The Art of Rhetoric, Book 2 · Part 1 · Section 11
¶Of mouyng pitee.
Nowe in mouyng pitie, and stirryng menne to merciemercy, the wrong doen must first be plainly told: or if the Iudges hauehave susteined the l…e excremit…e, the best wer to will them to remēbre their awn state, how thei hauehave been abused in like maner, what wronges thei hauehave suffered by wicked doers: that by hearyng their awne, thei maie y• better hearken to others.
Again, whereas all other miseries, that befall vntounto man, are greuous to the …are, there is nothing more he…nous, then to heare that the most honest men, are son…st ouerthrowe… by thē that are moste wicked, and vertue put to flight, through the onelyonly might of vice. That if the like hath not happened, vntounto the hearers of this cause, yet it wer mere to shewe thē that the like maie happē, and so require them to geue iudgement in this cause, as thei would doo in their awne, and rem…mber that harme may chaunce to eueryevery one, that perhappes chaunceth to any one. And no doubt eueryevery man remembryng hymself, and his awne case, will loke well about hym, and geue iudgement, accordyng to right.
Neither can any good be doen at all, when we hauehave saied all that euer we can, excepte we bryng thesame affeccions in our awne harte, the whiche wee would the Iudges should beare towardes our awne matter.He that will stirre affecciōs to other▪ muste first be moued hymself. For how can he be greued, with the report of any heinous acte, either in stomackyng the naughtinesse of the deede, or in bewailyng the miserable misfortune of the thyng, or in fearyng muche, the like euill hereafter: excepte the Oratour hymself vtter suche passions outwardly, and from his harte fetche his complaintes, in suche sort, that the matter maie appere, bothe more greuous to the eare, & therwith so heinous, that it requires earnestly aspedy reformacion? There is no substaunce of it self, that wil take fire, excepte ye put fire to it. Likewise no mannes nature is so apt, streight to be heated,Heate, causeth heate. except the Orator himself, be on fire, and bryng his heate with hym. It is a common saiyng, nothyng kyndeleth soner then fire. And therefore a fierie stomack, …auseth euermore a fierie tongue. And he that is heated with zeale and godlinesse, shall set other on fire with like affe…cion. No one man can better enuiegh against vice, then he can do▪ whiche hateth vice with al his harte. Again, nothyng moyste…h soner then water.A wepyng iye …r…uoketh m…ysture. Therefore a wepyng iye causeth muche moysture, and prouoketh teares. Neither is it any meruaile: for suche men bothe in their countenaūce, tongue, iyes, gesture, and in all their body els, declare an outwarde grief, and with wordes so vehemently and vnfeinedly, settes it forward, that thei will force a man to be sory with them, and take part with the…r teares, euen against his will, …o… withstandyng, when suche affe…ciō … are moued, it wer good …ot to stande long in thē. For though a vehement talke maie moue teares, yet no arte can long hold theim. For as Cicero doth saie, nothyng drieth soner, then teares, especially when we lament another mans cause, & be sory wt him for his sake
But now that I hauehave taught men to be sory, I wil attēpt again to make them mery, and shewe what learned men saie concernyng laughter, in delityng the hearers whē tyme and place shall best require.