Cap. VII. How He Was Receyved of Rethoryke, and What Rethoryke Is

Than above Logyke up we went a stayre, Into a chambre gayly glorified, Strowed wyth floures of all goodly ayre; Where sate a lady gretly magnified, And her true vesture clerely purified, And over her head, that was bryght and shene, She had a garlande of the laurell grene.

Her goodly chambre was set all about With depured myrrours of speculacion; The fragraunt fumes dyd well encense out All misty vapours of perturbacion. More lyker was her habitacyon Unto a place which is celestiall, Than to a certayne mancion fatall.

Before whom, than, I dyd knele adowne, Sayeng: O sterre of famous eloquence, O gylted goddesse of hyghe renowne, Enspyred wyth the hevenly influence Of the doulcet well of complacence, Upon my mynd, wyth dewe aromatyke, Distyll adowne thy lusty rethoryke.

And depaynt my tong wyth thy ryall floures Of delicate odoures, that I may ensue In my purpose to glad myne audytours, And wyth thy power that thou me endue To moralise thy lytterall censes trewe, And clense away the myst of ygnoraunce With depured beames of goodly ordinaunce.

With humble eres of perfyt audience, To my request she dyd than enclyne; Sayeng she wolde in her goodly scyence In short space me so well indoctryne, That my dull mynde it shoulde enlumyne With golden beames, for ever to oppresse My rude language and all my semplenesse.

I thanked her of her great gentylnes, And axed her, after, this question: Madame, I sayde, I wolde knowe doubtles What rethoryke is, without abusion. Rethoryke, she sayde, was founde by reason, Man for to governe wel and prudently; His wordes to ordre, his speche to purify.

Fyve partes hath Rethoryke, for to werke trewe, Without whiche fyve there can be no sentence. For these fyve do well evermore renue The matter parfyte with good intellygence. Who that will se them with all his dyligence, Here foloweng I shall them specify, Accordyng well all unto myne ordynary.