A Justification of Perseus and Andromeda.* As Learning hath delighted from her cradle to hide herself from the base and profane vulgar, her ancient Enemy, under divers veils of Hieroglyphics, Fables, and the like, so hath she pleased herself with no disguise more than in mysteries and allegorical fictions of Poesy. These have in that kind been of special reputation, as taking place of the rest both for priority of time and precedence of use, being born in the old world long before Hieroglyphics or Fables were conceived; and delivered from the fathers to the sons of Art without any author but Antiquity; yet ever held in high reverence and authority as supposed to conceal within the utter bark, as their Eternities approve, some sap of hidden Truth: as either some dim and obscure prints of divinity, and the sacred history; or the grounds of natural, or rules of moral Philosophy, for the recommending of some virtue, or curing of some vice in general (for howsoever physicians allege that their medicines respect non Hominem sed Socratem, not every, but such a special body; yet poets profess the contrary, that their physic intends non Socratem sed Hominem, not the individual but the universal); or else recording some memorable examples for the use of policy and state; ever, I say, enclosing within the rind some fruit of knowledge, howsoever darkened; and, by reason of the obscurity, of ambiguous and different construction. EσTI TE PÚσEL TOɩŋtikǹ ñ Šúμπaσa aiviyμaтwdns,t &c. Est enim ipsa Natura universa Poesis ænigmatum plena, nec quivis eam "A Free and offenceles Iustification of a Lately publisht and most maliciously misinterpreted Poeme: entituled Andromeda liberata. Veritatem qui amat, emat. London, Printed for Lavrence L'isle and are to be sold at his shop in Pauls church-yard at the signe of the Tigershead. 1614." 1 Plato. in Alcibid., ii. [147 b]. dignoscit. This ambiguity in the sense hath given scope to the variety of expositions; while poets in all ages, challenging as their birthrights the use and application of these fictions, have ever been allowed to fashion both, pro & contra, to their own offenceless and judicious occasions. And borrowing so far the privileged licence of their professions, have enlarged or altered the Allegory with inventions and dispositions of their own, to extend it to their present doctrinal and illustrous purposes. By which authority, myself, resolving amongst others to offer up my poor mite to the honour of the late nuptials betwixt the two most noble personages whose honoured names renown the front of my poem, singled out, as in some parts harmlessly and gracefully applicable to the occasion, the nuptials of Perseus and Andromeda, an innocent and spotless virgin rescued from the polluted throat of a monster, which I in this place applied to the savage multitude; perverting her most lawfully-sought propagation, both of blood and blessing, to their own most lawless and lascivious intentions; from which in all right she was legally and formally delivered. Nor did I ever imagine till now so far-fetched a thought in malice (such was my simplicity) that the fiction being as ancient as the first world, was originally intended to the dishonour of any person now living; but presumed that the application being free, I might, pro meo jure, dispose it innocently to mine own object; if at least in mine own writing, I might be reasonably and conscionably master of mine own meaning. And to this sense I confined the Allegory throughout my poem ; as every word thereof, concerning that point, doth clearly and necessarily demonstrate; without the least intendment, I Vow to God, against any noble personage's free state or honour. Nor make I any noble, whose mere shadows herein the vulgar perhaps may imitate, any thought free judgments would excite and direct the more mixed with the gross substance them) I still met with undermining of the vulgar; but present the vulgar only labourers for themselves, who esteeming in their unsevered herd, as ever in ancient all worth their own which they detract tradition of all authentical authors they from others, diminished me much in some have been resembled ; to whom they were changeable estimations (Amicus enim never beholden for any fairer titles than Animal facile mutabile), whose supplies yet the base, ignoble, barbarous, giddy mul- far better have still brought me unsought; titude; the monster with many heads, and till this most unequal oppression which the emperor,* in his displeasure, oppressed me I stood firm up with many, wished to have sprung all from one neck, now only with God and myself. For that all at one blow he might have un- the violent hubbub, setting my song to trunked them, cui lumen ademptum; their own tunes, have made it yield so without an eye, or at most seeing all by harsh and distasteful a sound to my best one sight, like the Lamia who had but friends, that my integrity, even they hold one eye to serve all their directions, which, affected with the shrill echo thereof by reas any one of them went abroad she put flexion, receiving it from the mouths of on, and put off when she came home- others. And thus (to omit, as struck dumb giving up their understandings to their with the disdain of it, their most unmanly affections, and taking up their affections lie both of my baffling and wounding, on other men's credits, † never examining saying: "Take this for your Andromeda, the causes of their loves or hates, but like not being so much as touched, I witness God, curs, always barking at all they know not; nor one syllable suffering) I will descend to whose most honoured deservings (were a conclusion with this; that in all this my they known to them as to others of nearer seed time, sowing others' honours, Inviand truer observation) might impress in dus super seminavit zizania, &c. Whiles them as much reverence as their ignorance I slept in mine innocency, the envious man doth rudeness; evermore baying loudest hath been here, who, like a venomous at the most eminent reputations, and with spider, drawing this subtle thread out of whom, as in the kingdom of frogs, the most himself, cunningly spread it into the ears loud crier is the loftiest ruler. No reason nor of the many, who, as they see all with one authority able to stoop them, though never eye, so hear all with one ear, and that so judicially and religiously urging them; always the left, where multiplying and whose impartial and clear truth not their getting strength it was spread into an own bold blindness can deny, unless they artificial web to entangle my poor poetical will dare to mutter with the orator touching fly; being otherwise, God knows, far the Delphic oracles, and say our oracles of enough from all venom save what hath been Truth did likewise píše,‡ incline to forced into her by her poisonous enemy to Philip; putting no difference betwixt illu- sting her to death. But the allusion, you sion and truth, the consciences of learned will say, may be extended so far; but qui religious men, and the cunnings of profane. nimium emulget elicet sanguinem; a maAnd then how may my poor endeavours in licious reader, by straining the allegory duty to truth and my most dear conscience past his intentional limits, may make it give (for Reputation, since it stands for the blood where it yields naturally milk, and most part on beasts' feet, and Desert's hand over-curious wits may discover a sting in a is nothing to warrant it, let it go with the fly; but, as a guiltless prisoner at the bar beastly) reform or escape their unrelenting said to a lawyer thundering against his life, detractions? The loves of the right vir- Num quia tu disertus es, ego peribo? because tuous and truly noble, I have ever as much malice is witty, must innocence be conesteemed, as despised the rest; finding demned? Or if some other, not sufficiently ever of the first sort in all degrees as worthy examining what I have written, shall, by as any of my rank, till (having enough to do mistaking the title, suppose it carry such in mine own necessary ends, hating to in- an understanding, doth any law therefore sinuate and labour their confirmation and cast that meaning upon me? Or doth any increase of opinion further than their own rule of reason make it good that, let the writer mean what he list, his writing notwithstanding must be construed in mentem legentis? to the intendment of the reader? If then, for the mistaking of an envious or * Caligula. + Canes ignotis allatrant notis blandiDemosthenes. untur.-SEN. unskilful reader, who commonly bring præ- praise only the Athenians that all Grecians Pereas, qui calamitates hominum The worst of the greatest act: Etna quenched. DIST. Two plants in one soil fruitless; both transplanted: Untouch'd find fit means for posterity granted. The worst of the least: the spleenless The Innocent delivered, her de- Her trophy is; her Saver, her Tamen hæc fremit Plebs.-Liv. Yet further opposed, admit a little further answer. DIALOGUS. The persons: Pheme and Theodines. Ph. Ho! you, Theodines! you must not dream Y'are thus dismiss'd in Peace; seas too extreme Your song hath stirr'd up, to be calm'd so soon: Nay, in your haven you shipwrack, y'are Your Perseus is displeased, and slighteth now The People's god-voice hath exclaim'd away Your misty clouds, and he sees clear as day You've made him scandal'd for another's wrong, Wishing unpublish'd your unpopular song. Ever deliver'd, evermore with child, With nothing, but what only, drest like thee, Of surfeit tastes and superfluity. Let all thy bladder-blowers still inspire, And make embroider'd foot-balls for the mire, With thy suggestions; on the cloven feet Of thy Chimera, toss'd from street to street; Our Perseus scorns to scuffle with the prease, Or like th' inconstant moon be, that, like these, Makes herself ready by her glass, the seas, The common rendezvous of all rude streams, And fed in some part with our common Thames, As that is hourly served with sewers and sinks, Strengthening and cleansing our sweet meats and drinks; Our Perseus, by Minerva's perfect mirror, Informs his beauties, that reform'd from th' error Which Change and Fashion in most others find, Like his fair body, he may make his mind. Deck that with knowing ornaments, and then Effuse his radiance upon knowing men, Which can no more fail than the sun to show, By his in-light, his outward overflow. Perseus? (that when Minerva in her spring, Which renders deathless every noble thing Clarified in it, thrice wash'd hath his food) Take from a sow that washeth in her flood, The common kennel, every gut she feeds, His food then thinking cleaner ? and but then Take it for manly, when unfit for men? If I be rude in speech, or not express Ph. Well, be he as you hope, but this All friends have left you, all that knew you grieve, For fair condition in you, that your thrall To one man's humour should so lose them all. Th. One may be worth all, and they thus imply Themselves are all bad that our good envy. Gocdness and Truth they are, the Allgood knows, To whom my free soul all her labours VOWS. If friends for this forsake me, let them fly; And know that no more their inconstancy Grieves or disheartens my resolved endea vours, Than I had shaken off so many fevers. My fair condition moans them. Even right thus Fared the physician, Aristoxenus With still poor Socrates; who, terming rude Lustful, unlearn'd, and with no wit indued The most wise man did add yet, he is just; And with that praise would give his dispraise trust. For as a man whom Art hath flattery taught, And is at all parts master of his craft; With long and varied praises doth sometimes Mix by the way some slight and pervial crimes As sauce; to give his flatteries taste and scope, So that malignity may give her hope But 'tis not me, alas! they thus pursue With such unprofiting cunning, nor embrue Their bitter spent mouths with such bloodmix'd foam, In chase of any action that can come From my poor form, but from the foot they tread Those passages that thence affect the head. And why? Who knows? not that next spirit that is Organ to all their knowing faculties, of one Lynceus. |