CAP. I.

FIRST, ȝe sall keip iust cullouris, quhair of the cautelis are thir.

That ȝe ryme nocht twyse in ane syllabe. As for exemple, that ȝe make not proue and reproue ryme to­gether, nor houe for houeing on hors bak, and behoue.

That ȝe ryme ay to the hinmest lang syllabe, (with ac­cent) in the lyne, suppose it be not the hinmest syllabe in the lyne, as bakbyte ȝovv, & out flyte ȝovv, It rymes in byte & flyte, because of the lenth of the syllabe, & accent being there, and not in ȝovv, howbeit it be the hinmest syllabe of ather of the lynis. Or question and digestion, It rymes in ques & ges, albeit they be bot the antepenult syllabis, and vther twa behind ilkane of thame.

Ȝe aucht alwayis to note, That as in thir foirsaidis, or the lyke wordis, it rymes in the hinmest lang syllabe in the lyne, althoucht there be vther short syllabis behind it, Sa is the hinmest lang syllabe the hinmest fute, sup­pose there be vther short syllabis behind it, quhilkis are eatin vp in the pronounceing, and na wayis comptit as fete.

[Page] Ȝe man be war likewayis (except necessitie compell yow) with Ryming in Termis, quhilk is to say, that your first or hinmest word in the lyne, exceid not twa or thre syllabis at the maist, vsing thrie als seindill as ye can. The cause quhairfore ȝe sall not place a long word first in the lyne, is, that all lang words hes ane syllabe in them sa ve­rie lang, as the lenth thair of eatis vp in the pronouncing euin the vther syllabes, quhilks ar placit lang in the same word, and thairfore spillis the flowing of that lyne. As for exēple, in this word, Arabia, the second syllabe (ra) is sa lang, that it eatis vp in the prononcing [a] quhilk is the hinmest syllabe of the same word. Quhilk [a] althocht it be in a lang place, ȝit it kythis not sa, because of the great lenth of the preceding syllabe (ra). As to the cause quhy ȝe sall not put a lang word hinmest in the lyne, It is, because, that the lenth of the secound syllabe (ra) eating vp the lenth of the vther lang syllabe, [a] makis it to serue bot as a tayle vnto it, together with the short syllabe pre­ceding. And because this tayle nather seruis for cullour nor fute, as I spak before, it man be thairfore repetit in the nixt lyne ryming vnto it, as it is set doune in the first: quhilk makis, that ȝe will scarcely get many wordis to ryme vnto it, ȝea, nane at all will ȝe finde to ryme to sin­drie vther langer wordis. Thairfore cheifly be warre of inserting sic lang wordis hinmest in the lyne, for the cause quhilk I last allegit. Besydis that nather first nor last in the lyne, it keipis na Flovving. The reulis & cau­telis quhairof are thir, as followis.

CHAP. II.

FIRST, ȝe man vnderstād that all syllabis are deuy­dit in thrie kindes: That is, some schort, some lang, and some indifferent. Be indifferent I meane, thay quhilk are ather lang or short, according as ȝe place thame.

The forme of placeing syllabes in verse, is this. That ȝour first syllabe in the lyne be short, the second lang, the thrid short, the fourt lang, the fyft short, the sixt lang, and sa furth to the end of the lyne. Alwayis tak heid, that the nomber of ȝour fete in euery lyne be euin, & nocht odde: as four, six, aucht, or ten: & not thrie, fyue, seuin, or nyne, except it be in broken verse, quhilkis are out of reul and daylie inuentit be dyuers Poetis. Bot gif ȝe wald ask me the reulis, quhairby to knaw euerie ane of thir thre foir­saidis kyndis of syllabes, I answer, Ȝour eare man be the onely iudge and discerner thairof. And to proue this, I remit to the iudgement of the same, quhilk of thir twa lynis following flowis best,

I doubt not bot ȝour eare makkis ȝou easilie to per­saue, that the first lyne flowis weil, & the vther nathing at all. The reasoun is, because the first lyne keips the reule abone written, To wit, the first fute short, the secound lang, and sa furth, as I shewe before: quhair as the vther is direct contrair to the same. Bot specially tak heid, quhen [Page] ȝour lyne is of fourtene, that ȝour Sectioun in aucht be a lang monosyllabe, or [...]llis the hinmest syllabe of a word alwais being lang, as I said before. The cause quhy it mā be ane of thir twa, is, for the Musique, because that quhen ȝour lyne is ather of xiiij or xij fete, it wilbe drawin sa lang in the singing, as ȝe man rest in the middes of it, quhilk is the Sectioun: sa as, gif ȝour Sectioun be nocht ather a monosyllabe, or ellis the hinmest syllabe of a word as I said before, bot the first syllabe of a polysylla­be, the Musique sall make ȝow sa to rest in the middes of that word, as it sall cut the ane half of the word fra the vther, and sa sall mak it seme twa different wordis, that is bot ane. This aucht onely to be obseruit in thir foir­said lang lynis: for the shortnes of all shorter lynis, then thir before mentionat, is the cause, that the Musique ma­kis na rest in the middes of thame, and thairfore thir ob­seruationis seruis nocht for thame. Onely tak heid, that the Sectioun in thame kythe something langer nor any vther feit in that lyne, except the secound and the last, as I haue said before.

Ȝe man tak heid lykewayis, that ȝour langest lynis exceid nocht fourtene fete, and that ȝour shortest be nocht within foure.

Remember also to mak a Sectioun in the middes of euery lyne, quhether the lyne be lang or short. Be Se­ctioun I mean, that gif ȝour lyne be of fourtene fete, ȝour aucht fute, man not only be langer then the seuint, or v­ther short fete, bot also langer nor any vther lang fete in [Page] the same lyne, except the secound and the hinmest. Or gif your lyne be of twelf fete, ȝour Sectioun to be in the sext Or gif of ten, ȝour Sectioun to be in the sext also. The cause quhy it is not in syue, is, because fyue is odde, and euerie odde fute is s [...]ort. Or gif your lyne be of aucht fete, ȝour Sectioun to be in the fourt. Gif of sex, in the fourt also. Gif of four, ȝour Sectioun to be in twa.

Ȝe aucht likewise be war with oft composing ȝour haill lynis of monosyllabis onely, (albeit our language haue sa many, as we can nocht weill eschewe it) because the maist pairt of thame are indifferent, and may be in short or lang place, as ȝe like. Some wordis of dyuers syllabis are likewayis indifferent, as

In the first, thairfore, (thair) is short, and (fore) is lang: In the vther, (thair) is lang, & (fore) is short, and ȝit baith flowis alike weill. Bot thir indifferent wordis, composit of dyuers syllabes, are rare, suppose in monosyllabes, cō ­moun. The cause then, quhy ane haill lyne aucht nocht to be composit of monosyllabes only, is, that they being for the maist pairt indifferent, nather the secound, hin­mest, nor Sectioun, will be langer nor the other lang fete in the same lyne. Thairfore ȝe man place a word cō ­posit of dyuers syllabes, and not indifferent, ather in the secound, hinmest, or Sectioun, or in all thrie.

[Page] Ȝe man also tak heid, that quhen thare fallis any short syllabis efter the last lang syllabe in the lyne, that ȝe re­peit thame in the lyne quhilk rymis to the vther, evin as ȝe set them downe in the first lyne: as for exempill, ȝe man not say

Repeting the same, nocht, in baith the lynis: because this syllabe, nocht, nather seruing for cullour not fute, is bot a tayle to the lang fute preceding, and thairfore is re­petit lykewayis in the nixt lyne, quhilk rymes vnto it, e­uin as it set doun in the first.

There is also a kynde of indifferent wordis, asweill as of syllabis, albeit few in nomber. The nature quhair­of is, that gif ȝe place thame in the begynning of a lyne, they are shorter be a fute, nor they are, gif ȝe place thame hinmest in the lyne, as

Ȝe se there are bot aucht fete in ather of baith thir lynis aboue written. The cause quhair of is, that pa­tience, in the first lyne, in respect it is in the beginning thairof, is bot of twa fete, and in the last lyne, of thrie, in [Page] respect it is the hinmest word of that lyne. To knaw & discerne thir kynde of wordis frō vtheris, ȝour eare man be the onely iudge, as of all the vther parts of Flovving, the verie twichestane quhairof is Musique.

I haue teachit ȝow now shortly the reulis of Ryming, Fete, and Flovving. There restis yet to teache ȝow the wordis, sentences, and phrasis necessair for a Poete to vse in his verse, quhilk I haue set doun in reulis, as efter fol­lowis.

CHAP. III.

FIRST, that in quhatsumeuer ȝe put in verse, ȝe put in na wordis, ather metri causa, or ȝit, for filling furth the nomber of the fete, bot that they be all sa necessare, as ȝe sould be constrainit to vse thame, in cace ȝe were speik­ing the same purpose in prose. And thairfore that ȝour wordis appeare to haue cum out willingly, and by na­ture, and not to haue bene thrawin out constrainedly, be compulsioun.

That ȝe eschew to insert in ȝour verse, a lang rable of mennis names, or names of tounis, or sik vther names. Because it is hard to mak many lang names all placit to­gether, to flow weill. Thairfore quhen that fallis out in ȝour purpose, ȝe sall ather put bot twa or three of thame in euerie lyne, mixing vther wordis amang thame, or ellis specifie bot twa or thre of thame at all, saying (VVith the laif of that race) or (VVith the rest in thay pairtis,) or sic vther lyke wordis: as for exemple,

Ȝe sie thair is bot ane name there specifeit, to serue for vther thrie of that sorte.

Ȝe man also take heid to frame ȝour wordis and sen­tencis according to the mater: As in Flyting and Inue­ctiues, ȝour wordis to be cuttit short, and hurland ouer heuch. For thais quhilkis are cuttit short, I meane be sic wordis as thir,

were of loue, or tragedies. Because in thame ȝour words man be drawin lang, quhilkis in Flyting man be short.

Ȝe man lykewayis tak heid, that ȝe waill ȝour wor­dis according to the purpose: As, in ane heich and learnit purpose, to vse heich, pithie, and learnit wordis.

Gif ȝour purpose be of loue, To vse commoun language, with some passionate wordis.

Gif ȝour purpose be of tragicall materis, To vse la­mentable wordis, with some heich, as rauishit in admi­ratioun.

Gif ȝour purpose be of landwart effairis, To vse cor­ruptit and vplandis wordis.

And finally, quhatsumeuer be ȝour subiect, to vse vo­cabula artis, quhairby ȝe may the mair viuelie represent that persoun, quhais pairt ȝe paint out.

This is likewayis neidfull to be vsit in sentences, als [Page] weill as in wordis. As gif ȝour subiect be heich and lear nit, to vse learnit and infallible reasonis, prouin be ne­cessities.

Gif ȝour subiect be of loue, To vse wilfull reasonis, proceding rather from passioun, nor reasoun.

Gif ȝour subiect be of landwart effaris, To vse sklen­der reasonis, mixt with grosse ignorance, nather keiping forme nor ordour. And sa furth, euer framing ȝour rea­sonis, according to the qualitie of ȝour subiect.

Let all ȝour verse be Literall, sa far as may be, quhat­sumeuer kynde they be of, bot speciallie Tumbling verse for flyting. Be Literall I meane, that the maist pairt of ȝour lyne, sall rynne vpon a letter, as this tumbling lyne rynnis vpon F.

Ȝe man obserue that thir Tumbling verse flowis not on that fassoun, as vtheris dois. For all vtheris keipis the reule quhilk I gaue before, To wit, the first fute short the secound lang, and sa furth. Quhair as thir hes twa short, and ane lang throuch all the lyne, quhen they keip or­dour: albeit the maist pairt of thame be out of ordour, & keipis na kynde nor reule of Flovving, & for that cause are callit Tumbling verse: except the short lynis of aucht in the hinder end of the verse, the quhilk flowis as vther verses dois, as ȝe will find in the hinder end of this buke, quhair I giue exemple of sindrie kyndis of versis.

CHAP. IIII.

MARK also thrie speciall ornamentis to verse, quhilkis are, Comparisons, Epithetis, and Pro­uerbis.

As for Comparisons, take heid that they be sa proper for the subiect, that nather they be ouer bas, gif ȝour sub­iect be heich, for then sould ȝour subiect disgrace ȝour Comparisoun, nather ȝour Comparisoun be heich quhen ȝour subiect is basse, for then sall ȝour Comparisoun dis­grace ȝour subiect. Bot let sic a mutuall correspondence and similitude be betwix thē, as it may appeare to be a meit Comparisoun for sic a subiect, and sa sall they ilkane decore vther.

As for Epithetis, It is to descryue brieflie, en passant, the naturall of euerie thing ȝe speik of, be adding the proper adiectiue vnto it, quhairof there are twa fassons. The ane is, to descryue it, be making a corruptit worde, composit of twa dyuers simple wordis, as ‘Apollogyde-Sunne’ The vther fasson, is, be Circumlocution, as ‘Apollo reular of the Sunne.’

I esteme this last fassoun best, Because it expressis the authouris meaning als weill as the vther, and ȝit makis na corruptit wordis, as the vther dois.

[Page] As for the Prouerbis, they man be proper for the sub­iect, to beautifie it, chosen in the same forme as the Com­parisoun.

CHAP. V.

IT is also meit, for the better decoratioun of the verse to vse sumtyme the figure of Repetitioun, as

Ȝe sie this word quhylis is repetit heir. This forme of repetitioun sometyme vsit, decoris the verse very me­kle▪ ȝea quhen it cūmis to purpose, it will be cumly to repete sic a word aucht or nyne tymes in a verse.

CHAP. VI.

ȜE man also be warre with composing ony thing in the same maner, as hes bene ower oft vsit of be­fore. As in speciall, gif ȝe speik of loue, be warre ȝe descryue ȝour Loues makdome, or her fairnes. And siclyke that ȝe descryue not the morning, and rysing of the Sunne, in the Preface of ȝour verse: for thir thingis are sa oft and dyuerslie writtin vpon be Poëtis already, that gif ȝe do the lyke, it will appeare, ȝe bot imitate, and that it cummis not of ȝour awin Inuen­tioun, quhilk is ane of the cheif properteis of ane Poete. [Page] Thairfore gif ȝour subiect be to prayse ȝour Loue, ȝe sall rather prayse hir vther qualiteis, nor her fairnes, or hir shaip: or ellis ȝe sall speik some lytill thing of it, and syne say, that ȝour wittis are sa smal, and ȝour vtterāce sa bar­ren, that ȝe can not discryue any part of hir worthelie: re­mitting alwayis to the Reider, to iudge of hir, in respect sho matches, or rather excellis Venus, or any woman, quhome to it sall please ȝow to compaire her. Bot gif ȝour subiect be sic, as ȝe man speik some thing of the morning, or Sunne rysing, tak heid, that quhat name ȝe giue to the Sunne, the Mone, or vther starris, the ane tyme, gif ȝe happin to wryte thairof another tyme, to change thair names. As gif ȝe call the Sunne Titan, at a tyme, to call him Phoebus or Apollo the vther tyme, and siclyke the Mone, and vther Planettis.

CHAP. VII.

BOT sen Inuention, is ane of the cheif vertewis in a Poete, it is best that ȝe inuent ȝour awin subiect, ȝour self, and not to compose of sene subiectis. E­specially, translating any thing out of vther language, quhilk doing, ȝe not onely essay not ȝour awin ingyne of Inuentioun, bot be the same meanes, ȝe are bound, as to astaik, to follow that buikis phrasis, quhilk ȝe tran­slate.

Ȝe man also be war of wryting any thing of materis of cōmoun weill, or vther sic graue sene subiectis (except [Page] Metaphorically, of manifest treuth opinly knawin, ȝit nochtwithstanding vsing it very seindil) because nocht onely ȝe essay nocht ȝour awin Inuentioun, as I spak be­fore, bot lykewayis they are to graue materis, for a Poet to mell in. Bot because ȝe can not haue the Inuentioun except it come of Nature, I remit it thairvnto, as the cheif cause, not onely of Inuentioun, bot also of all they­ther pairtis of Poesie. For airt is onely bot ane help and a remembraunce to Nature, as I shewe ȝow in the Preface.

CHAP. VIII.
tuiching the kyndis of versis, mentionat in the Preface.

FIrst, there is ryme quhilk seruis onely for lang histo­reis, and ȝit are nocht verse. As for exemple,

And sa furth.

[Page] ¶For the descriptioun of Heroique actis, Martiall and knichtly faittis of armes, vse this kynde of verse follow­ing, call it Heroicall, As

¶For any heich & graue subiectis, specially drawin out of learnit authoruis, vse this kynde of verse following, callit Ballat Royal, as

¶For tragicall materis, complaintis, or testamentis, vse [Page] this kynde of verse following, callit Troilus verse, as

¶For flyting, or Inuectiues, vse this kynde of verse fol­lowing, callit Rouncefallis or Tumbling verse.

¶For compendious praysing of any bukes, or the au­thouris thairof, or ony argumentis of vther historeis, quhair sindrie sentences, and change of purposis are re­quyrit, [Page] vse Sonet ver [...]e, of fourtene lynis, and ten fete in euery lyne. The exemple quhairof, I neid nocht to shaw ȝow, in respect I haue set doun twa in the beginning of this treatise.

¶In materis of loue, vse this kynde of verse, quhilk we call Commoun verse, as

¶Lyke verse of ten fete, as this foirsaid is of aucht, ȝe may vse lykewayis in loue materis: as also all kyndis of cuttit and brokin verse, quhairof new formes are daylie inuen­tit according to the Poetis pleasour, as

And sa furth.

¶This onely kynde of brokin verse abone writtin, man of necessitie, in thir last short fete, as so moylie and coylie, haue bot twa fete and a tayle to ilkane of thame, as ȝe sie, to gar the cullour and ryme be in the penult syllabe.

¶Any of thir foirsaidis kyndes of ballatis of haill verse, and not cuttit or brokin as this last is, gif ȝe lyke to put ane owerword till ony of thame, as making the last lyne of the first verse, to be the last lyne of euerie vther verse in that ballat, will set weill for loue materis.

Bot besydis thir kyndes of brokin or cuttit verse, quhilks ar inuentit daylie be Poetis, as I shewe before, there are sindrie kyndes of haill verse, with all thair lynis alyke lang, quhilk I haue heir omittit, and tane bot onelie thir few kyndes abone specifeit as the best, quhilk may be ap­plyit to ony kynde of subiect, bot rather to thir, quhairof I haue spokin before.