The Art of Rhetoric, Book 3 · Part 1 · Section 4 – Section 7
¶Of Composicion.
When we hauehave learned vsuall and accustomable wordes to set furthe our meanyng, we ought to ioyne them together in apt order, that the eare maie delite, in hearyng the harmomonie. I knowe some English men, that in this poynct hauehave suche a gift in the Englishe, as fewe in Latine hauehave the like and therfore, delite the wise and lerned so muche, with their pleasaunt composicion: that many reioyce, when thei maie heare suche, and thynke muche learnyng is gotte, when thei maie talke with suche. ComposicionComposicion what it is. therefore, is an apte ioynyng together of wordes in suche order, that neither the eare shal espie any ierre, nor yet any man shalbe dulled with ouerlong drawing out of a sentence, nor yet muche confounded with myngelyng of clauses, suche as are nedelesse, beyng heaped together without reason, and vsed without nomber. For, by suche meanes the hearers will be forced, to forgettefull oft, what was saied first, before the sentence be halfe ended: or els bee blynded with confoundyng of many thynges together. Some again will bee so shorte, and in suche wise curtall their Sentences,Faules in cō posicion. that thei had nede to make a commentarie immediatly of their meanyng, or els the moste that heare them, shalbe forced to kepe counsaill.
Some will speake oracles, that a man cannot tell, whiche waie to take theim, some will be so fine, & so Poeticall with all, that to their semyng, there shall not stande one heire amisse, & yet eueryevery body els shall thinke thē meter for a ladies chamber, then for an earnest matter, in any open assemblie.
Some wil roue so muche, and bable so farre without order, that a manne would thynke, thei had a greate louelove, to heare themselfes speake.
Some repeate one woorde so often, that if suche woordes could be eaten, and chopte in so ofte, as thei are vttered out, thei would choke the widest throte in all England. As thus. If a man knewe, what a mans life wer, no man for any mā nes sake, would kill any man, but one mā would rather help another man, considryng man is borne for man, to help mā, & no to hate man. What man would not be choked, if he chop… al these men at ones into his mouth, & neuer drouke after it? Some vse ouermuche repeticiō of some one …etter, as pitiful pouertie praieth for a peny, but puffed presūpciō, passeth not a poynct, pāperyng his panche, wt pestilēt pleasure, procuring his passe porte to poste it to Hell pytte, there to be punished with paines perpetuall. Some will so sette their wordes that they muste be fayne to gape after euerye worde spokē, endinge one worde with a vowell, and beginninge the next wyth an other, whyche vndoubtedlye maketh the talke to seme mooste vnpleasaunte. As thus Equirie assuredlye euerye iniurye auoydeth. Some will set the carte before the horse, as thus. My mother and my father are both at home, euen as thoughe the good man of the house ware no breaches, or that the graye Mare were the better Horse. And what thoughe it often so happeneth (God wotte the more pitye) yet in speakinge at the leaste, let vsus kepe a natural order, and set the man before the woman for maners sake.
An other cominge home in haste after a long iourney, sayeth to hys manne: Come hither sir knaue, helpe me of with my bootes and my spurres. I praye you sir geue him leaue firste to plucke of youre spurres, ere he meddle wyth your bootes, or els your man is like to hauehave a madde pluckinge. Who is so folyshe as to saye the counsayle and the kynge, but rather the Kinge and his counsayle, the father and the sonne, and not contrary. And so likewise in al other as they are in degree firste, euermore to set them formost.
The wise therfore talkinge of diuers worthye menne together, will firste name the worthiest, and kepe a decent order in reportynge of their tale. Some ende their sentences all alike, makyng their talke rather to appeare rimed meter then to seme playne speache, the whiche as it muche deliteth beynge measurablye vsed, so it muche offendeth when no meane is regarded. I hearde a preacher delityng much in thys kynd of composition, who vsed so oftē to ende his sentence with wordes like vntounto that whiche wente before, that in my iudgemente, there was not a dosen sentences in hys whole sermon, but they ended all in ryme for the most part. Some not best disposed, wished the Preacher a Lute, that with his rimed sermon he myght vse some pleasaunt melodye, and so the people myghte take pleasure diuers wayes, and daunce if they liste. Certes there is a meane, & no reason to vse any one thinge at all times, seynge nothinge deliteth (be it neuer so good) that is alwayes vsed.
Quintilian likeneth the coloures of Rhetorique to a man…es eye sighte. And nowe (quod he) I woulde not hauehave all the bodye to be …ull of eyes, or nothinge but eyes: for thē the other partes shoulde wante their due place and proporcion. Some ouerthwartelye sette their woordes, placynge some one a myle frome his felowes, not contented with a playne and ca…ye composition, but seke to sette wordes they can not tell howe, and therfore one not likynge to be called and by printe published Doctoure of Phisike, woulde neades be named of Phisike Doctour, wherin appeared a wonderfull composition (as he thought) straunge vndoubtedlye, but whether wise or no, lette the learned sitte in iudgement vponupon that matter.
An other. As I rose in the mornynge (quod one) I mette a carte full of stones emptye. Belike the manne was fastinge, when the carte was full, and yet we see that throughe straunge composition this sentence appeareth darke.
Some will tell one thinge .xx. times, nowe in, nowe out, & when a man would thinke they had almost ended, they are ready to beginne againe as freshe as euer they were. Such vayne repetitions declare both wante of witte, and lacke of learninge. Some are so homely in all their doynges, and so grosse for their inuention, that they vse altogither one maner of trade, and seke no varietie to eschewe tediousnes.
Some burden their talke with nedelesse copye, and will seme plentifull, when they shoulde be shorte. An other is so curious and so fine of his tongue, that he can not tell in all the worlde what to speake. Euerie sentence semeth commune, and euerye worde generallye vsed, is thought to be folyshe, in his wise iudgemente. Some vse so manye interpositions bothe in their talke and in their writinge, that they make their sayinges as darke as hell. Thus whā faultes be knowen, they may be auoyded: and vertue the soner may take place, when vice is forsene, and eschewed as euill.
Of Exornation.
WHen wee hauehave learned apte woordes and vsuall Phrases to sette forthe oure meanynge, and can orderlye place them without offence to the eare, we maye boldelye commende and beautifie oure talke wy…h diuers goodlye coloures, and delitefull translations, that oure speache maye seme as bryghte and precious, as a ryche stone is fayre and orient.
EXornationExornation. is a gorgiousse beautifiynge of the tongue with borowed wordes, and chaung of sentence or speache, with muche varietie. Firste therfore (as Tullie saythe) an Oration is made to seme ryghte excellente by the kinde selfe, by the colour and iuice of speache. Ther are .iij. maner of styles or endi…inges,Thre mane… of stiles or endi…inges. the great or mighty kind, whē we vse great wordes, or vehemēt figures:
The smal kinde, when we moderate our heate by meaner wordes, and vse not the most stirring sentences:
The lowe kinde, when we vse no Metaphores, nor translated wordes, nor yet vse any amplificatiōs, but go plainelye to worke, and speake altogether in commune wordes.
Nowe in all these three kindes, the Oration is muche commended, and appeareth notable, when wee kepe vsus styll to thatistyle, whiche wee firste professed, and vse suche wordes as seme for that kinde of writinge most conuenient.
Yea, if we minde to encrease, or diminish: to be in a heate, or to vse moderatiō: to speake pleasauntly, or speake grauelye: to be sharpe, or to be softe: to talke lordlye, or to speake finelie: to waxe auncient, or familiar (which al are comprehended vnderunder one of the other three:) we muste euer make oure wordes apte and agreable to that kinde of stile, whiche we firste ganne to vse. For as frenche hodes do not become Lordes: so Parliament Robes are vnsitting for Ladies. Comelines therfore must euer be vsed, and all thinges obserued that are most mete for eueryevery cause, if we loke by attemptes to hauehave our desire.
There is another kind of Exornaciō Exorna…ion … by coloures of Rhetorique.yt is not egua…ly sparpled throughout ye whole oratiō, but is so disseuered & parted, as starres stand in the firmament, or floures in a gardē, or prety deuised antiques in a clothe of Araise.
Vvhat a fygure is?
A Figure is a certaine kinde, either of sentence, oration, or worde, vsed after some new or straunge wise, muche vnlike to that, which men communely vse to speake.
The diuision of Fygures.
THere are thre kindes of figures, the one is when the nature of wordes is chaunged from one signification to an other called a Trope of the Grecians: The other serueth for woordes when they are not chaūged by nature, but only altered by speaking, called of y• Grecians a Scheme: The third is when by deuersity of inuention, a sentence is manye wayes spoken, and also matters are amplified by heapynge examples, by dilatynge argumentes, by comparinge of thynges together, by similitudes, by contraries, and by diuers other like, called by Tullie Exornacion of sentences, or coloures of Rhetorique.
By all whiche Figures, euerye Oration maye be muche beautified, and without the same, not one can attaine to be counted an Oratoure, thoughe his learninge otherwise be neuer so greate.