English poetry -- History and criticism; Poetry -- Early works to 1800
Because this word Maiestie is a word expressing a certaine Soueraigne
dignitie, as well as a quallitie of countenance, and therefore may
properly be said to _raigne_, & requires no meaner a word to set him
foorth by. So it is not of the bewtie that remaines in a womans haire, or
in her hand or any other member: therfore when ye see all these unproper
or harde Epithets vsed, ye may put them in the number of [_uncouths_] as
one that said, the _flouds of graces_: I haue heard of _the flouds of
teares_, and _the flouds of eloquence_, or of any thing that may resemble
the nature of a water-course, and in that respect we say also, _the
streames of teares_, and _the streames of utterance_, but not _the
streames of graces_, or of _beautie_. Such manner of vncouth speech did
the Tanner of Tamworth vse to king _Edward_ the fourth, which Tanner
hauing a great while mistaken him, and vsed very broad talke with him, at
length perceiuing by his traine that it was the king, was afraide he
should be punished for it, said thus with a certaine rude repentance.
_I hope I shall be hanged tomorrow._
For _[I fear me] I shall be hanged_, whereat the king laughed a good, not
only to see the Tanners vaine feare, but also to heare his ill shapen
terme, and gaue him for recompence of his good sport, the inheritance of
Plumton parke, I am afraid the Poets of our time that speake more finely
and correctedly will come too short of such a reward.
[Sidenote: The vice of Surplusage.]
Also the Poet or makers speech becomes vicious and vnpleasant by nothing
more than by vsing too much surplusage: and this both not only in a word
or two more than ordinary, but in whole clauses, and peraduenture large
sentences impertinently spoken, or with more labour and curiositie than is
requisite.
[Sidenote: _Pleonasmus_, or Too ful speech.]
The first surplusage the Greekes call _Pleonasmus_, I call him [_too much
speech_] and is no great fault, as if one should say, _I heard it with
mine eares, and saw it with mine eyes_, as if a man could heare with his
heeles, or see with his nose. We our selues vsed this superfluous speech
in a verse written of our mistresse, neuertheles, not much to be misliked,
for euen a vice sometime being seasonably vsed, hath a pretie grace,
_For euer may my true loue liue and neuer die
And that mine eyes may see her crownde a Queene._
As, if she liued euer, she could euer die, or that one might see her
crowned without his eyes.
[Sidenote: _Macrologia_, or Long language.]
Another part of surplusage is called _Macrologia_, or long language, when
we vse large clauses or sentences more than is requisite to the matter: it
is also named by the Greeks _Perissologia_, as he that said, the
Ambassadours after they had receiued this answere at the kings hands, they
tooke their leaue and returned home into their countrey from whence they
came.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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