Chapter 1

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[Transcriber's Notes:

About this book: _The Art or crafte of Rhetoryke_ was originally published c. 1530; the second edition was published in 1532. It is considered the first book on rhetoric in English.

Typography: This e-book was transcribed from microfiche scans of the 1532 edition. The original line and paragraph breaks, hyphenation, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation, including the use of a spaced forward slash (/) for the comma, the use of u for v and vice versa, and the use of i for j, have been preserved. All apparent printer errors have also been preserved, and are listed at the end of this document.

The following alterations have been made:

1. Long-s has been regularized as s.

2. The paragraph symbol, resembling a C in the original, is rendered as ¶.

3. Superscript letters are preceded by ^.

4. Missing hyphens have been added in brackets, e.g. [-].

5. A decorative capital followed by a capital letter is represented here as two capital letters, e.g. COnsyderynge.

6. Abbreviations and contractions represented as special characters in the original have been expanded as noted in the table below. A "macron" means a horizontal line over a letter. A "cursive semicolon" is an old-style semicolon somewhat resembling a handwritten z. "Supralinear" means directly over a letter. "Superscript" means raised and next to a letter. The "y" referred to below is an Early Modern English form of the Anglo-Saxon thorn character, representing "th," but identical in appearance to the letter "y."

Original Expansion

&c with macron &c[etera] q with cursive semicolon q[ue] superscript closed curve [us] long final s [e]s crossed p p[er] or p[ar] p with looped downstroke p[ro] p with macron p[re] vowel with macron vowel[m] or vowel[n] consonant with supralinear upward curve consonant[er] w with supralinear t w[i]t[h] y with superscript e y^e (i.e., the) y with superscript t y^t (i.e., that) y with macron y[at] (i.e., that) y with supralinear u y[o]u (i.e., thou)

Greek: Phrases in ancient Greek are transliterated in brackets, e.g., [Greek: outos esti].

Pagination: This book was printed as an octavo volume, and was paginated using a recto-verso scheme. In octavo printing, the printer uses large sheets of paper folded and cut into eight leaves each, creating 16 pages. The front of each leaf is the recto page (the right-hand page in a book); the back of each leaf is the verso page (the left-hand page in a book). For this book, the printer apparently used six sheets, lettered A through F, and each leaf is numbered with a lower-case Roman numeral, i through viii. Thus, for example, the first leaf (i) from the second sheet (B) is numbered B.i.

In the original, page numbers are printed only on the recto side of each leaf, and are not printed at all after the fourth or fifth recto page of each sheet, until the first leaf of the next sheet. For the reader's convenience, all pages in this e-book, even those without a printed number in the original, have been numbered in brackets according to the original format, with the addition of "r" for recto and "v" for verso. Pages A.i.v and F.viii.r are blank and are not numbered in this e-book.

Sources consulted: This e-book was prepared from microfiche scans of the 1532 edition, which can be viewed at the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica) website at http://gallica.bnf.fr. The uneven quality of the scans, and the blackletter font in the original, made the scans difficult to read in some places. To ensure accuracy, the transcriber has consulted the following sources:

1. The 2004 electronic transcription by Robert N. Gaines, available in SGML format from the Arts and Humanities Data Service, http://ahds.ac.uk. The typography notes above are based in part on the notes to that transcription.

2. The 1899 reprint edited and annotated by Frederick Ives Carpenter (University of Chicago Press; facsimile reprint by AMS Press, 1973).]

[A.i.r]

¶ The Art or crafte of Rheto- ryke.

1532

[A.ii.r]

¶ To the reuerende father in god & his singuler good lorde / the lorde Hugh Faryngton Abbot of Redynge / his pore client and perpetuall seruaunt Leonarde Cockes desyreth longe & prosperouse lyfe with encreace of honour.

COnsiderynge my spe[-] ciall good lorde how great[-] ly and how many ways I am bounden to your lord- shyp / and among all other that in so great a nombre of counynge men whiche are now within this region it hath pleased your goodnes to accepte me as worthy for to haue the charge of the instruction & bryngynge vp of suche youth as resorteth to your gra- mer schole / fou[n]ded by your antecessours in this your towne of Redynge / I studied a longe space what thyng I myght do next the busy & diligent occupienge of my selfe in your sayd seruyce / to the whiche bothe conscience and your stipende doth straytly bynde me / that myght be a significacion of my faithfull and seruysable hart which I owe to your lordeshyp / & agayne a long memory bothe of your singuler and bene- [A.ii.v] ficiall fauour towarde me: and of myn in- dustry and diligence employed in your ser- uyce to some profite: or at the leest way to some delectacion of the inhabitauntes of this noble realme now flouryshynge vn- der the most excellent & victorious prynce our souerain Lorde kyng Henry the .viii.

¶ And whan I had thus long prepensed in my mynde what thynge I myght best chose out: non offred it selfe more conue- nyent to the profyte of yonge studentes (which your good lordshyp hath alwayes tenderly fauoured) and also meter to my p[ro]fession: than to make som proper werke of the right pleasaunt and persuadible art of Rhetorique / whiche as it is very neces- sary to all suche as wyll either be Aduoca[-] tes and Proctours in the law: or els apte to be sent in theyr Prynces Ambassades / or to be techers of goddes worde in suche maner as may be moost sensible & accepte to theyr audience / and finally to all them hauynge any thyng to purpose or to speke afore any companye (what someuer they be) So contraryly I se no science that is lesse taught & declared to Scolers / which ought chiefly after the knowlege of Gra- mer ones had to be instructe in this facul[-] tie / without the whiche oftentymes the [A.iii.r] rude vtteraunce of the Aduocate greatly hindereth and apeyreth his clie[n]tes cause. Likewise the vnapt disposicion of the pre- cher (in orderyng his mater) confoundeth the memory of his herers / and briefly in declarynge of maters: for lacke of inuen- cion and order with due elocucion: great tediousnes is engendred to the multitude beyng present / by occasion wherof the spe[-] ker is many tymes ere he haue ended his tale: either left almost aloon to his no li- tle confusio[n]: or els (which is a lyke rebuke to hym) the audience falleth for werynes of his ineloquent language fast on slepe.

¶ Wyllynge therfore for my parte to help suche as are desirouse of this Arte (as all surely ought to be which entende to be re- garded in any comynaltie) I haue parte- ly translated out a werke of Rhetorique wryten in the Latin tongue: and partely compyled of myn owne: and so made a ly- tle treatyse in maner of an Introductyon into this aforesayd Science: and that in our Englysshe tongue. Remembrynge that euery good thyng (after the sayeng[e]s of the Philosopher) the more comon it is: the more better it is. And furthermore tru[-] stynge therby to do som pleasure and ease to suche as haue by negligence or els fals [A.iii.v] persuacions be put to the lernyng of other sciences or euer they haue attayned any meane knowlege of the Latin tongue.

¶ whiche my sayd labour I humbly offre to your good Lordeshyp / as to the chyefe maintener & nouryssher of my study / be- sechynge you / thoughe it be ferre within your merites done to me / to accepte it as the fyrst assay of my pore and simple wyt / which yf it may fyrst please your Lord- shyp / and nexte the reders / I trust by the ayde of almyghty god to endyte other werkes bothe in this facul- ty and other to the laude of the hygh godhed / of whome all goodnes doth procede / and to your Lordshyps plea- sure / and to profyte and delectacion of the Reder.

[A.iiii.r]

WHo someuer desyreth to be a good Oratour or to dys- pute and commune of any maner thynge / hym beho- ueth to haue foure thinges.

¶ The fyrst is called In- uencion / for he must fyrst of all imagin or Inuent in his mynde what he shall say.

¶ The seconde is named Iugement. For he must haue wyt to deserne & iuge whe- ther tho thynges that he hath founde in his mynde be conuenient to the purpose or nat. For ofte[n]tymes yf a man lacke this property / he may aswell tell that that is against hym as with hym / as experience doth dayly shew. ¶ The thyrde is Dispo- sicion / wherby he may know how to order and set euery thynge in his due place / leest thoughe his inuencion and iugement be neuer so good / he may happen to be coun- ted (as the comon prouerbe sayth) to put the carte afore the horse. ¶ The fourth & last is suche thynges as he hath inuen- ted: and by Iugement knowen apte to his purpose whan they are set in theyr order so to speke them that it may be pleasaunt and delectable to the audience / so that it may be sayd of hym that hystories make mencion that an olde woman sayd ones [A.iiii.v] by Demosthenes / & syns hath ben a como[n] prouerbe amonge the Grekes [Greek: outos esti] which is as moche to say as (This is he) And this last p[ro]perty is called among ler- ned men ( Eloquence. ¶ Of these foure the moost difficile or harde is to inuent what thou must say / wherfore of this parte the Rethoriciens whiche be maisters of this Arte: haue writen very moche & dilige[n]tly.

¶ Inuencion is comprehended in certayn places / as the Rhetoriciens call them / out of whom he that knoweth y^e faculty may fetche easely suche thynges as be mete for the mater that he shall speke of / which ma[-] ter the Oratours calleth the Theme / and in our vulgare tongue it is called impro- perly the Anthethem. ¶ The theme pur- posed: we must after the rules of Rheto- rique go to our places that shall ano[n] shew vnto vs what shall be to our purpose.

¶ Example.

IN olde tyme there was greate enuy betwene two noble men of Rome / of who[m] the one was called Milo / & the other Clodius / which malice grew so ferre that Clodius layd wayte for Milo on a season whan he sholde ryde out of the Citie / and in his iourney set vpon hym / and there as [A.v.r] it chaunced: Clodius was slayne / where vpon this Clodius frendes accused Milo to the Cenate of murder. Tully whiche in tho days was a great Aduocate in Rome sholde plede Miloes cause. Now it was open that Milo had slayne Clodius / but whether he had slayn hym laufully or nat was the doubte. So than the Theme of Tullies oracio[n] or plee for Milo was this / that he had slayne Clodius laufully / and therfore he ought nat to be punisshed / for the confirmacion wherof (as dothe appere in Tullies oracion) he dyd brynge out of places of Rhetoryque argumentes to p[ro]ue his sayd Theme or purpose. And likewyse must we do whan we haue any mater to speke or comun of. As if I sholde make an oracion to the laude & prayse of the Kyn- ges highnes: I must for the Inuencyon of suche thynges as be for my purpose go to places of Rhetorique / where I shall easely finde (after I know the rules) that that I desyre. ¶ Here is to be noted that there is no Theme but it is conteyned vn[-] der one of the foure causes / or for the more playnnes foure kyndes of Oracions.

¶ The fyrste is called Logycall / whyche kinde we call properly disputacio[n]. ¶ The seconde is called Demonstratiue. ¶ The [A.v.v] thyrde Deliberatiue. ¶ The fourth Iudi- ciall / and these thre last be properly called spices or kyndes of oracions / whose natu- res shall be declared seperately hereafter with the crafte that is required in euery of them. All themes that perteine to Logike either they be simple or compounde. As yf a man desyre to know of me what Iustice is. This onely thi[n]g Iustice is my theme. Or if disputacion be had in company vpon religion / and I wolde declare the very na- ture of religion / my theme shulde be this simple or one thynge religion. But yf it be doubted whether Iustyce be a vertue or nat / and I wolde proue the parte affyrma[-] tyue / my theme were now compou[n]de / that is to say / Iustice is a vertue / for it is made of two thynges knyt and vnied togither / Iustice and vertue. ¶ Here must be noted that Logike is a playn & a sure way to in- struct a ma[n] of the trouth of euery thynge / & that in it the natures / causes / partes / & effectes of thynges are by certayne rules discussed & serched out / so that nothing can be p[er]fectly & p[ro]perly knowe[n] but by rules of Logike / which is nothing but an obserua[-] cyon / or a dylygent markynge of nature. whereby in euery thynge mannes reason dothe consyder what is fyrste / what last / [A.vi.r] what proper / what improper.

¶ The places or instrumentes of a simple theme are.

The diffinicion of the thynge. The causes. The partes. The effectes.

¶ Exa[m]ple. If thou inquire what thi[n]g Iu[-] stice is / whereof it cometh / what partes it hath / & what is the office or effect of euery parte / than hast thou dilige[n]tly serched out the hole nature of Iustice / & handeled thy simple theme accordyng to the precept[e]s of Logicians / to whom our auctour leueth suche mat[er]s to be discussed of the[m] / how beit somwhat y^e Rhetoricia[n]s haue to do with y^e simple theme / & asmoche as shall be for theyr entent he wyll shew hereafter. For many tymes the oratour must vse bothe diffinicions & diuisions. But as they be in Logike playne and compendiouse / so are they in Rhetorike exte[n]ded & paynted with many figures & ornament[e]s belongyng to the science. Neuertheles to satisfie the re- ders mynde / & to alleuiate the tediousnes of serchynge these places / I wyll open the maner and facion of the handelyng of the theme aforsayd as playnly as I can / after the preceptes of Logike.

[A.vi.v]

¶ First to serche out the perfite knowlege of Iustice: I go to my fyrst place diffinici[-] on / & fetche from Aristotle in his Ethik[e]s the Diffinicion of Iustice / which is this.

¶ Iustice is a morall vertue / wherby men be the werkers of rightfull thynges (that is to saye) whereby they bothe loue & also do suche thynges as be iust. This done: I serche the causes of Iustice (that is to say) from whens it toke the fyrst begynnyng / and by cause that it is a morall vertue: and Plato in the ende of his Dialogue Meno[n] concludeth that all vertue cometh of god: I am assured that god is the chief cause of Iustice: declaryng it to the worlde by his Instrument ma[n]nes wyt / whiche the same Plato affyrmeth in the begynnyng of his lawes. The Diffinicion and cause had: I come to the thyrde place called partes to knowe whether there be but one kynde of Iustice or els many. And for this purpose I fynde that Arystotle in the fyfte of his Ethikes deuideth Iustice in two speces or kyndes. One y^t he calleth Iustice legiti- me or legal / an other that he called Equi- te. ¶ Iustice legall is that that consysteth in the superiours whiche haue power for to make or statute lawes to the i[n]feriours. And the office or ende of this Iustice is to [A.vii.r] make suche lawes as be bothe good and accordynge to right and conscience / & tha[n] to declare them / & whan they are made & publisshed as they ought to be / to se that they be put in vre / for what auaileth it to make neuer so good lawes: yf they be nat obserued and kept. ¶ And finally that the maker of the lawe applye his hole studie & mynde to the welthe of his subiectes and to the comon profyte of them. The other kynde of Iustice whiche men call Equitie is whereby a man neyther taketh nor gy- ueth lesse nor more than he ought / but in gyuynge taketh good hede that euery ma[n] haue accordynge as he deserueth. This Equitie is agayne deuyded into Equitie distributyue of comon thynges & Equitie Commutatiue. By Equitie distributyue is distributyd and giuen of comon goodes to euery ma[n] accordyng to his deseruyng[e]s and as he is worthy to haue. As to deuide amonge suche as longe to the Chyrche of the Chyrche goodes after the qualitie of theyr merytes: and to them beynge Ciuil persones of the comon treasour of the Ci- tie accordynge as they are worthy.

¶ In this parte is comprehended the pu- nyshment of mysdoers and trangressours of the lawe / to whome correccion must be [A.vii.v] distributed for the comon welth according to theyr demerites / after the prescripcions of the lawes of the contrey / made & deter- mined for the punisshment of any maner of transgressour. ¶ Equity co[m]mutatiue is a iust maner in the chaungynge of thyng[e]s from one to another / whose offyce or effect is to kepe iust dealynge in equytie / as by- enge / sellynge / & all other bargaynes law- full. And so are herewith the spices of Iu- stice declared theyr offices / which was the fourth & last place.

¶ Our auctour also in a great worke that he hath made vpon Rhetorike / declareth the handelynge of a theme symple by the same example of Iustice / addynge two pla[-] ces mo / whiche are called affines and con- traries on this maner.

¶ What is Iustice? A vertue whereby to euery thynge is gyuen that that to it be- longeth.

¶ What is the cause thereof? Mannes wyll consentynge with lawes & maners.

¶ How many kyndes? Two.

¶ Whiche? Commutatiue & Distributiue / for in two maners is our medlynge with other men / eyther in thynges of our sub- staunce & wares / or in gentyll and cyuyle conuersacion.

[A.viii.r]

¶ what thynge is Iustice commutatiue? Right and equitie in all contractes.

¶ what is Iustice distributiue? Iustice of ciuile lyuynge.

¶ How manyfolde is Iustyce dystrybu- tyue? Either it is comon or priuate. The comon is called in latin Pietas / but in en- glysshe it may be moost properly named good order / which is the crowne of all ver[-] tues conceruynge honest and ciuile con- uersacyon of men togither / as the hedes with the meane comonalty in good vnity and concorde. ¶ Pryuate or seuerall Iu- stice dystrybutyue is honest and amyable frendeshyp & conuersacion of neighbours.

¶ What are the offyces? To do for euery man / ryche or pore / of what estate so euer he be / and for our contrey / for our wyues / chyldren / and frendes / that that ought to be done for euery of them.

¶ Affynes or vertues nigh to Iustice are constancy / lyberalytie / temperaunce.

Thynges contrary are fere / couetyse / pro- dygalytie.

¶ And this is the maner of handelynge of a symple Theme dialectycall. But yet let nat the reder deceyue hym selfe / and thynke that the very perfyte knowlege is shewyd hym all here. And that whiche [A.viii.v] hath be[n] shewed now: is somwhat general and briefe. ¶ More sure and exact know- lege is conteined in Logike / to whome I wyll aduise the[m] that be studiouse to resorte & to fetche euery thynge in his owne pro- per facultie.

¶ Of a Theme compounde.

EUery Theme compounde: ey- ther it is proued trewe or fals. Now whether thou wylt p[ro]ue or improue any thyng: it must be done by argument. And yf any Theme compounde: be it Logicall or Rhetorycall / it must be referred to the rules of Logike by the[m] to be proued trew or fals. For this is the dyfference that is betwene these two sciences / that the Lo- gician in dysputynge obserueth certayne rules for the settynge of his wordes being solicitous that there be spoke[n] no more nor no lesse than the thynge requyreth / & that it be euin as plai[n]ly spoke[n] as it is thought. But the Rhethorician seketh about & bo- roweth where he can asmoche as he may for to make the symple and playne Logi- call argumentes gaye & delectable to the eare. So than the sure iugement of argu- [B.i.r] mentes or reasons must be lerned of the logician / but the crafte to set the[m] out with pleasaunt figures and to delate the mater belongeth to the Rhetorician. As in Mi- loes cause / of whome was made mencion afore. ¶ A logician wolde briefly argue / who so euer violently wyll slee an other / may lawfully of the other be slayne in his defence. Clodius wolde vyolently haue slain Milo / wherfore Clodius might lau- fully be slayne of Milo in Miloes owne defence. And this argument the logicians call a Sillogisme in Darii / whiche Tully in his oracion extendeth that in foure or fyue leues it is scant made an ende of / nor no man can haue knowlege whether Tul- lies argument that he maketh in his ora- cyon for Milo / be a good argumente or nat / and howe it holdeth / excepte he can by Logyke reduce it to the perfecte and briefe forme of a Sillogisme / takynge in the meane season of the Rhetorycyans what ornamentes haue ben cast to for to lyght and augment the oracyon / and to gyue it a maiestie.

¶ The places out of whome are founde argumentes for the prouynge or impro- uynge of compounde Themes / are these folowynge.

[B.i.v]

Diffinicion lyke Cause contrary Partes

OF the places of argumen- tes shall be spoken hereaf- ter. For as touchynge the[m] in all thynges the Rheto- rician & Logician do agre. But as concernynge the crafte to fourme argumentes whan thou hast fou[n]de them in theyr places / that must be lerned of the Logician / where he trea- teth of the fourme of sillogismes / enthime[-] mes and inductions.

¶ Of an oracion demonstratiue.

THe vse of an oracion demon- stratiue is i[n] praise or dispraise / whiche kynde or maner of ora- cion was greatly vsed somtyme in comon accions / as dothe declare the oracions of Demosthenes / and also many of Thucidi- des oracions. And there ben thre maners of oracions demonstratiue.

¶ The fyrst conteyneth the prayse or dys- [B.ii.r] prayse of persones. As yf a man wolde prayse the kynges hyghnes / or dysprayse some yll persone / it must be done by an ora[-] cion demonstratiue. The seconde kynde of an oracion demonstratiue is: where in is praysed or dyspraysed / nat the persone but the dede. As if a thefe put hym selfe in ieo- p[ar]dy for the safegarde of a true ma[n] / against other theues and murderers / the p[er]son can nat be praysed for his vicious lyuyng / but yet the dede is worthy to be commended. Or if one shulde speake of Peters denyeng of Christ / he hath nothyng to disprayse y^e person saue onely for this dede. The thyrd kynde is: wherin is lauded or blamed no- ther person nor dede / but some other thing as vertue / vice / iustice / iniurie / charite / en- uie / pacience / wrathe / and suche lyke.

¶ Partes of an Oracion.

¶ The partes of an oracion prescribed of Rhetoriciens are these.

¶ The Preamble or exorden. ¶ The tale or narracion. ¶ The prouynge of the matter or conten- cion. ¶ The conclusion.

[B.ii.v]

¶ Of the whiche partes mencyon shall be made herafter in euery kynde of oracions / for they are nat founde generally in euery oracion / but some haue moo partes / and some lesse.

¶ Of the Preamble.

GEnerally the Preamble nat alonly in an oracion demonstratiue / but al- so in the other two is conteyned and must be fetched out of thre places / that is to say of beneuolence / attencion / & to make the mater easy to be knowen / whiche the Rhetoricians call Docilite.