_CHAP. VI_.

_How the riming Poesie came first to the Grecians and Latines, and had
altered and almost split their maner of Poesie_.


But it came to passe, when fortune fled farre from the Greekes and
Latines, & that their townes florished no more in traficke, nor their
Vniuersities in learning as they had done continuing those Monarchies: the
barbarous conquerers inuading them with innumerable swarmes of strange
nations, the Poesie metricall of the Grecians and Latines came to be much
corrupted and altered, in so much as there were times that the very
Greekes and Latines themselues tooke pleasure in Riming verses, and vsed
it as a rare and gallant thing: Yea their Oratours proses nor the Doctors
Sermons were acceptable to Princes nor yet to the common people vnlesse it
went in manner of tunable rime or metricall sentences, as appeares by many
of the auncient writers, about that time and since. And the great Princes,
and Popes, and Sultans would one salute and greet an other sometime in
frendship and sport, sometime in earnest and enmitie by ryming verses, &
nothing seemed clerkly done, but must be done in ryme: Whereof we finde
diuers examples from the time of th'Emperours Gracian & Valentinian
downwardes; For then aboutes began the declination of the Romain Empire,
by the notable inundations of the _Hunnes_ and _Vandalles_ in Europe,
vnder the conduict of _Totila_ & _Atila_ and other their generalles. This
brought the ryming Poesie in grace, and made it preuaile in Italie and
Greece (their owne long time cast aside, and almost neglected) till after
many yeares that the peace of Italie and of th'Empire Occidentall reuiued
new clerkes, who recouering and perusing the bookes and studies of the
ciuiler ages, restored all maner of arts, and that of the Greeke and
Latine Poesie withall into their former puritie and netnes. Which