[THE INDUCTION.
“The greate desire,” quoth Inquisition, “whiche we haue had to heare this man hath made vs to ouerpasse king Arthur and Cariticus; the one no lesse famous for his noble actes then the other for his vices and wretchednes infamous.” “Yea,” said Memory, “so haue we forgot two or three other, whose examples would haue been goodly lanternes to lighten wandryng pylgrimes. But it is not much amisse, for of Arthur there be whole volumes, and of the rest ther be the like ensamples both in Bochas and Baldwin. Let vs therefore passe them ouer, and speake somwhat of some of the Saxons: for seeing they were made of fleshe and blood, no doubte some of them stumbled also. But fyrst tell me, Inquisition, wyll you penne this man’s meterlesse tragedy, as he hath pronounst it?” “Good Memory, geue me your aduise, for it agreeth very wel with the Roman verse, called Iambus, which consisteth on sixe feete, euery foote on two syllables, one short and an other long; so proper for the Englishe toung that it is greate maruaile that these ripe witted gentlemen of England haue not left of their gotish kinde of ryming, (for the rude Gothes brought that kind of writing fyrst, and imitated the learned Latines and Greekes.) O what braue beames and goodly tymber might be found amongst Churchyarde’s Chippes, if he had not affected the ryming order of his predecessors, which meeter made not onely hym inferiour vnto Horace, but it also made a great inequalitie to be betwixt Buchurst and Homer, betwixt Phaer and Virgill, betwixte Turberuile and Tibullus, betwixt Golding and Ouid, betwixt George Gascon and Seneca; for al these comming neare vnto Marot, whom they did imitate, did put a great distance betwixt them and the Latines, wyth whom they might haue binne equall, euen wyth as litle labour, and with much more prayse and renowne.” “Truely,” quoth Memory, “let be as it is, you shall see good sport shortly. I smyle to see how Zoilus and Momus will crie out: 'O vayne glorious heade, whiche now for a singularitie dooth indeuour to erect a newe kinde of poetrie in England.’ What needest thou care, Inquisition, these laboures wil get thee no liuing, and these be but the trifles of thy idle houres, yet such as be in many respectes of great value. I promise you I woulde the rest of your princes would proceede in the lyke order. But how shal we goe forward wyth the seuen Saxon kings? Which waye shall we turne vs? Where, or wyth whom shal we begynne?” “Wyth the west Saxons,” quoth Inquisition, “for they subdued the other six, and returned the realme into one monarchie. And surely Ewe, their first king, were worthy the speaking of, who for hys wife Eheldreda’s pleasure, gaue ouer al his royalties, and then went to Rome, like a begger, in pilgrimage. But we wyl not spende our time in hearing these deuout men. Let vs (if you please) see what this meaneth: behold a heardman doth holde in his hand a headlesse body, who by his apparel would seeme to be some forlorne thing: shall I inquire of the man what the matter meaneth?” “No,” quoth Memory, “you neede not, for I see he wyl doo it without request.” Wherewyth the heardman lamenting both his harde happe and his good successe, sayde as followeth.]