A booke called the Foundacion of Rhetorike Part 17

Lucane also setteth forthe the warres of Pompe and Ce- sar, what straunge and marueilous thynges fell of it.

-- A descripcion vpon Xerxes.

WHen Darius was dedde, Xerxes his soonne did succede hym, who also tooke vpon him to finishe the warres, bego[n] by his father Darius, against Grece. For the whiche warres, preperacion was made, for the s.p.a.ce of fiue yeres, after that [Sidenote: The armie of Xerxes.]

Xerxes entered Grece, with seuen hundred thousande Persi- ans, and three hundred thousande of forrain power aided him that not without cause, Chronicles of aunciente tyme dooe shewe, mightie floodes to be dried vp of his armie. The migh[-]

tie dominions of Grece, was not hable to receiue his houge, and mightie power, bothe by sea and lande: he was no small Prince, whom so many nacions, so mightie people followed hym, his Nauie of Shippes was in nomber tenne hundred [Sidenote: Xerxes a cowarde.]

thousande, Xerxes had a mightie power, but Xerxes was a cowarde, in harte a childe, all in feare the stroke of battaile moued. In so mightie an armie it was marueile, the chiefe Prince and Capitaine to be a cowarde, there wanted neither men, nor treasure, if ye haue respecte to the kyng hymself, for cowardlinesse ye will dispraise the kyng, but his threasures beeyng so infinite, ye will maruaile at the plentie thereof, whose armie and infinite hoste, though mightie floodes and streames, were not able to suffice for drinke, yet his richesse [Sidenote: Xerxes laste in battaile, and first to runne awaie.]

semed not spente nor tasted of. Xerxes hymself would be laste in battaile to fight, and the firste to retire, and runne awaie.

In daungers he was fearfull, and when daunger was paste, [Fol. lij.v]

he was stoute, mightie, glorious, and wonderfull crakyng, [Sidenote: The pride of Xerxes.]

before this ha.s.sarde of battaile attempted. He thought hym self a G.o.d ouer nature, all landes and Seas to giue place to hym, and puffed with pride, he forgatte hymself: his power was terrible, his harte fainte, whereupon his enteryng into Grece was not so dreaded, as his flight fro[m] thence was sham[-]

full, mocked and scorned at, for all his power he was driuen backe from the lande, by Leonides king of the Lacedemoni- ans, he hauing but a small nomber of men, before his second battaile fought on the Sea: he sente fower thousande armed men, to spoile the riche and sumpteous temple of Apollo, at Delphos, from the whiche place, not one man escaped. After that Xerxes entered Thespia, Platea, and Athenes, in the whiche not one man remained, those he burned, woorkyng his anger vpon the houses: for these citees were admonished to proue the maisterie in wodden walles, whiche was ment to bee Shippes, the power of Grece, brought into one place [Sidenote: Themi- stocles.]

Themistocles, fauoryng their part, although Xerxes thought otherwise of Themistocles, then Themistocles perswaded Xerxes to a.s.saie the Grecians. Artemisia the Quene of Hali- carnasis aided Xerxes in his battaile: Artemisia fought man[-]

fullie, Xerxes cowardly shronke, so that vnnaturally there was in the one a manlie stomacke, in the other a cowardlie harte. The men of Ionia, that fought vnder Xerxes banner, by the treason of Themistocles, shra[n]ke from Xerxes, he was not so greate a terrour or dreade, by his maine hoste, as now smally regarded & least feared. What is power, men, or mo- ney, when G.o.d chaungeth and pulleth doune, bothe the suc- cesse, and kyngdome of a Prince. He was in all his glorie, a vnmanlie, and a cowardly prince, yet for a time happie state fell on his side, now his might and power is not feared. He flieth awaie in a Fisher boate, whom all the worlde dreaded and obaied, whom all Grece was not able to receiue, a small boate lodgeth and harboureth. His owne people contemned hym at home, his glorie fell, and life ingloriously ended, who[m]

[Fol. liij.r]

whom G.o.d setteth vp, neither treason nor malice, power nor money can pull doune. Worthelie it is to be pondered of all Princes, the saiyng of Uespasia.n.u.s Emperour of Rome, at a certain time a treason wrought and conspired against him, the conspiratours taken, Uespasia.n.u.s satte doune betwene [Sidenote: The saiyng of Uespasi- a.n.u.s.]

theim, commaunded a sworde to be giuen to either of theim, and saied to them: _Nonne videtis fato potestatem dari._ Dooe you not see? Power, aucthoritee, and regimente, by the ordi- [Sidenote: A sentence comfortable to al princes.]

naunce of G.o.d, is lefte and giuen to princes: A singuler sen- tence, to comforte all good Princes in their gouernemente, not to feare the poisoned hartes of men, or the traiterous har- tes of pestiferous men. No man can pull doune, where G.o.d exalteth, neither power can set vp and extoll, where G.o.d dis- plaseth or putteth doune: Soche is the state of Princes, and their kyngdomes.

-- _Thesis._

_THesis_, is a certain question in consultacion had, to bee declaimed vpon vncertaine, notyng no certaine per- sone or thyng.

As for example.

Whether are riches chieflie to be sought for, in this life, as of all good thynges, the chief good.

Whether is vertue the moste excellente good thynge in this life.

Whether dooe the giftes of the mynde, pa.s.se and excelle the giftes and vertues of Fortune, and the bodie.

Whether doeth pollicie more auaile in war, then stre[n]gth of menne.

Who so will reason of any question of these, he hath nede with reason, and wittie consultacion to discourse, and to de- claime vpon thesame.

The Greke Oratours doe call this exercise _Thesis_, that is to saie, a proposicion in question, a question vncertain, in- cluded with no certaintee, to any perticuler thyng.

[Fol. liij.v]

The Latine men doeth call it a question infinite, or vni- uersall: Tullie in his booke of places called Topickes, doeth call _Thesis_, _Propositum_, that is to saie, a question, in deter- minacion. Priscia.n.u.s calleth it _positionem_, a proposicion in question on ether parte to be disputed vpon.

As for example.

Whether is it best to marie a wife?

Whether is frendship aboue all thynges to be regarded.

Is warre to be moued vpon a iuste cause?

Is the Greke tongue mete, and necessarie to be learned?

There is an other kinde of question called _hypothesis_, _hy[-]

pothesis_ is called _questio finita_, that is to saie, a question cer- taine notyng a certaine persone, or thyng, a certaine place, tyme, and so forthe.

As for example.

Is it mete for Cesar to moue warre against Pompei?

Is not there a certain persone?

Is the Greke tongue to be learned of a Diuine?

Is the Greke tongue meete for a Phisicion?

In this kinde of exercises, famous men of auncient time did exercise youth, to attain bothe wisedome and Eloquence therby, to make a discourse vpo[n] any matter, by art of lerning[.]

Aristotle the famous Philosopher, did traine vp youthe, to be perfite in the arte of eloquence, that thei might with all copiousnes and ingenious inuencion handle any cause.

Nothing doeth so moche sharpe and acuate the witte and capacitee of any one, as this kinde of exercise.

It is a goodly vertue in any one man, at a sodain, to vtter wittely and ingeniouslie, the secrete and hid wisedome of his mynde: it is a greate maime to a profounde learned man, to wante abilitee, to vtter his exquisite and profounde knowe- ledge of his mynde.

-- _Thesis._

THis question _Thesis_, which is a question, noting no cer- taine persone or thyng: is moche like to that Oracion, [Fol. liiij.r]

intreated of before, called a Common place.

-- A Common place.

BUt a Common place, is a certaine exaggeracion of matter, induced against any persone, conuicted of a- ny crime, or worthie defence.

-- _Thesis._

_Thesis_ is a reasonyng by question, vpon a matter vncer- taine.

_Thesis_, that is to saie, a questio[n] generall is in two sortes.

{ Ciuill.

A question { { Contemplatiue.

QUestions Ciuill are those, that dooe pertaine to the state of a common wealth: and are daily practised in the common wealthe.

As for example.