foote of two sillables, wherof the first is depressed or made short, & the second
is elevate or made long: and that sound or scanning contineuth throughout the
verse. We have used in times past other kindes of Meeters: as for example this
following:

No wight in this world, that wealth can attayne.
Ùnlésse hè bèléve, thàt áll ìs bùt váyne.

Also our father Chaucer hath used the same libertie in feete and measures that
the Latinists do use: and who so ever do peruse and well consider his workes, he
shall finde that although his lines are not alwayes of one selfe same number of
Syllables, yet beyng redde by one that hath understanding, the longest verse
and that which hath most Syllables in it, wil fall (to the eare) correspondent unto
that whiche hath fewest sillables in it: and likwise that whiche hath in it fewest
syllables, shalbe founde yet to consist of woordes that have suche naturall sounde,
as may seeme equall in length to a verse which hath many moe sillables of lighter
accentes. And surely I can lament that wee are fallen into suche a playne and
simple manner of wryting, that there is none other foote used but one: wherby
our Poemes may justly be called Rithmes, and cannot by any right challenge
the name of a Verse.

Gascoigne here is lamenting that the progress of humanism has
restricted the freedom of English verse. Although, as a matter
of fact, the practice was not in accord with the theory, yet the
theory is significant, especially for the development of blank-
verse. The origin of this has been discussed elsewhere. ¹ It is
Surrey's treatment of the measure that is the problem here.

The difficulty consists in the fact that during the first half of the
century two distinct theories of versification were advocated, and
the practice was a compromise between them. In the rimed verse
the Medieval Latin theory is certainly perceptible; the confusion
arises in the unrimed verse,--where we with our intensive knowl-
edge of the classics expect a quantitative value. To clear the issue,
take first the unrimed translation of the Fifty-fifth Psalm, the
Fifty-fourth of the Vulgate. Forty-one lines in the English follow
fairly literally the Latin of the Vulgate. Then follows an inter-
polation entirely original.

friowr whose harme and tounge presents the wicked sort
of those false wolves with cootes which doo their ravin hyde
that sweare to me by heauen the fotestole of the lord
who though force had hurt my fame they did not touch my lyfe
such patching care I lothe as feeds the welth with lyes

-532-