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

¶Antistrephon.

ANtistrephon, is nothyng els, then to turne a mans saiyng in∣to his owne necke again, and to make that whiche he bryngeth for his owne purpose, to serue for our purpose, in Latine it may be called, In∣uersio. Aulu•• Gellius hath a notable e••ample of Pithagoras, a noble So∣phiste, & Euathus scholer to the same Pithagoras. This Euathus was a ve∣ry riche young mā, and glad to learne eloquence, and to pleade causes in the common place. This young man ther∣fore consideryng Pithagoras to bee a singular man in this behalfe, & a mete Scholemaister for his purpose, desired to be his scholer, and promised to giue him a great some of mony, for his pai∣nes,

euen asmuche as he woulde aske, and gaue him vpon agrement halfe in hāde before he learned, and couenaun∣ted their vpon that he should haue the other halfe euen the first daie that he stode at Bar••e, and by pleadyng, gotte the ouerhand in Iudgement of his ad∣uersarie. After this, when he had bene a good while Pithagoras scholer, and profited very muche in the Law, & yet notwithstāding came not to y^e Barre, but stil shifted him of•• and tracting the time (of like because he would not paie y^e residue of his mony) Pithagoras ta∣keth aduisemēt as he himself thought, very subtlely, & chargeth him with his promise, hauyng an action of debte a∣gainst him, and therefore he called him to the Lawe. Where when he had hi•• before the Iudges, he begynneth his tale in this wise.

Here I haue the nowe (saieth Pi∣thagoras) and learne, therefore folishe felowe as thou art, & marke this poinct for thy learnyng: whether the iudge∣ment be geuen with the, or against the, I shall haue my money euery grote of

it. If thou art cast in the lawe, I haue wonne by vertue of the lawe, yf thou art not cast, but gettest the ouerha••de by iudgement of the••e men, yet must I haue it neuerthelesse, because our bar∣gain was so made, when I first began to teache the. Euathus hearyng this, aunswered as ye shall heare. I coulde easely syr auoide this your croked sub∣tiltie, and be without all daunger, if I would not stand at y^e barre my self, but get some aduocate to stande for me, for by suche meanes, you could not charge me with any debte, consideryng I my selfe pleaded no cause. Notwithstan∣dyng I like it better a thousande fold, that I my self am here personally, and speake in myne owne cause: seyng that not onelie, I will get the ouerhande of you in this our matter, wherebi I shal be discharged of debt, but also euen in this argument I will turne your own wordes into your owne necke agayne, and so triumphe both waies. And ther∣fore learne you agayne as wyse as you are, and marke this poinct for your learnyng, whether the iudgement be

••euen with you, or again••t you, I shall saue my money, euerie grote of it. For if you be cast in the lawe, I haue wōne by vertue of the law, a••d so I owe you nothyng. If you be not cast, but gette the ouerhande of me, by the iudgement of these men: then according to my bar∣gain, I shal paie you nothyng, b••cause I haue not gottē the ouerhande in iud∣gement. The iudges seyng the matter so doubtefull, & so harde to determine for eyther partie: fearing to do amisse, lefte the matter rawe without iudge∣ment for that tyme, & differred the same to an other season. Thu•• ye se that the yongin•• be••ng y^e scholer, gaue his mai∣ster a bone to gnawe•• and bette hym with ••is owne rodde, whiche the mai∣ster had made for his scholars tayle.

There is in Aristophanes a wonder¦ful pretie talke, betwixt the father and the sonne, whiche serueth well for this purpose. For where as the sonne had beaten the father contrarie to al order and honestie, yet not withstandyng the sonne, thought he had as good auctho∣ritie to beate his father if he did am••sse

••s the father to beate hym. And there∣fore he sayde•• wherefore should my fa∣ther beate me? His father made auns∣were. Mary (quod he) because I loue the, and would thou shouldest do well. Mary therefore (quod the sonne) will I beate the to, because I loue the also good father, and would thou shouldest do well: and with that laide on strokes surely, tyll he made his father graunt that it was as lawfull for the sonne, to beate his father, as for the father to beate his sonne.