MY good G.Exordium. my faithfull louing Countriman, and dearest of account By insinuation.(whilome all and either of these vnto me, so bee it the frowning Metaphora.heauens and dispiteful wicked fate had not harboured the contrarie) what shall I write vnto thee, or by what tearmes may I now salute thee? Erst woonted were my letters to pursue thee, carelesse in any cost,Allegoria. and familiarly and boldly to regard thee, now blushing at thy vncouth hap, and carefull of they carelesse vsage, they cannot without griefe approch thee, nor once without sorrowe intentiuely behold thee.
Alas, my G. what furie hath ledde thee,Ecphonesis. what madnes hath bewitched thee, what hatefull destinie hath pursued thee, that beeing such as thou wert, on whome Nature and the heauens as it seemed, had powred all their giftes moste plentifullie, thou wouldest yet be ledde to deface so many partes of excellencie, with one hatefull, ignominious and shamefull blott, of wicked, and most heynous treacherie.
Diddest thou for this cause take vppon theeErotema. the profession of Armes, to become iniurious to thy Countrey, to bereaue men of their patrimonie,Auxesis. to bee a destroyer of vnitie, a patterne of infidelitie, the dishonour of thy familie, and consequently to thy selfe and dearest soile,Ecphonesis. a professed and open enemie? Ah happie in all other things, but in this sole enterprize, in the broaching whereof thou wast put forwarde to bee made the onelie vnhappie, behooueth with such ingratitude to rewarde the first Authour of thy familie? Was this the ende of thy birth, thy parents, education, thy estate, thy wealth, thy possibilitie, to become a Traytour to thy Prince, and rebell to thy Countrey?Sinathrismus. No, no, my G. vilde and too ill beseeming is the drift that hath so ouertaken thee, and ignorant was he of that became thee, that first thereunto perswaded thee.
When thou liest armed in the fields andDialogismus. (mustering thy ranks in the day time) beholdest and lookest around about thy Countrey, thinkest thou not then with thy selfe, in this soyle was I borne, within this land lieth my patrimonie, heere had I first sucke, and sithence haue the fruits thereof nourished me, and could I then become so ingratefull and vnkinde, as for all these benefits to destroy thee? Not so, nor in such maner haue the vertuous in field beene accounted so woorthie, not for this cause in such actions, haue men beene said to beare themselues honourably. Coriolanus, thou wast conuinced by the view of the Citie and mothers intreatie, and shall I vnhappie man for all this, persist in this crueltie?
Iustlie and by great occasion credit me, mightest thou thus complaine of so great an iniurie, and all this being so true, as nothing more true; can it be said in prosecuting the same, thou maist be freed frō infamie?Anthypophora. What I pray thee hath made men famous, and canonized their memorie,Epanodus. was it not their munificence and valiant demerits in and for the good of their country? For in what one thing are we more likened vnto God himselfe, then in the worthines of our minds, the resolutions whereof, ought in no wise to be stained with such hatefull obloquie? The Asse runneth through fire for the safegard of her issueParadigma. and shall the valiant man then become negligent to the ayde of his Countrey? Howe farre more waightilie shall hee bee accused, who not onelie giueth no ayde at all to his Countrey,Antithesis. but also is therunto an inconsiderate and most cruell enemie? Howe carelesse are such men of their fame, and howe vnlike of all others to those memorable woorthies, the precious regard whereof, vnto them hath beene such, as then goods,Auxesis. possessions, riches, kingdomes, yea life it selfe hath beene helde most dearest. Peruse but the auncient hystories of Rome, and looke there of Mutius Scæuola,Paradigma. the most inuincible Romane, with what confidence hee went solie into the Tent of Prosenna, his and their Countryes capitall enemie, in minde onelie to destroie him. The good Furius Camillus, who after manie high and honourable seruices by him done to the Common-wealth of Rome, was by his owne Citizens vniustlie banished: howe farre off was hee thinke you, from this your opinion? For the GallesEtiologia. whom before he had expulsed, hauing in the time of this his banishment assieged the Citie of Rome, and beeing then verie likely to haue distressed the same, insomuch as they had alreadie forraged, burnt and destroyed the whole Countrey round about, hee more sorrowfull at the likely ruine of his Citie, then grieued at his owne banishment, (mooued thereunto of verie pietie to his natiue soyle and Countrey) entred counsell with the Ardeats, and by his wisedome, policie, and great manhood, so perswaded those people, that in feare of their mishap, they were content to leuie a mightie armie vnder his conduct, wherewith hee not onely put backe the enemie, but therewith so mightilie pursued them, as by such meanes he vtterly freed and set at libertie his Citie and Conntrey.
What neede wee search abroade for such forraine examples, and why draw wee not home into our owne soyle of England?Transitiō. What Chronicle shall euer remaine, or what English Hystorie shall euer bee extant, that shall not euerlastinglie report, the deserued fame of that right woorthie and verie noble indeede, Sir William Walwoorth, Knight, once Lord Maior of London, the remembraunce whereof (to his perpetuall prayse, and endlesse confusion of others, who not onely abstaine the putting in vre of such his memorable vertue, but which is woorse, doe endeuour by cruell force to tender violence vnto their Sacred Prince and Countrey) shall yet flourish for euer. Ill doe you example vnto your selfe, or thinke on the woorthinesse of that good man, who in the time of King Richard the seconde, when with a most suddaine and strange kinde of Rebellion the King was troubled,Parison. the Realme pestered, and the strongest of the Kinges subiectes greatlie feared: euen at that time when the proude fawtour and CaptaineEmphasis. of the rebellious and rascallie multitude,Periphrasis. durst hatefullie and most vndutifullie to bearde the King in his owne presence, and each man shunned to impugne the contrarie.Auxesis. This valiant, this good, this right noble and woorthie Citizen, standing by, when the wicked and presumptuous varlet, with so little reuerence approached the King, and remembring the seruices of manie worthie men, that by an honourable aduenture and hazarde of their liues had to their eternall memorie, before time freed their Countrey with libertie, grieuing that with so high an abuse his soueraigne Lorde beeing yet as it were a childe, shoulde there in his hearing, bee so farre amated, couragiouslie stept vnto the Rebell,Dialogismus. and taking him by the gorge, proude varlet (quoth hee) that darest thus contemptouslie demeane thy selfe vnto thy King and Soueraigne, foule death betide thee, and shame quicklie consume thee: Whie, aunswered the villaine in greate disdaine, is it thou that greeuest at that I haue sayde? Greeue, replyed the stoute couragious Citizen,Epizeuxis. yea, euen I, I it is that greeue at thee, and happilie shoulde thinke my selfe accurst, if thou shouldest escape from mee vnreuenged, wherewith drawing more closelie vnto him, hee pulled him from his horse by maine force, and stabbed him to the heart with his dagger. The destruction of whom, bredde such confusion vnto all the residue of his headstrong armie, and sight whereof kindeled so great a furie in the residue of the Kings companie, (who for that present vpon speciall considerations, was there attended on but meanelie) that the whole rebellious route were by such meanes euer after discomfited vtterlie: wherewith before that instaunt the whole RealmeAntithesis. had lyke to haue beene turned topsie turuie. Hee and such as hee laboured not by ambitious pride to arrogate vnto themselues a lawlesse extremitie, but studyed of meere loue and entire zeale, how and which way they might performe best seruice to their Prince and Conntrey.Ecphonesis. O more then ordinarie affection, and feruencie of high and statelie woorthinesse, in the regarde whereof, life was not sweete vnto these men, whose liuing might not redounde to become (for their dearest soyle) to bee honoured and famous.Aporia. What then may I say my G. of that by thee, and thy copartners taken in hande, whether will you be driuen, what shall become of you, how doe ye behaue your selues, who may receiue you, in whose inward conceites (not the pietie and regard of anie of theese) no nor so much as one sparke of their loialtie, coulde so deepelie bee impressed, as whereby to withdrawe you from these vnnaturall broiles?Auxesis. What haue you found in your deare prince? what in your louing countrie? what in this citie? what to anie one of al your selues in particularitie, that might in such hatefull maner incite you, & by occasion whereof you should thrust your selues into so great an enormitie? Beleeue me, & it shal verilie be auowed, the successe hereof will returne vnto you none other in the ende then the verie reward of infamie. I haue knowne thee, beeing far lesse in yeares then at this instant, to haue bene able to rule thy selfe, and with plausible moderation to bee indued in all things,Erotema. couldest thou then beeing a childe performe this in thy selfe, and beeing nowe a man art not able to endure it? There be I know about thee, that will perswade that all that thou doest herein is vertue, that herein thou hast great wisdom, much fortitude, and notable moderation, that the action is haughtie, the occasion libertie, and the end glorie. But how greatlie they doe erre in so saying, let this saying of good Camillus stand for you and vs indifferentlie, whose notable speach sprung vp from those his inuiolable vertues, spared not this, to affirme in presence of all the Senate vnto the people.Prosopopœia. Let others (quoth hee) deeme it a thinge euill and reprochfull at anie time to bee founde faultie, in not yeelding ready succors and aid to their country: Camillus for his part is & shal be of that resolute determination, that it is & ought to be reputed for euermore a thing detestable and vild, and of all other the most hatefull and replenished with all execrable miserie. How thinketh then your gentle mind, of the action by this time. Is it (suppose you) anie vertue that thereunto preferreth you? Camillus iudged that it was not reprochfull, but villanous and detestable, so much as to bee founde failing in ought to his countrie, and may it then bee thought a thinge honest to become a persecutor of your countrie?
It is not Fortitude, but Temeritie,Orismus. that conducteth your enterprises, for Fortitude aspireth to far more noble and statelier purposes. The action and determination, you preferre therein is not (as fondlie by you is conceaued) honour, but haughtines,Prosonomasia. not libertie, but loosenes, not vertue, but viciousnes: why then continue you in this sorte togethers, vpon so wicked and diuelish a purpose? Why returnest not thou rather to thy self my G. & hauing long before striued to emulate the praise of others by an vnstained gentilitie, wipe nowe quickly off this foule blemish from thee, and couering the filthinesse thereof by a most incomparable fidelitie, become once againe like vnto thy self. At the least wise,Loue. if the loue of thy coūtrie, fidelitie towards thy prince, the example of Vertue her selfe and so many her famous and renowned followers (then which no one thinge on earth ought more to allure a man) may not herewith conuince thee, let yet the execrable and immortall hate,Hate. that all good men beare to the practise of such kind of crueltie, the feareFeare. of euer harbouring shame, and erected ignomie, and neuer after hope (thy credite once consumed) againe to recouer thee, let these I say constrain thee. Whilst there is yet but one craze or slender flawAllegoria. in the touchstone of thy reputation, peece it vp, & new flourish again by a greater excellēcie, the square of thy workmanship.Sententia. A fewe daies are to bee passed in which there is yet time, fame wounded in life may once bee restored, if death doe preuente thee, thy shame and destruction is for euer shrowded.Antithesis. The next newes I hear from thee, may make thee fortunate, or me for thee alwaies vnhappie. My longing would bee satisfied of this from which I dehortEpilogus. thee. If onelie herein thou condiscende vnto mee, my selfe am thine, and to none so much as thy selfe absolutely, I loue thee, I require thee, I pray thee, and pray for thee, that thou maist as I wish, and wouldest as I bid, bee for, and to mee. Farewell if thou doest well.
An Example of a disswasorie Epistle,
wherin one is disswaded from fruit-
les vanities, to more learned & pro-
fitable studies.
I Receiued on Saturday last a letter from your Vncle,Narratiō. wherein amongst sundrie other matters I was aduertised, that leauing your former learned studies, whereunto with greate cost and charge of your parents, you had bene trained, you haue giuen your selfe wholie to certaine thinges, the regarde whereof albeit in their moderate vses, I cannot discommende, yet in respecte of your former intendmentes, I can tearme them none other then meere follies, and verie fruitles vanities.
It is reported with vs for certaine, that you are become an excellent good dauncer, that you are growne prettilie skilled on instrumentes, whereon you play reasonablie, that you spende the time limitted for more profite in the Vniuersitie, in making of songes and exquisite fine ditties, that you are verie fitlie seated for wantonnesse, and worthilie behaued in all kind of curious conueyances.