The Art of Rhetoric, Book 1 · Part · Section 25 – Section 27
¶To aduise one, to study the lawes of Englande.
AGain, when we se our frende, enclined to any kynde of learnyng, wee muste counsaill hym to take that waie still, and by reason perswade hym, that it wer the metest waie for hym, to dooe his countrey moste good. As if he geue his mynde, to the LawesLawes of Englande. of the realme, and finde an aptnes thereunto, we maie aduise hym, to continue in his good entent, and by reason perswade hym, that it were moste mete for him so to do. And first we might shew hym, that the study is honest and godly, consideryng it onelyonly foloweth Iustice, and is grounded wholy vponupon naturall reason. Wherein we mighte take a large scope, if we would fully speake of all thynges, that are cōprehended vnderunder honestie. For he that will knowe what honestie is, muste hauehave an vnderstandyng, of all the vertues together. And because the knowlege of theim is moste necessary, I will brifely set them furth.Vertnes especiall and chief foure in nō …e There are foure especial and chief vertues, vnderunder whom all other are comprehended.
Prudence, or wisedome.
Iustice.
Manhode.
Temperaunce.
PRudencePrudence what it is? or wisedome (for I will here take theim bothe for one) is a vertue that is occupied euermore, in searchyng out the truthe. Nowe wee all louelove knowlege, & hauehave a desire to passe other therin, and thinke it shame to be ignoraunt: and by studiyng the lawe, the truth is gotten out, by knowyng the truth, wisedome is attained. Wherefore, in perswadyng one to studie to Lawe, you maie sh…we hym that he shall get wisedome thereby. Under this vertue are comprehended.Partes of Prudence.
Memorie.
Understandyng.
Foresight.
THE memorie calleth to accompte those thynges, that wer doen heretofore, and by a former remembraūce, getteth an after witte, and learneth to auoyde deceipt.
Understandyng seeth thynges presently dooen, and perceiueth what is in them, waiyng and debatyng them, vntill his mynde be fully contented.
Foresight, is a gatheryng by coniectures, what shall happen, and an euident perceiuyng of thynges to come, before thei do come.
Iustice.
IusticeIustice, what it is. is a vertue, gathered by long space, geuyng eueryevery one his awne, mindyng in all thynges, the cōmon profite of our countrey, whereunto man is moste bounde, and oweth his full obedience.
Now, nature firste taught manne, to take this waie, and would eueryevery one so to do vntounto another, as he would be doe… vntounto hymself. For whereas Rain watereth all in like, the Sonne shineth indifferently ouer all, the fruict of the yerth encreaseth equally, God warneth vsus to bestowe our good wil after thesame sort, doyng as duetie byndeth vsus, and as necessitie shall best require. Yea, God graunteth his giftes diuersly emong men, because he would man should knowe, and fele, that man is borne for man, and that one hath nede of another. And therefore, though nature hath not stirred some, yet through the experiēce that man hath, concernyng his commoditie: many hauehave turned the lawe of nature, into an ordinary custome, and folowed thesame, as though thei were bounde to it by a Lawe. Afterwarde, the wisedome of Princes, and the feare of Goddes threate, whiche was vttered by his woorde, forced men by a …awe, bothe to allowe thinges cōfirmed by nature, and to beare with old custome or els thei should not onelyonly suffer in the body, temporal punishement, but also lose their soules for euer. NatureNature, what it is. is a righte, that phantasie hath not framed, but God hath graffed, & geuen man power therunto, wherof these are deriued.
Religion and acknowlegyng of God.
Naturall louelove to our children, and other.
Thankfulnesse to all man.
Stoutnesse bothe to withstande and reuenge.
Reuerence to the superiour.
Assured and constaunt truthe in thynges.
REligionReligion. is an humble worshippyng of God, acknowlegyng hym to be the creatour of creatures, and the onelyonly geuer of al good thynges.
Naturall loueloveNaturall louelove. is an inward good will, that we beare to our parentes, wife, children, or any other that bee nighe of kynne vntounto vsus, stirred thereunto not onelyonly by our fleshe, thinkyng that like as we wold louelove our selfes, so we shuld louelove theim but also by a likenesse of mynde: and therefore generally we louelove all, because all bee like vntounto vsus, but yet we louelove them moste, that bothe in body and mynd, be moste like vntounto vsus. And hereby it cometh that often we are liberal, & bestowe our goodes vponupon the nedy, remembryng that thei are all one fleshe with vsus, and should not wante, when we hauehave it, without our greate rebuke, and token of our moste vnkynde dealyng.
ThankefulnesseThankfulnes. is a requityng of louelove, for louelove, and wil, for will, shewyng to our frendes, the like goodnesse that we finde in them, yea, striuyng to passe theim in kyndenesse, losyng neither tyme nor tide, to do them good.
StoutnesStoutenesse. to withstand & reuenge euil, is then vsed whē either we are like to hauehave harme, and do withstand it, or els whē we hauehave suffred euill for the truthsake, & therupon do reuenge it, or rather punishe the euill, whiche is in the man
Reuerence,Reuerence. is an humblenesse in outward behauor, whē we do our dutie to them, that are our betters, or vntounto suche as are called to serue the kyng, in some greate vocacion.
Assured and constant truthe is,Assured and constant truth when we doo beleue that those thynges, whiche are or hauehave been, or hereafter are aaboute to be, cannot otherwise be, by any meanes possible.
That is right by custome,Right by custome. whiche long tyme hath confirmed, beyng partly grounded vponupon nature, and partly vponupon reason, as where we are taught by nature, to knowe the euer liuyng God, and to worship him in spirite, we turnyng natures light, into blynde custome, without Goddes will, hauehave vsed at lengthe to beleue,Custome with … grounde, vn…dly. that he was really with vsus here in yearthe, and worshipped hym not in spirite, but in Copes, in Candlestickes, in Belles, in Tapers, and in Cē sers, in Crosses, in Banners, in shauen Crounes and long gounes, and many good morowes els, deuised onelyonly by the phantasie of manne, without the expresse will of God. The whiche childishe toyes, tyme hath so long confirmed, that the truthe is scant able to trie theim out, our hartes bee so harde, and our wittes be so farre to seke.
Again wher we se by nature, that eueryevery one should deale truely, custome encreaseth natures will, and maketh by auncient demeane, thynges to bee iustly obserued, whiche nature hath appoyncted.
As
Ba…gainyng.
Commons, or equalitee.
Iudgement geuen.
BArgainyng is, when twoo hauehave agreed, for the sa…e of some one thyng, the one will make his felowe to stande to the bargain, though it be to his neighbors vndoyng, restyng vponupon this poyncte, that a bargain is a bargain, and must stand without all excepciō, although nature requireth to hauehave thynges dooen by conscience, and would that bargainyng should bee builded vponupon Iustice, whereby an vpright dealyng, and a charitable louelove is vttered emongest all men.
CommunesCommons. or equalitee, whē the people by long time hauehave a ground, or any suche thyng emong theim, the whiche some of them will kepe still, for custome sake, and not suffer it to be fensed, and so turned to pasture, though thei mighte gain ten tymes the value: but suche stubburnesse in kepyng of Commons for custome sake, is not standyng with Iustice, because it is holden against all right.
Iudgement geuen,Iudgement geuen. is when a matter is confirmed by a Parlamente, or a Lawe, determined by a Iudge, vntounto the whiche many hed strong men, wil stande to dye for it, without sufferaunce of any alteracion, not remembryng the circumstaunce of thynges, and that tyme altereth good actes.
That is righte by a Lawe,Right by Lawe. when the truthe is vttered in writyng, and commaunded to bee kepte, euen as it is sette furthe vntounto them.
¶Fortitude or manhode.
FOrtitude is a considerate hassardyng vponupon daunger,Manhode. and a willyng harte to take paines in bahalfe of the right. Now when can stoutnes be better vsed, then in iust maintenaunce of the lawe, and cō staunt triyng of the truthe? Of this vertue there are foure braunches.
Honourablenesse.
Stoutenesse.
Sufferaunce.
Continuaunce.
HOnorablenesse,Honorablenes is a noble orderyng of weightie matters, with a lustie harte, and a liberall vsyng of his wealthe, to the encrease of honour.
StoutnesseStoutenesse. i… an assured trust in hymself, when he myndeth the compasse of moste weightie matters, and a couragious defendyng of his cause.
SufferaunceSufferaunce. is a willyng and a long bearyng of trouble and takyng of paines, for the mainteinaunce of vertue, and the wealthe of his countrey.
ContinuaunceContinuaunce is a stedfast and constant abidyng, in a purposed and well aduised matter, not yeldyng to any manne in querell of the right.
¶Temperaunce.
TEmperaunceTemperaunce. is a measuryng of affeccions, accordyng to the will of reason, and a subduyng of luste vntounto the Square of honestie. Yea, and what one thyng doth soner mitigate the immoderate passions of our nature, then the perfect knowlege of right and wrong and the iuste execucion appoyncted by a lawe, for asswagyng the wilfull? Of this vertue there are three partes.
Sobrietie.
Ientlenesse.
Modestie.
SObrietieSobrietie. is a bridelyng by discrecion the wilfulnesse of desire.
IentlenesseIeutlenesse. is a caulmyng of heate, when wee begin to rage, and a lowly behauior in all our body ModestieModestie. is an honest shamefastnesse, whereby we kepe a constant loke, and appere sober in all our outward doynges. Now euen as we should desire the vse of all these vertues, so should we eschewe not onelyonly the contraries herunto, but also auoyde all suche euilles, as by any meanes dooe withdrawe vsus from well doyng.