Countercuff

In Poetaster, or The Arraignment (printed 1602) Jonson gave a countercuff to his antagonists by ridiculing Marston as Crispinus and Dekker as Demetrius, and presenting himself as Horace.

Gosson's plea that Poetry makes men effeminate directly inspires Sidney's memorable countercuff that it, above all things, is the companion of camps⁶.

As a countercuff to visual media, he lays down the ‘general principle’ that arts which leave the imagination something to do excel those that minister to passive consumers.

That could be Jonson's countercuff to Polixenes' speech ('The art itself is nature'), and to Mrs Taleporter's true ballads.

William Levy has sent a countercuff which we dare not print, but if he publishes it in another journal, we promise to give the reference.