Chapter I: Part 1

[Transcriber's Notes:

About this book: _The Art or crafte of Rhetoryke_ was originally published c. 1530; the second edition was published in 1532. It is considered the first book on rhetoric in English.

Typography: This e-book was transcribed from microfiche scans of the 1532 edition. The original line and paragraph breaks, hyphenation, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation, including the use of a spaced forward slash (/) for the comma, the use of u for v and vice versa, and the use of i for j, have been preserved. All apparent printer errors have also been preserved, and are listed at the end of this document.

The following alterations have been made:

1. Long-s has been regularized as s.

2. The paragraph symbol, resembling a C in the original, is rendered as ¶.

3. Superscript letters are preceded by ^.

4. Missing hyphens have been added in brackets, e.g. [-].

5. A decorative capital followed by a capital letter is represented here as two capital letters, e.g. COnsyderynge.

6. Abbreviations and contractions represented as special characters in the original have been expanded as noted in the table below. A "macron" means a horizontal line over a letter. A "cursive semicolon" is an old-style semicolon somewhat resembling a handwritten z. "Supralinear" means directly over a letter. "Superscript" means raised and next to a letter. The "y" referred to below is an Early Modern English form of the Anglo-Saxon thorn character, representing "th," but identical in appearance to the letter "y."

Original Expansion

&c with macron &c[etera] q with cursive semicolon q[ue] superscript closed curve [us] long final s [e]s crossed p p[er] or p[ar] p with looped downstroke p[ro] p with macron p[re] vowel with macron vowel[m] or vowel[n] consonant with supralinear upward curve consonant[er] w with supralinear t w[i]t[h] y with superscript e y^e (i.e., the) y with superscript t y^t (i.e., that) y with macron y[at] (i.e., that) y with supralinear u y[o]u (i.e., thou)

Greek: Phrases in ancient Greek are transliterated in brackets, e.g., [Greek: outos esti].

Pagination: This book was printed as an octavo volume, and was paginated using a recto-verso scheme. In octavo printing, the printer uses large sheets of paper folded and cut into eight leaves each, creating 16 pages. The front of each leaf is the recto page (the right-hand page in a book); the back of each leaf is the verso page (the left-hand page in a book). For this book, the printer apparently used six sheets, lettered A through F, and each leaf is numbered with a lower-case Roman numeral, i through viii. Thus, for example, the first leaf (i) from the second sheet (B) is numbered B.i.

In the original, page numbers are printed only on the recto side of each leaf, and are not printed at all after the fourth or fifth recto page of each sheet, until the first leaf of the next sheet. For the reader's convenience, all pages in this e-book, even those without a printed number in the original, have been numbered in brackets according to the original format, with the addition of "r" for recto and "v" for verso. Pages A.i.v and F.viii.r are blank and are not numbered in this e-book.

Sources consulted: This e-book was prepared from microfiche scans of the 1532 edition, which can be viewed at the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica) website at http://gallica.bnf.fr. The uneven quality of the scans, and the blackletter font in the original, made the scans difficult to read in some places. To ensure accuracy, the transcriber has consulted the following sources:

1. The 2004 electronic transcription by Robert N. Gaines, available in SGML format from the Arts and Humanities Data Service, http://ahds.ac.uk. The typography notes above are based in part on the notes to that transcription.

2. The 1899 reprint edited and annotated by Frederick Ives Carpenter (University of Chicago Press; facsimile reprint by AMS Press, 1973).]

[A.i.r]

¶ The Art or crafte of Rheto- ryke.

1532

[A.ii.r]

¶ To the reuerende father in god & his singuler good lorde / the lorde Hugh Faryngton Abbot of Redynge / his pore client and perpetuall seruaunt Leonarde Cockes desyreth longe & prosperouse lyfe with encreace of honour.

COnsiderynge my spe[-] ciall good lorde how great[-] ly and how many ways I am bounden to your lord- shyp / and among all other that in so great a nombre of counynge men whiche are now within this region it hath pleased your goodnes to accepte me as worthy for to haue the charge of the instruction & bryngynge vp of suche youth as resorteth to your gra- mer schole / fou[n]ded by your antecessours in this your towne of Redynge / I studied a longe space what thyng I myght do next the busy & diligent occupienge of my selfe in your sayd seruyce / to the whiche bothe conscience and your stipende doth straytly bynde me / that myght be a significacion of my faithfull and seruysable hart which I owe to your lordeshyp / & agayne a long memory bothe of your singuler and bene- [A.ii.v] ficiall fauour towarde me: and of myn in- dustry and diligence employed in your ser- uyce to some profite: or at the leest way to some delectacion of the inhabitauntes of this noble realme now flouryshynge vn- der the most excellent & victorious prynce our souerain Lorde kyng Henry the .viii.

¶ And whan I had thus long prepensed in my mynde what thynge I myght best chose out: non offred it selfe more conue- nyent to the profyte of yonge studentes (which your good lordshyp hath alwayes tenderly fauoured) and also meter to my p[ro]fession: than to make som proper werke of the right pleasaunt and persuadible art of Rhetorique / whiche as it is very neces- sary to all suche as wyll either be Aduoca[-] tes and Proctours in the law: or els apte to be sent in theyr Prynces Ambassades / or to be techers of goddes worde in suche maner as may be moost sensible & accepte to theyr audience / and finally to all them hauynge any thyng to purpose or to speke afore any companye (what someuer they be) So contraryly I se no science that is lesse taught & declared to Scolers / which ought chiefly after the knowlege of Gra- mer ones had to be instructe in this facul[-] tie / without the whiche oftentymes the [A.iii.r] rude vtteraunce of the Aduocate greatly hindereth and apeyreth his clie[n]tes cause. Likewise the vnapt disposicion of the pre- cher (in orderyng his mater) confoundeth the memory of his herers / and briefly in declarynge of maters: for lacke of inuen- cion and order with due elocucion: great tediousnes is engendred to the multitude beyng present / by occasion wherof the spe[-] ker is many tymes ere he haue ended his tale: either left almost aloon to his no li- tle confusio[n]: or els (which is a lyke rebuke to hym) the audience falleth for werynes of his ineloquent language fast on slepe.

¶ Wyllynge therfore for my parte to help suche as are desirouse of this Arte (as all surely ought to be which entende to be re- garded in any comynaltie) I haue parte- ly translated out a werke of Rhetorique wryten in the Latin tongue: and partely compyled of myn owne: and so made a ly- tle treatyse in maner of an Introductyon into this aforesayd Science: and that in our Englysshe tongue. Remembrynge that euery good thyng (after the sayeng[e]s of the Philosopher) the more comon it is: the more better it is. And furthermore tru[-] stynge therby to do som pleasure and ease to suche as haue by negligence or els fals [A.iii.v] persuacions be put to the lernyng of other sciences or euer they haue attayned any meane knowlege of the Latin tongue.

¶ whiche my sayd labour I humbly offre to your good Lordeshyp / as to the chyefe maintener & nouryssher of my study / be- sechynge you / thoughe it be ferre within your merites done to me / to accepte it as the fyrst assay of my pore and simple wyt / which yf it may fyrst please your Lord- shyp / and nexte the reders / I trust by the ayde of almyghty god to endyte other werkes bothe in this facul- ty and other to the laude of the hygh godhed / of whome all goodnes doth procede / and to your Lordshyps plea- sure / and to profyte and delectacion of the Reder.

[A.iiii.r]

WHo someuer desyreth to be a good Oratour or to dys- pute and commune of any maner thynge / hym beho- ueth to haue foure thinges.

¶ The fyrst is called In- uencion / for he must fyrst of all imagin or Inuent in his mynde what he shall say.

¶ The seconde is named Iugement. For he must haue wyt to deserne & iuge whe- ther tho thynges that he hath founde in his mynde be conuenient to the purpose or nat. For ofte[n]tymes yf a man lacke this property / he may aswell tell that that is against hym as with hym / as experience doth dayly shew. ¶ The thyrde is Dispo- sicion / wherby he may know how to order and set euery thynge in his due place / leest thoughe his inuencion and iugement be neuer so good / he may happen to be coun- ted (as the comon prouerbe sayth) to put the carte afore the horse. ¶ The fourth & last is suche thynges as he hath inuen- ted: and by Iugement knowen apte to his purpose whan they are set in theyr order so to speke them that it may be pleasaunt and delectable to the audience / so that it may be sayd of hym that hystories make mencion that an olde woman sayd ones [A.iiii.v] by Demosthenes / & syns hath ben a como[n] prouerbe amonge the Grekes [Greek: outos esti] which 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 the moost difficile or harde is to inuent what thou must say / wherfore of this parte the Rethoriciens whiche be maisters of this Arte: haue writen very moche & dilige[n]tly.

¶ Inuencion is comprehended in certayn places / as the Rhetoriciens call them / out of whom he that knoweth y^e faculty may fetche easely suche thynges as be mete for the mater that he shall speke of / which ma[-] ter the Oratours calleth the Theme / and in 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 ano[n] shew vnto vs what shall be to our purpose.

¶ Example.

IN olde tyme there was greate enuy betwene two noble men of Rome / of who[m] the one was called Milo / & the other Clodius / which malice grew so ferre that Clodius layd wayte for Milo on a season whan he sholde ryde out of the Citie / and in his iourney set vpon hym / and there as [A.v.r] it chaunced: Clodius was slayne / where vpon this Clodius frendes accused Milo to the Cenate of murder. Tully whiche in tho days was a great Aduocate in Rome sholde plede Miloes cause. Now it was open that Milo had slayne Clodius / but whether he had slayn hym laufully or nat was the doubte. So than the Theme of Tullies oracio[n] or plee for Milo was this / that he had slayne Clodius laufully / and therfore he ought nat to be punisshed / for the confirmacion wherof (as dothe appere in Tullies oracion) he dyd brynge out of places of Rhetoryque argumentes to p[ro]ue his sayd Theme or purpose. And likewyse must we do whan we haue any mater to speke or comun of. As if I sholde make an oracion to the laude & prayse of the Kyn- ges highnes: I must for the Inuencyon of suche thynges as be for my purpose go to places of Rhetorique / where I shall easely finde (after I know the rules) that that I desyre. ¶ Here is to be noted that there is no Theme but it is conteyned vn[-] der one of the foure causes / or for the more playnnes foure kyndes of Oracions.

¶ The fyrste is called Logycall / whyche kinde we call properly disputacio[n]. ¶ The seconde is called Demonstratiue. ¶ The [A.v.v] thyrde Deliberatiue. ¶ The fourth Iudi- ciall / and these thre last be properly called spices or kyndes of oracions / whose natu- res shall be declared seperately hereafter with the crafte that is required in euery of them. All themes that perteine to Logike either they be simple or compounde. As yf a man desyre to know of me what Iustice is. This onely thi[n]g Iustice is my theme. Or if disputacion be had in company vpon religion / and I wolde declare the very na- ture of religion / my theme shulde be this simple or one thynge religion. But yf it be doubted whether Iustyce be a vertue or nat / and I wolde proue the parte affyrma[-] tyue / my theme were now compou[n]de / that is to say / Iustice is a vertue / for it is made of two thynges knyt and vnied togither / Iustice and vertue. ¶ Here must be noted that Logike is a playn & a sure way to in- struct a ma[n] of the trouth of euery thynge / & that in it the natures / causes / partes / & effectes of thynges are by certayne rules discussed & serched out / so that nothing can be p[er]fectly & p[ro]perly knowe[n] but by rules of Logike / which is nothing but an obserua[-] cyon / or a dylygent markynge of nature. whereby in euery thynge mannes reason dothe consyder what is fyrste / what last / [A.vi.r] what proper / what improper.

¶ The places or instrumentes of a simple theme are.

The diffinicion of the thynge.
The causes.
The partes.
The effectes.

¶ Exa[m]ple. If thou inquire what thi[n]g Iu[-] stice is / whereof it cometh / what partes it hath / & what is the office or effect of euery parte / than hast thou dilige[n]tly serched out the hole nature of Iustice / & handeled thy simple theme accordyng to the precept[e]s of Logicians / to whom our auctour leueth suche mat[er]s to be discussed of the[m] / how beit somwhat y^e Rhetoricia[n]s haue to do with y^e simple theme / & asmoche as shall be for theyr entent he wyll shew hereafter. For many tymes the oratour must vse bothe diffinicions & diuisions. But as they be in Logike playne and compendiouse / so are they in Rhetorike exte[n]ded & paynted with many figures & ornament[e]s belongyng to the science. Neuertheles to satisfie the re- ders mynde / & to alleuiate the tediousnes of serchynge these places / I wyll open the maner and facion of the handelyng of the theme aforsayd as playnly as I can / after the preceptes of Logike.

[A.vi.v]

¶ First to serche out the perfite knowlege of Iustice: I go to my fyrst place diffinici[-] on / & fetche from Aristotle in his Ethik[e]s the Diffinicion of Iustice / which is this.

¶ Iustice is a morall vertue / wherby men be the werkers of rightfull thynges (that is to saye) whereby they bothe loue & also do suche thynges as be iust. This done: I serche the causes of Iustice (that is to say) from whens it toke the fyrst begynnyng / and by cause that it is a morall vertue: and Plato in the ende of his Dialogue Meno[n] concludeth that all vertue cometh of god: I am assured that god is the chief cause of Iustice: declaryng it to the worlde by his Instrument ma[n]nes wyt / whiche the same Plato affyrmeth in the begynnyng of his lawes. The Diffinicion and cause had: I come to the thyrde place called partes to knowe whether there be but one kynde of Iustice or els many. And for this purpose I fynde that Arystotle in the fyfte of his Ethikes deuideth Iustice in two speces or kyndes. One y^t he calleth Iustice legiti- me or legal / an other that he called Equi- te. ¶ Iustice legall is that that consysteth in the superiours whiche haue power for to make or statute lawes to the i[n]feriours. And the office or ende of this Iustice is to [A.vii.r] make suche lawes as be bothe good and accordynge to right and conscience / & tha[n] to declare them / & whan they are made & publisshed as they ought to be / to se that they be put in vre / for what auaileth it to make neuer so good lawes: yf they be nat obserued and kept. ¶ And finally that the maker of the lawe applye his hole studie & mynde to the welthe of his subiectes and to the comon profyte of them. The other kynde of Iustice whiche men call Equitie is whereby a man neyther taketh nor gy- ueth lesse nor more than he ought / but in gyuynge taketh good hede that euery ma[n] haue accordynge as he deserueth. This Equitie is agayne deuyded into Equitie distributyue of comon thynges & Equitie Commutatiue. By Equitie distributyue is distributyd and giuen of comon goodes to euery ma[n] accordyng to his deseruyng[e]s and as he is worthy to haue. As to deuide amonge suche as longe to the Chyrche of the Chyrche goodes after the qualitie of theyr merytes: and to them beynge Ciuil persones of the comon treasour of the Ci- tie accordynge as they are worthy.

¶ In this parte is comprehended the pu- nyshment of mysdoers and trangressours of the lawe / to whome correccion must be [A.vii.v] distributed for the comon welth according to theyr demerites / after the prescripcions of the lawes of the contrey / made & deter- mined for the punisshment of any maner of transgressour. ¶ Equity co[m]mutatiue is a iust maner in the chaungynge of thyng[e]s from one to another / whose offyce or effect is 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 the fourth & last place.

¶ Our auctour also in a great worke that he hath made vpon Rhetorike / declareth the handelynge of a theme symple by the same example of Iustice / addynge two pla[-] ces mo / whiche are called affines and con- traries on this maner.

¶ What is Iustice? A vertue whereby to euery thynge is gyuen that that to it be- longeth.

¶ What is the cause thereof? Mannes wyll consentynge with lawes & maners.

¶ How many kyndes? Two.

¶ Whiche? Commutatiue & Distributiue / for in two maners is our medlynge with other men / eyther in thynges of our sub- staunce & wares / or in gentyll and cyuyle conuersacion.

[A.viii.r]

¶ what thynge is Iustice commutatiue? Right and equitie in all contractes.

¶ what is Iustice distributiue? Iustice of ciuile lyuynge.

¶ How manyfolde is Iustyce dystrybu- tyue? Either it is comon or priuate. The comon is called in latin Pietas / but in en- glysshe it may be moost properly named good order / which is the crowne of all ver[-] tues conceruynge honest and ciuile con- uersacyon of men togither / as the hedes with the meane comonalty in good vnity and concorde. ¶ Pryuate or seuerall Iu- stice dystrybutyue is honest and amyable frendeshyp & conuersacion of neighbours.

¶ What are the offyces? To do for euery man / ryche or pore / of what estate so euer he be / and for our contrey / for our wyues / chyldren / and frendes / that that ought to be done for euery of them.

¶ Affynes or vertues nigh to Iustice are constancy / lyberalytie / temperaunce.

Thynges contrary are fere / couetyse / pro- dygalytie.

¶ And this is the maner of handelynge of a symple Theme dialectycall. But yet let nat the reder deceyue hym selfe / and thynke that the very perfyte knowlege is shewyd hym all here. And that whiche [A.viii.v] hath be[n] shewed now: is somwhat general and briefe. ¶ More sure and exact know- lege is conteined in Logike / to whome I wyll aduise the[m] 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]ue or improue any thyng: it must be done by argument. And yf any Theme compounde: be it Logicall or Rhetorycall / it must be referred to the rules of Logike by the[m] to be proued trew or fals. For this is the dyfference that is betwene these two sciences / that the Lo- gician in dysputynge obserueth certayne rules for the settynge of his wordes being solicitous that there be spoke[n] no more nor no lesse than the thynge requyreth / & that it be euin as plai[n]ly spoke[n] as it is thought. But the Rhethorician seketh about & bo- roweth where he can asmoche as he may for to make the symple and playne Logi- call argumentes gaye & delectable to the eare. So than the sure iugement of argu- [B.i.r] mentes or reasons must be lerned of the logician / but the crafte to set the[m] out with pleasaunt figures and to delate the mater belongeth to the Rhetorician. As in Mi- loes cause / of whome was made mencion afore. ¶ A logician wolde briefly argue / who so euer violently wyll slee an other / may lawfully of the other be slayne in his defence. Clodius wolde vyolently haue slain Milo / wherfore Clodius might lau- fully be slayne of Milo in Miloes owne defence. And this argument the logicians call a Sillogisme in Darii / whiche Tully in his oracion extendeth that in foure or fyue leues it is scant made an ende of / nor no man can haue knowlege whether Tul- lies argument that he maketh in his ora- cyon for Milo / be a good argumente or nat / and howe it holdeth / excepte he can by Logyke reduce it to the perfecte and briefe forme of a Sillogisme / takynge in the meane season of the Rhetorycyans what ornamentes haue ben cast to for to lyght and augment the oracyon / and to gyue it a maiestie.

¶ The places out of whome are founde argumentes for the prouynge or impro- uynge of compounde Themes / are these folowynge.

[B.i.v]

Diffinicion lyke
Cause contrary
Partes

OF the places of argumen- tes shall be spoken hereaf- ter. For as touchynge the[m] in all thynges the Rheto- rician & Logician do agre. But as concernynge the crafte to fourme argumentes whan thou hast fou[n]de them in theyr places / that must be 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 i[n] praise or dispraise / whiche kynde or maner of ora- cion was greatly vsed somtyme in comon accions / as dothe declare the oracions of Demosthenes / and also many of Thucidi- des oracions. And there ben thre maners of oracions demonstratiue.

¶ The fyrst conteyneth the prayse or dys- [B.ii.r] prayse of persones. As yf a man wolde prayse the kynges hyghnes / or dysprayse some yll persone / it must be done by an ora[-] cion demonstratiue. The seconde kynde of an oracion demonstratiue is: where in is praysed or dyspraysed / nat the persone but the dede. As if a thefe put hym selfe in ieo- p[ar]dy for the safegarde of a true ma[n] / against other theues and murderers / the p[er]son can nat be praysed for his vicious lyuyng / but yet the dede is worthy to be commended. Or if one shulde speake of Peters denyeng of Christ / he hath nothyng to disprayse y^e person saue onely for this dede. The thyrd kynde is: wherin is lauded or blamed no- ther person nor dede / but some other thing as vertue / vice / iustice / iniurie / charite / en- uie / pacience / wrathe / and suche lyke.

¶ Partes of an Oracion.

¶ The partes of an oracion prescribed of Rhetoriciens are these.

¶ The Preamble or exorden. ¶ The tale or narracion. ¶ The prouynge of the matter or conten- cion. ¶ The conclusion.

[B.ii.v]

¶ Of the whiche partes mencyon shall be made herafter in euery kynde of oracions / for they are nat founde generally in euery oracion / but some haue moo partes / and some lesse.

¶ Of the Preamble.

GEnerally the Preamble nat alonly in an oracion demonstratiue / but al- so in the other two is conteyned and must be fetched out of thre places / that is to say of beneuolence / attencion / & to make the mater easy to be knowen / whiche the Rhetoricians call Docilite.

¶ Beneuolence is the place whereby the herer is made willyng to here vs / and it is conteyned in the thynge that we speke of / in them whom we speke to / & in our owne persone. The easyest and moost vsed place of beneuolence consysteth in the offyce or duety of the person / whan we shew that it is our duety to do that we be about.

¶ Out of this place is fet y^e p[re]a[m]ble of sai[n]t Gregory Nazazene / made to the praise of saynt Basyll / where he saith that it is his his duety to prayse saynt Basyll for thre causes. For the great loue and frendeshyp that hath ben always betwene them / and agayne for the remembrau[n]ce of the moost [B.iii.r] fayre and excellent vertues that were in hym / and thyrdely that the chyrch myght haue an example of a good and holy Bys- shop. ¶ Trewly by our authours lycence me thynketh that in the preamble Naza- zen doth nat only take beneuolence out of the place of his owne persone / but also out of the other two / wha[n] he sheweth the cause of his duetye / for in praysynge his frende he dyd but his duetye. In praysynge his vertues / he cam to the place of beneuole[n]ce of hym that he spake of / as touchyng the example that the chyrche shulde haue / it was for theyr profite / and concernyng the place of beneuolence / taken of them that he spake to. But our authour regarded chiefly the principall proposicion / whiche was that saynt Gregory Nazazene was bounde to praise saint Basyll.

¶ A lyke example of beneuolence taken out of the place of office or dutie / is in the oracyon that Tully made for the Poete Archias / whiche begynneth thus.

MY lordes that be here iuges / yf there be in me any wyt / whiche I knowe is but small / or yf I haue any crafty vse of makynge an oracion / wherein I denie nat but y^t I haue metely excercysed my selfe / or yf any helpe to that science cometh out [B.iii.v] of other lyberall artes / in whome I haue occupied al my lyfe / surely I am bou[n]de to no man more for them than to Archias / whiche may lawfully if I may do any ma[n] any profite by them / chalenge a chiefe por[-] cion for hym therin.

¶ Out of this place dyd this same Tully fetche the begynnyng of his fyrste epistle / in whome he wrytethe to one Lentule on this maner: I do so my deutie in al poyn- tes towarde you / and so great is the loue and reuerence that I bere vnto you that all other men say that I can do no more / and yet me semeth that I haue neuer don that that I am bounde to do / eyther to you or in your cause.

¶ We may also get beneuolence by reason of them / whome we make our oracion of: As yf we saye that we can neuer prayse hym to hyghly / but y^t he is worthy moch more laude and prayse. And so taketh sai[n]t Nazianzene beneuolence in his sayd ora- cion for sainct Basile.

¶ Also of them afore whome we speke / as if we say / it is for theyr profyte to laude or prayse the p[er]son. And that we knowe very wel howe moche they haue alwayes loued [B.iiii.r] hym / and that he ought therfore to be prai[-] sed the more for theyr sakes. The maner is also to get vs beneuolence in the preface of our oracion / by pynchyng and blamyng of our aduersarie. As doth Tullie in the o- racion that he made for one Aulus Cecin- na / wherin he begynneth his proeme thus If temerite and lake of shame coulde as moche preuayle in plees afore the iustices / as doth audacite and temerarious bolde- nesse in the feldes and deserte places / there were no remedie but euen so muste Aulus Cecinna be ouercome in this matter by Sextus Ebucius impudence / as he was in the felde ouercome by his insidious au- dacite. And these be the co[m]mune formes of beneuolence.

¶ A man may also fetche his proeme out of the nature of the place wher he speketh / as Tullie dothe in the oracion made for Pompeius for the sendynge of hym into Asie agaynst kynge Mithridates of Pon- tus / and kynge Tigraues of Armenie on this maner: howe be it my lordes and mai[-] sters of this noble citie of Rome / I haue al tymes thought it a synguler reioyse to me if I myght ones se you gadred to gyther in a co[m]pany / to here some publique oracion [B.iiii.v] of myne / and agayne I iuged no place to be so ample and so honourable to speke in as this is. &c[etera].

¶ Or he may begyn at the nature of the tyme that is than / or at som other cyrcum[-] staunce of his mater / as Tully taketh the begynnynge of his oracion for Celius at the tyme / this wise.

¶ If so be it my lordes iuges any ma[n] be now present here that is ignora[n]t of your lawes / of your processe in iugement[e]s / and of your customes / surely he may well mar[-] uell what so heynous a mater this shulde be / that it onely shulde be syt vppon in an hygh feest daye / whan all the comonaltye after theyr olde custome are gyuen to the sight of playes / ordeined after a perpetual vsage for the nones for them / all maters of the law laid for the tyme vtterly a part.

¶ He began also an other oracion for one Sext[us] Roscius / out of the daunger of the season that he spake in.

¶ One may besyde these vse other maner of prohemes / whiche by cause they are nat set out of the very mater it selfe / or els the circumstaunces / as in these aforsayd they are called peregrine or strau[n]ge prohemes. And they be taken out of se[n]tences / sole[m]pne peticions / maners or customes / lawes / sta[-] [B.v.r] tutes of nacyons & contreys. And on this maner dothe Aristides begyn his oracion made to the praise of Rome.

¶ Demosthenes in his oracyon made a- gainst Eschines / toke his preface out of a solempne peticion / besechynge the goddes that he might haue as good fauour in y^t cause / as he had fou[n]de in all other maters y^t he had done afore for the comon welth.

¶ In like maner beginneth Tully the ora[-] cion that he made for one Murena / & also the 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 the comunes 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 the maner of prefaces in any oracion / whiche is also obserued in the making of epistles / how beit there is farre lesse crafte in them than is in an oracyon.

¶ There is yet an other fourme & maner to begyn by insinuacion / wherfore it beho[-] ueth to know that insinuacion is / wha[n] in the begynnyng / yf the mater seme nat lau[-] dable or honest / we find an excuse therfore.

[B.v.v]

¶ Example / Homere in his Iliade des- cribeth one Thersites / that he was moost foule and euyll fauored of all the Grekes that came to the batayle of Troye / for he was both gogle eyed / and lame on the one legge / with croked and pynched shulders / and a longe pyked hede / balde in very ma- ny places. And besyde these fautes he was a great folysshe babler / and ryght foule mouthed / and ful of debate and stryfe / car- rynge alwayes agaynste the heddes and wyse men of the armye.

¶ Nowe if one wolde take vpon hym to make an oracio[n] 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 dispraise ought 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 bothe Homere and Virgile / which are the prin- ces and heddes of al poetes to witnesse the[m] selfe. Of whome Homere sayth / that poe- tes make many lies / and Virgile he saith: The moost part of the sene is but deceyte. [B.vi.r] Poetes haue sene blake soules vnder the erthe / poetes haue fayned and made many lyes of the pale kyngdome of Plato / and of the water of Stigie / and of dogges in hell. And agayne co[m]mune rumours howe often they ben vayne / it is so open that it nede nat to be declared. Wherfore his trust is that the hearers wyll more regarde his saynge than fayned fables of poetes / and fleyng tales of lyght folkes / whiche ar for the more parte the grounders of fame & rumours.

¶ An example may be fet out of the decla- macion that Erasmus made to the prayse of folysshenes.

¶ An other example hath the same Eras- mus in his second booke of Copia / which is this: Plato in the fyfte dialogue of his communaltie wyllethe that no man shall haue no wyfe of his owne / but that euery woman shalbe commune to euery man. If any man than wolde eyther prayse or de- fende this mynde of Plato / which is both contrarie to Christes religion and to the commune lyuynge of me[n] / he myght as E- rasmus teacheth / begynne thus.

[B.vi.v]

¶ I knowe very well that this mater whiche 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 deferre you iugement tyll ye haue herde the su[m]me of suche reasons as I wyll brynge forthe in the cause / I doubte nothynge but that I shall make the trouthe so euydent that you all will with one assent approue it / & knowlege that ye haue ben hitherto mar- uelously deceyued in your oppynyon / and somdele to alleuiate your myndes / ye shall vnderstande 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 a man / and soo vertuouse in all his dedes / that ye may be sure he wold speke nothi[n]g but it were on a right perfyte ground / and that the thynge were of it selfe very expe- dient / thoughe peraduenture it shewe ferre otherwise at the fyrst herynge.

¶ In all prefaces of preambles must be good heed taken that they be nat to ferre fet / nor to longe.

¶ These affectuouse wordes / I reioyce / I [B.vii.r] am sorye / I meruaile / I am glad for your sake / I desire / I fere / I pray god / and such other lyke / be very apte for a preface.

¶ Of the seconde place of a preface / called Attencion.

THe herers shall be made attent or diligent to giue audience / yf the oratour make promyse y^t he will shew them new thynges / or els necessary or profita[-] ble / or yf he say y^t it is an harde mater that he hath in handelynge / or els obscure & nat easy to be vndersta[n]d / except they gyue right good attendaunce.

¶ wherfore it is expedyent that yf they wyll haue the percepcion of it / that they gyue a good eare. But as concernyng the newnesse or profyte of the mater / it ma- keth nat all onely y^e herer to gyue a good ere (which thynge is called attencion) but also maketh hym well wyllynge for to be present / whiche is beneuolence.

¶ Docilite.

DOcilite whereby we make the mater playne & easy to be per- ceyued / is nat greatly required in this kynde of oracion / for it is belonging properly to derke [B.vii.v] and obscure causes / in whiche we must p[ro]- myse that we wyl nat vse great ambages / or to go (as me[n] say) rou[n]de 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]sones are praysed / is the declaryng of theyr lyfe & doynges after the fasshion of an historie. The places out of the whiche it is sought are: The persones byrthe. His chyldhode. His adolescencie. His mannes state. His old age. His dethe and what foloweth after.

IN his byrthe is consydered of what stocke he came / what chau[n][-] sed at the tyme of his natiuite or nighe vpon / as in the natiuite of Christe shepeherdes hard angelles synge.

¶ In his chyldhode are marked his bryngynge vp and tokens of wysdome co[m]- mynge: As Horace in his fourthe Satire sheweth / how in his chyldhode his father taught hym by examples of suche as were than lyuynge to flee from vice and to gyue hym selfe to vertue.

¶ In adolescencie is considered where to [B.viii.r] he than gyuethe hym selfe; As in the fyrst comedie of Tere[n]ce one Simo telleth his seruau[n]t Sosia / that though all yonge men for the more parte gyue them selfe to some peculiare thynge / wherin they sette theyr chiefe delyght / as some to haue goo- dely horses / some to cherysshe houndes for huntyng / & some are gyuen onely to theyr bookes / his sone Pa[m]philus loued none of these more one tha[n] an other / and yet in al these he exercised hym selfe mesurably.

¶ In mannes state and olde age is noted what office or rule he bare among his citi- sens / or in his co[n]trey / what actes he dyd / how he gouerned suche as were vnd[er] him / howe he p[ro]spered / & what fortune he had in suche thyng[e]s as he went about. Example here of is in Saluste / whiche co[m]pareth to[-] gether Cato and Cesar / sayng that both theyr stocke / age & eloque[n]ce / were almoost lyke & egall / theyr excelle[n]cie & greatnes of spirite & wytte was also lyke & egal / & lyke fame & worshyppe had they both attayned howe be it nat by a lyke waye. Cesar was had i[n] great estimacion for his benefites & & liberalite. Cato had gotte[n] hi[m] a name for his p[er]fight & vpright lyuynge. Cesar was praysed for his gentilnes and pitie. Cato was honored for his ernestnes and surete.

[B.viii.v]

¶ The tother wanne moche bruyt by gy[-] uynge large gyftes / by helpynge suche as were in dystresse / and by forgyuyng of tres[-] passes done agaynste hym. Catons fame dyd sprede because he wold neither be for- gyuen of none offence / neither forgiue non other / but as any man had deserued / so to cause him to be delt with. In the one was great refuge to suche as were in mysery: In the other was sore punisshment & per- nicion to mysdoers & euyll transgressours of the law. Briefly to conclude it was all Ceazars mynde and pleasure to labour di- ligently night and day in his frendes cau[-] ses / to care lesse for his owne busynes tha[n] for theyrs / to deny nothing that was wor[-] thy to be asked / his desyre was euermore to be in warre / to haue a great hoost of me[n] vnder his gouernaunce / that by his noble and hardy faictes his valyantnes myght be the more knowen and spred abrood.

Co[n]traryly all Catons study was on tem[-] perau[n]ce / and to do in no maner otherwyse than was conuenient & fyttynge for suche a man as he was / and chiefly he sette his mynde to seueryty / he neuer made no com[-] parison with the riche man in richesse / nor with the myghty man in power. But yf nede required / with the hardy ma[n] in bold- [C.i.r] nes / with the temperate in moderacion / with the good man in innocency & iust dea[-] ling. He cared not for the name / it was suf- ficie[n]t to hym to haue the dede / & so / the lesse he cared for glorye / the more alwayes he opteyned. Many suche comparisons ve- ry profitable for this inte[n]t / are also in Plu[-] tarche in his boke of noble mennes lyues.

¶ A goodly ensa[m]ple of this place is in the oracion that Hermola[us] Barbarus made to the emperour Frederike and Maximi- lian his son / which for bicause it is so long I let it passe. ¶ A like ensample is in Tul- lies oracion / that he made to the people of Rome for Pompeyus / to be sente agaynst Mithridates.

¶ Some there be that deuide the landes of persones into thre kindes of goodes / be- gynnynge the narracion at them / whiche thynge 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 be spoken. It were after his mynde best to touche fyrst his actes done by prudence / & next by iustice / thirdely by fortitude of the mynde / and last by temperaunce / and so to gather the narracion out of this foure car- dinall vertues. As if one shuld praise saint [C.i.v] Austen / after that he hath spoken of his pa[-] rentele and bryngynge vp in youthe / and is come to the rehersale of his actes / they may be conueniently distributed into the places of vertues. On this maner did Tul[-] ly prayse Pompey.

¶ I suppose (sayeth he) that in hym that shulde be a hed capitayne ouer a great ar- my / ought to be foure thynges. Knowlege of werre / valiantnes / auctoritie / & felicitie.

¶ Here is to be noted that in rehersynge any persons actes / we may haue our chief respecte to some peculiare and principall vertue in hym / enlargynge and exaltynge it by amplificacio[n] in maner of a digressio[n].

¶ Our author in this worke maketh no mencyon of the last place that is dethe and suche thynges as folowe after / but in an other greater work he declareth it thus briefly. ¶ The dethe of the persone hathe also his praises / as of suche whiche haue ben slayne for the defence of theyr contrey or prince.

¶ A very goodly ensample for the hande- lynge of this place is in an epistle that An[-] gele Policiane writeth in his fourth boke of epistels to Iames Antiquarie of Lau- rence Medices / howe wysely and deuout- ly he dysposed hym selfe in his dethe bed / [C.ii.r] and of his departynge / and what chann[-] ced at that tyme.

¶ And so to conclude an oracion Demon- stratiue / wherein persones are lauded / is an historycall exposicion of all his lyfe in order. And there is no difference betwene this kynde and an history / saue that in hi- stories we be more briefe and vse lesse curi- ositie. Here all thynges be augme[n]ted and coloured with as moche ornamentes of eloquence as can be had.

¶ Confirmacion of our purpose / and con- futynge or reprouynge of the contrarye / whiche are the partes of contencion / are nat requisite in this kynde of oracion / for here 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 may come / which must be either defended / or at the leest excused.

¶ Example.

THe frenche men in olde tyme made myghty warre agaynste the Romaynes / and so sore be- sieged theym that they were by compul- cion constrayned to fall to composicion [C.ii.v] with the frenche men for an huge summe of 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 absence made hym dictatour / which was the chie- fest dignitie amonge the Romaynes / and of so greate auctoritie / that for the space of thre monethes / for so long dured the office moost co[n]ueniently / he might do all thyng at his pleasure / whether it concerned deth or no / nor no ma[n] so hardy ones to say nay against any thyng that he dyd / so that for the space he was as a kynge / hauynge all in his owne mere power. Now it chau[n]ced that while this summe was in payenge / & nat fully wayed / Camillus of whome I said afore / that being in exile he was made dictatour / came with an army / and anone bad cease of the payment / & that eche par- ty shulde make redy to bataile / and so he vainquisshed the frenche men.

¶ Now yf one shulde praise hym of his no[-] ble faites / it shuld seme that this was done contrary to the law of armes / to defait the frenche men of the raumsom due to them / syns the compacte was made afore / wher- fore it is necessary for the oratour to defe[n]de [C.iii.r] this dede / & to proue that he did nothynge contrary to equitie. For the whiche pur- pose he hathe two places. One apparent / whiche is a comon sayenge vsurped of the poete. _Dolus au virtus quis in hoste requirat._ That is to say / who will serche whether y^e dede of enemy against enemy be either gile or pure valiantnes? But for that in warre law is as well to be kept as in other thin- ges. This sayeng is but of a feble grou[n]de. The other is of a more stronge assurau[n]ce / whiche Titus Liuius writeth in his fyfte boke from the buildynge of Rome / where he reherceth this history now mencioned / and that answere is this / that the co[m]pacte was made to paye the foresayd raunsome after that Camillus was created dicta- tour / at what time it was nat lawfull that they whiche were of ferre lesse auctoritie / ye & had put them selfe holy in his hande / shuld entermedle them with any maner of treatise without his licence / & that he was nat bounde to stande to theyr bargayne. The whiche argumente is deducte out of two circumstaunces / whereof one is the tyme of the makynge of the compacte / and the other / the persons that made it / which two circumstaunces may briefly be called whan / and who. ¶ Likewise yf an oracion [C.iii.v] shulde be made to the laude of saint Pe- ter / it behoueth to excuse his denyenge of christe / that it was rather of diuine power and wyll: than otherwise / for a confortable example to synners of grace yf they repe[n]t.

¶ This is the maner of handelynge of an oracion 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 / he shulde kepe in his oracion this order.

Fyrst in declarynge his parentele / that he was kynge Pipines sone / whiche was the fyrste of all kynges of Frannce named the moost christen kynge / and by whom all af- ter hym had the same name / and Nephien to Martell / the moost valiauntest prynce that euer was. Nexte / his bryngynge vp vnder one Peter Pisane / of whom he was instructe bothe in Greke and Latin. Tha[n] his adolessencie / whiche he passed in excer- cise of armes vnder in his fader in y^e war- res of Acquitaine / where he lerned also the Sarazynes tongue.

¶ Beynge come to mannes state / & now kyuge of Fraunce / he subdued Aquitayn / Italye / Swauelande / and the Saxones. And these warres were so fortunate / that [C.iiii.r] he ouercam his aduersaries more by aucto[-] ritie and wisdom than by effusion of blode.

¶ Also many other notable examples of vertue were in hym in that age / specially that he edified the vniuersitie of Paris.

¶ Here may by digressio[n] be declared how goodly a thynge lernynge is in Prynces. Chiefly suche condicion apperteyneth to vertue and good lyuynge.

¶ Here may be also made comparison of his 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 haue peace / and agayne he was so gentyll and so mercyfull / that he wolde rather saue euyn suche as had don hym great offence: and had deserued very well for to dye / tha[n] to dystroye theym / thoughe he might do it conueniently.

¶ Besyde this / he was so greatly enfla- med in the loue of god and his holy chirch / that one Alcuine a noble clerk of England was continually with hym / in whose prea[-] chynge and other gostely communicacion he had a chiefe pleasure. His olde age he passed in rest and quyetenes fortunately / saue for one thyng / that his sonnes agreed euyll betwene them.

[C.iiii.v]

¶ After his decease reigned his son / holy saint Lewes / and so the folowynges of his dethe were suche that they could be no bet- ter / and a very great token of his good and vertuouse lyuynge. For yf an yll tree can brynge furthe no good fruite / what shall we suppose of this noble kynge Charles / of whome cam so vertuouse and so holy a son? Truely me thynketh that hither may be nat inco[n]ueniently applied the sayenges of the gospell / by theyr fruites you shall know them.

¶ Of an oracion Demonstratiue / wherein an acte is praysed.

WHan we wyll prayse any maner of dede / the moost apte preamble for that purpose shall be to say that the mater perteyneth to the commodities of them whiche here vs.

¶ Example.