The importance of Sidney's Defense of poesie can be best appreciated by understanding the political

climate of sixteenth century. All the religious leaders were condemning the production of
imaginative literature.So philp Sidney in his "Apology for poetry" reacted against the attacks made on
poetry by Stephen Gosson and Puritan.Sidney answered all the charges made on poetry by
Stephen Gosson.So sidney's defense was a significant contribution to the genere of litrary criticism.

At that time imaginative literature was thought to be a vile distraction that promoted idlesness at best
and morality at worst.

According to Sidney the practice of poetry can be defended by only way, which is to redefine its
functions and assign it a more significant aesthetic role.

So Sidney construct a formal argumemtative style.

Sidney first argument on superiority of poetry is that it is a light-giver to ignorance.Both the Italain and
English languages were polished by their poets.Thefirst Philosophers and Historians
were poets.The works such as "Dialogues of Plato" and "Psalms of David" are actually poetical. So the
Greeks regarded poets as 'makers' and the Romans also gave high distinction to poets by considering
them 'prophets' means to say the messengers of God or gods.In this way he claims that that poetry has
great importance than history and philosophy because historians

teaches by examples while philosophers by precepts but poets employes both the examples and
precepts.

So poetry combines the best of both history and philosophy .It contain mixture of precepts and
examples.

Poetry is able to present a world where virtuous deeds result in good happenings and where sinful
is punished.Where as history is limited by ups and downs of life where evil is rewarded and
righteous punished.on the other hand philosophy is also not superior to poetry because it is involute for
the common people to understand.

The public listen stories of Achilles and Hector with great attention even they are often be unaware
of educational purpose of such stories.They are not interested to listen philisophical treatise where the
learning is obvious and pointed.

Sidneys argues that both history and philosophy are disciplines but they are derived
from poetry.iIn this way he shows supremacy of poetry over both.

He shows supremacy of poetry in the following way:

"So that truly neither philosopher nor historiographer could at the first have entered into the gates of
popular judgements, if they had not taken a great passport of poetry which in all the nations this day,
where learning flourisheth not is plain to be seen; in all which they have some feelings of poetry."

So according to Sidney both history and philosophy have their origion from poetry..It is wrong to
argue that they are supreme to poetry.