me geuen in sport, than a surname
geuen of any earnest purpose. As, _Tiberius_ the Emperor, because he was a
great drinker of wine, they called him by way of derision to his owne name
_Caldius Biberius Mero_, in steade of _Claudius Tiberius Nero_: and so a
iesting frier that wrate against _Erasmus_, called him by resemblance to
his own _Errans mus_, and are mainteined by this figure _Prosonomasia_, or
the Nicknamer. But euery name geuen in iest or by way of a surname, if it
do not resemble the true, is not by this figure, as, the Emperor of
Greece, who was surnamed _Constantinus Cepronimus_, because he beshit the
foont at the time he was christened: and so ye may see the difference
betwixt the figures _Antonomasia_ & _Prosonomatia_. Now when such
resemblance happens betweene words of another nature and not vpon mens
names, yet doeth the Poet or maker finde prety sport to play with them in
his verse, specially the Comicall Poet and the Epigrammatist. Sir _Philip
Sidney_ in a dittie plaide very pretily with these two words, _Loue and
liue_, thus.
_And all my life I will confesse,
The lesse I loue, I liue the lesse._

And we in our Enterlude called the woer, plaid with these two words,
lubber and louer, thus, the countrey clowne came & woed a young maide of
the Citie, and being agreeued to come so oft, and not to haue his answere,
said to the old nurse very impatiently.
[Sidenote: Woer.]
_Iche pray you good mother tell our young dame,
Whence I am come and what is my name,
I cannot come a woing euery day._

Quoth the nurse.
[Sidenote: Nurse.]
_They be lubbers not louers that so use to say._

Or as one replyed to his mistresse charging him with some disloyaltie
towards her.
_Proue me madame ere ye fall to reproue,
Meeke mindes should rather excuse than accuse._

Here the words proue and reproue, excuse and accuse, do pleasantly
encounter, and (as it were) mock one another by their much resemblance:
and this is by the figure _Prosonomatia_, as wel as if they were mens
proper names, alluding to each other.

[Sidenote _Traductio_, or the tranlacer.]
Then haue ye a figure which the Latines call _Traductio_, and I the
tranlacer: which is when ye turne and tranlace a word into many sundry
shapes as the Tailor doth his garment, & after that sort do play with him
in your dittie: as thus,
_Who liues in loue his life is full of feares,
To lose his loue, liuelode or libertie
But liuely sprites that y