AMonge all the noble deedes Cezare
that ye haue done / there is non that
is more worthy to be praysed than this re[-]
stitucion of Marke Marcell.
¶ Of Confirmacion / whiche is
the fyrst parte of Contencion.
THe places of confirmacion are
honesty / [p[er]fite] / lightnes / or har-
dines of the dede. For after the
proheme of the oracion and the narracion /
than go we to the prouynge of our mater.
Fyrst shewynge that it was a very honest
dede. And next / that it was nat all only ho[-]
nesty: but also profitable. Thirdely as con[-]
cernyng the easines or difficulty / the praise
therof must be considered / parte in the do-
er / part in the dede. An easy dede deserueth
no great praise / but an harde and a ieoper[-]
douse thynge / the soner and the lightlier it
is acheued / the more it is to be lauded.
¶ The honesty of the cause is fet from the
nature of the thynge yt is spoken of / which
place lieth in the wytte of the oratour / and
may also be fet out of the philosophers bo[-]
kes. It is also copiosely declared of Rhe-
toriciens / and very compēdiously handled
of Erasmus in his boke / entituled of the
maner and crafte to make epistels / in the
chapitre of a persuadyng epistle. The pro-
fyte of the dede / or the commoditie may be
fet at the circumstaunce of it. Circumstaū[-]
ces are these / what was done / who dyd it /
whan / where it was done / among whom /
by whose helpe.
¶ As if one wolde praise Sceuolaes acte /
of the whiche mencion was made afore /
he may.
¶ Whan he cometh to the places of con-
tencion / shew fyrst how honest a dede it is
for any man to put his lyfe in ieopardy for
the defence of his countrey / whiche is so
moche the more to be commended that it
cam of his owne minde / and nat by the in-
stigacion of any other / and how profitable
it was to the citie to remoue so strong and
puissaunt an enemy by so good and crafty
policy / what tyme the citie was nat well
assured of all mennes myndes that were
within the walles / considerynge that but
a lytle afore many noble yonge men were
detecte of treason in the same busines. And
than also the citie was almoost destitute of
vitailes / & all other commodities necessa-
ry for the defence.
¶ Likewise easynes or difficultie are con-
teyned in the circumstaunces of the cause.
As in the example now spoken of / what an
harde enterprise it is for one man to entre
into a kynges armye / and to come to the
kynges pauilion in the face of his souldi-
ers to aduenture to slee hym.
¶ Of the seconde parte of con-
tencion / called confutacion.
COnfutaciō is the soilyng of suche
argumentes as maye be induced
agaynst our purpose / which part
is but lytle vsed in an oracion demonstra-
tiue. Neuer the lesse / somtyme may chaūce
a thyng that must be either defended or els
at the leest excused. As yf any man wolde
speke of Camillus dede / wherby he recoue-
red his contrey / and delyuered it from the
handes of the Frenche men. ¶ Here must
be declared that the bargayne made afore
was nat by Camillus violate.
¶ The places of confutacion be contrary
to the places of confirmacion.