As the matter of Poesie is diuers, so was the forme of their poemes & maner of writing, for all of them wrote not in one sort, euen as all of them wrote not vpon one matter. Neither was euery Poet alike cunning in all as in some one kinde of Poesie, not vttered with like felicitie. But wherein any one most excelled, thereof he tooke a surname, as to be called a Poet _Heroick, Lyrick, Elegiack, Epigrammatist_ or otherwise. Such therefore as gaue them selves to write long histories of the noble gests of kings & great Princes, entermedling the dealings of the gods, halfe gods or _Heroes_ of the gentiles, & the great & waighty consequences of peace and warre, they called Poets _Heroick_, whereof _Homer_ was chief and most auncient among the Greeks, _Virgill_ among the Latines. Others who more delighted to write songs or ballads of pleasure, to be song with the voice, and to the harpe, lute, or citheron & such other musical instruments, they were called melodious Poets [_melici_] or by a more common name _Lirique_ Poets, of which sort was _Pindarus, Anacreon_ and _Callimachus_ with others among the Greeks: _Horace_ and _Catullus_ among the Latines. There were an other sort, who sought the fauor of faire Ladies, and coueted to bemone their estates at large, & the perplexities of loue in a certain pitious verse called _Elegie_, and thence were called _Eligiack_: such among the Latines were _Ouid, Tibullus_, & _Propertius_. There were also Poets that wrote onely for the stage, I meane playes and interludes, to receate the people with matters of disporte, and to that intent did set forth in shewes pageants, accompanied with speach the common behauiours and maner of life of priuate persons, and such as were the meaner sort of men, and they were called _Comicall_ Poets, of whom among the Greekes _Menander_ and _Aristophanes_ were most excellent, with the Latines _Terence_ and _Plautus_. Besides those Poets _Comick_ there were other who serued also the stage, but medled not with so base matters: For they set forth the dolefull falles of infortunate & afflicted Princes, & were called Poets _Tragicall_. Such were _Euripides_ and _Sophocles_ with the Greeks, _Seneca_ among the Latines. There were yet others who mounted nothing so high as any of them both, but in base and humble stile by maner of Dialogue, vttered the priuate and familiar talke of the meanest sort of men, as shepheards, heywards and suchlike, such was among the Greekes _Theocritus_: and _Virgill_ among the Latines, their poemes were named _Eglogues_ or shepheardly talke. There was yet another kind of Poet, who intended to taxe the common abuses and vice of the people in rough and bitter speaches, and their inuectiues were called _Satyres_, and them selues _Satyricques_. Such were _Lucilius_, _Iuuenall_ and _Persius_ among the Latines, & with vs he that wrote the booke called Piers plowman. Others of a more fine and pleasant head were giuen wholly to taunting and