Cap. X. of Disposition, the II. Parte of Rethoryke

The second parte of crafty Rethoryke Maye well be called Disposicion, That doth so hyghe mater aromatyke Adowne dystyll by consolacion; As olde poetes make demonstracion That Mercury, through his preeminence, Hys natives endeth wyth famous eloquence.

By veray reason it maye ryght well appere, That divers persons in sundry wyse delyght; Theyr consolacions doth contrary so steere That many myndes maye not agree aryght. Such is the planettes of theyr course and myght. But what for that? be it good or yll, Them for to folowe it is at mannes fre wyl.

And dysposicion, the true seconde parte Of rethorike, doth evermore dyrecte The maters founde of this noble arte, Gyvyng them place after the aspect, And of tyme it hath the inspect, As from a fayre parfit narracion, Or els by stedfast argumentacion.

The whych was constitute by begynnyng, As on the reason, and if apparaunce Of the cause than by outwarde semyng Be hard and difficulte in the utteraunce, So as the mynde have no perceyveraunce, Nor of the beginnyng can have audience, Than must narracion begynne the sentence.

And if it be a lytle probable, From any maner stedfast argument, We ordre it for to be ryght stable, And than we never begyn our sentement, Recityng letters not convenient, But thys commutacion shoulde be refused, Wythout cause or thynge make it be used.

Thys that I wryte is harde and covert To them that have nothynge intelligence; Up so downe they make oft transvert, Or that they can knowe, they experience Of thys craft and facundious science, By dysposicion the rethorician To make lawes ordinatly began.

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.