VNCOVTHE UNCOUTHE VNKISTEUNKISTE, Sayde the olde famous Poete Chaucer: vvhomwhom for his excellencie and vvonderfullwonderfull skil in making, his scholler Lidgate, a vvorthyworthy scholler of so excellent a maister, calleth the Loadestarre of our Language: and vvhomwhom our in his Æglogue calleth Tityrus the God of shepheards, comparing hym to the worthines of the Roman Tityrus Virgile. VVhichWhich prouerbeproverbe, myne owne good friend 7. Ma.: Master7. Mr: MasterMa.Mr HarueyHarvey, as in that good old Poete it seruedserved vvellwell Pandares purpose, for the bolstering of his baudy brocage, so very vvellwell taketh place in this our nevvnew Poete, vvhowho for that he is vncoutheuncouthe (as said Chaucer) is vnkistunkist, and vnknownunknown to most mẽmen, is regarded but of fevvfew. But I dout not, so soone as his name shall come into the knovvledgknowledg of men, and his vvorthinesworthines be sounded in the tromp of fame, but that he shall be not onely kiste, but also belouedbeloved of all, embraced of the most, and vvondredwondred at of the best. No lesse I thinke, deseruethdeserveth his vvittinessewittinesse in deuisingdevising, his pithinesse in vtteringuttering, his complaints of louelove so louelylovely, his discourses of pleasure so pleasantly, his pastorall rudenesse, his morall vvisenessewisenesse, his devvedewe obseruingobserving of Decorum eueryeeverye vvherewhere, in personages, in seasons, in matter, in speach, and generally in al seemely simplycitie of handeling his matter, and framing his vvordswords: the vvhichwhich of many thinges which in him be straunge, I knovvknow vvillwill seeme the straungest, the vvordswords them seluesselves being so auncient, the knitting of them so short and intricate, and the vvholewhole Periode &and compassecompaste of speache so delightsome for the roundnesse, and so grauegrave for the straungenesse. And firste of the vvordeswordes to speake, I graunt they be something hard, and of most men vnusedunused, yet both English, and also vsedused of most excellent Authors and most famous Poetes. In vvhomwhom vvhenaswhenas this our Poet hath bene much traueiledtraveiled and throughly redd, hovvhow could it be, (as that vvorthyworthy Oratour sayde) but that vvalkingwalking in the sonne although for other cause he vvalkedwalked, yet needes he mought be sunburnt; and hauinghaving the sound of those auncient Poetes still ringing in his eares, he mought needes in singing hit out some of theyr tunes. But whether he vsethuseth them by such casualtye and custome, or of set purpose and choyse, as thinking them fittest for such rusticall rudenesse of shepheards, eyther for that theyr rough sounde vvouldwould make his rymes more ragged and rustical, or els because such olde and obsolete wordes are most vsedused of country folke, sure I think, and think I think not amisse, that they bring great grace and, as one vvouldwould say, auctoritie to the verse. For albe amongst many other faultes it specially be obiectedobjected of Valla against LiuieLivie, and of other against Saluste, that vvithwith ouerover much studie they affect antiquitie, as couetingcoveting thereby credence and honor of elder yeeres, yet I am of opinion, and eke the best learned are of the lyke, that those auncient solemne wordes are a great ornament both in the one &and in the other; the one labouring to set forth in hys worke an eternall image of antiquitie, and the other carefully discoursing matters of grauitiegravitie and importaunce. For if my memory fayle not, Tullie in that booke, vvhereinwherein he endeuourethendevoureth to set forth the paterne of a perfect Oratour, sayth that ofttimes an auncient worde maketh the style seeme grauegrave, and as it were reuerendreverend: no otherwise 48. then: thanthenthan vvewe honour and reuerencereverence gray heares for a certein religious regard, which we hauehave of old age. yetYet nether eueryevery where must old words be stuffed in, nor the commen Dialecte and maner of speaking so corrupted therby, that as in old buildings it seme disorderly &and ruinous. But all as in most exquisite pictures they vseuse to blaze and portraict not onely the daintie lineaments of beautye, but also rounde about it to shadow the rude thickets and craggy clifts, that by the basenesse of such parts, more excellency may accrew to the principall; for oftimes we fynde ourseluesourselves, I knowe not hovvhow, singularly delighted with the shewe of such naturall rudenesse, and take great pleasure in that disorderly order. EuenEven so doe those rough and harsh termes enlumine and make more clearly to appeare the brightnesse of brauebrave &and glorious vvordswords. So ofentimes a dischorde in Musick maketh a comely concordaunce: so great delight tooke the worthy Poete Alceus to behold a blemish in the ioyntjoynt of a wel shaped body. But if any vvillwill rashly blame such his purpose in choyse of old and vnvvontedvnwontedunwonted vvordswords, him may I more iustlyjustly blame and condemne, or of vvitlessewitlesse headinesse in iudgingjudging, or of heedelesse hardinesse in condemning. forFor not marking the compasse of hys bent, he vvilwil iudgejudge of the length of his cast. Forfor in my opinion it is one special prayse, of many vvhychwhych are dew to this Poete, that he hath laboured to restore, as to theyr rightfull heritage such good and naturall English words, as hauehave ben long time out of vseuse ufe &and almost cleare disherited. VVhichWhich is the onely cause, that our Mother tonge, which truely of it self is both ful enough for prose &and stately enough for verse, hath long time ben coũtedcounted most bare &and barrein of both. whichWhich default when as some endeuouredendevoured to saluesalve &and recure, they patched vpup the holes with peces &and rags of other languages, borrowing here of the french, there of the Italian, eueryevery where of the Latine, not vveighingweighing hovvhow il, those tongues accorde vvithwith themseluesthemselves, but much vvorseworse vvithwith ours: So now they hauehave made our English tongue, a gallimaufray or hodgepodge of al other speches. Other some notno so wel seeneſemeſeene in the English tonge as perhaps in other languages, if theythẽthenthey happen to here an olde vvordword albeit very naturall and significant, crye out streight way, that we speak no English, but gibbrish, or rather such, as in old time EuãdersEuandersEvãdersEvanders mother spake. vvhosewhoseVVhoseWhose first[fi]t[ſt]fir[ſt] shame is, that they are not ashamed, in their own mother tonge straungers to be counted and alienes. The second shame no lesse 84. then: thanthenthan the first, that what so they vnderstandunderstand not, they streight vvayway deeme to be sencelesse, and not at al to be vnderstode.understode. Much like to the Mole in Æsopes fable, that being blynd her selfe, vvouldwould in noinno wise be perswaded, that any beast could see. The last more shameful 88. then: thanthenthan both, that of their ovvneowne country and natural speach, vvhichwhich together vvithwith their Nources milk they sucked, they hauehave so base regard and bastard iudgementjudgement, that they vvillwill not onely themseluesthemselves not labor to garnish &and beautifie it, but also repine, that of other it shold be embellished. Like to the dogge in the maunger, that him selfe can eate no hay, and yet barketh at the hungry bullock, that so faine vvouldwould feede: vvhosewhose currish kind though cannot be kept from barking, yet I conne them thanke that they refrain from byting.

NovvNow as touching the generall dryft and purpose of his Æglogues, I mind not to say much, him selfe labouring to conceale it. Onely this appeareth, that his vnstayedunstayed yougth had long vvandredwandred in the common Labyrinth of LoueLove, in vvhichwhich time to mitigate and allay the heate of his passion, or els to vvarnewarne (as he sayth) the young shepheards .s. his equalls and companions of his vnfortunateunfortunate folly, he compiled these xij.xii. Æglogues, vvhichwhich for that they be proportioned to the state of the xij.xii. monethes, he termeth the SHEPHEARDS CALENDAR, applying an olde name to a nevvnew vvorkeworke. Hereunto hauehave I added a certain Glosse or scholion for thexpositionth’exposition of old vvordeswordes &and harder phrases: vvhichwhich maner of glosing and commenting, vvellwell I vvotewote, vvilwil seeme straunge &and rare in our tongue: yet for somuch as I knew many excellent &and proper deuisesdevises both in wordes and matter vvouldwould passe in the speedy course of reading, either as vnknovvenvnknowenunknowen, or as not marked, and that in this kind, as in other vvewe might be equal to the learned of other nations, I thought good to take the paines vponupon me, the rather for that by meanes of some familiar acquaintaunce I vvaswas made priuieprivie to his counsell and secret meaning in them, as also in sundry other vvorksworks of his. vvhichwhichVVhichWhich albeit I knovvknow he nothing so much hateth, as to promulgate, yet thus much hauehave I aduenturedadventured vponupon his frendship, him selfe being for long time furre estraunged, hoping that this vvillwill the rather occasion him, to put forth diuersdivers other excellent vvorksworks of his, vvhichwhich slepe in silence, as his Dreames, his Legendes, his Court of Cupide, and sondry others; vvhosewhose commendations to set out, vverewere verye vayne; the thinges though vvorthyworthy of many, yet being knowen to few. These my present paynes if to any they be pleasurable or profitable, be you iudgejudge, mine ovvnown good Maister HarueyHarvey, to vvhomwhom I hauehave both in respect of your vvorthinesseworthinesse generally, and othervvyseotherwyse vponupon some particular &and special considerationscouſiderationsconſiderationsconſiderations, voued this my labour, and the maydenhead of this our commen frends Poetrie, himselfe hauinghaving already in the beginning dedicated it to the Noble and vvorthyworthy Gentleman, the right worshipfull 167. Ma.: Master167. Mr: MasterMa.Mr Phi. Sidney, a special fauourerfavourer &and maintainer of all kind of learning.learning.) VVhoseWhose cause I pray you Sir, yf EnuieEnvie shall stur vpup any wrongful accusasion, defend vvithwith your mighty Rhetorick &and other your rare gifts of learning, as you can, &and shield with your good vvilwil, as you ought, against the malice and outrage of so many enemies, as I knovvknow vvilbewilbe set on fire with the sparks of his kindled glory. And thus recõmendingrecommending the Author vntounto you, as vntounto his most special good frend, and my selfe vntounto you both, as one making singuler account of tvvotwo so very good and so choise frends, I bid you both most hartely farvvelfarwel, and commit you &and your most commendable studies to the tuicion of the greatest.

NOvvovvOwow I trust 181. M.: Master181. Mr: MasterM.Mr HarueyHarvey, that vponupon sight of your speciall frends and fellow Poets doings, or els for enuieenvie of so many vnworthyunworthy Quidams, vvhichwhich catch at the garlond, vvhichwhich to you alone is devvedewe, you vvillwill be persvvadedperswaded to pluck out of the hateful darknesse, those so many excellent English poemes of yours, vvhichwhich lye hid, and bring thẽthem forth to eternall light. Trust me you doe both them great wrong, in depriuingdepriving them of the desired sonne, and also your selfe, in smoothering your deserueddeserved prayses, and all men generally, in withholding from them so diuinedivine pleasures, which they might conceiueconceive of your gallant English verses, as they hauehave already doen of your Latine Poemes, which in my opinion both for inuentioninvention and Elocutionaud Elocutionand Elocutiōan Elocu-| tionand elocutionand elocution, are very delicate, and superexcellent. And thus againe, I take my leaueleave of my good Mayster Haruey.Harvey. fromFrom my lodging at London thys 10. of Aprill. 1579.