The excellencie of the English tongue: Richard Carew compares Shakespeare and Marlowe to Catullus

[This transcription is pending final vetting]
[Image 1: fol. 267r]
[Marginalia in the left hand margin]

Of Latin
the French (line 2)

defects. of othe[r]
tongues (line 6)

All sortes of
    Verses. (line 24)

Sweetenes. (line 28)

Compared with
    Others. (line 31)

[To be inserted in text at the plus-mark in line 7]
+ Neither Porcus, Capo, Verver, a ^^Bawde Hogg, Cappon, a wether,
as Cuincuius, noteth ad Tit. de vert. signif.

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Diuers wordes alsoe wee deriue out of the Latyne at second hand by the
French, and make good English though both Latyne and French, haue their
handes Closed in that behalfe, as verbs, Praye, Pointe, Paze, Prest Kent, &c.
and alsoe in the aduerbes Carpingly:) Currantly: actiuely, Colourably &c.
Againe in other languages there fall out defects while they want meanes to
deliuer that which an nother tongue expresseth as (by Ciceroes obseruation) you
cannot interpret ineptus (vnapt vnfitt, vntoward, in Greek ^⁺ noe more cann
you, to stand, in ffrench, to Tye in Cornish, nor Knaue in Latyne, for Nebulo is a Clo=
wdye fellow, or in Irishe, whereas you see our abillitye extendeth therevnto. Moreouer ye
Copiousnes of our languadge appeareth in the diuersitye) of our dialectes, for wee haue
Court, and wee haue Countrye Englishe, wee haue Northern, & Southerne, grosse and
ordinary, which differeth, from other, not only in the terminacions, but alsoe in many
words termes and Phrases, and expresse the same thinges in diuers sortes yeat
all right Englishe alike, neither Cann any tongue (as I am perswaded) diliuer a matter
with more varietye then ours, both plainely and by p^rouerbes and Metaphors, for exam=
ple when wee would be rid of one, wee vse to saye, Bee going, trudge, pack, be faring,
hence awaye, shifte, and by circumlocution, rather your roome then your companye,
Letts see your backe, Com againe when I bid you, when you are called, sent for,
intreated, willed disiered invited, spare vs your place, another in your steede,
a shipp of salte for you, saue your Credite, you are next the doore, the doore is open
for you, thers noe bodye holdes you, ^ teares your slew &c. Likewise this worde fortis
wee maye Synnonomize. after all these fashions, stout, hardye, valiaunt, orpad,
stockworth, doughtye Couragious, stomecked, aduenturous &c.
And in a worde to close vp these p\r/ooffes of our Copiousnes, looke into our Imitacione of
All sortes of verses affovrded, by any other Languadge, and you shall finde that Sir
Phillip Sydney, Mr Stanihurst, ad diuers moe, haue made vse s.., how farre wee are
within compasse of a fore imagined impossibility in that behalff.
I com nowe to the last and sweetest point, of the sweetnes of our tongue. Which shall appeare
the more plainelye, yf like towe Turkeyes, or the London Drapers wee match it with
our neighboures. The Italyan is pleasante but without synewes, as ^to to stillye ^fleeting water, The
French, delicate but ouer nice as a woman scarce daring to open her lipps for feare of
marring her Countenaunce, The Spanishe maiesticall, but fullsome, runninge to much
on the .O. and terrible like the deuill in a playe, The Dutch. manlike but withall
very harshe, as one ready at euery worde to picke a quarrell. Now wee in borrowing

[Image 2: fol. 267v]

[Marginalia in left hand margin]
Mixture (line 7)
Verse & Prose (line 12)

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from them, geue the strength of Consonantes to the Italyan, the full sounde of <…>
wordes to the ffrench, the varietye of terminacions to the Spanish, and ye mollifieinge
of more vowells to the Dutch, And soe (like bees) gather the honye of their good
properteis and leaue the dregges to themselfes, And thus, when substantiallnes
Combyneth with delightfullnes, fullnes, with fynes, seemelynes with portlynes, and
Courrantnes with staydnes, howe canne the languadge which consisteth of all
these, sounde other then most full of sweetnes. Againe the Longe wordes that
wee borrowe, being intermingled with the shorte of our owne store, make vp a profitt
harmonye, by culling from out which mixture (with Judgment) you maye frame your
speech according to the matter you must worke on, maiesticall, pleasaunte, delicate,
or manly, more or lesse, in what sorte you please: Adde therevnto, that What soeuer
grace any other languadge carryeth, in Verse, or Prose, in Tropes, or Metaphors, in
Ecchoes or Agnominations, they maye all be liuely and exactly rep^resented in ours, will
you haue Platos vayne? reede Sir Thomas Smith, The Ioinick? Sir Tho: Moor, Ciceros?
Aschame, Tacitus? Stanihurst, Varre? Chaucer. Demosthenes, Sir John Cheekes (who
in his treatise to the Rebells, hath Comprised all the figures of Rhetorick will
you reade Virgill? take the Earell of Surrey. Catullus? Shakespheare, and Barlowes
fragment. Ouid? Daniell, Lucane? Spencer, _^^{Martiall, Sir John Dauis and others,} will you haue
all in all for Prose & Verse?
take the mirab_^^cle of our agg adge Sir Philip Sydney.
And thuse, if myne owne Eyes be not blinded by affection I haue made yours to see,
that the most renowned of other nations haue laied up, as in Treasure, and entrusted
the Diuios orbe Britannos, with the rarest Jewelles of their lipps perfections,
whither you respect the vnderstanding for significancye, or the memorye for
Easynes, or the Conceipt for plentifullnes, or the Eare for pleasauntnes, wher=
in if inough bee deliuered, to add more then Inough, weare superfluous, if to
little, I haue it to be supplied by better stored Capacityes, if ought
amisse, I submitte the same to the disciplyne of euery able and Impartiall
Censurer.