And their proper offices. To the deliberative, _exhortation_ and _dehortation_. To the judicial, _accusation_ and _defence_. And to the demonstrative, _praising_ and _dispraising_. And their proper ends. To the deliberative, to prove a thing _profitable_ or _unprofitable_. To the judicial, _just_ or _unjust_. To the demonstrative, _honourable_ or _dishonourable_. The principles of rhetoric out of which _enthymemes_ are to be drawn, are the _common opinions_ that men have concerning _profitable_ and _unprofitable_; _just_ and _unjust_; _honourable_ and _dishonourable_; which are the points in the several kinds of orations questionable. For as in _logic_, where certain and infallible knowledge is the scope of our proof, the principles must be all _infallible truths_: so in _rhetoric_ the principles must be _common opinions_, such as the judge is already possessed with. Because the end of rhetoric is victory; which consists in having gotten _belief_. And because nothing is profitable, unprofitable, just, unjust, honourable or dishonourable, but what has been _done_, or _is to be done_; and nothing is _to be done_, that is not _possible_; and because there be degrees of profitable, unprofitable, just, unjust, honourable and dishonourable; an orator must be ready in other principles, namely, of what is _done_ and _not done_, _possible_ and _not possible_, _to come_ and _not to come_, and what is _greater_ and what is _lesser_, both in general, and particularly applied to the thing in question; as what is _more_ and _less_, generally; and what is _more profitable_ and _less profitable_, &c. particularly. ========== CHAPTER IV. OF THE SUBJECT OF DELIBERATIVES; AND THE ABILITIES THAT ARE REQUIRED OF HIM THAT WILL DELIBERATE OF BUSINESS OF STATE. In _deliberatives_ there are to be considered the _subject_ wherein, and the _ends_ whereto, the orator exhorteth, or from which he dehorteth. The _subject_ is always something in our own power, the knowledge whereof belongs not to rhetoric, but for the most part to the politics; and may be referred in a manner to these five heads. 1. _Of levying of money._ To which point he that will speak as he ought to do, ought to know beforehand the revenue of the state, how much it is, and wherein it consisteth, and also how great are the necessary charges and expenses of the same. This knowledge is gotten partly by a man’s own experience, partly by relations and accounts in writing. 2. _Of peace and war._ Concerning which the counsellor or deliberator ought to know the strength of the commonwealth, how much it both now is, and hereafter may be, and wherein that power consisteth. Which knowledge is gotten, partly by experience and relations at home, and partly by the sight of wars and of their events abroad.