86 THE AKTE OR CRAFTE OF RHETHORYKE
The maydens lay nay thereto / but that it was theyr fathers mynde that they fhulde haue euery of them an .C. fhepe / fuche as they that be the doughters wyll.
The handelyng of doutfull wrytyng is to fhew yf it be poffible that it is nat wryte# doutfully by caufe it is the como maner to take it after as we fay / & that it may fone be knowen by fuche wordes as partely go before that claufe & partly folow / & that there be few wordes / but if they be confidered fo alone / they may anon be taken doubtfully. And firft we fhal fhewe if we can that it is nat doubtfully wry ten / for there is no reafonable man : but he wyl take it as we fay.
Than f hall we declare by that that goeth afore / & foloweth / that it is clerly euyn as we fay / & that yf we conf ider the wordes of them felfe they wyl feme to be of ambiguite [F ii b] but feyng they may by Me reft of the writing be euident ynough / they ought nat to be taken as doubtfull. And then fhew that yf it had ben his minde that made the writyng to haue it taken as the aduerfarye fay- eth : he neded nat to haue wryte any fuch wordes. As in the exam- ple now put / the maydens may fay that yf it had bene theyr fathers mynde that the executours fhulde haue delyuered fuche fhepe as it had pleafed them to delyuer : he neded nat to haue added thefe wordes fuch as they wyll. For yf they had nat ben put /it wolde nat haue bene dought but that the executers 1 delyuerynge euery of hem an hundred fhepe (whatfoeuer they were) had fulfylled the wyll /and could haue ben no further compelled/ wherfore if his mynde was as they fay / it was a great folye to put in tho wordes whiche made a playne mater to be vnplaine. And than finally fhew it is more honelt and conuenient to expounde it as we fay : then as our aduerfaryes do.
Raciocinacion is whan the mater is in controuerfy / wherupon no law is decreed / but yet the iugement therof may be fou^de out by lawes made vpon maters fomdele refemblynge thereunto.
As in Rome was this law made/ that yf any perfone were dif- traught / his poffeffyons [F in a] and goodes fhulde come to the handes of his next kynne.
And an other law / what any houfeholder dothe orden" and make as concernynge his houfeholde and other goodes / it is approbate and confirmed by the lawe. And an other law / if any houfeholder
1 B. executours. a B. ordeyn.
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