A booke called the Foundacion of Rhetorike Part 18

Is it good to marie a wife.

Is Usurie lefull in a citee, or common wealthe.

Is a Monarchie the beste state of gouernement.

Is good educacion the grounde and roote, of a florishyng common wealthe.

-- A contemplatiue question.

THe other _Thesis_ is a question contemplatiue, which the Grekes dooe call _Theoricas_, because the matter of them is comprehended in the minde, and in the in[-]

telligence of man.

The example.

Is the soule immortall?

Had the worlde a beginnyng?

Is the heauen greater then the yearth?

{ Simple.

A question is either { { Compounde.

Is it good for a man to exercise hymself in wrastlyng, or [Fol. liiij.v]

Is it profitable to declaime.

[--] A compounde.

Is vertue of more value then gold, to the coueitous man[?]

Doeth wisedome more auaile, then strength in battaile?

Doe olde men or young men, better gouerne a common wealthe?

Is Phisicke more honourable then the Lawe?

A Oracion made vpon _Thesis_, is after this sorte made.

Use a _exordium_, or beginnyng.

Unto the whiche you maie adde a Narracion, whiche is a exposicion of the thyng doen.

Then shewe it lawfull.

Iuste.

Profitable.

And possible.

Then the conclucion.

To this in some parte of the Oracion, you maie putte in certaine obieccions, as thus.

Upon this question: Is it good to marie a wife?

In Mariage is greate care, and pensiuenesse of minde, by losse of children, or wife, whom thou loueste. There is also trouble of dissolute seruauntes. There is also greate sorowe if thy children proue wicked and dissolute.

The aunswere to this obiection, will minister matter to declaime vpon.

-- Is it good to Marie.

SInce the tyme of all ages, and the creacio[n] of the worlde, G.o.d hath so blessed his creacion, and meruailous workemans.h.i.+p in manne: as in all his other creatures, that not onelie his omnipo- teucie, is therby set forthe. But also from tyme to tyme, the posteritee of men, in their ofspring and procrea- [Sidenote: Kyngdomes continue by mariage and co[m]mon welth[.]]

cion, doe aboundantlie commonstrate thesame. The state of all kyngdomes and common wealthes: by procreacion deri- ued, haue onelie continued on the face of the yearth, thereby [Fol. lv.r]

many hundred yeres. How sone would the whole worlde be dissolued, and in perpetuall ruine, if that G.o.d from tymes and ages, had not by G.o.dlie procreacion, blessed this infinite [Sidenote: The dignitee of man, she- weth the worthines of mariage.]

issue of mankinde. The dignitee of man in his creacion, she- weth the worthie succession, maintained by procreation. In vaine were the creacion of the worlde, if there were not as manne so excellente a creature, to beholde the creatour, and his meruailous creacion. To what vse were the Elementes and Heauens, the Starres and Planettes, all Beastes and Foules, Fisshe, Plantes, Herbes and trees, if men wer not, for mannes vse and necessitee, all thinges in the yearth were made and procreated. Wherein the Stoike Philosophers do note the excellencie of man to be greate: for saie thei, _Que in terris gignuntur omnia ad vsum hominum creari_. To what vse then were all thynges, if man were not, for whose cause, vse, & necessitee these thynges were made. If a continuaunce of G.o.ds procreacion were not, immediatlie a ruine and ende would ensue of thinges. What age remaineth aboue a hun- dred yeres? If after a hu[n]dred yeres, no issue wer to be, on the [Sidenote: G.o.dlie pro- creacion.]

face of the yearth, how sone wer kyngdoms dissolued, where as procreacion rooteth, a newe generacion, issue and ofspring, and as it were a newe soule and bodie. A continuaunce of la- wes, a permanente state of common wealthe dooeth ensue.

Though the life of manne be fraile, and sone cutte of, yet by Mariage, man by his ofspryng, is as it were newe framed, his bodie by death dissolued, yet by issue reuiued. Euen as Plantes, by the bitter season of Winter, from their flowers fadyng and witheryng: yet the seede of them and roote, vegi- table and liuyng, dooe roote yerelie a newe ofspryng or flo- [Sidenote: A similitude.]

wer in them. So Mariage by G.o.dlie procreacion blessed, doth perpetually increase a newe bodie, and therby a vaste world, and infinite nacions or people. Xerxes the mightie kyng of Persia, vewing and beholding his maine and infinite hoste, weeped: who beyng demaunded, why he so did. _Doleo inquit post centum annos, neminem ex hijs superesse._ It is a pitee- [Fol. lv.v]

fulle and dolefull case, that after a hundred yeres, not one of these n.o.ble capitaines, and valiant soldiers to be left.

-- The obieccion.

But you will saie parauenture, mariage is a greate bon- dage, alwaies to liue with one.

-- The solucion.

To followe pleasure, and the beastlie mocions of the mynde: what libertee call you that, to liue in a G.o.dly, meane, [Sidenote: The libertie in mariage.]

and Mediocritee of life, with thy spoused wife. There is no greater ioye, libertee, or felicitee, who so practiseth a dissolute life: whose loue and l.u.s.te is kindeled, and sette on fire with a [Sidenote: A brutishe societie with harlottes.]

harlotte, he followeth a brutishe societee. What difference is there, betwene them and beastes? The beaste as nature lea- deth, he obaieth nature. Reason wanteth in beastes, manne then indued with reason, whiche is a guide to all excellencie how is it that he is not ruled by reason. Whom G.o.d hath clothed and beautified, with all vertue and all singularitee: If a G.o.dly conuersacion of life, moueth thee to pa.s.se thy daies without mariage, then must the mocions of thy minde, be ta- [Sidenote: Chast.i.tee in mariage.]

med and kepte vnder. Other wise, execrable is thy purpose, and determinacio[n] of the life. If thou hopest of loue of a harlot though thou enioye her otherwise, thou art deceiued. Bac- chis the harlot, whom Terence maketh mencion of, in the persone of her self, sheweth the maners of all harlots to An- tiphila, saiyng.

_Quippe forma impulsi nostra nos amatores colunt: Hec vbi immutata est, illi suum animum alio conferunt.

Nisi prospectu[m] est interea aliquid n.o.bis, deserte viuimus._

For saieth she, the louer anamoured with our loue, and sette on fire therewith, it is for our beautie and fauour: but when beautie is ones faded, he conuerteth his loue to an o- ther, whom he better liketh. But that we prouide for our sel- ues in the meane season, wee should in the ende liue vtterlie forsaked. But your loue incensed with one, whose maners and life contenteth you: so you bothe are linked together, [Fol. lvj.r]

[Sidenote: The loue of a harlotte.]

that no calamitee can separate you: who so hopeth loue of a harlotte, or profite, he maie hope as for the fructe of a withe- red tree, gaine is all their loue, vice their ioye and delite. In vertue is libertee, in vertue is felicitee, the state of mariage is vertuous, there can be no greater bo[n]dage, then to obaie ma- ny beastly affections, to the whiche wh.o.r.edome forceth hym vnto, Loue is fained, cloked amitee, a harte dissembled, ma- ny a mightie person and wise, hath been ouerthrowen by the deceiptes of harlottes: many a Citee plagued, many a region ouerthrowen for that mischief, to obaie many affections is a greate bondage. Who so serueth the beastlie affections of his [Sidenote: Hercules.

Omphala.]

mynde to that purpose, he must also as Hercules to Ompha- la bee slaue, not onely to his owne will and affection: but to the maners, will, and exspectacion of the harlotte. So serued Thraso, and Phedria Thais, that Gorgious harlot, Antony and Iulius Cesar, Cleopatra, this is a bondage, to liue slaue from reason and all all integritee, to a monsterous rableme[n]t [Sidenote: The harlot- tes lesson, to her louers.]

of vices, who so serueth a harlot, thei must learne this lesson.

_Da mihi & affer_, giue and bryng.