The foundacion of
Rhetorike.
¶ A Fable.
The ground
of al learning[.]
Irste it is good that the learner doe vnderstand
what is a fable, for in all matters of learnyng,
it is the firste grounde, as Tullie doeth saie, to
knowe what the thing is, that we may the bet-
What is a
fable. ter perceiue whervpō we doe intreate. A fable
is a forged tale, cōtaining in it by the colour of a lie, a matter
Morall. of truthe. The moralle is called that, out of the whiche some
godlie precepte, or admonicion to vertue is giuen, to frame
and instruct our maners. Now that we knowe what a fable
is, it is good to learne also, how manifolde or diuers thei be,
Three sortes
of fables.
i. A fable of
reason. I doe finde three maner of fables to be. The first of theim is,
wherein a man being a creature of God indued with reason,
is onely intreated of, as the Fable of the father and his chil-
dren, he willing thē to concorde, and this is called Rationalis
fabula, whiche is asmoche to saie, as a Fable of men indued
ii. Morall. with reason, or women. The second is called a morall fable,
but I sée no cause whie it is so called, but rather as the other
is called a fable of reasonable creatures, so this is contrarilie
named a fable of beastes, or of other thinges wanting reason
or life, wanting reason as of the Ante and the Greshopper, or
of this the beame caste doun, and the Frogges chosyng their
iii. Mixt. king. The thirde is a mixt Fable so called, bicause in it bothe
man hauyng reason, and a beaste wantyng reason, or any o-
ther thing wanting life, is ioyned with it, as for the example,
of the fable of the woodes and the housebandman, of whom
Poetes in-
uentours of
fables.
Oratours
vse fables. he desired a helue for his hatchet. Aucthours doe write, that
Poetes firste inuented fables, the whiche Oratours also doe
vse in their perswasions, and not without greate cause, both
Poetes and Oratours doe applie theim to their vse. For, fa-
Good doctrin
in fables.
Hesiodus. bles dooe conteine goodlie admonicion, vertuous preceptes
of life. Hesiodus the Poete, intreatyng of the iniurious dea-
lyng of Princes and gouernours, against their subiectes, ad-
monished them by the fable of the Goshauke, and the Nigh-
Ouide. tyngale in his clause. Ouid also the Poete intreated of di-
uers fables, wherein he giueth admonicion, and godly coun-
Demosthe-
nes vsed fa-
bles. saile. Demosthenes the famous Oratour of Athens, vsed
the fable of the Shepeherdes, and Wolues: how the Wol-
ues on a tyme, instauntlie required of the Shepeherdes their
bande dogges, and then thei would haue peace and concorde
with theim, the Shepeherdes gaue ouer their Dogges, their
Dogges deliuered and murdered, the shepe were immediat-
ly deuoured: So saieth he, if ye shall ones deliuer to Philip,
the king of the Macedonians your Oratours, by whose lear-
nyng, knowlege and wisedome, the whole bodie of your do-
minions is saued, for thei as Bandogges, doe repell all mis-
cheuous enterprises and chaunses, no doubte, but that raue-
nyng Wolfe Philip, will eate and consume your people, by
this Fable he made an Oracion, he altered their counsailes
and heddes of the Athenians, from so foolishe an enterprise.
Also thesame Demosthenes, seyng the people careles, sloth-
full, and lothsome to heare the Oratours, and all for the flo-
rishing state of the kingdome: he ascended to the place or pul-
pet, where the Oracions were made, and began with this fa-
The fable of
Demosthe-
nes, of the
Asse and the
shadowe. ble. Ye men of Athens, saied he, it happened on a tyme, that
a certaine man hired an Asse, and did take his iourney from
Athens to Megara, as we would saie, frō London to Yorke,
the owner also of the Asse, did associate hymself in his iour-
ney, to brynge backe the Asse againe, in the voyage the
weather was extreame burning hotte, and the waie tedious
the place also for barenes and sterilitée of trees, wanted sha-
dowe in this long broyle of heate: he that satte one the Asse,
lighted and tooke shadowe vnder the bellie of the Asse, and
because the shadowe would not suffice bothe, the Asse beyng
small, the owner saied, he muste haue the shadowe, because
the Asse was his, I deny that saieth the other, the shadowe is
myne, because I hired the Asse, thus thei were at greate con-
tencion, the fable beyng recited, Demosthenes descended frō
his place, the whole multitude were inquisitiue, to knowe
The conten-
cion vpon the
shadowe and
the Asse. the ende about the shadowe, Demosthenes notyng their fol-
lie, ascended to his place, and saied, O ye foolishe Athenians,
whiles I and other, gaue to you counsaill and admoniciō, of
graue and profitable matters, your eares wer deafe, and your
mindes slombred, but now I tell of a small trifeling matter,
you throng to heare the reste of me. By this Fable he nipped
their follie, and trapped them manifestlie, in their owne dol-
tishenes. Herevpon I doe somwhat long, make copie of wor-
Fables well
applied bee
singuler. des, to shewe the singularitee of fables well applied. In the
tyme of Kyng Richard the thirde, Doctour Mourton, beyng
Bishop of Elie, and prisoner in the Duke of Buckynghams
house in Wales, was often tymes moued of the Duke, to
speake his minde frelie, if king Richard wer lawfully king,
and said to him of his fidelitée, to kepe close and secret his sen-
tence: but the Bishop beyng a godlie man, and no lesse wise,
waied the greate frendship, whiche was sometyme betwene
the Duke & King Richard, aunswered in effect nothyng, but
beyng daily troubled with his mocions & instigacions, spake
a fable of Esope: My lorde saied he, I will aunswere you, by
The fable of
the Bisshop
of Elie, to the
duke of Buc-
kyngham. a Fable of Esope. The Lion on a tyme gaue a commaunde-
ment, that all horned beastes should flie from the woode, and
none to remain there but vnhorned beastes. The Hare hea-
ring of this commaundement, departed with the horned bea-
stes from the woodde: The wilie Foxe metyng the Hare, de-
maunded the cause of his haste, forthwith the Hare aunswe-
red, a commaundemente is come from the Lion, that all hor-
ned beastes should bee exiled, vpon paine of death, from the
woode: why saied the Foxe, this commaundement toucheth
not any sorte of beast as ye are, for thou haste no hornes but
knubbes: yea, but said the Hare, what, if thei saie I haue hor-
nes, that is an other matter, my lorde I saie no more: what he
ment, is euident to all men.
In the time of king Hēry theight (a prince of famous me-
morie) at what time as the small houses of religiō, wer giuen
ouer to the kinges hand, by the Parliament house: the bishop
of Rochester, Doctour Fisher by name stepped forthe, beyng
greued with the graunt, recited before them, a fable of Esope
to shewe what discommoditee would followe in the Clergie.
The fable of
the Bisshop
of Rochester,
againste the
graunt of the
Chauntries. My lordes and maisters saieth he, Esope recited a fable: how
that on a tyme, a housebande manne desired of the woodes, a
small helue for his hatchet, all the woodes consented thereto
waiyng the graunt to be small, and the thyng lesse, therevpō
the woodes consented, in fine the housbande man cut doune
a small peece of woodde to make a helue, he framyng a helue
to the hatchette, without leaue and graunt, he cut doune the
mightie Okes and Cedars, and destroyed the whole woodd,
then the woodes repented them to late. So saith he, the gift of
these small houses, ar but a small graunt into the kinges hā-
des: but this small graunt, will bee a waie and meane to pull
doune the greate mightie fatte Abbees, & so it happened. But
there is repentaūce to late: & no profite ensued of the graunte.
¶ An Oracion made by a fable, to the first exer-
cise to declame by, the other, bee these,