“Methinks we should not so soon yield our consents captive to the authority of antiquity, unless we saw more reason.”

Urging independence from uncritical reverence for classical models · Essay, A Defence of Rhyme (1603)

• Authority
• Originality
• Reason

“Custom that is before all Law, Nature that is above all Art.”

Defending the natural fitness of English rhyme against classical imitation · Essay, A Defence of Rhyme (1603)

• Nature
• Poetry
• Tradition