The Works of Edmund Spenser/The Shepheards Calender/Generall Argument
THE
GENERALL ARGUMENT
OF THE
WHOLE BOOKE.
Little, I hope, needeth me at large to discourse the first originall of aeglogues, having alreadie touched the same. But, for the worde aeglogues I know is unknowen to most, and also mistaken of some of the best learned (as they thinke), I will say somewhat thereof, beeing not at all impertinent to my present purpose.
They were first of the Greekes, the inventours of them, called aeglogai, as it were aegon, or aeginomon logi, that is, goteheardes tales. For although in Virgil and others the speakers be more shepheards than goatheards, yet Theocritus, in whom is more ground of authoritie than in Virgil, this specially from that deriving, as from the first heade and wellspring, the whole invention of these Aeglogues, maketh goateheards the persons and authors of his tales. This being, who seeth not the grossnesse of such as by colour of learning would make us beleeve, that they are more rightly termed eclogai, as they would say, extraordinarie discourses of unnecessarie matter: which definition albe in substance and meaning it agree with the nature of the thing, yet no whit answereth with the analysis and interpretation of the worde. For they be not tearmed eclogues, but aeglogues; which sentence this author verie well observing, upon good iudgement, though indeede fewe goateheards have to doe herein, neverthelesse doubteth not to call them by the used and best knowen name. Other curious discourses hereof I reserve to greater occasion.
These twelve aeglogues, every where aunswering to the seasons of the twelve moneths, may be well divided into three formes or rankes. For either they be plaintive, as the first, the sixt, the eleventh, and the twelfth; or recreative, such as all those bee, which containe matter of love, or commendation of speciall personages; or morall, which for the most part be mixed with some satyricall bitternesse; namely, the second, of reverence due to olde age; the fift, of coloured deceyte; the seventh and ninth, of dissolute shepheards and pastors; the tenth, of contempt of poetrie and pleasant wittes. And to this division may everie thing herein bee reasonably applyed; a few onelie except, whose speciall purpose and meaning I am not privie to. And thus much generally of these twelve aeglogues. Now will we speake particularlie of all, and first of the first, which hee calleth by the first monethes name, Ianuarie: wherein to some he may seems fouly to have faulted, in that he erroniously beginneth with that moneth, which beginneth not the yeare. For it is well knowne, and stoutlie maintained with strong reasons of the learned, that the yeare beginneth in March; for then the sunne renueth his finished course, and the seasonable spring refresheth the earth, and the pleasaunce thereof, being buried in the sadnesse of the dead winter now worne away, reliveth.
This opinion maintains the olde astrologers and philosophers, namely, the Reverend Andalo, and Macrobius in his Holy Dayes of Saturne; which account also was generally observed both of Grecians and Romans. But, saving the leave of such learned heades, wee maintaine a custome of counting the seasons from the moneth Ianuarie, uppon a more speciall cause then the heathen phylosophers ever could conceyve, that is, for the incarnation of our mightie Saviour, and eternall Redeemer, the Lorde Christ, who as then renewing the state of the decayed worlde, and returning the compasse of expyred yeares to theyr former date and first commencement, left to us his heyres a memoriall of his byrth in the end of the last yeare and beginning of the next. Which reckoning, beside that eternal monument of our salvation, leaneth also upon good proofe of speciall iudgement.
For albeit that in elder tymes, when as yet the count of the yeare was not perfected, as afterward it was by Iulius Cæsar, they began to tell the Monethes from Marches beginning, and according to the same God (as is sayde in Scripture) commaunded the people of the Iewes, to count the moneth Abib, that which wee call March, for the first moneth, in remembraunce that in that moneth hee brought them out of the lande of Aegypt: yet, according to tradition of latter times it hath been otherwise observed, both in government of the church and rule of mightiest realmes. For from Iulius Cæsar who first observed the leape yeare, which he called Bissextilem Annum, and brought into a more certaine course the odde wandring dayes which of the Greekes were called Hyperbainontes, of the Romans Intercalares, (for in such matter of learning I am forced to use the tearmes of the learned,) the moneths have beene numbred twelve, which in the first ordinance of Romulus were but ten, counting but 304 dayes in everie yeare, and beginning with March. But Numa Pompilius, who was the father of al the Romane ceremonies and religion, seeing that reckoning to agree neither with the course of the sunne nor the moone, thereunto added two moneths, Ianuarie and Februarie; wherin it seemeth, that wise king minded upon good reason to begin the yeare at Ianuarie, of him therefore so called tanqnam Ianua anni, the gate and enteraunce of the yeare; or of the name of the god Ianus, to which god for that the olde paynims attributed the birth and beginning of all creatures new comming into the world, it seemeth that he therefore to him assigned the beginning and first entrance of the yeare. Which account for the most part hath hitherto continued: notwithstanding that the Egyptians beginne their yeare at September; for that, according to the opinion of the best rabbines and verie purpose of the Scripture itselfe, God made the worlde in that moneth, that is called of them Tisri. And therefore he commanded them to keepe the feast of pavilions in the ende of the yeare, in the XV. day of the seventh moneth, which before that time was the first.
But our author respecting neither the subtiltie of the one part, nor the antiquitie of the other, thinketh it fittest, according to the simplicitie of common understanding, to begin with Ianuarie; weening it perhaps no decorum that shepheards should be seene in matter of so deep insight, or canvase a case of so doubtful iudgement. So therefore beginneth he, and so continueth he throughout.