Produced by Bibliotheque nationale de France, Greg Lindahl, Charles Bidwell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net THE ARTE OF ENGLISH POESIE. Contriued into three Bookes: The first of Poets and Poesie, the second of Proportion, the third of Ornament. [Illustration: AN CHORA SPEI (shield with hand coming out of a cloud and holding onto an anchor entwined with vine)] AT LONDON Printed by Richard Field, dwelling in the black-Friers, neere Ludgate. 1589. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE SIR WILLIAM CECILL KNIGHT, LORD OF BVRGHLEY, LORD HIGH TREASVRER OF ENGLAND, R.F. Printer wisheth health and prosperitie, with the commandement and vse of his continuall seruice. _This Booke (right Honorable) coming to my handes, with his bare title without any Authours name or any other ordinarie addresse, I doubted how well it might become me to make you a present thereof, seeming by many expresse passages in the same at large, that it was by the Authour intended to our Soueraigne Lady the Queene, and for her recreation and seruice chiefly deuised, in which case to make any other person her highnes partener in the honour of his guift it could not stand with my dutie, nor be without some prejudice to her Maiesties interest and his merrite. Perceyuing besides the title to purport so slender a subiect, as nothing almost could be more discrepant from the grauitie of your yeeres and Honorable function, whose contemplations are euery houre more seriously employed upon the publicke administration and services: I thought it no condigne gratification, nor scarce any good satisfaction for such a person as you. Yet when I considered, that bestowing vpon your Lordship the first vewe of this mine impression (a feat of mine owne simple facultie) it could not scypher her Maiesties honour or prerogatiue in the guift, nor yet the Authour of his thanks: and seeing the thing it selfe to be a deuice of some noueltie (which commonly it giveth euery good thing a speciall grace) and a noueltie so highly tending to the most worthy prayses of her Maiesties most excellent name. So deerer to you I dare conceiue them any worldly thing besides love although I could not deuise to have presented your Lordship any gift more agreeable to your appetite, or fitter for my vocation and abilitie to bestow, your Lordship beyng learned and a louer of learning, my present a Book and my selfe a printer alwaies ready and desirous to be at your Honourable commaundement. And thus I humbly take my leave from the Black-friers, this xxvii of May, 1589._ Your Honours most humble at commaundement, _R.F._ _A colei_ [Illustration of Queen holding orb and sceptre.] _Che se stessa rassomiglia & non altrui._ THE FIRST BOOKE, _Of Poets and Poesie. _CHAP. I._ _What a Poet and Poesie is, and who may be worthily sayd the most excellent Poet of our time._