The authoritie of Example is also very weightie, giuing warrant to any vertuous imitation that may be prescribed, and lastly requests and intreatie which euer more preuaileth according to the writers credit or grauity. These being sufficently considered, we will nowe according to such like directions, endeuour to suite foorth vnto you some particular examples.
An Example of an Epistle Exhortatorie for
the attaining of vertue.
I Haue manie times desired with my selfeExordium. (good Cosin) to obtaine some necessarie meanes, whereby to manyfest the greate good will I doe owe vnto you, and in some sorte or other to giue you to vnderstande, howe much and howe greatly I haue tendred those good partes, that manie times I haue seene and prooued to bee in you. And for as much as Fortune hath denied vnto mee the estate, reputation and wealth, that manie haue gained, and the most doe couet, whereby I cannot if I woulde, bestowe vppon you such riches and treasures as might breede content vnto others: I am determmined to imparte vnto you, that, which vnto your present condition seemeth most requisite, and wherewith vse and common experience hath heretofore inured mee,Prosonomasia. in steede of wealth to giue you wordes, in steede of golde, good, for riches, reason, and in lue of liuing, to affoord you a louing and constant hearte. And whereas I am enfourmed, that contrarie to the expectation of some (who ouer peremptorily haue heretofore deemedInsinuatiō. of these your young yeares to be laden with loosenesse, and led forwarde by libertie) you haue of your selfe, and of your owne motion and free will, obtained license and allowance of your father to go to Cambridge, in minde to giue your selfe whollie to studie, and the sole fruition of learning, I mused with my selfe whether I might more commende the motion, or attende your perseuerance in the action that thereby you haue taken in hande, in so much as the memorie of the one cannot bee for the worthinesse more permanent, thē the glorie of the other, to your euerlasting commendation, will appeare to be most excellent.Auxesis. It is reported of the mightie Alexander of Macedon, that he was a King, that he was puissant, that he was warlike, that hee was famous, that he was a Conqueror, and that hee subdued the whole worlde:Meiosis. but when he came to himselfe, to the conuincing of his owne appetite, to rule reason by the square of right he became a meacocke, a childe, an infant, what should I say?Synonymia. he was no bodie. Howe much greater then hee was, hadde the woorthie Prince appeared, if as in the conquest of sundrie mightie kinges, regions and prouinces, so in all other thinges tending to the suppression of his owne peculiar affectes, he had bene no lesse or fullie so much as Alexander. Scipio, the most renowned amongst the Romanes, and for his sundrie great exploites in Affrica,Hypotyposis. surnamed Affricanus, we doe reade, atchieued many valiant and incomparable victories, and were it but that sole battell which hee fought (when Rome was nowe at wracke, her Nobilitie spoyled, and her glorie trode vnder foote, readie almost vppon any reasonable condition to bee deliuered into the handes of the enemie) in which hee then freed his citie, repulsed Haniball by a mightie ouerthrowe, and thereby daunted so farre foorth his pride for euer, as expelled from him all hope thence forwarde, at anie time else to become a Conquerour: It coulde not otherwise bee saide without question, but herein, yea in this onelie action, hee deserued eternall memorie: But was hee herein,Antipophora. thinke you, and for this onely matter throughout all the prouinces recounted so famous? No assuredlie. It was also his rare and most singular vertues otherwise, that fullie perfected and polished the glorie thereof. It was his rare Temperance, Modestie, Continencie, and Sobrietie, wherein with woonderfull admiration hee exceedinglie flourished, and became extolled aboue all others. This was it, wherein more then Alexander hee became regarded and famous. The conquestes that by this meanes hee daylie made of himselfe, returned more glorie to Rome, more firme faith and reuerence, then the forcible progression of all other his fattall ouerthrowes and victories: of so greate and woonderfull reputation is Vertue to all her followers.Epiphonema.
Praise of the person. This beeing so, how can I then say, but in this your action, you haue of your selfe right wel begun, how can I think, but aboue many others you haue therein verie well deserued? Wherein shoulde I augmente your praise if not in that which you haue heereby so well performed, the force, operation, and effect of all which, hath onely consisted in subduing your owne appetite? Great commendation haue you won I must needes confesse, and more then with common worthines haue you in this thinge demeaned your selfe, but (my good Cosen) it is not ynough to haue well begun in a matter, without also therein you doe vse perseuerance.Paræmia. Hanniball knew well how to subdue, but he knew not howe to entertaine his victories. As you haue alreadie in this your resolution gotten great good liking, so behooueth both for the preseruation of what alreadie woone, and to induce a perpetuall increase to the same, that you doe euermore frequente and by earnest and zealous prosecution seeke still to entertaine the fruits thereof. Proceede then a Gods name,Exhortatiō. and goe on with good lucke in your enterprise, the more harder and greater you finde the difficulty in attaining to vertue, the more vehemente shall bee your glorie, and the more honourable the reputation that thereby is pursued. For, what hath a man of allConfirmatiō. that may be left vnto him in this worlde, whereof to vaunt himselfe, but the memorie of that wherein he hath most worthily trauailed. The rich reape possessions, which when themselues are once passed away, are immediately distributed to others. The pleasures of the worlde are momentarie, and after wee are once deade wee perceiue them no more. Worship, honour and dignitie, perisheth euen in the verie selfe remembrance. The reuenues of the mightie, when life is once fled, are no more to be tendred. Shall wee then for a number of fruitelesse vanities,Antipophora. (the regarde whereof doeth neuer last longer, then whilest wee are in present vse of them) neglect the search of that which is of all others most permanent? No surely. So behooueth notAb æquo. such as your selfe,praise of his ancestors. that of your auncestours haue had so many good encouragements, beseemeth not the remembrance of their excellencies in you alone to bee perished. Tis vertue, beleeue me, that procureth Fame, and soly Fame that makes men immortall. All other meanes are feeble as the originall from whence they are deriued is vncertaine. At leaste wise, it shall many other waies stande you greatly vppon,A necessitate. to continue this course, in so much as by the æmulation of the vertues of others, you shall thereunto be constrained, besides the loue and regarde that all men haue borne,Of expectation. and euer doe beare to the remembrance of vertue, the expectation of your entirely fauouring and carefull louing friendes, who with greate longing doe attende the prosequution of your woorthinesse,Of loue and hate. the ill conceite, malice and spite that some haue hadde towardes you, whereby to ouerthrowe the good opinion of your father, who with greater greedinesse than Woolues themselues,Hyberbole. with more enuie than the Crocodile, and farre more poyson than the serpent, doe lie in waite but onely to hearken after the newes of your declination, and the dissolued purpose of your good intention.Epilogus. Finally, my dearest and best fauoured kinsman,entreatie. I doe adiure you, pray you, and as earnestly as I can beeseech you, by the verie pure and entire loue of vertue, whereof you nowe shall become partaker, by the immortall fame thereunto onely awarded, by the care you are bounde and ought to haue of your selfe, by all the kindred that hath tied vs in affinitie together, by all the loues and possible entreatie that I can, you doe persist, continue and remaine firme in this your intended purpose. In pursuite whereof you shall minister vnto your friendes ioy and comforte, to your enemies shame and reproch, to your selfe praise and eternall regarde, and to all sortes of your acquaintance occasion to admire you. Preferring many times my care and earnest affection towards you, with my manifolde greetings vnto your good selfe. I doe bid you farewell. &c.
Of Epistles Responsorie.
Chap. 11.
Or asmuch as the knowledge of letters Responsorie are as méete to bee vnderstoode in the ordinarie occasions hereof as any others: I deeme it not amisse amongst the passages of these seuerall titles of Epistles to sorte you foorth also of them some particular Examples, the better in their disposition to enable yᵉ learner as occasion may serue. Touching which, it is to bee vnderstoode that the matter of euerie answere taketh his originall of a letter precéeding, and dependeth principally on the parts thereof. The ordering whereof (except in Letters Excusatorie or Defensorie) is wholy exempted, the course in those other letters prescribed, and the obseruation in these, is principally to consider on what partes the letter which ought to be answered consisteth or is chiefly grounded. Those, howebeit it behooueth we doe fully answere, yet shall you not (as some ignorant of weldoing haue done) recite in your answere the whole circumstance of the matter charged, verbatim in a manner as it is written before you, for that woulde bréede tediousnesse, besides a ridiculous disorder by such meanes frequented, but you shall (if néede so vrge) capitulate the principall partes of euerie seuerall matter charged, and thereupon frame you to answere the points, in sorte as before you, shall be deliuered. Or sometimes not needing any rehersall at all, if the pointes be but fewe, you shall answere onely as the matter you haue in hande is to bée deliuered. Or otherwise in this sorte: Touching the pointes in your Letter to bee answered: for the first I say, or it is thus or thus, &c. In the second, it is so or so. For the thirde, in this manner or that. Touching the fourth, &c. And so answere the partes by their number. By which meanes you shall both drawe your selfe to a breuitie therein, and become far more pithie in the matters you haue to write of then otherwise can be expressed. And this béeing sufficient for all matters hereafter, touching these Responsorie kindes, we will nowe for the first Example set you downe an answere to the epistle precéeding.
An example Responsorie to the last Epistle be-
fore remembred.
THe regard of your exceeding good will, and weight of your aduise and good exhortationsProsonomasia. (my verie good Cosen) haue mooued me many times to thinke on you, and to thank you for the same, I take no litle comfort of your great good liking of my determination, and that the endeuour therof beareth so forcible allowance at your handes, as to reckon the same in so hie and great accompte, as you doe.Dichologia. I did (I confesse) erre a while, but howe? as a young man, I went astraie I graunt, but not with perseuerance, for I reclaimed my selfe ere I fell, and stoode vpright ere by ouer much weight I slided too far in my purposes, Errare est humanum, sed persistere belluinum. The course I haue taken in hand as it was estranged from the opinion of many: so in the prosecutiō thereof, I hope to vse such pursuit, as willingly by declination therein, I meane not to become offensiue to any. Feare you not sir,Allegoria. the account is alreadie set downe, for notwithstanding my greene yeares must yet of force continue their note of imbecilitie: This prerogatiue yet remaineth, that I may as I liste adapt my opinion to grauitie. You shall (good Coosen) doe mee a great pleasure, if as I am partner of your loue and entyre affection, so I may sometymes bee partaker with you of those exercises and sweet pleasures, wherewith your studie is frequented: I meane that with some discourses of yours you will nowe and then remember mee. By expectation whereof, you shall often prouoke mee to aunswere you. Thus assuring my selfe of that I neuer yet distrusted at your handes, your zeale and fidelitie towardes mee; I regarde you as faithfull as I haue euer found you, and so will alwayes account of you, &c.
An example of an Epistle hortatorie, to the studie of learning.
IT is no little pleasure vnto me,Exordium. to consider with my selfe my good N. the great trauaile, cost, and paine, dayly employed by your dearest beloued parents,Insinuatiō. to induce vnto you the precious, and of all other most delicate and sweete pleasure of learning: the value whereof, is without all estimate, and the comfort therein conceiued, in no wise to bee comprehended: the louing regarde of whome, and the most lamentable want of the other, when I doe see you either with some ill fauouring aspect not to incline vnto, or with some more then straunge or vnused tearmes not to account of, I cannot but greeue with my heart, respecting the linke whereby I stand charged to either of you, in so great apparance as I doe to behold the same. True it is, that you are a Gent.Propositiō. that you are heire apparant to large and verie great possessions,Merismus. that you are (for the yeares you beare) of comely and goodly personage, that you are in all things well accomplished, and euerie way as beseemeth: but yet when I behold this fauour, this comlinesse, these accomplishments, and know you to bee a Gent. and thinke vpon your large ensuing reuenues and possessions, me thinkes there should yet be an ornament of all these, and a thing of farre more goodly shewe, and more surpassing value wanting to the same, that might if it were well entertained ad more glorie vnto all the others, then the waight of the rest were euer able to purchase.Procatalepsis. For suppose that all these complements of yours are of large price, and verie necessarie, as they are indeede, and such wherewith the state of man is greatly beautified, yet are they all but thinges pertinent vnto the bodie, by force whereof (setting onelie our shape aside) wee doe communicate in euerie thing with beastes, for with them wee liue,Synonymia. wee mooue, wee go, wee eate, and enioie the sensuall appetite of inward or outward abilities. But by the benefit of learning, of knowledge,Asyndeton. of skill, wee make difference of things, and are onely thereby in our selues distinguished from beastes. And if man which is the principal worke of God,Paradigma. was from the beginning a chosen creature indued aboue any others, and therefore poynted to excell and go beyond all others, howe much more needefull shall it bee for euerye one according to such appoyntment to preferre and put forwarde the vse thereof vnto his owne profite. And seeing as well by the ordinance of God,Commoratiō. as common vse of reason, whereby we are gouerned and ledde, euerie man is induced to propose vnto himselfe the exercise of thinges that are good and honest, and that the same also among these, which maketh a man nearest to his Creatour in perfection, is of all others the moste to bee desired: howe much auaylable then and importaunt is it to euerie man to bee frequented with learning, the vse whereof freeth him of common ignoraunce, and maketh him capable of the high and loftie mysteries.Ab honesto. And if in anie studie whatsoeuer, the reputation of honest and good is to bee sought for, what I pray you then learning, may bee iudged more honest, which hauing with it a certaine kinde of diuine and sacred originall, hath from the beginning of the worlde, beene with all men in greatest price and estimation.Allegoria. What may bee deemed more good then that which from verie Asses and blockes, and (if it were lawfull to say) from bruite men and beastes also themselues maketh distinction, and without the which, there were left vnto vs from such, no place at all of difference. What then that can bee sayde to bee more honest, which draweth a man vppe to the diuine contemplation of the sacred Maiestie, to the knowledge of high and heauenly thinges, of woorthie and honourable vertues, and beeing sequestred by the wante thereof, hee becommeth no otherwise than as a hogge, still groueling on the earth, searching onely wherewith to fill his bellie, neglecting in the meane time the expectation or regarde of any other statelie or eternall Soueraintie. Nowe therefore, if the vse of learning, as the thinge of greatest accompt and most woorthie, is heere sette downe to bee so generallie, commended to all sortes of men, howe much more consonant and agreeing is it then to the reputation of a Gentleman, who by what distaunce so euer hee is measured in capacitie,Synathrismus. minde, order, state and gouernment from anie other common or ordinarie person,Anthesis. by so much the more ought hee in all endeuours to aspyre and seek to goe beyond them. For whereas all other men in their seuerall vocations are for the most parte,Etiologia. as it were withdrawne from the speciall notice and eye-marke of all publique administration and gouernement: the Gentl. contrariwise, the more woorthie and noble that hee is in calling, the more neerer is hee to that aduauncement whereunto by nothing so much as learning hee is enabled to bee preferred. For what profitable member can hee bee in such a place, whose ignoraunce is farre greater then his witte, and whose knowledge is lesse then the least of that, whereof hee ought to take notice and experience. And seeing learning is of all other thinges, a store-house so plentifull and precious,Epanodis. as whereof the wiseman maketh his treasure, the poore man his riches, and the wealthy one his pastime and pleasure, shall the Gentleman who in all other thinges, by Nature striueth to bee excellent, bee in the greatest action of all others so carelesse and negligent?Paramologia. Admit that you will heere alledge the tediousnesse of studie, and a certaine impossibilitie almost to attaine thereunto, I must aunswere vnto you againe, that this commeth not of the labour thereof, which to those that willingly aspire to the delicate taste of the same, yeeldeth great facilitie with pleasure to bee receyued: but to a slouthfull and sluggish endeuour and disposition. Far be it therefore (good Sir) that you beeing a Gentleman in all other thinges so towardly, and the sonne of such a one as you are, shoulde with the touch of so great a blemish, bee so throughly stained.Epiphonema. So woorthie a discente as whereof you are deriued, such infancie and child-hoode wherein so worthily you haue beene trained, so great loue and charge of parents wherewithe you may bee animated, doe inuite you farre otherwise, and to a more excellent purpose. Let the sweete and yet vnknowne delight thereof prouoke you,Auxesis. the praise and commendation solye to vertue appropriate and belonging, once prick you forward, the honour and aduancement thereby continually happening egge you. And if none of all these preuaile, yet the riches and rewarde farre greater then anie earthly treasure, which are therunto incident, tie you to a desire thereof. Thinke of the worthines of those, who by howe much the more noble they were in birth,Dignitie and zeale of others. by so much the more zealouslie they haue trauelled, not shunning any labour, sweate, tediousnesse, scorning, yea bondage it selfe,Auxesis. whereby to compasse vnto themselues the glorie and rewardes annexed to the dignitie heereof. And if no other remembrance may be sufficient to establish you, regard yet your liuing father and grandfather,By example. the one of whom neglecting his ease and quiet at home, trauailed all Fraunce, Germanie, and Italie, to the intent to attaine vnto the greatnesse of that whereunto you are so hardly perswaded. Neither thinke I that you in whome all other good actions do so plentifully flow, wil herein alone with a little labour be terrified:Peroratiō. Wherefore my good N. I eftsoones entreate you againe, and againe, by all the loue you haue ought to your name, fame, parentage and stocke, and by all the expectation that in them, or anie of them, is of your happinesse conceiued, you will proceede in this purpose: the weight whereof besides the commoditie and pleasure redounding to your selfe, shall vnto your parents and all others returne most comfortable and pleasing. All which recommending to your courteous consideration to bee entertained, I doe herewith take my leaue, &c.