¶ In this pece of Tullies narracion are
entermengled fyrst that Clodius knew of
Miloes goynge / whiche maketh the ma-
ter suspecte yt Clodius went afore to mete
with him / for this was well knowen afore
that Clodi[us] bare Milo great grudge and
malice. Next is shewed the place where as
Clodius met Milo / whiche also gyueth a
great suspicion / for it was nygh Clodius
place / where he myght sone take socour / &
the tother was in leest assuraūce. Thyrdly
that he departed out of the city / what tyme
it had ben most expedient / ye / & also great-
ly requisite for hym to haue ben at home.
And that again maketh the mater suspect /
for surely he wold nat (as Tully hym selfe
saieth) in no wise haue ben absent at suche
a busy tyme / onles it had ben for som great
purpose / and what other shulde it seme thā
to slee Milo. As surely euident it was that
they buckled to gyther / and this was well
knowen that Milo had a necessary cause
to go furth of Rome at that tyme. Contra[-]
ryly in Clodius coulde be perceyued non
other occasion to departe than oute of the
citie: but of lykelyhood to lye in wayte
for Milo.
¶ The proposicion.
OUt of the narracion must be ga-
deryd a briefe sentence / wherein
shall stande the hole pithe of the
cause / for Rhetoriciens put incontinent af[-]
ter the narracion diuision / which is a part
of contencion / & dothe bryefly shew wherin
the controuersy doth stande / or what thin-
ges shall be spoken of in the oracion. This
diuision is deuyded into seiunction and di-
stribucion.
¶ Seiunction is whan we shew wherein
our aduersaries and we agree / and what it
is / whereupon we stryue. As they that ple-
dyd Clodius cause agaynst Milo / myght
on this maner haue vsed seiunction. That
Milo slew Clodius: our aduersaries can
nat denaye / but whether he myght so do
lawfully or nat / is our controuersy. Distri-
bucion is the proposicion wherein we de-
clare of what thynges we wyll speke / of
whiche yf we propose how many they be /
it is called enumeracion / but yf we do nat
expresse the nombre / it is called exposicion.
¶ Example of bothe is had in the oracion
that Tully made to the people that Pom-
peyus myght be made chiefe capitayne of
the warres agaynst Mithridates and Ti-
granes / where after the preface and narra[-]
cion he maketh his proposicion by exposi-
cion thus.
Fyrste, I thynke it expedyent to speke
of the nature & kynde of this warre /
and after that of the greatnes thereof / and
than to shewe how an hede or chiefe capy-
tayne of any army shulde be chosen.
Whiche last membre of his exposicion he a-
gayne distributeth into foure partes thus
as foloweth.
TRuely this is myne opinion / that he
whiche shall be a gouernour of an
hoost / ought to haue these foure property-
es in hym. The fyrste is / that he haue per-
fyte knowlege of all suche thynges as lon-
geth to warre. The seconde is that he be a
man of his handes. The thyrde that he be
a man of suche auctority: that his dignity
may cause his souldiers to haue hym in re-
uerence and awe. The fourth is that he be
fortunate and lucky in all thynges that he
goeth about.
¶ Tully in the oracion for Milo / propo-
seth all onely shewynge wherin the contro[-]
uersy of the plee dyd stande on this maner
as foloweth.