to carpe at the common abuses, such as were most offensiue to the publique
and priuate, for as yet for lacke of good ciuility and wholesome
doctrines, there was greater store of lewde lourdaines then of wife and
learned Lords, or of noble and vertuous Princes and gouernours. So as next
after the honours exhibited to their gods, the Poets finding in man
generally much to reproue & litle to praise, made certaine poems in plaine
meetres, more like to sermons or preachings then otherwise, and when the
people were assembled togither in those hallowed places dedicate to their
gods, because they had yet no large halles or places of conuenticle, nor
had any other correction of their faults, but such as rested onely in
rebukes of wife and graue men, such as at these dayes make the people
ashamed rather then afeard, the said auncient Poets used for that purpose,
three kinds of poems reprehensiue, to wit, the _Satyre_, the _Comedie_, &
the _Tragedie:_ and the first and most bitter inuectiue against vice and
vicious men, was the _Satyre_: which to th'intent their bitternesse should
breede none ill will, either to the Poets, or to the recitours, (which
could not haue bene chosen if they had bene openly knowen) and besides to
make their admonitions and reproofs seeme grauer and of more efficacie,
they made wife as if the gods of the woods, whom they called _Satyres_ or
_Silvanes_, should appeare and recite those verses of rebuke, whereas
in deede they were but disguised persons vnder the shape of _Satyres_ as
who would say, these terrene and base gods being conuersant with mans
affaires, and spiers out of all their secret faults: had some great care
ouer man, & desired by good admonitions to reforme the euill of their
life, and to bring the bad to amendment by those kinde of preachings,
whereupon the Poets inuentours of the deuise were called _Satyristes_.