[From Samuel Daniel, The Vision of the Twelve Goddesses, 1604.]
On the dedication of the printed masque to Lucy, Countess of Bedford. Jonson had not yet produced a masque for the court, but his approach to the entertainment for King James in the previous year suggests that he was one of the chief of the party against which Daniel is directing his attack here, in defending his own understanding of the masque. John Peacock (1991), 75, 77, 80, says Daniel's comments on the modern writer's liberty to ignore the rules of the ancients, his remark that masques are play, rather than meant to profit the audience, and his attack on pretentious masque-writers are directed at Jonson. Jonson replied in the preface to Hymenaei. Joseph Loewenstein (1991), 184-5, suggests that Daniel renewed the controversy in Tethys' Festival (1610), which was 'pure anti-Jonson': Daniel's programme avoids the anti-masque and any involvement of professional performers, rejects any rules from classical models, and annotation and commentary, and resists the idea that print is an important medium for the masque.
*****************************************And though these Images haue oftentimes diuers significations, yet it being not our purpose to represent them, with all those curious and superfluous obseruations, we tooke them only to serue as Hierogliphicqs for our present intention, according to some one property that fitted our occasion, without obseruing other their misticall interpretations, wherein the Authors themselves are so irrigular & confused, as the best Mytheologers, who wil make somewhat to seem any thing, are so unfaithful to themselues, as they have left vs no certain way at all, but a tract of confusion to take our course at aduenture. And therfore owing no homage to their intricate obseruations, we were left at libertie to take no other knowledge of them, then fitted our present purpose, nor were tyed by any lawes of Heraldry to range them otherwise in their precedencies, then they fell out to stand with the nature of the matter in hand. And in these cases it may well seeme ingenerosum sapere solum ex commentariis quasi maiorum inuenta industriæ nostra viam precluserit, quasi in nobis effæta sit vis naturæ, nihil ex se parere or that there can be nothing done authenticall, vnles we obserue all the strict rules of the booke.
(sig. A4r)And thus Madame, have I briefly delivered, both the reason and manner of this Maske; as well to satisfie the desire of those who could not well note the cariage of these passages, by reason (as I sayd) the present pompe and splendor entertain'd them otherwise (as that which is most regardfull in these Shewes) wherein (by the unpartiall opinion of all the beholders Strangers and others) it was not inferiour to the best that was ever presented in Christendome. . . .
And for the captious Censurers, I regard not what they can say, who commonly can do little els but say; and if their deepe judgements ever serve them to produce any thing, they must stand on the same Stage of Censure with other men, and peradventure performe no such great wonders as they would make us believe: and I comfort my selfe in this, that in Court I know not any, (under him, who actes the greatest partes) that is not obnoxious to envie, & a sinister interpretation. And whosoever strives to shewe most wit about these Puntillos of Dreames and showes, are sure sicke of a disease they cannot hide, & would faine have the world to thinke them very deeply learned in all misteries whatsoever. And peradventure they thinke themselves so, which if they doe, they are in a farre worse case then they imagine; Non potest non rend indoctus esse qui se doctum credit. And let us labour to shew never so much skill or Art, our weaknesses and ignorance will be seene, whatsoever covering wee cast over it. And yet in these matters of shewes (though they bee that which most entertaine the world) there needs no such exact sufficiency in this kind. For Ludit istis animus, non proficit .
(sig. A4v-B1)
ignoble to know only what can be gleaned from commentaries and to produce nothing of one's own as though the discoveries of our ancestors had closed the way to our industry and the force of nature were worn out in us,
He cannot but be ignorant who believes himself to be learned
The mind plays with these things, does not profit from them