The Art of Rhetoric, Book 1 · Part · Section 31 – Section 34
¶Of Exhortation.
THe places of exhortyngExhortyng. and dehortyng, are the same whiche wee vse in perswadyng and dissuadyng, sauyng that he whiche vseth perswasion, seeketh by argumētes to compasse his deuise: he that laboures to exhorte, doeth stirre affections.
Erasmus sheweth these to be the most especiall places that do perteine vntounto exhortation.
Praise, or Commendacion.
Expectation of al men.
Hope of victorie.
Hope of renowme.
Feare of shame.
Greatnesse of rewarde.
Rehersall of examples, in all ages, and especially of thynges lately doen.
PRaisyngPraisyng … d…ede, is either of the man, or of some deede doen. We shall exhorte men to doe the thyng, if we showe them that is a worthy attempte, a Godly enterprise, & suche as fewe men hetherto hauehave aduentured.
In praisyng a man,Praisyng a man, the rather to encourage him. we shal exhorte hym to go forwarde, consideryng it agreeth with his wounted māhode, and that hetherto he hath not slacked to hasarde boldely vponupon the best and worthiest deedes, requiryng hym to make this ende aunswereable to his mooste worthie begynnynges, that he maye ende with honour, whiche hath so long continued in suche renowme. For it were a foule shame to lose honour through folie, whiche hath been gotte through virtue, and to appere more slacke in kepyng it, than he semed …arefull at the first to atteine it.
Againe whose name is renowmed, his doynges from time to tyme wil be thought more wonderfull, and greater promises wil men make vntounto them selues of suche mens aduentures in any commune affaires, than of others, whose vertues are not yet knowne. A notable Master of fence is marueilouse to beholde, and men looke earnestly to see hym doe some wonder, howe muche more will they looke when they heare tel that a noble Captaine, & an aduenturouse Prince shal take vponupon hym the defence, and sauegarde of his countrie against the ragyng attemptes of his enemies? Therfore a noble man can not but go forwarde with most earnest wil, seyng al menExpectacion of al men. hauehave suche hope in hym, and count hym to bee their onelyonly comforte, their fortresse, and defe…se. A…d the rather to encourage suche right worthie, we may put them in good hope to compasse their attempte,…ope of victorie. yf wee showe them that God is an assured guide vntounto all those, that in an honest quarell aduenture them selues, and showe their manly stomake. Sathan hym selfe the greatest aduersarie that man hath, yeldeth lyke a captiue, when GOD dothe take our parte, muche sooner shal al other be subiecte vntounto hym, and crye Peccaui. for if God be with hym, what matereth who be against hym?
Nowe when victorie is got, what honour doeth ensewe? here openeth a large fielde to speake of renowme, fame, and endles honour.… In all ages the worthiest men hauehave alwaies aduentured their carcases for the sauegarde of their countrie, thynkyng it better to dye with honor, than to liue with shame. Againe the ruine of our Realme shoulde put vsus to more shame,Shame foloweth fearfulnesse, when manhode is thought nedeful. than the losse of our bodies should turne vsus to smarte. For our honestie beyng stained, the paine is endles, but our bodies beyng gored, either the wounde maie sone be healed, or elles our paine beyng sone ended, the glory endureth for euer.
Lastely he that helpeth the nedelesse, defendeth his poore neighbours,Heauen, the rewarde of hault Capitoines. & in the fauour of his countrie, bestoweth his lyfe: wil not God besides al these, place hym where he shall lyue for euer, especially seeyng he hath doen all these enterprises in faith and for Christes sake?
Nowe in al ages to recken suche as hauehave bene right souerayne, and victoriouse, what name gotte the worthie Scipio that withstood the rage of Annibal? what Brute hath Cesar for his most worthie cōquestes? What triūphe of glory doth sounde in al mennes eares vponupon the onelyonly namyng of mightie Alexander, and his father Kyng Philippe? And now to come home, what head cā expresse the renowmed Henry the fifte Kyng of Englande of that name after the conquest? What witte can sette out the wonderful wysedom of Henry the seuenth, and his greate foresight to espie mischiefe like to ensewe, and his politique deuises to escape daungers to subdewe rebelles, and mainteyne peace?
¶Of mouyng pitie, and stirryng men to shewe merciemercy.
LIkewise we may exhorte men to take pitie of the fatherlesse,Mo…yng of pitie. the widowe, and the oppressed innocent, if we set before their iyes the lamentable afflictions the tyrannouse wronges, and the miserable calamities, whiche these poore wretches do susteine. For if fleshe and bloude moue vsus to louelove our children, our wyfes, and our kynsfolke: muche more shoulde the spirite of God and Christes goodnes towardes mā stirre vsus to louelove our neighbours moste e…tirely. These exh…rtacions the preachers of God may most aptely vse, when they open his Gospell to the people, and hauehave iust cause to speake of suche matters.
¶Of Commendyng.
IN commendyngThe maner of commendyng▪ a man, wee vse the reporte of his witte, honestie, faithfull seruice, painefull labour, and carefull nature to do his maisters will, or any suche lyke, as in the Epistles of Tullie there are examples infinite.
¶Of Comfortyng.
NOw after al these, the weake would be comfortedThe maner of comfortyng. and the soroufull woulde bee cherised that there grief might bee aswaged, and the passions of man brought vnderunder the obedience of reason. The vse hereof is great, aswell in priuate troubles, as in commune miseries. As in losse of gooddes, in lacke of frendes, in sicknes, in darthe, & in death. In all whiche losses, the wyse vse so to comforte the weake, that they geue them not iust cause euen at the firste to refuse all comforte.Comforty…g two waies …sed. And therefore they vse two waies of chereshyng the troubled mindes. The one is when wee showe that in some cases and for some causes either they shoulde not lament at all, or elles bee sory very litle: the other is when we graunt that they hauehave iust cause to bee sadde, and therfore wee are sad also in their behalfe, and woulde remedie the matter, if it coulde be, and thus enteryng into felowshippe of sorowe, wee seeke by litle and litle to mitigate their grief. For all extreme heauinesse, and vehement sorowes, cannot abyde comforte, but rather seeke a mourner that woulde take parte with theim.
Therefore muche warenesse ought to be vsed, when wee happen vponupon suche excedyng sorowfull, leaste wee rather purchace hatred, than aswage grief.
Those harmes shoulde bee moderatly borne, whiche muste needes happen to eueryevery one, that hauehave chaunced to any one. As deathe, whiche spareth none, neither Kyng, nor Cayser, neither poore, nor riche. Therefore to bee impacient for the losse of our frendes, is to fall out with God, because he made vsus men, and not Aungelles. But the Godly (I truste) will alwaies remitte thorder of thynges to the wil of God, and force their passions to obey necessitie. When God lately visited this Realme with the sweatyng disease,Sweatyng disease. and receiued the two worthie ientlemen He…ry Duke of Suffolke, & his brother Lorde Charles: I seeyng my Ladies grace their mother takyng their deathe most greauouslie could not otherwise for the duetie whiche I then did, and euer shall owe vntounto her, but comforte her in that her heauinesse, the whiche vndoubtedly at that tyme muche weakened her bodie. And because it may serue for an example of comforte, I hauehave been boulde to set it forthe as it foloweth hereafter.