Ascham, in his "Schoolmaster" (1570),
had already suggested the adoption of the ancient hexameter by English
poets; but Ascham (as afterwards Puttenham in his "Art of Poesie")
thought the number of monosyllabic words in English an insuperable
objection to verses in which there was a large proportion of dactyls,
and recommended, therefore, that a trial should be made with iambics.
Spenser, at Harvey's instance, seems to have tried his hand at the new
kind of verse. He says:
I like your late Englishe Hexameters so exceedingly well, that I
also enure my penne sometimes in that kinde.... For the onely or
chiefest hardnesse, whych seemeth, is in the Accente, which sometime
gapeth, and, as it were, yawneth ilfauouredly, coming shorte of that
it should, and sometime exceeding the measure of the Number, as in
_Carpenter_; the middle sillable being vsed shorte in Speache, when
it shall be read long in Verse, seemeth like a lame Gosling that
draweth one legge after hir and _Heaven_, being used shorte as one
sillable, when it is in Verse stretched out with a _Diastole_, is
like a lame dogge that holdes up one legge. But it is to be wonne
with Custome, and rough words must be subdued with Vse. For why a
God's name may not we, as else the Greekes, have the kingdome of our
owne Language, and measure our Accentes by the Sounde, reserving the
Quantitie to the Verse?
The amiable Edmonde seems to be smiling in his sleeve as he writes this
sentence.
Pages:
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123