A new balade entituled as foloweth,
To such as write in Metres, I write
Of small matters an exhortation,
By readyng of which, men may delite
In such as be worthy commendation.
My verse also it hath relation
To such as print, that they doe it well,
The better they shall their Metres sell.
And when we have doen al that ever we can,
Let us never seke prayse at the mouth of man.
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HORACE, that noble Poet did write
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In his learned booke, the arte of Poetrie
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Notable thinges, of which to resite
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One is now to be noted speciallie
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In these our dayes, and wot ye whie?
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For some there be, take matters in hand
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Chiefly in Metre, to shew their fancie
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As did in his dayes, a certaine band.
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Read in his bookes, and then understand,
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They vexed his eares, they troubled his eyes
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With Metres in number, compared to the sand:
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And lacked not such, as wolde to the skyes
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So prayse their workes (such was their guyse)
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And also extoll their Metres so
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With wordes frevolous, and manifest lyes,
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That lyke unto them, there was no mo.
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But what saith HORACE, afore we go
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Any further herein? because they did use
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To procure freendes, lest that their fo
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Shoulde paint them out, and so accuse
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Their doinges in verse, and their abuse
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Which men to praise them, were not so prest
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As Horace agayne wolde styll refuse
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To admit that number into his brest.
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Such coulde not dwell in his studie or chest
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LUCILIUS, with other in Horace dayes
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Was one which he coulde not disgest
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His verse in wordes, or sence alwayes
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For the most parte deserved small prayse.
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And why? because he had more respect
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To covet the garland, of Lawrel or Bayes
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For number rather, then verse select.
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For when by writing men doe detect
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Their wysedome, or els their follie indeede
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Yf it be foolish, they doe correct
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Or ought that can, and that with speede
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As HORACE did: the unskylfull breede
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Of Poets that wrote in his time (I say)
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The workes of such, as ye may read,
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Continue not long, but fall away.
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Such spices & wares as come from the sea
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They be good to use from towne to towne,
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To the Pedler they be a right good stay
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To put in his stuff, blacke white or browne.
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Good for the Master, and good for the Clowne
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To make (as ye know) the matter cleane,
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Good to toke up, and good to cast downe
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When ye have doen, ye know what I meane.
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Your balades of love not worth a beane
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A number there be, although not all,
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Some be pithie, some weake, some leane
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Some doe runne as round as a ball:
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Some verses have such a pleasant fall
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That pleasure it is for any man
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Whether his knowledge be great or small
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So that of a verse some skyll he can.
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But some yf ye take in hand to skan
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They lacke their grace, they lacke good sence,
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The Printer shoulde therfore with his fan
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Pourge chaff from corne, to avoyde offence.
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And not for lucre, under pretence
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Of newes, to print what commeth to hand,
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But that which is meete to bring in pence
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Let him print, the matter well scand:
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Our englyshmen, some out of the land
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A sorte of Rebelles sturdye and stoute,
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with our pope holy men, that overthwart band
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At Lovaine, with open sclander breath oute.
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What envie can doe, to bryng in doubte
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The godly workes well written of late
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Of learned men, and now go aboute
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To stirre up against us warre and debate.
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Wherfore let us not open a gate,
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Eyther the Printer, or they which write
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To such as they be, knowyng their state,
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Their sclanderous pen doth cruelly byte.
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Let them not say that those which endyte
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Lacke knowledge in that, the pen doth expresse,
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Let them not say that a ravenyng Kyte
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Is as good as a Larke, at a Printers messe.
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But now lest ye thinke me to use excesse
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I wyll to an end myself prepare,
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Wyshyng all them that wyll adresse
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Their pen to Metres, let them not spare
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To folow Chawcer, a man very rare,
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Lidgate, Wager, Barclay and Bale:
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With many other that excellent are,
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In these our dayes, extant to sale.
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Let writers not covet the bottom or dale
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Yf they may come to the hyll or brinke,
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And when they have written their learned tale
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The Printer must use good paper and inke.
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Or els the reader may sometime shrinke
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When faulte by inke or paper is seene,
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And thus every day before we drinke
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Let us pray God to save our Queene. Amen.
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