A Table of the Chapters in this booke, and euery thing in them conteyned.

What a Poet and Poesie is, and who may be said the most excellent Poet in our time. fol. 1

Whether there may be an arte of our English or vulgar Poesie. 3

How Poets were the first Priests, the first Prophets, the first Legis-lators and Polititiens in the world. 3

How Poets were the first Philosophers, the first Astronomeers, and Historiographers, and Orators, and Musicians in the world. 5

How euery wilde and sauadge people vse a kind of natural Poesie in versiete and rime, as our vulgar is. 7

Whence the riming Poesie came first to the Greekes and Latines, and how it had altered, and almost spilt their maner of Poesie. 7

How in the time of Charlemaynes raigne and many yeares after him, the Latine Poets wrote in rime. 8

In what reputation Poets and Poesie were in the old time with Princes, and otherwise generally, & how they be now become contemptible, and for what causes. 11

How Poesie shoulde not be employed vpon vaine conceits, nor specially those that bee vicious or infamous. 18

The subiect or matter of Poesie, what it is. 18

Of Poems and their sundrie sortes, and how thereby the auncient Poets receaued Surnames. 19

In what forms of Poesie the gods of the gentils were praysed and honored. 21

In what forme of Poesie vice, & the common abases of mans life were reprehended. 24

How the Poesie for reprehension of vice, was reformed by two manner of Poems, more euill than the first. 25

In what forme of Poesie the euill and outrageous behauiours of Princes were reprehended. 25

In what forme of Poesie the great Princes and dominators of the world were praised and honoured. 27

Of the places where in auncient time their enterludes and other Poemes drammaticke were represented vnto the people. 28

Of the shepheards or pastorall poesie called Egologue, and to what purpose it was first inuented and deuised. 30

Of historicall Poesie, by which the famous acts of princes and the vertuous and worthy liues of our forefathers were reported. 31

In what forms of poesie vertue in the inferior sort was commended. 34

The forme wherein honest & profitable arts and sciences were treated. 35

In what forme of poesie the amarous affections and entertainments were vttered. 36

The forme of poeticall reiocings. 36

The forme of poeticall lamentations. 37

The solemne reioysings at the birth and natiuitie of princes children. 40

The manner of reioysing at weddings and marriages, specially of great Ladies and Gentlewomen and Dames of honour. 40

The manner of poesie by which they vttered their bitter tauntes or priuy nippes, and witty scoffes and other merry conceits. 43

What manner of poeme they vsed for memorial of the dead. 45

An auncient forme of poesie by which men did vse to reproch their enimies. 46

Of the short poeme called with vs posie. 47

Who in any age have beene the most commended writers in our English poesie, and the Authors censure giuen vpon them. 48



The Table of the second booke.

Of proportion poeticall. fol. 53

Of proportion in Staff. 54

Of proportion in Measure. 55

How many sortes of measures we use in our vulgar. 58

Of the distinctions of mans voice and pauses allowed to our speech, & of the first pause called Ceszure. 61

Of proportion in concord called Rime. 63

Of accent, stirre and time, evidently perceyued in the distinction of mans voice, and in that which maketh the flowing of a Meetre. 64

Of your Cadences in which the meeter is made Symphonicall, & when they be most sweet and solemne. 65

How the good maker will not wrench his word to helpe his rime, either by falsifying his accent or his Ortographie. 67

Of concord in long and short measures, & by neare or farre distances, and which of them is most commendable. 68

Of proportion by situation. 69

Of proportion in figure. 75

How if all manner of suddaine innouations were not very scandalous, specially in the lawes of any language, the use of the Greeke and Latine feet might be brought into our vulgar poesie & with good grace inough. 85

A more particular declaration of the Metricall feete of the Greekes and Latines, and of your feete of two times. 91

Of the feet of three times, and what vse we may haue of them in our vulgar. 103

Of all the other of three times besides the Dactill. 106

Of your halfe foote in a verse & those verses which they called perfect and defective. 107

Of the breaking of your wordes of many sillables, & when & how it is to be vsed. 108



The Table of the third booke.

Of ornament poeticall and that it resteth in figures. 114

How our writing & speeches publique ought to be figuratiue, and if they be not doo greatly disgrace the cause and purpose of the speaker and writer. 115

How ornament poeticall is of two sortes according to the double nature and efficacy of figures. 119

Of language and what speech our maker ought to vse. 119

Of stile, and that it is of three kindes, loftie, meane, and low according to the nature of the subiect. 123

Of the loftie, meane, and low subiect. 127

Of figures and figuratiue speeches. 128

Sixe points set downe by our learned forefathers for a generall rule or regiment of all good vtterance, be it by mouth or by writing. 129

How the Greekes first and afterwardes the Latines inuented new names for euery figure, which this Author is also enforced to do in his vulgar arte. 130

A diuision of figures and how they serue in exornation of language. 131

Of Auricular figures apperteyning to single words and working by their diuers sounds and audible tunes, alteration to the eare onely and not to the minde. 134

Of Auricular figures perteyning to clawses of speech, and by them working no little alteration to the eare. 135

Of Auricular figures working by disorder. 140

Of Auricular figures working by surplusage. 141

Of Auricular figures working by exchange. 142

Of Auricular figures that serue to make the meetre tuneable and melodious, but not by defect nor surplusage, disorder nor exchange. 145



The names of your figures Auricular.

Eclipsis, or the figure of default. 136 Zeugma, or the single supply. 136 Prozeugma, or the ringleader. 137 Mezozeugma, or the middlemarcher. 137 Hypozeugma, or the rerewarder. 137 Sillepsis, or the double supply. 137 Hypozeuxis, or the substitute. 138 Aposiopesis, or the figure of silence, otherwise called the figure of interruption. 139 Prolepsis, or the propounder. 139 Hiperbaton, or the trespasser. 140 Parenthesis, or the insertour. 140 Histeron proteron, or the preposterous. 141 Enallage, or figure of exchange. 142 Hipallage, or the changeling. 143 Omoioteleton, or the figure of likeloose. 144 Patimion, or figure of like letter. 145 Asindeton, or figure of lose language. 145 Polisindeton, or the coople clause. 146 Irmus, or the long lose. 146 Epitheton, or the qualifier. 147 Endiades, or the figure of twinnes. 147

Of the figures which we call Sensable, because they alter and affect the minde by alteration of sense and first in single words. 148 Metaphora, or the figure of transport. 149 Catacresis, or the figure of abuse. 150 Metonymia, or the misnamer. 150 Antonomasia, or the surnamer. 151 Onomatopeia, or the newnamer. 151 Epitheton, or figure of attribution, otherwise called the qualifier. 152 Metalepsis, or the far-set. 152 Liptote, or the moderator. 153 Paradiastole, or the currifauel, otherwise called the soother. 154 Meiosis, or the disabler. 154 Tapinosis, or the abbaser. 154 Synecdoche, or the figure of quick conceit. 154 Of sensable figures appertaining to whole speeches, and by them affecting and altering the minde by force of sence and intendment. 155 Allegoria, or figure of faire semblance. 155 Enigma, or the riddle. 157 Parimia, or the prouerbe. 157 Ironia, or the drie mock. 157 Sarcasmus, or the bitter taunt. 158 Asteismus, the merry scoffe, or ciuill iest. 158 Micterismus, or the fleering frumpe. 158 Antiphrasis, or the broad floute. 159 Charientismus, or the priuie nippe. 159 Hyperbole, or the loud lier, otherwise called the ouerreacher. 159 Periphrasis, or the figure of ambage. 161 Synecdoche, or the figure of quick conceit. 162 Of figures sententious, otherwise called rhetoricall. 163 Anaphora, or the figure of report. 165 Antistrophe, or the counterturne. 165 Simploche, or figure of reiteration. 166 Anadiplosis, or the redouble. 167 Epanalepsis, or the slow returne, otherwise called the Eccho sound. 167 Epizeuxis, or the vnderlay, otherwise called the Cuckow spell. 167 Ploche, or the doubler, otherwise called the swift repeate. 168 Paranomasia, or the nicknamer. 168 Traductio, or the tranlater. 170 Antipophora, or the figure of responce. 170 Sineciosis, or the crossecoople. 172 Atanaclasis, or the rebound. 173 Clymax, or the marching figure. 173 Antimetauole, or the counterchainge. 174 Insultatio, or the disdainfull. 175 Antitheton, or the quareller, otherwise called the ouerthwart or rencounter. 175 Erotema, or the questioner. 176 Echphonisis, or the outcrie. 177 Brachiologia, or the cutted comma. 178 Parison, or the figure of euen. 178 Sinonimya, or the figure of store. 179 Metanoia, or the penitent, otherwise called the figure of repentance. 179 Antenagoge, or the recompencer. 180 Epiphonema, or the close. 181 Auxesis, or the auancer. 182 Meiosis, or the disabler. 183 Dialisis, or the dismembrer. 185 Merismus, or the distributor. 185 Epimone, or the loueburden. 188 Paradoxon, or the wonderer. 189 Aporia, or the doubtfull. 189 Epitropi, or the figure of reference, otherwise called the figure of submission. 189 Parrisia, or the licentious. 190 Anachmosis, or the importuner. 190 Paramologia, or figure of admittance. 190 Etiologia, or the tell-cause, otherwise called the reason rendrer. 191 Dicheologia, or the figure of excuse. 192 Noema, or the figure of close conceit. 193 Orismus, or the definer by difference. 193 Procatalepsis, or the presumptuous. 194 Paralepsis, or the passenger. 194 Commoratio, or figure of aboade. 194 Metastasis, or figure of remoue, otherwise called the flitter. 194 Parecuasis, or the straggler, otherwise called the figure of digression. 195 Expeditio, or the dispatcher. 195 Diologismus, or the right reasoner. 196 Gnome, or the director, otherwise called the sagesayer. 197 Sinathrismus, or the heaping figure. 197 Apostrophe, or the turne tale. 198 Hipotiposis, or the counterfait, otherwise called the figure of representation. 199 Prosopographia, or the counterfet countenance. 199 Prosopopeia, or the false impersonation. 200 Chronographia, or the counterfait of time. 200 Topographia, or counterteit of place. 200 Pragmatographia, or counterfait of action. 203 Omoiosis, or the figure of resemblance. 203 Icon, or resemblance by portrait, and ymagerie. 204 Parabola, or resemblance misticall. 205 Paradigma, or resemblance by example. 205 Exargasia, or the gorgious, otherwise called the bewtifull. 206 Of the vices and deformitie in speech principally noted by ancient Poets. 208 How some vices in speeches are alwaies intollerable, some others now and then borne withal by licence of approued authors. 209 Barbarismus, or barbarous speech. 209 Solecismus, or false speech. 210 Cacozelia, or fonde affectation. 210 Soraismus, or the vice called the mingle-mangle. 211 Cacosintheton, or the misplacer. 212 Cacemphaton, or foule speech. 212 Tautologia, or selfe saying. 213 Acyron, or the vncouth. 214 Pleonasmus, or fault of full speech. 215 Macrologia, or long language. 215 Periergia, or ouerlabor, otherwise called the curious. 216 Tapinosis, or the abbaser. 216 Bomphiologia, or pompous speech. 217 Amphibologia, or the ambiguous. 217 What it is that generally makes our speech vertuous or vicious, & of that which the Latines call decorum. 218 Of decencie in behauiour and action, which also belongs to the consideration of a Poet or maker. 231 How the good poet or maker ought to dissemble his arte, and in what cases the artificiall is more commended then the naturall and contrariwise. 250 The conclusion. 257

FINIS.