AN oraciō deliberatiue is by the
which we persuade or dissaude
any thyng / & by the whiche we
aske / or whereby we exhort any man to do
a thynge / or els to forsake it / and this kyn-
de of oracion is moche in vse / nat onely
in ciuil [ematers]: but also in epistels.
¶ Of the preamble.
WE may begynne our oracion in this
kynde / euyn lyke as we dyd in an ora[-]
cion demonstratiue / but moost aptly
at our office or duety / leest some men wolde
thynke that we dyd it more of a priuate af-
fection for our owne commoditie and plea[-]
sure: than for any other mannes profyte.
¶ And in this maner Salust in his boke
of Catheline bringeth in Cezare / beginnyng
an oracion. But let vs here now what Ce[-]
zar sayeth.
ALl men my lord[e]s Senatours which
syt concellynge vpon any doubtfull
mater / must be voyde of hatred / frendshyp /
anger / pitye / or mercye. For where any of
these thynges bere a rule / mannes mynde
can nat lightely perceyue the truthe. &c[etera].
¶ Or els we may begyn at the greatenes
of the mater / or daunger of the thyng that
we speke of / as in the fyfte boke of Liuius.
Camillus maketh the preamble of his ora[-]
cion thus.
MY maysters of this Citie of Ardea /
which haue ben alwayes myne olde
frendes / and now (by reason of myne exyle
out of Rome) my new neighbours and ci-
tizens. For I thank you of your goodnes
you haue promysed that it shuld so be / and
on the other side my fortune hath constray[-]
ned me to seke som new dwellynge out of
the citie where I was brought vp & enha-
bited. I wolde nat that any of you shulde
thynke that I am now come amonge you
nat remembrynge my condicion and state /
but the comō ieopardy that we be all now
in / wyll compell euery man to open and
shew the best remedy that he knoweth for
our socoure in this greate fere & necessity.
¶ Nat withstandynge this / a man may
take his begynnynge otherwyse / after any
of the facions afore recited / if he lyst.
¶ Tully in the oracion / wherin he aduised
the Romaynes to make Pompey theyr
chiefe capitaine against Mithridates and
Tigranes / kynges of Ponthus & Arme-
ny / taketh in the preface beneuolence from
his owne persone / shewynge by what oc-
casion he myght laufully gyue councell to
the Romaines / bycause was electe Pretor
of the citie. we may also touche our aduer-
saries in the preface / or els we may touche
the maners / either of som seuerall persons /
or of the commons in generall. As in the
oracion that Porci[us] Chato made agaynst
the sumptuousnes of the women of Rome /
thus begynnynge.
IF euery man my lordes and maisters
of this citie wolde obserue and kepe
the ryght and maiestye of a man agaynst
his owne wife / we shuld haue ferre lesse en-
combrance now with the hole thronge thā
we haue. But now our fredome and lyber-
tie is ouercome within our owne dores by
the importunatnes of our wyues / & so au-
dacitie taken therof here troden vnder the
fete / and oppressed in the parliamēt house:
And bycause we wold nat displease no mā
his owne wyfe at home: here are we now
combred with all / gathered to gyder on a
hepe / and brought in that takynge that
we dare nat ones open our lyppes against
them. &c[etera].