THE SHEPHEARDES CALENDER: CONTEYNING TWELVE ÆGLOGUES, PROPORTIONABLE TO THE TWELVE MONETHES. ENTITLED To the noble and vertuous Gentleman, moft worthy of all titles both of learning and chevalrie, M. PHILIP SIDNEY. AT LONDON. Printed by HUGH SINGLETON, dwelling in are there to be folde. 1579. TO HIS BOOKE. OE, little booke: thy felfe prefent, GOE, As child whofe parent is unkent, IMMERITÔ. 1 Of Nobleffe and of chevalree.] So the first edition: later impreffions, including that of Todd, read, "Of nobleneffe and chivalrie." Shakespeare and other poets of his time use "noblesse" for noblenesse, or nobility. C. 2 Crave pardon for my hardybedde.] In later impreffions, the is needleffly fubftituted for "my." Spenfer defires his book to entreat forgiveness for his, Spenfer's, boldness, not for its boldness. C. His verie special and fingular good frend E. K. commendeth the good lyking of this his labour,' and the patronage of the new Poete. NCOUTHE, unkifte, fayde the old famous Poete Chaucer: whom for his excellencie and wonderfull fkil in making, his fcholler Lidgate, a worthy Scholler of fo excellent a maifter, calleth the Loadftarre of our Language; and whom our Colin clout, in his Eglogue, calleth Tityrus the God of Shepheards, comparing hym to the worthines of the Poman Tityrus, Virgile. Which proverbe, myne owne good friend Ma. Harvey, as in that good old Poete it ferved well Pandares purpofe for the bolstering of his baudie brocage, Jo very well taketh place in this our new Poete, who for that he is uncouthe (as faid Chaucer) is unkift, and unknown to 1 E. K. commendeth the good lyking of this his labour.] In later impreffions, the epithet "good" is repeated before "labour." C. 2 Uncoutbe, unkifte, &c.] See Chaucer's Troilus and Crefeide, L. i. 810. TODD. The fame expreffion is ufed by W. Warner, in his "Albion's England," edit. 1602, p. 154: "Her knew I not, nor knew fhe me, unknowne therefore unkist I loyter on the earth." C. most men, is regarded but of few. But I dout not, so soone as his name fhall come into the knowledg of men, and his woorthines bee founded in the tromp of Fame, but that hee fhall bee not onely kiste, but also beloved of all, imbraced of the most, and wondred at of the best. No leffe, I thinke, deferveth his wittinesse in devising, his pithinesse in uttering, his complaints of love fo lovely, his difcourfes of pleasure so pleasantly, his pastoral rudenes, his morall wisenesse, his dewe obferving of Decorum everye where, in perfonages, in feafons, in matter, in fpeach; and generally, in al feemely fimplycitie of handeling his matters, and framing his words: the which, of many thinges which in him be ftraunge, I know will feeme the ftraungeft, the wordes them felves being fo auncient, the knitting of them so short and intricate, and the whole Periode and compaste of Speech fo delightfome for the roundneffe, and fo grave for the ftraungenesse. And firfte of the wordes to speake, I graunt they bee fomething hard, and of most men unused, yet both English, and also used of most excellent Authours, and most famous Poetes. In whom, when as this our Poet hath bene much traveiled and throughly redd, how could it be, (as that worthy Oratour fayde) but that walking in the fonne, although for other caufe he walked, yet needes he mought be funburnt; and, having the found of thofe auncient Poetes ftill ringing in his eares, he mought needes, in finging, hit out fome of theyr tunes. But whether he ufeth them by fuch cafualtye and cuftome, or of fet purpose and choyfe, as thinking them fittest for such ruftical rudenesse of Shepheards, eyther for that theyr rough founde would make his rymes more ragged and ruftical; or els because such olde and obfolete wordes are most used of country folke, fure I think, and think I think not amiffe, that they bring great grace, and, as one would fay, auctoritie to the verfe. For 3 the wordes them felves.] The edit. 1591 first altered "the" to and, and Todd followed it; "the was afterwards restored, and it so stands in the fol. 1611. C. albe, amongst many other faultes, it specially be objected of Valla against Livie, and of other against Salufte, that with overmuch studie they affect antiquitie, as coveting thereby credence and honor of elder yeeres; yet I am of opinon, and eke the best learned are of the lyke, that thofe auncient folemne wordes are a great ornament, both in the one, and in the other: the one labouring to fet forth in hys worke an eternall image of antiquitie, and the other carefully difcourfing matters of gravity and importaunce. For, if my memory faile not, Tullie, in that booke wherein he endevoureth to fet forth the paterne of a perfect Oratour, fayth that ofttimes an ancient worde maketh the style feeme grave, and as it were reverend, no otherwife then we honour and reverence gray heares, for a certein religious regard which we have of old age. Yet nether every where must old words be stuffed in, nor the commen Dialecte and maner of Speaking fo corrupted therby, that, as in olde buildings, it feme disorderly and ruinous. But all as in most exquifite pictures they use to blaze and portrait not only the daintie lineaments of beautye, but also rounde about it to fhadowe the rude thickets and craggy clifts, that, by the bafeneffe of fuch parts, more excellency may accrew to the principall: for oftimes we fynde our felves, I knowe not how, fingularly delighted with the fbewe of fuch naturall rudenesse, and take great pleasure in that diforderly order. Even fo doe thofe rough and harsh termes enlumine, and make more clearly to appeare, the brightnesse of brave and glorious wordes. So ofentimes a difchorde in Mufick maketh a comely concordaunce: fo great delight tooke the worthy Poete Alceus to behold a blemish in the joynt of a wel shaped body. But, if any will rafhly 4 as coveting thereby credence.] Here the mifprinting of a fingle letter, in all editions after the firft, has entirely obfcured the writer's meaning: as covering thereby credence" is nonsense, but nonsense that has been eternally repeated. Drayton rightly altered covering to "coveting" in his copy of the fol. 1611. C. |