An Epistle 1 5 3 



forms, or infinites, or spirits, or essences, or the like ; nay, 

 for the most part they conceive little further than an almanac 

 to know the time by, of which I am ignorant, for I understand 

 it not. And for poetry, most laugh at it as a ridiculDus thing, 

 especially grave statists, severe moralists, zealous priesthood, 

 wrangling lawyers, covetous hoarders, or purloiners, or those 

 that have mechanic natures, and many more, which for the 

 most part account poetry a toy, and condemn it for a vanity, 

 an idle employment ; nor have they so much fancy of their 

 own, as to conceive the poetical fancies of others ; for if they 

 did, they must needs love poetry ; for poetry is so powerful, 

 and hath such an attractive beauty, that those that can but 

 view her perfectly, could not but be enamoured, her charms 

 do so force affection. But surely those that delight not in 

 poetry or music, have no divine souls nor harmonious thoughts. 

 But by those weak observations I have made, I perceive that 

 as most men have particular understandings, capacities, or 

 ingenuities, and not a general ; so in their discourses some 

 can speak eloquently, and not learnedly ; others learnedly 

 and not eloquently ; some wittily, and neither learned nor 

 eloquent ; and some will speak neither learnedly, eloquently, 

 wittily, or rationally. Likewise, some can speak well, but 

 'tis but for a time, some a longer and some a shorter time, 

 like several sized candles, are longer or shorter ere they come 

 to a snuff ; where sometimes some objects or conceits, unex- 

 pected objections or questions, or the like, do prove as a small 

 coal got into the tallow of their wit, which makes it bleer 1 

 out sooner than otherwise it would do. Also some will speak 

 wisely upon some subjects, and foolishly upon others. 



Likewise some will speak well as it were by chance ; others 

 in one discourse speak mixtly, now rational, then nonsensely, 

 at least weakly or obstructedly. But they are great masters 

 of speech that speak clearly, as I may say, untangled, which 

 can wind their words from off their tongue without a snarl 2 

 or knot, and can keep even sense, like an even thread, or can 

 work that thread of sense into a flourishing discourse ; and 

 they have a quick wit that can play with, or on any subject, 

 which doubtless some can do of those things they never heard, 

 saw, or thought on, but just when they speak of it. And 



1 Probably ' blear ', to make dim, used in the sense of to become dim. 



2 Halliwell gives ' snarle ', a snare, and ' snarrel ', a hard knot (Cumberland dialect). 



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