The English Secretary; or, Methode of Writing Epistles and Letters (1599) With, a Declaration of Such Tropes, Figures, and Schemes, as Either Usually or for Ornament Sake Are Therein Required

Part 18

Chapter 183,972 wordsPublic domain

Good Mistresse E. I am bolde though a straunger, to make these Letters, messengers at this present of my good meaning towards you, wherein you may please to thinke that I goe not about by pretence of a most entire and heartie good will which I professe to beare you, to make present surmise thereupon, that on so bare an assertion you should immediately credite me, I prise your worthinesse at farre greater value, and weigh your good allowance so much, as I onelie desire, that by your fauorable liking I may intreate to haue accesse vnto you, not doubting but by my being in your presence, I shall so sufficientlie by apparant proofe maintaine the efficacie of that I now protest, and giue you so good occasion to deeme well of mee, as you shall haue no reason to repent you, that vpon so honest and louing request you haue condiscended to my entreatie. Whose health and prosperitie tendering in all things as mine owne, I sende you with my Letter a token of that great affection I beare you, which I most heartilie praie you to accept of, and weare for mee. And euen so doe continue.

Yours, if so you please to accept of me, &c.

_An answere to the first of these Epistles._

That men haue skill, and are by sundrie commendable partes enabled to set foorth their meaning, there needeth, as I thinke no other testimonie then your presente writing, your eloquence is farre beyonde the reach of my poore witte, and the multiplicitie of your praises fitter for a Poeticall Goddesse, then to the erection of anie such earthlie Deesse. For my parte, I houlde them as the fancies and toies of men, issuing from the weakest of their humours, and howe farre my selfe can deserue, none then my selfe can better conceiue. Beeing one of good sorte, as you are, I coulde doe no lesse then write againe vnto you, the rather to satisfie the importunitie of your messenger, wishing such a one to your lot as wel might paragonize those excellencies your write of, and answere euerie waie vnto the substaunce of all those inestimable prayses. So hauing, your loue and your writing, might (as I take it) bee best suted togethers.

Yours, as far as modesty will, to aun- swere your curtesies, &c

_A replie to the same answere._

Gracious obiect of my pleasing thoughtes, and mistresse of all my inwarde happines, sweete were the lines you wrote, God wot vnto mee your seruant howe comfortable, and how precious, knowing that their premeditation had issue from those your peerlesse excellencies, & the touch of those letters passed the guidance of your delicat hands, how sharp or powerful soeuer be the weight of the same, the lesse shall be the griefe, in that she whom I honour and estimate aboue all others, hath vouchsafed to wish vnto my lot, y accōplishmēt of all those excellencies, which none but her self can paragonize, and wherein she onelie goeth beyond all others. Vouchsafe (sweete Mistris) that what vnto you is intended to bee pleasing, may not seeme disgraced, by the ornamente of _Eloquence_, the Soueraigne and praise-woorthie _Glorie_ whereof, beautifieth both speeches and reasons. Too dulle are my senses (I confesse) to blaze foorth the weight of your merites, your accomplishmentes beeing so manifold, as whereout (if euer anie earthlie Deesse by anie excellencie were deriued) the same might bee thought to haue alonlie proceeded. You may please of my loue to deeme as of your owne deseuinges the foundation whereof cannot bee so slender, as whereon so weake a thinge as fancie shoulde bee grounded. But as your _vertues_ are permanent, so may you iudge of my loue to be perpetuall. Let it once more accord with your curteous consent, that these letters with the first may haue the like fauourable acceptaunce, whereby you shall kindle in mee no other or greater presumption, then what best fitteth vnto the woorthinesse both of your _vertue_ and calling. With heartes longing and sighes sending, my Letters, and well wishinges speede them togethers, crauing that you will euer holde and deeme of me, as of him that in all protested faith, loue and loyaltie, is and will bee alwaies.

Yours, &c.

_An answere vnto the second Letter._

Sir, your message is vnto mee as strange as your selfe, who are vnto me a stranger, & what your good meaning vnto me is, I knowe not, for giuing of hastie credite to your assertions, as you seem not to chalenge it, so was I neuer hetherto of my self so hastie to do it, hauing eftsoones bene taught, that of fairest speaches ensueth often the fowlest actions: I cannot condemne your purpose, because I entende the best of your dealings, and howbeit I am in no point so restrained, but that in all reasonable sort that may be, anie accesse may be granted: so when you shall by further notice sufficientlie make apparant that with modestie I may doe it, I shall bee willing so farre foorth as my yeares and present beeing, may minister occasion, in anie thankfull requitall that may bee to yeelde my selfe vnto you. Till which time I returne your token againe and my hartie thankes vnto you by this bearer.

Your friend as one vnacquainted hetherto may be, &c.

THE SECOND PART OF the English Secretorie.

_Of Epistles Iudiciall. Chap 1._

=As I haue already exampled vnto you all sortes of |Epistles|, contained vnder the two titles of |Demonstratiue|, and |Deliberatiue|: So by the order and disposition formerlie vsed, it behooueth (as nexte in course) I doe nowe come vnto the title |Iudiciall|. Why this title is so called, I haue in that other booke alreadie deliuered. So that nowe it may séeme fit, that herein as in the other twaine before going, we deliberate what order and places for the well handling and proper conueyance of |Epistles|, are principallie to be obserued.=

=You shall then vnderstand, that for so much as the efficacie of this title is wholie caried in cause of |Accusation|, |Inuectiue|, |Charge|, or |defence|, the matters whereof are wholie censured by lawe, by common reputation, by custome, by authoritie or by iudgement, the |Rhetoricians|, for the more excellent setting foorth of the |Oratoriec| partes hereof, haue vnto the generalitie of the same, allotted thrée states or principall heades, whereout by imitation, all our |Epistles| vnder this title are wholie to be caried. The first is called |Coniecturall|, that is, where a matter by coniecture onlie of time, place, estate, or condition of the person, or other likelihoodes to the same agréeing, may be supposed or enforced.=

=The second is |Iuridicial|, wherein not by coniecture, but by matter in action, sentence, lawe, or iudgemente, wee aggrauate the cause in question, in which remaineth the qualitie, circumstance, or greatnes to be decided, and howe vehementlie or slenderlie it hurteth or importeth.=

=The efficacie of either of these, aswell for inforcementes, as for clearing or auoydance of anie matter do séeme to be drawne, _per locos absolutes_, places absolute, and _locos assumptiuos_, places assumptiue.=

=_Loci assumptiui_, are only collections by coniecture, and not matter in certainty, but such as may be vrged by likelihoods yet greatly enforce to accusation, and serue alike to mitigate by defence or excusing, this to the state |Coniecturall|, and this of Juridiciall doe remaine alike common.=

=Thus haue I largelie deliuered vnto you, the sum and scope of what in speciall to be intended vnder this title, the vse and more particular shew whereof shall bee by their seuerall Epistles more amplie explaned vnto you. And howbeit I could here a little dwel by some continued discourse, in the commendable aduancement vnto you of the woorthinesse of this present part we haue now in hand of well writing, wherein not onelie these places alreadie remembred, but in a manner all other partes of the |Deliberatiue| and |Demonstratiue| kinde are most plentifullie accited: Yet will I but remember vnto you howe effectuallie by the well handling of anie the particulars therunto belonging, and howe farre more singularlie then in anie others, the excellencie of a good witte and a quicke, and fine inuention is most fullie deciphered, feeling that in the occurrents heereof, the writer is neuer tyed to anie one course in particular, but hath scope to wade into all things in generall.=

=For that by the verie order of these Epistles, hee shall sundrie times haue occasion to vse the partes |Descriptorie, Laudatorie, Vituperatorie, Hortatorie, Swasorie, Disswasorie, Petitorie, Monitorie, Conciliatorie, Reprehensorie|, and at many times diuers or the most part of them altogithers. Wherefore leauing any further respect hereof, vnto the ready conceite of such as thereunto may bee enabled, we will proceed vnto the rest.=

=The partes for |Disposition| required in these Epistles, are as in the others before going, that is to saie: |Exordium, Narratio|, or _Propositio_, _Confirmatio_, _Confutatio_, and _Peroratio_.=

=The first of the distinctions vnder this part Iudiciall to be prosecuted, appeareth to be |Accusatorie|, which either simplie by coniectures, or by matter of knowne or verily supposed troth, as you haue before remembred, or both wayes at once, may bee conueyed. Whereof the first in sequence which I will deliuer vnto you for example, shall be in the state coniecturall, which being framed to be questionable betwéene a Merchant and his seruant, falleth out in sort following to be performed.=

_An example of an Epistle Accusatorie in the state Coniecturall, from a merchant to the father of his seruant._

[Sidenote: _Exordium._]

Sir, you will perchaunce maruell to see the sudden accesse of these my letters vnto you, togither with the hastie repaire of my man, (such as heretofore hath not beene accustomed betweene you and me, sithence our formost acquaintance) but to stay that doubt, and to enforme you at large, what vrgent occasion I haue so to doe, it may please you with as little discontentment as may bee, to giue your selfe to the view of these Letters, and thereupon to censure on my behalfe the matter of the same accordinglie.

[Sidenote: _Narratiō._]

Your sonne sir, who nowe these three yeares passed to your good lyking hath continued in my seruice, and whome your selfe doe verie well knowe, that for the reputation of his parentes and friendes, I alwayes for the most part haue entertayned with especiall trust and regarde, beeing this last Summer returned out of Barbarie, with an aduenture in a shippe of mine owne, I did vpon great choyce, immediatelie after his account deliuered, place in the ouersight, disposition and rule of all my whole goodes, stocke, and Merchandise. And in expectation and assurance of his especiall and more then ordinarie care and good behauiour therein, did about September last (vppon a iourney which I had to the North partes with diuerse of my nearest friendes, whereby I was compelled to bee foorth by the space of two Monethes) commit vnto his like credites, the custodie of diuers summes of money alreadie receyued, as also the collection and further receyte of sundrie other paymentes of great waight, at the dayes and times wherein they were payable, by him to my vse to bee reserued and layde vp, sithence which, by what sinister humour I knowe not, nor by what vntoward conceit can I yet imagine, in the time of my absence, and a little before my returne homewards, hee is gone away, no man knoweth whither. Vpon the newes whereof being greatly aflighted, I haste to his counting house, search his bookes of receits and paiments, and there withall breake open his deske and coffers, in which after all reckoninges fullie perused and considered of, I find my selfe to bee backewards of diuers allowances, the certainty whereof I cannot yet determine, but the greatnesse by the likelihoode, is verie vehemently to be suspected, by reason that in this sort, without anie other occasion he is fled, and from so great a charge without knowledge of anie one about me, so suddenly departed.

What presumptions I haue, and those verie large, by such kinde of dealing, whereby I may iustly burthen him, you may heereby coniecture, as first his disposition, giuen (as sithence hath verie crediblie bin reported vnto me) to be verie prodigall, & of most excessiue expence, then the occasion offered by such immoderate confidence in him reposed: next, the vncontrolled rule hee bare throughout all my dealings: lastlie the time and secrecie of his departure, beeing thus hasted in mine absence, and here withall some such things which are missing, as whereof none were priuie but himselfe, and whereunto no accesse could bee without himselfe. Insomuch as the losse which I reckon of, and wherefro I can yet finde no release, by reason of this his vnknowne departure, cannot (for ought I hitherto perceiue) amount to so little as CC.li.

By some fewe that since his going away haue encountred with him, it appeareth, that not onelie he is well monied, but also of his iourneying Westward, whereby I am led to thinke his resort to be no way so likelie, as to you which are his father, or to some other his friends there about you. For which cause I haue directed these togither with my man, as well to referre vnto your consideration what hath passed, as also to pray that by your due search and examination of the action, both his person may be answered, and my suspition of him the better and more manifestly be cleared: and euen so recommending my selfe and cause to the furtherance of your good direction, I take my leaue. This of, &c.

=This letter hauing direction from the maister to the father, in seeming a Gentleman of some good account, we will according thereunto frame you an answer, which in this place according to the nature thereof may be tearmed |Excusatorie|. The conueiance of which, either lesseneth by vehement likelihoods the qualitie of the offence, or otherwise (though not clearlie auoydeth) yet by the naked truth or simplicitie of the action it selfe, maketh it seeme of farre more slender moment or importance, then before it might haue béene coniectured. And forasmuch as the father was a by partie to the wrong suggested, and onely in that it was his son, and the reformation of the thing opposed, might by him in some sort bee redressed or recompenced, wee will suppose herein the Letter in forme following by him to be answered, and the residue vnspoken of to be left to the purgation or defence of the other on whome the fault is charged, and to whome in particular, it belongeth to sée the same answered.=

_An example excusatorie returned to the effects of this coniectural epistle, from the father to whome the same was written._

Maister R. I haue receyued your Letter, to no small griefe (at the first) of my priuate conceyts, but sithence hauing examined the matter am somewhat deliuered of doubt, by the satisfaction that in search of the cause I haue alreadie receyued. My sonne (as you write) was here in the Countrey, at my brothers house, not farre from mine owne dwelling, and yet so newlie come thither, as he had reposed himselfe but one night ere the sight of your present Letters and messenger were arriued.

To the action wherewith you do charge him, I can say nothing more then that himselfe hath written, which agreeing with the formost speech, and first examination had by his Vncle, I must hold as yet vndetermined till I heare your further answer. For the coniectures you haue deliuered, whereby to induce that you are a greater looser by him then without further grounde I can hitherto imagine. I aunswere thus much, that the alteration were verie strange, and humour too sudden, to finde him now so lauish, whom before time your selfe haue commended to bee so frugall, and especiallie in whatsoeuer to his charge and gouernment hath by you beene committed.

To the residue I will be silent, because himselfe that first bredde the occasion appeareth meetest to answere it.

If I heare not from you before the middle of this tearme, my intent is by Gods grace to bee at London, where your apprentice and my sonne shall be in person forth comming vnto you. At which time if I find farther defects, or more equitie to charge him, contrarying to that which alreadie haue bin answered by him, he shal not be mine by anie his ill dealings to be vpholden, but yours as belongeth in any sort you like to chastise him. And euen so recommending my selfe heartilie vnto you, I do bid you farewell. This of, &c.

_An example Purgatorie from the partie chalenged in answer of the Epistle accusatorie before remembred._

[Sidenote: _Narratiō._]

It may please you sir, on Munday last, beeing the next day after my comming to my Vncles, he sending to T. to my fathers house to vnderstand his pleasure, worde was returned immediatelie, of a messenger and letters receyued from you, whereby it was my fathers pleasure to commaund me to his presence, and to require mine vncle to be there present also in companie.

[Sidenote: _Prosonomasia._]

At my comming thither, many things were laid forth as wel by your writing, as by the mouth of your man, how grieuouslie you were damaged both by diuers summes wherein you were short in reckoning, and other thinges by you missing, vppon my running away (as you tearme it) the muchnesse whereof was not so much enlarged by your letter, as the ouerlauish deliuerie of your man had to the great encrease of ill opinion in my father, with diuers vnbeseeming tearmes, augmented the same.

And nowithstanding I had in mine own conscience sufficientlie, and with sound appearing trueth to the viewe of others answered the occasion, yet forasmuch as neither seemed the same a full satisfaction to my father, nor a matter clearlye auoided towardes you, till in your plaine and certain notice, I had also confirmed the same, I was commaunded by him to write what I there affirmed, and accordinglie to aduertize you of the state of your busines, and inualidity of your coniectures, that by the verity thereof I might with more liking be reputed of, and himselfe haue lesse cause then he supposed whereat to be grieued.

To the matter of your letter, whereby I am accused, and in which you saie you are backward I knowe not in what, it appeareth that for the finding out of the certaintie or likelihoode thereof you entred vpon my desk and coffers, and searched my books of account and payments, which beeing so, if you were as circumspect in my behalfe, as you were in a rash surmize of your own harmes, you might haue assured yourselfe, for to haue found no one penie of any summe wanting at all, or where any was missing, either by exchange at your own appointment, or vpon other good occasions to haue also seene howe the same was bestowed, or where, or vpon what it was els where imploied.

[Sidenote: _Metonimia._]

For your better assurance wherein (if hitherto you vnderstande not so much) my boxe marked with this letter A. lying in the neather parte of my deske, will confirme the same. And least I might be deceiued in ought, before your comming, by the sinister practise of some such as had more enuie at my honest credite with you, than care of your good (whereof I mistake not at all, if I iudge this _viper_ to be one) I not onelie reserued notes of euerie thing, caused one whome you will beleeue (though to what purpose I protest hee then knewe not) not onelie to tell euerie summe of money remaining in euerie bagge, and to see the same sealed vp, but also to set his hand to my notes, as witnesse to the same, so much I knowe I lefte, and of the residue the declaration of a trueth shall bee witnesse sufficient of mine owne fidelitie.

Finallie, touching the likelihood of my going awaie without knowledge, and that also in your absence, to bee a token of some waste or wrōg to you offered, which you value not to be so litle as CC. poūds, I trust sir (albeit the sum be great where little remaineth, and if also it were lesse, it were yet too much to bee lost) your selfe notwithstanding can tell verie well, that more then once I haue bin credited with ten times the value of that at your handes, when by great similitude, I could with more facilitie haue benefited my selfe to a farre greater value, if I had bin so disposed, then what herein to be accompted of, and (if so I had beene then also minded) coulde haue been therewith farther out of your reach then euer I yet entended. And where you suggest that it is sithence told you of my lauish expence, I can thereunto say nothing more then euerie one knoweth, that trulie will speake of me, and so you find not the hindrance in your owne accompte. I trust you will beare equallie what in others opinions maie bee construed of reasonablie.