¶ To the reuerende father in god& his singuler good lorde / the lorde HughFaryngton Abbot of Redynge / his poreclient and perpetuall seruaunt LeonardeCockes desyreth longe & prosperouse lyfewith encreace of honour.COnsiderynge my spe[-]ciall good lorde how great[-]ly and how many ways Iam bounden to your lord-shyp / and among all otherthat in so great a nombreof counynge men whiche are now withinthis region it hath pleased your goodnesto accepte me as worthy for to haue thecharge of the instruction & bryngynge vpof suche youth as resorteth to your gra-mer schole / foūded by your antecessours inthis your towne of Redynge / I studied alonge space what thyng I myght do nextthe busy & diligent occupienge of my selfein your sayd seruyce / to the whiche botheconscience and your stipende doth straytlybynde me / that myght be a significacionof my faithfull and seruysable hart whichI owe to your lordeshyp / & agayne a longmemory bothe of your singuler and bene-ficiall fauour towarde me: and of myn in-dustry and diligence employed in your ser-uyce to some profite: or at the leest way tosome delectacion of the inhabitauntes ofthis noble realme now flouryshynge vn-der the most excellent & victorious prynceour souerain Lorde kyng Henry the .viii.¶ And whan I had thus long prepensedin my mynde what thynge I myght bestchose out: non offred it selfe more conue-nyent to the profyte of yonge studentes(which your good lordshyp hath alwayestenderly fauoured) and also meter to myp[ro]fession: than to make som proper werkeof the right pleasaunt and persuadible artof Rhetorique / whiche as it is very neces-sary to all suche as wyll either be Aduoca[-]tes and Proctours in the law: or els apteto be sent in theyr Prynces Ambassades /or to be techers of goddes worde in suchemaner as may be moost sensible & accepteto theyr audience / and finally to all themhauynge any thyng to purpose or to spekeafore any companye (what someuer theybe) So contraryly I se no science that islesse taught & declared to Scolers / whichought chiefly after the knowlege of Gra-mer ones had to be instructe in this facul[-]tie / without the whiche oftentymes therude vtteraunce of the Aduocate greatlyhindereth and apeyreth his cliētes cause.Likewise the vnapt disposicion of the pre-cher (in orderyng his mater) confoundeththe memory of his herers / and briefly indeclarynge of maters: for lacke of inuen-cion and order with due elocucion: greattediousnes is engendred to the multitudebeyng present / by occasion wherof the spe[-]ker is many tymes ere he haue ended histale: either left almost aloon to his no li-tle confusiō: or els (which is a lyke rebuketo hym) the audience falleth for werynesof his ineloquent language fast on slepe.¶ Wyllynge therfore for my parte to helpsuche as are desirouse of this Arte (as allsurely ought to be which entende to be re-garded in any comynaltie) I haue parte-ly translated out a werke of Rhetoriquewryten in the Latin tongue: and partelycompyled of myn owne: and so made a ly-tle treatyse in maner of an Introductyoninto this aforesayd Science: and that inour Englysshe tongue. Remembryngethat euery good thyng (after the sayeng[e]sof the Philosopher) the more comon it is:the more better it is. And furthermore tru[-]stynge therby to do som pleasure and easeto suche as haue by negligence or els falspersuacions be put to the lernyng of othersciences or euer they haue attayned anymeane knowlege of the Latin tongue.¶ whiche my sayd labour I humbly offreto your good Lordeshyp / as to the chyefemaintener & nouryssher of my study / be-sechynge you / thoughe it be ferre withinyour merites done to me / to accepte it asthe fyrst assay of my pore and simple wyt /which yf it may fyrst please your Lord-shyp / and nexte the reders / I trust bythe ayde of almyghty god to endyteother werkes bothe in this facul-ty and other to the laude of thehygh godhed / of whome allgoodnes doth procede / andto your Lordshyps plea-sure / and to profyteand delectacion ofthe Reder.WHo someuer desyreth to bea good Oratour or to dys-pute and commune of anymaner thynge / hym beho-ueth to haue foure thinges.¶ The fyrst is called In-uencion / for he must fyrst of all imagin orInuent in his mynde what he shall say.¶ The seconde is named Iugement. Forhe must haue wyt to deserne & iuge whe-ther tho thynges that he hath founde inhis mynde be conuenient to the purposeor nat. For oftētymes yf a man lacke thisproperty / he may aswell tell that that isagainst hym as with hym / as experiencedoth dayly shew. ¶ The thyrde is Dispo-sicion / wherby he may know how to orderand set euery thynge in his due place / leestthoughe his inuencion and iugement beneuer so good / he may happen to be coun-ted (as the comon prouerbe sayth) to putthe carte afore the horse. ¶ The fourth& last is suche thynges as he hath inuen-ted: and by Iugement knowen apte to hispurpose whan they are set in theyr orderso to speke them that it may be pleasauntand delectable to the audience / so that itmay be sayd of hym that hystories makemencion that an olde woman sayd onesby Demosthenes / & syns hath ben a comōprouerbe amonge the Grekesουτοσεϛιwhich is as moche to say as (This is he)And this last p[ro]perty is called among ler-ned men( Eloquence. ¶ Of these foure themoost difficile or harde is to inuent whatthou must say / wherfore of this parte theRethoriciens whiche be maisters of thisArte: haue writen very moche & diligētly.¶ Inuencion is comprehended in certaynplaces / as the Rhetoriciens call them / outof whom he that knoweth yefaculty mayfetche easely suche thynges as be mete forthe mater that he shall speke of / which ma[-]ter the Oratours calleth the Theme / andin our vulgare tongue it is called impro-perly the Anthethem. ¶ The theme pur-posed: we must after the rules of Rheto-rique go to our places that shall anō shewvnto vs what shall be to our purpose.¶ Example.IN olde tyme there was greate enuybetwene two noble men of Rome / ofwhō the one was called Milo / & the otherClodius / which malice grew so ferre thatClodius layd wayte for Milo on a seasonwhan he sholde ryde out of the Citie / andin his iourney set vpon hym / and there asit chaunced: Clodius was slayne / wherevpon this Clodius frendes accused Miloto the Cenate of murder. Tully whiche intho days was a great Aduocate in Romesholde plede Miloes cause. Now it wasopen that Milo had slayne Clodius / butwhether he had slayn hym laufully or natwas the doubte. So than the Theme ofTullies oraciō or plee for Milo was this /that he had slayne Clodius laufully / andtherfore he ought nat to be punisshed / forthe confirmacion wherof (as dothe apperein Tullies oracion) he dyd brynge out ofplaces of Rhetoryque argumentes to p[ro]uehis sayd Theme or purpose. And likewysemust we do whan we haue any mater tospeke or comun of. As if I sholde make anoracion to the laude & prayse of the Kyn-ges highnes: I must for the Inuencyonof suche thynges as be for my purpose goto places of Rhetorique / where I shalleasely finde (after I know the rules) thatthat I desyre. ¶ Here is to be noted thatthere is no Theme but it is conteyned vn[-]der one of the foure causes / or for the moreplaynnes foure kyndes of Oracions.¶ The fyrste is called Logycall / whychekinde we call properly disputaciō. ¶ Theseconde is called Demonstratiue. ¶ Thethyrde Deliberatiue. ¶ The fourth Iudi-ciall / and these thre last be properly calledspices or kyndes of oracions / whose natu-res shall be declared seperately hereafterwith the crafte that is required in euery ofthem. All themes that perteine to Logikeeither they be simple or compounde. As yfa man desyre to know of me what Iusticeis. This onely thīg Iustice is my theme.Or if disputacion be had in company vponreligion / and I wolde declare the very na-ture of religion / my theme shulde be thissimple or one thynge religion. But yf it bedoubted whether Iustyce be a vertue ornat / and I wolde proue the parte affyrma[-]tyue / my theme were now compoūde / thatis to say / Iustice is a vertue / for it is madeof two thynges knyt and vnied togither /Iustice and vertue. ¶ Here must be notedthat Logike is a playn & a sure way to in-struct a mā of the trouth of euery thynge /& that in it the natures / causes / partes / &effectes of thynges are by certayne rulesdiscussed & serched out / so that nothing canbe p[er]fectly & p[ro]perly knowē but by rules ofLogike / which is nothing but an obserua[-]cyon / or a dylygent markynge of nature.whereby in euery thynge mannes reasondothe consyder what is fyrste / what last /what proper / what improper.¶ The places or instrumentes of a simpletheme are.The diffinicion of the thynge.The causes.The partes.The effectes.¶ Exāple. If thou inquire what thīg Iu[-]stice is / whereof it cometh / what partes ithath / & what is the office or effect of eueryparte / than hast thou diligētly serched outthe hole nature of Iustice / & handeled thysimple theme accordyng to the precept[e]s ofLogicians / to whom our auctour leuethsuche mat[er]s to be discussed of thē / how beitsomwhat yeRhetoriciās haue to do withyesimple theme / & asmoche as shall be fortheyr entent he wyll shew hereafter. Formany tymes the oratour must vse bothediffinicions & diuisions. But as they be inLogike playne and compendiouse / so arethey in Rhetorike extēded & paynted withmany figures & ornament[e]s belongyng tothe science. Neuertheles to satisfie the re-ders mynde / & to alleuiate the tediousnesof serchynge these places / I wyll open themaner and facion of the handelyng of thetheme aforsayd as playnly as I can / afterthe preceptes of Logike.¶ First to serche out the perfite knowlegeof Iustice: I go to my fyrst place diffinici[-]on / & fetche from Aristotle in his Ethik[e]sthe Diffinicion of Iustice / which is this.¶ Iustice is a morall vertue / wherby menbe the werkers of rightfull thynges (thatis to saye) whereby they bothe loue & alsodo suche thynges as be iust. This done: Iserche the causes of Iustice (that is to say)from whens it toke the fyrst begynnyng /and by cause that it is a morall vertue: andPlato in the ende of his Dialogue Menōconcludeth that all vertue cometh of god:I am assured that god is the chief cause ofIustice: declaryng it to the worlde by hisInstrument mānes wyt / whiche the samePlato affyrmeth in the begynnyng of hislawes. The Diffinicion and cause had: Icome to the thyrde place called partes toknowe whether there be but one kynde ofIustice or els many. And for this purposeI fynde that Arystotle in the fyfte of hisEthikes deuideth Iustice in two speces orkyndes. One ythe calleth Iustice legiti-me or legal / an other that he called Equi-te. ¶ Iustice legall is that that consystethin the superiours whiche haue power forto make or statute lawes to the īferiours.And the office or ende of this Iustice is tomake suche lawes as be bothe good andaccordynge to right and conscience / & thāto declare them / & whan they are made &publisshed as they ought to be / to se thatthey be put in vre / for what auaileth it tomake neuer so good lawes: yf they be natobserued and kept. ¶ And finally that themaker of the lawe applye his hole studie &mynde to the welthe of his subiectes andto the comon profyte of them. The otherkynde of Iustice whiche men call Equitieis whereby a man neyther taketh nor gy-ueth lesse nor more than he ought / but ingyuynge taketh good hede that euery māhaue accordynge as he deserueth. ThisEquitie is agayne deuyded into Equitiedistributyue of comon thynges & EquitieCommutatiue. By Equitie distributyueis distributyd and giuen of comon goodesto euery mā accordyng to his deseruyng[e]sand as he is worthy to haue. As to deuideamonge suche as longe to the Chyrche ofthe Chyrche goodes after the qualitie oftheyr merytes: and to them beynge Ciuilpersones of the comon treasour of the Ci-tie accordynge as they are worthy.¶ In this parte is comprehended the pu-nyshment of mysdoers and trangressoursof the lawe / to whome correccion must bedistributed for the comon welth accordingto theyr demerites / after the prescripcionsof the lawes of the contrey / made & deter-mined for the punisshment of any manerof transgressour. ¶ Equity cōmutatiue isa iust maner in the chaungynge of thyng[e]sfrom one to another / whose offyce or effectis to kepe iust dealynge in equytie / as by-enge / sellynge / & all other bargaynes law-full. And so are herewith the spices of Iu-stice declared theyr offices / which was thefourth & last place.¶ Our auctour also in a great worke thathe hath made vpon Rhetorike / declareththe handelynge of a theme symple by thesame example of Iustice / addynge two pla[-]ces mo / whiche are called affines and con-traries on this maner.¶ What is Iustice? A vertue whereby toeuery thynge is gyuen that that to it be-longeth.¶ What is the cause thereof? Manneswyll consentynge with lawes & maners.¶ How many kyndes? Two.¶ Whiche? Commutatiue & Distributiue /for in two maners is our medlynge withother men / eyther in thynges of our sub-staunce & wares / or in gentyll and cyuyleconuersacion.¶ what thynge is Iustice commutatiue?Right and equitie in all contractes.¶ what is Iustice distributiue? Iustice ofciuile lyuynge.¶ How manyfolde is Iustyce dystrybu-tyue? Either it is comon or priuate. Thecomon is called in latin Pietas / but in en-glysshe it may be moost properly namedgood order / which is the crowne of all ver[-]tuesconceruyngehonest and ciuile con-uersacyon of men togither / as the hedeswith the meane comonalty in good vnityand concorde. ¶ Pryuate or seuerall Iu-stice dystrybutyue is honest and amyablefrendeshyp & conuersacion of neighbours.¶ What are the offyces? To do for eueryman / ryche or pore / of what estate so euerhe be / and for our contrey / for our wyues /chyldren / and frendes / that that ought tobe done for euery of them.¶ Affynes or vertues nigh to Iustice areconstancy / lyberalytie / temperaunce.Thynges contrary are fere / couetyse / pro-dygalytie.¶ And this is the maner of handelyngeof a symple Theme dialectycall. But yetlet nat the reder deceyue hym selfe / andthynke that the very perfyte knowlege isshewyd hym all here. And that whichehath bē shewed now: is somwhat generaland briefe. ¶ More sure and exact know-lege is conteined in Logike / to whome Iwyll aduise thē that be studiouse to resorte& to fetche euery thynge in his owne pro-per facultie.¶ Of a Theme compounde.EUery Theme compounde: ey-ther it is proued trewe or fals.Now whether thou wylt p[ro]ueor improue any thyng: it mustbe done by argument. And yfany Theme compounde: be it Logicall orRhetorycall / it must be referred to therules of Logike by thē to be proued trewor fals. For this is the dyfference that isbetwene these two sciences / that the Lo-gician in dysputynge obserueth certaynerules for the settynge of his wordes beingsolicitous that there be spokē no more norno lesse than the thynge requyreth / & thatit be euin as plaīly spokē as it is thought.But the Rhethorician seketh about & bo-roweth where he can asmoche as he mayfor to make the symple and playne Logi-call argumentes gaye & delectable to theeare. So than the sure iugement of argu-mentes or reasons must be lerned of thelogician / but the crafte to set thē out withpleasaunt figures and to delate the materbelongeth to the Rhetorician. As in Mi-loes cause / of whome was made mencionafore. ¶ A logician wolde briefly argue /who so euer violently wyll slee an other /may lawfully of the other be slayne in hisdefence. Clodius wolde vyolently haueslain Milo / wherfore Clodius might lau-fully be slayne of Milo in Miloes ownedefence. And this argument the logicianscall a Sillogisme in Darii / whiche Tullyin his oracion extendeth that in foure orfyue leues it is scant made an ende of / norno man can haue knowlege whether Tul-lies argument that he maketh in his ora-cyon for Milo / be a good argumente ornat / and howe it holdeth / excepte he canby Logyke reduce it to the perfecte andbriefe forme of a Sillogisme / takynge inthe meane season of the Rhetorycyanswhat ornamentes haue ben cast to for tolyght and augment the oracyon / and togyue it a maiestie.¶ The places out of whome are foundeargumentes for the prouynge or impro-uynge of compounde Themes / are thesefolowynge.DiffinicionCauseParteslykecontraryOF the places of argumen-tes shall be spoken hereaf-ter. For as touchynge thēin all thynges the Rheto-rician & Logician do agre.But as concernynge thecrafte to fourme argumentes whan thouhast foūde them in theyr places / that mustbe lerned of the Logician / where he trea-teth of the fourme of sillogismes / enthime[-]mes and inductions.¶ Of an oracion demonstratiue.THe vse of an oracion demon-stratiue is ī praise or dispraise /whiche kynde or maner of ora-cion was greatly vsed somtyme in comonaccions / as dothe declare the oracions ofDemosthenes / and also many of Thucidi-des oracions. And there ben thre manersof oracions demonstratiue.¶ The fyrst conteyneth the prayse or dys-prayse of persones. As yf a man woldeprayse the kynges hyghnes / or dyspraysesome yll persone / it must be done by an ora[-]cion demonstratiue. The seconde kynde ofan oracion demonstratiue is: where in ispraysed or dyspraysed / nat the persone butthe dede. As if a thefe put hym selfe in ieo-p[ar]dy for the safegarde of a true mā / againstother theues and murderers / the p[er]son cannat be praysed for his vicious lyuyng / butyet the dede is worthy to be commended.Or if one shulde speake of Peters denyengof Christ / he hath nothyng to disprayse yeperson saue onely for this dede. The thyrdkynde is: wherin is lauded or blamed no-ther person nor dede / but some other thingas vertue / vice / iustice / iniurie / charite / en-uie / pacience / wrathe / and suche lyke.¶ Partes of an Oracion.¶ The partes of an oracion prescribed ofRhetoriciens are these.¶ The Preamble or exorden.¶ The tale or narracion.¶ The prouynge of the matter or conten-cion.¶ The conclusion.¶ Of the whiche partes mencyon shall bemade herafter in euery kynde of oracions /for they are nat founde generally in eueryoracion / but some haue moo partes / andsome lesse.¶ Of the Preamble.GEnerally the Preamble nat alonlyin an oracion demonstratiue / but al-so in the other two is conteyned andmust be fetched out of thre places / that isto say of beneuolence / attencion / & to makethe mater easy to be knowen / whiche theRhetoricians call Docilite.¶ Beneuolence is the place whereby theherer is made willyng to here vs / and it isconteyned in the thynge that we speke of /in them whom we speke to / & in our ownepersone. The easyest and moost vsed placeof beneuolence consysteth in the offyce orduety of the person / whan we shew that itis our duety to do that we be about.¶ Out of this place is fet yep[re]āble of saītGregory Nazazene / made to the praise ofsaynt Basyll / where he saith that it is hishisduety to prayse saynt Basyll for threcauses. For the great loue and frendeshypthat hath ben always betwene them / andagayne for the remembraūce of the moostfayre and excellent vertues that were inhym / and thyrdely that the chyrch myghthaue an example of a good and holy Bys-shop. ¶ Trewly by our authours lycenceme thynketh that in the preamble Naza-zen doth nat only take beneuolence out ofthe place of his owne persone / but also outof the other two / whā he sheweth the causeof his duetye / for in praysynge his frendehe dyd but his duetye. In praysynge hisvertues / he cam to the place of beneuolēceof hym that he spake of / as touchyng theexample that the chyrche shulde haue / itwas for theyr profite / and concernyng theplace of beneuolence / taken of them thathe spake to. But our authour regardedchiefly the principall proposicion / whichewas that saynt Gregory Nazazene wasbounde to praise saint Basyll.¶ A lyke example of beneuolence takenout of the place of office or dutie / is in theoracyon that Tully made for the PoeteArchias / whiche begynneth thus.MY lordes that be here iuges / yf therebe in me any wyt / whiche I knoweis but small / or yf I haue any crafty vse ofmakynge an oracion / wherein I denie natbut ytI haue metely excercysed my selfe /or yf any helpe to that science cometh outof other lyberall artes / in whome I haueoccupied al my lyfe / surely I am boūde tono man more for them than to Archias /whiche may lawfully if I may do any māany profite by them / chalenge a chiefe por[-]cion for hym therin.¶ Out of this place dyd this same Tullyfetche the begynnyng of his fyrste epistle /in whome he wrytethe to one Lentule onthis maner: I do so my deutie in al poyn-tes towarde you / and so great is the loueand reuerence that I bere vnto you thatall other men say that I can do no more /and yet me semeth that I haue neuer donthat that I am bounde to do / eyther toyou or in your cause.¶ We may also get beneuolence by reasonof them / whome we make our oracion of:As yf we saye that we can neuer praysehym to hyghly / but ythe is worthy mochmore laude and prayse. And so taketh saītNazianzene beneuolence in his sayd ora-cion for sainct Basile.¶ Also of them afore whome we speke / asif we say / it is for theyr profyte to laude orprayse the p[er]son. And that we knowe verywel howe moche they haue alwayes louedhym / and that he ought therfore to be prai[-]sed the more for theyr sakes. The maneris also to get vs beneuolence in the prefaceof our oracion / by pynchyng and blamyngof our aduersarie. As doth Tullie in the o-racion that he made for one Aulus Cecin-na / wherin he begynneth his proeme thusIf temerite and lake of shame coulde asmoche preuayle in plees afore the iustices /as doth audacite and temerarious bolde-nesse in the feldes and deserte places / therewere no remedie but euen so muste AulusCecinna be ouercome in this matter bySextus Ebucius impudence / as he wasin the felde ouercome by his insidious au-dacite. And these be the cōmune formes ofbeneuolence.¶ A man may also fetche his proeme outof the nature of the place wher he speketh /as Tullie dothe in the oracion made forPompeius for the sendynge of hym intoAsie agaynst kynge Mithridates of Pon-tus / and kyngeTigrauesof Armenie onthis maner: howe be it my lordes and mai[-]sters of this noble citie of Rome / I haue altymes thought it a synguler reioyse to meif I myght ones se you gadred to gytherin a cōpany / to here some publique oracionof myne / and agayne I iuged no place tobe so ample and so honourable to speke inas this is. &c[etera].¶ Or he may begyn at the nature of thetyme that is than / or at som other cyrcum[-]staunce of his mater / as Tully taketh thebegynnynge of his oracion for Celius atthe tyme / this wise.¶ If so be it my lordes iuges any mā benow present here that is ignorāt of yourlawes / of your processe in iugement[e]s / andof your customes / surely he may well mar[-]uell what so heynous a mater this shuldebe / that it onely shulde be syt vppon in anhygh feest daye / whan all the comonaltyeafter theyr olde custome are gyuen to thesight of playes / ordeined after a perpetualvsage for the nones for them / all matersof the law laid for the tyme vtterly a part.¶ He began also an other oracion for oneSext[us] Roscius / out of the daunger of theseason that he spake in.¶ One may besyde these vse other manerof prohemes / whiche by cause they are natset out of the very mater it selfe / or els thecircumstaunces / as in these aforsayd theyare called peregrine or straūge prohemes.And they be taken out of sētences / solēpnepeticions / maners or customes / lawes / sta[-]tutes of nacyons & contreys. And on thismaner dothe Aristides begyn his oracionmade to the praise of Rome.¶ Demosthenes in his oracyon made a-gainst Eschines / toke his preface out of asolempne peticion / besechynge the goddesthat he might haue as good fauour in ytcause / as he had foūde in all other matersythe had done afore for the comon welth.¶ In like maner beginneth Tully the ora[-]cion that he made for one Murena / & alsothe oracyon that he made vnto the Ro-maynes after his retourne from exyle.¶ He begynneth also an other oracyon /whiche he made as touchynge a lawe de-creed for the diuision of feldes amonge thecomunes out of a custome amonge them /on this wyse.¶ The maner and custome of our olde fa-ders of Rome hath ben. &c. And this is themaner of prefaces in any oracion / whicheis also obserued in the making of epistles /how beit there is farre lesse crafte in themthan is in an oracyon.¶ There is yet an other fourme & manerto begyn by insinuacion / wherfore it beho[-]ueth to know that insinuacion is / whā inthe begynnyng / yf the mater seme nat lau[-]dable or honest / we find an excuse therfore.¶ Example / Homere in his Iliade des-cribeth one Thersites / that he was moostfoule and euyll fauored of all the Grekesthat came to the batayle of Troye / for hewas both gogle eyed / and lame on the onelegge / with croked and pynched shulders /and a longe pyked hede / balde in very ma-ny places. And besyde these fautes he wasa great folysshe babler / and ryght foulemouthed / and ful of debate and stryfe / car-rynge alwayes agaynste the heddes andwyse men of the armye.¶ Nowe if one wolde take vpon hym tomake an oraciō to the prayse of this losel /whiche mater is of litle honesty in it selfe /he must vse in stede of a preface an insinu-acion. That what thynge poetes or com-mune fame doth eyther prayse or dispraiseought nat to be gyuen credence to / but ra-ther to be suspecte. For ones it is the na-ture of poetes to fayne and lye / as botheHomere and Virgile / which are the prin-ces and heddes of al poetes to witnesse thēselfe. Of whome Homere sayth / that poe-tes make many lies / and Virgile he saith:The moost part of the sene is but deceyte.Poetes haue sene blake soules vnder theerthe / poetes haue fayned and made manylyes of the pale kyngdome ofPlato/ andof the water of Stigie / and of dogges inhell. And agayne cōmune rumours howeoften they ben vayne / it is so open that itnede nat to be declared. Wherfore his trustis that the hearers wyll more regarde hissaynge than fayned fables of poetes / andfleyng tales of lyght folkes / whiche ar forthe more parte the grounders of fame &rumours.¶ An example may be fet out of the decla-macion that Erasmus made to the prayseof folysshenes.¶ An other example hath the same Eras-mus in his second booke of Copia / whichis this: Plato in the fyfte dialogue of hiscommunaltie wyllethe that no man shallhaue no wyfe of his owne / but that euerywoman shalbe commune to euery man. Ifany man than wolde eyther prayse or de-fende this mynde of Plato / which is bothcontrarie to Christes religion and to thecommune lyuynge of mē / he myght as E-rasmus teacheth / begynne thus.¶ I knowe very well that this materwhiche I haue determyned to speke of /wyll seme vnto you at the fyrste herynge /nat onely very straunge / but also right ab-hominable. But that nat withstandynge /yf it wyll please you a litle while to deferreyou iugement tyll ye haue herde the sūmeof suche reasons as I wyll brynge forthein the cause / I doubte nothynge but thatI shall make the trouthe so euydent thatyou all will with one assent approue it / &knowlege that ye haue ben hitherto mar-uelously deceyued in your oppynyon / andsomdele to alleuiate your myndes / ye shallvnderstande that I am nat my selfe au-thour of the thynge / but it is the mynde &saynge of the excellent & moost highly na-med philosopher Plato / whiche was vn-doubted so famouse a clerke / so discrete aman / and soo vertuouse in all his dedes /that ye may be sure he wold speke nothīgbut it were on a right perfyte ground / andthat the thynge were of it selfe very expe-dient / thoughe peraduenture it shewe ferreotherwise at the fyrst herynge.¶ In all prefacesofpreambles must begood heed taken that they be nat to ferrefet / nor to longe.¶ These affectuouse wordes / I reioyce / Iam sorye / I meruaile / I am glad for yoursake / I desire / I fere / I pray god / and suchother lyke / be very apte for a preface.¶ Of the seconde place of apreface / called Attencion.THe herers shall be madeattent or diligent to giueaudience / yf the oratourmake promyse ythe willshew them new thynges /or els necessary or profita[-]ble / or yf he say ytit is anharde mater that he hath in handelynge /or els obscure & nat easy to be vnderstād /except they gyue right good attendaunce.¶ wherfore it is expedyent that yf theywyll haue the percepcion of it / that theygyue a good eare. But as concernyng thenewnesse or profyte of the mater / it ma-keth nat all onely yeherer to gyue a goodere (which thynge is called attencion) butalso maketh hym well wyllynge for to bepresent / whiche is beneuolence.¶ Docilite.DOcilite whereby we make themater playne & easy to be per-ceyued / is nat greatly requiredin this kynde of oracion / for itis belonging properly to derkeand obscure causes / in whiche we must p[ro]-myse that we wyl nat vse great ambages /or to go (as mē say) roūde about the bussh /but to be short and playne.¶ Of narracion whiche is the se-conde p[ar]te of an oracion.¶ The Narracion or tale wherin p[er]sonesare praysed / is the declaryng of theyr lyfe& doynges after the fasshion of an historie.The places out of the whiche it is soughtare: The persones byrthe. His chyldhode.His adolescencie. His mannes state. Hisold age. His dethe and whatfoloweth after.IN his byrthe is consydered ofwhat stocke he came / what chaū[-]sed at the tyme of his natiuite ornighe vpon / as in the natiuite ofChriste shepeherdes hard angelles synge.¶ In his chyldhode are marked hisbryngynge vp and tokens of wysdome cō-mynge: As Horace in his fourthe Satiresheweth / how in his chyldhode his fathertaught hym by examples of suche as werethan lyuynge to flee from vice and to gyuehym selfe to vertue.¶ In adolescencie is considered where tohe than gyuethe hym selfe; As in thefyrst comedie of Terēce one Simo tellethhis seruaūt Sosia / that though all yongemen for the more parte gyue them selfe tosome peculiare thynge / wherin they settetheyr chiefe delyght / as some to haue goo-dely horses / some to cherysshe houndes forhuntyng / & some are gyuen onely to theyrbookes / his sone Pāphilus loued none ofthese more one thā an other / and yet in althese he exercised hym selfe mesurably.¶ In mannes state and olde age is notedwhat office or rule he bare among his citi-sens / or in his cōtrey / what actes he dyd /how he gouerned suche as were vnd[er] him /howe he p[ro]spered / & what fortune he had insuche thyng[e]s as he went about. Examplehere of is in Saluste / whiche cōpareth to[-]gether Cato and Cesar / sayng that boththeyr stocke / age & eloquēce / were almoostlyke & egall / theyr excellēcie & greatnes ofspirite & wytte was also lyke & egal / & lykefame & worshyppe had they both attaynedhowe be it nat by a lyke waye. Cesar washad ī great estimacion for his benefites &&liberalite. Cato had gottē hī a name forhis p[er]fight & vpright lyuynge. Cesar waspraysed for his gentilnes and pitie. Catowas honored for his ernestnes and surete.¶ The tother wanne moche bruyt by gy[-]uynge large gyftes / by helpynge suche aswere in dystresse / and by forgyuyng of tres[-]passes done agaynste hym. Catons famedyd sprede because he wold neither be for-gyuen of none offence / neither forgiue nonother / but as any man had deserued / so tocause him to be delt with. In the one wasgreat refuge to suche as were in mysery:In the other was sore punisshment & per-nicion to mysdoers & euyll transgressoursof the law. Briefly to conclude it was allCeazars mynde and pleasure to labour di-ligently night and day in his frendes cau[-]ses / to care lesse for his owne busynes thāfor theyrs / to deny nothing that was wor[-]thy to be asked / his desyre was euermoreto be in warre / to haue a great hoost of mēvnder his gouernaunce / that by his nobleand hardy faictes his valyantnes myghtbe the more knowen and spred abrood.Cōtraryly all Catons study was on tem[-]peraūce / and to do in no maner otherwysethan was conuenient & fyttynge for suchea man as he was / and chiefly he sette hismynde to seueryty / he neuer made no com[-]parison with the riche man in richesse / norwith the myghty man in power. But yfnede required / with the hardy mā in bold-nes / with the temperate in moderacion /with the good man in innocency & iust dea[-]ling. He cared not for the name / it was suf-ficiēt to hym to haue the dede / & so / the lessehe cared for glorye / the more alwayes heopteyned. Many suche comparisons ve-ry profitable for this intēt / are also in Plu[-]tarche in his boke of noble mennes lyues.¶ A goodly ensāple of this place is in theoracion that Hermola[us] Barbarus madeto the emperour Frederike and Maximi-lian his son / which for bicause it is so longI let it passe. ¶ A like ensample is in Tul-lies oracion / that he made to the people ofRome for Pompeyus / to be sente agaynstMithridates.¶ Some there be that deuide thelandesof persones into thre kindes of goodes / be-gynnynge the narracion at them / whichethynge our author doth nat greatly com-mende / but rather in rehersyng of any per[-]sones dedes / yf there can nat be kept an or-der of historie / and many thynges must bespoken. It were after his mynde best totouche fyrst his actes done by prudence / &next by iustice / thirdely by fortitude of themynde / and last by temperaunce / and so togather the narracion out of this foure car-dinall vertues. As if one shuld praise saintAusten / after that he hath spoken of his pa[-]rentele and bryngynge vp in youthe / andis come to the rehersale of his actes / theymay be conueniently distributed into theplaces of vertues. On this maner did Tul[-]ly prayse Pompey.¶ I suppose (sayeth he) that in hym thatshulde be a hed capitayne ouer a great ar-my / ought to be foure thynges. Knowlegeof werre / valiantnes / auctoritie / & felicitie.¶ Here is to be noted that in rehersyngeany persons actes / we may haue our chiefrespecte to some peculiare and principallvertue in hym / enlargynge and exaltyngeit by amplificaciō in maner of a digressiō.¶ Our author in this worke maketh nomencyon of the last place that is detheand suche thynges as folowe after / but inan other greater work he declareth it thusbriefly. ¶ The dethe of the persone hathealso his praises / as of suche whiche haueben slayne for the defence of theyr contreyor prince.¶ A very goodly ensample for the hande-lynge of this place is in an epistle that An[-]gele Policiane writeth in his fourth bokeof epistels to Iames Antiquarie of Lau-rence Medices / howe wysely and deuout-ly he dysposed hym selfe in his dethe bed /and of his departynge / and whatchann[-]cedat that tyme.¶ And so to conclude an oracion Demon-stratiue / wherein persones are lauded / isan historycall exposicion of all his lyfe inorder. And there is no difference betwenethis kynde and an history / saue that in hi-stories we be more briefe and vse lesse curi-ositie. Here all thynges be augmēted andcoloured with as moche ornamentes ofeloquence as can be had.¶ Confirmacion of our purpose / and con-futynge or reprouynge of the contrarye /whiche are the partes of contencion / arenat requisite in this kynde of oracion / forhere are nat treated any doubtefull ma-ters / to whome contencion perteineth.Neuer the lesse / somtyme it happeneth(how beit it is seldome) that a doubte maycome / which must be either defended / or atthe leest excused.¶ Example.THe frenche men in olde tymemade myghty warre agaynstethe Romaynes / and so sore be-sieged theym that they were by compul-cion constrayned to fall to composicionwith the frenche men for an huge summeof golde / to be payed to theym for the bre-kynge of the siege / but beynge in this ex-treme misery / they sent for one Camillus /whome nat very longe afore they had ba-nisshed out of the citie / and in his absencemade hym dictatour / which was the chie-fest dignitie amonge the Romaynes / andof so greate auctoritie / that for the space ofthre monethes / for so long dured the officemoost cōueniently / he might do all thyngat his pleasure / whether it concerned dethor no / nor no mā so hardy ones to say nayagainst any thyng that he dyd / so that forthe space he was as a kynge / hauynge allin his owne mere power. Now it chaūcedthat while this summe was in payenge / &nat fully wayed / Camillus of whome Isaid afore / that being in exile he was madedictatour / came with an army / and anonebad cease of the payment / & that eche par-ty shulde make redy to bataile / and so hevainquisshed the frenche men.¶ Now yf one shulde praise hym of his no[-]ble faites / it shuld seme that this was donecontrary to the law of armes / to defait thefrenche men of the raumsom due to them /syns the compacte was made afore / wher-fore it is necessary for the oratour to defēdethis dede / & to proue that he did nothyngecontrary to equitie. For the whiche pur-pose he hathe two places. One apparent /whiche is a comon sayenge vsurped of thepoete.Dolusauvirtus quis in hoste requirat.That is to say / who will serche whether yedede of enemy against enemy be either gileor pure valiantnes? But for that in warrelaw is as well to be kept as in other thin-ges. This sayeng is but of a feble groūde.The other is of a more stronge assuraūce /whiche Titus Liuius writeth in his fyfteboke from the buildynge of Rome / wherehe reherceth this history now mencioned /and that answere is this / that the cōpactewas made to paye the foresayd raunsomeafter that Camillus was created dicta-tour / at what time it was nat lawfull thatthey whiche were of ferre lesse auctoritie /ye & had put them selfe holy in his hande /shuld entermedle them with any maner oftreatise without his licence / & that he wasnat bounde to stande to theyr bargayne.The whiche argumente is deducte out oftwo circumstaunces / whereof one is thetyme of the makynge of the compacte / andthe other / the persons that made it / whichtwo circumstaunces may briefly be calledwhan / and who. ¶ Likewise yf an oracionshulde be made to the laude of saint Pe-ter / it behoueth to excuse his denyenge ofchriste / that it was rather of diuine powerand wyll: than otherwise / for a confortableexample to synners of grace yf they repēt.¶ This is the maner of handelynge of anoracion demonstratiue / in whiche the per-son is praised.¶ The author in his greater worke decla[-]reth the facion by this example.¶ If one wolde praise kynge Charles / heshulde kepe in his oracion this order.Fyrst in declarynge his parentele / that hewas kynge Pipines sone / whiche was thefyrste of all kynges ofFranncenamed themoost christen kynge / and by whom all af-ter hym had the same name / andNephiento Martell / the moost valiauntest pryncethat euer was. Nexte / his bryngynge vpvnder one Peter Pisane / of whom he wasinstructe bothe in Greke and Latin. Thāhis adolessencie / whiche he passed in excer-cise of armesvnder inhis fader in yewar-res of Acquitaine / where he lerned also theSarazynes tongue.¶ Beynge come to mannes state / & nowkyuge of Fraunce / he subdued Aquitayn /Italye / Swauelande / and the Saxones.And these warres were so fortunate / thathe ouercam his aduersaries more by aucto[-]ritie and wisdom than by effusion of blode.¶ Also many other notable examples ofvertue were in hym in that age / speciallythat he edified the vniuersitie of Paris.¶ Here may by digressiō be declared howgoodly a thynge lernynge is in Prynces.Chiefly suche condicion apperteyneth tovertue and good lyuynge.¶ Here may be also made comparison ofhis vertues in warre / and of other agre-ynge with peace / in the whiche (as his hi-story maketh mencyon) he was more ex-cellent. For his chiefe delyte was to hauepeace / and agayne he was so gentyll andso mercyfull / that he wolde rather saueeuyn suche as had don hym great offence:and had deserued very well for to dye / thāto dystroye theym / thoughe he might do itconueniently.¶ Besyde this / he was so greatly enfla-med in the loue of god and his holy chirch /that one Alcuine a noble clerk of Englandwas continually with hym / in whose prea[-]chynge and other gostely communicacionhe had a chiefe pleasure. His olde age hepassed in rest and quyetenes fortunately /saue for one thyng / that his sonnes agreedeuyll betwene them.¶ After his decease reigned his son / holysaint Lewes / and so the folowynges of hisdethe were suche that they could be no bet-ter / and a very great token of his good andvertuouse lyuynge. For yf an yll tree canbrynge furthe no good fruite / what shallwe suppose of this noble kynge Charles /of whome cam so vertuouse and so holy ason? Truely me thynketh that hither maybe nat incōueniently applied the sayengesof the gospell / by theyr fruites you shallknow them.¶ Of an oracion Demonstratiue /wherein an acte is praysed.WHan we wyll prayse any maner ofdede / the moost apte preamble forthat purpose shall be to say that themater perteyneth to the commodities ofthem whiche here vs.¶ Example.WHan the Romaynes had expelledtheyr kynge / whome the historicienscall Tarquine the proude / out of thecitie / and fully enacted that they wolde ne[-]uer haue kynge to reigne more ouer them.This Tarquin[us] went for aide and socourto the kynge of Tuscaye / whiche whan hecould by no menes entreat the Romainsto receiue agayn theyr kyng / he cam withall his puissaunce against the citie / & therelong space besieged the Romaynes / by rea[-]son wherof / great penury of whete was inthe citie / & the kynge of Tuscay had greattrust / that continuynge the siege / he shuldewithin a litle lenger space compell the Ro[-]maynes thrugh famine to yelde thēselfe.¶ In the meane season a yong man of thecitie named Gaius Mucius / came to theSenatours and shewed them that he waspurposed yf they wolde gyue hym licenceto go furthe of the citie to do an acte thatshuld be for theyr great profite and welth /whereupon whan he had obteined licence /priuely / with weapō hyd vnder his vesturehe cam to the Tuscans campe / & gate hymamong the thickest / nigh to the tent whereas the kyng sat with his chaunceller / pay-enge the sowdiers the wages. And bicausethat they were almoost of lyke apparell / &also the chaunceler spake many thyngesas a man beynge in auctoritie / he couldenat tell whether of theym was the kynge /nor he durst nat aske / leest his demaundewolde haue bewrayed hym / for as for lan-guage they had one / & nothyng was diffe-rent / for bothe Tuscains & Romains wereall of Italye / as in tymes past / Englandehathe had many kynges / though the lan-guage & people were on. And thus beyngein doubt whether of them he myght steppevnto / by chaunce he strake the chauncellerin stede of the kynge / and slew hym / wher-fore whan he was taken and brought be-fore the kynge / for to punysshe his handethat had failed in takyng one for an other /and agayn to shew the kynge how litle hecared for his menaces / he thrast his handeinto the fire / which at that time was thereprepared for sacrifyce / & there in the flamelet it brenne / nat ones mouynge it. Thekynge greatly marueylynge at his audaci[-]tie & hardy nature / cōmended hym greatlythereof / and bad hym go his way free: Forthe whiche (as though he wolde make thekyng a great amendes) he fayned that .iii.C. of the noblest yonge men of Rome hadconspyred to gyther in lyke maner eueryone after another vnwar[e]s to slee hym / andall to put theyr bodies and liues in hasardtyll tyme shulde chaunce that one myghtacheue theyr entent. For fere whereof thekynge furthwith fell at a pointement withthe Romaines / and departed. The yongeman afterwarde was named Sceuola /whiche is as moche to say in Englyssh aslefte hāded. For as I haue reherced afore /he brente his right hande / so that he hadlost the vse therof.¶ IF any oratour wolde in an oracyoncommende this dede / he myght conueni-ently make the preface on this facion.THere is no doubte my lordes& maysters of Rome: but thatthe remēbraunce of Sceuolaesname is very pleasant vnto your audiēce /whiche with one act that he dyd / endewedyour citie with many and greate commo-dytees. &c[etera].¶ This maner of preface is moost conue[-]nyent and best annexyd to suche maner oforacyons demonstratiues.¶ Neuer the lesse it is lawfull for vs totake our preface (yf it be our pleasure) outeof some circumstaunce / as out of the placethat our oracion is made in / or out of thetyme that we speke in / or els otherwyse /accordynge as we shall haue occasyon /As Tullie / in the oracyon that he madefor the restitucyon of Marcus Marcel-lus / in the whiche he praiseth Cezare forthe callyng home of the sayd Marc[us] mar-cellus out of exyle / he taketh his pream-ble out of the tyme and Cezares persone /begynnynge thus.THis daye my lordes Senatoureshath made an ende of the longe sci-lence that I haue kepte a great while / natfor any fere that I had / but part for greatsorow that was in me / & partly for shame /this day as I sayd hath taken away thatlonge scilence / ye / and besyde that of newebrought to me lust & mynde to speke whatI wolde / and what I thought moost expe[-]dient / like as I was afore wont to do. ForI can nat in no maner of wyse refrayne /but I must nedes speke of the great meke-nes of Cezare / of the graciousnes that isin hym / so habūdant and so great withall /that neuer afore any suche hath ben wontto be sene or herde of / and also of the excel-lent good moderaciō of all thynges whichis in hym that hathe all in his owne merepower. Nor I can nat let passe his excellētincredible / and diuine wisdome vnspokenof / afore you at this tyme.¶ Of the Narracion.IN this kynde we vse but selden holenarracions / oneles we make our ora[-]cion afore them that know nat the historyof the acte or dede whiche we be aboute toprayse. But in stede of a narracion we vse aproposicion / on this maner.AMonge all the noble deedes Cezarethat ye haue done / there is non thatis more worthy to be praysed than this re[-]stitucion of Marke Marcell.¶ Of Confirmacion / whiche isthe fyrst parte of Contencion.THe places of confirmacion arehonesty /p[er]fite/ lightnes / or har-dines of the dede. For after theproheme of the oracion and the narracion /than go we to the prouynge of our mater.Fyrst shewynge that it was a very honestdede. And next / that it was nat all only ho[-]nesty: but also profitable. Thirdely as con[-]cernyng the easines or difficulty / the praisetherof must be considered / parte in the do-er / part in the dede. An easy dede deseruethno great praise / but an harde and a ieoper[-]douse thynge / the soner and the lightlier itis acheued / the more it is to be lauded.¶ The honesty of the cause is fet from thenature of the thynge ytis spoken of / whichplace lieth in the wytte of the oratour / andmay also be fet out of the philosophers bo[-]kes. It is also copiosely declared of Rhe-toriciens / and very compēdiously handledof Erasmus in his boke / entituled of themaner and crafte to make epistels / in thechapitre of a persuadyng epistle. The pro-fyte of the dede / or the commoditie may befet at the circumstaunce of it. Circumstaū[-]ces are these / what was done / who dyd it /whan / where it was done / among whom /by whose helpe.¶ As if one wolde praise Sceuolaes acte /of the whiche mencion was made afore /he may.¶ Whan he cometh to the places of con-tencion / shew fyrst how honest a dede it isfor any man to put his lyfe in ieopardy forthe defence of his countrey / whiche is somoche the more to be commended that itcam of his owne minde / and nat by the in-stigacion of any other / and how profitableit was to the citie to remoue so strong andpuissaunt an enemy by so good and craftypolicy / what tyme the citie was nat wellassured of all mennes myndes that werewithin the walles / considerynge that buta lytle afore many noble yonge men weredetecte of treason in the same busines. Andthan also the citie was almoost destitute ofvitailes / & all other commodities necessa-ry for the defence.¶ Likewise easynes or difficultie are con-teyned in the circumstaunces of the cause.As in the example now spoken of / what anharde enterprise it is for one man to entreinto a kynges armye / and to come to thekynges pauilion in the face of his souldi-ers to aduenture to slee hym.¶ Of the seconde parte of con-tencion / called confutacion.COnfutaciō is the soilyng of sucheargumentes as maye be inducedagaynst our purpose / which partis but lytle vsed in an oracion demonstra-tiue. Neuer the lesse / somtyme may chaūcea thyng that must be either defended or elsat the leest excused. As yf any man woldespeke of Camillus dede / wherby he recoue-red his contrey / and delyuered it from thehandes of the Frenche men. ¶ Here mustbe declared that the bargayne made aforewas nat by Camillus violate.¶ The places of confutacion be contraryto the places of confirmacion.¶ Of the conclusion.THe cōclusion is made of a briefenumeracion of suche thyngesthat we haue spoken of afore inthe oracion / & in mouynge of affections.¶ In delectable thinges or suche thingesthat haue ben well done / we moue our au-dience to reioice thereat / and to do lyke.¶ In sad thynges and heuy / to be sory forthem. In yll and peruerse act[e]s / to bewarethat they folowe nat them to theyr greatshame and confusion.¶ Of an oracion demonstratiue / whereinare praised neither persones nor actes /but some other thynges / as religion /matrimony / or suche other.THe best begynnyng wyll be if itbe taken out of some high praiseof the thynge. But a man mayalso begyn otherwyse / eyther at his ownepersō or at theyrs afore whom he speketh /or at the place in the whiche he speketh / orat the season present / or otherwise / as hathafore ben specified / and here must we takegood hede that yf we take vpō vs to praiseany thynge that is no praise worthy / thanmust we vse insinuacion / & excuse the turpi[-]tude / either by examples or by argumēt[e]s /as Erasmus doth in his epistle prefixed a-fore his oracion made to the prayse of fo-lisshnes / of the whiche I haue let passe thetrāslaciō bicause yeepistle is sōwhat long.¶ The narracion.IN this maner of oraciō is no nar[-]racion / but in stede therof the Rhe[-]toriciens all only propose the ma[-]ter. And this proposicion is in the stede ofthe narracion.¶ A very elegāt example is in the oracionthat Angele Policiane made to the laudeof histories / whiche is this. Among all ma[-]ner of wryters by whom either the Greketongue or the latine hath ben in floure andexcellence / without doubte me semeth thatthey dyd moost profyte to mankynde / bywhom the excellent dedes of nacions / prin-ces / or valiant men haue ben truely descri-ued and put in cronicles.¶ Likewise yf a man praise peace / & shewewhat a commodiouse thynge it is / he maymake suche a proposicion.AMonge all the thynges whiche per[-]teine to mānes commoditie / of whatsomeuer condicion or nature so euer theybe / non is so excellent and so worthy to behad in honour and loue / as is peace.¶ The confirmacion.THe places of confirmacion be inthis oracion. The same ytwerein the other( ofwhome mencionwas made afore / honesty / profite / easynes /or difficulty. Honesty is considered in thenature of the thynge / also in the personesthat haue excercysed it / and the inuentersthereof. And in the auctour of it. As in thelaude of matrimony be considered the auc[-]tour thereof / whiche was god hym selfe /the antiquite that it was made in the fyrstbegynnynge of the worlde / and continued(as reason is) to this hour in great honourand reuerēce. The persones that haue vsedit / were bothe patriarches / as Abraham.Prophetes / as Dauyd. Apostels / as sayntPeter. Martyrs / saynt Eustache. And cō-fessours / as saynt Edwarde. And (whichethyng was fyrst proposed) the nature ther-of is suche / that without it: man shulde belike vnto beest / oneles all generacion shuldbe put aparte. And the commaūdement ofalmighty god nat regarded / who bad manand woman shulde engender & multiply.¶ Profite and easines is considered in thecircumstaunces. Examples may be takenout of Policians oraciō / made to the laudeof histories—And two oracions of Erasm[us] /one to the laude of phisike / and an other tothe laude of matrimony.¶ Of confutacion.Confutacion hath contrary places to con-firmacion.¶ Of the conclusion.THe periode or conclusion stan-deth in the briefe enumeracionof thinges spoken afore / and inmouyng the affections / as hath ben aboueexpressed.¶ Of an oracion deliberatiue.AN oraciō deliberatiue is by thewhich we persuade or dissaudeany thyng / & by the whiche weaske / or whereby we exhort any man to doa thynge / or els to forsake it / and this kyn-de of oracion is moche in vse / nat onelyin ciuilematers: but also in epistels.¶ Of the preamble.WE may begynne our oracion in thiskynde / euyn lyke as we dyd in an ora[-]cion demonstratiue / but moost aptlyat our office or duety / leest some men woldethynke that we dyd it more of a priuate af-fection for our owne commoditie and plea[-]sure: than for any other mannes profyte.¶ And in this maner Salust in his bokeof Catheline bringeth in Cezare / beginnyngan oracion. But let vs here now what Ce[-]zar sayeth.ALl men my lord[e]s Senatours whichsyt concellynge vpon any doubtfullmater / must be voyde of hatred / frendshyp /anger / pitye / or mercye. For where any ofthese thynges bere a rule / mannes myndecan nat lightely perceyue the truthe. &c[etera].¶ Or els we may begyn at the greatenesof the mater / or daunger of the thyng thatwe speke of / as in the fyfte boke of Liuius.Camillus maketh the preamble of his ora[-]cion thus.MY maysters of this Citie of Ardea /which haue ben alwayes myne oldefrendes / and now (by reason of myne exyleout of Rome) my new neighbours and ci-tizens. For I thank you of your goodnesyou haue promysed that it shuld so be / andon the other side my fortune hath constray[-]ned me to seke som new dwellynge out ofthe citie where I was brought vp & enha-bited. I wolde nat that any of you shuldethynke that I am now come amonge younat remembrynge my condicion and state /but the comō ieopardy that we be all nowin / wyll compell euery man to open andshew the best remedy that he knoweth forour socoure in this greate fere & necessity.¶ Nat withstandynge this / a man maytake his begynnynge otherwyse / after anyof the facions afore recited / if he lyst.¶ Tully in the oracion / wherin he aduisedthe Romaynes to make Pompey theyrchiefe capitaine against Mithridates andTigranes / kynges of Ponthus & Arme-ny / taketh in the preface beneuolence fromhis owne persone / shewynge by what oc-casion he myght laufully gyue councell tothe Romaines / bycause was electe Pretorof the citie. we may also touche our aduer-saries in the preface / or els we may touchethe maners / either of som seuerall persons /or of the commons in generall. As in theoracion that Porci[us] Chato made agaynstthe sumptuousnes of the women of Rome /thus begynnynge.IF euery man my lordes and maistersof this citie wolde obserue and kepethe ryght and maiestye of a man agaynsthis owne wife / we shuld haue ferre lesse en-combrance now with the hole thronge thāwe haue. But now our fredome and lyber-tie is ouercome within our owne dores bythe importunatnes of our wyues / & so au-dacitie taken therof here troden vnder thefete / and oppressed in the parliamēt house:And bycause we wold nat displease no māhis owne wyfe at home: here are we nowcombred with all / gathered to gyder on ahepe / and brought in that takynge thatwe dare nat ones open our lyppes againstthem. &c[etera].
¶ To the reuerende father in god& his singuler good lorde / the lorde HughFaryngton Abbot of Redynge / his poreclient and perpetuall seruaunt LeonardeCockes desyreth longe & prosperouse lyfewith encreace of honour.
COnsiderynge my spe[-]ciall good lorde how great[-]ly and how many ways Iam bounden to your lord-shyp / and among all otherthat in so great a nombreof counynge men whiche are now withinthis region it hath pleased your goodnesto accepte me as worthy for to haue thecharge of the instruction & bryngynge vpof suche youth as resorteth to your gra-mer schole / foūded by your antecessours inthis your towne of Redynge / I studied alonge space what thyng I myght do nextthe busy & diligent occupienge of my selfein your sayd seruyce / to the whiche botheconscience and your stipende doth straytlybynde me / that myght be a significacionof my faithfull and seruysable hart whichI owe to your lordeshyp / & agayne a longmemory bothe of your singuler and bene-ficiall fauour towarde me: and of myn in-dustry and diligence employed in your ser-uyce to some profite: or at the leest way tosome delectacion of the inhabitauntes ofthis noble realme now flouryshynge vn-der the most excellent & victorious prynceour souerain Lorde kyng Henry the .viii.
¶ And whan I had thus long prepensedin my mynde what thynge I myght bestchose out: non offred it selfe more conue-nyent to the profyte of yonge studentes(which your good lordshyp hath alwayestenderly fauoured) and also meter to myp[ro]fession: than to make som proper werkeof the right pleasaunt and persuadible artof Rhetorique / whiche as it is very neces-sary to all suche as wyll either be Aduoca[-]tes and Proctours in the law: or els apteto be sent in theyr Prynces Ambassades /or to be techers of goddes worde in suchemaner as may be moost sensible & accepteto theyr audience / and finally to all themhauynge any thyng to purpose or to spekeafore any companye (what someuer theybe) So contraryly I se no science that islesse taught & declared to Scolers / whichought chiefly after the knowlege of Gra-mer ones had to be instructe in this facul[-]tie / without the whiche oftentymes therude vtteraunce of the Aduocate greatlyhindereth and apeyreth his cliētes cause.Likewise the vnapt disposicion of the pre-cher (in orderyng his mater) confoundeththe memory of his herers / and briefly indeclarynge of maters: for lacke of inuen-cion and order with due elocucion: greattediousnes is engendred to the multitudebeyng present / by occasion wherof the spe[-]ker is many tymes ere he haue ended histale: either left almost aloon to his no li-tle confusiō: or els (which is a lyke rebuketo hym) the audience falleth for werynesof his ineloquent language fast on slepe.
¶ Wyllynge therfore for my parte to helpsuche as are desirouse of this Arte (as allsurely ought to be which entende to be re-garded in any comynaltie) I haue parte-ly translated out a werke of Rhetoriquewryten in the Latin tongue: and partelycompyled of myn owne: and so made a ly-tle treatyse in maner of an Introductyoninto this aforesayd Science: and that inour Englysshe tongue. Remembryngethat euery good thyng (after the sayeng[e]sof the Philosopher) the more comon it is:the more better it is. And furthermore tru[-]stynge therby to do som pleasure and easeto suche as haue by negligence or els falspersuacions be put to the lernyng of othersciences or euer they haue attayned anymeane knowlege of the Latin tongue.
¶ whiche my sayd labour I humbly offreto your good Lordeshyp / as to the chyefemaintener & nouryssher of my study / be-sechynge you / thoughe it be ferre withinyour merites done to me / to accepte it asthe fyrst assay of my pore and simple wyt /which yf it may fyrst please your Lord-shyp / and nexte the reders / I trust bythe ayde of almyghty god to endyteother werkes bothe in this facul-ty and other to the laude of thehygh godhed / of whome allgoodnes doth procede / andto your Lordshyps plea-sure / and to profyteand delectacion ofthe Reder.
WHo someuer desyreth to bea good Oratour or to dys-pute and commune of anymaner thynge / hym beho-ueth to haue foure thinges.
¶ The fyrst is called In-uencion / for he must fyrst of all imagin orInuent in his mynde what he shall say.
¶ The seconde is named Iugement. Forhe must haue wyt to deserne & iuge whe-ther tho thynges that he hath founde inhis mynde be conuenient to the purposeor nat. For oftētymes yf a man lacke thisproperty / he may aswell tell that that isagainst hym as with hym / as experiencedoth dayly shew. ¶ The thyrde is Dispo-sicion / wherby he may know how to orderand set euery thynge in his due place / leestthoughe his inuencion and iugement beneuer so good / he may happen to be coun-ted (as the comon prouerbe sayth) to putthe carte afore the horse. ¶ The fourth& last is suche thynges as he hath inuen-ted: and by Iugement knowen apte to hispurpose whan they are set in theyr orderso to speke them that it may be pleasauntand delectable to the audience / so that itmay be sayd of hym that hystories makemencion that an olde woman sayd onesby Demosthenes / & syns hath ben a comōprouerbe amonge the Grekesουτοσεϛιwhich is as moche to say as (This is he)And this last p[ro]perty is called among ler-ned men( Eloquence. ¶ Of these foure themoost difficile or harde is to inuent whatthou must say / wherfore of this parte theRethoriciens whiche be maisters of thisArte: haue writen very moche & diligētly.
¶ Inuencion is comprehended in certaynplaces / as the Rhetoriciens call them / outof whom he that knoweth yefaculty mayfetche easely suche thynges as be mete forthe mater that he shall speke of / which ma[-]ter the Oratours calleth the Theme / andin our vulgare tongue it is called impro-perly the Anthethem. ¶ The theme pur-posed: we must after the rules of Rheto-rique go to our places that shall anō shewvnto vs what shall be to our purpose.
¶ Example.
IN olde tyme there was greate enuybetwene two noble men of Rome / ofwhō the one was called Milo / & the otherClodius / which malice grew so ferre thatClodius layd wayte for Milo on a seasonwhan he sholde ryde out of the Citie / andin his iourney set vpon hym / and there asit chaunced: Clodius was slayne / wherevpon this Clodius frendes accused Miloto the Cenate of murder. Tully whiche intho days was a great Aduocate in Romesholde plede Miloes cause. Now it wasopen that Milo had slayne Clodius / butwhether he had slayn hym laufully or natwas the doubte. So than the Theme ofTullies oraciō or plee for Milo was this /that he had slayne Clodius laufully / andtherfore he ought nat to be punisshed / forthe confirmacion wherof (as dothe apperein Tullies oracion) he dyd brynge out ofplaces of Rhetoryque argumentes to p[ro]uehis sayd Theme or purpose. And likewysemust we do whan we haue any mater tospeke or comun of. As if I sholde make anoracion to the laude & prayse of the Kyn-ges highnes: I must for the Inuencyonof suche thynges as be for my purpose goto places of Rhetorique / where I shalleasely finde (after I know the rules) thatthat I desyre. ¶ Here is to be noted thatthere is no Theme but it is conteyned vn[-]der one of the foure causes / or for the moreplaynnes foure kyndes of Oracions.
¶ The fyrste is called Logycall / whychekinde we call properly disputaciō. ¶ Theseconde is called Demonstratiue. ¶ Thethyrde Deliberatiue. ¶ The fourth Iudi-ciall / and these thre last be properly calledspices or kyndes of oracions / whose natu-res shall be declared seperately hereafterwith the crafte that is required in euery ofthem. All themes that perteine to Logikeeither they be simple or compounde. As yfa man desyre to know of me what Iusticeis. This onely thīg Iustice is my theme.Or if disputacion be had in company vponreligion / and I wolde declare the very na-ture of religion / my theme shulde be thissimple or one thynge religion. But yf it bedoubted whether Iustyce be a vertue ornat / and I wolde proue the parte affyrma[-]tyue / my theme were now compoūde / thatis to say / Iustice is a vertue / for it is madeof two thynges knyt and vnied togither /Iustice and vertue. ¶ Here must be notedthat Logike is a playn & a sure way to in-struct a mā of the trouth of euery thynge /& that in it the natures / causes / partes / &effectes of thynges are by certayne rulesdiscussed & serched out / so that nothing canbe p[er]fectly & p[ro]perly knowē but by rules ofLogike / which is nothing but an obserua[-]cyon / or a dylygent markynge of nature.whereby in euery thynge mannes reasondothe consyder what is fyrste / what last /what proper / what improper.
¶ The places or instrumentes of a simpletheme are.
The diffinicion of the thynge.The causes.The partes.The effectes.
¶ Exāple. If thou inquire what thīg Iu[-]stice is / whereof it cometh / what partes ithath / & what is the office or effect of eueryparte / than hast thou diligētly serched outthe hole nature of Iustice / & handeled thysimple theme accordyng to the precept[e]s ofLogicians / to whom our auctour leuethsuche mat[er]s to be discussed of thē / how beitsomwhat yeRhetoriciās haue to do withyesimple theme / & asmoche as shall be fortheyr entent he wyll shew hereafter. Formany tymes the oratour must vse bothediffinicions & diuisions. But as they be inLogike playne and compendiouse / so arethey in Rhetorike extēded & paynted withmany figures & ornament[e]s belongyng tothe science. Neuertheles to satisfie the re-ders mynde / & to alleuiate the tediousnesof serchynge these places / I wyll open themaner and facion of the handelyng of thetheme aforsayd as playnly as I can / afterthe preceptes of Logike.
¶ First to serche out the perfite knowlegeof Iustice: I go to my fyrst place diffinici[-]on / & fetche from Aristotle in his Ethik[e]sthe Diffinicion of Iustice / which is this.
¶ Iustice is a morall vertue / wherby menbe the werkers of rightfull thynges (thatis to saye) whereby they bothe loue & alsodo suche thynges as be iust. This done: Iserche the causes of Iustice (that is to say)from whens it toke the fyrst begynnyng /and by cause that it is a morall vertue: andPlato in the ende of his Dialogue Menōconcludeth that all vertue cometh of god:I am assured that god is the chief cause ofIustice: declaryng it to the worlde by hisInstrument mānes wyt / whiche the samePlato affyrmeth in the begynnyng of hislawes. The Diffinicion and cause had: Icome to the thyrde place called partes toknowe whether there be but one kynde ofIustice or els many. And for this purposeI fynde that Arystotle in the fyfte of hisEthikes deuideth Iustice in two speces orkyndes. One ythe calleth Iustice legiti-me or legal / an other that he called Equi-te. ¶ Iustice legall is that that consystethin the superiours whiche haue power forto make or statute lawes to the īferiours.And the office or ende of this Iustice is tomake suche lawes as be bothe good andaccordynge to right and conscience / & thāto declare them / & whan they are made &publisshed as they ought to be / to se thatthey be put in vre / for what auaileth it tomake neuer so good lawes: yf they be natobserued and kept. ¶ And finally that themaker of the lawe applye his hole studie &mynde to the welthe of his subiectes andto the comon profyte of them. The otherkynde of Iustice whiche men call Equitieis whereby a man neyther taketh nor gy-ueth lesse nor more than he ought / but ingyuynge taketh good hede that euery māhaue accordynge as he deserueth. ThisEquitie is agayne deuyded into Equitiedistributyue of comon thynges & EquitieCommutatiue. By Equitie distributyueis distributyd and giuen of comon goodesto euery mā accordyng to his deseruyng[e]sand as he is worthy to haue. As to deuideamonge suche as longe to the Chyrche ofthe Chyrche goodes after the qualitie oftheyr merytes: and to them beynge Ciuilpersones of the comon treasour of the Ci-tie accordynge as they are worthy.
¶ In this parte is comprehended the pu-nyshment of mysdoers and trangressoursof the lawe / to whome correccion must bedistributed for the comon welth accordingto theyr demerites / after the prescripcionsof the lawes of the contrey / made & deter-mined for the punisshment of any manerof transgressour. ¶ Equity cōmutatiue isa iust maner in the chaungynge of thyng[e]sfrom one to another / whose offyce or effectis to kepe iust dealynge in equytie / as by-enge / sellynge / & all other bargaynes law-full. And so are herewith the spices of Iu-stice declared theyr offices / which was thefourth & last place.
¶ Our auctour also in a great worke thathe hath made vpon Rhetorike / declareththe handelynge of a theme symple by thesame example of Iustice / addynge two pla[-]ces mo / whiche are called affines and con-traries on this maner.
¶ What is Iustice? A vertue whereby toeuery thynge is gyuen that that to it be-longeth.
¶ What is the cause thereof? Manneswyll consentynge with lawes & maners.
¶ How many kyndes? Two.
¶ Whiche? Commutatiue & Distributiue /for in two maners is our medlynge withother men / eyther in thynges of our sub-staunce & wares / or in gentyll and cyuyleconuersacion.
¶ what thynge is Iustice commutatiue?Right and equitie in all contractes.
¶ what is Iustice distributiue? Iustice ofciuile lyuynge.
¶ How manyfolde is Iustyce dystrybu-tyue? Either it is comon or priuate. Thecomon is called in latin Pietas / but in en-glysshe it may be moost properly namedgood order / which is the crowne of all ver[-]tuesconceruyngehonest and ciuile con-uersacyon of men togither / as the hedeswith the meane comonalty in good vnityand concorde. ¶ Pryuate or seuerall Iu-stice dystrybutyue is honest and amyablefrendeshyp & conuersacion of neighbours.
¶ What are the offyces? To do for eueryman / ryche or pore / of what estate so euerhe be / and for our contrey / for our wyues /chyldren / and frendes / that that ought tobe done for euery of them.
¶ Affynes or vertues nigh to Iustice areconstancy / lyberalytie / temperaunce.
Thynges contrary are fere / couetyse / pro-dygalytie.
¶ And this is the maner of handelyngeof a symple Theme dialectycall. But yetlet nat the reder deceyue hym selfe / andthynke that the very perfyte knowlege isshewyd hym all here. And that whichehath bē shewed now: is somwhat generaland briefe. ¶ More sure and exact know-lege is conteined in Logike / to whome Iwyll aduise thē that be studiouse to resorte& to fetche euery thynge in his owne pro-per facultie.
¶ Of a Theme compounde.
EUery Theme compounde: ey-ther it is proued trewe or fals.Now whether thou wylt p[ro]ueor improue any thyng: it mustbe done by argument. And yfany Theme compounde: be it Logicall orRhetorycall / it must be referred to therules of Logike by thē to be proued trewor fals. For this is the dyfference that isbetwene these two sciences / that the Lo-gician in dysputynge obserueth certaynerules for the settynge of his wordes beingsolicitous that there be spokē no more norno lesse than the thynge requyreth / & thatit be euin as plaīly spokē as it is thought.But the Rhethorician seketh about & bo-roweth where he can asmoche as he mayfor to make the symple and playne Logi-call argumentes gaye & delectable to theeare. So than the sure iugement of argu-mentes or reasons must be lerned of thelogician / but the crafte to set thē out withpleasaunt figures and to delate the materbelongeth to the Rhetorician. As in Mi-loes cause / of whome was made mencionafore. ¶ A logician wolde briefly argue /who so euer violently wyll slee an other /may lawfully of the other be slayne in hisdefence. Clodius wolde vyolently haueslain Milo / wherfore Clodius might lau-fully be slayne of Milo in Miloes ownedefence. And this argument the logicianscall a Sillogisme in Darii / whiche Tullyin his oracion extendeth that in foure orfyue leues it is scant made an ende of / norno man can haue knowlege whether Tul-lies argument that he maketh in his ora-cyon for Milo / be a good argumente ornat / and howe it holdeth / excepte he canby Logyke reduce it to the perfecte andbriefe forme of a Sillogisme / takynge inthe meane season of the Rhetorycyanswhat ornamentes haue ben cast to for tolyght and augment the oracyon / and togyue it a maiestie.
¶ The places out of whome are foundeargumentes for the prouynge or impro-uynge of compounde Themes / are thesefolowynge.
DiffinicionCauseParteslykecontrary
OF the places of argumen-tes shall be spoken hereaf-ter. For as touchynge thēin all thynges the Rheto-rician & Logician do agre.But as concernynge thecrafte to fourme argumentes whan thouhast foūde them in theyr places / that mustbe lerned of the Logician / where he trea-teth of the fourme of sillogismes / enthime[-]mes and inductions.
¶ Of an oracion demonstratiue.
THe vse of an oracion demon-stratiue is ī praise or dispraise /whiche kynde or maner of ora-cion was greatly vsed somtyme in comonaccions / as dothe declare the oracions ofDemosthenes / and also many of Thucidi-des oracions. And there ben thre manersof oracions demonstratiue.
¶ The fyrst conteyneth the prayse or dys-prayse of persones. As yf a man woldeprayse the kynges hyghnes / or dyspraysesome yll persone / it must be done by an ora[-]cion demonstratiue. The seconde kynde ofan oracion demonstratiue is: where in ispraysed or dyspraysed / nat the persone butthe dede. As if a thefe put hym selfe in ieo-p[ar]dy for the safegarde of a true mā / againstother theues and murderers / the p[er]son cannat be praysed for his vicious lyuyng / butyet the dede is worthy to be commended.Or if one shulde speake of Peters denyengof Christ / he hath nothyng to disprayse yeperson saue onely for this dede. The thyrdkynde is: wherin is lauded or blamed no-ther person nor dede / but some other thingas vertue / vice / iustice / iniurie / charite / en-uie / pacience / wrathe / and suche lyke.
¶ Partes of an Oracion.
¶ The partes of an oracion prescribed ofRhetoriciens are these.
¶ The Preamble or exorden.¶ The tale or narracion.¶ The prouynge of the matter or conten-cion.¶ The conclusion.
¶ Of the whiche partes mencyon shall bemade herafter in euery kynde of oracions /for they are nat founde generally in eueryoracion / but some haue moo partes / andsome lesse.
¶ Of the Preamble.
GEnerally the Preamble nat alonlyin an oracion demonstratiue / but al-so in the other two is conteyned andmust be fetched out of thre places / that isto say of beneuolence / attencion / & to makethe mater easy to be knowen / whiche theRhetoricians call Docilite.
¶ Beneuolence is the place whereby theherer is made willyng to here vs / and it isconteyned in the thynge that we speke of /in them whom we speke to / & in our ownepersone. The easyest and moost vsed placeof beneuolence consysteth in the offyce orduety of the person / whan we shew that itis our duety to do that we be about.
¶ Out of this place is fet yep[re]āble of saītGregory Nazazene / made to the praise ofsaynt Basyll / where he saith that it is hishisduety to prayse saynt Basyll for threcauses. For the great loue and frendeshypthat hath ben always betwene them / andagayne for the remembraūce of the moostfayre and excellent vertues that were inhym / and thyrdely that the chyrch myghthaue an example of a good and holy Bys-shop. ¶ Trewly by our authours lycenceme thynketh that in the preamble Naza-zen doth nat only take beneuolence out ofthe place of his owne persone / but also outof the other two / whā he sheweth the causeof his duetye / for in praysynge his frendehe dyd but his duetye. In praysynge hisvertues / he cam to the place of beneuolēceof hym that he spake of / as touchyng theexample that the chyrche shulde haue / itwas for theyr profite / and concernyng theplace of beneuolence / taken of them thathe spake to. But our authour regardedchiefly the principall proposicion / whichewas that saynt Gregory Nazazene wasbounde to praise saint Basyll.
¶ A lyke example of beneuolence takenout of the place of office or dutie / is in theoracyon that Tully made for the PoeteArchias / whiche begynneth thus.
MY lordes that be here iuges / yf therebe in me any wyt / whiche I knoweis but small / or yf I haue any crafty vse ofmakynge an oracion / wherein I denie natbut ytI haue metely excercysed my selfe /or yf any helpe to that science cometh outof other lyberall artes / in whome I haueoccupied al my lyfe / surely I am boūde tono man more for them than to Archias /whiche may lawfully if I may do any māany profite by them / chalenge a chiefe por[-]cion for hym therin.
¶ Out of this place dyd this same Tullyfetche the begynnyng of his fyrste epistle /in whome he wrytethe to one Lentule onthis maner: I do so my deutie in al poyn-tes towarde you / and so great is the loueand reuerence that I bere vnto you thatall other men say that I can do no more /and yet me semeth that I haue neuer donthat that I am bounde to do / eyther toyou or in your cause.
¶ We may also get beneuolence by reasonof them / whome we make our oracion of:As yf we saye that we can neuer praysehym to hyghly / but ythe is worthy mochmore laude and prayse. And so taketh saītNazianzene beneuolence in his sayd ora-cion for sainct Basile.
¶ Also of them afore whome we speke / asif we say / it is for theyr profyte to laude orprayse the p[er]son. And that we knowe verywel howe moche they haue alwayes louedhym / and that he ought therfore to be prai[-]sed the more for theyr sakes. The maneris also to get vs beneuolence in the prefaceof our oracion / by pynchyng and blamyngof our aduersarie. As doth Tullie in the o-racion that he made for one Aulus Cecin-na / wherin he begynneth his proeme thusIf temerite and lake of shame coulde asmoche preuayle in plees afore the iustices /as doth audacite and temerarious bolde-nesse in the feldes and deserte places / therewere no remedie but euen so muste AulusCecinna be ouercome in this matter bySextus Ebucius impudence / as he wasin the felde ouercome by his insidious au-dacite. And these be the cōmune formes ofbeneuolence.
¶ A man may also fetche his proeme outof the nature of the place wher he speketh /as Tullie dothe in the oracion made forPompeius for the sendynge of hym intoAsie agaynst kynge Mithridates of Pon-tus / and kyngeTigrauesof Armenie onthis maner: howe be it my lordes and mai[-]sters of this noble citie of Rome / I haue altymes thought it a synguler reioyse to meif I myght ones se you gadred to gytherin a cōpany / to here some publique oracionof myne / and agayne I iuged no place tobe so ample and so honourable to speke inas this is. &c[etera].
¶ Or he may begyn at the nature of thetyme that is than / or at som other cyrcum[-]staunce of his mater / as Tully taketh thebegynnynge of his oracion for Celius atthe tyme / this wise.
¶ If so be it my lordes iuges any mā benow present here that is ignorāt of yourlawes / of your processe in iugement[e]s / andof your customes / surely he may well mar[-]uell what so heynous a mater this shuldebe / that it onely shulde be syt vppon in anhygh feest daye / whan all the comonaltyeafter theyr olde custome are gyuen to thesight of playes / ordeined after a perpetualvsage for the nones for them / all matersof the law laid for the tyme vtterly a part.
¶ He began also an other oracion for oneSext[us] Roscius / out of the daunger of theseason that he spake in.
¶ One may besyde these vse other manerof prohemes / whiche by cause they are natset out of the very mater it selfe / or els thecircumstaunces / as in these aforsayd theyare called peregrine or straūge prohemes.And they be taken out of sētences / solēpnepeticions / maners or customes / lawes / sta[-]tutes of nacyons & contreys. And on thismaner dothe Aristides begyn his oracionmade to the praise of Rome.
¶ Demosthenes in his oracyon made a-gainst Eschines / toke his preface out of asolempne peticion / besechynge the goddesthat he might haue as good fauour in ytcause / as he had foūde in all other matersythe had done afore for the comon welth.
¶ In like maner beginneth Tully the ora[-]cion that he made for one Murena / & alsothe oracyon that he made vnto the Ro-maynes after his retourne from exyle.
¶ He begynneth also an other oracyon /whiche he made as touchynge a lawe de-creed for the diuision of feldes amonge thecomunes out of a custome amonge them /on this wyse.
¶ The maner and custome of our olde fa-ders of Rome hath ben. &c. And this is themaner of prefaces in any oracion / whicheis also obserued in the making of epistles /how beit there is farre lesse crafte in themthan is in an oracyon.
¶ There is yet an other fourme & manerto begyn by insinuacion / wherfore it beho[-]ueth to know that insinuacion is / whā inthe begynnyng / yf the mater seme nat lau[-]dable or honest / we find an excuse therfore.
¶ Example / Homere in his Iliade des-cribeth one Thersites / that he was moostfoule and euyll fauored of all the Grekesthat came to the batayle of Troye / for hewas both gogle eyed / and lame on the onelegge / with croked and pynched shulders /and a longe pyked hede / balde in very ma-ny places. And besyde these fautes he wasa great folysshe babler / and ryght foulemouthed / and ful of debate and stryfe / car-rynge alwayes agaynste the heddes andwyse men of the armye.
¶ Nowe if one wolde take vpon hym tomake an oraciō to the prayse of this losel /whiche mater is of litle honesty in it selfe /he must vse in stede of a preface an insinu-acion. That what thynge poetes or com-mune fame doth eyther prayse or dispraiseought nat to be gyuen credence to / but ra-ther to be suspecte. For ones it is the na-ture of poetes to fayne and lye / as botheHomere and Virgile / which are the prin-ces and heddes of al poetes to witnesse thēselfe. Of whome Homere sayth / that poe-tes make many lies / and Virgile he saith:The moost part of the sene is but deceyte.Poetes haue sene blake soules vnder theerthe / poetes haue fayned and made manylyes of the pale kyngdome ofPlato/ andof the water of Stigie / and of dogges inhell. And agayne cōmune rumours howeoften they ben vayne / it is so open that itnede nat to be declared. Wherfore his trustis that the hearers wyll more regarde hissaynge than fayned fables of poetes / andfleyng tales of lyght folkes / whiche ar forthe more parte the grounders of fame &rumours.
¶ An example may be fet out of the decla-macion that Erasmus made to the prayseof folysshenes.
¶ An other example hath the same Eras-mus in his second booke of Copia / whichis this: Plato in the fyfte dialogue of hiscommunaltie wyllethe that no man shallhaue no wyfe of his owne / but that euerywoman shalbe commune to euery man. Ifany man than wolde eyther prayse or de-fende this mynde of Plato / which is bothcontrarie to Christes religion and to thecommune lyuynge of mē / he myght as E-rasmus teacheth / begynne thus.
¶ I knowe very well that this materwhiche I haue determyned to speke of /wyll seme vnto you at the fyrste herynge /nat onely very straunge / but also right ab-hominable. But that nat withstandynge /yf it wyll please you a litle while to deferreyou iugement tyll ye haue herde the sūmeof suche reasons as I wyll brynge forthein the cause / I doubte nothynge but thatI shall make the trouthe so euydent thatyou all will with one assent approue it / &knowlege that ye haue ben hitherto mar-uelously deceyued in your oppynyon / andsomdele to alleuiate your myndes / ye shallvnderstande that I am nat my selfe au-thour of the thynge / but it is the mynde &saynge of the excellent & moost highly na-med philosopher Plato / whiche was vn-doubted so famouse a clerke / so discrete aman / and soo vertuouse in all his dedes /that ye may be sure he wold speke nothīgbut it were on a right perfyte ground / andthat the thynge were of it selfe very expe-dient / thoughe peraduenture it shewe ferreotherwise at the fyrst herynge.
¶ In all prefacesofpreambles must begood heed taken that they be nat to ferrefet / nor to longe.
¶ These affectuouse wordes / I reioyce / Iam sorye / I meruaile / I am glad for yoursake / I desire / I fere / I pray god / and suchother lyke / be very apte for a preface.
¶ Of the seconde place of apreface / called Attencion.
THe herers shall be madeattent or diligent to giueaudience / yf the oratourmake promyse ythe willshew them new thynges /or els necessary or profita[-]ble / or yf he say ytit is anharde mater that he hath in handelynge /or els obscure & nat easy to be vnderstād /except they gyue right good attendaunce.
¶ wherfore it is expedyent that yf theywyll haue the percepcion of it / that theygyue a good eare. But as concernyng thenewnesse or profyte of the mater / it ma-keth nat all onely yeherer to gyue a goodere (which thynge is called attencion) butalso maketh hym well wyllynge for to bepresent / whiche is beneuolence.
¶ Docilite.
DOcilite whereby we make themater playne & easy to be per-ceyued / is nat greatly requiredin this kynde of oracion / for itis belonging properly to derkeand obscure causes / in whiche we must p[ro]-myse that we wyl nat vse great ambages /or to go (as mē say) roūde about the bussh /but to be short and playne.
¶ Of narracion whiche is the se-conde p[ar]te of an oracion.
¶ The Narracion or tale wherin p[er]sonesare praysed / is the declaryng of theyr lyfe& doynges after the fasshion of an historie.The places out of the whiche it is soughtare: The persones byrthe. His chyldhode.His adolescencie. His mannes state. Hisold age. His dethe and whatfoloweth after.
IN his byrthe is consydered ofwhat stocke he came / what chaū[-]sed at the tyme of his natiuite ornighe vpon / as in the natiuite ofChriste shepeherdes hard angelles synge.
¶ In his chyldhode are marked hisbryngynge vp and tokens of wysdome cō-mynge: As Horace in his fourthe Satiresheweth / how in his chyldhode his fathertaught hym by examples of suche as werethan lyuynge to flee from vice and to gyuehym selfe to vertue.
¶ In adolescencie is considered where tohe than gyuethe hym selfe; As in thefyrst comedie of Terēce one Simo tellethhis seruaūt Sosia / that though all yongemen for the more parte gyue them selfe tosome peculiare thynge / wherin they settetheyr chiefe delyght / as some to haue goo-dely horses / some to cherysshe houndes forhuntyng / & some are gyuen onely to theyrbookes / his sone Pāphilus loued none ofthese more one thā an other / and yet in althese he exercised hym selfe mesurably.
¶ In mannes state and olde age is notedwhat office or rule he bare among his citi-sens / or in his cōtrey / what actes he dyd /how he gouerned suche as were vnd[er] him /howe he p[ro]spered / & what fortune he had insuche thyng[e]s as he went about. Examplehere of is in Saluste / whiche cōpareth to[-]gether Cato and Cesar / sayng that boththeyr stocke / age & eloquēce / were almoostlyke & egall / theyr excellēcie & greatnes ofspirite & wytte was also lyke & egal / & lykefame & worshyppe had they both attaynedhowe be it nat by a lyke waye. Cesar washad ī great estimacion for his benefites &&liberalite. Cato had gottē hī a name forhis p[er]fight & vpright lyuynge. Cesar waspraysed for his gentilnes and pitie. Catowas honored for his ernestnes and surete.
¶ The tother wanne moche bruyt by gy[-]uynge large gyftes / by helpynge suche aswere in dystresse / and by forgyuyng of tres[-]passes done agaynste hym. Catons famedyd sprede because he wold neither be for-gyuen of none offence / neither forgiue nonother / but as any man had deserued / so tocause him to be delt with. In the one wasgreat refuge to suche as were in mysery:In the other was sore punisshment & per-nicion to mysdoers & euyll transgressoursof the law. Briefly to conclude it was allCeazars mynde and pleasure to labour di-ligently night and day in his frendes cau[-]ses / to care lesse for his owne busynes thāfor theyrs / to deny nothing that was wor[-]thy to be asked / his desyre was euermoreto be in warre / to haue a great hoost of mēvnder his gouernaunce / that by his nobleand hardy faictes his valyantnes myghtbe the more knowen and spred abrood.
Cōtraryly all Catons study was on tem[-]peraūce / and to do in no maner otherwysethan was conuenient & fyttynge for suchea man as he was / and chiefly he sette hismynde to seueryty / he neuer made no com[-]parison with the riche man in richesse / norwith the myghty man in power. But yfnede required / with the hardy mā in bold-nes / with the temperate in moderacion /with the good man in innocency & iust dea[-]ling. He cared not for the name / it was suf-ficiēt to hym to haue the dede / & so / the lessehe cared for glorye / the more alwayes heopteyned. Many suche comparisons ve-ry profitable for this intēt / are also in Plu[-]tarche in his boke of noble mennes lyues.
¶ A goodly ensāple of this place is in theoracion that Hermola[us] Barbarus madeto the emperour Frederike and Maximi-lian his son / which for bicause it is so longI let it passe. ¶ A like ensample is in Tul-lies oracion / that he made to the people ofRome for Pompeyus / to be sente agaynstMithridates.
¶ Some there be that deuide thelandesof persones into thre kindes of goodes / be-gynnynge the narracion at them / whichethynge our author doth nat greatly com-mende / but rather in rehersyng of any per[-]sones dedes / yf there can nat be kept an or-der of historie / and many thynges must bespoken. It were after his mynde best totouche fyrst his actes done by prudence / &next by iustice / thirdely by fortitude of themynde / and last by temperaunce / and so togather the narracion out of this foure car-dinall vertues. As if one shuld praise saintAusten / after that he hath spoken of his pa[-]rentele and bryngynge vp in youthe / andis come to the rehersale of his actes / theymay be conueniently distributed into theplaces of vertues. On this maner did Tul[-]ly prayse Pompey.
¶ I suppose (sayeth he) that in hym thatshulde be a hed capitayne ouer a great ar-my / ought to be foure thynges. Knowlegeof werre / valiantnes / auctoritie / & felicitie.
¶ Here is to be noted that in rehersyngeany persons actes / we may haue our chiefrespecte to some peculiare and principallvertue in hym / enlargynge and exaltyngeit by amplificaciō in maner of a digressiō.
¶ Our author in this worke maketh nomencyon of the last place that is detheand suche thynges as folowe after / but inan other greater work he declareth it thusbriefly. ¶ The dethe of the persone hathealso his praises / as of suche whiche haueben slayne for the defence of theyr contreyor prince.
¶ A very goodly ensample for the hande-lynge of this place is in an epistle that An[-]gele Policiane writeth in his fourth bokeof epistels to Iames Antiquarie of Lau-rence Medices / howe wysely and deuout-ly he dysposed hym selfe in his dethe bed /and of his departynge / and whatchann[-]cedat that tyme.
¶ And so to conclude an oracion Demon-stratiue / wherein persones are lauded / isan historycall exposicion of all his lyfe inorder. And there is no difference betwenethis kynde and an history / saue that in hi-stories we be more briefe and vse lesse curi-ositie. Here all thynges be augmēted andcoloured with as moche ornamentes ofeloquence as can be had.
¶ Confirmacion of our purpose / and con-futynge or reprouynge of the contrarye /whiche are the partes of contencion / arenat requisite in this kynde of oracion / forhere are nat treated any doubtefull ma-ters / to whome contencion perteineth.
Neuer the lesse / somtyme it happeneth(how beit it is seldome) that a doubte maycome / which must be either defended / or atthe leest excused.
¶ Example.
THe frenche men in olde tymemade myghty warre agaynstethe Romaynes / and so sore be-sieged theym that they were by compul-cion constrayned to fall to composicionwith the frenche men for an huge summeof golde / to be payed to theym for the bre-kynge of the siege / but beynge in this ex-treme misery / they sent for one Camillus /whome nat very longe afore they had ba-nisshed out of the citie / and in his absencemade hym dictatour / which was the chie-fest dignitie amonge the Romaynes / andof so greate auctoritie / that for the space ofthre monethes / for so long dured the officemoost cōueniently / he might do all thyngat his pleasure / whether it concerned dethor no / nor no mā so hardy ones to say nayagainst any thyng that he dyd / so that forthe space he was as a kynge / hauynge allin his owne mere power. Now it chaūcedthat while this summe was in payenge / &nat fully wayed / Camillus of whome Isaid afore / that being in exile he was madedictatour / came with an army / and anonebad cease of the payment / & that eche par-ty shulde make redy to bataile / and so hevainquisshed the frenche men.
¶ Now yf one shulde praise hym of his no[-]ble faites / it shuld seme that this was donecontrary to the law of armes / to defait thefrenche men of the raumsom due to them /syns the compacte was made afore / wher-fore it is necessary for the oratour to defēdethis dede / & to proue that he did nothyngecontrary to equitie. For the whiche pur-pose he hathe two places. One apparent /whiche is a comon sayenge vsurped of thepoete.Dolusauvirtus quis in hoste requirat.That is to say / who will serche whether yedede of enemy against enemy be either gileor pure valiantnes? But for that in warrelaw is as well to be kept as in other thin-ges. This sayeng is but of a feble groūde.The other is of a more stronge assuraūce /whiche Titus Liuius writeth in his fyfteboke from the buildynge of Rome / wherehe reherceth this history now mencioned /and that answere is this / that the cōpactewas made to paye the foresayd raunsomeafter that Camillus was created dicta-tour / at what time it was nat lawfull thatthey whiche were of ferre lesse auctoritie /ye & had put them selfe holy in his hande /shuld entermedle them with any maner oftreatise without his licence / & that he wasnat bounde to stande to theyr bargayne.The whiche argumente is deducte out oftwo circumstaunces / whereof one is thetyme of the makynge of the compacte / andthe other / the persons that made it / whichtwo circumstaunces may briefly be calledwhan / and who. ¶ Likewise yf an oracionshulde be made to the laude of saint Pe-ter / it behoueth to excuse his denyenge ofchriste / that it was rather of diuine powerand wyll: than otherwise / for a confortableexample to synners of grace yf they repēt.
¶ This is the maner of handelynge of anoracion demonstratiue / in whiche the per-son is praised.
¶ The author in his greater worke decla[-]reth the facion by this example.
¶ If one wolde praise kynge Charles / heshulde kepe in his oracion this order.
Fyrst in declarynge his parentele / that hewas kynge Pipines sone / whiche was thefyrste of all kynges ofFranncenamed themoost christen kynge / and by whom all af-ter hym had the same name / andNephiento Martell / the moost valiauntest pryncethat euer was. Nexte / his bryngynge vpvnder one Peter Pisane / of whom he wasinstructe bothe in Greke and Latin. Thāhis adolessencie / whiche he passed in excer-cise of armesvnder inhis fader in yewar-res of Acquitaine / where he lerned also theSarazynes tongue.
¶ Beynge come to mannes state / & nowkyuge of Fraunce / he subdued Aquitayn /Italye / Swauelande / and the Saxones.And these warres were so fortunate / thathe ouercam his aduersaries more by aucto[-]ritie and wisdom than by effusion of blode.
¶ Also many other notable examples ofvertue were in hym in that age / speciallythat he edified the vniuersitie of Paris.
¶ Here may by digressiō be declared howgoodly a thynge lernynge is in Prynces.Chiefly suche condicion apperteyneth tovertue and good lyuynge.
¶ Here may be also made comparison ofhis vertues in warre / and of other agre-ynge with peace / in the whiche (as his hi-story maketh mencyon) he was more ex-cellent. For his chiefe delyte was to hauepeace / and agayne he was so gentyll andso mercyfull / that he wolde rather saueeuyn suche as had don hym great offence:and had deserued very well for to dye / thāto dystroye theym / thoughe he might do itconueniently.
¶ Besyde this / he was so greatly enfla-med in the loue of god and his holy chirch /that one Alcuine a noble clerk of Englandwas continually with hym / in whose prea[-]chynge and other gostely communicacionhe had a chiefe pleasure. His olde age hepassed in rest and quyetenes fortunately /saue for one thyng / that his sonnes agreedeuyll betwene them.
¶ After his decease reigned his son / holysaint Lewes / and so the folowynges of hisdethe were suche that they could be no bet-ter / and a very great token of his good andvertuouse lyuynge. For yf an yll tree canbrynge furthe no good fruite / what shallwe suppose of this noble kynge Charles /of whome cam so vertuouse and so holy ason? Truely me thynketh that hither maybe nat incōueniently applied the sayengesof the gospell / by theyr fruites you shallknow them.
¶ Of an oracion Demonstratiue /wherein an acte is praysed.
WHan we wyll prayse any maner ofdede / the moost apte preamble forthat purpose shall be to say that themater perteyneth to the commodities ofthem whiche here vs.
¶ Example.
WHan the Romaynes had expelledtheyr kynge / whome the historicienscall Tarquine the proude / out of thecitie / and fully enacted that they wolde ne[-]uer haue kynge to reigne more ouer them.This Tarquin[us] went for aide and socourto the kynge of Tuscaye / whiche whan hecould by no menes entreat the Romainsto receiue agayn theyr kyng / he cam withall his puissaunce against the citie / & therelong space besieged the Romaynes / by rea[-]son wherof / great penury of whete was inthe citie / & the kynge of Tuscay had greattrust / that continuynge the siege / he shuldewithin a litle lenger space compell the Ro[-]maynes thrugh famine to yelde thēselfe.
¶ In the meane season a yong man of thecitie named Gaius Mucius / came to theSenatours and shewed them that he waspurposed yf they wolde gyue hym licenceto go furthe of the citie to do an acte thatshuld be for theyr great profite and welth /whereupon whan he had obteined licence /priuely / with weapō hyd vnder his vesturehe cam to the Tuscans campe / & gate hymamong the thickest / nigh to the tent whereas the kyng sat with his chaunceller / pay-enge the sowdiers the wages. And bicausethat they were almoost of lyke apparell / &also the chaunceler spake many thyngesas a man beynge in auctoritie / he couldenat tell whether of theym was the kynge /nor he durst nat aske / leest his demaundewolde haue bewrayed hym / for as for lan-guage they had one / & nothyng was diffe-rent / for bothe Tuscains & Romains wereall of Italye / as in tymes past / Englandehathe had many kynges / though the lan-guage & people were on. And thus beyngein doubt whether of them he myght steppevnto / by chaunce he strake the chauncellerin stede of the kynge / and slew hym / wher-fore whan he was taken and brought be-fore the kynge / for to punysshe his handethat had failed in takyng one for an other /and agayn to shew the kynge how litle hecared for his menaces / he thrast his handeinto the fire / which at that time was thereprepared for sacrifyce / & there in the flamelet it brenne / nat ones mouynge it. Thekynge greatly marueylynge at his audaci[-]tie & hardy nature / cōmended hym greatlythereof / and bad hym go his way free: Forthe whiche (as though he wolde make thekyng a great amendes) he fayned that .iii.C. of the noblest yonge men of Rome hadconspyred to gyther in lyke maner eueryone after another vnwar[e]s to slee hym / andall to put theyr bodies and liues in hasardtyll tyme shulde chaunce that one myghtacheue theyr entent. For fere whereof thekynge furthwith fell at a pointement withthe Romaines / and departed. The yongeman afterwarde was named Sceuola /whiche is as moche to say in Englyssh aslefte hāded. For as I haue reherced afore /he brente his right hande / so that he hadlost the vse therof.
¶ IF any oratour wolde in an oracyoncommende this dede / he myght conueni-ently make the preface on this facion.
THere is no doubte my lordes& maysters of Rome: but thatthe remēbraunce of Sceuolaesname is very pleasant vnto your audiēce /whiche with one act that he dyd / endewedyour citie with many and greate commo-dytees. &c[etera].
¶ This maner of preface is moost conue[-]nyent and best annexyd to suche maner oforacyons demonstratiues.
¶ Neuer the lesse it is lawfull for vs totake our preface (yf it be our pleasure) outeof some circumstaunce / as out of the placethat our oracion is made in / or out of thetyme that we speke in / or els otherwyse /accordynge as we shall haue occasyon /As Tullie / in the oracyon that he madefor the restitucyon of Marcus Marcel-lus / in the whiche he praiseth Cezare forthe callyng home of the sayd Marc[us] mar-cellus out of exyle / he taketh his pream-ble out of the tyme and Cezares persone /begynnynge thus.
THis daye my lordes Senatoureshath made an ende of the longe sci-lence that I haue kepte a great while / natfor any fere that I had / but part for greatsorow that was in me / & partly for shame /this day as I sayd hath taken away thatlonge scilence / ye / and besyde that of newebrought to me lust & mynde to speke whatI wolde / and what I thought moost expe[-]dient / like as I was afore wont to do. ForI can nat in no maner of wyse refrayne /but I must nedes speke of the great meke-nes of Cezare / of the graciousnes that isin hym / so habūdant and so great withall /that neuer afore any suche hath ben wontto be sene or herde of / and also of the excel-lent good moderaciō of all thynges whichis in hym that hathe all in his owne merepower. Nor I can nat let passe his excellētincredible / and diuine wisdome vnspokenof / afore you at this tyme.
¶ Of the Narracion.
IN this kynde we vse but selden holenarracions / oneles we make our ora[-]cion afore them that know nat the historyof the acte or dede whiche we be aboute toprayse. But in stede of a narracion we vse aproposicion / on this maner.
AMonge all the noble deedes Cezarethat ye haue done / there is non thatis more worthy to be praysed than this re[-]stitucion of Marke Marcell.
¶ Of Confirmacion / whiche isthe fyrst parte of Contencion.
THe places of confirmacion arehonesty /p[er]fite/ lightnes / or har-dines of the dede. For after theproheme of the oracion and the narracion /than go we to the prouynge of our mater.Fyrst shewynge that it was a very honestdede. And next / that it was nat all only ho[-]nesty: but also profitable. Thirdely as con[-]cernyng the easines or difficulty / the praisetherof must be considered / parte in the do-er / part in the dede. An easy dede deseruethno great praise / but an harde and a ieoper[-]douse thynge / the soner and the lightlier itis acheued / the more it is to be lauded.
¶ The honesty of the cause is fet from thenature of the thynge ytis spoken of / whichplace lieth in the wytte of the oratour / andmay also be fet out of the philosophers bo[-]kes. It is also copiosely declared of Rhe-toriciens / and very compēdiously handledof Erasmus in his boke / entituled of themaner and crafte to make epistels / in thechapitre of a persuadyng epistle. The pro-fyte of the dede / or the commoditie may befet at the circumstaunce of it. Circumstaū[-]ces are these / what was done / who dyd it /whan / where it was done / among whom /by whose helpe.
¶ As if one wolde praise Sceuolaes acte /of the whiche mencion was made afore /he may.
¶ Whan he cometh to the places of con-tencion / shew fyrst how honest a dede it isfor any man to put his lyfe in ieopardy forthe defence of his countrey / whiche is somoche the more to be commended that itcam of his owne minde / and nat by the in-stigacion of any other / and how profitableit was to the citie to remoue so strong andpuissaunt an enemy by so good and craftypolicy / what tyme the citie was nat wellassured of all mennes myndes that werewithin the walles / considerynge that buta lytle afore many noble yonge men weredetecte of treason in the same busines. Andthan also the citie was almoost destitute ofvitailes / & all other commodities necessa-ry for the defence.
¶ Likewise easynes or difficultie are con-teyned in the circumstaunces of the cause.As in the example now spoken of / what anharde enterprise it is for one man to entreinto a kynges armye / and to come to thekynges pauilion in the face of his souldi-ers to aduenture to slee hym.
¶ Of the seconde parte of con-tencion / called confutacion.
COnfutaciō is the soilyng of sucheargumentes as maye be inducedagaynst our purpose / which partis but lytle vsed in an oracion demonstra-tiue. Neuer the lesse / somtyme may chaūcea thyng that must be either defended or elsat the leest excused. As yf any man woldespeke of Camillus dede / wherby he recoue-red his contrey / and delyuered it from thehandes of the Frenche men. ¶ Here mustbe declared that the bargayne made aforewas nat by Camillus violate.
¶ The places of confutacion be contraryto the places of confirmacion.
¶ Of the conclusion.
THe cōclusion is made of a briefenumeracion of suche thyngesthat we haue spoken of afore inthe oracion / & in mouynge of affections.
¶ In delectable thinges or suche thingesthat haue ben well done / we moue our au-dience to reioice thereat / and to do lyke.
¶ In sad thynges and heuy / to be sory forthem. In yll and peruerse act[e]s / to bewarethat they folowe nat them to theyr greatshame and confusion.
¶ Of an oracion demonstratiue / whereinare praised neither persones nor actes /but some other thynges / as religion /matrimony / or suche other.
THe best begynnyng wyll be if itbe taken out of some high praiseof the thynge. But a man mayalso begyn otherwyse / eyther at his ownepersō or at theyrs afore whom he speketh /or at the place in the whiche he speketh / orat the season present / or otherwise / as hathafore ben specified / and here must we takegood hede that yf we take vpō vs to praiseany thynge that is no praise worthy / thanmust we vse insinuacion / & excuse the turpi[-]tude / either by examples or by argumēt[e]s /as Erasmus doth in his epistle prefixed a-fore his oracion made to the prayse of fo-lisshnes / of the whiche I haue let passe thetrāslaciō bicause yeepistle is sōwhat long.
¶ The narracion.
IN this maner of oraciō is no nar[-]racion / but in stede therof the Rhe[-]toriciens all only propose the ma[-]ter. And this proposicion is in the stede ofthe narracion.
¶ A very elegāt example is in the oracionthat Angele Policiane made to the laudeof histories / whiche is this. Among all ma[-]ner of wryters by whom either the Greketongue or the latine hath ben in floure andexcellence / without doubte me semeth thatthey dyd moost profyte to mankynde / bywhom the excellent dedes of nacions / prin-ces / or valiant men haue ben truely descri-ued and put in cronicles.
¶ Likewise yf a man praise peace / & shewewhat a commodiouse thynge it is / he maymake suche a proposicion.
AMonge all the thynges whiche per[-]teine to mānes commoditie / of whatsomeuer condicion or nature so euer theybe / non is so excellent and so worthy to behad in honour and loue / as is peace.
¶ The confirmacion.
THe places of confirmacion be inthis oracion. The same ytwerein the other( ofwhome mencionwas made afore / honesty / profite / easynes /or difficulty. Honesty is considered in thenature of the thynge / also in the personesthat haue excercysed it / and the inuentersthereof. And in the auctour of it. As in thelaude of matrimony be considered the auc[-]tour thereof / whiche was god hym selfe /the antiquite that it was made in the fyrstbegynnynge of the worlde / and continued(as reason is) to this hour in great honourand reuerēce. The persones that haue vsedit / were bothe patriarches / as Abraham.Prophetes / as Dauyd. Apostels / as sayntPeter. Martyrs / saynt Eustache. And cō-fessours / as saynt Edwarde. And (whichethyng was fyrst proposed) the nature ther-of is suche / that without it: man shulde belike vnto beest / oneles all generacion shuldbe put aparte. And the commaūdement ofalmighty god nat regarded / who bad manand woman shulde engender & multiply.
¶ Profite and easines is considered in thecircumstaunces. Examples may be takenout of Policians oraciō / made to the laudeof histories—And two oracions of Erasm[us] /one to the laude of phisike / and an other tothe laude of matrimony.
¶ Of confutacion.
Confutacion hath contrary places to con-firmacion.
¶ Of the conclusion.
THe periode or conclusion stan-deth in the briefe enumeracionof thinges spoken afore / and inmouyng the affections / as hath ben aboueexpressed.
¶ Of an oracion deliberatiue.
AN oraciō deliberatiue is by thewhich we persuade or dissaudeany thyng / & by the whiche weaske / or whereby we exhort any man to doa thynge / or els to forsake it / and this kyn-de of oracion is moche in vse / nat onelyin ciuilematers: but also in epistels.
¶ Of the preamble.
WE may begynne our oracion in thiskynde / euyn lyke as we dyd in an ora[-]cion demonstratiue / but moost aptlyat our office or duety / leest some men woldethynke that we dyd it more of a priuate af-fection for our owne commoditie and plea[-]sure: than for any other mannes profyte.
¶ And in this maner Salust in his bokeof Catheline bringeth in Cezare / beginnyngan oracion. But let vs here now what Ce[-]zar sayeth.
ALl men my lord[e]s Senatours whichsyt concellynge vpon any doubtfullmater / must be voyde of hatred / frendshyp /anger / pitye / or mercye. For where any ofthese thynges bere a rule / mannes myndecan nat lightely perceyue the truthe. &c[etera].
¶ Or els we may begyn at the greatenesof the mater / or daunger of the thyng thatwe speke of / as in the fyfte boke of Liuius.Camillus maketh the preamble of his ora[-]cion thus.
MY maysters of this Citie of Ardea /which haue ben alwayes myne oldefrendes / and now (by reason of myne exyleout of Rome) my new neighbours and ci-tizens. For I thank you of your goodnesyou haue promysed that it shuld so be / andon the other side my fortune hath constray[-]ned me to seke som new dwellynge out ofthe citie where I was brought vp & enha-bited. I wolde nat that any of you shuldethynke that I am now come amonge younat remembrynge my condicion and state /but the comō ieopardy that we be all nowin / wyll compell euery man to open andshew the best remedy that he knoweth forour socoure in this greate fere & necessity.
¶ Nat withstandynge this / a man maytake his begynnynge otherwyse / after anyof the facions afore recited / if he lyst.
¶ Tully in the oracion / wherin he aduisedthe Romaynes to make Pompey theyrchiefe capitaine against Mithridates andTigranes / kynges of Ponthus & Arme-ny / taketh in the preface beneuolence fromhis owne persone / shewynge by what oc-casion he myght laufully gyue councell tothe Romaines / bycause was electe Pretorof the citie. we may also touche our aduer-saries in the preface / or els we may touchethe maners / either of som seuerall persons /or of the commons in generall. As in theoracion that Porci[us] Chato made agaynstthe sumptuousnes of the women of Rome /thus begynnynge.
IF euery man my lordes and maistersof this citie wolde obserue and kepethe ryght and maiestye of a man agaynsthis owne wife / we shuld haue ferre lesse en-combrance now with the hole thronge thāwe haue. But now our fredome and lyber-tie is ouercome within our owne dores bythe importunatnes of our wyues / & so au-dacitie taken therof here troden vnder thefete / and oppressed in the parliamēt house:And bycause we wold nat displease no māhis owne wyfe at home: here are we nowcombred with all / gathered to gyder on ahepe / and brought in that takynge thatwe dare nat ones open our lyppes againstthem. &c[etera].