Or as one who much gloried in his owne wit, whom Persius taxed in a verse very pithily and pleasantly, thus. Scire tuum nihil est nisi te scire, hoc sciat alter.
Which I haue turned into English, not so briefly, but more at large of
purpose the better to declare the nature of the figure: as thus,
Thou weenest thy wit nought worth if other weet it not
As wel as thou thy selfe, but a thing well I wot,
Who so in earnest weenes, he doth in mine aduise,
Shew himselfe witlesse, or more wittie than wise.
Here ye see how in the former rime this word life is tranlaced into liue, liuing, liuely, liuelode: & in the latter rime this word wit is translated into weete, weene, wotte, witlesse, witty & wise: which come all from one originall.
[Sidenote: Antipophora, or Figure of responce.]
Ye haue a figuratiue speach which the Greeks cal Antipophora, I name him
the Responce, and is when we will seeme to aske a question to th'intent
we will aunswere it our selues, and is a figure of argument and also of
amplification. Of argument, because proponing such matter as our
aduersarie might obiect and then to answere it our selues, we do vnfurnish
and preuent him of such helpe as he would otherwise haue vsed for
himselfe: then because such obiection and answere spend much language it
serues as well to amplifie and enlarge our tale. Thus for example.
Wylie worldling come tell me I thee pray,
Wherein hopest thou, that makes thee so to swell?
Riches? alack it taries not a day,
But where fortune the fickle list to dwell:
In thy children? how hardlie shalt thou finde,
Them all at once, good and thriftie and kinde:
Thy wife? o' faire but fraile mettall to trust,
Seruants? what theeues? what threachours and iniust?
Honour perchance? it restes in other men:
Glorie? a smoake: but wherein hopest thou then?
In Gods iustice? and by what merite tell?
In his mercy? o' now thou speakest wel,
But thy lewd life hath lost his loue and grace,
Daunting all hope to put dispaire in place.
We read that Crates the Philosopher Cinicke in respect of the manifold
discommodities of mans life, held opinion that it was best for man neuer
to haue bene borne or soone after to dye, [Optimum non nasci vel citò
mori] of whom certaine verses are left written in Greeke which I haue
Englished, thus.
What life is the liefest? the needy is full of woe and awe,
The wealthie full of brawle and brabbles of the law:
To be a married man? how much art thou beguild,
Seeking thy rest by carke, for houshold wife and child:
To till it is a toyle, to grase some honest gaine,
But such as gotten is with great hazard and paine:
The sayler of his shippe, the marchant of his ware,
The souldier in armes, how full of dread and care?
A shrewd wife brings thee bate, wiue not and neuer thriue,
Children a charge, childlesse the greatest lacke aliue:
Youth witlesse is and fraile, age sicklie and forlorne,
Then better to dye soone, or neuer to be borne.
Metrodorus the Philosopher Stoick was of a contrary opinion, reuersing
all the former suppositions against Crates, thus.
What life list ye to lead? in good Citie and towne
Is wonne both wit and wealth, Court gets vs great renowne,
Countrey keepes vs in heale, and quietnesse of mynd,
Where holesome aires and exercise and pretie sports we find:
Traffick it turnes to gaine, by land and eke by seas,
The land-borned liues safe, the forriene at his ease:
Housholder hath his home, the roge romes with delight,
And makes moe merry meales, then dothe the Lordly wight:
Wed and thost hast a bed, of solace and of ioy,
Wed not and haue a bed, of rest without annoy:
The setled loue is safe, sweete is the loue at large,
Children they are a store, no children are no charge,
Lustie and gay is youth, old age honourd and wise:
Then not to dye or be unborne, is best in myne aduise.
Edward Earle of Oxford a most noble & learned Gentleman made in this
figure of responce an emble of desire otherwise called Cupide which for
his excellencie and wit, I set downe some part of the verses, for example.
When wert thou borne desire?
In pompe and pryme of May,
By whome sweete boy wert thou begot?
By good conceit men say,
Tell me who was they nurse?
Fresh youth in sugred ioy.
What was thy meate and dayly foode?
Sad sighes with great annoy.
What hast thou then to drinke?
Vnfayned louers teares.
What cradle wert thou rocked in?
In hope deuoyde of feares.
[Sidenote: Synteiosis, or the Crosse copling.] Ye haue another figure which me thinkes may well be called (not much sweruing from his originall in sence) the Crosse-couple, because it takes me two contrary words, and tieth them as it were in a paire of couples, and so makes them agree like good fellowes, as I saw once in Fraunce a wolfe coupled with a mastiffe, and a foxe with a hounde. Thus it is. The niggards fault and the unthrifts is all one, For neither of them both knoweth how to vse his owne.
Or thus.
The couetous miser, of all his goods ill got,
Aswell wants that he hath, as that he hath not.
In this figure of the Crosse-couple we wrate for a forlorne louer
complaining of his mistresse crueltie these verses among other.
Thus for your sake I daily dye,
And do but seeme to liue in deede:
Thus is my blisse but miserie,
My lucre losse without your meede.