ANE SCHORT TREATISE, conteining some revlis and cautelis to be obseruit and eschewit in Scottis Poesie. A Qvadrain of Alexandrin verse, declaring to qvhome the To ignorants obdurde, quhair wilfull errour lyis, The Preface to the Reader. HE cause why (docile Reader) I haue not dedicat this TH short treatise to any particular personis, (as cōmounly workis vsis to be) is, that I esteme all thais quha hes already some beginning of knawledge, with ane earnest desyre to atteyne to farther, alyke meit for the reading of this worke, or any vther, quhilk may help thame to the atteining to thair foirsaid desyre. Bot as to this work, quhilk is intitulit, The Reulis and cautelis to be obseruit & eschewit in Scottis Poesie, ze may maruell paraventure, quhairfore I sould haue writtin in that mater, sen sa mony learnit men, baith of auld and of late hes already written thairof in dyuers and sindry languages: I answer, That nochtwithstanding, I haue lykewayis writtin of it, for twa caussis. The ane is, As for the that wrait of auld, lyke as the tyme is changeit sensyne, sa is the ordour of Poesie changeit. For then they obseruit not Flowing, nor eschewit not Ryming in termes, besydes sindrie vther thingis, quhilk now we obserue, & eschew, and dois weil in sa doing: because that now, quhe the warld is waxit auld, we haue all their opinionis in writ, quhilk were learned before our tyme, besydes our awin ingynis, quhair as they then did it onelie be thair awin ingynis, but help of any vther. Thairfore, quhat I speik of Poesie now, I speik of it, as being come to mannis age and perfectioun, quhair as then, it was bot in the infancie and chyldheid. The vther cause is, That as for thame that hes written in it of late, there hes neuer ane of thame writen in our language. For albeit sindrie hes written of it in English, quhilk is lykest to our language, zit we differ from thame in sindrie reulis of Poesie, as ze will find be experience. I haue lykewayis lykewayis omittit dyuers figures, quhilkis are necessare to be vsit in verse, for twa causis. The ane is, because they are vsit in all languages, and thairfore are spoken of be Du Bellay, and sindrie vtheris, quhas hes writte in this airt. Quhairfore gif I wrait of thame also, it sould seme that I did bote repete that, quhilk thay haue written, and zit not sa weil, as thay haue done already. The vther cause is, that they are figures of Rhetorique and Dialectique, quhilkis airtis I professe nocht, and thairfore will apply to my selfe the counsale, quhilk Apelles gaue to the shoomaker, quhe he said to him, seing him find falt with the shankis of the Image of Venus, efter that he had found falt with the pantoun, Ne sutor vltra crepidam. I will also wish zow (docile Reider) that or ze cumer zow with reiding thir reulis, ze may find in zour self sic a beginning of Nature, as ze may put in practise in zour verse many of thir foirsaidis preceptis, or euer ze sie them as they are heir set doun. For gif Nature be nocht the cheif worker in this airt, Reulis wilbe bot a band to Nature, and will mak zow within short space weary of the haill airt: quhair as, gif Nature be cheif, and bent to it, reulis will be ane help and staff to Nature. I will end heir, lest my preface be langer nor my purpose and haill mater following: wishing zow, docile Reidar, als gude succes and great proffeit by reiding this short treatise, as I tuke earnist and willing panis to blok it, as ze sie, for zour cause. Fare weill. I Haue insert in the hinder end of this Treatise, maist kyndis of versis quilks are not cuttit or brokin, bot alyke many feit in euerie lyne of the verse, and how they are commounly namit, with my opinioun for quhat subiectis ilk kynde of thir verse is meitest to be vsit. To knaw the quantitie of zour lang or short fete in they lynes, quhilk I haue put in the reule, quhilk teachis zow to knaw quhat is Flowing, I haue markit the lang fute with this mark, and abone the heid of the shorte fute, I haue put this mark v. M |