before, we can readily believe that he is not mistaken; for the truth is, that the Defense of Poesy has formed the staple of all the 'thousand and one' dissertations on that art, with which our magazines and reviews have teemed during the last twenty years."

ANALYSIS.

Introduction. Anecdote of Pugliano, and transition to subject proper,

11-2 17.

I. Poetry the earliest of teachers, 2 18-5 7.

A. Philosophy a borrower from poetry, 3 16-4 4.

B. History a borrower from poetry, 45–15.

C. The rudest and most untutored nations not without poetry, 4 16-5 7.

II. Honorable names bestowed upon the poet, 5 8-9 5.

A. The Romans called him a prophet or seer, 5 12—6 2.

B. David should accordingly be ranked as a poet, 63-26.
C. The Greeks called the poet a maker, 6 27-33.

D. This title rightfully belongs to him, 6 33-9 5.

I. Other arts are cherished as the handmaids of nature and compendiums of the rules she observes, 6 33-7 25.

2. The poet creates a second nature, devising it after an archetypal pattern in his mind, 7 26-9 5.

a. He creates the external world anew, 7 34–8 4.

b. He creates man anew,

85-25.

c. His relation to the Heavenly Maker, 8 25-9 5.

III. The definition and divisions of poetry, 9 6-11 31.

A. Definition, 9 12-16.

B. First division: Hymns and Religious Odes, Hebrew and ethnic, 917-33.

C. Second division: Didactic Poetry, 9 34-10 5.

D. Third division: Creative Poetry, or Poetry in the strictest and truest sense, 10 6-35.

E. Subdivisions of poetry, 11 1–4.

F. Verse not essential to poetry, 11 4–25.

G. Verse the fittest raiment of poetry, 11 25-31.

IV. Creative Poetry examined with reference to its rank and virtue,

11 32-31 17.

A. Creative Poetry in general as the guide and inspiration to the supreme end of earthly learning, virtuous action, 11 32-26 11. 1. The Chief or Architectonic Science, and its relation to the subordinate sciences, 12 1-13 5.

2. Consideration of the claims of the three principal competitors for the title of Architectonic Science, namely, (Moral) Philosophy, History, and Poetry, and award of the preeminence to Poetry, 13 6—26 11.

a. Pretensions of Philosophy, 13 6–26.

b. Pretensions of History, 13 27—14 23.

c. Poetry confessedly inferior to Divinity, but far superior to Law, both of which may therefore be eliminated from the discussion, 14 24-15 14.

d. Philosophy has only the precept, History only the ex-
ample, 15 15-30.

e. Poetry superior to Philosophy, since it embodies the
philosopher's precept in an example, the abstract
principle in a concrete illustration, 15 31-16 22.
f. Examples from secular poets, 16 23-17 31, and from
the parables of Christ, 17 32-18 10, of the power
of Poetry as compared with that of Philosophy,
16 23-18 10.

g. Philosophy abstruse, Poetry intelligible to all, 18 11–19.
h. Poetry more philosophical than History, because more
universal in its content, 18 20-19 2.

i. Record of fact to be distinguished from guidance of life, 193-7.

j. The heroes of History, unlike those of Poetry, cannot be accepted as models, 19 18-20 7.

k. The tales imagined by Poetry are no less instructive than those related by History, are indeed more effective, 20 8-28.

7. Poetry shapes the raw material furnished by History, 20 29-21 3.

m. Poetry, not History, is the due rewarder of virtue and punisher of vice, 21,4-22 6.

n. Poetry, unlike History, and especially Philosophy, not only instructs, but stimulates and impels, providing incentives to learning as well as the learning itself, 22 7-25 2.

0. Two examples of the powerful effects produced by poetically devised tales, 25 3-26 2.

p. Poetry is therefore the noblest of all secular learnings, 26 3-11.

B. The subdivisions of Creative Poetry with reference to their several virtues, 26 12—31 17.

1. Mixed species may be disregarded, 26 19–30.

2. The pastoral, 26 31-27 11.

3. The elegiac, 27 12-18.

4. The iambic, 27 19-21.

5. The satiric, 27 22-30.
6. Comedy, 27 31-28 24.
7. Tragedy, 28 25-29 13.
8. The lyric, 29 14–30 11.

9. The epic, 30 12-31 17.

V. First Summary, of arguments adduced, 31 18-32 7.

VI. Objections against Poetry, and refutation of them, 32 8-44 2.
A. Minor considerations, 32 14–34 23.

1. Sophistical tricks to obscure the point at issue, 32 14-33 9.
2. Reply to the objections brought against rime and metre,

33 10-34 23.

a. Rime and metre the musical framework of perfect

speech, 33 16-24.

b. Rime and metre the best aids to memory, 33 28-34 23. B. The cardinal objections and the answers to each, 34 24-44 2.

1. The four objections, 34 24-35 8.

a. Other knowledges more fruitful, 34 26–29.

b. Poetry the parent of lies, 34 30.

c. Poetry the nurse of abuse, 34 31-35 4.

d. Plato condemned poetry, 35 5-8.

2. The objections answered, 35 9-44 2.

a. Refutation of first. Previous proof adduced, 35 9–20.
b. Refutation of second. Impossibility demonstrated,

35 21-37 7.

c. Refutation of third, 37 8-40 32.

aa. Abuse no argument against right use, 37 8-28.
bb. Poetry not incompatible with action and martial
courage, 37 29-40 32.

d. Refutation of fourth, 40 33–44 2.

aa. Sidney's reverence for Plato, 40 33-41 4.

bb. As a philosopher, Plato might be thought a natural enemy of poets, 41 5-26.

cc. The morals he taught by no means superior to those inculcated by the poets, 41 26-42 3.

dd. But Plato meant to condemn only the abuse of poetry, not the thing itself, 42 3-10.

ee. Plato would have had a purer religion taught, but this objection has been removed by the advent of Christianity, 42 10-43 1.

ff. Plato goes further than Sidney himself, in making poetry depend on a divine inspiration, 43 1-15. gg. The multitude of great men, Socrates and Aristotle included, who have countenanced poetry, 43 16-44 2.

VII. Second Summary, of objections refuted, 44 3–13.

VIII. The state of English poetry, 44 14-55 20.

A. Poetry, anciently and latterly held in estimation in other countries, and formerly even in England, is now despised,

44 14-45 20.

B. Hence only base men undertake it, 45 20-46 2.

C. Poetry not to be learned and practised as a trade, 463–47 5. D. Estimates of English poetry, with respect to matter (and composition in general), 47 6-51 32.

1. Chaucer, Sackville, Surrey, and Spenser praised with moderation, Sidney not ranking himself with poets (cf.

46 8-11, 55 6-10), 476-27.

2. Defects of the English drama, 47 28-52 10.

a. Disregards unity of place, 48 11-25.

b. Disregards unity of time, 48 26–49 18.

c. Disregards unity of action, 49 19-50 2.

d. Mingles tragedy and comedy, 50 3–22.

e. Broad farce usurps the place of comedy, 50 23-52 4. 3. The lyric, which might well sing the Divine beauty and goodness (52 12–19), is frigid and affected in celebrating human love, 52 11-32.

E. English poetry with respect to diction, 52 33-56 35.

I. Affectations in diction, 52 33—53 6.

2. Excursus upon euphuism in prose, 53 7–55 10.

a. The excessive employment of phrases and figures borrowed from the ancients, 53 10-54 4.