5.Impossible.
6.Not agreyng to any likelihode of truthe.
7.Uncomlie to be talked of.
8.Unprofitable.
This exercise of Rhetorike doeth contain in it al strength
of arte, as who should saie, all partes of Rhetorike, maie co-
piouslie be handled in this parte, called confutacion, so am-
ple a matter Tullie doeth note this parte to be.
¶ The theme or proposicion of this Oracion.
It is not like to be true, that is said of the battaill of Troie.
¶ The reprehension of the auc-
thor, and of all Poetes.
Ot without a cause, the vanities of Poetes are
to bee reproued, and their forged inuencions to
bee reiected: in whose writynges, so manifestlie
are set forthe as a truthe, and Chronicled to the
posteritie of ages and times, soche forged mat-
The vanities
of Poetes. ters of their Poeticall and vain wittes. Who hath not heard
of their monsterous lies against God, thei inuentyng a gene-
alogie of many Goddes procreated, where as there is but
one God. This vanitie also thei haue set forthe, in their mo-
numentes and woorkes. How a conspiracie was sometyme
emong the Goddes and Goddes, to binde the great God Iu-
piter. How impudentlie doe thei set forthe the Goddes, to bee
louers of women, and their adulterous luste: and how thei
haue transformed theim selues, into diuers shapes of beastes
and foules, to followe after beastly luste. The malice and en-
uie of the Goddes, one to an other: [The] feigne also the heauē
to haue one God, the sea an other, helle an other, whiche are
mere vanities, and false imaginaciōs of their Poeticall wit-
tes. The like forged inuencion haue thei wrote, of the migh-
The battaill
of Troie .x.
yeres for a
herlotte. tie and terrible battaill bruted of Troie, for a beautifull har-
lot susteined ten yeres. In the whiche, not onely men and no-
ble péeres, gaue the combate of battaile, but the Goddes toke
partes against Goddes, and men wounded Goddes: as their
The vain in-
uention of
Poetes. lies exceade all nomber, because thei bee infinite, so also thei
passe all truthe, reason, and iudgemente. These fewe exam-
ples of their vanities and lies, doe shewe the feigned ground
and aucthoritie of the reste. Accordyng to the folie and super-
sticiousnes of those tymes, thei inuented and forged folie vp-
pon folie, lye vpon lye, as in the battaill of Troie, thei aggra-
uate the dolour of the battaill, by pitifull and lamentable in-
Plato reie-
cteth Poetes
from the com[-]
mon wealth. uencion. As for the Poetes them selues, Plato in his booke,
made vpon the administracion of a common wealth, maketh
theim in the nomber of those, whiche are to bee banished out
of all common wealthes.