RISTOTLE the famous Phi-
losopher, writing a boke to king
Alexāder, the great and migh-
tie conquerour, began the Epi-
stle of his Booke in these woor-
des. Twoo thynges moued me
chieflie, O King, to betake to thy Maiesties handes,
this worke of my trauile and labour, thy nobilitie and
vertue, of the whiche thy nobilitie encouraged me, thy
greate and singuler vertue, indued with all humanitie,
forced and draue me thereto. The same twoo in your
good Lordshippe, Nobilitie and Vertue, as twoo migh-
tie Pillers staied me, in this bolde enterprise, to make
your good Lordshippe, beyng a Pere of honour, indued
with all nobilitie and vertue: a patrone and possessoure
of this my booke. In the whiche although copious and
aboundaunte eloquence wanteth, to adorne and beau-
tifie thesame, yet I doubte not for the profite, that is in
this my trauaile conteined, your honour indued with
all singuler humanitie, will vouchsaufe to accepte my
willyng harte, my profitable purpose herein. Many fa-
mous menne and greate learned, haue in the Greke
tongue and otherwise trauailed, to profite all tymes
their countrie and common wealthe. This also was my
ende and purpose, to plante a worke profitable to all ty-
mes, my countrie and common wealthe.

And because your Lordshippe studieth all singula-
ritie to vertue, and wholie is incensed thereto: I haue
compiled this woorke, and dedicated it to your Lorde-
shippe, as vnto whō moste noble and vertuous. Wher-
in are set forthe soche Oracions, as are right profitable
to bee redde, for knowledge also necessarie. The duetie
of a subiecte, the worthie state of nobilitie, the prehe-
minent dignitie and Maiestie of a Prince, the office of
counsailours, worthie chiefe veneracion, the office of a
Iudge or Magestrate are here set foorthe. In moste for-
tunate state is the kyngdome and Common wealthe,
where the Nobles and Peres, not onelie daiely doe stu-
die to vertue, for that is the wisedome, that all the
graue and wise Philophers searched to attaine to. For
the ende of all artes and sciences, and of all noble actes
and enterprises is vertue, but also to fauour and vphold
the studentes of learnyng, whiche also is a greate ver-
tue. Whoso is adorned with nobilitie and vertue, of
necessitie nobilitie and vertue, will moue and allure thē
to fauour and support vertue in any other, yea, as Tul-
lie the moste famous Oratour dooeth saie, euen to loue
those whō we neuer sawe, but by good fame and brute
beutified to vs. For the encrease of vertue, God
dooeth nobilitate with honour worthie
menne, to be aboue other in dignitie
and state, thereupon vertue
doeth encrease your
Lordshipps
honor,
beyng a louer of vertue
and worthie no-
bilitie.

Your lordshippes humble ser-
uaunt Richard Rainolde.

To the Reader.

PHTHONIVS a famous man, wrote
in Greke of soche declamacions, to en-
structe the studentes thereof, with all fa-
cilitée to grounde in them, a moste plenti-
ous and riche vein of eloquence. No man
is able to inuente a more profitable waie
and order, to instructe any one in the ex-
quisite and absolute perfeccion, of wisedome and eloquence,
then Aphthonius Quintilianus and Hermogenes. Tullie al-
so as a moste excellente Orator, in the like sorte trauailed,
whose Eloquence and vertue all tymes extolled, and the of-
spryng of all ages worthilie aduaunceth. And because as yet
the verie grounde of Rhetorike, is not heretofore intreated
of, as concernyng these exercises, though in fewe yeres past,
a learned woorke of Rhetorike is compiled and made in the
Englishe toungue, of one, who floweth in all excellencie of
arte, who in iudgement is profounde, in wisedome and elo-
quence moste famous. In these therefore my diligence is em-
ploied, to profite many, although not with like Eloquence,
beutified and adorned, as the matter requireth. I haue cho-
sen out in these Oracions soche questions, as are right ne-
cessarie to be knowen and redde of all those, whose cogitaciō
pondereth vertue and Godlines. I doubte not, but seyng my
trauaile toucheth vertuous preceptes, and vttereth to light,
many famous Histories, the order of arte obserued also, but
that herein the matter it self, shall defende my purpose aga-
inste the enuious, whiche seketh to depraue any good enter-
prise, begon of any one persone. The enuious manne
though learned, readeth to depraue that, which he
readeth, the ignoraunt is no worthie Iudge,
the learned and godlie pondereth vp-
rightly & sincerely, that which
he iudgeth, the order of
these Oracions
followeth afterward, and
the names of thē.

The contentes of
this Booke.