The Art of Rhetoric, Book 1 · Part · Section 18 – Section 22
¶An example of commendyng Kyng Dauid, for killyng greate Goliah, gathered and made by o…seruacion of circumstaunces.
GOD beyng the aucthor of mankynde, powryng into hym the breath of life, and framyng hym of claie in suche a comely wise,Dauid cōmended for killing Goliah. as we al now se, hath from the beginnyng, been so carefull ouer his electe and chosen, that in al daungers, he is euer redy to assist his people, kepyng theim harmelesse, when thei were often paste all mannes hope. A…d emong all other his fatherly goodnesse, it pleased hym to shewe his power,who? Dauid against Goliah. in his chosen seruaūt Dauid, that all mighte learne to knowe his mighte, and reken with themselfes, that though man geue the stroke, yet God it is that geueth the ouerha…de. For wheras Dauid was of small statu…e, weake of body, poore of …irthe, and base in the sight of the worldlynges, God called hym firste to matche with an houge monster, a litle body, against a mightie Gyaunt, an abiect… Israelite, against a moste valiaunt Philistine, with whom no Israelite durst encounter. These Philistines mynded the murder and ouerthrowe, of all the Israelites, trustyng in their awne strength so muche, that thei feared no perill, but made an accompte, that all was theirs before hande. Now when bothe these armies were in sight, the Philistines vponupon an hill of the one side, and the Israelites vponupon an hill, of the other side, a vale beyng betwixte theim bothe, …here marched out of the Campe, a base borne Philistine, called Goliah of Geth, a manne of sixe cubites high. This souldiour, when through the bignes and stature of his body, and also with greate bragges, & terrible threatenynges, he had wonderfully abashed the whole armie of the Israelites, so that no man durst aduenture vponupon hym, God to the ende he mighte del…uer Israell, and shewe that mannes helpe, with all his armour, litle auaile to get victory, without his especiall grace: and again, to the ende he might set vp Dauid, and make hym honourable emong the Israeli…es, did then call out Dauid, the sonne of Ephrate… …, of Be…hleem Iuda, whose name was Isai, who beeyng but a child in yeres, did kill out of hande,what? Dauid killed Goliah. by Goddes might and power, Goliah the moste terrible enemie of all other, that bare hate against the children of Israell. When this mightie felowe was slain, aboute the vale of Terebinthus,where? About the vale of Terebithus. betwixt both tharmies, the Israelites reioysed, that before quaked, and wondered at hym then, whom thei would scant knowe before, &▪ no doubt this dede was not onelyonly wonderfull, but also right godly. For in battaill to kill an enemie, is thoughte right worthy, or to aduenture vponupon a reb…ll, (though the successe folowe not) is generally commended: yea, to put one to the worse, or to make hym flie the groūd, is called manly, but what shall we saie of Dauid, that not onelyonly had the better hande, not onelyonly bette his enemie, but killed streight his enemie, yea, and not an enemy, of the cō mon stature of men, but a mightie Gyaunt, not a man, but a monster, yea, a deuill in hart, and a beast in body?Dauids enterprise, honest and godly. Can any be compted more honest, then suche as seke to saue their coūtrey; by hasardyng their carcasses, and shedyng of their bloude? Can louelove shewe it self greater, then by yeldyng of life,By what help and by whose? Alone, & without the help of any manne liuyng. for the health of an armie? It had been muche, if half a dosen had dispatched, suche a terrible Gyaunte, but now, when Dauid without helpe, beyng not yet a manne, but a boye in yeres, …lewe hym hande to hande, what iuste praise dooeth he deserue? If we praise other, that hauehave flain euill men, and compte them haulte, that hauehave killed their matches,Dauids enterprise, praise worthy. what shall we saie of Dauid, that beyng wonderfully ouermatched, made his partie good, and gotte the gole of a monster? Lette other praise Hercules, that thinke best of hym: let Cesar, Alexander, and Hanniball, bee bru…ed for warriers: Dauid in my iudgement, bothe did more manly, then all the other wer able, & serued his countrey in greater daunger, then euer any one of theim did. And shall wee not call suche a noble capitain, a good man of warre? Deserueth not his manhode and stoute attempte, wonderfull praise? It vertue could speake, would she not sone confesse that Dauid had her in full possession? And therfore if well doynges, by right maie chalenge worthy brute, Dauid wil be knowen, and neuer can want due praise, for suche an honest deede. And what man wil not saie, but that Dauid did mynde nothyng els herein, but the saufegarde of his countrey,why? For the saufegarde of his countrey. thinkyng it better for himself to die, and his countrey to liue, then hymself to liue, and his countrey to die. What gain got Dauid, by the death of Goliah, or what could he hope, by the death of suche a mōster, but onelyonly that the louelove whiche he bare to the Israelites, forced hym to hasard his awne life:Dauides enterprise, prost…a…ie to hymself and his countrey. Thinkyng that if the Philistines should preuail the Israelites wer like to perishe, eueryevery mothers sonne of theim? Therefore he hassardyng this atttempte, considered with hymself, the saufegard of the Israelites, the mainteinaunce of iustice, his duetie towardes God, his obedience to his prince, and his louelove to his countrey.Dauides enterprise, appered easy to himself And no doubte, God made this enterprise appere full easie, before Dauid could hauehave the harte, to matche hymself with suche a one. For though his harte might quake, beeyng voyde of Gods helpe, yet assuredly he wanted no stomacke, when God did set hym on. Let tirauntes rage, let hell stand open, let Sathan shewe his mighte, if God bee with vsus, who can bee against vsus? Though this Goliah appered so strong, that .x. Dauides were not able, to stande in his hande: yet .x. Goliaths were all ouer weake for Dauid alone. Man cannot iudge, neither can reason comprehende, the mightie power of God. When Pharao with all his armie, thoughte fully to destroye the children of Israell, in the redde sea, did not God preserue Moses, and destroye Pharao? What is man and all his power that he can make, in the handes of God, vntounto whō all creatures, bothe in heauen and in yearth, are subiecte at his commaundement? Therefore it was no mastery for Dauid, beyng assisted with God, aswel to matche with the whole army, as to ouerthrowe this one man. But what did the Israelites, when thei sawe Dauid take vponupon hym, suche a bolde enterprise?Dauides enterprise, accompted of his frē des, harde aud impossible. Some saied he was rashe, other mocked hym to scorne, & his brethren called hym foole. For thought thei, what a madde felowe is he, beeyng but a lad in yeres, to matche with suche a monster in body? How can it be possible otherwise, but that he shalbe torne in pe…es, euen at his firste commyng? For if the Philistine maie ones hit hym, he is goen though he had tenne mennes lifes. Now what should he meane, so vnegally to matche himself except he were, wery of his life, or els were not well in his wittes? Yea, and to geue his enemies, all the aduauntage that could bee, he came vnarmed, and whereas the Philistine, had very strōg armour, bothe to defende hymself, a…d a strong weapon to fight withall, Dauid came with a slyngHow? with a slyng. onelyonly, as though he would kill crowes, whereat, not onelyonly the Philistine laughed, & disdained his folie, but also bothe the armies thought he was but a dedde man, before he gaue one stroke. And in deede, by all reason and deuise of manne there was none other waie, but deathe with hym, out of hande, Dauid notwithstandyng, beeyng kyndeled in harte with Gods might, was strong enough for him, in his awne opinion, and forced nothyng, though all other were muche against hym. And therefore made no more a dooe, but beyng redy to reuenge in Goddes name, suche greate blasphemie, as the Philistine then did vtter, marched towardes his enemie, and with castyng a stone out of a slyng, he ouerthrewe the Philistine at the first. The whiche when he had dooen, out with his sworde, and chopt of his hedde, cariyng it with, his armoure, to the Campe of the Israelites: whereat the Philistines wer greatly astonied, and the Israelites much praised God, that had geuen suche grace, to suche a one, to compasse suche a deede. And the rather this manly acte, is highly to be praised, because he subdued this houge enemie, when Saul firste reigned kyng ouer Israell, and was sore assaied with the greate armie of the Philistines. Lette vsus therefore that be now liuyng, when this acte or suche like, come into our myndes: remember what God is, of how infinite power he is, and let vsus praise God in them, by whom he hath wrought suche wonders, to the strengthenyng of our faithe, and constaunt kepyng of our profession, made to hym, by eueryevery one of vsus, in our Baptisme.
¶Examinyng of the circumstaunces
j. Who did the deede? DAuid beeyng an Israelite, did this deede, beeyng the sonne of Isai, of the Tribe of Iuda, a boye in yeres, This circumstaunce was vsed, not o…ely in the narracion, but also when I spake of the honestie and godlinesse, whiche Dauid vsed, when he slewe Goliah.
ij. What was doen? He slewe Goliah, the strongest Giaunt emong the Philistines. This circumstaunce I vsed also, when I spake of the honestie, in killyng Goliah.
iij. Where was it doen? Aboute the vale of Terebinthus.
iiij. What helpe had he to it? He had no help of any man, but went himself alone. And wheras Saul offred him harnes, he cast it away, & trusting onelyonly in God, toke him to his sling, with .iiij. or .v. smal stones in his hand, the whiche wer thought nothyng in mānes sight, able either to do litle good, or els nothing at al. This circumstaunce I vsed, when I spake of the easenesse & possibilite, that was in Dauid, to kill Goliah, by Goddes help.
v. Wherefore did he it? He aduentured his life, for the louelove of his countrey, for the maintenaunce of iustice, for thaduauncement of Gods true glory, and for the quietnesse of all Israell, neither seekyng fame, nor yet lokyng for any gain. I vsed this circū staunce, when I shewed what profite he sought, in aduenturyng this deede.
vi. How did he it? Marie he put a stone in his slyng, and when he had cast it at the Philistine, Goliah fel doune straight. I vsed this circumstaunce, when I spake of the impossibilitie of the thing.
vij. What tyme did he it? This deede was doen, when Saul reigned, first kyng ouer the Israelites, at what tyme the Philistines, came against the Israelites. Thus by the circumstaunces of thynges, a right worthy cause, maie be plentifully enlarged.
¶Of the Oracion demonstratiue, where thynges are sette furthe, and matters commended.
THe kynde demōstratiue of thynges, is a meane wherby we do praise, or dispraise thynges, as vertue, vice, tounes, citees, castles, woddes, waters, hilles, and moūtaines.
¶Places to confirme thynges are .iiii.
Places of confirmacion.
i. Thynges honest.
ij. Profitable.
iij. Easie to be doen.
iiij Hard to be doen.
MAny learned, will hauehave recourse to the places of Logique in stede of these .iiij. places, when they take in hand to commende any suche matter. The whiche places if they make them serue rather to commende the matter, then onelyonly to teache men the truth of it, it were wel done & Oratourlike▪ for seyng a man wholly bestoweth his wit to plaie the Oratour, he shoulde chefely seke to cōpasse that whiche he entēdeth, & not do that onelyonly which he but half mynded. for by plaine teachyng, the Logician shewes hymselfe, by large amplification and beautifiyng of his cause, the Rhetorician is alwaies knowne.
¶The places of Logique are these.
Definition.
Causes.
Partes.
Effectes.
Thy…ges adioy…y…g.
Contraries.
I Do not se otherwise but that these places of Logique are confounded with thother .iiiij. of confirmacion,Logique must be learned for confirmacion of causes. or rather I thinke these of Logique must first be mynded ere thother can well be had. For what is he that can cal a thyng honest & by reason proue it, except he first knowe what the thyng is, the whiche he can not better doe, then by definyng the nature of the thyng. Againe how shal I know whether myne attempte be easie, or hard, if I know not the efficient cause, or be assured how it maie be doen. In affirmyng it to be possible, I shall not better knowe it, then by searchyng thende, and learnyng by Logique what is the final cause of eueryevery thyng.