interludes, to receate the people with matters of disporte, and to that
intent did set forth in shewes pageants, accompanied with speach the
common behauiours and maner of life of priuate persons, and such as were
the meaner sort of men, and they were called _Comicall_ Poets, of whom
among the Greekes _Menander_ and _Aristophanes_ were most excellent, with
the Latines _Terence_ and _Plautus_. Besides those Poets _Comick_ there
were other who serued also the stage, but medled not with so base matters:
For they set forth the dolefull falles of infortunate & afflicted Princes,
& were called Poets _Tragicall_. Such were _Euripides_ and _Sophocles_
with the Greeks, _Seneca_ among the Latines. There were yet others who
mounted nothing so high as any of them both, but in base and humble stile
by maner of Dialogue, vttered the priuate and familiar talke of the
meanest sort of men, as shepheards, heywards and suchlike, such was among
the Greekes _Theocritus_: and _Virgill_ among the Latines, their poemes
were named _Eglogues_ or shepheardly talke. There was yet another kind of
Poet, who intended to taxe the common abuses and vice of the people in
rough and bitter speaches, and their inuectiues were called _Satyres_, and
them selues _Satyricques_. Such were _Lucilius_, _Iuuenall_ and _Persius_
among the Latines, & with vs he that wrote the booke called Piers plowman.
Others of a more fine and pleasant head were giuen wholly to taunting and
scoffing at vndecent things, and in short poemes vttered pretie merry
conceits, and these men were called _Epigrammatistes_. There were others
that for the peoples good instruction, and triall of their owne witts vsed
in places of great assembly, to say by rote nombers of short and
sententious meetres, very pithie and of good edification, and thereupon
were called Poets _Mimistes_: as who would say, imitable and meet to be
followed for their wise and graue lessons. There was another kind of
poeme, inuented onely to make sport, & to refresh the company with a maner
of buffonry or counterfaiting of merry speaches, conuerting all that which
they had hard spoken before, to a certaine derision by a quite contrary