saue for one thyng that his sonnes agreed euyll betweâ—…e them ¶ After his decease reigned his son holy saint Lewes and so the folowynges of his dethe were suche that they could be no better 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 incoÌ„ueniently applied the sayenges of the gospell by theyr fruites you shall know them ¶ Of an oracion Demenstratiue wherein an acte is praysed WHan we wyll prayse aâ—…y 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. â—… ¶ Example WHan the Romaynes had expelled theyr kynge whome the hisioriciens call Tarquine the proude out of the citie and sully â—…nacted that they wolde ne uer haue kynge to reigne more ouer them This Tarqumê° went for aide and socour to the kynge of Tuscaye whiche whan he could by no menes entreat the Romains to receiue agayn theyr kyng he cam with all his puissaunce against the citie there long space besieged the Romaynes by rea son wherof great penury of whete was in the citie the kynge of Tuscay had great trust that continuynge the siege he shulde within a litle lenger space compell the Ro maynes thrugh famine to yelde theÌ„ selfe ¶ In the meane season a yong man of the citie named Gaius Mucius came to the Senatours and shewed them that he was purposed yf they wolde gyue hym licence to go surthe of the citie to do an acte that shuld be for theyr great profite and welth whereupon whan he had obtained licence priuely with weapoÌ„ hyd vnder his vesture he cam to the Tuscans campe gate hym among the thickest ingh to the tent where as the kyng sat with his chaunceller payenge the sowdiâ—…is the wages And bicause that they were almoost of lyke apparell also the chaunceler spake many thynges as a man beynge in auctoritie he 〈◊〉 de nat tell whether of theym was the kynge nor he durst nat aske leest his demaunde wolde haue bewrayed hym for as for language they had one nothyng was different for bothe Tuscains Romains were all of Italye as in tymes past Englande hathe had many kynges though the language people were on And thus beynge in doubt whether of them he myght steppe vnto by chaunce he strake the chaunceller in stede of the kynge and slew hym wherfore whan he was taken and brought before the kynge for to punysshe his hande that had failed in takyng one for an other and agayn to shew the kynge how 〈◊〉 he cared for his menaces he thrast his hande into the fire which at that time was there prepared for sacrifyce there in the flame let it brenne nat ones mouynge it The kynge greatly marueylynge at his audaci tie hardy nature coÌ„mended hym greatly thereof and bad hym go his way free For the whiche as though he wolde make the kyng a great amendes he fayned that iii. C. of the noblest yonge men of Rome had conspyred to gyther in lyke maner euery one after another vnwarê to slee hym and all to put theyr bodies and liues in hasard tyll tyme shulde chaunce that one myght acheue theyr entent For fere whereof the kynge furth with fell at a pointement with the Romaines and departed The yonge man afterwarde was named Sceuota whiche is as moche to say in Englyssh as lefte haÌ„ded For as I haue reherced afore he brente his right hande so that he had lost the vse therof ¶ IF any oratour wolde in an oracyon commende this dede he myght conueniently make the preface on this facion THere is no doubte my lordes maysters of Rome but that the remeÌ„braunce of Seeuolaes name is very pleasant vnto your audieÌ„ce whiche with one act that he dyd endewed your citie with many and greate commodytees c. ¶ This maner of preface is moost conue nyent and best annexyd to suche maner of oracyons demonstratiues ¶ Neuer the lesse it is lawfull for vs to take our preface yf it be our pleasure oute of some circumstaunce as out of the place that our oracion is made in or out of the tyme that we speke in or els otherwyse accordynge as we shall haue occasyon As Tullie in the oracyon that he made for the restitucyon of Marcus Marcellus in the whiche he praiseth Cezare for the callyng home of the sayd Marcê° marcellus out of exyle he taketh his preamble out of the tyme and Cezares persone begynnynge thus THis daye my lordes Senatoures hath made an ende of the longe scilence that I haue kepte a great while nat for any fere that I had but part for great sorow that was in me partly for shanie this day as I sayd hath taken away that longe scilence ye and besyde that of newe brought to me lust mynde to speke what I woulde and what I thought moost expe dient like as I was afore wont to do For I can nat in no maner of wyse refrayne but I must nedes speke of the great mekenes of Cezare of the graciousnes that is in hym so habuÌ„dant and so great withall that neuer afore any suche hath ben wont to be sene or herde of and also of the excellent good moderacioÌ„ of all thynges which is in hym that hathe all in his owne mere power Nor I can nat let passe his excelleÌ„t incredible and diuine wisdome vnspoken of afore you at this tyme. ¶ Of the Narracion IN this kynde we vse but selden hole narracions oneles we make our ora cion afore them that know nat the history of the acte or dede whiche we be aboute to prayse But in stede of a narracion we vse a proposicion on this maner AMonge all the noble deedes Cezare that ye haue done there is non that is more worthy to be praysed than this re stitucion of Marke Marcell ¶ Of Confirmacion whiche is the fyrst parte of Contencion THe places of confirmacion are honesty ê‘fite lightnesâ— or hardines of the dede For after the proheme of the oracion and the narracion than go we to the prouynge of our mater Fyrst shewynge that it was a very honest dede And next that it was nat all only ho nesty but also profitable Thirdely as concernyng the easines or difficulty the praise therof must be considered parte in the doer part in the dede An easy dede deserueth no great praise but an harde and a ieoperdouse thynge the soner and the lighther it is acheued the more it is to be lauded ¶ The honesty of the cause is fet from the nature of the thynge that is spoken of which place lieth in the wytte of the oratour and may also be fet out of the philosophers bo kes It is also copiosely declared of Rhetoriciens and very compeÌ„diously handled
¶ The Art or crafte of Rhetoryke ⧠⧠⧠⧠¶ 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 COnsyderynge my speciall good lorde how great ly and how many ways I am bounden to your lordshyp and among all other that in so great a nombre of connynge 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 gramer schole fouÌ„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 beneficiall fauour towarde me and of myn industry 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 slouryshynge vnder 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 those out non offred it selfe more conuenyent to the profyte of yonge studentes which your good lordshyp hath alwayes tenderly fauoured and also meter to my ê“fession than to make som proper werke of the right pleasaunt and persuadible art of Rhetorique whiche as it is very necessary 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 knowledge of Gramer ones had to be instructe in this facul tie without the whiche oftentymes the rude vtteraunce of the Aduocate greatly hindereth and apeyreth his clieÌ„tes cause Likewise the vnapt disposicion of the precher in orderyng his mater confoundeth the memory of his herers and briefly in declarynge of maters for lacke of inuencion 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 litle confusioÌ„ 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 destrouse of this Arte as all surely ought to be which entende to be regarded in any comynaltie I haue partely translated out a werke of Rhetorique wryten in the Latin tongue and partely compyled of myn owne and so made a lytle treatyse in maner of an Introductyon into this aforesayd Science and that in our Englysshe tongue Remembrynge that euery good thyng after the sayengê of the Philosopher the more comon it is the more better it is And furthermore tru stynge therby to do som pleasure and case to suche as haue by negligence or els fals 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 besechynge 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 Lordshyp and nexte the reders I trust by the ayde of almyghty god to endyte other werkes bothe in this faculty and other to the laude of the hygh godhed of whome all goodnes doth procede and to your Lordshyps pleasure and to profyte and delectacion of the Reder ⧠WHo someuer desyreth to be a good Oratour or to dyspute and commune of any maner thynge hym behoueth to haue foure thinges ¶ The fyrst is called Inuencion 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 deserue iuge whether tho thynges that he hath founde in his mynde be conuenient to the purpose or nat For ofteÌ„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 Disposicion 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 counted as the comon prouerbe sayth to put the carte afore the horse ¶ The fourth last is suche thynges as he hath inuented 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 by Demosthenes syns hath ben a comoÌ„ prouerbe amonge the Grekes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is as moche to say as This is he And this last ê“perty is called among lerned men Eloquence ¶ Of these foure the moost difficile or harde is to inuent what thou must say wherfore of this parte the Rethoricieus whiche be maisters of this Arte haue writen very moche diligeÌ„tly ¶ Inuencion is comprehended in certayn places as the Rhetoricieus call them out of whom he that knoweth the 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 improperly the Anthethem ¶ The theme purposed we must after the rules of Rhetorique go to our places that shall anoÌ„ shew vnto vs what shall be to our purpose ¶ Example IN olde tyme there was greate enuy betwene two noble men of Rome of whoÌ„ 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 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 double So than the Theme of Tullies oracioÌ„ or plee for Milo was this that he had slayne Clodius laufully and therfore he ought nat to be
other thynges aparte he went his way whiche you may be sure he wold neuer haue done saue onely that he had fully determined to preuent a tyme and place conuenient for his malicius enteÌ„r afore Miloes comyng ¶ In this pece of Tullies narracion are entermengled fyrst that Clodius knew of Miloes goynge whiche maketh the mater suspecte that Clodius went afore to mete with him for this was well knowen afore that Clodiê° bare Milo great grudge and malice Next is shewed the place where as Clodius met Milo whiche also gyueth a great suspicion for it was nygh Clodius place where he myght sone take socour the tother was in leest assurauÌ„ce Thyrdly that he departed out of the city what tyme it had ben most expedient ye also greatly requisite for hym to haue ben at home And that again maketh the mater suspect for surely he wold nat as Tully hym selfe saieth in no wise haue ben absent at suche a busy tyme onles it had ben for som great purpose and what other shulde it seme thaÌ„ to â—…ce Milo As surely euident it was that they buckled to gyther and this was well knowen that Milo had a necessary cause to go furth of Rome at that tyme. Contra ryly in Clodius coulde be perceyued non other occasion to departe than oute of the citie but of lykelyhood to lye in wayte for Milo ⧠¶ The proposicion OUt of the narracion must be gaderyd a briefe sentence wherein shall stande the hole pithe of the cause for Rhetoriciens put incontinent af ter the narracion diuision which is a part of contencion dothe bryefly shew wherin the controuersy doth stande or what thinges shall be spoken of in the oracion This diuision is deuyded into seiunction and distribucion ¶ Setunction is whan we shew wherein our aduersaries and we agree and what it is whereupon we stryue As they that pledyd Clodius cause agaynst Milo myght on this maner haue vsed setunction That Milo slewe Clodius our aduersaries can nat denaye but whether he myght so do lawfully or nat is our controuersy Distribucion is the proposicion wherein we declare of what thynges we wyll speke of whiche yf we propose how many they be it is called enumeracion but yf we do nat expresse the nombre it is called exposicion ¶ Example of bothe is had in the oracion that Tully made to the people that Pompeyus myght be made chiefe capitayne of the warres agaynst Mithridates and Tigranes where after the preface and narra cion he maketh his proposicion by exposicion thus Fyrste I thynke it expedyent to speke of the nature kynde of this warre and after that of the greatnes thereof and than to shewe how aâ—… hede or chiefe capytayne of any army shulde be chosen whiche last membre of his exposicion he agayne distributeth into foure partes thus as foloweth TRuely this is myne opinion that he whiche shall be a gouernour of an hoost ought to haue these foure propertyes in hym The fyrste is that he haue perfyte knowlege of all suche thynges as longeth to warre The seconde is that he be a man of his handes The thyrde that he be a man of suche auctority that his dignity may cause his souldiers to haue hym in reuerence and awe The fourth is that he be fortunate and lucky in all thynges that he goeth about ¶ Tully in the oracion for Milo proposeth all onely shewynge wherin the contro uersy of the plee dyd stande on this maner as foloweth ⧠IS there than any thynge els that must t tryed and iudged in this cause saue this whether of them bothe beganne the â—…raye and entended to murder the totherâ—… No surely So that yf it can be foundeâ—… that Milo went about to distroye Clodius than he be punysshed therefore accordyngly But yf it can be proued that Clodius was the begynner and layed wayte for to slee Milo and so was the sercher of his owne dethe and that what Milo dyd it was but to defende hym selfe frome the treason of his enemy and the sauegarde of his lyfe that than he may be delyuered and quyt ¶ Of confirmacion THe confirmacion of the accuser is fetched out of these places wyll and power For these two thynges wyll cause the persone that is accused to be greatly suspect that he had wyll to do the thyng that he is accused of and that he myght well ynoughe brynge it to passe ⧠¶ To proue that be had wyll therto you must go to 〈◊〉 places The one is the qualite of the persone the other is the cause that meâ—…yd him to the dede The qualitie of the person is thus handled First to loke what is his name or surname and if it be nough ty to saye that he had it nat for nothynge but that nature had suche pryue power in men to make them gyue names according to the maners of euery person Than next to behold his contrey So Tulli in his ora cion made for Lucius Flaceus to unproue the witnes that was brought against him by Brekes layeth vnto them the lightnes of theyr contrey This sayeth Tulli do I say of the hole nacion of Brekes I grauÌ„t to them that they haue good lernyng and the knowlege ot many sciences Nor I denye nat but that they haue a pleasant and marueylouse swete speche They are also people of high and excellent quicke wyt thereto they be very facundiouse These suche other qualities wherein they booste theÌ„ selfe greatly I wyll nat repynâ—… agaiÌ„st it that they here the maistry therein But as concernyng equitie and good conscieÌ„ce requisite in berynge of recorde or gyuyng of any wytnes also as touchynge faithfulnes of worde and promyse truely this nacion neuer obserued â–ª this property neither they knewe nat what is the strength auctoritye and weight therof ¶ So to Englysshmen is attributed suÌ„ptuousnes in meates drinkes To French men pryde delyte in new fantasyes To Flemmynges and Almaynes great drynkyng yet inueÌ„tife wittes To Britayns Gascoignes and Polones larrecine To Spanierdes agilitye To ytaliens hygh wyt and moche subtilty To Scottes bold nes to Irissh men hastines To Boemes valiauntnes and tenacite of opinions c. ¶ After that to loke on his kynred as yf his father or mother or other kynne were of yll disposicion for as the tree is suche fruite it bereth ¶ On this wyse dothe Phillis cntwyte Demophon that his father Theseus vncurteysly and trayterously lefte his loue Ariadna alone in the desert yle of Naxus contrary to his promise stale from her by nyght addynge Heredem patria perfide frandis agis That is to saye vntrew and false forsworne man thou playest kyndely the fathers heyre in deceytable begylynge of thy true louer ¶ After that we must loke vppon the seâ—… whether it be man or woman that we accuse to se yf any argumeÌ„t caÌ„ be deduct out of it to our purpose As in men is noted au dacity women be comonly tymerouse Than nexte