To the Right Reuerende Father in God and his singuler good Lord Edmund Bishop of London Lewis Euans wisheth much helth long life with encrease of all right godly Honor. WHEN I CONsider which thing I oftentimes do with my selfe right Honorable of what knowledge sharpenâ—sse of witte and inâ—ustrie the learned and wise Philosophiers of auÌ„cient times were I se cause both to reioyce and to be sorie reioyce we 〈◊〉 for that through their most excelleâ—â— labors it hath pleased almightie God such is his goodnesse so to open vnto vs the secrete workings of nature and knowledge of sundrie things which froÌ„ many were of a long time before secret and hidden againe sorie we mâ—â— be to see such singular instrumentes prouided for our welth and benefites not only to be vtterlye ignorant in the moste comfortable most hygh and infallible doctrine in the knowledge of their Creator of our Redeemer and Maker but also whereat needes muste we lament to be so dotinglye wedded vnto theyr owne willes as wilfullie or rather willinglie and that alas without anye reason to yelde them selues bonde slaues and wretched captiues vnto the detestable seruitude and most execrable bondage that euer sithens the creation of man reigned vnto the embracing I will not say of the euill but of the most wicked horrible and monstruous Idolatrie of the heathens that is to worship the Sunne to adore the Mone to reuerence the Stars to honor the fire to take for theiâ— Gods the brute beastes of the earth to esteeme for their Sauiours some Rauenyng Fowle of the aire and if all that be not madnesse and abhomination inoughe further to praye vnto most venemous snakes to seeke helpe of vglie serpents to accompt them for Goddes to keepe seede and honor them O blinde harts ô darkenesse palpable ô learning to no purpose auailable we may therfore wel say vnto such yea be he otherwise neuer so perfect an Orator neuer so profound a Philosopher Sapientia tua scientia tua haec est quae decepit te thy worldly wisdome thy ouer curious knowledge his this is it that hath blinded beguiled deceyued thee For touching the excellencie of learning and worthinesse of eloquence if we weigh well but the flowing stile of the incomparable Cicero what can be more pleasant what maye with greater vehemencâ—e perswade what can with more efficacie disswade who to be briefe may but with much admiration embrace it likewise if we consider the great wisedome of Socrates who is to be accompted this of the heathens I speake so woorthie so excellent so perfect as he Plato also was very famous so were both the Catoes Pythagoras Sophocles and Demosthenes with many more and yet how frowardlie nay how frantikly these wandered from the right way from the acknowledging of one God and the same of a diuine essence liuing vnderstanding of an infinite power wisedome and goodnesse true bounteous iust chaste and mercifull which is the father the sonne and the holy ghost three persons and one God how farre I say and how wickedlie from this they haue strayed so euident it is that for their sakes how should we but be sorie for ours how can we but reioyce but what haue they erred in nothing but in the doctrine which thing is verie all of our creation and redemption haue they not in their owne doings oftentimes so foolishly reasoned as iâ— wee fauourâ—d them not much wee might seeme iustly to saye that almost they had no reason and not to speake of Protagoras follie nor of Diagoras his impietie to let all others passe what if wee ripped vp the doings but of him whom amongst them all I fauour most of eloquent Cicero I meane might we not therin sometimes see verie small proofes espie sclender reasons and finde suche childishe shiftes as better in my iudgement it were to denie in some places the woorke than to acknowledge it for the doings in other things of so incomparable a man for to prooue his diuination what I pray you among other things alleageth he two Snakes forsooth so he sayth were taken in the house of a noble and wise man one Ti. Gracchus vnto whom the wise men for so I name them whome the Persians call Magos the Aegyptians Prophetas the Assyrians Chaldaeos and the Indians Gymnosophistas they being asked what these Snakes signified did saye that if he did let the Male escape then should his wife shortly after die if the Female then should he The Female was let gone for loth a Gods name he was that P. Affricanus his daughter being a yong gentlewoman should die so he himselfe in fewe dayes after accordingly died A worthie proofe of a thing neuer able to be proued Well if anye of the twaine sayth he should escape by that meane the man or the wyfe must nedes die But as he had choyse to keepe which he woulde so was he bound by no necessitie to let go anye Why then kept he not both he was a wise man why saued he not therby as well his owne life as his wiues after the same maner myght we easilye confute were it not to long the famous Oracle at Delphi the cutting of a whetstone with the rasour by Tarquinius the dreame of Aeneas and al such incredible lewde and whetstone lies But let Cicero herevnto for so he doth make this aunswere What subtiltie is this by trifling to condemne things confirmed by yeares and antiquitye of time nay what follie is it without any reason to receiue dreames and fonde fables found out we know not how why nor by whoÌ„ yet it is contained in blinde chronicles it is of authoritie Yea but ipse dixit were the authoritie better than of those qui sui quaestus causa fictas suscitant sententias hindereth the learner letting him from adiudging what in eche thing is right In reasoning as Cicero himself saith the authoritie is not so much as is the weight of the reason to be sought for required What is this will some say the opinion of Cicero is not his first booke of Diuination written in the name of his brother Quintus that I graunt And yet it is the doings of Tullie it is his owne worke and though it pleaseth him therin to try his wit his verie and full mind as the same may well appeare aswell in other of his workes as speciallye in hys writing vnto A. Caecinna wherein he affirmeth that no signes can be surer that none may be more certaine than Diuination But let his first passe and come vnto the seconde Denieth he not therein not onely dreames whereof I speake not but also visions not only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as therein the difference is pretye but also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and yet we read that in the verie booke of God how Daniel S. Peter S. Iohn with others saw visions regarded estemed and expounded them But here a while to omit the heathens I would that we likewyse euen we that are
Christians shoulde not trust ouermuch vnto authorities vnto the writings I meane and coniectures of man it is modestie to be allowed and prudencie to be praysed if we so reade them as S. Aug. did the writings of S. Cyprian that is Quod in eis diuinarum scripturarum authoritati congruit cum laude eius accipio quod autem non congruit cum pace eius respuo that which agreeth in the same with the authority of diuine scriptures to his prayse I receiue but which agreeth not that with his fauour I forsake leaue Where let none thinke that I contemne authorities but only wishe Sine ratione vt non valeret authoritas that authoritie without reason or scripture should not take place and preuaile For to saye the troth some receyued of many as authorities be so fonde vt aures à coÌ„memoratione abhorreant Peter saith some denied Christ that he might follow him and not for feare O follie ô madnesse the scripture is plaine A farre off followed Peter he feared yea he was greatly afrayde Some also affirme that S. Iohn died not but was caried aliue as Enoch and Elias into Paradysâ—â— and yet at his sepulchre is Manna saye they as it were bubling vp euen vntill this daye a sepulchre he had he was buried and notwâ—â—â—standing all this he died not Alas what weake authorities be these nay what foolish and intollerable dreaming is this about the scriptures of God againe such as childishlye do vnderstand that the Lorde wil discend into a valley vpoÌ„ the side of the mount Olyuet there to iudge the worlde is not therein their wisedome so small and their writings so fonde as whether is most foolish it is hard to tell Further there be which alleage that our Sauiour in no respect feared death and that he was nothing afrayde of his passion But the scriptures be altogether otherwise For he himself sayth My soule is heauye euen vnto death Of whom likewise the Euangelist thus speaketh Christ began to feare and to be sorowfull Let them therefore be ashamed which thinke that our Sauiour in respect of his manhode feared not death and that he did not through feare of his passion say Transeat à me calix iste let this cuppe passe from me There is moreouer which write that though our sauiour suffered yet he felt no paine though he were scourged and wounded yet he felt no smart no griefe no dolor that all his passion was sine sensu poenae without feeling of paine What when he cried Eli Eli lamasabachthani Lord Lord why hast thou forsakeÌ„ me Were not then his paines great his dolors vnspeakeable his griefe exceding Oh our infirmities he bare and our sorowes did he sustein Wherfore may wee not see how slender sometimes are the writings and authoritie of man howe farre from the purpose they estray and how plainelye in some places they differ from the Prophets Apostles Euangelists and holy Ghost And to returne vnto the heathens againe in whose workes although manie things be found vntrue supersticious and lewde yet thorowe them as meanes we haue attained the ryght entrie into Artes the readye way how to vnderstand liberall sciences and the playne path into the pleasaunt park of al laudable studies And amongst all such benefits which we thus at their handes haue receyued no one seemeth more excellent so profitable and so to be accepted as is the Arte of reasoning which onelie as the Prince of Orators sayth doth conteine the whole skill of thorowly seeing and adiudging what both is and ought to be in euery matter Yea and that man as sayeth the diuine Philosopher Plato which vtterly in thys Arte is ignorant seeth nothing else were he otherwise neuer so rich and renowmed but the verie shadowes and hollow bare images of things Therefore haue I thought it my singular good Lorde worth the labor if wee in our tongue as the Latines haue done in theirs shoulde some briefly some at large so set forth this Art which I may worthily term the verie treasure house of sciences the Casket of Iewels the ground of all good studies and the very nurse of right perfect knowledge as it maye at the length appeare that like as the Latine is nothing inferiour vnto the Greke so our tongue may in time either be comparable with both or at the least somewhat to graunt theÌ„ not much inferior vnto the second Which my smal labour howsoeuer done although in value little aboue the apple giuen by the poore man vnto Artaxerxes Memor I haue yet bene bolde to dedicate and offer vnto your honor First as a token and pledge of the vnfeined good will which not to speake of your great clemencie for sundrye good causes I am bounde to beare during lyfe towardes your good Lordship then that vnder your protection the same being published the malice of Momus might be weakened and the spite of Zoilus abated For it cannot be but Logique hath enimies but reason hath foes but one industrious sometimes shall haue aduersaries Thus humbly I craue that your honor would with such hart and countenance receiue it as thereby I may be encouraged if it shall please God so to ayde me to beginne and goe forwarde with greater things Your humble Orator Lewys Euans Ludouicus Euans optimarum artium studiosissimis S. D. QVoniam cum omni vtilitate quam dij hominibus doctissimi viri dederunt ars aliqua Ciceronianis enim quaÌ„ saepissimè libenter vtimur coniuncta est per quam illa vtilitas subinde percipi tradique possit non possum non saepè multumque admirari quibusdam quid venire possit in mentem eorum vt industriam studia reprehendant eorum labores ingenia contemnant qui dialecticam anglicè aedendam esse atque eam vel illiteratis in sua cuiusque lingua tradendam quà m autem praeclare vestrum esto iudicium censuerunt Mihi profectò multùm diuque cogitanti quanam re nostris possem hominibus prodesse nulla impraesentiarum maior nulla praeclarior occurrebat quà m si dialecticae artis hoc est dicere rationis viam traderem meis coÌ„terraneis Est nanque eiusmodi hominibus vtilitati ratio ea vt illis nihil à deo vtilius nihil praestantius nihil pulchrius dari posse videatur Qua cum quod est etiam ars quaedam coniuncta ea quidem longè omnium clarissima quae Logica dicitur quae quasi disserendi quaedam magistra est quis vsquam adeò immanis quis vnquam tam barbarus extitit ea vt suos priuari desyderet ea vt suos ornari vel ex animo non optet Hoc fuit in causa clari praestantesque viri quod ego magnificam hanc artem anglicis iam literis succinctè illustrandam putarem Cui sententiae vos si nihil praeuertendum putatis erit tum reliquum vt lucubratiunculam hanc qualemcunque meam iniquorum contra
no. Therefore Thraso is not wise Ba Al good mē are thākful to their benefactors ro Nero was vnthankefull to his benefactor co Therefore Nero was no good man The third figure hath the double repeate in the former part of both propositions and there be sixe moodes appertayning vnto the same Darapti Felapton Disamis Datisi Bocardo Ferison the vowels lykewise wherof are as afore specially to be considered Da All drunkardes are to be punished rap All drunkardes are excessiue drinkers ti therfore excessiue drinkers are to be punished Fe No lawfull matrimonie is to be rebuked lap All lawfull matrimonie haue dissentions ton therfore some dissētiōs are not to be rebuked Di Some learned men be heretiques sa All learned men haue knowledge mis. therfore some hauing knowlege are heretiks Da All knowledge is necessary vnto a Diuine ti Some knowledge is Philosophie si Philosophie is necessarie vnto a Diuine Bo Some man is no drunkarde car Euerie man is a liuing creature do therfore some liuing creature is no drūkard Fe No man is an asse ri Some man is a liuing creature son Therfore some liuing creature is no asse Here I haue shewed the thrée figures what they are and their examples and yet sufficient it is that we vse the first and the second for the thirde as in that Melancthon and others doe verie well write you may refuse There is further an other argument vnto this thirde figure referred in the which the double repeate in the first part of both propositions is a nowne proper as Dauid in possessing his owne did not offend Dauid was a christian Therefore a christian in possessing hys owne doth not offend An vnperfect argument is where one proposition is omitted and that eyther for breuitie or else for that the part omitted is otherwyse vndoubtedlye knowne well ynough as ▪ Drunkennesse is an euill thing Therfore it is to be auoyded Wherevnto if you adde the Proposition at large which is wanting that is euerye euill thing is to be auoyded then your argument shall bée perfect in the moode Darij of the first figure This vnperfect argument consisteth partly of likelyhoodes and partly of infallible reasons therefore it must be foreséene that lykelyhoodes bée not taken for necessarie reasons An Induction is when we make an vniuersall conclusion vpon a sufficient number of proper names as thus Red Wyne maketh one warme Hippocras maketh one warme Spanishe Wyne maketh one warme French Wyne maketh one warme ▪ Tyre maketh one warme Neyther is there any vnlyke example Therfore al wynes maketh one warme An Example is the applying of a lyke thing or reason from one person to an other as Thy father against King Priamus was not so cruell Therefore you ought not agaynst thys man to be so cruell Here vnto are referred the Fables of Poets Prouerbs and Parables There is an other kinde of reasoning called a heaped argument which is when the laste worde of the one proposition is and that throughout the argument repeated in the first part of the second and that also when voyces necessarily agréeing thervnto that is when the generall speciall causes and effect are ioyned togither as Idlenesse bréedeth riotousnesse Riotousnesse bréedeth pouertie Pouertie bréedeth theft Therefore idlenesse bréedeth theft Now it remayneth where as I shewed before that of perfect Sentences some bée single and some double and hauing spoken as briefely so sufficiently of the single that we speake somewhat of a double proposition and that before I doe set forth the places whence all arguments doe spring A double proposition consisteth of two single knit togither with some coniunction eyther conditionall as if iustice be a vertue it is praise worthy or Disiunctiue as eyther it is day or else it is night or else Copulatiue as loue being vnlawfull is not to be praised A conditionall proposition is euermore true when the partes are so knit together that the latter must néedes follow vpon the first A disiunctiue is then true when one of the partes is true A copulatiue is onely then true when both the partes are true Of the seconde part of Logique which is of the finding out of an Argument A Place is the seat or resting corner of an Argument and whence we are warned how to grounde or talke and to laye the foundation of our reason of which places some are appertayning vnto persons and some vnto thinges but vnto the persons doe belong these which followe and from thence we thus doe reason as from The Countrie He is a Grecian therefore light inconstant and disceitfull The kinde Shée is a Woman therefore vnapt for warres The Parents He is king Henry the eights sonne therfore valyant The Age He is old therfore to be asked counsell of Bringing vp He was Lucius Scholler therefore an Heretique Art or trade of lyfe He is a shoemaker therefore no louer of liberall Sciences Fellowship He liued alwayes with drunkards therfore what maruell if he be a drunkard Maner of doing I did it not through anger enuy rashenesse but being thought vpon of a long time considered therfore it was well done and perfect Maner of dying Enoch and Elias were taken a lyue vp into Heauen therefore they are become blessed Signes Shée is brought to bed therfore no maid Antecedent He sought a good whyle a gone to robbe me therefore it is possible that he robbed mée now Consequent He fled therefore it is probable that he committed this offence The places of things are all suche as be not of the persons and from them we reason thus as from Definition Fortitude is a vertue fighting in the quarrel of right therfore it is praise worthy Generall He is no lyuing creature therfore no mā Speciall He is a man therfore a lyuing creature Difference He is endued with reason therfore a mā Propertie He barketh therefore he is a Dogge Hole It is a house therfore walles a roufe c. Yoked wordes He doth wisely therfore he is a wise mā Efficient cause God hath ordeyned the Magistrate therfore we ought to obey hym Matter He wanteth cloath therfore he can haue no coate Fourme This Table is well preporcioned therefore it had a good workeman Ende Publique Schooles doe cause men to be ciuill therefore they are to be erected Effect or euent They of India do heare the word of God therfore they are of God Relation He is Constancius father therefore not his sonne Contrary The water is hoate therfore not colde Priuation It is darke therefore not light Contradictorie Iohn wryteth therfore that Iohn should now not write it is impossible Greater Hector could not ouercome Achilles therfore Paris might lesse doe it Lesser It is lawfull vpon the Sabbaoth daye to saue an Oxe therefore it is more lawfull to saue a man Now it remayneth that we speake somewhat of the discerning and vnderstanding of vntrue arguments which two wayes are speciallye considered for eyther is