ly adorne and
commend it and right so our late remembred proportions doe to our vulgar
Poesie: so is there yet requisite to the perfection of this arte, another
maner of exornation, which resteth in the fashioning of our makers
language and stile, to such purpose as it may delight and allure as well
the mynde as the eare of the hearers with a certaine noueltie and strange
maner of conueyance, disguising it no litle from the ordinary and
accustomed: neuertheless making it nothing the more vnseemely or
misbecomming, but rather decenter and more agreable to any ciuill eare and
understanding. And as we see in these great Madames of honour, be they for
personage or otherwise neuer so comely and bewtifull, yet if they want
their courtly habillements or at leastwise such other apparell as custome
and ciuilitie haue ordained to couer their naked bodies, would be halfe
ashamed or greatly out of countenaunce to be seen in that sort, and
perchance do then thinke themselves more amiable in euery mans eye, when
they be in their richest attire, suppose of silkes or tyssews & costly
embroderies, then when they go in cloth or in any other plaine and simple
apparell. Euen so cannot our vulgar Poesie shew it self either gallant or
gorgious, if any lymme be left naked and bare and not clad in his kindly
clothes and coulours, such as may conuey them somewhat our of sight, that
is from the common course of ordinary speach and capacitie of the vulgar
iudgement, and yet being artificially handled must needes yeld it much
more bewtie and commendation. This ornament we speake of is giuen to it by
figures and figurative speaches, which be the flowers as it were and
coulours that a Poet setteth vpon his language by arte, as the embroderer
doth his stone and perle, or passements of golde vpon the stuffe of a
Princely garment, or as th'excellent painter bestoweth the rich Orient
coulours vpon his table of pourtraite: so neuerthelessse as if the same
coulours in our art of Poesie (as well as in those other mechanicall
artes) be not well tempered, or not well layd, or be vused in excesse, or
neuer so litle disordered or misplaced, they not onely giue it no maner of
grace at all, but rather do disfigure that stuffe and spill the whole
workmanship taking away all bewtie and good liking from it, no lesse then
if the crimson tainte, which should be laid vpon a Ladies lips, or right
in the center of her cheekes should by some ouersight or mishap be applied