A Treatise of Schemes and Tropes

by Richard Sherry

[Erotema.] [Raciocinatio], raciocinacion is, by the whych we our selues axe a reason of oure selfe, wherefore euerye thynge shulde be spoken, & that oftentymes we demaund of our selues a declaracion of euery proposicion after thys maner: Thys was well ordeined of oure elders to depryue no kynge of hys lyfe whome they had taken in batayl. Why so? for the power whyche fortune had geuen vs, it to consume in the punyshement of them whom the same fortune a lytle before had set in hyeste degree, were agaynste reason.

Yea but he brought a greate army agaynst you? I wyl not remember it. Why so? For it is the poynte of a valiaunte man, suche as contend for the vyctorye, them to count enemyes: suche as be ouercome, those to count mẽ: so that fortitude maye diminishe war, humanitie increase peace. But he if he had ouercome, wolde he haue done so? Verelye he wolde not haue bene so wyse. Why shulde ye spare hym then? because such foly I am wont to despise, not to folowe.

[Prosapodosis.] [Subiectio], when we axe of oure selfe what can be saide agaynst vs, and answere to our selues thus: ¶ Shall we tary in synne? God forbyd. Or compell our aduersarye to answer thus: O Iewes, what can you say for denyall of Christe. Wyl you saye that you haue not youre Messias? but your prophets say the contrarye. Your Types are confoũded. Whom wyl you be iudged by? by Hystories? Oures declare that you be out of the way, & shall come agayne to Christ.

[Antiphora.] [Tacite obiectioni responsio.] whẽ we make answere to a thynge that myght priuely be obiected agaynst vs, as in the fyrst epystle of Ouide, Penelope wylling her husband Vlysses to come home hymselfe, and wryte nothyng vnto her. Wher he myght haue layed for hys tarying the warres, she priuely toke away y^t excuse, saying: Troy is destroied.

[Aporia.] [Dubitatio], Dubitacion; when wee doute of two thynges, or of many, which we shuld inespecially speke of. Much hurted the cõmonwealth at that tyme, whether I shuld saye the folyshenesse of the consolles, or the malyce, or bothe, I can not tell.

[Apophasis.] [Expeditio], expedicion, when many reasons rehearsed vp, wherby a thynge myghte be done or not, the other are taken away, and one left that we entende, thus: It muste needes bee that thys controuersie touching the sacrament must stand eyther vpon the much pressyng and rigour of the wordes; or vpon the meanynge and vnderstandynge of them. The wordes as they stande, brynge wyth them greate inconuenience, to wytte, to expositoures, and the other textes. The meaning doth not so but auoydeth al these incõueniences, & satisfieth reason, expositours, & texts of the scripture, wherfore wyt, expositour, & scripture thinketh it better to take the sentence, then the worde.

[Epilogus.] [Conclusio], conclusiõ is, which by a brief argumẽtacion of these thinges that be spoken before or done, inferreth that thynge that necessarilye shulde folowe, thus: And if a reuelacion wer geuen to the Troianes, y^t Troy myght not be taken without y^e arowes of Philectetes, and thei did nothing else but strike Alexander to kyl him that in dede was Troy to be taken.

[Epitrope.] [Permissio], permission, when we shew y^t we geue & graũt any thyng altogether to a mans wyll, thus: ¶ Because al thynges takẽ away, only is left vnto me my body & mynd, these thynges, whych only ar lefte vnto me of many, I graunte thẽ to you and to your power.

[Anacinosis.] [Cõmunicacio], cõmunicacion is, when we leaue sumwhat to y^e Iudges to be estemed, thus: I leaue vnto you o iudges to be thought what hurt y^e cõmõ welth shal take hereof [Diuisio], [Dialisis.] diuision is which diuiding one thyng frõ another, endeth thẽ both by shewing a reasõ, thus: why shuld I lay ani thing to thi charge? if y^u bee good, y^u haste not deserued it, if thou be naught, thou carest not for it. Also, what shuld I speake of myne owne good turnes towarde the. If thou do remember them, I shuld but trouble you: If you haue forgotten them, when by deede I haue profited nothyng, what good can I do in wordes?

[Antitheton.] [Contentio], contencion, when the reason stãdeth by contrary wordes or contraries be rehearsed by cõparison, thus: Flattery hath pleasaũt begynnynges, but the same hathe verye bytter endynges. Cicero agaynst Catiline: when they coulde not lyue honestlye, they had rather dye shamefully. They that be after the fleshe, care for these thynges y^t be of the fleshe. They that be after the spirite, care for the thynges of the spirite.