosipel into Greek verse, Sanazar, the late-liuing Image, and happy imitator of Uirgil, bestowing ten-yeares vpon a song, onely to celebrat that one day when Christ was borne vnto vs on earth, & we (a happie change) vnto God in heau'n: thrice-honour'd Bartas, & our (I know no other name more glorious then his own) M ^r. Edmund Spen­cer (two blessed Soules) not thinking ten years inough, layeing out their whole liues vpon this one studie: Nay I may iustly say, that the Princely Father of our Countrey (though in my con­science, God hath made him of all the learned Princes that e­uer wear the most religious, and of all the religious Princes, the most learned, that so, by the one, hee might oppose him a­gainst [Page] the Pope, the peste of all Religion, and by the other, a­gainst Bellarmine the abuser of all good Learning) is yet so far enamour'd with this celestiall Muse, that it shall neuer repent mee— calamo triuisse labellum, whensoeuer I shall remember Hac eadem vt sciret quid non faciebat Amyntas? To name no more in such plenty, whear I may finde how to beginne, sooner then to end, Saincte Paule, by the Exāple of Christ, that wente singing to mounte Oliuet, with his Disciples, after his last supper, exciteth the Christians to solace themselues with [...]ymnes, and Psalmes, and spirituall songs; and thearefore, by their leav's, be it an error for Poets to be Divines, I had rather [...]rr with the Scripture, then be rectifi'd by them: I had rather [...]dore the stepps of Nazianzen, Prudentius, Sedulius, then fol­ [...]owe their steps, to bee misguided: I had rather be the deuoute Admirer of Nonnius, Bartas, my sacred Soueraign, and others, the miracles of our latter age, then the false sectatie of these, that haue nothing at all to follow, but their own naked opini­ons: To conclude, I had rather with my Lord, and his most di­vine Apostle sing (though I sing sorilie) the loue of heauen and earthe, then praise God (as they doe) with the woorthie guift of silence, and sitting still, or think I dispraisd him with this poe­tical discourse. It seems they haue either not read, or clean [...]orgot, that it is the dutie of the Muses (if wee maye beeleeue [...]indare, and Hesiod) to set allwaies vnder the throne of Iupiter, [...]ius & laudes, & beneficia [...], which made a very worthy German writer conclude it Certò statuimus, proprium at (que) pe­ [...]uliare poetarum munus esse, Christi gloriam illustrare, beeing good reason that the heavenly infusion of such Poetry, should [...]nde in his glorie, that had beginning from his goodnes, fit o­ [...]ator, nascitur Poeta.

For the secound sorte thearfore, that eliminat Poets out of [...]heir citie gates; as though they wear nowe grown so bad, as [...]hey could neither growe woorse, nor better, though it be [...]omewhat hard for those to bee the onely men should want ci­ties, [Page] that wear the onely causers of the building of them, and somewhat inhumane to thrust them into the woods, to liue a­mong the beasts, who wear the first that call'd men out of the woods, from their beastly, and wilde life, yet since they will needes shoulder them out for the onely firebrands to inflame lust (the fault of earthly men, not heauenly Poetrie) I would gladly learne, what kind of professions theas men would bee intreated to entertaine, that so deride and disaffect Poesie: would they admit of Philosophers, that after they haue burnt out the whole candle of their life in the circular studie of Sci­ences, crie out at length, Se nihil prorsus seire? or should Musi­tians be welcome to them, that Dant sine mente sonum—bring delight with them indeede, could they aswell expresse with their instruments a voice, as they can a sound? or would they most approve of Soldiers that defend the life of their coun­trymen either by the death of themselues, or their enemies? If Philosophers please them, who is it, that knowes not, that all the lights of Example, to cleare their precepts, are borowed by Philosophers from Poets; that without Homers examples, A­ristotle would be as blind as Homer: If they retaine Musitians, who euer doubted, but that Poets infused the verie soule into the inarticulate sounds of musique; that without Pindar, & Horace the Lyriques had beene silenced for euer: If they must needes entertaine Soldiers, who can but confesse, that Poets restore againe that life to soldiers, which they before lost for the safetie of their country; that without Uirgil, Aeneas had neuer beene so much as heard of. How then can they for shame deny commonwealths to them, who wear the first Au­thors of them; how can they denie the blinde Philosopher, that teaches them, his light; the emptie Musitian that delights them, his soule; the dying Soldier, that defends their life, im­mortalitie, after his owne death; let Philosophie, let Ethiques▪ let all the Arts bestowe vpon vs this guift, that we be no [...] thought deadmen, whilest we remaine among the liuing: it is [Page] onely Poetrie that can make vs be thought liuing men, when we lie among the dead, and therefore I thinke it vnequall to thrust them out of our cities, that call vs out of our graues, to thinke so hardly of them, that make vs to be so well thought of, to deny them to liue a while among vs, that make vs liue for euer among our Posteritie.

So beeing nowe weary in perswading those that hate, I commend my selfe to those that love such Poets, as Plato speakes of, that sing divine and heroical matters. [...], recommen­ding theas my idle howers, not idly spent, to good schollers, and good Christians, that haue ouercome their ignorance with [...]eason, and their reason, with religion.