in distance, as ye haue seene before
described. And bycause ye shall not thinke the maker hath premeditated
beforehand any such fashioned ditty, do ye your selfe make one verse
whether it be of perfect or imperfect sense, and giue it him for a theame
to make all the rest upon: if ye shall perceiue the maker do keepe the
measures and rime as ye haue appointed him, and besides do make his dittie
sensible and ensuant to the first verse in good reason, then may ye say he
is his crafts maister. For if he were not of a plentiful discourse, he
could not vpon the sudden shape an entire dittie vpon your imperfect
theame or proposition in one verse. And if he were not copious in his
language, he could not haue such store of wordes at commaundement, as
should supply your concords. And if he were not of a maruelous good memory
he could not obserue the rime and measures after the distances of your
limitation, keeping with all grauitie and good sense in the whole dittie.

_CHAP. XI._

_Of Proportion in figure._

Your last proportion is that of figure, so called for that it yelds an
ocular representation, your meeters being by good symmetrie reduced into
certaine Geometricall figures, whereby the maker is restrained to keepe
him within his bounds, and sheweth not onley more art, but serueth also
much better for briefenesse and subtiltie of deuice. And for the same
respect are also fittest for the pretie amourets in Court to entertaine
their seruants and the time withall, their delicate wits requiring some
commendable exercise to keepe them from idlenesse. I find not of this
proportion, vsed by any of the Greeke or Latine Poets, or in any vulgar
writer, sauing of that one forme which they cal _Anacreens egge._ But
being in Italie conuersant with a certaine gentleman, who had long
trauailed the Orientall parts of the world, and seene the Courts of the
great Princes of China and Tartarie. I being very inquisitiue to know of
the subtillities of those countreyes, and especially in matter of learning
and of their vulgar Poesie, he told me that they are in all their
inuentions most wittie, and haue the vse of Poesie or riming, but do not
delight so much as we do in long tedious descriptions, and therefore when
they will vtter any pretie conceit, they reduce it into metricall feet,
and put it in forme of a _Lozange_ or square, or such other figure, and so
engrauen in gold, siluer, or iuorie, and sometimes with letters of
ametist,