On many dainty passages of wit.

    Gascoine and Churchyard after them againe

In the beginning of Eliza’s raine,
Accoumpted were great Meterers many a day,
But not inspired with braue fier, had they
Liu’d but a little longer, they had seene,
Their works before them to have buried beene. 

    Graue morrall Spencer after these came on

Then whom I am perswaded there was none 80
Since the blind Bard his Iliads vp did make,
Fitter a taske like that to vndertake,
To set downe boldly, brauely to inuent,
In all high knowledge, surely excellent. 

    The noble Sidney with this last arose,

That Heroe for numbers, and for Prose. 
That throughly pac’d our language as to show,
The plenteous English hand in hand might goe
With Greek or Latine, and did first reduce
Our tongue from Lillies writing then in vse; 90
Talking of Stones, Stars, Plants, of fishes, Flyes,
Playing with words, and idle Similies,
As th’ English, Apes and very Zanies be,
Of euery thing, that they doe heare and see,
So imitating his ridiculous tricks,
They spake and writ, all like meere lunatiques. 

    Then Warner though his lines were not so trim’d,

Nor yet his Poem so exactly lim’d
And neatly ioynted, but the Criticke may
Easily reprooue him, yet thus let me say; 100
For my old friend, some passages there be
In him, which I protest haue taken me,
With almost wonder, so fine, cleere, and new
As yet they haue bin equalled by few. 

    Neat Marlow bathed in the Thespian springs

Had in him those braue translunary things,
That the first Poets had, his raptures were,
All ayre, and fire, which made his verses cleere,
For that fine madnes still he did retaine,
Which rightly should possesse a Poets braine. 110

    And surely Nashe, though he a Proser were

A branch of Lawrell yet deserues to beare,
Sharply Satirick was he, and that way
He went, since that his being, to this day
Few haue attempted, and I surely thinke
Those wordes shall hardly be set downe with inke;
Shall scorch and blast, so as his could, where he,
Would inflict vengeance, and be it said of thee,
Shakespeare, thou hadst as smooth a Comicke vaine,
Fitting the socke, and in thy naturall braine, 120
As strong conception, and as Cleere a rage,
As any one that trafiqu’d with the stage. 

    Amongst these Samuel Daniel, whom if I

May spake of, but to sensure doe denie,
Onely haue heard some wisemen him rehearse,
To be too much Historian in verse;
His rimes were smooth, his meeters well did close
But yet his maner better fitted prose: