Your seruant confirmed in all fidelity
towards you, &c.
An example of an Epistle Accusatorie in the state Iuridiciall
and Coniecturall.
INiurious R. iniurious I maie iustlie tearme thee,Exordium,
Anadiplosis. whose long acquaintance with mee, and interchangeable good liking passing betweene vs, bredde yet so little respect in the waight of the same, as could not forwarne me of an euill so imminent, by meanes whereof I doubt and cannot forbeare to thinke, but that I am vtterly induced to the shipwracke of mine owne estate, and burthened with such infortunitie, as I shall neuer cease to remember.
But why (sencelesse as I am)Emphasis. make I doubt vnto thee of that, whereof both the condition, abilitie, disposition, and euerie accident and circumstance of the partie, whom I am forced to accuse, beareth so sound witnesse, as if men and Angels should goe about to countermaunde the same, not beeing able by a more certaine veritie in open shewe to impugne it, there is none I am sure would beleeue no anie one that in respect of the manifolde likelihoodes thereof,Metanoia. would almost so much as vouchsafe to hearken vnto it.
But if in the foremost deliuerie of these thou alreadie musest, and art desirous to be resolued what it is, wherein so questionles I deeme my selfe thus deepelie to be wronged: knowe then, that finding here at L. thy kinsman, thy vnhappie kinsman, wandering as a straunger,Epizeuxis. conuersant with badde fellowes,Merismus. threedbare in apparell, forsaken of his neerest kindred and friendes, readie to perish almost for want of foode, and so pennilesse, and therewithall estraunged from all good account, as beeing amongest other lewde persons, brought before a Iustice vppon suspition of his wretched liuing, my selfe beeing in presence, and taking vppon mee in hearing of his name, to bee knowing both of his parentes and Countrey,Irmus. had such credite with the Iustice, as hee foorthwith discharged him, wherewith not contented I did for thy sake,Merismus. and in regarde of thee alone, take him home to my lodging, apparelled him, saued his life, recouered againe his lost credite, and restored him: Were not these benefites, thinkest thou sufficient to binde an honest nature,Erotema. to thinke himselfe beholding to such a one? Happie had I then beene, if neuer more had I intermedled with him,Parison. neuer better regarded him, or at no time after giuen farther credite and liking vnto him. Alas, was it alone my chance among so manie that had cast him off,Ecphonesis. euen then to entertaine him, to relieue him,Auxesis. to reckon of him, nay rather beyond all reason (as thy selfe by the sequell wilt confesse) so farre foorth to dote of him, as nourishing my secrete mischiefe,Allegoria. as it were in mine owne lodging, vnder the shadowe of mine owne couert,Synonymia. yea in my verie bosome, I must lead him yet farther along, in the end to spoile me, and to meditate nothing so much, as my intended destruction?
Thou maruellest I know to heare thisParadoxon. (and strange & most strange it is I must confesse) but yet true, and if not in him true, then in no other true, by all likehoodes. But ere I farther report vnto thee, howe and by what accident encreased my griefe, let mee yet shew thee more what I did vnto him.Periphrasis. So ordered the vnluckie starres my cruel Fate, and in such (more then disordered maner) wrought the heauens against mee,Parenthesis. as albeit here at L. (for I must needes deliuer a truth vnto thee) he was greatly desirous and became an earnest suter, I shoulde euen at that time leaue him:Metaphora. yet pressed by mine one misfortune, and more then tolerable liking, nothing regarding, or so much as once remembring in what worse estate I might haue conceiued him,Hypotyposis. I bethought my selfe he was a Gentleman, bredde of good and vertuous parents worshipfullie allied. In their Countrey whilome well reputed, and if anie defect had before befallen him,Meiosis. I knewe hee was a yonger brother, and want of liuing and maintenance might impaire him, I had no sonne of mine owne, his learning and other qualities (not to bee despised) drewe more and more fancie vnto him: what should I say?Aporia. I rendred vnto him all account and preferment that lay in my possibilitie to procure him: and shortlie to conclude, into the Countrey (furnished in the best part according to his calling) I took him with me.
If I should say to thee,Asyndeton. that his demeanour, his attendaunce, his forwardnesse in all thinges to my noted liking, his outwarde shew in whatsoeuer action vnto mee seeming to bee pleasing,Liptote. did not of it selfe appeare to chalenge so much, I shoulde lie vnto thee. But what of that,Sententia. howe is falshoode couered, but by the daintiest glosse, where lurketh craft, if not in the shade of most simplicitie?Allegoria. Coulde the Syren deceyue, if shee had no song? Which way should men bee bewitched, if there were no meane of inchauntment? But did hee in the ende prooue such in deede,Anthypophora. as he seemed, or hereunto appertained? No, no. God knowes he failed much therein, yea, hee was too farre from it.Polyptoton. See then how much beyond my selfe I was, that beeing thus intreated to discharge my selfe of mine owne bane,Allegoria. would yet allure both Gods and men, to bring into my bosome the purport of mine owne secrete and vnknowne mischiefe.
Christmasse nowe drewe on, after that a good time we had remained in the Countrey,Metalepsis. alas that times ordained and sacred to holie purposes, should become ayders and furtherers to mens vile imaginations. In this time, whilest all mens mindes were busied and occupied in dauncing, banquetting and feasting, as vse and custome, and season of the yeare had of auncient times induced, whilest the Hall was full of all sortes of people,Synonymia. reuelling, playing, and occupyed in pastime, my daughter (O griefe to thinke on, and heauiest sound to remember)Emphasis. my onelie daughter was at bed-time missing: Search was made heere and there,Hypotyposis. inquisition of this partie and that, this way ranne one, that waie another, the house was troubled and filled with all hurlie burlie, onelie wading further into the matter, and her Chamber throughlie perused,Merismus. her apparell was missing, Chests broken vp, iewels bereaued, mine owne lodging spoyled, and in the ende, I sawe and found my selfe in what cruell sort that might be robbed.
Hereupon grew suspition,Climax. and of suspition arised matter of likelihood, and of likelihood at last, assured and most probable coniectures. One while this man was brought in suspect,Polyptoton. another while that partie chalenged, then he was misdeemed, and another againe culpable adiudged, but all in vaine. For hardly could my mind suppose, that hee to whom my thoughts were so sincerely tiedPeriphrasis. in all more then common affection, would so farre forth haue beene estraunged, as at any time to become weeting of my intended harmes,Auxesis. neuer a conspiratour, much lesse an executour. But wicked and vile conceited fraud, what cannot dissimulation,Emphasis. in cloake of sugred guile vnder thy title put forward. Prosopopœia.And yet might my ignoraunce herein verie well haue become excusable, for a seuen night before that time,Epizeuxis. that luckles time in which this action was concludedParenthesis. (for long before was it purposed) your kinsman by my allowance and good will had taken leaue, and seemed to be departed, to goe into N. to visite his friends, whose absence besides the little matter that euer in him I supposed to be hereunto sounding,Irmus. and euerie other circumstance conducing in all his common behauiours, not so much as in shewe to giue a shadowe of this or any such like pretence, could neuer haue induced mee to the least imagination at all, that hee of all others, would haue offered to be seene in anie such thing.
But if you will nowe aske mee what presumptionAnthypophora. I haue then to charge him more then another, in whome so little matter of suspition coulde before time bee conceyued, I will aunswere yee. The presumptions are, their conuersing together in one place, besides that, shee is by his directions at L. and placed at his finding, that his pretence of going away, was to depart into N. the deuise whereof appeareth nowe but a plaine colour, to haue procured this vnhappinesse. Of all which I am so surelie assertayned by the credible report of a Gentleman, so honest, and of reputation so sufficient, as whereof I need to make no question. For once they being togither, and in such sort as is deliuered,Expeditiō. argueth the circumstaunce of his going to N. to bee but a meere disguising, his intent eyther onelie to bee a meane with lesse suspition to compasse her, and so consequentlie to betraie her, the stocke whereupon they liue, to bee my wealth, and what from mee is robbed and vnkindlie bereaued, howe can it otherwise choose?Erotema. is not the matter plaine and euident? how else should he see her,Asyndeton. compasse her, receyue her, and in such sort entertaine her?