[281] Sir Philip Sidney did not approve of this. "That same framing
of his style to an old rustic language I dare not allow, since
neither Theocritus in Greek, Virgil in Latin, nor Sannazzaro in
Italian did affect it." ("Defence of Poesy.") Ben Jonson, on the
other hand, said that Guarini "kept not decorum in making shepherds
speak as well as himself could." ("Conversations with Drummond.") I
think Sidney was right, for the poets' Arcadia is a purely ideal
world, and should be treated accordingly. But whoever looks into the
glossary appended to the "Calendar" by E.K., will be satisfied that
Spenser's object was to find unhackneyed and poetical words rather
than such as should seem more on a level with the speakers. See also
the "Epistle Dedicatory." I cannot help thinking that E.K. was
Spenser himself, with occasional interjections of Harvey. Who else
could have written such English as many passages in this Epistle?
[282] It was at Penshurst that he wrote the only specimen that has
come down to us, and bad enough it is. I have said that some of
Sidney's are pleasing.
[283] See "My Study Windows," 264 _seqq_.
[284] Of course _dillies_ and _lilies_ must be read with a slight
accentuation of the last syllable (permissible then), in order to
chime with _delice_.
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