Aporia or Dubitatiō, when wee make staie or doubt howe to tearme a thing, or which waie to wade in a matter, as thus: What shoulde I say, was it anger or an inueterate malice that led him to this mischiefe? Shall I cal him cunning as cautelous, that procured it, and so well could shift himselfe of it? Or otherwise thus: May hee bee said to be beloued, or rather fortunate or blessed, to haue escaped such daungers? is it to bee tearmed clemencie or rather piety to vse one so miserable with great curtesie. Or thus: I am not well perswaded what course to take in these causes, shall I begin where others haue left? or of my selfe shall I renewe againe vnto you what you haue so often heard? &c.
Paradoxon, affined vnto that before, but with a kinde of maruelling or woondering thereunto added, as thus: Could it possibly bee thought that learning and place of good education might euer haue produced such monstrous effectes? Or otherwise: I haue great maruell that men so generous, should so quickly be diuerted from their honest purposes. Or thus: I woulde neuer haue beleeued that such graue and considerate counsels shoulde so easily haue beene subuerted.
Epitropis, when by proposing a cause, wee reason what should bee done therein, as thus: In times so troublesome and seasons so tempestious, giue now your aduise what is fit to bee done. If the case were your owne, what would you doe, what would you say therein, tell me I pray you, you that conuerse in these and such like actions, I herein appeale vnto your wisdomes, your owne consciences, shewe me but your mindes herein. And this figure is vsed in reasoning, when as to conclude a matter, and seeming loath to trouble the auditorie anie further in the same, we pretend to reserue a great part thereof, which we would refer to their iudgements.
Parresia, or libertie to speake, when by winning of curtesie to our spéech we séek to auoid any offence thereof, as thus. Pardon if I be tedious, the circumstance of the cause requireth it. If my speech seeme vehement, the matter occasioning the same is vrgent. If what I write seeme offensiue vnto you, you haue to mislike the ill disposition of such as inforce it, and not with me to be agreeued.
Apostrophe, or Auersio, when wee turne our speeches from one person or thing to another, as if one hauing spoken much of the vanitie of the worlde shoulde thereupon turne and saie vnto the worlde, O world, how sweete and pleasant are the shewes of those things which thou producest: but in taste, how full of too much bitternes? Or in speaking of the certaintie of death, and the little respect thereof had, to turne a mans speach to death it selfe and saie, O death, how bitter is thy remembrance to a man hauing peace and plenty in his riches, &c.
Prosopopœia when to things without life wee frame an action, spéech or person, fitting a man, as if we should saie of vertue, as of a liuing person, that her wayes were sweet, and replenished with all maner of delight, that she putteth her selfe foorth to the woorthiest to be receyued, and to the most honoured to be embraced. Or faine the ghosts from out their graues to prescribe good examples, or to rebuke the vices of men. Or our countrey to accuse vs of our negligent regard vnto it in these or suchlike speeches: Vnkind people and Citizens whom I haue ingendred in my bowels, nourished with my paps, fostered with my delights, why doe you thus vngratefullie not onelie abstaine to tender mee, but giue mee an open proy to my foes to suppresse mee: yea, which is most loathsome of all others, become proper murtherers and paracides of your owne parentage and familie, cruell destroyers of your owne patrimonie, and wretched renders and tearers of your mothers bowels, without all regard or pitie.
Synonymia, when we bring foorth many wordes together of one signification, or sounding all to one purpose, as to say, thou hast spoiled thy Countrey, destroied thy Citie, and turned the Commonweale topsie-turuie: all which do sort but to one purpose, for the expressing the hatefulnesse of the iniurie: or otherwise to say, What head hadst thou to deuise such a thing, where was thy wit when thou wentst about it, what became of thy minde in purposing the same, whither was thy discretion caried in the prosequution? Here is head, wit, minde and discretion, all sorting to one thing. Also, what desirest thou, what soughtest thou, what couldest thou wish or expect in the action. Here is desired, sought, wish and expect, being all to one meaning.
Auxesis or Incrementum, where by degrees we not onlie rise to the summe of euerie thing, but also sometimes go beyond, as to say, Hee first set vpon him with reproachfull wordes, after assayled him with his weapons, then wounded him, and lastlie did moste miserablie murther him. Here by degrees is passed to the last exigent. Now to the second. It is euill to reproch, wicked to slaunder, villanous vnwarilie to strike, detestable to murther. What shall I say to betray a man to all these. Here is nowvltra summum, beyond all that was spoken to the vttermost. The excellencie of this Figure is so much the more, by howe much euerie degrée is still inforced one aboue another, and goeth beyonde in comparison, as to say: golde, riches, honour, estate, treasure, kingdomes, life, and all he helde of no moment. Another kinde of recitall pertaineth also to this figure short in repetition, but for vehemencie wonderfull, as to say: Thou hast conspired the death of thy Prince, and in her the subuersion of a whole kingdome, what should I say thou hast conspired the death of thy Prince. As who would enforce that no one thing then that could be greater: Finallie, for inforcement of a thing, to say in reprehension of follies. If thou hadst done or spoken this in a priuate audience, among men of the ruder and meaner sort, among such as are lesse capable of skill then a great many others, thy fault could not haue beene hid: but to doe it before thy betters, in the presence of such as are adiudged both honorable and wise, in the hearing of those of great account of such as haue power to checke, and authoritie to compell thee, it was too peeuish.
Sinathrismus, a heaping of words diuersly signifying togithers, as to say, Hee was a man wholie malicious, exceedinglie proude, vtterlie arrogant, altogither subtill, by nature cruell, and in speeches contentious. Or otherwise thus: What should I tell thee further of his partes, how wise, how sober, how honest, howe courteous, howe friendly, how choicelie he liued.
Brachiologa, when in single wordes without anie coupling togethers, we procéed in a broken kind of deliuerie, and yet hasten forward as in the other: As to saie, loue, hate, Ielousie, frensie, furie, drew him from pitty.