The Art of Rhetoric, Book 2 · Part 1 · Section 5
¶Of confirmacion in matters of iudgement.
WHen we hauehave declared the chief poynctes, wherevnto wee purpose to referre all our reasons, wee muste heape matter and finde out argumentes, to confirme thesame to the outermoste of our power, makyng firste the strongest reasons that wee can, and nexte after, gatheryng all probable causes together, that beeyng in one heape, thei maie seme strong, and of greate weighte. And whatsoeuer the aduersarie hath said against vsus, to answere thereunto, as tyme and place beste maie serue. That if his reasons be light, and more good maie bee doen in confutyng his, then in confirmyng our awne: it were best of all to sette vponupon hym, and putte awaie by arte, all that he hath fondely saied without witte. For prouyng the matter, and searchyng out the substaunce, or nature of the cause,… the places of Logique muste helpe to sette it forward. But when the persone shalbe touched, and not the matter, we must seke els where, and gather these places together.
i. The name.
ii. The maner of liuyng.
iij. Of what house he is, of what countre and of what yeres.
iiij. The wealthe of the man.
v. His behauiour or daily enuryng with thynges.
vi. What nature he hath.
vij. Whereunto he is moste geuen.
viij. What he purposeth frō tyme to tyme.
ix. What he hath doen heretofore.
x. What hath befaulne vntounto hym heretofore.
xi. What he hath confessed, or what he hath to saie for hymself.
IN well examinyng of all these matters, muche maie be said, & greate likelihodes maie be gathered, either to or fro, the whiche places I vsed heretofore, when I spake of matters in iudgement, against the accused souldiour. Now in triyng the truth, by reasons gathered of the matter: we must first marke what was doen at that time by the suspected persone, when suche and suche offences wer committed. Yea, what he did, before this acte was dooen. Again, the tyme muste bee marked, the place, the maner of doyng, and what hart he bare hym. As thoportunitie of doyng and the power he had to do this deede. The whiche all sette together, that either acquitte him, or finde him giltee. These argumentes serue to confirme a matter in iudgement, for any hainous offence. But in the other causes which are occupied, either in praisyng, or dispraisyng, in perswadyng, or diswadyng, the places of confirmacion, be suche as are before rehersed, as when wee commende a thyng, to proue it thus.
| Honest | to be doen. |
| Profitable. | |
| Easie. | |
| Necessarie. |
And so of other in like maner, or els to vse in stede of these, the places of Logique. Therefore, when we go aboute to confirme any cause, wee maie gather these groundes aboue rehersed, and euen as the case requireth, so frame our Reasones. In confutyngConfutacion. of causes, the like maie be had, as we vsed to proue: if we take the contrarie of thesame. For as thynges are alleged, so thei maie be wrested, and as houses are buylded, so thei maie bee ouerthrowen. What though many coniectures be gathered, & diuerse matters framed, to ouerthrowe the defendaunt: yet witte maie finde out bywaies to escape, and suche shiftes maie be made either in auoydyng the daunger, by plain denial, or els by obieccions, and reboundyng again of reasons made, that small harme shall turue to the accused persone, though the presū ptions of his offence be greate, and he thought by good reason to be faultie.Placed of Log…ue moste nedefull. The places of Logique, as I saied, cannot be spared, for the confirmacion of any cause. For, who is he, that in confirmyng a matter, wil not know the nature of it, the cause of it, theffect of it, what is agreyng therunto, what likenesse there is betwixt that, and other thinges, what exā ples maie bee vsed, what is contrary, and what can be saied aginst it. Therefore, I wishe that eueryevery manne should desire and seke to hauehave his Logique perfect, before he looke to profite in Rhetorique, consideryng the grounde and confirmaciō of causes, is for the moste part gathered out of Logique.