The rule of reason, conteinyng the arte of logique, set forth in Englishe, by Thomas Vuilson

¶Crocodilites.

CRocodilites, is suche a kynde of subtiltie that when we haue graunted a thyng to our aduer∣sarie beyng as••ed before what we will say: the same turneth to our harme af∣terward: and causeth an inconueniēce thervpō to ensew. Authours do feigne that the Crocodile beyng a monster in Egypt did take a womans childe from her, and spake with the mother in this wise: Womā I wil geue the thy child again, if thou wilt saye truth to me, & tel me assuredly, whether I will geue the thy childe againe or no? She aun∣swered, I knowe assuredly thou wilt not geue me my childe again, and ther∣fore it is reason I haue my child again because I haue said truth. Nay, saied the Crocodile, I wil not geue the thy childe again because thou maist be seen to haue said truth, lesse that yf I geue the thy child again, thou shouldst haue made a lie: neither yet woulde I haue giuen the thy child again, if thou hadst ••aid otherwise, because thē thou hadst not said truth. And hereof this Argu∣ment

hath his name, called Crocodi∣lites. Notwithstandyng Luciane tel∣leth this tale after an oth••r sort, & ma∣keth Chris••ppus to aske an other man what he would saie, in case he shoulde be asked such a question of the Croco∣dile, as I haue before rehersed.