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CHAP. VI.
Of Rhetorick.
NOW Rhetorick, which is the next, whether it be an Art or no, is mainly disputed among the most Learned men, and remains to this day a que∣stion undetermin'd. For Socrates in Plato by most sound Reasons argues it to be neither an Art nor a Science, but a certain kind of subtilty, and that nei∣ther noble nor honest, but meer low, illiberal, and servile flattery. Lycias, Menedemus, and Cleanthes were of Opinion, That Eloquence could not be compre∣hended within the bounds of any Art, but that it pro∣ceeds from Nature, which is the common School-mistris of Mankind; and as occasion serves, teaches every one to soothe, to r••ate pleasant Stories, and to use Arguments: and as for Memory, right Pronunciation, and Invention, they are meerly Natural Effects; which
Page 34
is indeed not a little evident in Antonius, the Prince of the Latin Orators. And although before Thisias, Coraces, and Gorgias, there was not any one who had either taught, or wrote of Rhetorick; yet were there many men, who through the strength of their Natural Parts became to be very Eloquent. Furthermore, seeing that Art is defin'd to be a Collection of Precepts, it is a great Dispute among the Rhetoricians, what that end should be, whether to perswade or to teach good utterance: and not content with the true grounds, they dayly seek to invent new and fictitious. To which end, they have found out so many Theses, Hypotheses, figures, colours, characters, suasorie phrases, contro∣versies, declamations, proems, insinuations, courtships, and artificial stories, that it is impossible to recount them all; and yet they deny, that among all these, the end of Rhetorick is to be found. This made the Lacedaemonians altogether refuse it; believing that the speech of good men ought to proceed from the sinceri∣ty of the heart, not from the Hypocrisie of Studied Artifice. The ancient Romans would not admit Rhe∣toricians into their City in a long while. And when Ci∣cero had after much labour endeavour'd to shew that the faculty of making Orations did not proceed from Art, but from Wisdom, as he aspires to prove in his Book De Oratore; yet is not the Rhetorician whom he there proposes for the only true pattern of an Orator so well approv'd of; nay to Brutus, a man of singular Integrity, no way pleasing. And always this Opinion hath born sway, That the Precepts of Oratory are more hurtful than useful to the Life of Man. And to say truth, it is evident that the whole Discipline of Rhe∣torick is nothing else but an Artificial help, or the mystery of Flattery; or as some more boldly affirm, Lying, whereby they endeavour, what they cannot gain by truth, to effect by the flourishing varnishes of
Page 35
fine Language: As Archidamas the Sophist said of Pe∣ricles, by the report of Eunapius; which Archidamas being demanded which was the more powerful, Pe∣ricles or himself made answer, If Pericles were over∣come by me in War, yet such is his Eloquence of Speech, that should be but discourse thereof, he would rather appear a Victor, than a Person Vanquish'd. And of Carneades, Pliny reports, That while he Disputed it was hard to discern, what was true, and what not: of whom it is likewise related, that when he had one day spoken many things wisely and elegantly in the behalf of Justice, the next day with the same Learning and Eloquence declaim'd in her dispraise. There was Corax a Rhetorician among the Syracusans, a man of an accute Wit and promptness of Speech, who taught this Art for gain. To him Tisias came, and not having ready money, promis'd him double pay so soon as he should have taught him his Art: which condition Co∣rax willingly accepted, and taught him. Tisias having afterwards learnt his Art, and intending to defraud Co∣rax of his reward, demanded of him, What is Rhe∣toirck? who answering, That it was effectual perswasi∣on: Then said Tisias, Whatever agreement has been made between us, if I can perswade my self that I owe thee nothing, then shall I be quit of my Debt: If I can∣not perswade my self, notwithstanding I shall then owe thee nothing neither, because thou hast pretended to teach me how to perswade. To which Corax reply'd, Whatever, said he, I agreed to take of thee, 〈◊〉 can per∣swade my self to take it, I ought so to do, because I have so perswaded my self: If I cannot perswade my self, how∣ever I ought to take my reward, for having bred a Scho∣lar that so far excels his Master. When the Syracusans heard 'um thus contending, and wrangling together, they cry'd out, Bad Crows lay bad Eggs; meaning, That bad Masters make worse Scholars. A story not unlike
Page 36
this, Gellius reports of Protagorus the Sophist, and Evath∣•us his Disciple. Now as it is many times commenda∣ble, delightful, and always profitable, to know how for a man to express himself in neat, exact, discreet, and fluent Language; so sometimes it falls out to be a thing very much to be discommended, many times of ill consequence, and always very much to be suspected: wherefore Socrates thinks Rhetoricians worthy of no respect, and will not allow them any power in a well-order'd Commonwealth. And Plato excludes them out of his Commonwealth with the same contempt as he rejects Players and Poets, not without reason: For there is nothing more dangerous in civil Affairs, than this deluding Mystery, as that from whence all pre∣varicators, juggling shufflers, backbiters, sycophants, and all other leud and vile-tongu'd persons derive their malice and knavery. With this Art many Per∣sons endu'd, raise Seditions and Commotions in Na∣tions, while by their nimble Tongues some are de∣ceiv'd, some flatter'd, some over-perswaded; usurping as it were a kind of Tyranny over men, not so subtle as themselves. Therefore saith Euripides, It is Tyranni∣cal to boast of Knowledge: and Aeschylus writes, That compos'd Orations are the greatest Evils in the World. And Raphael Volaterranus, a most studious lover of Histories and Examples, confesses, That upon due con∣sideration of all that he had read or seen either of anci∣ent or modern Stories and Examples, he finds very few Eloquent men to have been good men. Hath not this thing call'd Eloquence, not only greatly disturb'd most Potent Commonwealths, but also wholly ruin'd them? Witness the Examples of Brutus, Crassus, Grac∣chus, Cato, Cicero, Demosthenes, who as they were ac∣compted the most Eloquent, so were they the most seditious and turbulent of their time. For Censori∣ous Cato being himself forty times accus'd, seven∣ty
Page 37
times accus'd others; being nothing but a continual disturber of the Peace, with his mad Declamations, all his life long. The other Cato, call'd Vticensis, by pro∣voking Caesar, was a great occasion of the utter sub∣version of the Roman Liberty. In like manner did Cicero provoke Antony, to the great mischief of the Em∣pire; and Demosthenes incensed Philip, to the ruine of the Athenians; so that there is no State of Govern∣ment, but has been highly injur'd by this wicked Art: no society of men, that ever lent their Ears to the Charms of Eloquence, that has not been extreamly mischiefed thereby. Moreover, a confident Eloquence prevails much in Judicature: Eloquence being the Patroness, bad Causes are defended, the guilty are sav'd from the punishment of the Law, and the in∣nocent are Condemned. Marcus Cato, the most pru∣dent among the Romans, forbad those three Athenian Orators, Carneades, Critholaus, and Diogenes, to be admitted to publick Audience in the City; being men endu'd with such acuteness of Wit, and Eloquence of speech, that they could with great ease make evil good, and good evil. And Demosthenes was wont to boast among his friends, That he could sway the Opi∣nions of the Judges, by vertue of his Eloquence, which way soever he pleased; and that according to his will and pleasure, Philip and the Athenians either made War or Peace. Such is the force of Eloquence, either to allay or incite the Affections of men, having as it were Supream Dominion over Nations, to make them follow her Perswasions. For this reason C•cero was at Rome call'd King, because he Rul'd and guided the Senate by his Orations which way he pleas'd. Hence it appears, that Rhetorick is nothing else but the Art of moving and stirring the Affections by subtile Lan∣guage, exquisite varnishings of neat Phrase and cun∣ning insinuation, ravishing the minds of heedless Peo∣ple,
Page 38
leading them into the Captivity of Error, and sub∣verting the sense and meaning of Truth. So that if by the benefit of Nature there is nothing but may be express'd in proper Language, what can be more pe∣stilent than the fucus and varnishes of fallacious words? The Language of Truth is simple, but quick and pe∣netrating, a discerner of the intentions of the Heart, and like a Sword easily cuts in sunder the difficult Enthymems and Gordion-knots of Rhetorick. This made Demosthenes, though he contemn'd all other the fine and Eloquent speakers of his time, nevertheless, to stand in awe of one Phocion, who also spoke pithily, short, plainly, and to the purpose; and was there∣fore wont to call him the Hatchet of his Orations. Perchance, the Ancient Romans were not ignorant of these things; who, as Suetonius witnesses, Twice Expell'd Rhetoricians, by Publick Edict, out of the City; once, when Faunius Strabo, and Valerius Messala were Consuls; and the second time, in the Consul∣ships of Domitius Aenobarbus, and Licinius Crassus: and a third time, in the Raigne of Domitian the Em∣peror, by an unanimous Decree of the Senate, they were not only expell'd out of Rome, but also out of all Italy. The Athenians forbad them to come near the Seat of Judicature, as being perverters of Justice; they also put to Death Timagoras, for flattering Da∣rius, according to the custom of the Persians, in too high and obsequious a manner. The Lacedaemonians exil'd Tesiphone, only because he bragg'd, That he could talk a whole day upon any Subject. For there was nothing which they hated more, than this curious Artifice of the Tongue, appertaining to men that nothing regarded the speaking of Truth; but whatever work they propose to themselves, that to polish with high-flown and bigg words; and only intending to deceive the minds of their Auditors,
Page 39
and to boast of their leading them by the Noses▪ And now it is evident, That never any men were made better by this Art, but many worse; who, though they sometimes speak handsomely of Vertue and Ho∣nest things, yet are far more Polite, Elegant, and In∣genious in the defence of Error, to sow Sedition, to stir up Factions, to heap Slanders, and Reproaches, and Calumnies, than in the reconciling of differen∣ces, making peace, maintaining amity, or in the com∣mendation of Love, Faith, or Religion. Moreover, many men presuming too far upon this Art, have re∣volted from the Orthodox Faith. From this Art flow those numberless Sects, Heresies, and Superstiti∣ons, that contaminate Religion; while some so con∣temn the Scripture, because it abounds not in Cice∣ronian Phrases, that many times they take part with the quaint and fallacious Arguments of the Heathen against the Catholick Truth: which is manifest from the Tatian Hereticks; and from those whom Liba∣nius the Sophist, and Symmachus the Orator, great Champions of Idolatry; together with Celsus Afri∣canus, and Julian the Apostate, seduced from the true Religion, insulting over Christianity with their flashes of Rhetorick: From whose pernicious and Blasphemous Oratory, Hereticks have drawn many perswasive Arguments to seduce simple People from the true Faith. And do we not now adays see the most Eminent and Learned, most Elegant and Sub∣tile Doctors and Disputants in the World to be the greatest heads of Heresies and Factions? So are men affected with the Charms of Eloquence, that rather than not be Ciceronians, they will turn Pagans. These becoming Impious, while those that are more zealously devoted to Aristotle and Plato, become al∣together superstitious. But all these vain Bablers that so fill the ears of their Auditors with their emp∣ty
Page 40
and idle Orations, shall one day stand before the great Tribunal, to give an account of those Errors which they have so vainly feigned, and invented against the Truth of God.
Of Rhetorick.
NOW Rhetorick, which is the next, whether it be an Art or no, is mainly disputed among the most Learned men, and remains to this day a que∣stion undetermin'd. For Socrates in Plato by most sound Reasons argues it to be neither an Art nor a Science, but a certain kind of subtilty, and that nei∣ther noble nor honest, but meer low, illiberal, and servile flattery. Lycias, Menedemus, and Cleanthes were of Opinion, That Eloquence could not be compre∣hended within the bounds of any Art, but that it pro∣ceeds from Nature, which is the common School-mistris of Mankind; and as occasion serves, teaches every one to soothe, to r••ate pleasant Stories, and to use Arguments: and as for Memory, right Pronunciation, and Invention, they are meerly Natural Effects; which
Page 34
is indeed not a little evident in Antonius, the Prince of the Latin Orators. And although before Thisias, Coraces, and Gorgias, there was not any one who had either taught, or wrote of Rhetorick; yet were there many men, who through the strength of their Natural Parts became to be very Eloquent. Furthermore, seeing that Art is defin'd to be a Collection of Precepts, it is a great Dispute among the Rhetoricians, what that end should be, whether to perswade or to teach good utterance: and not content with the true grounds, they dayly seek to invent new and fictitious. To which end, they have found out so many Theses, Hypotheses, figures, colours, characters, suasorie phrases, contro∣versies, declamations, proems, insinuations, courtships, and artificial stories, that it is impossible to recount them all; and yet they deny, that among all these, the end of Rhetorick is to be found. This made the Lacedaemonians altogether refuse it; believing that the speech of good men ought to proceed from the sinceri∣ty of the heart, not from the Hypocrisie of Studied Artifice. The ancient Romans would not admit Rhe∣toricians into their City in a long while. And when Ci∣cero had after much labour endeavour'd to shew that the faculty of making Orations did not proceed from Art, but from Wisdom, as he aspires to prove in his Book De Oratore; yet is not the Rhetorician whom he there proposes for the only true pattern of an Orator so well approv'd of; nay to Brutus, a man of singular Integrity, no way pleasing. And always this Opinion hath born sway, That the Precepts of Oratory are more hurtful than useful to the Life of Man. And to say truth, it is evident that the whole Discipline of Rhe∣torick is nothing else but an Artificial help, or the mystery of Flattery; or as some more boldly affirm, Lying, whereby they endeavour, what they cannot gain by truth, to effect by the flourishing varnishes of
Page 35
fine Language: As Archidamas the Sophist said of Pe∣ricles, by the report of Eunapius; which Archidamas being demanded which was the more powerful, Pe∣ricles or himself made answer, If Pericles were over∣come by me in War, yet such is his Eloquence of Speech, that should be but discourse thereof, he would rather appear a Victor, than a Person Vanquish'd. And of Carneades, Pliny reports, That while he Disputed it was hard to discern, what was true, and what not: of whom it is likewise related, that when he had one day spoken many things wisely and elegantly in the behalf of Justice, the next day with the same Learning and Eloquence declaim'd in her dispraise. There was Corax a Rhetorician among the Syracusans, a man of an accute Wit and promptness of Speech, who taught this Art for gain. To him Tisias came, and not having ready money, promis'd him double pay so soon as he should have taught him his Art: which condition Co∣rax willingly accepted, and taught him. Tisias having afterwards learnt his Art, and intending to defraud Co∣rax of his reward, demanded of him, What is Rhe∣toirck? who answering, That it was effectual perswasi∣on: Then said Tisias, Whatever agreement has been made between us, if I can perswade my self that I owe thee nothing, then shall I be quit of my Debt: If I can∣not perswade my self, notwithstanding I shall then owe thee nothing neither, because thou hast pretended to teach me how to perswade. To which Corax reply'd, Whatever, said he, I agreed to take of thee, 〈◊〉 can per∣swade my self to take it, I ought so to do, because I have so perswaded my self: If I cannot perswade my self, how∣ever I ought to take my reward, for having bred a Scho∣lar that so far excels his Master. When the Syracusans heard 'um thus contending, and wrangling together, they cry'd out, Bad Crows lay bad Eggs; meaning, That bad Masters make worse Scholars. A story not unlike
Page 36
this, Gellius reports of Protagorus the Sophist, and Evath∣•us his Disciple. Now as it is many times commenda∣ble, delightful, and always profitable, to know how for a man to express himself in neat, exact, discreet, and fluent Language; so sometimes it falls out to be a thing very much to be discommended, many times of ill consequence, and always very much to be suspected: wherefore Socrates thinks Rhetoricians worthy of no respect, and will not allow them any power in a well-order'd Commonwealth. And Plato excludes them out of his Commonwealth with the same contempt as he rejects Players and Poets, not without reason: For there is nothing more dangerous in civil Affairs, than this deluding Mystery, as that from whence all pre∣varicators, juggling shufflers, backbiters, sycophants, and all other leud and vile-tongu'd persons derive their malice and knavery. With this Art many Per∣sons endu'd, raise Seditions and Commotions in Na∣tions, while by their nimble Tongues some are de∣ceiv'd, some flatter'd, some over-perswaded; usurping as it were a kind of Tyranny over men, not so subtle as themselves. Therefore saith Euripides, It is Tyranni∣cal to boast of Knowledge: and Aeschylus writes, That compos'd Orations are the greatest Evils in the World. And Raphael Volaterranus, a most studious lover of Histories and Examples, confesses, That upon due con∣sideration of all that he had read or seen either of anci∣ent or modern Stories and Examples, he finds very few Eloquent men to have been good men. Hath not this thing call'd Eloquence, not only greatly disturb'd most Potent Commonwealths, but also wholly ruin'd them? Witness the Examples of Brutus, Crassus, Grac∣chus, Cato, Cicero, Demosthenes, who as they were ac∣compted the most Eloquent, so were they the most seditious and turbulent of their time. For Censori∣ous Cato being himself forty times accus'd, seven∣ty
Page 37
times accus'd others; being nothing but a continual disturber of the Peace, with his mad Declamations, all his life long. The other Cato, call'd Vticensis, by pro∣voking Caesar, was a great occasion of the utter sub∣version of the Roman Liberty. In like manner did Cicero provoke Antony, to the great mischief of the Em∣pire; and Demosthenes incensed Philip, to the ruine of the Athenians; so that there is no State of Govern∣ment, but has been highly injur'd by this wicked Art: no society of men, that ever lent their Ears to the Charms of Eloquence, that has not been extreamly mischiefed thereby. Moreover, a confident Eloquence prevails much in Judicature: Eloquence being the Patroness, bad Causes are defended, the guilty are sav'd from the punishment of the Law, and the in∣nocent are Condemned. Marcus Cato, the most pru∣dent among the Romans, forbad those three Athenian Orators, Carneades, Critholaus, and Diogenes, to be admitted to publick Audience in the City; being men endu'd with such acuteness of Wit, and Eloquence of speech, that they could with great ease make evil good, and good evil. And Demosthenes was wont to boast among his friends, That he could sway the Opi∣nions of the Judges, by vertue of his Eloquence, which way soever he pleased; and that according to his will and pleasure, Philip and the Athenians either made War or Peace. Such is the force of Eloquence, either to allay or incite the Affections of men, having as it were Supream Dominion over Nations, to make them follow her Perswasions. For this reason C•cero was at Rome call'd King, because he Rul'd and guided the Senate by his Orations which way he pleas'd. Hence it appears, that Rhetorick is nothing else but the Art of moving and stirring the Affections by subtile Lan∣guage, exquisite varnishings of neat Phrase and cun∣ning insinuation, ravishing the minds of heedless Peo∣ple,
Page 38
leading them into the Captivity of Error, and sub∣verting the sense and meaning of Truth. So that if by the benefit of Nature there is nothing but may be express'd in proper Language, what can be more pe∣stilent than the fucus and varnishes of fallacious words? The Language of Truth is simple, but quick and pe∣netrating, a discerner of the intentions of the Heart, and like a Sword easily cuts in sunder the difficult Enthymems and Gordion-knots of Rhetorick. This made Demosthenes, though he contemn'd all other the fine and Eloquent speakers of his time, nevertheless, to stand in awe of one Phocion, who also spoke pithily, short, plainly, and to the purpose; and was there∣fore wont to call him the Hatchet of his Orations. Perchance, the Ancient Romans were not ignorant of these things; who, as Suetonius witnesses, Twice Expell'd Rhetoricians, by Publick Edict, out of the City; once, when Faunius Strabo, and Valerius Messala were Consuls; and the second time, in the Consul∣ships of Domitius Aenobarbus, and Licinius Crassus: and a third time, in the Raigne of Domitian the Em∣peror, by an unanimous Decree of the Senate, they were not only expell'd out of Rome, but also out of all Italy. The Athenians forbad them to come near the Seat of Judicature, as being perverters of Justice; they also put to Death Timagoras, for flattering Da∣rius, according to the custom of the Persians, in too high and obsequious a manner. The Lacedaemonians exil'd Tesiphone, only because he bragg'd, That he could talk a whole day upon any Subject. For there was nothing which they hated more, than this curious Artifice of the Tongue, appertaining to men that nothing regarded the speaking of Truth; but whatever work they propose to themselves, that to polish with high-flown and bigg words; and only intending to deceive the minds of their Auditors,
Page 39
and to boast of their leading them by the Noses▪ And now it is evident, That never any men were made better by this Art, but many worse; who, though they sometimes speak handsomely of Vertue and Ho∣nest things, yet are far more Polite, Elegant, and In∣genious in the defence of Error, to sow Sedition, to stir up Factions, to heap Slanders, and Reproaches, and Calumnies, than in the reconciling of differen∣ces, making peace, maintaining amity, or in the com∣mendation of Love, Faith, or Religion. Moreover, many men presuming too far upon this Art, have re∣volted from the Orthodox Faith. From this Art flow those numberless Sects, Heresies, and Superstiti∣ons, that contaminate Religion; while some so con∣temn the Scripture, because it abounds not in Cice∣ronian Phrases, that many times they take part with the quaint and fallacious Arguments of the Heathen against the Catholick Truth: which is manifest from the Tatian Hereticks; and from those whom Liba∣nius the Sophist, and Symmachus the Orator, great Champions of Idolatry; together with Celsus Afri∣canus, and Julian the Apostate, seduced from the true Religion, insulting over Christianity with their flashes of Rhetorick: From whose pernicious and Blasphemous Oratory, Hereticks have drawn many perswasive Arguments to seduce simple People from the true Faith. And do we not now adays see the most Eminent and Learned, most Elegant and Sub∣tile Doctors and Disputants in the World to be the greatest heads of Heresies and Factions? So are men affected with the Charms of Eloquence, that rather than not be Ciceronians, they will turn Pagans. These becoming Impious, while those that are more zealously devoted to Aristotle and Plato, become al∣together superstitious. But all these vain Bablers that so fill the ears of their Auditors with their emp∣ty
Page 40
and idle Orations, shall one day stand before the great Tribunal, to give an account of those Errors which they have so vainly feigned, and invented against the Truth of God.