L I B. II. Of the Advancement of Learning. 6j 



own. Neither can it be doubted but that is ufeful in Civil negotiiti- aEriamSc 

 ons, which a C^frr himfelf hath honour'd by his own example 5 it is hsIos'"' 

 pity his book is loft , feeing what we have in this kind, feems to be col- 

 leded with little choice. Thus much ofHijiory^ namely of that part of 

 Learning, which anfwereth to one of the Cells, or Domicils of the un-i 

 derftandingj which is, Memory. 



Chap. XIIL 



The Second Principal Part of Humane LearniMg^ot^cj I. The Par" 

 tition of PoeCic into Narrative. II. Dramatical. III. And Pa-i 

 rabolical. § Three Examples of Parabolical Poefie propounded^ 

 IV. Natural. V. Political. VI. Moral. 



NOw let U3 proceed to Pfle/?e. Poefie is a kjnd of Learning in words 

 rejirained j in matter loofe and licens'd ; fb that it is referred , a3 

 we faid at firft^to the Imagination 3 which ufeth to devife, and contrive^ 

 unequal and unlawful Matches and Divorces of things. And Poefie , 

 as hath been noted, is taken in a double fence '^ as it rejpe^s Words 5 ov 

 as it refpeHs Matter. In the firjifence^ it is a kind of Chara(3:er of fpeech 5 

 for l^erfe, is a kind of Stile and Form of Elocution, and pertains not to" 

 Matter , for a true Narration may be compofed in Ferfe 5 and a Feigned 

 in Profe. In the latter fence , we have deternriined it, a Principal mem-' 

 her of Learnings and have placed it next unto Hifiory 5 feeing it is no- 

 thing elfe than Imitation of Hifiory at pleafure. Wherefore fearching 

 and purfuing in our Partition the true veins of Learnings and in many 

 points, not giving place to cuftom, and the received Divifions 5 we have 

 difinifled Satyrs^ and Elegies^ and Epigramms^ and Oi/e/.and the like, and 

 referred them to rhilofophy and Arts of Speech. Under the name of 

 Foefie^ we treat only oi Hifiory Feigned at Pleafure. 



I. The trwe.^ Partition of Poefie, and moft appropriate, befides thole 

 Divifions common to it with Hiftory (for there are feigned Chroniclesy 

 feign d Lives.^ and feign'd Relations') is this, that it is either Narrative ; 

 or Reprefentative, or Allufivei Narrative is a meer imitation of Hifiory^ 

 that in a manner deceives usj but that often it extols matters above 

 belief. Dramatical or Reprefcntative , is as it ivere a vifible Hifiory , 

 for it fets out the Image of things, as if they were Prefent , and Hifio- 

 ry, as if they were Palt. Parabolical or Allufive is Hijiory with the Tyfe^ 

 Tphich brings down the Images of the underjianding to the Ohje&s of 

 Senfe. 



§ As for Narrative Poefie, or if you plcafe H^/-wV<«/, (fo you under- 

 ftand it of the Matter, not of the Ferfe) it (eeras to be railed altoge- 

 ther from a noble foundation j which makes much for the Dignity of 

 mans Nature. For feeing this fenfible world, is in dignity inferiour to 

 the foul of M:^n5 Poefie leems to endow Humane Nature with that 

 which HiBorj denies ^ and to give fatisfadion to the Mind, with, at 

 leaft, the fhadow of things, where the fubftance cannot be had. Foe 

 if the matter be throughly confidered , a ftrong Argument may be 

 drawn from Poefie, that a more ftately greatnefs of things ■, a more per- 



I 2 k^ 



