Erasmus teacheth begynne thus ¶ 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 abhominable But that nar withstandynge yf it wyll please you a litle while so deferre you iugement tyll ye haue herde the suÌ„me of suche reasons as I wyll brynge forthe in the cause I double 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 maruelously deceyued in your oppynyon and somdele to alleuiate your myndes ye shall vnderstande that I am nat my selfe authour of the thynge but it is the mynde saynge of the excellent moost highly named philosopher Plato whiche was vndoubted so famouse a clerke so discrete a man and soo vertuouse in all his dedes that ye may be sure he wold speke nothig but it were on a right perfyte ground and that the thynge were of it selfe very expedient 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 am sorye I uleruaile I am glad for your sake I desire I sere I pray god and such other lyke be very apre 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 orarour make promyse that he will shew them new thynges or els necessary or profita ble or yf he say that it is an harde mater that he hath in handelynge or els obscure nat easy to be vnderstaÌ„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 care But as concernyng the newnesse or profyte of the mater it maketh nat all onely the herer to gyue a good cre 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 perceyued is nat greatly required in this kynde of oracion for it in belonging properly to derke and obscure causes in whiche we must â—…myse that we wyl nat vse great ambages or to go as meÌ„ say rouÌ„de about the busâ—…h but to be short and playne ¶ Of narracion whiche is the seconde ê‘te of an oracion ¶ The Narracion or tale wherin ê‘sones are praysed is the declaryng of theyr lyfe doynges after the fasâ—…hion of an historie The places out of the whiche it is sought are The persones byrthe His chyldhode His adolescencie His mannes state His olde age His dethe and what foloweth after IN his byrthe is consydered of what stocke he came what chauÌ„ 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 coÌ„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 he than gyuethe hym selfe As in the fyrst comedie of TereÌ„ce one Simo telleth his seruauÌ„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 goodely horses some to cherysshe houndes for huntyng some are gyuen onely to theyr bookes his sone PaÌ„philus loued none of these more one thaÌ„ 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 citisens or in his coÌ„trey what actes he dyd how he gouerned suche as were vnd him howe he â—…spered what fortune he had in suche thyngê as he went about Example here of is in Saluste whiche coÌ„pareth to gether Cato and Cesar sayng that both theyr stocke age eloqueÌ„ce were almoost lyke egall theyr excelleÌ„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 great estimacion for his benefites liberalite Cato had gotteÌ„ hiÌ„ a name for his ê‘fight vpright lyuynge Cesar was praysed for his gentilnes and pitie Cato was honored for his 〈◊〉 and surete ¶ The tother wanne moche bruyt by gy uynge large gyfres by helpynge suche as were in dystresse and by forgyuyng of tres passes done agaynste hym Cacons fame dyd sprede because he wold neither be forgyuen 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 grâ—…at refuge to suche as were in mysery 〈◊〉 the other was fore puâ—…shment perâ—… to mysdoers euyll transgressours 〈◊〉 law Briefly to conclude it was all 〈◊〉 mynde and pleasure to labour diligently night and day in his frendes cau ses to care lesse for his owne busynes thâ—… 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 vnder his gouernaunce that by his noble and hardy faicies his valyantnes myght be the more knowen and spred abrood CoÌ„traryly all Catons study was on tem perauÌ„ce and to do in no maner other wyse than was conuenient syctynge for suche a man as he was and chiefly he sette his mynâ—…e to seueryty he neuer made no com parison with the riche man in richesse nor with the myghty man in power But yâ—… 〈◊〉 required with the hardy maÌ„ in boldnes with the temperate in moderacion with the good man in innocency iust dea ling. He cated not for the name it was suf ficieÌ„t to hym to haue the dede so the lesse he cared for glorye the more alwayes he opteyned Many suche comparisons very profitable for this inteÌ„t are also in Plu tarche in his boke of noble mennes lyues ¶ A goodly eusaÌ„ple of this place is in the oracion that Hermolaê° Barbarus made to the emperour Frederike and Marimilian his son which for bicause it is so long I let it passe ¶ A like ensample is in Tullies oracâ—…on that he made to the people of Rome for Pompeyus to be sente agaynst 〈◊〉 ¶ Some there be that deuide the landes of persones into thre â—…noes of goodes begyunynge the narracion at them whiche thynge our author doth nat greatly commende but raâ—…her in rehersyng of any per sones dedes yf there can nat be kept an order 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
be as an iustigacion to take the thynge on hande remembrynge the greke prouerbe Scisnoâ—…a ta nasa that is to say all excellent coÌ„meÌ„dable thyng be hard of difficulty ¶ In honesty are coÌ„preheÌ„ded all vertues as wysdoÌ„ iustice due loue to god to our parentes liberality pity constaÌ„ce temperance And therfore he that wyll for the coÌ„ fyrmyng of his purpose declare proue that it is honest coÌ„mendable that he enteÌ„deth to persuade hym behoueth to haue perfyte knowlege of the natures of vertues And al so to haue in redy remembrauÌ„ce sentences bothe of scripture of philosophy as oratours poetes besyde these examples of historyes for garnyssshyng of his maters ¶ As coÌ„cernynge the place of vtilitie we must in all causes loke if we may haue any argumeÌ„tes wherby we may ê“ue that our couÌ„cell is of suche necessity that it can nat be chosen but they must nedes folow it for tho argumeÌ„tes be of farre greater streÌ„gth than they that do but onely proue the vtility of the mater But if we caÌ„ haue no suche necessary reasoÌ„s thaÌ„ we must serche out argumeÌ„tes to ê“ue our mynde to be ê“fitable by circuÌ„stances of the cause In like maner to persuade a thyng by the easines therof or dissuade it by the difficulty of the thing we must haue respect to possibility or iÌ„possibilite for these ê“ues are of strenger nature thaÌ„ the other he that wyll shew that a thyng may be done easely must presuppose the possibilite therof As he on the other side that wyll ê‘suade a thyng nat to be done yf he shew manifest that it is impossible argueth more stroÌ„gely thaÌ„ if he could but only ê“ue difficulty in it for as I sayd many thyng of difficulty yet may be the rather to be taken on hande that they may get theÌ„ that acheue them the greater fame and prayse And these argumentes be fet out of the cir cuÌ„stances of the cause that is to say the time the place the doers the thynge it selfe the meanes whereby it shulde be done the cau ses wherefore it shulde be done or nat the helpes or impedimeÌ„tes that may be therin In this purpose examples of histories are of great efficacy ¶ The confutacion is the soilynge and reâ—…llyng of other meÌ„nes sayengê that haue or might be brought against our purpose wherefore it consisteth in places contrary to the places of confirmacioÌ„ as in ê“uyng the sayenges of the contrary part neither to be honest nor profitable nor easy to performe or els vtterly impossible ¶ The conclusion standeth in two thynges that is is to say a briefe and compendiouse repetyng of all our reasons that we haue bronght for vs afore and in mouyng of affections And so dothe Ulysses conclude his oracion in the. xiii boke of Ouides metamorphosy ¶ Of the thyrde kynde of oracions called Iudiciall ⧠ORacions iudiciall be that longe to controuersies in the lawe and plees which kynde of oracion in olde tyme longed onely to Iudges men of law but now for the more parte it is neglecte of them though there be nothynge more necessarye to quicken them in crafty and wyse handelynge of theyr maters ¶ In these oracions the fyrste is to fynde out the state of the cause whiche is a short proposicion conteynynge the hole effect of all the controuersies As in the oracion of Tulli made for Milo of the which I made mencion in the begynnynge of my boke The state of the cause is this Milo slewe Clodius lawfully whiche thynge his aduersaries denyed and yf Tully can proue itâ—… the plee is wonne ¶ Here must be borne away that there be thre maner of states in suche oracions ¶ The fyrst is called coniecturall The seconde legitime The thirde iudiciale and euery of these hathe his owne proper places to fet out argumentes of them wherefore they shall be spoken of seuerally And fyrste we wyll treate of state coiecturall whiche is vsed whan we be certayne that the dede is done but we be ignorant who dyd it and yet by certayne coniectures we haue one suspecte that of very lykelyhode it shulde be he that hathe commytted the cryme And therfore this state is called con iecturall bicause we haue no manifest ê“fe but all onely great lykelyhodes or as the Rhetoriciens call them coniectures ¶ Example THere was a great contencion in the Grekes army afore Troye betwene Ulisses and Aiax after the dethe of Achilles which of them shulde haue his armour as nexte to the sayd Achilles in valiauntnes In whiche controuersye whan the Grekes had Iuged the sayd armour vnto Ulisses Aiax for very great disdayne fell out of his mynde shortly after in a wode nygh to the hooste after he had knowen whan he cam agayne to hym selfe what folyssh prankes he had played in the tyme of his phrenesy for sorow shame he slewe hym selfe Sone vpon this dede cam Ulisses by whiche seynge Aiax thrust thrughe with a swerde cam to hym and as he was about to pull out the swerd the frendes of Aiax chauÌ„ced to com the same way which seynge theyr frende deed and his olde enemy pullyng out a swerde of his body they accused hym of murder ¶ In very dede here was no profe For of truthe Ulisses was nat gylty in the cause Neuer theâ—…es the enuye that was betwene Aiax and hym made the mater to be nat a lytle suspect specially for that he was fouÌ„de there with the sayd Aiax alone wherefore the state of the plee was coniecturall whe ther Ulisses slew Aiax or nat ¶ The preface THe preface is here euyn as it is in other oracions For we begyn accor dyng to the nature of the cause that we haue on haÌ„de either in blamyng our aduersaryâ—… or els mouynge the herers to haue pity on our client Or els we begyn at our owne ê‘â—…one or at the prayse of the Iuge cÌ„ ¶ The narracion THe narracioÌ„ or tale is the shewynge of the dede in maner of an historye wherein the accuser must craftly entermeÌ„gle many suspicions which shall seme to make his mater ê“uable As Tulli in his oracion for Milo where in his narracion he intendeth by certayn coÌ„iectures to shew that Clo dius laye in waite for Milo he in his sayd narracion handeleth that place thus ¶ In the meane season whaÌ„ Clodius had knowlege that Milo had a lawfull neces ry iourney to the city of Lauine ye. xiii day afore the kalendes of Marche to poynte who shuld be hed preest there which thing longed to Milo because he was dictatour of that towne Clodius sodaynely the day afore departed out of Rome to set vppon Milo in a lordeshyp of his owne as after was well perceyued And suche haste he made to be goyng that were as the people were gadered the same day for maâ—…s wherin also he had great adoo hym selfe very necessarye it had ben for hym to haue ben there yet this nat withstandyng all
punisshed for the confirmacion wherof as dothe appere in Tullies oracion he dyd brynge out of places of Rhetoryque argumentes to ê“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 Kynges highnes I must for the Inuencyon of suche thynges as be for my purpose go to places of Rhetorique where I shall casely 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 disputacioÌ„ ¶ The seconde is called Demonstratiue ¶ The thyrde Deliberatiue ¶ The fourth Iudiciall and these thre last be properly called spices or kyndes of oracions whose natures 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 thig Iustice is my theme Or if disputacion be had in company vpon religion and I wolde declare the very nature 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 compouÌ„de that is to say Iustice is a vertue for it is made of two thynges knyt and vnâ—…ed togither Iustice and vertue ¶ Here must be noted that Logike is a playn a sure way to instruct a maÌ„ 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 ê‘fectly ê“perly knoweÌ„ 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 what proper what improper ¶ The places or instrumentes of a simple theme are The diffinicion of the thynge The causes The partes The effectes ¶ ExaÌ„ple If thou enquire what thig Iu stice is whereof it cometh what partes is hath what is the office or effect of euery parte than hast thou diligeÌ„tly serched out the hole nature of Iustice handeled thy simple theme accordyng to the preceptê of Logicians to whom our auctour leueth suche maâ—…s to be discussed of theÌ„ how beit somwhat the RhetoriciaÌ„s haue to do with the 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 exteÌ„ded paynted with many figures ornamentê belongyng to the science Neuertheles to satisfie the reders 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 ¶ First to serche out the perfite knowlege of Iustice I go to my fyrst place 〈◊〉 on fetche from Aristotle in his 〈◊〉 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 doâ—…e I serche the causes of Iustice that is to say from whens it toke the fyrst begynnyng and bycause that it is a morall vertue and Plato in the ende of his Dialogue MenoÌ„ 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 maÌ„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 that he calleth Iustice legitime or legal an other that he called Equite ¶ Iustice legall is that that consysteth in the superiours whiche haue power for to make or statute lawes to the iferiours And the office or ende of this Iustice is to make suche lawes as be bothe good and accordynge to right and conscience thaÌ„ 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 where by a man neyther taketh nor gyueth lesse nor more than he ought but in gyuynge taketh good hede that euery maÌ„ 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 comen goodes to euery maÌ„ accordyng to his deseruyngê 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 Citie accordynge as they are worthy ¶ In this parte is comprehended the punyshment of mysdoers and trangressours of the lawe to whome correccion must be distributed for the comon welth according to theyr demerites after the prescripcions of the lawes of the contrey made determined for the punisshment of any maner of transgressour ¶ Equity coÌ„mutatiue is a iust maner in the chaungynge of thyngâ—… from one to another whose offyce or effect is to kepe iust dealynge in equytie as byenge sellynge all other bargaynes lawfull And so are herewith the spices of Iustice 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 aâ—…ines and contraries on this maner ¶ what is Iustice A vertue whereby to euery thynge is gyuen that that to it belongeth ¶ 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 substaunce wares or in gentyll and cyuyle conuersacion ¶ what thynge is Iustice commutatiue Right and equitie in all contractes ¶ what is Iustice distributiue Iustice of ciuile lyuynge ¶ How manyfolde is Iustyce dystrybutyue Either it is comon or priuate The comon is called in latin Piâ—…tas but in englysshe it may be moost
properly named good order which is the crowne of all ver tues conceruynge honest and ciuile conuersacyon of men togither as the hedes with the meane comonalty in good vnity and concorde ¶ Pryuate or seuerall Iustice 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 prodygalytie ¶ And this is the maner of handelynge of a symple Theme dialecty call But yet let nat the reder deceyue hym selfe and thynke that the very perfyte knowlege is shewyd hym all here And that whiche hath beÌ„ shewed now is somwhat general and briefe ¶ More sure and exact knowlege is conteined in Logike to whome I wyll aduise theÌ„ that be studiouse to resorte to serche euery thynge in his owne proper facultie ¶ Of a Theme compounde EUery Theme compounde eyther it is proued trewe or fals Now whether thou wylt puâ—… or improue any thyng it must be done by argument And yt any Theme compounde be it Logicall or Rhetorycall it must be referred to the rules of Logike by theÌ„ to be proued trew or fals For this is the dyfference that is betwene these two sciences that the Logician in dysputynge obserueth certayne rules for the settynge of his wordes being solicitous that there be spokeÌ„ no more nor no lesse than the thynge requyreth that it be euin as plaily spokeÌ„ as it is thought But the Rhethorician seketh about boroweth where he can asmoche as he may for to make the symple and playne Logicall argumentes gaye delectable to the 〈◊〉 So than the sure iugement of argumentes or reasons must be lerned of the logician but the crafte to set theÌ„ out with pleasaunt figures and to delate the mater belongeth to the Rhetorician As in Miloes 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 sâ—…ain Milo wherfore Clodius might laufully be slayne of Milo in Miloes owne defence And this argument the logicians call a Sillogisme in Darâ—… 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 Tullies argument that he maketh in his oracyon 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 improuynge of compounde Themes are these folowynge Diffinicion lyke Cause contrary Partes OF the places of argumentes shall be spoken hereafter For as touchyuge theÌ„ in all thynges the Rhetorician Logician do agre But as concernynge the crafte to fourme argumentes whan thou hast fouÌ„de them in theyr places that must be lerned of the Logician where he treateth of the fourme of sillogismes 〈◊〉 â—…es and inductions ¶ Of an oracion demonstratiue THe vse of an oracion demonstratiue is i praise or dispraise whiche kynde or maner of oracion was greatly vsed somtyme in comon accions as dothe declare the oracions of Demosthenes and also many of Thucidides oracions And there ben thre maners of oracions demonstratiue ¶ The fyrst conteyneth the prayse or dysprayse 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 ieopdy for the safegarde of a true maÌ„ against other theues and murderers the ê‘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 that person saue onely for this dede The thyrd kynde is wherin is lauded or blamed nother person nor dede but some other thing as vertue vice iustice iniutie charite enuie 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 contencion ¶ The conclusion ¶ 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 â—…oo partes and some lesse ¶ Of the Preamble GEnerally the Preamble nat alonly in an oracion demonstratiue but also in the other two is conteyned and must be â—…ched out of thre places that is to say oâ—… beneuolence attencion to make 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 aâ—…y to be knowen whiche the â—…oricians 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 〈◊〉 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 the pÌ„aÌ„ble of sait 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 remembrauÌ„ce of the moost fayre and excellent vertues that were in hym and thyrdely that the chyrch myght haue an example of a good and holy Bysshop ¶ Trewly by our authours lycence me thynketh that in the preamble Nazazen doth nat only take beneuolence out of the place of his owne persone but allo out of the other two whaÌ„ he sheweth the cause of his duetye for in praysynge his frende he dyd but his duetye In praysynge 〈◊〉 vertues he cam to the place of beneuâ—…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 deâ—…e nat but that I haue metely excercysed
of this foure catdinall vertues As if one shuld praise saint â—…usten 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 army 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 amplificacioÌ„ in maner of a digressioÌ„ ¶ 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 vrtefly ¶ 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 handelynge of this place is in an epistle that An gele Policiane writeth in his fourth boke of epistels to Iames Antiquarie of Laurence Medices howe wysely and deuoutly he dysposed hym selfe in his dethe bed and of his departynge and what channced at that tyme. ¶ And so to conclude an oracion Demonstratiue 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 histories we be more briefe and vse lesse curiositie Here all thynges be augmeÌ„ted and coloured with as moche ornamentes of eloquence as can be had ¶ Confirmacion of our purpose and confutynge 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 maters 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 aâ—… the leest excused ¶ Example 〈◊〉 THe frenche men in olde tyme made myghty warre agaynste the Romaynes and so sore besieged theym that they were by compulcton constrayned to fall to composicion with the frenche men for an huge summe of golde to be payed to theym for the brekynge of the siege but beynge in this extreme misery they sent for one Camillus whome nat very longe afore they had banisshed out of the citie and in his absence made hym dietatour which was the chiefest digintie amonge the Romaynes and of so great auctoritie that for the space of thâ—…e monethes for so long dured the office moost coÌ„ueniently he might do all thyng at his pleasure whether it concerned deth or no nor no maÌ„ 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 chauÌ„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 party 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 syâ—…s the compacte was made afore wherfore it is necessary for the oratoâ—…r to defeÌ„dâ—… this dede to proue that he did nothynge contrary to equitie For the whiche purpose he hathe two places One apparent whiche is a comon sayenge vsuâ—…ped of the poâ—…te â—…osus aâ—… virtus quiâ—… in hoste requirat That is to say who will serche whether the dede of enemy against enemy be either gile or pure valiantnes â–ª But for that in warre law is as well to be kept as in other thinges This sayeng is but of a feble grouÌ„de The other is of a more stronge assurauÌ„ce whiche Titus Liuius writeth in his fyfte boke from the buildynge of Rome where he reherceth this history now menetoned and that answere is this that the coÌ„pacte was made to paye the foresayd raunsome after that Camillus was created dictatour 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 shulde be made to the laude of saint Peter 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 repeÌ„t ¶ This is the maner of handelynge of an oracion demonstratiue in whiche the person 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 Frannee named the moost christen kynge and by whom all after 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 ThaÌ„ his adolessencie whiche he passed in excercise of armes vnder in his fader in the warres of Acquitaine where he lerned also the Sarazynes tongue ¶ Beynge come to mannes state now kynge of Fraunce he suvdued Aquitayn Italye Swauelande and the Saxones And these warres were so fortunate that he ouercam his aduersaries more vy 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 edifted the vniuersitie of Paris ¶ Here may by digressioÌ„ 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 agreynge with peace in the whiche as his history maketh mencyon he was more excellent For his chiefe delyte was to haue peace and agayne he was so gentyll and so mercyfull that he wolde rather saue â—…uyn suche as had don hym great offence and had deserued very well for to dye thaÌ„ to dystroye theym thoughe he might do it conueniently ¶ Besyde this he was so greatly enflamed 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