¶ And so to conclude an oracion Demon-
stratiue / wherein persones are lauded / is
an historycall exposicion of all his lyfe in
order. And there is no difference betwene
this kynde and an history / saue that in hi-
stories we be more briefe and vse lesse curi-
ositie. Here all thynges be augmēted and
coloured with as moche ornamentes of
eloquence as can be had.
¶ Confirmacion of our purpose / and con-
futynge or reprouynge of the contrarye /
whiche are the partes of contencion / are
nat requisite in this kynde of oracion / for
here are nat treated any doubtefull ma-
ters / to whome contencion perteineth.
Neuer the lesse / somtyme it happeneth
(how beit it is seldome) that a doubte may
come / which must be either defended / or at
the leest excused.
¶ Example.
THe frenche men in olde tyme
made myghty warre agaynste
the Romaynes / and so sore be-
sieged theym that they were by compul-
cion constrayned to fall to composicion
with the frenche men for an huge summe
of golde / to be payed to theym for the bre-
kynge of the siege / but beynge in this ex-
treme misery / they sent for one Camillus /
whome nat very longe afore they had ba-
nisshed out of the citie / and in his absence
made hym dictatour / which was the chie-
fest dignitie amonge the Romaynes / and
of so greate auctoritie / that for the space of
thre monethes / for so long dured the office
moost cōueniently / he might do all thyng
at his pleasure / whether it concerned deth
or no / nor no mā so hardy ones to say nay
against any thyng that he dyd / so that for
the space he was as a kynge / hauynge all
in his owne mere power. Now it chaūced
that while this summe was in payenge / &
nat fully wayed / Camillus of whome I
said afore / that being in exile he was made
dictatour / came with an army / and anone
bad cease of the payment / & that eche par-
ty shulde make redy to bataile / and so he
vainquisshed the frenche men.
¶ Now yf one shulde praise hym of his no[-]
ble faites / it shuld seme that this was done
contrary to the law of armes / to defait the
frenche men of the raumsom due to them /
syns the compacte was made afore / wher-
fore it is necessary for the oratour to defēde
this dede / & to proue that he did nothynge
contrary to equitie. For the whiche pur-
pose he hathe two places. One apparent /
whiche is a comon sayenge vsurped of the
poete. Dolus [au] virtus quis in hoste requirat.
That is to say / who will serche whether ye
dede of enemy against enemy be either gile
or pure valiantnes? But for that in warre
law is as well to be kept as in other thin-
ges. This sayeng is but of a feble groūde.
The other is of a more stronge assuraūce /
whiche Titus Liuius writeth in his fyfte
boke from the buildynge of Rome / where
he reherceth this history now mencioned /
and that answere is this / that the cōpacte
was made to paye the foresayd raunsome
after that Camillus was created dicta-
tour / at what time it was nat lawfull that
they whiche were of ferre lesse auctoritie /
ye & had put them selfe holy in his hande /
shuld entermedle them with any maner of
treatise without his licence / & that he was
nat bounde to stande to theyr bargayne.
The whiche argumente is deducte out of
two circumstaunces / whereof one is the
tyme of the makynge of the compacte / and
the other / the persons that made it / which
two circumstaunces may briefly be called
whan / and who. ¶ Likewise yf an oracion
shulde be made to the laude of saint Pe-
ter / it behoueth to excuse his denyenge of
christe / that it was rather of diuine power
and wyll: than otherwise / for a confortable
example to synners of grace yf they repēt.
¶ This is the maner of handelynge of an
oracion demonstratiue / in whiche the per-
son is praised.
¶ The author in his greater worke decla[-]
reth the facion by this example.
¶ If one wolde praise kynge Charles / he
shulde kepe in his oracion this order.