Gosson's abuse of poets seems to have had a large share in inducing Sidney to write his Apologie for Poetrie, which probably dates from 1581. For as Poetrie and Piping are Cosen germans: so piping, and playing are of great affinity, and all three chayned in linkes of abuse. You must not thrust your heades in a tubbe, and say, Benè vixit, qui benè latuit: He hath liued well, that hath loitred well : standing streames geather filth ; flowing riuers, are euer sweet. Oregon head notes on its manuscript and print history, as well as his excellent reading of its significance for modern critical theory, click. Euery Vawter in one blinde Tauerne or other, is Tenant at will, to which shee tolleth reforme, and playes the stale to vtter their victuall, and helpe them to emptie their mustie caskes. The Schoole of Abuse and Apologie were edited 1868 by in his English Reprints. Some Playes tollerable at some time.
ALVIN DAHN: The Puritan Attack (I): Stephen Gosson
The Schoole which I builde, is narrowe, and at the first blushe appeareth but a doggehole; yet small Cloudes carie water; slender threedes sowe sure stiches; little heares haue their shadowes; blunt stones whette kniues; from hard rockes, flow soft springes; the whole worlde is drawen in a mappe; Homers Iliades in a nutte shell; a Kings picture in a pennie; Little Chestes may holde greate Treasure; a fewe Cyphers contayne the substance of a rich Merchant; The shortest Pamphlette may shrowde matter; The hardest heade may giue light; and the harshest penne maye sette downe somewhat woorth the reading. But when the whole rabble of Poets, Pipers, Players, Iugglers, Iesters, and dauncers were receiued againe, Rome was reported to bee fuller of fooles then of wise men. These are but castes of their office and wordes of course. Players are masters of vice, teachers of wantonnesse, spurres to impuritie, the Sonnes of idlenesse, so longe as they liue in this order, loath them. The beholding of troubles and miserable slaughters that are in Tragedies, driue vs to immoderate sorrow, heauines, womanish weeping and mourning, whereby we become louers of dumpes, and lamentation, both enemies of fortitude.
A puritan's view :: Life and Times :: Internet Shakespeare Editions
Lacon when he sawe the Atheniens studie so muche to set out Playes, sayde they were madde. . To continue so long without moouing, to reade so much without teaching, what differeth it from a dumbe Picture, or a deade body? By the brothers, cosens, vncles, great grandsires and such like acquaintaunce of their ghestes, they drink of the best, they sit rent free, they haue their owne Table spreade to their handes, without wearing the strings of their pursse, or any thing else, but housholde and honestie. The Ephemerides of Phialo, which accompanied the Apology, while following very close in the track of Euphues, in its dealings with friendship, love, and so forth, both in manner and substance, glances frequently in the main direction of GossonÂ’s ascetic and reforming thought. Among Sidney's gifts to his contemporaries were his respect for tradition and willingness to experiment. Thou Romulus alone knowest how thy souldiers to rewarde: Graunt me the like, my selfe will be attendant on thy garde.
They seek not to hurte, but desire to please: they haue purged their Comedyes of wanton speaches, yet the Corne which they sell, is full of Cockle: and the drinke that they draw, ouercharged with dregges. Thus sith I haue in my voyage suffred wrack with Vlisses, and wringing-wet scrambled with life to the shore, stand from mee Nausicaä with all thy traine, till I wipe the blot from my forhead, and with sweet springs wash away the salt froath that cleaues too my soule. What does this suggest about the relation between visual and poetic arts in this period? Wherein I am contrary to Simonides, for hee was euer slowe to utter, and swift to conceale, beeing more sorrowefull, that he had spoken, then that hee had held his peace. Therefore they are either so blinde, that they cannot, or so blunt, that they Answere. If men for good exercise, and women for theyr credite, be shut from Theaters, whom shall we suffer to goe thither? It was written in approximately 1580 and first published in 1595, after his death.
When Homers Musicke droue the pestilence from the Grecians camp, there was no such vertue in his penne, nor in his pipe, but if I might bee vmpier, in the sweet harmony of diuerse natures and wonderful concord of sundry medicines. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1910. This haue I set downe of the abuses of Poets, Pypers, and Players which bringe vs too pleasure, slouth, sleepe, sinne, and without repentaunce to death and the Deuill: which I haue not confirmed by authoritie of the Scriptures, because they are not able to stand vppe in the sighte of God: and sithens they dare not abide in the field, where the word of God dooth bidde them battayle, but runne to Antiquityes though nothing be more ancient Scriptures to hoate for Players. No marueyle though Plato shut them out of his schoole, and banished them quite from his common wealth, as effeminate writers, vnprofitable members, and vtter enimies to vertue. Nor does he push such imitation as there is to the extremes which were common, and which in other instances such as LodgeÂ’s answer to his own attack show the thing to be mainly imitative. Some that haue neither land to maintaine them, nor good occupation to get their breade, desirous to strowt it with the beste, yet disdayning too liue by the seate of their browes, haue found out this cast of Ledgerdemayne, to play fast and loose among their neighbours. But wee which are so brittle, that we breake with euery fillop, so weake, that we are drawne with euery threade; so light, that wee are blowen away with euery blaste; so vnsteady, that we slip in euery ground; neither peyse our bodyes against the winde, nor stand vppon one legge, for sleeping too muche: nor close vppe our lippes for betraying our selues, nor vse any witte, to garde our owne persons, nor shewe our selues willing too shunne our owne harmes, running most greedily to those places, where we are soonest ouerthrowne.
Dauncers and Tumblers, Dauncers and Tumblers. It were not good for vs too flatter oure selues with these golden dayes : highe floodes haue lowe Ebbes : hotte Feuers, coulde Crampes : Long dayes short nightes; Drie Summers moyst Winters: There was neuer fort so strong, but it might be battered, neuer ground so fruitful, but it might be barren : neuer countrie so populous, but it might be wast : neuer Monarch so mighty, but he might be weakened: neuer Realme so large, but it might be lessened: neuer kingdom so flourishing, but it might bee decayed. Common Bowling Allyes, are priuy Mothes, that eate vppe the credite of many idle Citizens: whose gaynes at home, are not able to weighe downe theyr losses abroade, whose Shoppes are so farre from maintaining their play, that their Wiues and Children cry out for bread, and go to bedde supperlesse ofte in the yeere. It is a Pageant woorth the sight, to beholde how he labors with Mountaines to bring foorth Mise; much like to some of those Players, that come to the scaffold with Drum and Trumpet to profer skirmishe, and when they haue sounded Allarme, off go the peeces to encounter a shadow, or conquer a Paper monster. What is at stake in Sidney's argument is a defense of poetry's nobility. New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc.
ALVIN DAHN: The Puritan Attack (I): Stephen Gosson
Poetes and Cookes compared togither. Marius in the assembly of the whole Senate at Rome, in a somlemne oration, giueth an account of his bringing vp: he sheweth that he hath beene taught to lye on the ground, to suffer all weathers, to leade men, to strike his foe, to feare nothing but an euill name: and chalengeth praise vnto him selfe, in that hee neuer learned the Greeke tongue, neither ment to be instructed in it heerafter, either that he thought it too farre a iourney to fetche learning beyonde the fielde, or because he doubted the abuses of those Schooles, where Poets were euer the head Maisters. Dicers and Carders because their abuses are as commonly cryed out on, as vsually shewen, haue no neede of a needelesse discourse, for euery manne seeth them, and they stinke almoste in euery mans nose. As the Arte of Logique was first sette downe for a rule, by which wee might Confirmare nostra, et refutare aliena, confime our owne reasons, and confute the allegations of our aduersaryes, the end beeing trueth, which once fished out by the harde encounter of eithers Argumentes, like fyer by the knocking of Flintes togither, both partes shoulde be satisfyed and striue no more. If you will bee good Scholars, and profite well in the Arte of Musicke, shutte your Fidels in their cases, and looke vp to heauen: the order of the Spheres, the vnfallible motion of the Planets, the iuste course of the yeere, and varietie of seasons, the concorde of the Elementes and their qualyties, Fyre, Water, Ayre, Earth, Heate, Colde, Moysture and Drought concurring togeather to the constitution of earthly bodies and sustenance of euery creature.
Poetrie and pyping, haue allwaies bene so vnited togither, that til the time of Melanippides, Pipers were Poets Plutarch. Compare Sidney's situation with that of see note 3 on the web page , and with the situation of see note 1 about the dedicatory poem. Sundayes at least euery weeke, and all that is doone is good for Augustus, to busy the wittes of his people, for running a woolgathering, and emptie their purses for thriuing to fast. But if they that are in authoritie, and haue the sworde in their handes to cut off abuses, shoulde call an accompt to see how many Chirons, Terpandri, and Homers are heere, they might cast the summe without pen, or counters, and sit downe with Racha, to weepe for her Children, because they were not. Poetry and piping, have always been so united together, that till the time of Melanippides , Pipers were Poets hirelings. But these by the privy entries of the ear, slip down into the heart and with gunshot of affection gull the mind where Reason and Virtue should rule the roost.
The Antitheatrical Criticism of Stephen Gosson, Literature Compass
But he was quickly involved in a bitter controversy. Sidney also attends to the rhetorical concept of memory. Geese are foolish birdes, yet when they flye ouer the mount Taurus, they shew greate wisedome in their own defence: for they stop their pipes full of grauel to auoide gagling, and so by silence escape the Eagles. A bad excuse is better, they say then none at all. The first of these, The Schoole of Abuse , was printed in 1579, went into a second edition in the same year, and was reissued in 1587. The meane must labor to serue the mightie, the mightie must studye to defende the meane. Maximus Tyrius holdeth it for a Maxime that the bringing of instruments to Theaters and plaies, was the first cup that poisoned the commen wealth.
The Antitheatrical Criticism of Stephen Gosson, Literature Compass
The essence of his defense is that poetry, by combining the liveliness of with the focus of , is more effective than either history or philosophy in rousing its readers to virtue. For a view of an emblem book in both the original Latin and an English translation, click. I set not this downe too condemne the giftes of versifying, daunsing Qualities allowed in women. I will remove the concerned picture immediately upon notification. The Scarabe flies ouer many a sweete flower, and lightes in a cowshard : It is the custome of the flye to leaue the sound places of the Horse, and suck at the Botch: The nature of Colloquintida, to draw the worst humours too it selfe : The maner of swine, to forsake the fayre fieldes, and wallow in the myre : And the whole practise of Poets, eyther with fables to shew theyr abuses, or with plaine tearmes to vnfolde theyr mischiefe, discouer theyr shame, discredit them selues, and disperse their poyson through all the worlde. But as they bake, many times so they brue: Selfe doe, selfe haue, they whette their Swoords against themselues, pull the house on their owne heds, returne home by weeping Crosse, and fewe of them come to an honest ende. They that are borne in Seriphos, and cockered continually in those Islandes, where they see nothing but Foxes and Hares, wil neuer be persuaded that there are huger beastes: They that neuer went out of the champions in Brabant, will hardly conceiue what rockes are in Germany.
