of his thanks: and seeing the thing it
selfe to be a deuice of some noueltie (which commonly it giveth euery good
thing a speciall grace) and a noueltie so highly tending to the most
worthy prayses of her Maiesties most excellent name. So deerer to you I
dare conceiue them any worldly thing besides love although I could not
deuise to have presented your Lordship any gift more agreeable to your
appetite, or fitter for my vocation and abilitie to bestow, your Lordship
beyng learned and a louer of learning, my present a Book and my selfe a
printer alwaies ready and desirous to be at your Honourable commaundement.
And thus I humbly take my leave from the Black-friers, this xxvii of May,
1589._

Your Honours most humble
at commaundement,

_R.F._

_A colei_

[Illustration of Queen holding orb and sceptre.]

_Che se stessa rassomiglia & non altrui._

THE FIRST BOOKE,
_Of Poets and Poesie.

_CHAP. I._

_What a Poet and Poesie is, and who may be worthily sayd the most
excellent Poet of our time._

A Poet is as much to say as a maker. And our English name well conformes
with the Greeke word: for of [Greek: poiein] to make, they call a maker
_Poeta_. Such as (by way of resemblance and reuerently) we may say of God:
who without any trauell to his diuine imagination, made all the world of
nought, nor also by any paterne or mould as the Platonicks with their
Idees do phantastically suppose. Euen so the very Poet makes and contriues
out of his owne braine both the verse and matter of his poeme, and not by
any foreine copie or example, as doth the translator, who therefore may
well be sayd a versifier, but not a Poet. The premises considered, it
giueth to the name and profession no smal dignitie and preheminence aboue
all other artificers, Scientificke or Mechanicall. And neuerthelesse
without any repugnancie at all, a Poet may in some sort be said a follower
or imitator, because he can expresse the true and liuely of euery thing is
set before him, and which he taketh in hand to describe: and so in that
respect is both a maker and a counterfaitor: and Poesiean art not only of
making, but also of imitation. And this science in his perfection, can not
grow, but by some diuine instinct, the Platonicks call it _furor_: or by
excellencie of nature and complexion: or by great subtiltie of the spirits
& wit or by much experience and obseruation of the world, and course of
kinde, or peradventure by a