[THE INDUCTION.
“The greate desire,” quothInquisition, “whiche we haue had to heare this man hath made vs to ouerpasse kingArthurandCariticus; the one no lesse famous for his noble actes then the other for his vices and wretchednes infamous.” “Yea,” saidMemory, “so haue we forgot two or three other, whose examples would haue been goodly lanternes to lighten wandryng pylgrimes. But it is not much amisse, for ofArthurthere be whole volumes, and of the rest ther be the like ensamples both inBochasandBaldwin. Let vs therefore passe them ouer, and speake somwhat of some of theSaxons: for seeing they were made of fleshe and blood, no doubte some of them stumbled also. But fyrst tell me,Inquisition, wyll you penne this man’s meterlesse tragedy, as he hath pronounst it?” “GoodMemory, geue me your aduise, for it agreeth very wel with theRomanverse, calledIambus, which consisteth on sixe feete, euery foote on two syllables, one short and an other long; so proper for theEnglishetoung that it is greate maruaile that these ripe witted gentlemen ofEnglandhaue not left of their gotish kinde of ryming, (for the rudeGothesbrought that kind of writing fyrst, and imitated the learnedLatinesandGreekes.) O what braue beames and goodly tymber might be found amongstChurchyarde’s Chippes, if he had not affected the ryming order of his predecessors, which meeter made not onely hym inferiour vntoHorace, but it also made a great inequalitie to be betwixtBuchurstandHomer, betwixtPhaerandVirgill, betwixteTurberuileandTibullus, betwixtGoldingandOuid, betwixtGeorge GasconandSeneca; for al these comming neare vntoMarot, whom they did imitate, did put a great distance betwixt them and theLatines, wyth whom they might haue binne equall, euen wyth as litle labour, and with much more prayse and renowne.” “Truely,”quothMemory, “let be as it is, you shall see good sport shortly. I smyle to see howZoilusandMomuswill crie out: 'O vayne glorious heade, whiche now for a singularitie dooth indeuour to erect a newe kinde of poetrie inEngland.’ What needest thou care,Inquisition, these laboures wil get thee no liuing, and these be but the trifles of thy idle houres, yet such as be in many respectes of great value. I promise you I woulde the rest of your princes would proceede in the lyke order. But how shal we goe forward wyth the seuenSaxonkings? Which waye shall we turne vs? Where, or wyth whom shal we begynne?” “Wyth the westSaxons,” quothInquisition, “for they subdued the other six, and returned the realme into one monarchie. And surelyEwe, their first king, were worthy the speaking of, who for hys wifeEheldreda’spleasure, gaue ouer al his royalties, and then went toRome, like a begger, in pilgrimage. But we wyl not spende our time in hearing these deuout men. Let vs (if you please) see what this meaneth: behold a heardman doth holde in his hand a headlesse body, who by his apparel would seeme to be some forlorne thing: shall I inquire of the man what the matter meaneth?” “No,” quothMemory, “you neede not, for I see he wyl doo it without request.” Wherewyth the heardman lamenting both his harde happe and his good successe, sayde as followeth.]