HE that laboreth to be forgyuē of his
faut / must reherce (yf he can) som be-
nefytes of his / done afore tyme / and shew
that they be farre greater in theyr nature
than is the cryme that he hathe commyt-
ted / so that (how be it he hath done great-
ly amysse) yet the goodnes of his fore me-
rites are farre bygger / and so may well op-
presse this one faut. Nexte after that it be-
houeth hym to haue refuge to the merytes
of his elders / yf there be any / and to open
them. That don / he must retourne to the
place of purgacion / and shewe that he dyd
nat the dede for any hate or malyce / but ei-
ther by folysshnes / or els by the entisement
of som other / or for some prouable cause.
And than promise faithfully that this faut
shall teche hym to beware frō thens forth /
and also that theyr benefytes that forgyue
hym shal bynde hym assuredly neuer to do
so more / but perpetually to abhorre any
suche offence / and with that to shewe some
great hope ones to make them a great re-
cōpence & pleasure therfore agayne. After
this let hym (yf he can) declare som kynred
betwene thē & hym / or frendshyp of his el-
ders / & amplifye the greatenes of his ser-
uice & good harte towarde them / yf it shall
please them to forgiue this faut / & adde the
nobility of theym that wolde fayne haue
hym delyuered. And than he shall soberly
declare his owne vertues and suche thyn[-]
ges as be in hym perteynyng to honesty &
prayse / that he may by these meanes seme
rather worthy to be auaunced in honour
for his good qualities / than to be punished
for his fall.
¶ This done / let hym reherce some other
that haue be forgyuen greater fautes than
this is. It shall also greatly auayle yf he
can shewe that he hathe in tyme afore ben
in auctoritie and bare a rule ouer other / in
the whiche he was neuer but gentyll and
glad to forgyue them that had offended vn[-]
derneth hym. And than let hym extenuate
his owne faute / and shew that there folo-
wed nat so great damage therof / and that
but lytle profyte or honesty wyll folowe of
his punysshment. And finally than by co-
mon places to moue the iudge to mercy &
pitie vpon hym.
¶ The aduersary must (as I haue shewed
afore) vse for his purpose contrary places.
¶ Some Rhetoriciens put no mo places
of deprecacion than only this that is here
last reherced of Tulli / that is to do our best
to moue the iustice to mercy and pity.
¶ Remocion of the faute is whan we put
it from vs and lay it to another.
THe Venecians haue [commannded]
certayne to go in ambassade to En-
glande / and thereuppon appointed theym
what they shal haue to bere their charges /
whiche money assigned: they can nat get
of the treasourer: At the daye appoynted
they go nat / whereupon they are accused
to the Senate. Here they must ley the faut
from them to the treasourer / which dispat-
ched them nat accordyng / as it was ordey[-]
ned that he shulde.
¶ Trāslacion of the faut is / whan he that
cōfesseth his faut sayeth that he dyd it: mo[-]
ued by the indignacion of the maliciouse
dede of an other.
¶ Example.
KYnge [Agamennon] / which was chief
capitayne of the Grekes at the siege
of Troye / whan he cam home was slayne
of Egist[us] by the treason of Clitenestra his
owne wyfe / which murder his son Orestes
seynge / whan he cam to mannes state / re-
uenged his fathers dethe on his mother / &
slew her / whereupon he was accused. Here
Orestes can nat deny but he slew his mo-
ther: But he layeth for hym that his mo-
thers abhominable iniury cōstrayned him
thereto / bycause she slew his father.