Wythout disposicion none ordre gan be, For the disposicion ordreth every matter, And gyveth the place after the degre: Wythout ordre, wythout reason we clatter, Where is no reason it vayleth not to chatter. Disposicion ordreth a tale directly, In a perfit reason, to conclude truely. The fatall problemes of olde antiquyte, Cloked wyth myst and wyth cloudes derke, Ordred wyth reason and hye auctorite, The trouth dyd shewe of all theyr covert werke. Thus have they made many a noble clerke. To dysnull myschefe and inconvenyence, They made our lawes wyth grete diligence. Before the lawe, in a tumblyng barge The people sayled, wythout parfitnes, Throughe the worlde all about at large; They hadde none ordre nor no stedfastnes, Tyll rethoricians founde justyce doubtles, Ordeynyng kynges, of ryght hye dygnite, Of all comyns to have the soverainte; The barge to stere, wyth lawe and justice, Over the waves of thys lyfe transitory, To direct wronges, and also prejudice. And tho that wyl resyst a contrarye Agaynst theyr kynge, by justice openly, For theyr rebellion and evyll treason, Shall suffer death by ryght and reason. O what laude, glory, and greate honoure, Unto these poetes shall be notefyed, The whiche dystylled aromatyke lycoure Clensynge our syght wyth ordre puryfyed; Whose famous draughtes so exemplyfyed Set us in ordre, grace, and governaunce, To lyve dyrectly, without encombraunce. But many one, the whiche is rude and dull, Wyll dyspice theyr warke for lacke of connynge: All in vaine they do so hayle and pull, Whan they therof lacke understandinge, They grope over where is no felynge; So dull they are, that they can not fynde This ryall arte for to perceyve in mynde. CAP. XI. OF ELOCUTION, THE THIRDE PARTE OF RETHORYKE, WITH COLOURYNG OF SENTENCES. And than the iii. parte is Elocusyon, Whan Invencion hath the purpose wrought, And set it in ordre by Disposicion. Without this thyrde parte it vayleth ryght nought, Though it be founde and in ordre brought, Yet Elocusion with the powre of Mercury, The mater exorneth right well facundyously In fewe wordes, swete and sentencious, Depaynted with golde harde in construction, To the artyke eres swete and dylycious The golden rethoryke is good refeccion, And to the reder ryght consolacion; As we do golde frome copper purifye So that Elocucyon doth ryght well claryfy. The dulcet speche from the langage rude, Tellynge the tale in termes eloquent, The barbary tongue it doth ferre exclude, Electynge wordes whiche are expedyent, In Latyn or in Englyshe, after the entent Encensyng out the aromatyke fume, Our langage rude to exyle and consume.