The arte of rhetorique for the vse of all suche as are studious of eloquence, sette forth in English, by Thomas Wilson.

¶An example of commendyng a noble personage.

BEtter or more wisely can none do, then thei which neuer bestowe praise, but vpon those that best de∣serue praise, rather myndyng discretly, what thei ought to dooe, then vainly deuisyng what thei best can doo, sekyng rather to praise menue, suche as are founde worthy, then curiously findyng meanes to praise matters, suche as neuer wer in any. For thei which speake otherwise then truthe is, mynd not the commendacion of the perso••e, but the settyng furthe of their awne learnyng. As Gorgi∣as in Plato, praisyng vnrighteousnes, Heliogabalus O∣ratours, commendyng whoredome, Phauorinus the Phi∣losophier, extollyng the feuer Quartaine, thought not to speake as the cause required, but would so muche saie as their wit would geue, not weighyng the state of the cause, but myndyng the want of their brain, lookyng how muche could be said, not passyng how litle should be saied. But I bothe knowyng the might of Gods hand, for suche as loue fables, and the shame that in yearth redoundeth to euil re∣••orters, will not commende that or those, whiche neede no good praise, but will commende them, that no man iust∣ly can dispraise, nor yet any one is well able worthely to

praise. Their towardnes was suche, & their giftes so great, that I know none whiche loue learnyng, but hath sorowed the lacke of their beeyng, and I knowe that the onely na∣myng of theim, will stirre honest hartes, to speake well of them. I will speake of twoo brethren, that lately departed, the one Henry Duke of Suffolke, and the other Lorde Charles his brother, whom God thinkyng ••••eter for hea∣uen, then to liue here vpon yearth, toke from vs in his an∣ger, for the betteryng of our doynges, and amendement of our euill liuyng. These twoo gentlemen were borne in noble England, bothe by father and mother, of an high pa∣rentage. The father called Duke Charles, by mariage be∣yng brother, to the worthy kyng of famous memorie, Hēry theight, was in suche fauour, and did suche seruice, that all Englaude at this houre, doeth finde his lacke, and Fraunce yet doth fele, that suche a duke there was, whom in his life tyme, the godly, loued: the euil, feared: the wise men, hono∣red for his wit, and the simple, vsed alwaies for their coun∣saill. Their mother, of birthe noble, and witte great, of na∣ture gētle, and mercifull to the poore, and to the godly, and especially to the learned, an earnest good patronesse, and moste helpyng Lady aboue all other. In their youthe their father died, the eldest of thē beyng not past .ix. yeres of age. After whose death, their mother knowyng, that welth with¦out wit, is like a sworde in a naked mannes hand, & assured∣ly certain, that knowlege would confirme iudgemēt, proui∣ded so for their bringyng vp, in al vertue and learnyng, that ij. like were not to be had, within this realme again. When thei begā bothe, to wa••e somewhat in yeres, beyng in their primetide, & spryng of their age, thelder waityng of the kyn∣ges maiestie that now is, was generally well estemed, and sucheh ope was conceiued of his towardnes, both for lear∣nyng, and al other thinges, that fewe wer like vnto hym in al the courte. The other kepyng his boke, emong the Cam∣brige men, profited (as thei all well knowe) bothe in vertue and learnyng, to their greate admiracion. For the Greke, the Latine, and the Italian, I knowe he could dooe more, then would be thought true by my report. I leaue to speke

of his skill in pleasaunt instrumentes, neither will I vt∣ter his aptnes in Musike, & his toward nature, to all exer∣cises of the body. But his elder brother in this tyme (besi∣des his other giftes of the mynde, whiche passed all oth••r, and were almoste incredible) folowyng his fathers nature was so delited with ridyng, and runnyng in armour vpon horsebacke, and was so comely for that feacte, and could do so well in chargyng his staffe, beyng but .xiiij. yeres of age, that menne of warre, euen at this houre, mone muche the want of suche a worthy gentleman. Yea, the Frenche men that first wondered at his learnyng, when he was there e∣mong theim, and made a notable Oracion in Latine: were muche more astonied whē thei saw his comely ridyng, and litle thought to finde these twoo ornamentes, ioyned bothe in one, his yeres especially beyng so tender, and his practise of so small tyme. Afterward commyng from the courte, as one that was desierous to be emong the learned, he laie in Cambrige together with his brother, where thei bothe so profited, and so gently vsed themselfes, that all Cambr••ge did reuerence, bothe hym and his brother, as two iewelles sent frō God. Thelders nature was suche, that he thought hymself best, when he was emong the wisest, and yet con∣tempned none, but thankefully vsed all, gentle in behauor without childishenes; stoute of stomacke without al pride, bold with all warenesse, and frendly with good aduisemēt. The yonger beeyng not so ripe in yeres, was not so graue in looke, rather chereful, then sad: rather quicke, then aun∣cient: but yet if his brother were sette a side, not one that went beyonde hym. A childe that by his awne inclinacion, so muche yelded to his ruler, as fewe by chastement haue doen the like, pleasaunt of speeche, prompte of witte, sti∣ryng by nature, hault without hate, kynde without crafte, liberall of harte, gentle in behauiour, forward in all thyn∣ges, gredy of learnyng, and lothe to take a foyle, in any open assembly. Thei bothe in al attemptes, sought to haue the victory, and in exercise of witte, not onely the one with the other, did ofte stande in contencion, but also thei bothe would matche with the best, and thought themselfes moste

happie, when thei might haue any iust occasion, to put their wittes in triall. And now when this grene fruicte began to waxe ripe, and all menne lo••ged to haue tast, of suche their greate forwardnesse: God preuentyng mannes expectacion, toke theim bothe aboute one houre, and in so shorte tyme, that first thei wer knowen to be dedde, or any abrode could tell thei were sicke. I neede not to reherse, what bothe thei spake, before their departure (cōsideryng, I haue seuerally written, bothe in Latine and in Englishe, of thesame mat∣ter) neither will I heape here so muche together as I can, because I should rather renewe greate sorowe to many, then do moste men any great good, who loued them so well generally, that fewe for a greate space after, spake of these twoo gentle menne, but thei shewed teares, with the onely vtteraunce of their wordes, and some through ouer muche sorowyng, wer fain to forbeare speakyng. God graūt vs al¦so to liue, that the good men of this world, may be alwaies lothe to forsake vs, and God maie still be glad to haue vs, as no doubt the••e twoo children so died, as all men should wishe to liue, and so thei liued bothe, as al should wishe to die. Seyng therfore these two wer suche, bothe for birthe, nature, and all other giftes of grace, that the like are har∣dely founde behynde theim: let vs so speake of theim, that our good report maie warne vs, to folowe their godly na∣tures, and that lastly, wee maie enioye that enheritaunce, whereunto God hath prepared thē and vs (that feare him) from the beginnyng. Amen.

The partes of an Oracion, made in praise of a manne.

• The Enteraunce.
• The Narracion.
• Sometymes the confutacion.
• The Conclusion.

IF any one shall haue iust cause, to dispraise an euill man, he shall sone do it, if he can praise a good man. For (as Aristotle doeth saie) of contraries, there is one and thesame doctrine, and therefore he that can do the one, shall sone be able to do the other.

Notes

• Gorgias.
• Heliogabalus
• Phauorinus.
• Henry duke of Suffolke, and lorde Charles his brother.