[Sidenote: _Pleonasmus_, or Too ful speech.] The first surplusage the Greekes call _Pleonasmus_, I call him [_too much speech_] and is no great fault, as if one should say, _I heard it with mine eares, and saw it with mine eyes_, as if a man could heare with his heeles, or see with his nose. We our selues vsed this superfluous speech in a verse written of our mistresse, neuertheles, not much to be misliked, for euen a vice sometime being seasonably vsed, hath a pretie grace, _For euer may my true loue liue and neuer die And that mine eyes may see her crownde a Queene._
As, if she liued euer, she could euer die, or that one might see her crowned without his eyes.
[Sidenote: _Macrologia_, or Long language.] Another part of surplusage is called _Macrologia_, or long language, when we vse large clauses or sentences more than is requisite to the matter: it is also named by the Greeks _Perissologia_, as he that said, the Ambassadours after they had receiued this answere at the kings hands, they tooke their leaue and returned home into their countrey from whence they came.
So said another of our rimers, meaning to shew the great annoy and difficultie of those warres of Troy, caused for _Helenas_ sake. _Nor Menelaus was vnwise, Or troupe of Troians mad, When he with them and they with him, For her such combat had._
The clauses (_he with them and they with him_) are surpluage, and one of them very impertinent, because it could not otherwise be intended, but that _Menelaus_, fighting with the Troians, the Troians must of necessitie fight with him.
[Sidenote: _Periergia_, or Ouerlabor, otherwise called the curious.] Another point of surplusage lieth not so much in superfluitie of your words, as of your trauaile to describe the matter which yee take in hand, and that ye ouer-labour your selfe in your businesse. And therefore the Greekes call it _Periergia_, we call it ouer-labor, iumpe with the originall: or rather [_the curious_] for his ouermuch curiositie and studie to shew himselfe fine in a light matter, as one of our late makers, who in most of his things wrote very well, in this (to mine opinion) more curiously than needed, the matter being ripely considered: yet is his verse very good, and his meetre cleanly. His intent was to declare how vpon the tenth day of March he crossed the riuer of Thames, to walke in Saint _Georges_ field, the matter was not as great as ye may suppose. _The tenth of March when Aries receiued Dan Phoebus raies into his horned head, And I my selfe by learned lore perceiued That Ver approcht and frosty winter fled I crost the Thames to take the cheerefull aire, In open fields, the weather was so faire._