vnto vs, as by the discourses that followe shall appeare most plainely. Yea, if wee woulde beholde

with the eye of pitie howe al our Prisons are pestered and filled with able men to serue their Countrie, which for small roberies are dayly hanged vp in great numbers, euen twentie at a clappe out of one iayle (as was seene at the last assises at Rochester), wee woulde hasten and further euery man to his power the deducting of some Colonies of our superfluous people into those temperate and fertile partes of America, which being within sixe weekes3 sayling of England, are yet vnpossessed by any Christians, and seeme to offer themselues vnto vs, stretching neerer vnto her Maiestie's Dominions then to any other part of Europe.

ENGLISH AND SPANISH
EXPLORERS

But besides the foresaid uncertaintie, into what dangers and difficulties they plunged themselues, I tremble to recount. For first they were to expose themselues unto the rigour of the sterne and uncouth Northern seas, and to make triall of the swelling waues and boistrous winds which there commonly do surge and blow; then were they to saile by the ragged and perilous coast of Norway, to frequent the unhaunted shoares of Finmark, to double the dreadfull and misty North Cape, to beare with Willoughbie's land, to run along within kenning of the Countreys of Lapland and Corelia, and as it were to open and unlocke the seuenfold mouth of Duina. Moreover, in their Northeasterly Nauigations, unto what drifts of snow and

SIR PHILIP SIDNEY

(1554-1586)

A MORNING IN ARCADIA

THE third day after, in the time that the morning did strow roses and violets in the heavenly floore against the coming of the Sun, the nightingales (striving one with the other which coulde in most dainty variety recount their wrong-caused sorow) made them put of their sleep; and rising from under a tree (which that night had bin their pavilion) they went on their iorney, which by and by welcomed Musidorus eyes (wearied with the wasted soile of Laconia) with delightfull prospects. There were hilles which garnished their proud heights with stately trees; humble valleis, whose base estate semed comforted with refreshing of silver rivers; medows enameld with al sorts of ey-pleasing floures; thickets, which being lined with most pleasant shade, were witnessed so to by the chereful deposition of so many weltuned birds; each pasture stored with sheep feeding with sober security, while the prety lambs with bleting oratory craved the dams' comfort; here a shepheard's boy piping, as though he should never be old; there a young shepherdess knitting, and

withall singing, and it seemed that her voice comforted her hands to work, and her hands kept time to her voice's musick.

POETRY AND MORALS

Nowe therein of all Sciences (I speak still of humane, and according to the humane conceits) is our Poet the Monarch. For he dooth not only shew the way, but giveth so sweete a prospect into the way as will intice any man to enter into it. Nay, he dooth, as if your iourney should lye through a fayre Vineyard, at the first give you a cluster of Grapes; that, full of that taste, you may long to passe further. He beginneth not with obscure definitions, which must blur the margent with interpretations, and load the memory with doubtfulnesse; but hee commeth to you with words set in delightfull proportion, either accompanied with, or prepared for the well-inchaunting skill of Musicke; and with a tale forsooth he commeth unto you, with a tale which holdeth children from play, and old men from the chimney corner; and, pretending no more, doth intende the winning of the mind from wickednesse to vertue; even as the childe is often brought to take most wholesom things, by hiding them in such other as have a pleasant tast; which, if one should beginne to tell them the nature of Aloes or Rubarb they shoulde receive, woulde sooner take their Phisicke at their eares then at their mouth. So is it in men (most of which are childish in the best things, till they bee cradled in their graves,) glad they will be to heare the tales of Hercules, Achilles, Cyrus, and

Aeneas; and hearing them, must needs heare the right description of wisdom, valure, and iustice; which, if they had been barely, that is to say Philosophically set out, they would sweare they bee brought to schoole againe.

POETRY AND VALOUR

Is it the lyric that most displeaseth, who with his tuned lyre, and well-accorded voice, giveth praise, the reward of virtue, to virtuous acts? who giveth moral precepts, and natural problems? who sometimes raiseth up his voice to the height of the heavens, in singing the lauds of the immortal God? Certainly, I must confess my own barbarousness, I never heard the old song of Percy and Douglas, that I found not my heart moved more than with a trumpet; and yet is it sung but by some blind crowder, with no rougher voice than rude style; which, being so evil-apparelled in the dust and cobwebs of that uncivil age, what would it work trimmed in the gorgeous eloquence of Pindar? In Hungary I have seen it the manner at all feasts and other such meetings, to have songs of their ancestors' valour; which that right soldier-like nation think the chiefest kindlers of brave courage. The incomparable Lacedaemonians did not only carry that kind of music ever with them to the 'field; but even at home, as such songs were made, so were they all content to be the singers of them, when the lusty men were to tell what they did, the old men what they had done, and the young men what they would do.

LAUGHTER AND DELIGHT

But our Comedians thinke there is no delight without laughter; which is very wrong, for though laughter may come with delight, yet commeth it not of delight, as though delight should be the cause of laughter. But well may one thing breed both together. Nay, rather in themselves they have as it were a kind of contrarietie; for delight we scarcely doe, but in things that have a conveniencie to our selves or to the generall nature; laughter almost ever commeth of things most disproportioned to our selves and nature. Delight hath a ioy in it, either permanent or present. Laughter hath onely a scornful tickling. For example, we are ravished with delight to see a faire woman, and yet are far from being moved to laughter. We laugh at deformed creatures, wherein certainely we cannot delight. We delight in good chaunces, we laugh at mischaunces; we delight to heare the happines of our friends or Country, at which he were worthy to be laughed at, that would laugh; we shall contrarily laugh sometimes to finde a matter quite mistaken and goe downe the hill agaynst the byas, in the mouth of some such men, as for the respect of them, one shalbe hartely sorry, yet he cannot chuse but laugh; and so is rather pained then delighted with laughter. Yet deny I not, but that they may goe well together; for as in Alexander's picture well set out we delight without laughter, and in twenty mad Anticks we laugh without delight so in Hercules, painted with his great beard and furious countenance in woman's attire,