grammar; for grammar it might have, but needs it not; being so easy
in itself, and so void of those cumbersome differences of cases,
genders, moods, and tenses; which, I think, was a piece of the tower
of Babylon's curse, that a man should be put to school to learn his
mother tongue. But for the uttering sweetly and properly the
conceit of the mind, which is the end of speech, that hath it
equally with any other tongue in the world, and is particularly
happy in compositions of two or three words together, near the
Greek, far beyond the Latin; which is one of the greatest beauties
can be in a language.

Now, {96} of versifying there are two sorts, the one ancient, the
other modern; the ancient marked the quantity of each syllable, and
according to that framed his verse; the modern, observing only
number, with some regard of the accent, the chief life of it
standeth in that like sounding of the words, which we call rhyme.
Whether of these be the more excellent, would bear many speeches;
the ancient, no doubt more fit for music, both words and time
observing quantity; and more fit lively to express divers passions,
by the low or lofty sound of the well-weighed syllable. The latter,
likewise, with his rhyme striketh a certain music to the ear; and,
in fine, since it doth delight, though by another way, it obtaineth
the same purpose; there being in either, sweetness, and wanting in
neither, majesty. Truly the English, before any vulgar language I
know, is fit for both sorts; for, for the ancient, the Italian is so
full of vowels, that it must ever be cumbered with elisions. The
Dutch so, of the other side, with consonants, that they cannot yield
the sweet sliding fit for a verse. The French, in his whole
language, hath not one word that hath his accent in the last
syllable, saving two, called antepenultima; and little more, hath