The English Secretary; or, Methode of Writing Epistles and Letters (1599): With, a Declaration of Such Tropes, Figures, and Schemes, as Either Usually or for Ornament Sake Are Therein RequiredDay, Angel, active 1575-1595
General
The English Secretary; or, Methode of Writing Epistles and Letters (1599): With, a Declaration of Such Tropes, Figures, and Schemes, as Either Usually or for Ornament Sake Are Therein Required
Day, Angel, active 1575-1595
English language -- Rhetoric -- Early works to 1800; Letter writing -- Early works to 1800; Rhetoric -- Early works to 1800
=The |Iudiciall| is so called, in that it comprehendeth matters
lawfull, vnlawfull, or questionable to be handled: The distinctions
thereof are, |Accusatorie|, containing matter of accusation.
|Excusatorie|, which is occupied in excusing. |Expostulatorie|, in
reasoning of causes. |Purgatorie|, in clearing or auoydance of thinges
charged. |Defensorie|, in defence of the action. |Exprobatorie|, in
reproching or obtruding of benefites vpon cause of vnthankfulnes.
|Deprecatorie|, in praying of pardon of a thing committed, and
|Inuectiue|, inueighing agaynst ill natures, qualities, occasions or
persons.=
=Now the distinctions of these heades being thus laide open by
particular titles, we will see how neere in writing they concurre or
fall in, each with others. True is it, (as shall be séene in some
examples hereafter following) that touching the first head beeing
|Demonstratiue|, it sometimes falleth out in causes of aduertisement,
or relation of thinges made, that the title |Descriptorie| is
manie times meerlie in it selfe handled, without entring into anie
other particular addition or occasion, but in the other titles of
|Laudatorie| and |Vituperatorie|, not so. For how can I either praise
or discommend anie thing, without falling into a |Description| of those
persons, things or qualities, which I disallow or commend. Againe, for
the |Deliberatiue| kinde in |Hortatorie|, |Dehortatorie|, |Swasorie|
and |Disswasorie|, |Commendatorie|, |Monitorie| or |Reprehensorie|,
how can I exhort, counsell, aduise, withdraw, commend, admonish or
reprehende, if therein I set not forth what is woorthie or vnfit,
what to be praysed, estéemed, disallowed, or eschued: which can not
bee, without of necessitie I fall into the partes |Descriptorie|,
|Laudatorie| and |Vituperatorie|. Likewise in matters |Consolatorie|,
|Conciliatorie| & |Reconciliatorie|, howe I maie comfort seeke friends,
or reconcile, if the partes |Hortatorie| and |Swasorie|, be absent.
So also for the iudiciall, if either I accuse, excuse, expostulate,
defende, reproach, intreate, or inueigh, it must be done with the
laying out of vices, and aduauncement of vertues, in manifesting what
is good, and setting forth what is euill, neither of which, can be
without matter |Descriptorie|, |Laudatorie|, and |Vituperatorie|. By
all which it appeareth, that (howbeit these seuerall titles stand
thus diuided) yet are the matters of the same diuerslie wrapped
togither, and the precepts seruing to the one, must of necessitie
by a like conueyance be drawne into an obseruation with the other:
notwithstanding for ease of the learner, and to the end he may with
more readines find out what best fitteth and beseemeth the cause hee
hath in handling, they bee thus drawne forth as you see into so many
particular distinctions.=
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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