The Art of Rhetoric, Book 1 · Part · Section 14 – Section 17
¶An example of commendyng a noble personage.
BEtter or more wisely can none do, then thei which neuer bestowe praise, but vponupon those that best deserue praise, rather myndyng discretly, what thei ought to dooe, then vainly deuisyng what thei best can doo, sekyng rather to praise menue, suche as are founde worthy, then curiously findyng meanes to praise matters, suche as neuer wer in any. For thei which speake otherwise then truthe is, mynd not the commendacion of the perso…e, but the settyng furthe of their awne learnyng. As GorgiasGorgias. in Plato, praisyng vnrighteousnes, HeliogabalusHeliogabalus Oratours, commendyng whoredome, PhauorinusPhauorinus. the Philosophier, extollyng the feuer Quartaine, thought not to speake as the cause required, but would so muche saie as their wit would geue, not weighyng the state of the cause, but myndyng the want of their brain, lookyng how muche could be said, not passyng how litle should be saied. But I bothe knowyng the might of Gods hand, for suche as louelove fables, and the shame that in yearth redoundeth to euil re…orters, will not commende that or those, whiche neede no good praise, but will commende them, that no man iustly can dispraise, nor yet any one is well able worthely to praise. Their towardnes was suche, & their giftes so great, that I know none whiche louelove learnyng, but hath sorowed the lacke of their beeyng, and I knowe that the onelyonly namyng of theim, will stirre honest hartes, to speake well of them. I will speake of twoo brethren, that lately departed, the one Henry Duke of Suffolke, and the other Lorde Charles his brother,Henry duke of Suffolke, and lorde Charles his brother. whom God thinkyng …eter for heauen, then to liue here vponupon yearth, toke from vsus in his anger, for the betteryng of our doynges, and amendement of our euill liuyng. These twoo gentlemen were borne in noble England, bothe by father and mother, of an high parentage. The father called Duke Charles, by mariage beyng brother, to the worthy kyng of famous memorie, Hēry theight, was in suche fauour, and did suche seruice, that all Englaude at this houre, doeth finde his lacke, and Fraunce yet doth fele, that suche a duke there was, whom in his life tyme, the godly, loued: the euil, feared: the wise men, honored for his wit, and the simple, vsed alwaies for their counsaill. Their mother, of birthe noble, and witte great, of nature gētle, and mercifull to the poore, and to the godly, and especially to the learned, an earnest good patronesse, and moste helpyng Lady aboue all other. In their youthe their father died, the eldest of thē beyng not past .ix. yeres of age. After whose death, their mother knowyng, that welth without wit, is like a sworde in a naked mannes hand, & assuredly certain, that knowlege would confirme iudgemēt, prouided so for their bringyng vp, in al vertue and learnyng, that ij. like were not to be had, within this realme again. When thei begā bothe, to wa…e somewhat in yeres, beyng in their primetide, & spryng of their age, thelder waityng of the kynges maiestie that now is, was generally well estemed, and sucheh ope was conceiued of his towardnes, both for learnyng, and al other thinges, that fewe wer like vntounto hym in al the courte. The other kepyng his boke, emong the Cambrige men, profited (as thei all well knowe) bothe in vertue and learnyng, to their greate admiracion. For the Greke, the Latine, and the Italian, I knowe he could dooe more, then would be thought true by my report. I leaue to speke of his skill in pleasaunt instrumentes, neither will I vtter his aptnes in Musike, & his toward nature, to all exercises of the body. But his elder brother in this tyme (besides his other giftes of the mynde, whiche passed all oth…r, and were almoste incredible) folowyng his fathers nature was so delited with ridyng, and runnyng in armour vponupon horsebacke, and was so comely for that feacte, and could do so well in chargyng his staffe, beyng but .xiiij. yeres of age, that menne of warre, euen at this houre, mone muche the want of suche a worthy gentleman. Yea, the Frenche men that first wondered at his learnyng, when he was there emong theim, and made a notable Oracion in Latine: were muche more astonied whē thei saw his comely ridyng, and litle thought to finde these twoo ornamentes, ioyned bothe in one, his yeres especially beyng so tender, and his practise of so small tyme. Afterward commyng from the courte, as one that was desierous to be emong the learned, he laie in Cambrige together with his brother, where thei bothe so profited, and so gently vsed themselfes, that all Cambr…ge did reuerence, bothe hym and his brother, as two iewelles sent frō God. Thelders nature was suche, that he thought hymself best, when he was emong the wisest, and yet contempned none, but thankefully vsed all, gentle in behauor without childishenes; stoute of stomacke without al pride, bold with all warenesse, and frendly with good aduisemēt. The yonger beeyng not so ripe in yeres, was not so graue in looke, rather chereful, then sad: rather quicke, then auncient: but yet if his brother were sette a side, not one that went beyonde hym. A childe that by his awne inclinacion, so muche yelded to his ruler, as fewe by chastement hauehave doen the like, pleasaunt of speeche, prompte of witte, stiryng by nature, hault without hate, kynde without crafte, liberall of harte, gentle in behauiour, forward in all thynges, gredy of learnyng, and lothe to take a foyle, in any open assembly. Thei bothe in al attemptes, sought to hauehave the victory, and in exercise of witte, not onelyonly the one with the other, did ofte stande in contencion, but also thei bothe would matche with the best, and thought themselfes moste happie, when thei might hauehave any iust occasion, to put their wittes in triall. And now when this grene fruicte began to waxe ripe, and all menne lo…ged to hauehave tast, of suche their greate forwardnesse: God preuentyng mannes expectacion, toke theim bothe aboute one houre, and in so shorte tyme, that first thei wer knowen to be dedde, or any abrode could tell thei were sicke. I neede not to reherse, what bothe thei spake, before their departure (cōsideryng, I hauehave seuerally written, bothe in Latine and in Englishe, of thesame matter) neither will I heape here so muche together as I can, because I should rather renewe greate sorowe to many, then do moste men any great good, who loued them so well generally, that fewe for a greate space after, spake of these twoo gentle menne, but thei shewed teares, with the onelyonly vtteraunce of their wordes, and some through ouer muche sorowyng, wer fain to forbeare speakyng. God graūt vsus also to liue, that the good men of this world, may be alwaies lothe to forsake vsus, and God maie still be glad to hauehave vsus, as no doubt the…e twoo children so died, as all men should wishe to liue, and so thei liued bothe, as al should wishe to die. Seyng therfore these two wer suche, bothe for birthe, nature, and all other giftes of grace, that the like are hardely founde behynde theim: let vsus so speake of theim, that our good report maie warne vsus, to folowe their godly natures, and that lastly, wee maie enioye that enheritaunce, whereunto God hath prepared thē and vsus (that feare him) from the beginnyng. Amen.
The partes of an Oracion, made in praise of a manne.
The Enteraunce.
The Narracion.
Sometymes the confutacion.
The Conclusion.
IF any one shall hauehave iust cause, to dispraise an euill man, he shall sone do it, if he can praise a good man. For (as Aristotle doeth saie) of contraries, there is one and thesame doctrine, and therefore he that can do the one, shall sone be able to do the other.
¶Of an Oracion demonstratiue, for some deede doen.
THe kynd demonstratiue of some thyng doen is this,Oracion Demo…stratiue of a deede. when a man is commended or dispraised, for any acte committed in his life.
¶The places to confirme this cause, when any one is commended, are sixe in nomber.
The places of Cofirmacion.
j. It is honest.
ij. It is possible.
iij. Easie to be doen,
iiij. hard to be doen.
v. Possible to be doen,
vi. Impossible to be doen.
Seuen circumstaunces, whiche are to bee considered in diuerse matters.
The circumstaunces.
j. Who did the deede.
ij. What was doen.
iij. Where it was doen.
iiij. What helpe had he to it.
v. Wherefore he did it.
vi. How he did it.
vij. At what tyme he did it.
¶The circumstaunces in meter.
Who, what, and where, by what helpe, and by whose:
Why, how, and when, do many thynges disclose.
THese places helpe wonderfully, to set out any matter, and to amplifie it to the vttermoste, not onelyonly in praisyng, or dispraisyng, but also in all other causes where any aduisement is to bee vsed. Yet this one thyng is to bee learned, that it shall not bee necessarie, to vse theim altogether, euen as thei stande in order: but rather as tyme and place shall best require, thei maie bee vsed in any parte of the Oracion, euen as it shall please hym that hath the vsyng of them.
Again, if any manne bee disposed, to rebuke any offence, he maie vse the places contrary vntounto theim that are aboue rehersed, and apply these circumstaunces euen as thei are, to the profe of his purpose.