A booke called the Foundacion of rhetorike because all other partes of rhetorike are grounded thereupon, euery parte sette forthe in an oracion vpon questions, verie profitable to bee knowen and redde: made by Richard Rainolde Maister of Arte, of the Uniuersitie of Cambridge. 1563.

¶ The praise.

THis Oratour Isocrates, was an Athenian borne, who florished in the time of Lusimachus the chief * 1.1 gouernor of Athens: this Isocrates was brought vp in all excellēcte of learning, with the moste fa∣mous and excellent Oratour Prodicus, Gorgias Leontinus * 1.2 indued him with all singularitie of learnyng and eloquence. The eloquēce of Isocrates was so famous, that Aristotle the chief Pholosopher, enuied his vertue & praise therin: Demo∣sthenes also, who emong the Grecians chieflie excelled, lear∣ned his eloquence, of the Oracions whiche Isocrates wrote, * 1.3 to many mightie and puisaunt princes and kinges, do shewe his wisedome, & copious eloquēce, as to Demonicus the king to Nicocles, Euagoras, against Philip the king of the Mace∣doniās, by his wisedome and counsaill, the Senate and vni∣uersal state of Athens was ruled, & the commons and multi∣tude thereby in euery part florished: chieflie what counsaill, what wisedome, what learnyng might bee required, in any man of high fame and excellencie: that same was aboundant¦ly in Isocrates, as in all his Oratiōs he is to be praised, so in this sentence, his fame importeth like commendacion.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Lusimachus
• * 1.2

  Prodicus. Gorgias Le∣ontinus.
• * 1.3

  Demosthe∣nes learned eloquence of Isocrates.