English poetry -- History and criticism; Poetry -- Early works to 1800
[Sidenote: _Hypotiposis_, or the counterfait representation.]
The matter and occasion leadeth vs many times to describe and set foorth
many things, in such sort as it should appeare they were truly before our
eyes though they were not present, which to do it requireth cunning: for
nothing can be kindly counterfait or represented in his absence, but by
great discretion in the doer. And if the things we couet to describe be
not naturall or not veritable, than yet the same axeth more cunning to do
it, because to faine a thing that neuer was nor is like to be, proceedeth
of a greater wit and sharper inuention than to describe things that be
true.
[Sidenote: _Prosopographia_.]
And these be things that a poet or maker is woont to describe sometimes as
true or naturall, and sometimes to faine as artificiall and not true.
_viz_. The visage, speach and countenance of any person absent or dead:
and this kinde of representation is called the Counterfait countenance: as
_Homer_ doth in his _Iliades_, diuerse personages: namely _Achilles_ and
_Thersites_, according to the truth and not by fiction. And as our poet
_Chaucer_ doth in his Canterbury tales set for the Sumner, Pardoner,
Manciple, and the rest of the pilgrims, most naturally and pleasantly.
[Sidenote: _Prosopopeia_, or the Counterfait in personation.]
But if ye wil faine any person with such features, qualities & conditions,
or if ye wil attribute any humane quality, as reason or speech to dombe
creatures or other insensible things, & do study (as one may say) to giue
them a humane person, it is not _Prosopographia_, but _Prosopopeia_,
because it is by way of fiction, & no prettier examples can be giuen to
you thereof, than in the Romant of the rose translated out of French by
_Chaucer_, describing the persons of auarice, enuie, old age, and many
others, whereby much moralities is taught.
[Sidenote: _Cronographia_, or the Counterfait time.]
So if we describe the time or season of the yeare, as winter, summer,
haruest, day, midnight, noone, euening, or such like: we call such
description the counterfait time. _Cronographia_ examples are euery where
to be found.
[Sidenote: _Topographia_, or the Counterfait place.]
And if this description be of any true place, citie, castell, hill, valley
or sea, & such like: we call it the counterfait place _Topographia_, or if
ye fayne places vntrue, as heauen, hell, paradise, the house of fame, the
pallace of the sunne, the denne of sheepe, and such like which ye shall
see in Poetes: so did _Chaucer_ very well describe the country of
_Saluces_ in _Italie_, which ye may see, in his report of the Lady
_Grysyll_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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