Now these deedes, actions or thinges are by manie Oratory partes to bee handled, or commended, according to the matters or occasions whereout their praises are deriued, and because examples are the best I might sort out diuers: as of Dauid, I coulde commend his combate against Goliah, first ab honesto, in that he being the seruant of god fought against a blasphemer, Laus ab honesto.also in his Princes quarell & defence of his countrey: ab æquo, Ab æquo.because it is meet and conuenient, that in causes so perillous, the strength of each one be applied. A necessitate,A necessitate. insomuch as thereon depended the sauegard of the Prince and people. Ab vtilitate,Ab vtiltiate. for that he killing such an enemie, brought to their owne country peace and quiet, and also draue the other part in subiection to his king and people. A difficili,A difficili. because the vndertaking thereof was so much the more waighty, by howe much himselfe was as it were an infant agaynst a mightie giant, vnarmed against him that was armed, vnfurnished against him that had al maner of complements of warre: weake, where the other was strong: besides that the terrour of his chalenge and hugenes of stature had before daunted the armie, & put them all out of conceit, in so much that the doubt was so generall, as no man dared to vndertake the quarell. Besides, herein is praised of bodily force, his Actiuitie, and courage: of Vertues, his woonderfull Magnanimitie, who by couragious desire durst to vndertake the same: also his affiance in Iustice, and equitie of the cause: His Pietie to God, his Prince and countrey: Lastly, his Fidelitie, whose life was not spared when each one drew backe for feare to be brought in hazard. And as to this action of Dauid, I haue vsed all these Oratorie parts, so in causes of sway and gouernment, a man might by the like parts and places be praised for his great wisdome, whereby in handling of some notable action in ambassage or consultation, he hath onely by graue aduise, industrie, discreete search, perswasion or circumspection, compassed weightie matters to the common weale, or thence auoyded huge and imminent dangers: Cicero in the coniuration of Catiline, beeing a mightie enemie agaynst his owne Citie of Rome, might herein be an excellent patterne, who without stirring the people at all, without any maner of bodilie resistance or force of armes, without passing by any priuate or indirect means, did by the sole matter of his wisedome, waightines of spéech, forcible reasons, enforcements, rebukes, and perswasions driue him cleane out of the Citie, and being expulsed (to the common peace, tranquilitie and surety of the same Citie) did afterwarde by like demeanour, industrie, and circumspection, so preuent his purposes, so circumuent his policies, so turne him vpside downe, as he dared not, he could not, he shamed to perpetrate what so often hee had sworne, and so many wayes intended: in which action of Ciceroes, all these Oratorie parts are in like maner included. So likewise, for some one rare & singular point of Iustice another might be extolled, as beside common expectation exercising the same. A president hereof might bee the L. chiefe Iustice of Englande in the time of King Henrie the fourth, who was so streictlie bent to the obseruation of iustice, as hauing one of the Princes seruants arraigned before him at the Kings Bench barre, for a fellon, and beeing one that the young Prince greatlie (at that time of his youth) fauoured. The prince came to the barre, and at the Iudges hands required his seruant; who answered that he was the King his fathers prisoner, and stoode there vpon his triall by lawe for his offences, that he could not in iustice, nor would (by his pardon) deliuer him without his triall. The Prince mooued with such deniall, stroke the Iudge on the face, and woulde by force haue withdrawne the prisoner. The Iudge withstoode him, and aduertising him mildlie of the offence he had done to the seate and place wherin he sate of iustice, in such sort to strike him, stoutlie commanded him to Warde, whereunto (uppon such admonition) the Prince obeyed, and accordinglie remayned in durance, attending the aduertisement and knowledge of his fathers pleasure. Here might bee a great contention, whether the worthie Iudge in his equall administration and execution of iustice, without feare, whereon stoode the hazard of his owne life, beeing vpon him that was in succession to become his soueraigne Lord, were more to be commended: or the Prince, in his subiection, and of all other most singular obedience, more highly to bee extolled: the one daring to doe what was lawfull vpon whatsoeuer hazard, the other humbling himselfe to authoritie which he might easilie haue impugned: and yet both actions such, as by many excellent Oratorie parts séeme fit to be inlarged. For no doubt there was as much vertue in the ones obedience, as there was excellency in the others sentence.
And as these, so the honor, worship, or wealth of anie man, his deedes of charitie, either in Erection, conuersion or repayring of any thing, whereby the common wealth is benefited, vertue furthered, or the néedy prouided for, might bee in like sort aduanced.
Finallie, Wisdome, Iustice, Bountie, Liberalitie, Curtesie, Chastitie, might each of them as things by themselues, & of themselues without the person of any one be alike commended. Whereof I think it néedlesse to amplifie any further, seeing by the examples hereafter set downe, the learner may sufficientlie bee enabled in whatsoeuer, for those causes he shall vndertake to proceed vpon.
An example of a laudatorie epistle soly touching the person.
THE feruent loue, and entire zeale and regarde, wherewith your L. euen in these tender and as yet vnripened yeares,Exordium, by insinuation. seemeth to pursue the vertues and honourable worthinesse of the most renowned and famous, and the reuerend account, wherewith in your most secret imaginations you haue euer admired, & as it were emulated their highest progressions: hath mooued me in recordation thereof (and the rather to deliuer vnto your L. the verye true image and liuely counterfeit indeede,Allegoria. of vnblemished honour, adorned with all princely and most surpassing noblenes) to propose vnto your view, a paragon so peerlesse, and of so rare and excellent performaunce, as whereof no hystorie hath the semblable, no region the match, nor any worlde hereafter may eftsoones be supposed to produce the like.Hyperbole. You shall not neede my L. to ransacke volumes,Procatalepsis. to search out the liues of the most honoured Scipio, amongst the Romanes, nor out of Greece to fetche Themistocles or Alcibiades from Lacedemon or Athens. Let Haniball rest with his predecessors,Epitheton. who sometimes by vnbearded fortune did honor to mightie Carthage, and (before them all) Achilles and Hector, that made the fall of Troy so famous: And come wee into our owne Countrey,Synonymia. the land wherein our selues inhabite, the soyle to vs natiue, and of all others most deerest, and see you here my L. a Prince of so rare and incomparable worthinesse, as your selfe will confesse throughout all the course of his life, to haue beene of all others the moste happie and vertuous.Anadiplosis. Edwarde, my L. young EdwardNarratiō. (so helde in his fathers life) vnder whose raigne he died in Englande, surnamed for his noted excellencie, sometymes the blacke Prince.Hypotiposis. This is hee on whome Nature, Fortune and Vertue, to the intent to yeelde some apparaunt shewe of theyr woonderfull and mightie operations, had aboue all others so especially enrichedPraise of the Prince in generall. with all kinde of wished and most exquisite perfections, as in that present season, in which the delicacie of his aspiring minde reste vnto himselfeEpitheton. the highest branch of honour from out her loftie seate of dignityMetanoia., it was denied to any other whatsoeuer, to exceede? nay, but so much as to become partaker with so rare a patterne of the like fruites of vertue and neuer dying glory. And to the ende (in rehearsing some fewe of the many particularities of such sounde and vncorrupted maiestie)Metaphora. the radiant shining beames resiant in so high a personage, may with more facilitie the sooner bee discouered: wee will first beginne with his originall and foremost infancie, that by deducing from thence his complementes of princelie excellencie, euen in the verie mouth of his entombed graue, his bones may not bee reposed without an immortall recordation, and the fame of his vertue celebrated by an endlesse memorie. Needlesse were it my L. that I shoulde tell you of this statelie Prince,Præteritiō. that hee were sonne and heire in succession, to the most mightie and most renowmed Edward the thirde, king of this noble realme of England, the most regarded vertues and inuincible chiualrie of whome, beeing then euerie where so surpassing, and of such redoubted force, as (were it not such memorable issue had sprong out of his Kingly loynes, Parenthesis. as wherewith the states of the mightie were daunted, and Europe made to woonder) might hitherto haue remained of-fame compotent ynough, to haue bene compared vnto the mightiest: but that I may rather imparte vnto you, that as golde, in the riches and glorie of it selfe,Parabola. beareth price and value with the most precious, yet hauing annexed vnto his proportion, a Diamonde of inestimable beautie, valour and goodnesse, becommeth thereby farre more excellent then before, more shining and glorious: so this soueraigne and puissant Monarch (admirable no doubt by himselfe) yet hauing thus tied vnto the sunne-shine of his happie raigne, the obscurer and eclipsing glorie of all other nations,Metapora. the verie Loadstarre and direction of all other Tropheis, the Sunne it selfe of worthinesse, and absolute concluder of euerie honourable enterprise: howe coulde it bee but that this prerogatiue of his must of force exceede, and goe beyonde all others,Antimetabole. when himselfe, by the verie chaire of honours selfe was so farre aduaunced aboue any others?Periphrasis. And albeit the high and kingly worthinesse of so statelie offspring and parentage, might no question in sundry sortes, yeelde greate and mightie glorie to the issue: yet that it might not bee alleadged that in taking vppon vs to commende the personage of one, wee shoulde intimate the soueraigntie of the other, as it were by a defect of praise sufficient, to supply the wante of our owne, and that the honourable reputation of another cannot fitly bee saide to bee this mans worthinesse, without by the braunch of his owne deserte, hee hadde in his owne proper right most effectually caried the same. Vnderstand you then of him, that which all men deeme most princely and honourable, and there is none, were it the stoutest enemie that euer liued, but will most highlie commende. This Prince, my L. who euen from the verie cradle seemed to bee addicted to the knowledge, and feare of God, and verie pietie of a sincere and Christian religion (besides that hee was naturally so well formed and instructed in good documentes as anie might bee) became in those verie tender yeares also, so apte vnto learning, as the match or like of him therein, was seldome or neuer in those dayes any where found, and in these times also may not easily bee hearde of. Insomuch as of those that then knewe him verie well, it certainely is deliuered, that beeing but the age of twelue yeares, his vnderstanding and knowledge in the Latine tongue, was so perfect, his progression in the Greeke so excellent, his skill and deliuerie of forraigne languages so woonderfull, his Princelie towardnesse in all thinges so rare and so plentiful, as many times mooued all the regarders to admire him, but founde none of all his associates in the same exercises, that were able to follow him.
Nowe if wee shall come to his riper yeares,Of his adolescence. and howe therein hee profited in the towardlie exercise and vse of armes, beeseeming a Prince of so high and exspected admiration, what coulde bee wished in anie one that in him was not fullie accomplished. So comelie, and with such vncontrouled dexteritie coulde hee sitte, ride and gouerne his horse, so couragiously, and with such nobilitie coulde hee welde and vse any weapon, either at tilte, barriers or turney, with such high and woonderfull direction, ordered hee all his complementes to either of these belonging, as did well manifest the magnanimitie and worthinesse of his minde, and what manner a one hee woulde afterwardes become toward the beautifying of his countrie. A more plaine and euident demonstration whereof, did at any one time in nothinge so much appeare as euen then, when hee was yet in his minoritie. For when there was remaining as then, no signe or token at all of manlie shewe in his face (beeing neuer the lesse of stature seemelie and tall, and of goodlie constitution in his bodie, well beseeming the yeares hee then caried) also attendante on the mightie King his father in the warres of Fraunce: what thinges did hee there perfourme?Erotema. what weightie enterprises, and those beyonde all expectation would hee vndertake, in honour of his royall progenie: was it not too straunge, that beeing in comparison of yeares, as it were a childe, deuoide of so confirmed and auncient graffed experience as beseemed the warres, hee vndertooke notwithstanding at eighteene yeares of age, with halfe his fathers power (by a most couragious desire of an euerthirsting glorie, with condition and charge either there to eternizeParenthesis. his death by an euerlasting memorie, or backe to returne againe with triumphant gained victorie) to ioine with the whole and mightie power of Fraunce, and all the Chiualrie thereof, where (to his immortall and surpassing high renowne) hee attained vppon them by the high permission of God, a most memorable Tropheie? But why dwell I in these slender discourses (small God knowes in respect of those mightie conquestesMeiosis. by him afterwards atchieued) in deteining you from the sweete and ardente remembrance of the rest?Auxesis. If he being yet sequestred in years from any ripenes at all, when it was thē to be supposed he most needed gouernmente, coulde by such stately and inuincible valour, so moderate his great and waightiest actions, as to become at that verie instant so redoubted and famous: what might we deem of him afterward, being once perfectly established in all kinde of manly directions, but that of necessity he should by manie degrees exceed and go beyond the formost shewe of all his excellencies, and the greatest expectation that might be of all his progressions? & so vndoubtedly he did. For being once attained to mans estateEpanodus.
His mans estate. hee grewe immediatly to become a Prince. sage, discreet, politike & wise, in all his actiōs of rare & singular circūspectiō and prouidence, benigne: & of all others most fauourable and courteous: fortunate, and euer inuincible in the warres, liberall to his followers, and of a high replenished bountie to euerie one, a verie Patrone and defender of innocents,His outward actions. absolutelye fauouring alwayes the right, Magnanimious as touching his estate and the high and waightie enterprises he tooke in hande, exceedinglie feared abroad, woonderfullie beloued at home,His inward vertues. mixing alwayes the enterchangeable exercise of Armes, with continuall studie of learning. Of such rare modestie and temperance as is maruellous: In so much as the King his father beeing here in England,Hypotiposis. when in the great fight of Poictiers, hee had discomfited and ouerthrowne in one day three mightie battels of the French, and taken in the last of them king Iohn and his sonne prisoners: he was not puffed vp at all with the honour of so statelie and triumphant victorie, neither grewe he insolent vpon the same, but entertayned the King and his sonne in his owne Tent so honourablie,His bounty & great humility. and therewithall with so great nobilitie and surpassing courtesie, as that hee neglected not to serue them himselfe at Supper, and seemed verely at that season in all things, to haue beene reputed in his owne intendment, as if hee had neuer beene conquerour. The shewe whereof, so much increased his incomparable bountie: and so mightilie honoured the estate of his victorie, as that the King then confessed, that to become the prisoner of such a one, it could bee no disparagement vnto so mightie a soueraigne as himselfe, seeing that hee was by the force of that onely ouerthrowe, made companion of the greatest NobilitieHis modestie. that euer hee sawe. Manie Honourable partes could I here inferre vnto you of him (infallible arguements of his incredible modestie) for long after this, when this mightie Prince had atchieued so manie and waightie honours throughout all Fraunce, as that the regard thereof made his name a terrour, and his becke a commaunde to compell theyr Soueraigntie vnto his fathers obedience: he was required by Don Petro, king of Castile, to helpe him agaynst Henrie his bastard brother, who had then expulsed him vnlawfully; and vsurped vpon his kingdome. Whereupon hauing by the couragious endeuour of him selfe, and his Knightes, and by their sole and onely prowesse, brought downe the vsurper, and driuen him cleane out of the Countrey,Parenthesis. (albeit his strength was such, and the admirable fauour of the people so greate, as might easilye haue inuited him there, to the wearing of a crowne) hee neuerthelesse of a high and noble disposition, holding itSententia. farre more honourable to make a king then to be a king, so farre foorth declared his temperance at that verie instant (not commonlie happening vnto euerie one,Parenthesis. especially in causes of a kingdome) as that hee vtterlie abstained so much as to beare an appetite or liking therunto, howbeit good occasiō was therunto ministred by the breach of Don Petro in paiment of his souldiors: but to his immortall renowne, placed and restored therin againe the true & lawful inheritour of the same setling him (according as was intended) in his crowne and kingdome. Could there my L. in any one haue appeared greater arguments of Magnanimitie, Iustice, and Temperaunce, then was remaining in this Prince?Merismus. And yet if continuall happinesse in all worldly attempts, if neuer ceasing and eternized famous victories, if the commendation and honour done vnto him of his mightiest enemies, if strength and glorie of his countrey, and honoured titles of his victorious father, if confirmed leagues of diuers mightie Princes, Confederates and Alies, if feruent and of all others the moste principall and ardent loue of his Knightes, subiects and followers, if all or anie of these might anie wayes haue induced him to the breach of eyther of these vertues, what wanted to the furtheraunce thereof, that in and vppon him, was not alwayes attendant and (as it were)Allegoria. continuallie powred. Was hee not then wedded to honour, euen in his formost Cradle? Did not Fortune immediately acknowledge him, and confesse that he was her darling? Seemed vertue euer prowde, but in his greatest perfection? Grew Fame at any time so impatient as euen then, when (as the most conuenient harbour of all her worthinesse) she sought out his dwelling? Agreed they not all with one voice to abandon the statelinesse of all others, onelie to bee resiant with him whome they helde most charie of all others?Confirmatiō. Witnesse among manie other his more then ordinarie attemptes, the three battels (then which no one thing throughout the worlde before or since became of more greater remembraunce) by him in his moste youngest yeares, so miraculouslie foughten, the one of which was at Cressay agaynst the French, when he was but eighteene yeares of age (as you haue before remembred.) the second at Poictiers, where died the King of Bohemia, and King Iohn of Fraunce became his prisoner: the thirde against the bastard Henrie, for the kingdome of Castile,Hypotiposis. where in one whole intire fight the same Henry bearing a mightie hoste, was by meere surpassing valour and moste woorthie prowesse of this Prince discomfited, and by maine force thereof expulsed his Seignorie. All which exploytes, and manie more besides, celebrating thereby his eternall prayses, when he had with greater glorie, then well may bee conceyued, furnished and finished to the aduauncement of his immortall dignitie: See death,Epiphonema. dispightfull death,Emphasis. who ioyning with the malignitie of the wicked world, hatefull alwayes to vertue, and satisfying euer to malicious enuie, bereft the vnwoorthie earth of his most worthie life. But howe? Not as falleth out to euerie common creature, deuoyde of after memorie: for why?Antipophora. the soueraigne commaunder of earth and skyes, allowed it otherwise: neither beseemeth such stately patternes of honoured vertue, whose spirites caried with greater efficacie of aspiring eternitie, then those whose duller conceytes are adapted to more terrene and grosse validities, shoulde bee exempted their perpetuitie. And albeit in all the progression of the wished life of this mightie Prince,Commoratiō. anie one thing was neuer founde contrarying, blemishing, or in one sort or other impugning his honour (one sole imposition or taxe contraried in his gouernement of Gascoigne excepted)Confutatiō. yet in the highest estate of happinesse wherein hee alwayes liued, was hee neuer more happie or glorious, then euen in his verie death. Insomuch as hee then dyed,Synonymia. at which time in most honour and highest, toppe of all prosperitie, hee was principallie established and chieflie florishing: at that instant in which the type of his excellencie was in no one tytle or iote obscured:Praise of his death. at that verie season when in the whole course and practise of his life, hauing still addicted himselfe to sounde out the incertaine and momentarie pleasures of the worlde, he had by perfect tryall found out the small validitie and little affiaunce that was to bee reposed in transitorie and fading glorie of the same. Euen then, when in the exchaunge of the eternall habitation (the incomprehensible ioyes whereof no eye hath seene, eare hath heard, nor tongue can expresse,) hee best knewe howe to leaue this wretched life, and to compasse the sweete and wholesome meditation of the other. He died (my L.)Epiphonema. as hee euer liued, vertuouslie and honourablie, the determination of whose deceasing corps, was preparation to newe ioyes: and commutation of momentarie pleasures, an assurance of euer flourishing gladnesse. Thus,Peroratiō. see you (my good L.) before your eyes, the most certaine and assured counterfeite of verie true Nobilitie, furnished in the discouerie of such a one, whose personage beeing in no kinde of excellencie inferiour, to that in the highest degree may bee of any other imagined: deserueth by so much the more of all honourable estates accordingly to be embraced.Ecphonesis. Great is the ornament of prayse, and precious the renowne that longeth to such vertue: the Diamond glimpse whereof equalleth in beautie the fairest, and dimmeth by the verie shadowe thereof the glittering pompe of the mightiest.Articulus. Beautie, strength, comelinesse fadeth, yea, the worlde decayeth, pleasure vanisheth, and the verie face of heauen it selfe perisheth: Onlie sacred vertue is immortall, she neuer dieth, euer quickeneth, absolutely triumpheth, and ouer all other earthly monuments euen out of the deepest graue for euer flourisheth. Liue therefore my L. vertuouslie, and die wheresoeuer and whensoeuer, yet howsoeuer honourablie. My paper burthened with his long discourse, desirous rather to recreate then toyle your L. enforceth an ende. Recommending my humble duetie in whatsoeuer to your honourable acceptance.
THe respects of this Epistle argued in the personage of so noble a Prince, haue caried in the matter thereof, the very shew of the highest and chiefest vertues, whereupon all commendation may bee principallie gathered. The next hereunto shall be Vituperatorie also touching the person. Wherein as wee haue in the other, sought by all occasions and circumstances therunto incident, what to the furtherance of such requisite commendation might be alledged: so will we herein imagin vpon what groundes or respects the occasions of dispraise, may as farre forth otherwise in anie other qualitie be remembred.
An example of an Epistle vituperatorie, concerning
also the person.
SIR, the straungenesse of an accident happening of lateExordium.
Of the cause mouing admiration. amongst vs, hath occasioned at this instaunt, this discourse to come vnto your handes. There was, if you remember, at your last beeng with mee in the Countrey, a man of great abilitie,Narratiō. dwelling about a mile from me, his name was B. and if I faile not of memorie therein, wee had once at a dinner together sitting (by occasion of a pleasaunt Gentleman then beeing in our companie) greate speaches of him: the man I knowe is not cleane out of your conceite, and therefore I will cease in further speaches at this presente to reuoke him. What generall hate the people bare him, and howe ill hee deserued from his first conuersing among them, you haue not (I am sure) forgotten, in so much as he was called the Hell of the world, the Plague of a common-weale, the Mischiefe of men, and the Bondslaue of the deuill.Metaphora. And no maruaile, for what iniurie mighte bee conceiued, that was not by him imagined?Erotema. what euill coulde there bee that hee shunned to practise? What mercilesse dealing that hee woulde not proffer? What apparant wrong that hee ceased to inferre? What execrable extortion that hee cared not to committe? What villanie so damnable that he durste not put forwarde?Paradoxon. O God, it is incredible to thinke, and vnpossible to bee surmised, howe greate, howe forcible, howe manifolde, howe mischieuous, howe insufferable,Auxesis. howe detestable hath beene the originall, progression, continuation, and determination of his most wicked and shamelesse life, and were it not that by the incessant outcries, continuall cursinges, and horrible denuntiations of the innumerable multitude of those, whome in his life time hee yoked, whome with his actions he feared, whom with the weighte of his endelesse wealth, hee poized downe, that they durste not then whisper in secrete, what nowe they openlie discouer, whereby the force of his wickednesse being then secrete, became not as nowe so open and apparant.Epiphonema. I durste not me thinkes of my selfe so much as surmize but the one halfe of that,Paradoxon. wherein he became so notorious, so rare and vnused are the euils, wherein hee seemed so throughly to bee fleshed. I haue woondered sithence with my selfe many times: what soyle it might bee, or what constellation so furious, as effected their operations in production of so bad and vile a creature, at the time when hee was first put forwarde with liuing into the worlde: In the search whereof I haue beene the lesse astonied, in so much as thereby I haue growne into some particular knowledge of his originall and parentes.His Parents. His sire I haue vnderstoode was a villaine by birth,Auxesis. by nature, by soyle, by discente, by education, by practise, by studie, by experience:Allegoria.
Epanodis. his damme the common sinke of euerie rakehels filthinesse: the one of whome (after innumerable offences committed, whereby hee deserued a thousande deathes) was at the last for a detestable and notorius crime burned peecemeale vppon a stage in Holland, and the other (after sundrie consuming and filthie diseases, neuer able to rid her) was in like manner hanged aliue in chaines for a most horrible murder in England. Expect you not then, that the procreation and generation of such an issue, must by argumente of the Parentes condition,Antiphrasis. sorte to some notable purpose: you doe I know, and in trueth howe coulde it otherwise bee likely. Nowe if hereby wee shoulde conceiue of his education,Apostrophe. and howe his childehoode past away beeing fostered vp as hee was, from one place to another, without any certaine abiding, but onely Cœlum omnibus commune, the common habitation of the worlde. We must no doubte suppose that he sawe much, knewe much, practised much, ouerpassed much, and was glutted with verie much. And surely if I shoulde giue credite to some whome I durst beleeue, that knewe him euen then when hee was not much more then a childe, the verie yeares he lastly bare,His childhood. gaue not more assured testimonie of what hee nowe was, then the season in which he then passed, did yeelde an inuiolable approbation, what in time following he would become,Ecphonesis. for euen thē; what rapine, what theft, what iniurie, what slaunder, what lying, what enuie, what malice, what desperate boldnesse, and daring to enter into any mischiefe, was in him throughly planted? There was not (by reporte) any one thinge whereby a man might afterwarde bee coniectured to become infamous, but was in him fully replenished.Omoioteleton. Credite mee, I coniecture so manifoldly of the sequell of his actions, as when I vnderstande what hee was so ripely, I maruaile that hee liued thus long so wickedly. But shall I turne here from, to his Adolescencie, and shew what therein I haue hearde?Adolescencie. Truely it passeth all capacitie to be censured: and it is too much to bee thought vppon. His pride, his bouldnes, his shameles countenance, his lookes, his gesture, his shew, his liuing, his conuersation, his companie, his hauntes shewed still what hee was:Sinathrismus. There was no rake-hell, no ruffian, no knaue, no villaine, no cogging raskall, no hatefull companion, no robber on high waies, no priuy pilferer, but his hande was in with him, and that hee was a copesmate for him, no brothell house but he haunted, no odde corner but hee knewe, no cutter, but hee was a sharer with, no person so lasciuious,Parison. abiect, vilde, or dissolute, but hee would bee a copartner with. Yet after all these trades, hauntes, sharinges, and partakings,Brachiologia. hee became at last to serue an olde miser, aged for his yeares and miserable for his couetousnes. This wretched olde man (as each one fancieth as hee liketh) conceiued so much of the odde youth,Ironia. that hee took him into his seruice, where, with badde attire, and thredbare diet, hee liued with him a prettie season, somewhat more then quarter maister. In the ende (by whose thefte God knowes) the man had a chist broken vp, and a little coyne and plate stolne, where with (becomming desperate) it was deliuered hee hung himselfe for griefe, and beeing nowe deade, lefte no issue or other heire, to succeede his wretchednesse and double barred hoorde,Metaphora. but B. his man, who being a strong lubber,Epiheton. was by this time growne a sturdie knaue, and would needes bee counted a man, and thereupon hee became owner and intruder to his maisters pelfe,Allegoria. wretchednes and miserie. To reckon to you since, howe hee came into the countrie here,His youth and age. beecame a purchaser, howe hee hath spente his youth, passed his olde age, what bribery, extortion, wrong, crueltie, rapine, mischiefe, and all kinde of villanie,Asyndeton. hee hath bolstered, perpetrated, followed: what infidelitie, falshoode, reuenge, priuy guile, treacherie, betraying the innocent, beating downe the poore, fatherlesse and widowes: howe much euill hee hath done and what litle good he hath deserued, what shoulde I clogge my selfe with the remembrance,Antipophora. or trouble you with the rehearsall. It is too much, I am not able, I cannot, nay, it were vnpossible to perfourme it. What resteth then, but that I hasten to the scope which in my foremost purpose was intended,Transitiō. that hauing deliuered his shamefull life, I doe reporte vnto you his shamelesse and vnaccustomed death. See then the incomprehensible power and iustice of God, see the weight of his measure, see the woonderfull demonstration of his secrete iudgement,Prosonomasia. howe of a carelesse life ensueth a cankered death: of a wilfull liuing a wretched ending: of such money misers so manifolde miseries; as whereof I sigh to thinke, and grieue to remember. The man somewhat before his sicknesse grew into an extreame numnesse, in so much as hee that neuer lusted to helpe others, was not nowe able to helpe himselfe, nor any cared to relieue him: afterwardes fretting and fuming with him selfe as it seemed, that not withstanding his greate masse of money, and huge heape of wealth, none could bee entreated with prayers, or hiered with guiftes, so much as to meddle with him, he grew into such a frensie, and consequently, into so ranck a madnes, that hee sate swearing and blaspheming,Hypotyposis. crying, cursing, and banning, and that most execrable, his lookes were grimme, furious and chaunged, his face terrible, his sight fiery and pearcing,His inordinarie sicknes. they that sawe him feared, and they that heard of it durst not come nigh him. In conclusion, some that pittied him more then his deseruing, and grieued to see that, they coulde not redresse in him, caused a companie to watch him, others to prouide warme brothes, and in conclusion vsed all meanes possible to comforte him. But what can man doe to preuent the secret determination of the almightie? For loe whilst all men lefte him, and each one stoode in doubt of him, a companie of rattes vpon a sudden possest his house,Merismus. his tables, his chymnies, his chambers, yea his verie bed and his lodging, vpon which & about which, they were so bold, as in the sight of the beholders they durst appeare and come before them, and beeing stroken, aboade, and were killed, and others come in their places: What shall I say, the sight became so vncouth, as all men shunned, ech one feared, and none durst abide it;Epiphonema.
His death. whereupon the miser beeing lefte alone, thus pittifully died. The stench of his corpes admitted neither day-light nor companie wherein to bee buried. Two onely that were the conueyers of him, sickened vehemently,Metaphora. and one of them dyed, the other is yet scarcely recouered. The matter hereof seemed vnto me so straunge, and therewithall so opportune to warne vs of our actions,Epilogus. considering how seuerely God punisheth when hee is once bent to correction, as I coulde not but deeply consider of it, weighing with my self that such as was his life, such was his death, the one beeing hated of manie, the other not to be tolerated of any. The circumstance whereof, referring herewith to your deep consideration, I doe bid you hartily farewell.