54 THE ARTE OR CRAFTE OF RHETHORYKE
An example may be fet out of the declamacion that Erafmus made to the prayfe of folyffhenes.
An other example hath the lame Erafmus in his feconde boke of Copia/ whiche is this. Plato in the fyfte dialogue of his commu- nalitie wyllethe that no man fhall [B vb] haue no wyfe of hys owne/ but that euery woman fhalbe commune to euery man. If any man than wolde eyther prayfe or defende this mynde of Plato / which is both contrarie to Chriftes religion and to the commune lyuynge of men / he myght as Erafmus teacheth / begynne thus.
I knowe very well that this matter whiche I haue determyned to fpeake of / wyll feme vnto you at the fyrlte herynge / nat onely very ftraunge/but alfo right abhominable. But that nat withftandynge/ yf it wyll pleafe you a litle while to deferre your Judgement tyll ye haue herde the fuwme of fuche reafons as I wyll brynge forthe in the caufe / I doubte nothynge but that I fhall make the trouthe fo euy- dent that you all wyll with one affent approue it / & knowlege that ye haue ben hytherto marueloufly deceyued in your oppynyon / and fomdele to alleuiate your myndes / ye fhall vnderftande that I am nat my felfe authour of the thynge/but it is the mynde & faynge of the excellent & mofte hyghly named philofopher Plato / whiche was vndoubted fo famoufe a clerke / fo defcrete a man / and fo ver- tuoufe in al his dedes / that ye may be lure he wold fpeke nothyng but it were on ryght perfite grounde / and that the thynge were of it felfe very expedient / [B vi a] thoughe peraduenture it f hewe fer otherwyfe at the fyrfte herynge.
In all prefaces or preambules mufte be good hede taken that they be not to fer fet nor to longe.
Thefe affectuoufe wordes / I reioyfe / I am fory / I maruayle / I am glad for your fake / I defyre / I fere / I pray god /and fuche other lyke be very apte for a preface.
Of the feconde place of a preface called Attencyon.
The herers fhalbe made attente or dylygente to gyue audyence yf the oratour made x promyfe that he wyll ihewe them newe thynges / or els neceffary or profytable / or yf he faye that it ys an harde mater that he hathe in handelynge or els obfcure and nat eafy to be vnderfto^de 2 excepte they gyue ryght good attedaunce. wherfore
1 B. make. 2 B. vnderstawd.
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