-- The reasonyng of the twoo thynges.
THus might the Ante reason with her self, althoughe the seasons of the yere doe seme now very hotte, plea- [Sidenote: A wise cogi- tacion.]
saunt and fruictfull: yet so I do not trust time, as that like pleasure should alwaies remaine, or that fruictes should alwaies of like sorte abounde. Nature moueth me to worke, and wisedome herein sheweth me to prouide: for what hur- teth plentie, or aboundaunce of store, though greate plentie commeth thereon, for better it is to bee oppressed with plen- tie, and aboundaunce, then to bee vexed with lacke. For, to whom wealthe and plentie riseth, at their handes many bee releued, and helped, all soche as bee oppressed with necessi- tie and miserie, beyng caste from all helpe, reason and proui- dence maimed in theim: All arte and Science, and meane of life cutte of, to enlarge and maintain better state of life, their [Sidenote: Pouertie.]
miserie, necessitie, and pouertie, shall continuallie encrease, who hopeth at other mennes handes, to craue relief, is decei- ued. Pouertie is so odious a thing, in al places & states reiected for where lacke is, there fanour, frendship, and acquaintance [Sidenote: Wisedome.]
decreaseth, as in all states it is wisedome: so with my self I waie discritlie, to take tyme while tyme is, for this tyme as a [Sidenote: Housebande menne.]
floure will sone fade awaie. The housebande manne, hath he not times diuers, to encrease his wealth, and to fill his barne, at one tyme and ceason: the housebande man doeth not bothe plante, plowe, and gather the fruicte of his labour, but in one tyme and season he ploweth, an other tyme serueth to sowe, and the laste to gather the fruictes of his labour. So then, I must forsee time and seasons, wherin I maie be able to beare of necessitie: for foolishly he hopeth, who of no wealth and no abundaunt store, trusteth to maintain his own state. For, no- [Fol. xj.v]
[Sidenote: Frendship.]
thyng soner faileth, then frendship, and the soner it faileth, as [Sidenote: Homere.]
fortune is impouerished. Seyng that, as Homere doeth saie, a slothfull man, giuen to no arte or science, to helpe hymself, or an other, is an vnprofitable burdein to the yearth, and G.o.d dooeth sore plague, punishe, and ouerthrowe Citees, kyng- domes, and common wealthes, grounded in soche vices: that the wisedome of man maie well iudge, hym to be vnworthie of all helpe, and sustinaunce. He is worse then a beast, that is not able to liue to hymself & other: no man is of witte so vn- [Sidenote: Nature.]
descrite, or of nature so dulle, but that in hym, nature alwa- yes coueteth some enterprise, or worke to frame relife, or help [Sidenote: The cause of our bearth.]
to hymself, for all wee are not borne, onelie to our selues, but many waies to be profitable, as to our owne countrie, and all partes thereof. Especiallie to soche as by sickenes, or infirmi- tie of bodie are oppressed, that arte and Science can not take place to help the[m]. Soche as do folowe the life of the Greshop- per, are worthie of their miserie, who haue no witte to foresee seasons and tymes, but doe suffer tyme vndescretly to pa.s.se, [Sidenote: Ia.n.u.s.]
whiche fadeth as a floure, thold Romaines do picture Ia.n.u.s with two faces, a face behind, & an other before, which resem- ble a wiseman, who alwaies ought to knowe thinges paste, thynges presente, and also to be experte, by the experience of many ages and tymes, and knowledge of thynges to come.
-- The comparison betwene the twoo thynges.
WHat can be more descritlie doen, then the Ante to be so prouident and politike: as that all daunger of life, & necessitie is excluded, the stormie times of Winter ceaseth of might, & honger battereth not his walles, hauyng [Sidenote: Prouidence.]
soche plentie of foode, for vnlooked bitter stormes and seasons, happeneth in life, whiche when thei happen, neither wisedo[m]
nor pollicie, is not able to kepe backe. Wisedome therefore, it is so to stande, that these thynges hurte not, the miserable ende of the Greshopper sheweth vnto vs, whiche maie be an example to all menne, of what degree, so euer thei bee, to flie [Fol. xij.r]
slothe and idelnesse, to be wise and discrite.
-- Of contraries.
[Sidenote: Diligence.]
AS diligence, prouidence, and discrete life is a singu- lare gift, whiche increaseth all vertues, a pillar, staie and a foundacion of all artes and science, of common wealthes, and kyngdomes. So contrarily sloth and sluggish- nesse, in all states and causes, defaseth, destroyeth, and pul- leth doune all vertue, all science and G.o.dlines. For, by it, the mightie kyngdome of the Lidia[n]s, was destroied, as it semeth [Sidenote: Idelnes.]
no small vice, when the Lawes of Draco, dooe punishe with death idelnesse.
-- The ende.
[Sidenote: The Ante.]
THerefore, the diligence of the Ante in this Fable, not onelie is moche to be commended, but also her example is to bee followed in life. Therefore, the wiseman doeth admonishe vs, to go vnto the Ant and learne prouidence: and also by the Greshopper, lette vs learne to auoide idelnes, leste the like miserie and calamitie fall vpon vs.
-- Narratio.
THis place followyng, is placed of Tullie, after the exordium or beginnyng of Oracion, as the seconde parte: whiche parte of _Rhetorike_, is as it were the light of all the Oracion folowing: conteining the cause, mat- ter, persone, tyme, with all breuitie, bothe of wordes, and in- uencion of matter.
-- A Narracion.
A Narracion is an exposicion, or declaracion of any thyng dooen in deede, or els a settyng forthe, for- ged of any thyng, but so declaimed and declared, as though it were doen.
A narracion is of three sortes, either it is a narracion hi- storicall, of any thyng contained, in any aunciente storie, or true Chronicle.
[Fol. xij.v]
Or Poeticall, whiche is a exposicion fained, set forthe by inuencion of Poetes, or other.
Or ciuill, otherwise called Iudiciall, whiche is a matter of controuersie in iudgement, to be dooen, or not dooen well or euill.
In euery Narracion, ye must obserue sixe notes.
1. Firste, the persone, or doer of the thing, whereof you intreate.
2. The facte doen.
3. The place wherein it was doen.
4. The tyme in the whiche it was doen.
5. The maner must be shewed, how it was doen.
6. The cause wherevpon it was doen.
There be in this Narracion, iiij. other properties belo[n]ging[.]
1. First, it must be plain and euident to the hearer, not obscure, 2. short and in as fewe wordes as it maie be, for soche amatter.
3. Probable, as not vnlike to be true.
4. In wordes fine and elegante.
-- A narracion historicall, vpon Semiramis Queene of Babilon how and after what sort she obtained the gouernment thereof.
[Sidenote: Tyme.
Persone.]
AFter the death of Ninus, somtime kyng of Ba- bilon, his soonne Ninus also by name, was left to succede hym, in all the a.s.sirian Monarchie, Semiramis wife to Ninus the firste, feared the tender age of her sonne, wherupon she thought [Sidenote: The cause.
The facte.]
that those mightie nacions and kyngdomes, would not obaie so young and weake a Prince. Wherfore, she kept her sonne from the gouernmente: and moste of all she feared, that thei [Sidenote: The waie how.]
would not obaie a woman, forthwith she fained her self, to be the soonne of Ninus, and bicause she would not be knowen to bee a woman, this Quene inuented a newe kinde of tire, the whiche all the Babilonians that were men, vsed by her commaundement. By this straunge disguised tire and appa- rell, she not knowen to bee a woman, ruled as a man, for the [Sidenote: The facte.
The place.]
s.p.a.ce of twoo and fourtie yeres: she did marueilous actes, for she enlarged the mightie kyngdome of Babilon, and builded [Fol. xiij.r]
thesame citee. Many other regions subdued, and valiauntlie ouerthrowen, she entered India, to the whiche neuer Prince came, sauing Alexander the greate: she pa.s.sed not onely men in vertue, counsaill, and valiaunt stomacke, but also the fa- mous counsailours of a.s.siria, might not contende with her in Maiestie, pollicie, and roialnes. For, at what tyme as thei knewe her a woman, thei enuied not her state, but maruei- led at her wisedome, pollicie, and moderacion of life, at the laste she desiryng the vnnaturall l.u.s.t, and loue of her soonne Ninus, was murthered of hym.
-- A narracion historicall vpon kyng Ri- chard the third, the cruell tiraunt[.]
[Sidenote: The persone[.]]
RIchard duke of Glocester, after the death of Ed- ward the fowerth his brother king of England, vsurped the croune, moste traiterouslie and wic- kedlie: this kyng Richard was small of stature, deformed, and ill shaped, his shoulders beared not equalitee, a pulyng face, yet of countenaunce and looke cruell, malicious, deceiptfull, bityng and chawing his nether lippe: of minde vnquiet, pregnaunt of witte, quicke and liue- ly, a worde and a blowe, wilie, deceiptfull, proude, arrogant [Sidenote: The tyme.
The place.]
in life and cogitacion bloodie. The fowerth daie of Iulie, he entered the tower of London, with Anne his wife, doughter to Richard Erle of Warwick: and there in created Edward his onely soonne, a child of ten yeres of age, Prince of Wa- les. At thesame tyme, in thesame place, he created many no- ble peres, to high prefermente of honour and estate, and im- mediatly with feare and faint harte, bothe in himself, and his [Sidenote: The horrible murther of king Richard[.]]
n.o.bles and commons, was created king, alwaies a vnfortu- nate and vnluckie creacion, the harts of the n.o.bles and com- mons thereto lackyng or faintyng, and no maruaile, he was a cruell murtherer, a wretched caitiffe, a moste tragicall ty- raunt, and blood succour, bothe of his nephewes, and brother George Duke of Clarence, whom he caused to bee drouned in a b.u.t.te of Malmsie, the staires sodainlie remoued, wher- [Fol. xiij.v]
[Sidenote: The facte.]
on he stepped, the death of the lorde Riuers, with many other n.o.bles, compa.s.sed and wrought at the young Princes com- myng out of Wales, the .xix. daie of Iuly, in the yere of our lorde .1483. openly he toke vpon him to be king, who sekyng hastely to clime, fell according to his desart, sodainly and in- gloriously, whose Emba.s.sage for peace, Lewes the Frenche king, for his mischeuous & bloodie slaughter, so moche abhor- red, that he would neither see the Emba.s.sador, nor heare the Emba.s.sage: for he murthered his .ij. nephues, by the handes [Sidenote: The tyme.
The maner how.]
of one Iames Tirrell, & .ij. vilaines more a.s.sociate with him the Lieutenaunt refusyng so horrible a fact. This was doen he takyng his waie & progresse to Glocester, whereof he was before tymes Duke: the murther perpetrated, he doubed the good squire knight. Yet to kepe close this horrible murther, he caused a fame and rumour to be spread abrode, in all par- tes of the realme, that these twoo childre[n] died sodainly, there- [Sidenote: The cause.]
by thinkyng the hartes of all people, to bee quietlie setteled, no heire male lefte a liue of kyng Edwardes children. His mischief was soche, that G.o.d shortened his vsurped raigne: he was al together in feare and dread, for he being feared and dreaded of other, did also feare & dread, neuer quiete of minde faint harted, his bloodie conscience by outward signes, conde[m]- pned hym: his iyes in euery place whirlyng and caste about, [Sidenote: The state of a wicked ma[n].]
his hand moche on his Dagger, the infernall furies tormen- ted him by night, visions and horrible dreames, drawed him from his bedde, his vnquiet life shewed the state of his consci- ence, his close murther was vttered, fro[m] the hartes of the sub- iectes: thei called hym openlie, with horrible t.i.tles and na- mes, a horrible murtherer, and excecrable tiraunt. The peo- [Sidenote: A dolefull state of a quene.]
ple sorowed the death of these twoo babes, the Queene, kyng Edwardes wife, beeyng in Sanctuarie, was bestraught of witte and sences, sounyng and falling doune to the grounde as dedde, the Queene after reuiued, kneeled doune, and cal- led on G.o.d, to take vengaunce on this murtherer. The con- science of the people was so wounded, of the tolleracion of the [Fol. xiiij.r]
[Sidenote: The wicked facte of kyng Richard, a horror and dread to the commons.]
facte, that when any bl.u.s.tryng winde, or perilous thonder, or dreadfull tempest happened: with one voice thei cried out and quaked, least G.o.d would take vengauce of them, for it is al- waies seen the horrible life of wicked gouernors, bringeth to ruin their kyngdom and people, & also wicked people, the like daungers to the kyngdome and Prince: well he and his sup- porters with the Duke of Buckyngham, died shamefullie.
[Sidenote: G.o.d permit meanes, to pull doune tyrauntes.]