A Treatise of Schemes and Tropes

by Richard Sherry

[Sarcasmus.] [Amara irrisio], is a bitter sporting & mocke of our enemye, of a maner of iestyng or scoffinge bytynglye, a nyppyng tawnte, as: The Iewes saide to Christ, he saued other, but he could not saue hym selfe.

[Astysmus.] [Festiua urbanitas], is a certen mery conceyted speakyng, as on a tyme a mery felow metynge w^t one that had a very whyte head, axed him if he had lyen in the snowe al nyght.

[Mycterismus.] [Subsannatio], a skornyng by some iesture of the face, as by wrythinge the nose, putting out the tonge, pottyng, or suche lyke.

[Antiphrasis.] [Dictio cõtrariũ significans], when the mock is in a worde by a contrarye sence, as when we call a fustilugges, a minion.

[Charientismus.] [Graciosa nugatio], when wordes roughly spokẽ be molified by pleasaunt wordes: as when we saye to hym that threatneth vs: I praye you be good master to me.

[ The fyrst order of the]
figures Rethoricall.

[Epanaphora] [Repeticio], repeticion, when in lyke and diuerse thynges, we take our begynnyng cõtinually at one & the selfe same word, thus: To you this thyng is to be ascribed, to you thanke is to be geuen, to you thys thynge shal be honour. In this exornacion is much plesantnes, grauitie, and sharpnes, & it is much vsed of al oratours, & notably setteth oute, and garnysheth the oracion.

[Antistrophe.] [Conuersio], conuersion is whych taketh not hys begynnynges at al one and the same worde, but w^t all one worde styll closeth vp the sentence, & it is contrary to that other before, as: Sence the time y^e cõcord was takẽ awaye from the citie, lyberty was takẽ awai: fidelity was takẽ away: frẽship was takẽ away.

[Symploce.] [Cõplexio], complexion cõpriseth both two exornacions, both this, & that whych we declared before, y^t both all one fyrste worde shulde be oftẽ repeted, & we shuld turne often to all one laste word, as: Who toke Sedechias prisoner, & put out both hys eyes? Nabuchodonozer. Who put Daniell and hys felowes into the burnyng furnace? Nabuchodonozer. Who was transformed frõ a man into a beast, & eate haye wyth oxen? Nabuchodonozer.

[Anadiplosis.] [Reduplicatio], is a continent rehearsyng agayne of all one worde, or wordes, for the more vehemence, and some affect of the mynde. Cicero agaynst Catiline. Yet he liueth, liueth: yea commeth also into the counsel house. It is thou, it is thou that troublest all the houshold. ¶ Also, dareste thou nowe come into our syght, y^e traitour of thy cõtrei? Thou traitour I say of thy contrei, darest thou come into oure syght?