Documentary Evidence:
Below section from Arte of English Posie/Written By Lord Oxford.
Comments Later:
The French Gentlemen haue very sharpe witts and withall a
delicate language, which may very easily be wrested to any alteration of words
sententious, and they of late yeares haue taken this pastime vp among them many
times gratifying their Ladies, and often times the Princes of the Realme, with
some such thankfull noueltie. Whereof one made by François de Vallois,
thus De façon suis Roy, who in deede was of fashion countenance and
stature, besides his regall vertues a very king, for in a world there could not
be seene a goodlier man of person. Another found this by Henry de
Vallois [Roy de nulz hay] a king hated of no man, and was
apparant in his conditions and nature, for there was not a Prince of greater
affabilitie and mansuetude then he.
I my selfe seing this conceit so well allowed of
in Fraunce and Italie, and being informed that her Maiestie tooke pleasure
sometimes in desciphring of names, and hearing how diuers Gentlemen of her
Court had essayed but with no great felicitie to make some delectable transpose
of her Maiesties name, I would needs try my luck, for cunning I know not why I
should call it, vnlesse it be for the many and variable applications of sence,
which requireth peraduenture some wit & discretion more then of euery
vnlearned man and for the purpose I tooke me these three wordes (if any other
in the world) containing in my conceit greatest mysterie, and most importing
good to all them that now be aliue, vnder her noble gouernement.
Elissabet Anglorum Regina.
Which orthographie (because ye shall not be
abused) is true & not mistaken, for the letter zeta, of the
Hebrewes & Greeke and of all other toungs is in truth but a double ss
hardly vttered, and H. is but a note of aspiration onely and no letter, which
therefore is by the Greeks omitted. Vpon the transposition I found this to
redound.
Multa regnabis ense gloria. By they sword
shalt thou raigne in great renowne.
Then transposing the word [ense] it came
to be
Multa regnabis sene gloria. Aged and in much
glorie shall ye raigne.
Both which resultes falling out vpon the very
first marshalling of the letters,
without any darknesse or difficultie, and so sensibly and well appropriat to
her Maiesties person and estate, and finally so effectually to mine own wish
(which is a matter of much moment in such cases) I tooke them both for a good
boding, and very fatalitie to her Maiestie appointed by Gods prouidence for all
our comfortes. Also I imputed it for no litle good luck and glorie to my selfe,
to haue pronounced to her so good and prosperous a fortune, and so thankefull
newes to all England, which though it cannot be said by this euent any destinie
or fatal necessitie, yet surely is it by all probabillitie of reason, so likely
to come to passe, as any other worldly euent of things that be vncertaine, her
Maiestie continuing the course of her most regal proceedings and vertuous life
in all earnest zeale and godly contemplation of his word, & in the sincere
administration of his terrene iustice, assigned ouer to her execution as his
Lieutenance vpon earth within the compasse of her dominions.
This also is worth the noting, and I will assure
you of it, that as the first search whereupon this transpose was fashioned. The
same letters being by me tossed & tranlaced fiue hundreth times, I could
neuer make any other, at least of some sence & conformitie to her Maiesties
estate and the case. If any other man by triall happen vpon a better omination,
or what soeuer els ye will call it, I will reioyse to be ouermatched in my
deuise, and renounce him all the thankes and profite of my trauaile.
When I wrate of these deuices, I smiled with my
selfe, thinking that the readers would do so to, and many of them say, that
such trifles as these might well haue bene spared, considering the world is
full inough of them, and that it is pitie mens heades should be fedde with such
vanities as are to none edification nor instruction, either of morall vertue,
or otherwise behooffull for the common wealth, to whose seruice (say they) we
are all borne, and not to fill and replenish a whole world full of idle toyes.
To which sort of reprehendours, being either all holy and mortified to the
world, and therefore esteeming nothing that sauoureth not of Theologie, or
altogether graue and worldly, and therefore caring for nothing but matters of
pollicie, & discourses of estate, or all giuen to thrift and passing for
none art that is not gainefull and lucratiue, as the sciences of the Law, Phisicke and marchaundise: to
these I will giue none other aunswere then referre them to the many trifling
poemes of Homer, Ouid, Virgill, Catullus and other notable
writers of former ages, which were not of any grauitie or seriousnesse, and
many of them full of impudicitie and ribaudrie, as are not these of ours, nor
for any good in the world should haue bene: and yet those trifles are come from
many former siecles vnto our times, vncontrolled or condemned or supprest by any
Pope or Patriarch or other seuere censor of the ciuill maner of men, but haue
bene in all ages permitted as the conuenient solaces and recreations of mans
wit. And as I can not denie but these conceits of mine be trifles: no lesse in
very deede be all the most serious studies of man, if we shall measure grauitie
and lightnesse by the wise mans ballance who after he had considered of all the
profoundest artes and studies among men, in th'ende cryed out with this
EpyphonemeVanitas vanitatum & omnia vanitas. Whose authoritie if it
were not sufficient to make me belieue so, I could be content with Democritus rather
to condemne the vanities of our life by derision, then as Heraclitus with
teares, saying with that merrie Greeke thus,
Omnia
sunt risus, sunt puluis, & omnia nil sunt.
Res hominum cunctae, nam ratione carent.
Res hominum cunctae, nam ratione carent.
Thus
Englished,
All is but a iest, all dust, all not worth two peason:
For why in mans matters is neither rime nor reason.
Now passing from these courtly trifles, let vs talke of our scholastical toyes, that is of the Grammaticall versifying of the Greeks and Latines and see whether it might be reduced into our English arte or no.
