Chapter 2

[Sidenote: Eloquucion] _Eloquucion_, which the Greekes call Phrase, whereof also the name of eloquence dothe ryse, as of al partes it is the goodlyest, so also is it the most profitable and hardeste: in the whyche is seene that diuine myghte and vertue of an oratoure, whych as Cicero in hys oratorie particions defineth, is nothyng else but wisedom speakyng eloquently. For vnto the maruelous greate inuencion of all thynges, bothe it addeth a fulnes, and varietie: it setteth oute & garnysheth wyth lyghtes of eloquent speche, the thinges that be spoken of and also wyth very graue sentences, choyse wordes, proper, aptly translated, and wel soundyng, it bryngeth that greate fludde of eloquence vnto a certein kynd of stile and indyghtyng. And oute of thys greate streame of eloquucion, not only must we chose apte, and mete wordes, but also take hede of placinge, and settinge them in order. For the myghte and power of eloquucion consisteth in wordes considered by them selues, and when they be ioyned together. Apt wordes by searchyng muste be founde oute, and after by diligence conueniently coupled. For there is a garnyshynge, euen when they be pure and fyne by them selues, and an other, wh[en] they be ioyned together. To chose th[em] oute finely, and handsomlye to bestow them in their places, after the mynde of Cicero and Quintilian, is no easy thynge. So Marcus Antonius was wonte to say, that he had knowen many wel spoken men, but none eloquente. ¶ Tullye and Quintilian thoughte that inuencion and disposiciõ were the partes of a wytty and prudent man, but eloquence of an oratour. For howe to finde out matter, and set it in order, may be comen to all men, whyche eyther make abridgementes of the excellent workes of aunciente wryters, and put histories in rem[em]braunce, or that speake of anye matter them selues: but to vtter the mynde aptely, distinctly, and ornately, is a gyft geuen to very fewe. And because we haue deuided eloquucion into two partes, that is, wordes symple, or considered by them selues, and compound or ioyned together in speache, accordyng to thys we saye, that euerye eloquente oracion must haue in it thre poyntes: euidence, which belongeth to the fyrst parte of eloquucion, composicion & dignitie, which belongeth to the other.

Of Euidence and plainenes.

Of these thynges that we put in eloquucion, lette thys be the fyrste care, to speake euidentlye after the dignitye and nature of thynges, and to vtter suche wordes, whych as Cicero sayth in hys oratour, no man may iustely reprehende. The playne and euident speche is learned of Gramarians, and it keepeth the oracion pure, and without all faute, and maketh that euerye thyng may seme to be spoken purelye apertlye, and clerelye. Euerye speche standeth by vsuall wordes that be in vse of daylye talke, and proper wordes that belonge to the thinge, of the which we shal speke. Neyther be properties to be referred onely to the name of the thing, but much more to the strength and power of the significacion: & must be considered not by hearyng, but by vnderstandyng. So translacion in the whych comonly is the greatest vse of eloquuciõ, applieth wordes not the selfe proper thinges. But yet an vnvsed worde or poetical, hath also somtyme in the oracion hys dignitie, and beyng put in place (as Cicero sayeth) oftentymes the oracion may seme greater, and of more antiquitie, for that Poetes do speake in a maner as it were in another tonge, it is righte sone perceiued. Finally two fautes are cõmitted in euerye language, whereby it is not pure: Barbarisme, and Solecisme. Of the whych, that on is committed, when anye worde is fautely spoken or writen: that other, when in many wordes ioyned together, the worde that foloweth is not wel applyed to that that goeth before. Of composicion and dygnitye, we wyll speake here after, when we come to the figures of rethoryque.

Of the three kyndes of style or endyghtynge.

Before we come to the precepts of garnishing an oraciõ, we thinke good, bryeflye, to shewe you of the thre kyndes of stile or endyghting, in the whych all the eloquucion of an oratoure is occupied. For that there be thre sundry kyndes, called of the Grekes characters, of vs figures, I trowe there is no man, though he be meanlye learned, but he knoweth, namely when we se so manye wryters of sciences, bothe Greke and latine, whych haue ben before tyme, to haue folowed for the mooste parte sundrye sortes of wrytyng, the one vnlyke to the other. And there hath bene marked inespecially thre kyndes of endightynge: The greate, the small, the meane.

The greate kynde.

The greate, the noble, the mightye, and the full kynde of endyghtynge, wyth an incredible, & a certen diuine power of oracion, is vsed in wayghty causes: for it hathe wyth an ample maiestye verye garnyshed wordes, proper, translated, & graue sentences, whych ar handled in amplificacion, and commiseracion, and it hathe exornations bothe of woordes and sentences, wherunto in oracions they ascribe verye great strength and grauitie. And they that vse thys kynde, bee vehement, various, copious, graue, appoynted and readye thorowlye to moue and turne mens myndes. Thys kynd dyd Cicero vse in the oracion for Aulus Cluencius, for Sylla, for Titus Annius Milo, for Caius Rabirius: agaynste Catiline, agaynste Verres, agaynste Piso. But they that can not skyll of it oftentimes fall into fautes, when vnto them that seemeth a graue oracion, whych swelleth, and is puffed vp, whych vseth straunge wordes hardelye translated, or to olde, and that be nowe longe sythens lefte of from vse of daylye talke, or more graue then the thing requyreth.

The small kynde.

The small kynde of indighting, is in a subtile, pressed, and fyled oracion, meete for causes that be a lytel sharper then are in the comon vse of speakynge. For it is a kynde of oracion that is lette downe euen to the mooste vsed custume of pure and clere speakyng. It hathe fyne sentences, subtile, sharpe, teachyng all thynges, and makynge them more playne, not more ample. ¶ And in the same kynde (as Cicero sayeth in hys oratoure) some bee craftye, but vnpolyshed, and of purpose lyke the rude and vnskylfull: Other in that leaues are trymme, that is somwhat floryshynge also and garnyshed. Cicero vsed thys kynde in hys philosophicall disputacions, in the oraciõ for Quincius for Roscius y^e Comedy plaier, & Ter[en]ce, & Plautus in their Comedies. Such as cã not hãdsomly vse them selues in that mery conceyted slendernes of wordes, fall into a drye and feble kynde of oracion.

The meane kynde.

The mean and temperate kynd of indyghting standeth of the lower, and yet not of the loweste, and moste comen wordes and sent[en]ces. And it is ryghtyly called the temperate kynde of speakyng, because it is very nygh vnto the small, and to the greate kynde, folowyng a moderacion and temper betwyxt th[em]. And it foloweth as we saye in one tenour, distinguyshyng all the oracion wyth small ornamentes both of wordes, and sentences. Cicero vseth thys for the lawe of Manilius, for Aulus Cecinna, for Marcus Marcellus, and moste of all in hys bookes of offices. In this it is fautye to come to the kynd that is nye vnto it, whyche is called dissolute, because it waueth hyther and thyther, as it were wythout senowes and ioyntes, standyng surely in no poynte. And suche an oracion can not cause the hearer to take anye heede, when it goeth so in and out, and comprehendeth not any thyng wyth perfecte wordes.

Of Schemes and Tropes.

[Sidenote: Scheme] Scheme is a Greke worde, and signifyeth properlye the maner of gesture that daunsers vse to make, wh[en] they haue won the best game, but by translacion is taken for the fourme, fashion, and shape of anye thynge expressed in wrytynge or payntinge: and is taken here now of vs for the fashion of a word, sayynge, or sentence, otherwyse wrytten or spoken then after the vulgar and comen vsage, and that thre s[un]dry waies: by figure, faute, vertue.

Figure.

Fygure, of Scheme y^e fyrst part, is a behaueoure, maner, or fashion eyther of sentence, oracion, or wordes after some new wyse, other th[en] men do commenlye vse to wryte or speake: and is of two sortes. Dianoias, that is of sentence, and Lexeos of worde.

Figure of Dianoias, or sentence, because it properlye belongeth to oratoures, we wyll speake of it hereafter in place conuenient, now wyll we entrete of the figure Lexeos, or of worde, as it perteyneth to the Gramarians.

Figure of worde.

Figure Lexeos, or of worde, is when in speakyng or wrytyng any thynge touchynge the wordes is made newe or straunge, otherwyse then after y^e comen custume: & is of .ii. kyndes; diccion, & construccion.

Figure of Diccion.

Figure of diccion is the transformacion of one word, either written or prono[un]ced: & hath these partes.

[Sidenote: Prosthesis.] _Appositio_, apposiciõ, the putting to, eyther of letter or sillable at the begynnyng of a worde, as: He all to bewretched hym.

[Sidenote: Apheresis] _Ablatio_, the takynge awaye of a letter or sillable from the begynnynge of a worde, of a letter, when we say: The p[en]thesis of thys house is to low, for the epenthesis. Wher note this y^e word p[en]thesis is a greke worde, & yet is vsed as an englishe, as many mo be, and is called a pentis by these figures, Sincope and Apheresis, the whole word beynge as is before, epenthesis, so called because it is betwyxt y^e lyght & vs, as in al occupiers shops cõmenli it is.

[Sidenote: Epenthesis.] _Interpositio_, when a letter is added betwene the fyrste sillable of a word and the laste, as: Relligiõ for religion, relliques for reliques.

[Sidenote: Syncope.] _Consicio_, contrary to Epenthesis, is when somewhat is cutte of from the myddeste of the worde, as: Idolatry for Idololatry.

[Sidenote: Proparalepsis.] _Preassumpcio_, when a sillable is added to a word, the significacion of the worde therby nothyng altered, as: He vseth to slacken his matters, for to slacke his matters.

[Sidenote: Apocope.] _Absissio_, y^e cuttyng away of a letter or sillable frõ the end of a word, as: She is a wel fayr may, for maid.

[Sidenote: Ectasis.] _Extensio_, the making lõg of a sillable whych by nature is short, as: This was ordeined by acte, for ordined.

[Sidenote: Systole.] _Contractio_, the makynge short of a sillable which bi nature is lõg, as He is a man of good perseuera[un]ce: wher some men cõmit .ii. fautes at once, one y^t they take perseuera[un]ce for knoweledge, which signifieth alwais cõtinuance, an other y^t they make this sillable (ue) short, where it is euer longe: and so do they erre in thys worde, adherentes, also, makyng (he) short, when it is alwayes longe, as when they saye: I defye hym, and all his adherentes.

[Sidenote: Synolephe.] _Delecio_, puttynge oute, when .ii. vowels comyng together, the first is as it were put out: as thone and thother, for the one and the other.

[Sidenote: Antisthecon.] _Littera pro littera._ One letter for an other, as akecorne for okecorne.

_Transposicio._ Transposing of letters in wrytynge, as chambre, for chamber.

Figure of construccion.

Figure of construccion is when the order of construccion is otherwyse then after the comen maner. And the kyndes be these.

[Sidenote: Prolepsis.] _Presumpcio_, a takynge before, or generall speakynge of those thynges whych afterwardes be declared more perticulerlye: as, in the meane seasõ that kyng Henry rode royally to Calais on a sumpteous courser, Lewes in a gorgeous chariot was caried to Boloygne.

[Sidenote: Zeugma.] _Iunctio_, ioynyng, as Linacer sayeth, is when in lyke sentences a certen comen thyng that is put in the one, and not chaunged in the other is not expressed, but lefte out: as in Vyrgyll. Before I forget Cesar, eyther the Parthian shall drynke of the flud Araris, or Germany of Tigris: here is left out, shall drynke. Or to define it more playnelye. ¶ _Iniunctio_, is when the verbe in diuerse lyke sentences is referred to one: and that thre maner of waies.

[Sidenote: Presozeugma.] Fyrste when it is set before, and is called _preiunctio_, as: There dyd ouercome in hym, lechery, his chastitie, saucines his feare, madnesse hys reason.

[Sidenote: Mesozeugma.] Secondlye when it is set in the middes, & is called, _Media iunctio_, as bewtye, eyther by age decaieth, or by syckenes.

[Sidenote: Hypozeugma.] Thyrdly wh[en] it is put in the end and is called _Postiunctio_, as bewtie by syckenes, by sorowe, or by age decayeth.

[Sidenote: Diazeugma.] _Disiunctio_, disiunccion, when of those thynges of whych we speake, eyther both, or eche one of them is concluded with their certen verbe, thus: The people of Rome destroyed Numance, ouerthrew Cartage, cast downe Corinth, and raced Fregels. Couetousnes hurteth the bodye, and corrupteth the mynd.

[Sidenote: Silepsis.] _Concepcio_, when in vnlike clauses a certeyn cõmon thynge that is put in one of th[em], can not agre with the other, excepte it be chaunged. But thys is more playne in the latine because of the concordes, albeit in englyshe for the verbe we may vse this example. The Nobles and the Kynge was taken. Hys head and hys handes were cutte of: In the whyche sentences the verbe agreeth wyth the nexte.

[Sidenote: Epergesis.] _Appositio_, when two substãtiues are put together immediatly withoute any verbe betwyxt, the one to declare the other, as in Vyrgyll. ¶ Coridõ loued faire Alexis his masters darlynge.

[Sidenote: Hyperbaton] _Transgressio_, when the ryghte order of wordes is troubled, & hath these kyndes.

[Sidenote: Anastrophe.] _Reuersio_, a preposterous order of the woordes contrarye to the good order of speakyng, as: He fell from of the wall, for he fel of from the walle.

[Sidenote: Hysterologia.] _Prepostera loquutio_, when y^t that is done afterwardes, is set in speaking in the former place, as: plucke of my bootes and spurres.

[Sidenote: Tmesis] _Dissectio_, a cutting, when the ioynyng of a compound worde is losed by putting somewhat betwixt, as: Hys saying was true, as here shal appere after, for hereafter. He shal by punyshed what man so euer off[en]deth, for whatsoeuer man.

[Sidenote: Parenthesis] _Interpositio_, Interposicion, is a dissoluciõ of the order of the words by putting a sentence betwixt, as: The man (I speke it for no harme) wyl somtime haue his owne wyll.

[Sidenote: Eclipsis.] _Defectus_, when somewhat lacketh in speakyng, but cõmenlye vsed to be vnderstand, as: Good morowe, good nyght.

[Sidenote: Antiptosis.] _Casus pro casu_, when one case is putte for another, as me thynke it is so.

Faute.

Of Scheme, the second parte is in speach as it were a faute, which though it be pardoned in Poetes, yet in prose it is not to be suffered. The kyndes bee these: obscure, inordinate, barbarous.

Obscure and hys partes.

Obscure is, when ther is a darknes thorow faut, eyther of the wordes, or of the settynge of them, and these ben the partes.

[Sidenote: Acyrologia.] _Improprietas_, when a worde nothynge at all in hys proper significacion is broughte into a sentence as a cloude: as you shall haue syxe strypes you longe for.

[Sidenote: Pleonasmus.] _Superabundancia_, when y^e sentence is laden with superfluous wordes, as, he spake it wyth his mouthe, he sawe it wyth hys eyes.

[Sidenote: Perissologia.] _Sermo superfluus_, when a sent[en]ce is added, y^e matter therby made neuer the waightyer, as y^e Embassadours obteining no peace, returned backe home, frõ wh[en]ce they came.

[Sidenote: Tautologia.] _Inutilis repeticio eiusdem_, is a vayne repeting agayn of one word or moe in all one sentence, whyche faute by takyng lytle heede, Cicero also fell into, as in the oracion for Aulus Cluencius. Therefore that iudgem[en]t was not lyke a iudgem[en]t O Iudges.

[Sidenote: Homiologia.] _Sermo ubique sui similis_, a greater faute then the other, is when the whole matter is all alyke, and hath no varietie to auoyde tediousnes, as: He came thither to y^e bath, yet he saide afterwardes. Here one seruaunt bet me. Afterwardes he sayde vnto hym: I wyll consider. Afterwardes he chyd wyth hym, & cryed more and more when manye were presente. Suche a folyshe tellyng of a tale shall you heare in many simple & halfe folyshe persons.

[Sidenote: Amphibologia.] _Ambiguitas_, when thorow faute of ioynyng the wordes, it is doutefull to whych the verbe belongeth, as: Hys father loueth hym better then hys mother.

[Sidenote: Periergia.] _Sedulitas superflua_, when ther is in speakyng to much diligence and curiositye, and the sentence ouerladen with superfluous wordes, whiche faute is the same, or verye lyke to that, [Sidenote: Macrologia] that is called _Macrologia_, whych is when the sentence vpon desyre to seme fyne and eloquent, is longer then it shulde be.

Inordinate and his partes.

Inordinate is, when eyther order or dignitie lacketh in the wordes: and the kyndes ben these:

[Sidenote: Tapinosis.] _Humiliatio_, when the dygnitye of the thyng is diminyshed by basenes of the worde: as if we shuld say to a greate prynce or a kynge: If it please your mastershyp.

[Sidenote: Aschrologia.] _Turpis loquutio_, when the words be spoken, or ioyned together, that they may be wronge into a fylthye sence. Of thys it nedeth not to put any example, when lewde wanton persons wyl soone fynde inowe.

[Sidenote: Cacozelia.] _Mala affectatio_, euyll affectaciõ or leude folowyng, when the wytte lacketh iudgement, and fondlye folowyng a good maner of speaking, runne into a faute, as when affectyng copy, we fall into a vaine bablynge, or laboryng to be brief, wax bare & drye. Also if we shuld saye: a phrase of building, or an audi[en]ce of shepe, as a cert[en] homely felow dyd.

[Sidenote: Aschematistõ] _Male figuratum_, when the oracion is all playne and symple, & lacketh his figures, wherby as it wer wyth starres it might shyne: which faute is counted of wryters, not amonge the leaste.

[Sidenote: Cacosintheton.] _Male collocatum_, when wordes be naughtelye ioyned together, or set in a place wher thei shuld not be.

[Sidenote: Soraismus.] _Cumulatio_, a mynglyng and heapyng together of wordes of diuerse languages into one speche: as of Frenche, welche, spanyshe, into englyshe: and an vsynge of wordes be they pure or barbarous. And although great authors somtyme in long workes vse some of these fautes, yet must not their examples be folowed, nor brought into a cõmon vsage of speakyng.

Barbarie and hys partes.

Barbarie is a faute, whych turneth the speche frõ his purenes, and maketh it foule and rude, and the partes be these.

[Sidenote: Barbarismus.] Barbarismus is, when a worde is either naughtely wrytten or prono[un]ced cõtrary to the ryght law & maner of speakynge. And it is done by addicion, detracciõ, chaunging, transposynge, eyther of a letter, a syllable, tyme, accent or aspiraciõ. Hereof we haue shewed exampels partly wher they be called figures, and partly, doute ye not, but both the speakynge and wrytyng of barbarouse men wyll gyue you inow. Hytherto be referred the fautes of euil pronouncing certein letters, & of to much gapyng, or contrarye of speakyng in the mouth.

[Sidenote: Solecismus.] _Inconueniens structura_, is an vnmete and vnconuenient ioynynge together the partes of spech in construccion, whych is marked by all thynges that belong to the partes of speche: as when one parte is put for another, when gender for gender, case for case, tyme for tyme, mode for mode, number for number, aduerbe for aduerbe, preposicion for preposiciõ, whych because it is vsed of famous authores, instede of fautes, be called figures.

Vertue.

Vertue, or as we saye, a grace & dygnitye in speakynge, the thyrde kynde of Scheme, is when the sentence is bewtyfied and lyfte vp aboue the comen maner of speaking of the people. Of it be two kyndes: Proprietie and garnyshyng.

Proprietie and his partes.

Proprietie is when in wryting and pronunciacion ther be no fautes committed, but thynges done as they shulde be. The partes bee proposicion, and accenting.

[Sidenote: Analogia.] _Proportio_, proporcion is, whereby the maner of true wrytynge is conserued. By thys the barbarous tonge is seperated from the verye true and naturall speche, as be the fyne metals from the grosser. To speke is no faute, but an obseruacion or markyng, not leanyng vpõ cause, but vpon example. For in eloquence, the iudgement of excell[en]t men standeth for reason, as saythe Quintilian in hys fyrst boke.

[Sidenote: Tasis.] _Extensio_, is that wherby a swete and pleasaunt modulacion or tunablenes of wordes is kepte, because some are spoken wyth a sharpe tenure or accent, some wyth a flatte, some strayned out. This grace specially perteineth to a turnyng of y^e voyce in pleasaunte pronunciation.

Garnyshyng and his kyndes.

Garnishyng as the word it selfe declareth, is wh[en] the oraciõ is gaylye set oute and floryshed w^t diuerse goodly figures, causyng much pleasauntnes and delectaciõ to the hearer: and hath two kyndes, composicion, and exornacion.

[Sidenote: Sinthesis.] Composicion is an apte settinge together of wordes, whych causeth all the partes of an oracion to bee trymmed al alyke. And in it muste be considered that we so order our wordes, that the sentence decrease not by puttynge a weaker word after a stronger, but that it styl go vpwarde and increase. There is also a naturall order, as to saye: men & women, daye and nyght, easte, and weste, rather then backewardes. In thys muste be auoyded also to often comyng together of vowels, which make the oracion wyde and gapyng. To muche repetyng of all one letter in the beginning of wordes, to much repeting of one word, and that they ende not to much all alyke, that the sentence be not held on to longe, which werieth the hearer, and the speaker: nor that manye consonãtes run not to harshely together, wyth many other, which Cicero speaketh of in hys thyrde booke of hys oratour, and Quintilian in hys nynth, wherof here to put examples were to longe.

Exornacion is a fyne polyshinge of wordes and sentences by disseueryng th[em] w^t diuerse goodly colours and tropes or cha[un]gings of speach.

Tropes.

Emonge authors manye tymes vnder the name of figures, Tropes also be comprehended: Neuerthelesse ther is a notable difference betwixt th[em]. In figure is no alteracion in the wordes frõ their proper significacions, but only is the oracion & s[en]tence made by th[em] more plesa[un]t, sharpe & vehem[en]t, after y^e affecciõ of him that speketh or writeth: to y^e which vse although tropes also do serue, yet properlye be they so called, because in them for necessitye or garnyshynge, there is a mouynge and chaungynge of a worde and sentence, from theyr owne significaciõ into another, whych may agre wyth it by a similitude. The former partes ben these.

[Sidenote: Metaphora.] _Translatio_, translacion, that is a worde translated from the thynge that it properlye signifieth, vnto another whych may agre with it by a similitude. And amonge all vertues of speche, this is the chyefe. ¶ None perswadeth more effecteouslye, none sheweth the thyng before oure eyes more euidently, none moueth more mightily the affeccions, none maketh the oraciõ more goodlye, pleasaunt, nor copious.

Translacions be diuerse.

[Sidenote: i.] Some frõ the body to the mynd, as: I haue but lately tasted the Hebrue tonge, for newely begunne it. Also I smell where aboute you go, for I perceyue.

[Sidenote: ii.] From the reasonable to the vnresonable, as Vyrgyll in hys Georgexe applyed the counselles and fashion of warres belongynge to men; to bees.

[Sidenote: iii.] From the vnreasonable to the resonable. What whinest thou, what chatterest thou? That one taken of a wolfe, that other of a pye.

[Sidenote: iiii.] From the liuinge to the not liuyng. The mouthe of the well, the fatnes of the earth. The lande wyl spewe them oute.

[Sidenote: v.] From the not lyuynge to the liuyng. Cicero florisheth in eloqu[en]ce.

[Sidenote: vi.] From the liuyng, to the liuynge. The iews winched against Moses.