a 4 
284 Campton’s Observations in the Ari of English Poesie. [Oct. 1, 
wisdom then: yet he makes us of that 
epinien too, when we see him, and con- 
jecture those times by so good a relicke. | 
He is aman capable of a dearnesse with 
the youngest men; yet he is not youth- 
fuller for them, but they older for him, 
and no man credits more his acquaint- 
ance. He goes away at least too soone 
whensoever, with all mens sorrow but 
his owne, and his memory is fresh, when 
zt is twice as old.” 
_ A plain Country Fellow, 
* Ts one that manures his ground well, 
but lets himself lie fallow and untiil’d. 
He has reason enough to dove his busi- 
nesse, and not enough to be idle or me- 
Jancholy. He seems to have the punish- 
ment of Nebuchadnezzar; for his con- 
versatinn is among beasts, and his tallons 
none of the shortest, only he eats not 
grass, because he loves not sallets, His 
hand guides the plough, and the plough 
his thoughts, and his ditch and land- 
marke is the very mound of his medita- 
gions. He expostulates with his oxen 
very understandingly, and speaks gee and 
yeé, better than English, His mind. is 
not much distracted with objects: but if 
a good fat cowe come in his way, he 
stands dumbe and astonisht, and though 
his haste be never so great, will fix here 
half an hours contemplation. His ha- 
bitation is some poore thatcht roof dis- 
tinguisbt from his‘barn, by the loop- 
holes that let out smoak, which the rain 
had long wasbed through, but for the 
double cieling of bacon on the inside, 
which has hung there from his grandsires 
time, and is yet to make rashérs for 
posterity. Huis dinner is his.other worke, 
for he sweats at it as much as at his la- 
bour; he is a terrible fastner on a piece 
of beef, and you may hope to stave the 
guard off sooner. - His religion is a part 
of his copyhold, which he takes from his 
landlord, and refers it wholly to his dis- 
cretion. Yet if he give him leave, he is 
a good Christian to his power, (that is) 
comes to church in his best clothes, and 
sits there with his neighbours, where he 
is capable onely of two prayers, for rain 
and fair weather. He apprehends Gods 
blessings onely in a good year, or a fat 
pasture, and never praises him but on 
good ground, Sunday he esteems a day 
to make merrie in, and thinks a bag-pipe | 
as essential to it, as evening-prayer, 
where he walks very solemnly after ser- 
vice, with his hands coupled behind him, 
- and censures the dauncing of his parish. 
His compliment with his neighbour, is a 
good thumpe on the back; and his salu. 
tation, commonly some blunt curse. He 
thinkes nothing to bee vices, but pride 
and all ill husbandrie, from which he 
will gravely dissuade the youth, and has 
some thrifty hobnayle proverbs te clout 
his discourse. He is a niggard ail the 
week, except onely market-day, where if 
his corn sell well, he thinks he may be 
drunk with a good conscience. Ifis feet 
never stink so unbecomingly, as when he 
trots after a lawyer in Westminster-hall, 
and even cleaves the ground with hard 
scrapings, in beseching his worship to 
take his money. He is sensible of no 
calamity, but the burning of a stacke of 
corne, or the overflowing of a meadow; 
and thinks Noah’s flood the greatest 
plague that ever was, not because it 
drowned the world,-but spoiled the 
grasse. For death he ts never troubled ; 
and if he get in but his harvest before, let 
it come when it will, he cares not. 
Observations inthe Art of English Poe- 
sie. By Thomas Campion. Wherein 
it is demonstratively proved, and by ex- 
ample confirmed, that the English toong 
will receive eight severall kinds of num-- 
bers, proper to itselfe, which are all in 
this booke set forth, and were never be= 
Sore this time by any man attempted, 
Printed at London, by Richard Field, 
jor Andrew Wise. 1602, 12mo. 
It cannot be unknown to many of our 
readers, that in the age of Queen Eliza- 
beth, the introduction of the Roman 
Measures into English verse, was a pro- 
ject favoured both by Spenser and Sir 
Philip Sydney. In defence of this singu- 
lar perversion of our native poetry, the 
present treatise was penned, with the in- 
tention of proving not only that the 
“custome of riming” was vulgar, but 
“ unartificial.” israthiy: 
* In lack-learning times, fobserves 
Campion,) and in barbarized Italy, be< 
gan that vulgar and easie kind of Puesie, 
which is now in use throughout most parts 
of Christendome, which we abusively cail 
Rime and Meter, of Rithmus and Me- 
train, of which £ will now discourse.” 
The reasons against Rhyme are prin= 
cipally derived from the author’s blind 
attachment to the Greek and Roman 
classics : by whom he considers the foun- 
dation of al! human wisdom to have been 
laid, aud from whom the knowledge of 
all antiquity is derived to us, ~ In eight 
succeeding chapters, as many kinds of 
English numbers, simple or compound,” 
are briefly described. The first is, “ our 
tambick pure and licentiate ;* « the se- 
cond, 
