A booke called the Foundacion of Rhetorike Part 15
cion. Thusidides speakyng, in the commendacion of famous men sheweth: as concernyng the fame of n.o.ble men, whose [Sidenote: The enuious manne.]
vertue farre surmounteth the[m], and pa.s.seth al other. Thenui- ous man seketh to depraue, the worthinesse of fame in other, [Sidenote: The igno- raunte.]
his bragging nature with fame of praise, not decorated. The ignoraunte and simple nature, accordyng to his knowlege, iudgeth all singularitee, and tempereth by his owne actes the praise of other. But the fame of these twoo Oratours, nei- ther the enuious nature can diminishe their praise, nor the ignoraunt be of them a arbitrator or iudge, so worthely hath all ages raised fame, and commendacion of their vertues.
-- Of their countree.
[Fol. xlvij.v]
IN Grece Demosthenes, the famous Oratour of A- thenes was borne, whose Countree or Citee, lacketh no co[m]mendacion: either for the n.o.bilitee of the lande, or glorie of the people. What nacion vnder the Sunne, hath not heard of that mightie Monarchie of Grece: of their migh- tie citees, and pollitike gouernaunce. What famous Poetes how many n.o.ble Philosophers and Oratours, hath Grece brede. What science and arte, hath not flowne from Grece, so that for the worthinesse of it, it maie bee called the mother of all learnyng. Roome also, in whom Tullie was brought vp, maie contende in all n.o.bilitee, whose power and puisant glorie, by n.o.bilitee of actes, rose to that mightie hed. In bothe soche excellencie is founde, as that no nacion might better contende, of their singularitee and honour of countree, then Grece and Rome: yet first from the Grekes, the light of Phi- losophie, and the aboundant knowledge of all artes, sprange to the Romaines, from the Grecians. The G.o.dlie Lawes, wherewith the Romaine Empire was decorated and gouer- ned, was brought from the Grecians. If the citee maie bee a honour and glorie, to these twoo Oratours, or their Citees a singuler commendacion, there wanteth in bothe, neither ho- nour, or n.o.bilitee.
-- Of their auncestours, and parentes.
BOthe Demosthenes and Tullie were borne, of ve- rie meane parentes and auncestours: yet thei tho- rowe their learnyng and vertues, became famous, ascendyng to all n.o.bilitee. Of their vertues and learnyng, not of their auncestours, n.o.bilitee rose to them.
-- Of the educacion.
THE singuler vertues of theim bothe, appered euen in their tender youth: wherupon thei being brought vp, in all G.o.dlie learnyng and n.o.ble Sciences, thei became moste n.o.ble Oratours, and by their copious Elo- quence, counsaile, and wisedom, aspired to n.o.bilitee & honor.
-- Of their scholyng.
[Fol. xlviij.r]
BOthe were taught of the mouthe of the best learned, Demosthenes of Iseus, a man moste Eloquent: Ci- cero of Philo and Milo, famous in wisedome and Eloquence.
-- Of their exercise.
CIcero did exercise hymself verie moche, to declaime, bothe in Greke and Latine, with Marcus Piso, and with Quintus Pampeius. Demosthenes wanted not industrie and labour, to attain to that singularitee, whi- che he had, bothe in Eloquence, and p.r.o.nounciacion.
-- Of the giftes of their minde.
IN bothe, integritee, humanitee, magnanimitee, and all vertue flowed: at what time as Demosthe- nes was commaunded of the Athenians, to frame a accusacion, againste a certaine man, Demosthe- nes refused the acte. But when the people, and the whole mult.i.tude, were wrothe with hym, and made a exclamacion against hym, as their maner was. Then Demosthenes rose, and saied: O ye men of Athenes, againste my will, you haue me a counsailer, or pleater of causes before you: but as for a accuser, & calumniator, no, not although ye would. Of this sorte Tullie was affected, excepte it were onely in the saue- gard of his conutree: as against Catiline, bothe were of G.o.d- lie, and of vpright conuersacion, altogether in Mediocrite, and a newe leadyng their life.
-- Of their actes.
DEmosthenes and Tullie bothe, gaue them selues to trauail, in the causes and affaires of their com- mon wealthe, to the preseruacion of it. How ve- hemently did Demosthenes pleate, and ingeni- ouslie handle the cause of all his countree, against Philip, for the defence of their libertee: whereupon he gatte fame, and greate glory. Whereby not onely, he was coumpted a great wise counsailour: but one of a valiaunte stomacke, at whose [Fol. xlviij.v]
[Sidenote: Darius.
Philip.
Demosthe- nes.]
wisedome, all Grece stode in admiracion. The kyng of Per- sia, laboured to enter fauour with him. Philip the king of the Macedonians, would saie often tymes, he had to doe against a famous man, notyng Demosthenes. Tullie also by his E- loquence and wisedome, saued Roome and all partes of that dominion, from greate daungers.
-- Of their aucthoritee.
THeir aucthoritee and dignitee was equalle, in the common wealthe: For, at their twoo mouthes, Roome and Athenes was vpholed. Demosthenes was chief in fauour with Caretes, Diophetes, Le[-]
ostines, Cicero with Pompei: Iulius Cesar, ascending to the chief seate and dignitee of the Consulship.
-- Of a like fall that happened to them, before their death.
YOu can not finde soche twoo Orators, who borne of meane & poore parentes, that attained so greate honour, who also did obiecte themselues to tyran- tes a like, thei had losse of their children a like, bothe were out of their countree banished men, their returne was with honour, bothe also fliyng, happened into the han- des of their enemies.
-- Of their death.
[Sidenote: Antipater.
Demosthe- nes.
Archias.
Marcus Antonius.
Tullie.]
BOthe a like, Demosthenes and Tully wer put to death, Demosthenes died, Antipater gouernyng by the handes of Archias. Cicero died by the com- maundement of Marcus Antonius: by Herenius his hedde was cutte of, and sette in Marcus Antonius halle.
His handes also were cutte of, with the whiche he wrote the vehement Oracions against Marcus Antonius.
-- The conclusion.
TO speake as moche as maie bee saied, in the praise of theim: their praise would rise to a mightie volume, but this is sufficiente.
[Fol. xlix.r]
-- _Ethopoeia._
_Ethopoeia_ is a certaine Oracion made by voice, and la- mentable imitacion, vpon the state of any one.
This imitacion is in { _Eidolopoeia._ } iij. sortes, either it is. { _Prosopopoeia._ } { _Ethopoeia._ }
That parte, whiche is called _Ethopoeia_ is that, whiche hath the persone knowne: but onely it doeth faigne the ma- ners of thesame, and imitate in a Oracion thesame.
_Ethopoeia_ is called of Priscia.n.u.s, a certaine talkyng to of any one, or a imitacio[n] of talke referred to the maners, apt- ly of any certaine knowen persone.
Quintilia.n.u.s saieth, that _Ethopoeia_ is a imitacion of o- ther meane maners: whom the Grekes dooe calle, not onelie _Ethopoeia_, but _mimesis_, & this is in the maners, and the fact.
This parte is as it were, a liuely expression of the maner and affeccion of any thyng, whereupon it hath his name.
The _Ethopoeia_ is in three sortes.
The firste, a imitacion pa.s.siue, whiche expresseth the af- fection, to whom it parteineth: whiche altogether expresseth the mocion of the mynde, as what patheticall and dolefull o- racion, Hecuba the quene made, the citee of Troie destroied, her housbande, her children slaine.
The second is called a morall imitacio[n], the whiche doeth set forthe onely, the maners of any one.
The thirde is a mixt, the whiche setteth forthe, bothe the maners and the affection, as how, and after what sorte, A- chilles spake vpon Patroclus, he beyng dedde, when for his sake, he determined to fight: the determinacion of hym she- weth the maner. The frende slaine, the affection.