Another of their pretie inuentions was to make a verse of such wordes as by their nature and manner of construction and situation might be turned backward word by word, and make another perfit verse, but of quite contrary sence as the gibing Monke that wrote of Pope _Alexander_ these two verses. _Laus tua non tua fraus, virtus non copia rerum, Scandere te faciunt hoc decus eximium._ Which if ye will turne backward they make two other good verses, but of a contrary sence, thus. _Eximium decus hoc faciunt te scandere rerum Copia, non virtus, fraus tua non tua laus._ And they called it _Verse Lyon_. Thus you may see the humors and appetites of men how diuers and chaungeable they be in liking new fashions, though many tymes worse then the old, and not onely in the manner of their life and vse of their garments, but also in their learninges and arts, and specially of their languages. _CHAP. VIII._ _In what reputation Poesie and Poets were in old time with Princes and otherwise generally, and how they be now become contemptible and for what causes._ For the respectes aforesayd in all former ages and in the most ciuill countreys and commons wealthes, good Poets and Poesie were highly esteemed and much fauoured of the greatest Princes. For proofe whereof we read how much _Amyntas_ king of _Macedonia_ made of the Tragicall Poet _Euripides_. And the _Athenians_ of _Sophocles_. In what price the noble poemes of _Homer_ were holden with _Alexander_ the great, in so much as euery night they were layd vnder his pillow, and by day were carried in the rich iewell cofer of _Darius_ lately before vanquished by him in battaile. And not onely _Homer_ the father and Prince of the Poets was so honored by him, but for his sake all other meaner Poets, in so much as _Cherillus_ one no very great good Poet had for euery verse well made a _Phillips_ noble of gold, amounting in value to an angell English, and so for euery hundreth verses (which a cleanely pen could speedely dispatch) he had a hundred angels. And since _Alexander_ the great how _Theocritus_ the Greeke Poet was fauored by _Tholomee_ king of Egipt & Queene _Berenice_ his wife, _Ennius_ likewise by _Scipio_ Prince of the _Romaines_, _Virgill_ also by th'Emperour _Augustus_. And in later times how much were _Iehan de Mehune_ & _Guillaume de Loris_ made of by the French kinges, and _Geffrey Chaucer_ father of our English Poets by _Richard_ the second, who as it was supposed gaue him the maner of new Holme in Oxfordshire. And _Gower_ to _Henry_ the fourth, and _Harding_ to _Edward_ the fourth. Also how _Frauncis_ the Frenche king made _Sangelais, Salmonius, Macrinus_, and _Clement Marot_ of his priuy Chamber for their excellent skill in vulgare and Latine Poesie. And king _Henry_ the 8. her _Maiesties_ father for a few Psalmes of _Dauid_ turned into English meetre by Sternhold, made him groome of his priuy chamber, & gaue him many other good gifts. And one