The Art of Rhetoric, Book 3 · Part 1 · Section 80 – Section 90
☞Reckenyng.
REckenyng, is when many thynges are nombred together.Dinumeratio. There is no streat, no house, no man, no child, no shop, no lodgyng in all this toune, but he hath been in it. There is no stone, no Diamōd, no Saphire, no Rubie, no Christall, no Turcasse, no Emerode, but he knoweth theim perfectly. By this figure we may enlarge that, by rehersyng of the partes, whiche was spoken generally, & in fewe wordes. This maie be an example. Suche a ientle man beyng an vnthrifte, hath spent all that euer he had. Thus the sentenceSentence amplified by seuerall rehersyng of thynges. maie be ampli…ied, if we shew particularly what he had, and tell seuerally how he spent it. Loke what enheritaunce came to him (whiche was no small thyng) by the death of his awn kinne, and his wifes kinsfolk: What dower soeuer he had by mariage of his wife, which by report was very greate thyng Whatsoeuer he got by executorship: Whatsoeuer the kinges Maiestie gaue hym. What booties soeuer he gotte in warre fare, looke what money he had, what plate, what apparell, what householde stuffe, what lande and Lordeshippes, what Shepe, goodes, Parkes, and Medowes, yea, whatsoeuer he had, moueable, or vnmoueable, his house, and all that euer he had: he hath so spent in fewe daies, so wasted it, & made suche hauocke of all together, emong the beastly compagnie of filthy queanes, emong abhominable harlottes, with banquetyng from daie to daie, with sumpteous reare suppers, with drinkyng in the nighte, with dain…ees and delicates, and a…l suche swete delites, with Dicyng, Cardyng, and all maner of gamenyng: that he hath now left neither crosse nor crucifixe, no not a dodkin in all the worlde, to blesse hymself with al. Thus these wordes (he hath spent all his goodes in riot) are dilated, and sette furthe at large, by rehersyng seuerally eueryevery thyng, one after another.
¶Reasonyng a matter with our selfes.
THen wee reason the matter with our selfes,Disputatio when we aske questions of our selfes, and answere therevnto. As thus. Howe came this good felowe by all that he hath? Did his father leaue hym any lande? Not a foote. Did his frendes geue hym any thyng? Not a grote. Hath he serued in any vo…acion, to heape vp so muche wealth? No…e hath liued more idlely. Doeth he not leane to some noble man? Yea, but he neuer receiued more then .iiij. marke wages. How then cometh he by all that euer he hath, liuyng without labour, hauyng no frendes to helpe hym, hauyng so litle to take vntounto by all outwarde apparaunce, and spendyng so l…berally, and owyng no man a grote in all the world? Assuredly, it cannot be otherwise, but that he cometh naughtily by moste of that, whiche he hath Another. Seyng thou art so basely borne, so poore in state, so smally learned, so hard fauoured, and hast no witte at al, what meanest thou to vaunte thy self so muche, and to make suche bragges as thou doest. What doeth make thee to waxe so proude? Thy stocke wherof thou diddest come? Why manne, thei are very base folke. Thyne awne wealth? …ushe, thou art as poore as Iob. Thy learnyng? Marie thou neuer camst yet where any learnyng did growe. Thy beautie? Nowe in good sothe, a worse fauoured manne can there not be vponupon yearth again. Thy witte? Now God he knoweth, it is as blounte as may bee. What other thyng then, is all this thy braggyng, but plain madnesse.
¶Resemblyng of thynges.
REsemblyng of thynges, is a comparyng or likenyng of looke, with looke, shape, with shape, and one thyng with another. As when I see one in a greate h…ate, and fiersely set vponupon his enemie, I might saie, he lette flee at hym like a Dragon. Or thus. He lookes like a Tyger, a man would thinke he would eate one, his countenaunce is so ougle. He speakes not, but he barkes like a Dogge: he whettes his tethe like a Bore, he beates the grounde with his foote, like a greate Horsse: he is as raumpyng as a Lion. By this figure called in Latine Imago, Imago.that is to saie an Image, we mighte compare one manne with another, as Salust compareth Ceasar and Cato together, or we mighte heape many men together, and proue by large rehersall, any thyng that we would, the whiche of the Logicians is called induccion.
¶Answeryng to our self.
WE are saied to answere our self, when wee seme to tell our self,Sibi ipsi responsio. what we will do. Phedria in Terence beyng muche troubled and out of quiet, because he was not receiued of his woman, but shutte out of dores, when he was moste willyng to se her, made as though he would not come to her afterwardes, nor yet se her at all, when she did moste iently sende for hym. And therfore beyng in his anger, thus he saied: Well, what shall I dooe? Shall I not go, not euen now when she sendes for me, of her awne accorde? Or shall I be of suche a nature, that I cannot abide the despitefulnesse of harlottes? She hath shutte me out, she calles me again. Shal I go to her? Naie I will not, though she entreate me neuer so faire.
☞Order.
ORderOrdo. is of twoo sortes, the one is, when the worthier is preferred, and set before. As a man is sette before a woman. The seconde is, when in amplificacion, the weightiest wordes are sette last, and in diminishyng, thesame are sette formoste. With what looke, with what face, with what harte dare thou do suche a dede?
☞Brief describyng, or circumscripcion.
CIrcumscripcion,Circumscriptio. is a briefe declaryng of a thyng. As thus. He is free, that is subiect to no euil. It is a vertue to eschewe vice.
There are diuerse other colours of Rhetorique, to commende and set furthe a sentence, by chaunge of wordes, and muche varietee of speache, but I had rather offende in speakyng to litle, then deserue rebuke in saiyng to muche. Forasmuche as close silence maie so…er be pardoned, then immoderate bablyng can want iust blame, & therfore thus an ende.
¶Of memorie.
AS I hauehave labored to set out thother partes of Rhetorique, in suche ample wise as I thought moste nedefull so it standeth me in hand, not to slacken myne endeuor, now that I am come to speake to memorie. For, though man hauehave vnderstandyng and iudgement, whiche is one parte of wisedome: yet wantyng a remembraunce to apply thynges aptly, when tyme and place shall best require: he shal do but small good with al his vnderstandyng. And therfore it is said not without reason, that thesame is memorie to the mynde, that life is to the body. Now then what els must thei do that esteme reason, and louelove knowlege, but cherishe the memorie from tyme to tyme, as an especiall and souereigne preseruatiue, against thinfeccion of cankard obliuion. The faulkners saie, it is the first poyncte of haukyng to hold faste. And yet I cannot thinke otherwise, but that in al good learnyng also, it is best & moste expedient, euermore to hold fast. For, what auaile good thynges, if we cannot kepe theim, if wee receiue them in at one eare, and let theim out as fast again at the other eare? A good thriftie man will gather his goodes together in tyme of plentie, and laie theim out again in tyme of nede: and shall not an Oratour hauehave in store good matter, in the cheste of his memorie, to vse and bestowe in tyme of necessitee? I doubte not, but all men desire to hauehave, a good remembraunce of thynges, the whiche what it is, how it is diuided, and howe it maie bee preserued, I will shewe in as fewe woordes as I can.
☞what is memorie.
MEmorieMemorie what it is▪ is the power retentiue of the mynde, to kepe those thinges, whiche by man…es wit are cō ceiued, or thus. Memorie is the power of the mind that conteineth thynges receiued, that calleth to mynde thynges past, & renueth of freshe, thynges forgotten.
¶The place of memorie.
THe Phisicians declare, that in the former parte of the hed, lieth the common sense, the whiche is therfore so called, because it geueth iudgement, of al the fiue outwarde senses, onelyonly when thei are presently occupied aboute any thyng. As when I heare a thyng, or see a thyng, my common sense iudgeth, that then I doe heare, or se thesame. But the memorie called the Threasure of the mynde, lieth in the hynder parte, the whiche is made moste perfect by temperatnesse, and moderacion of qualitees in the brain. For where humours excede or want, there must nedes ensue muche weakenesse of remembraunce. ChildrenChildren and old men hauehave but euill memories. therefore beyng ouer moyst, and olde menne ouer drie, hauehave neuer good memories. Again, where ouer muche cold is, & extreme moysture, there is euer muche forgetfulnesse. Therfore it auaileth greatly, what bodies we hauehave, and of what constitucion thei bee compacte together.Hot and moys… bodies sone conc…iue. For suche as bee hotte and moyste, do sone conceiue matters, but thei kepe not long. Again, thei that bee colde and drie,Colde and drie kepe thynges sure. dooe hardely conceiue, but thei kepe it surely, when thei ones hauehave it. And the reason is this, heate beyng chief qualitee, dooeth drawe thynges vntounto it (as we maie se by the Sonne) the whiche notwithstādyng are sone after dissipated & resolued. Again, who hath seen a print made in water of any yerthly thing? Then though heat and moysture together, drawe thynges vntounto them, yet (we se plainly) thei cannot long hold theim. But when the brain is cold and drie, thynges are therfore the faster holden, because it is the propertie of colde and drought, to thicken all thynges, and to harden theim faste together, as we see the water through coldenesse, is congeled, and softe thynges are frosen oftentymes, almoste as harde as a stone. So that moysture, through heate beyng chief qualitee, doth drawe: and drought through coldnesse, whiche is chief contrary to heate, dooeth harden and make thynges fast together. But now how dooe wee knowe, that the memorieMemorie in the latter part of the hedde. resteth in the latter parte of the hedde? No doubte, experience hath proued, and confirmed this to be moste true. For, there hath been some, that beyng hurt in that place, hauehave vtterly forgot their awne name I do remember one man, that (beeyng hurte in that place, at the insurreccion of the Lincolne Shire men, xv. yeres past) could not deuise the makyng of some Letters, in his Crosse rowe, when he tooke penne and ynke, to write to his frende, whereas before that tyme, he wrote bothe faste and faire, and was learned in the Latine. And therefore when he wrote, he would stande musyng a greate while, before he could call to his remembraunce, howe he vsed to make a .P. a G. or suche another letter, whereupon diuerse muche marueiled what he would hauehave, or what he ment at the first tyme. For beyng greued, and willing to aske help, he could not vtter his meanyng, for lacke of remembraunce, and yet his tongue serued hym well otherwise, to vtter whatsoeuer came in his hedde.
¶The diuision of memorie.
MEmorieMemorie diuided. is partly naturall, and partly artificiall. Naturall memorie is, when without any preceptes or lessons, by the onelyonly aptenesse of nature, we beare awaie suche thynges as wee heare. Wherein some heretofore, did muche excell, and greatly passe all other. As Themistocles,Themistocles. who had so good a memorie, that when one proffered to teache hym the arte of memorie, naye by saincte Mar…e (ꝙ he) teache me rather the arte of forgettyng. Declaryng thereby that his memorie was passyng good, and that it was more pain for hym, to forgette suche thynges, as he would not kepe, then hard to remember suche thinges as he would knowe.
MithridatesMithridates also hadde suche an excellente memorie, that whereas he was Lorde and ruler ouer .xxij. straunge countries that spake diuers speaches one from an other: he was able to talke wyth euerye one of theym in their owne countrey language.
Likewyse CyrusCyrus. Kynge of the Persians, hauinge a greate armye of menne, knewe the names of all his Souldiours.
CyneasCyneas Ambassadoure for kinge Pyrrhus, called euerye one by his name that was in the Parliamente house at Rome, the seconde daye after he came thither, the number of them beyng foure times as many as they …e, that belonge vntounto the Parliament here in Englande.
Iulius CesarIulius Cesar. is reported that he coulde reade, heare, and tel one what he should write, so fast as his penne could runne, and endite letters hym selfe altogether at one time.
Thus we see that naturallye menne hauehave hadde wonderfull memories, as contrarywise there hauehave bene hearde of as straunge forgetfull wittes. Some hathe not knowen his right hande from his lefte. An other hath forgotteForgetful wittes. his owne name. An other hath caried his knyfe in his mouth, and hath runne rounde aboute the house sekinge for it. An other hath tolde a tale halfe an houre together, and immediatly after hath forgotte what he spake al that while.
Cicero telleth of one Curio, that where as he woulde make a deuision of three partes, he woulde either foget the thirde, or make vp a fourthe, contrarye to his firste purpose and entente.
This I remember beinge a boye,Belike thys man had the arte of forget…tinge. that where as a preacher hadde taken vponupon him to set forthe the .xij. Articles of our beliefe, he coulde not in all the worlde finde oute paste nine. So that he was fayne to saye, he was assured there was twelue, where soeuer the other thre were become, and he doubted not but the hearers knewe theim better then he did, and therfore he woulde for his parte saye no more, but commit them all to God, and those nine (thought he) were enoughe for him at that time, to set forthe and expounde for their vnderstandinge.Pre…erua…ion o… Memorie.
Nowe the beste meane bothe to mende an euil memory and to preserue a good, is firste to kepe a diet, and eschewe surfites, to slepe moderatelye, to accompanye with women rarelye, and laste of all to exercise the witte with cunnynge of manye thinges without Booke, and euer to be occupied with one thinge or other. For euen as by laboure the witte is whetted, so by lithernes the witte is blunted.
But nowe concerning the other kinde of memorye called artificial, I had nede to make a long discourse, considering the straungenesse of the thinge to the English eare, and the hardnes of the matter, to the ignoraunte & vnlearned. But firste I will shew from whence it hath beginning, and vponupon what occasion it was first inuented, before I aduenture to declare the preceptes that belonge vntounto the same.
The firste founder of the arte of Remembraun…e.
THE inuention of this Arte is fatherde vponupon Simonides,Simonides, …i…st aucthoure of the Arte of remembraūce. for when the same manne (as the fable recordeth) had made in behalfe of a triumphāt Champion called Scopas, for a certaine summe of money a Ballade, suche as was then wonte to be made for Conquerours: he was denied a piece of his rewarde, because he made a digression in his songe (whiche in those dayes was customablye vsed) to the praise and commendatiō of Castor and Pollur (who were then thoughte being Twinnes, and gotte by Iuppiter to be Goddes) of whom the Champion willed him to aske a porcion, because he hadde so largelye set forthe their worthye doynges. Nowe it chaunced, that where as there was made a great feast to the honour of the same Uictorye, and Simonides had bene placed there as a geiste, he was sodainely called from the table▪ and told that there was two yonge men at the dore, & bothe on horsebacke whiche desiered moste earnestlye to speake with him oute of hande. But when he came out of the dores, he sawe none at all, notwithstanding, he was not so sone out, and his fote on the thresholde, but the Parlour fell downe immediatlye vponupon theim al that were there, and so crusshed their bodies together, & in such sorte, that the kinsfolke of those whiche were deade, comming in, and desierous to burie them eueryevery one according to their calling, not onelyonly could they not perceiue them vp their faces, but also they coulde not discerne them by any other marke of any parte in all their bodies.
Then Simonides well remembringe in what place euerye one of theim did sitte, tolde theim what eueryevery one was, and gaue them their kinsfolkes carkases, so many as were there Thus the arte was first inuented. And yet (thoughe this be but a fable) reason might beat thus much into our heades, that if the like thinge had bene done, the like remembraunce might hauehave ben vsed. For who is he that seeth a dosen sit at a table whom he knoweth verye well, can not tell, after they are all risen, where eueryevery one of them did sitte before? And therefore be it that some man inuented this tale: the matter serueth well our purpose, and what nede we any more?