tius.

fectations fantiquity

Custome of life, which is the consent of the good.
Virgill was most loving of Antiquity; yet how rarely Virgil.
doth hee insert aquai, and pictai! Lucretius is scab- Lucre-
rous and rough in these; hee seekes 'hem: As some Chaucer-
doe Chaucerismes with us, which were better ex- isme.
pung'd and banish'd. Some words are to be cull'd out
for ornament and colour, as wee gather flowers to
straw houses, or make Garlands; but they are better
when they grow to our style; as in a Meadow, where
though the meere grasse and greennesse delights; yet
the variety of flowers doth heighten and beautifie.
Marry we must not play, or riot too much with
them, as in Paranomasies: Nor use too swelling, or Parano-
ill-sounding words; Quæ per salebras, altag, saxa
cadunt. It is true, there is no sound but shall find
some Lovers, as the bitter'st confections are gratefull
to some palats. Our composition must bee more
accurate in the beginning and end, then in the midst;

masia.

concim wen
commencing
audince
Paint

and in the end more, then in the beginning; forcing

through the midst the streame beares us. And this is
attain❜d by Custome more then care, or diligence.
Wee must expresse readily, and fully, not profusely.
There is difference betweene a liberall, and a prodi-
gall hand. As it is a great point of Art, when our
matter requires it, to enlarge, and veere out all sayle;
so to take it in, and contract it, is of no lesse praise
when the Argument doth aske it. Either of them
hath their fitnesse in the place. A good man alwayes
profits by his endeavour, by his helpe; yea, when he
is absent; nay when he is dead by his example and
memory. So good Authors in their style: A strict on best
style.

1

Tacitus.
The Laco-
nicke.

tonius.
Seneca &
Fabianus.

Periodi.

De stylo. and succinct style is that, where you can take away nothing without losse, and that losse to be manifest. The briefe style is that which expresseth much in little. The concise style, which expresseth not enough, but leaves somewhat to bee understood. The abrupt style, which hath many breaches, and doth not seeme to end, but fall. The congruent, and harmonious fitting of parts in a sentence, hath almost the fastning, and force of knitting, and connexion: As in stones well squar'd, which will rise strong a great way without mortar. Periods are beautifull; when they are not too long; for so they have their strength too, as in a Pike or Javelin. As wee must take the care that our words and sense bee cleare; so if the obscurity happen through the Hearers, or Readers want of understanding, I am not to answer for them; no more then for their not listning or marking; I must neither find them eares, nor mind. But a man cannot put a word so in sense, but some thing about it will illustrate it, if the Writer understand himselfe. For Order helpes much to Perspicuity, as Confusion hurts. (119) Rectitudo lucem adfert; obliquitas et circumductio offuscat. We should therefore speake what wee can, the neerest way, so as wee keepe our gate, not leape; for too short may as well be not let into the memory, as too long not kept in. Whatsoever looseth the grace, and cleareObscuritas nesse, converts into a Riddle; the obscurity is mark'd, affundit but not the valew. That perisheth, and is past by, like the Pearle in the Fable. Our style should be like a skeine of silke to be carried, and found by the right discurity

tenebras.

thred, not ravel'd, and perplex'd; then all is a knot, a
heape. There are words, that doe as much raise a
style, as others can depresse it. Superlation, and over- Super-
muchnesse amplifies. It may be above faith, but latio.
never above a meane. It was ridiculous in Cestius, Cestius.
when hee said of Alexander :

Fremit Oceanus, quasi indignetur, quòd terras

relinquas;

But propitiously from Virgil:-Credas innate reuul- Virgil.
sas Cycladas.

Hee doth not say it was so, but seem'd to be so.
Although it be somewhat incredible, that is excus'd
before it be spoken. But there are Hyperboles, which dir
will become one Language, that will by no meanes hyperte
admit another. As Eos esse P. R. exercitus, qui cœlum Cæsar
possint perrumpere: who would say this with us, but comment:
a mad man? Therefore wee must consider in every
circa fin.
tongue what is us'd, what receiv'd. Quintilian Quinti-
warnes us, that in no kind of Translation, or Meta- lian
phore, or Allegory, wee make a turne from what wee

began; As if wee fetch the originall of our Meta- follows rely
phore from sea, and billowes; wee end not in flames
and ashes; It is a most fowle inconsequence. Neither
must wee draw out our Allegory too long, lest either
wee make our selves obscure, or fall into affectation,
which is childish. But why doe men depart at all
from the right, and naturall wayes of speaking? why men brites
Sometimes for necessity, when wee are driven, or
thinke it fitter to speake that in obscure words, or by
circumstance, which utter'd plainely would offend
the hearers. Or to avoid obscenenesse, or sometimes

Speech Oratio

arises

out

char.

hi

low

imago
animi.

Structura, & statura.

for pleasure, and variety; as Travailers turne out of the high way, drawne, either by the commodity of a foot-path, or the delicacy, or freshnesse of the fields. Andall this is call'd toxnuarioμévn or figur'd Language.

Language most shewes a man: speake that I may see thee. It springs out of the most retired, and inmost parts of us, and is the Image of the Parent of it, the mind. No glasse renders a mans forme, or likenesse, so true as his speech. Nay, it is likened to a man; and as we consider feature, and composition in a man; so words in Language: in the greatnesse, aptnesse, sound, structure, and harmony of it. Some Sublimis. men are tall, and bigge, so some Language is high and Humilis great. Then the words are chosen, their sound pumila. ample, the composition full, the absolution plenteous, and powr'd out, all grave, sinnewye and strong. Some are little, and Dwarfes: so of speech it is Mediocris humble, and low, the words poore and flat; the members and Periods, thinne and weake without knitting, or number. The middle are of a just stature. There the Language is plaine, and pleasing: even without stopping, round without swelling; all well-torn'd, compos'd, elegant, and accurate. The vitious Language is vast, and gaping, swelling, and irregular; when it contends to be high, full of Rocke, Mountaine, and pointednesse: As it affects to be low, it is abject, and creeps, full of bogs, and holes. Appointees And according to their Subject, these stiles vary, and lose their names: For that which is high and lofty, (120) declaring excellent matter, becomes vast and tumorous: Speaking of petty and inferiour things: so

Plana &
placida.
Vitiosa
oratio,

Tumens.

I's style vasta.
Enormis.
affectata.
Abjecta.

that which was even, and apt in a meane and plaine subject, will appeare most poore and humble in a high Argument. Would you not laugh, to meet a great Counsellor of state in a flat cap, with his trunck hose, and a hobby-horse Cloake, his Gloves under his girdle, and yond Haberdasher in a velvet Gowne, furr'd with sables? There is a certaine latitude in these things, by which wee find the degrees. The next thing to the stature, is the figure and feature in Figura. Language: that is, whether it be round, and streight, which consists of short and succinct Periods, evenness numerous, and polish'd, or square and firme; which is to have equall and strong parts, every where answerable, and weighed. The third is the skinne, Cutis sive and coat, which rests in the well-joyning, cementing, Cortex. Compo- structure and coagmentation of words; when as it is smooth, sitió. gentle, and sweet; like a Table, upon which you may runne your finger without rubs, and your nayle cannot find a joynt; not horrid, rough, wrinckled, gaping, or chapt: After these the flesh, blood, and

sentence

bones come in question. Wee say it is a fleshy style, es fonament when there is much Periphrases, and circuit of words; Carnosa. and when with more then enough, it growes fat and Adipata. corpulent; Arvina orationis, full of suet and tallow. It hath blood, and juyce, when the words are proper and apt, their sound sweet, and the Phrase neat and pick'd. Oratio uncta, & benè pasta. But where there is Redundancy, both the blood and juyce are faulty, and vitious. Redundat sanguine, quâ multò plus dicit, Redunquàm necesse est. Juyce in Language is somewhat dans. Îesse then blood; for if the words be but becomming,

The mean