is endued with a body like as Beasts are and how shall we discover then whether in such a Vessell there be Wine Beere and not simple water and we cannot prove that there is any more sence in men then in beasts save only by the speech therefore Lovers of vertue you may see that the sole argument to prove ones selfe to be a man is speech the Tongue is the sole instrument which assures by what it utters that a man is reasonable and if that should be taken from him I can hardly finde any other evidence Since its most apparantly true that in the darke we cannot discern whether we are near unto a Beast or a Man for by feeling of him we may be deceived but never by hearing of him speake Consider but the Argument how that we may discerne by the speech not only that its a man but also distinguish of what Nation he is as whether he be a French-man a Spaniard a Dutch-man an English-man and the like You may remember how that in the Gospel a simple Mayden in Pilates house could discover Peter to be a Galilean and this by his speech though he protested and swore the contrary You may all know that not only Nations are distinguished by their speech which is no small benefit in this world to wit the being verst in Languages thereby to discover a Stranger who in all other things can or may distinguish himselfe be it in his cloathes carriage or in his manner of proceedings which he may suit very easily to the humour of the severall Nations he converseth with but its impossible to disguise a mans speech Nay besides this by speech one particular person may be distinguished from another though his features should be by us forgotten yet by speech even at the first meeting he renewes his old acquaintance Speech therefore is the most assuredst marke for that men may be deceived in all other signes Remember the good old Patriarch whose age had bereaved him of his eye sight leaving unto him only the other four sences when he was to give his blessing by Nature due to the first borne unto Jacob who by the counsell of his Mother under-tooke to defraud Esau of his Birth-right Jacob though disguised for to deceive all his Fathers remaining sences yet he could not be defrauded in all for Jacob we read cloathed with his Brothers rayments embalmed by the Lillies and a sweet savouring scent of the Field endeavoured to deceive his scent and thereby to oblige his Father to beleeve that he was Esau Secondly by the taste because he had brought him the savoury meat he delighted in and also by the feeling though the good old man apprehending as it were the deceit said that he might be sure of it My Sonne come neare that I may feele thee and let me try and assure my selfe whether thou art my very Sonne Esau indeed but Jacob having covered his hands with skins and Isaac touching them and finding them to be hairie as Esaus were tooke Jacob to be his eldest Sonne though the good old Patriarch seemed to doubt thereof as he well might and said The hands are indeed Esaus hands but the voyce is Jacobs So that as you see the voyce distinguisheth not only a Socrates from a Plato but likewise it discovereth the disposition and composition of man both in his Physicall humours and in his Morall actions A subtile and a knowing man will discover the disposition of any other nay of any great Prince so soone as he shall have heard him but speake and this farre better then a Phisitian can judge of the constitution of a mans body by the feeling of the pulse as also by mens hand-writing their disposition may be guest at the hand-writing in divers bearing a great resemblance with their minde for that its the Image and representative picture of the voyce or speech But these are the first witnesses by the which the interiour individuall qualities are discovered when a man speaks as well naturally as morally That his discourse be consonant to its subject that his Phrases and termes be proper that his pronountiation be quick slow cleere or obscure as the subject may require as also by his accent manner and the framing of his voyce doubtlesse all these above named particulars may enduce much to the discovering of a mans minde that great Lord and Master before named hath even taught us the same saying that the words which proceed out of the mouth doe denote the interiour good or bad qualities of any man The Naturalists did thinke that only the Ayre and the Water were capable to describe the qualities of such grounds as they past through if the Water passeth through a Mine either of Brimstone Vitrioll or Salt-peeter the Aire when the wind blows will sufficiently denote whence it comes But the Morall Philosophers may object against the Naturall ones that a mans speech doth more assuredly manifest and cleerly declare that which is in the entrailes of mans body and the inward parts of a mans Soule then either the Ayre or the Water doe the inward substance of Mines In man there are severall externall notions and actions which argue either the perfections or imperfections of the body but the speech doth explaine the temper of the Soule Wherefore the speech framed in the mouth of man and proceeding from the Lights and the Stomack is in some kinde both corporall and sensible and in this manner it makes the temper of that body which utters the voyce to be understood But the life of a humane voyce the very Spirituall Soule of that voyce that is to say its sence is partly Spirituall and partly Intelectuall it s that which enters into the pores by permission of the corporall ayre where it remaines and having knockt at the doore and obtained entrance the spirit then of humane speech which is the speeches sence bereaves its selfe of that Corporeall robe and is conveyed unto our intelectuall parts and there manifests it selfe as in a true draught the very being thoughts conceptions desires inclinations and the other Spirituall passions of him that speaketh Speech in a word is the true interpreter and a most certaine witnesse of the Soule which is not to be seene in its selfe being hidden under the clouds of the body but so soone as a man speakes its just like unto Thunder and Lightning that breakes forth The eies of man which give attendance to the knowledge of another man are not those placed in the front of mans aspect but they are his eares on the sides of his head which must serve to discerne him Our eyes may discover unto us our exterior parts in a Looking-glasse but our eares must conduce to the knowledge of those we converse withall Speech is the childe of the Soul its owne first borne conceived in its selfe though it be formed in the mouth of man and it comes not into this world to succeed its Parents but speech
time the Mysteries of eternall life and immediatly infused into them the Art of well speaking the gift of Eloquence that is to say he endued them with his most holy Spirit that their well speaking might prove efficacious and usefull and why thinke you that the Holy Ghost descended on the Apostles in the shape of Tongues for no other reason but to assure them that Eloquence I meane true Eloquence is a gift that came downe immediately from Heaven a gift proceeding from the Holy Ghost neither from Nature nor from Art I doe not deny but that a good disposition of Nature and the strength of study must contribute thereunto but that Eloquence or that Science is meerly vaine that hath not the glory of God for its ayme and his gift for a principle Among the Gentiles there have been eloquent men among Worldlings there are great store at present but will you know the difference betwixt the heavenly and earthly Eloquence It s just like a Cannon discharged with a Bullet and another only laden with a Ball which makes as great a noyse as the former but no impression at all The ancient Oratours were only talking men like unto Parrets but those that have obtained this gift from Heaven carry with them a speech which not only makes a noyse but also a deep impression in the Auditory these men speake with knowledge and understanding and this is mans true speech the sence and intelect of what we have said is a perfect manner of speech both knowing and learned In old times they spake with a certaine knowledge but not with a perfect Science a Science not to be compared unto that which God gave unto his Apostles by the Holy Ghost for they were said to have the true science of the Voyce which is no other but a true sence of what is said In all our necessities and wants let us alwayes have our refuge to the Almighty and especially that we may obtaine this gift of well speaking for none can ever pretend to be a good proficient herein or in any other Science except he receives the Grace from Heaven And since its a gift which we ought to desire above all other gifts yet all our desires and endeavours will ever be able to make us attaine unto its perfection for as I have told you from the beginning and you may have had the experience hereof what we most desire is that which we seldome obtaine The reason hereof you shall have in a word and it s because we beleeve that we are not able to obtaine it by our owne industry labour and paines by reading and by the helpe of good Tutors but we shall come farre short of our expectations unlesse we have our recourse and refuge to the true and only Teacher the Holy Ghost for let us but accord our hearts unto the Almighties Rules and Ordinances and doubtlesse our tongues being our hearts interpreters will uttermost eloquent and pleasant things c. FINIS Errata Page 1 Line 5. for aperura read apertura l 15 for it r he p 2 l 2 for more r most l 5 for desires r desired l 29 r now p 6 l 3 r weldâ—ing l â—7 r which p 7 l 9 r each p 8 l 3. r in its entire p 11 l 27 r even l 31 r â— we have said p 12 l 6 for do r. muâ— p 3 l 25 for itcheth r delighteth l 29 for into r n. p 14 l 8 r as l 25 r t. p 15 l 3 for to r twixt l ib for unto r â— d. l 31 r it p 16 l 6 r even l 12 dele hereon l 4 for know r. even p 9 l 7 for incitated r irâ—itated p. 20 l 2â— for as r but l 23 r 〈◊〉 p 22 l for which 〈…〉 it is l 3 for to wâ—t the being r to be l 5 for distinguish r 〈◊〉 p 2â— l 21 r to wit p 2â— l 3 r 〈◊〉 l 〈◊〉 r corporeall p â—5 l â—5 r p 2â— l 21 r p 26 l 4. for makes r they make p 31 l 7 dele noâ— In the Epist for againa r againe
only produceth it selfe to manifest its Father and therefore we must all confesse it to be a great benefit of Nature in that having received an intelectuall Spirituall and most Divine-like Soule though this Soule as it were hidden from our sight which is only capable of materiall corporall and sensible things yet thus it is that having received an instrument a medium and a witnesse which doth assure us that in this body though it be earthly there is something celestiall though our said bodies be materiall yet they containe something which is intelectuall though we be but Animals yet there is something in us which is Divine to wit an intelectuall Divine free and a reasonable Soule And to manifest this truth that is to say that in our bodies there is such a substantiall quality contained Nature hath given it a passage and a meanes to make it self both to be heard and understood to wit by speech The Angels are not environed with this corporeall cover for they have no bodies that hides them and makes themselves to be understood among themselves without any vocall voyce that they speak is most certaine for that an Apostle saith Though he had the eloquence of Angels c. But they speake not as men doe with a moving tongue with a shrill throat their speech is wholly Spirituall but our Souls being in these Bodies like as in a Prison Nature having hidden and enclosed it hath neverthelesse left it that little passage of the throat and of the mouth by which the Prisoner calls for all he stands in need of as also manifests his justification or cleerly confesseth his guilt and want for that by his speaking he is knowne for what he is and his deserts or demerits are thereby laid open If now all this whereby I have entertained you concerning Eloquence and the Art of well speaking hath not been capable to move you to an appetite and desire it may be a question whether or no you have a Soule or whether there be any vertue in your Soules for since speech is the portraicture of the Soule and of all those beautifull excellent vertues which she possesseth why should they be kept smothered and hidden since it s most proper to vertue for to manifest her selfe and those vertues which are purely in the Soule I meane mysticall and intelectuall vertues which actually are termed speculatives and have no other meanes to shew themselves unto the world then by the Art of well speaking Let a man know all what may bee possibly learnt let him have the knowledge of God the skill of the heavenly revolutions of the Planets of the Elements of the simple and composed Bodies the perfect and imperfect ones Finally let him have an insight in that universall Science the Metaphisicks who will be able to judge whether or not he possesse all these qualities nay whether or no we have a Soule if so be we want the Art and manner to make it knowne and by what shall we give a sensible evidence that we are men that we possesse a rancke amongst them unlesse we give a testimony of this our knowledge which of it selfe is a bare nothing so long as others know not that those gifts are extant in us for as we said before Scire tuum nihil est nisi te scire hoc sciat alâ—er Truly I doubt not but that the desire to speake well by the infinitenesse of Nature by the appetite of mans sences and by the suggestion of reason possesseth a great influence on all men as I have amply set before you And though all that hitherto hath been alledged should not suffice what greater evidence can there be given then the universall practise hereof which is as an infallible argument of a naturall reasonable desire So soone as man is sensible of his being and begins to know himselfe the first desire wherewith he is taken is to learne for to speake and for to obtaine this Science he despiseth the tendernesse of this Age the kinde usage of Parents the ease of his house and all the other pleasures which his birth and condition may afford him he leaves his native Country passeth the Seas crosseth the Hills and puts himselfe within the inclosure of an Academy in which the Art of well speaking is taught Neither contenteth he himselfe with the conversation of those Masters but he is continually busied in the perusing of great Oratours he speakes writes and imployes his Pen in this Art by noting the Sentences and best succinct Speeches of Oratours and Poets and the Histories of all learned and famous men who have left behinde them a gage of their rare qualities to wit their memorable workes Hereby he may attaine to the Art of well speaking when any occasions shall present themselves wherein a Gentleman may expresse himselfe with admiration More-over to speake well is a desire which at all times cleaves to all Lovers of vertue and this desire of theirs is so great as that I dare say there are divers who are more curious of this then any other for as all men naturally have an ambition to speake well so you will finde the opinions of the most ablest and learnedst men to joyne in this That to know much and to want the Art of expression is even nothing and on the contrary that to know little and to be able to make ones selfe to be understood is a great glory whence I doe conclude that according to the esteeme of most eminent persons Eloquence is not only an ornament to that which a man knoweth but that it also serves for a covering to disguise an ignorant man How many are there that passe for able Philosophers excellent Logicians experimented Physitians for great States-men who all this while have no more knowledge nor understanding but a bare way of expressing their superficiall conceits imitating Merchants who endeavour to give a faire lustre to their Wares the better to put them off It is not such an Art this Academy intends to teach but true Eloquence Sciences to improve reason in men and Eloquence to maintaine reason before men Sciences for a mans owne government and Eloquence to serve the publick Sciences to compose man and Eloquence to manifest ones selfe to be man We must seeke both after the one and the other for to glorifie God since that the severall Sciences assist us to know him and Eloquence makes us able to dilate his knowledge unto others Let us accompany Eloquence with Sciences well doing with well saying the last without the first serves for a mans condemnation the first without the last tendeth to our justification and he that knoweth as much as is necessary for himselfe and who by his good Language is able to instruct others cannot chuse but reape a great deale of contentment satisfaction and glory The Master of all Arts Sciences understanding and knowledge Jesus Christ our Lord taught his Disciples first to doe well discovered unto them at the same