Of Epistles Exprobratorie. Chap. 4
From matter Expostulatorie, wee will nowe turne our selues to the next title beeing Exprobratorie, vnder which is contained cause indeede of vehement and grieuous disdaine: chieflie touching offences that impugne a contrarie and laudable merite and desert. For which, howbeit in all ciuill vsages it be accounted vndecent, vncourteous, and vnbeséeming anie gentle condition, to reproch a man in time of mislike, with good offices or turnes, that before he hath receiued. So when contrarie to the honest affection vnto him bountifully tendred, a man shall either vngratefully refuse to recognize the same goodnes, or impudentlie, vnciuilly, or inhumainly go about to reward euil for good, and to enforce a most vniust vexation, where himselfe hath receyued most comfort. In such cases to vse this Exprobratory maner of writing, to signifie vnto yᵉ party so forgetfull of gentlenes, both what he hath receiued, and howe much he was charged by all waies, limits and means that may be enforced, of humanitie, pietie, or gentlenes, it shall not be amisse, and to such ende & no other is this Exprobratorie kind of Epistles to be vsed: Of which, some certaine examples are in this place to be deliuered.
An Example of an Epistle Exprobratorie Touching Ingra- Titude Receiued
Narratiō.
Merismus.
Synathrismus.
Commoratiō.
Liptote.
Metonoia.
Synonymia.
Asyndeton.
I Doe not maruell at your woonted and sundrie delayes in aunswering my requestes, nor that you breake so manie promises with your friendes for the gratifying of their courtesies: In that beeing thinges by nature annexed as they are to so seruile a condition, they seeme (as remedilesse) in all discreet iudgementes to bee borne withall. But that I wonder at, is, howe my selfe (knowing as I doe, and hauing so often tasted of that contemptible and harde disposition of yours towardes mee) should yet be so assotted, as to straine my friendes, to spende my money, exercise my wits, yeelde my trauell, bende my care, and passe my credite, to relieue, vpholde, nourish and maintaine such a one, in bringing him from nought to ought, from the dunghill to the court, from woe to wealth, as hath neither honestie to regarde me, wit to vse me, will to requite me, ciuilitie to respect mee, good nature to thanke me, nor any one sparke of endeuour whereby so much in good seeming to behaue himselfe towards me. Many occasions haue beene giuen mee before time by some other misprizers of my curtesie, but you of all others haue exceeded and do passe them all in vnhonestie. That I shoulde bee occasioned thus to reproch you as I doe, is iwis vnto me no great contentment, but that at my handes who alwaies haue so manifoldlie deserued of you, you should so far forth challenge to be reproched, that certainly is it whereof you ought most to bee ashamed. Howe many wayes you haue wronged me, and howe little cause hereafter I haue to entermedle or haue to doe with you, hauing so ingratefully, nay rather inhumanelie dealt with me, let the world iudge betweene you and me. Had I tried you in much, or in one halfe of that whereby in very dutie you are charged vnto me, it had beene somewhat to haue denied me: But in a matter so slender, so small valued, and but a trifle, to delay me, to stande with mee, to breake promise with mee, and which is worst of all, most vnciuillie therewith to bearde me, that of all others is the most detested that may bee. Sorie I am, not that I haue knowne you, for the knowledge shall keepe mee from you, but that in nourishing of you, I forgot my selfe so much, as I coulde neuer till this present perceiue nor looke after you. Fare as you will for me, who euer hereafter desire neither to know nor see you. From B. this of, &c.
An Epistle Exprobatory, More Largely Exampled
Exordium.
Hyperbole.
Allegoria.
Antithesis.
ALbeit vnto a gentle minde there is nothing lesse proper, then a reproching of benefittes: nor any thing more contrarying, then to bee touched with discurtesies: yet respecting the weight of the manifold wrongs done vnto me, & most iniurious deuises, wherein thou hast contrary to all lawes of nature, vertue, or honestie, gone about to abuse mee, rewarding not euill, but worse then mischiefe it selfe, for good, and doing that which all men hate, and the most discreet doe abhorre in requitall of that which I chieflie deserued of thee, I hold my selfe neither to be touched in gentlenes, nor deemed at all in discurtesie, if to such a Camelion I giue his due colours, of so vile a viper doe bewray the feature, to so ingratefull a wretch doe blaze forth his picture, and of so vglie a beast do yeeld his due portraiture, to the ende that at least it may appeare vnto thy selfe, howe vnlike to that thou hast euer seemed vnto me, I haue nowe found thee, and how contrarying to that my selfe haue manifoldly bounde thee, thou hast now shewed thy selfe vnto me.
Merismus.
Brachiologa.
Asyndeton.
Anthipophora.
To the opening whereof let mee call to remembraunce that beeing here a great while sithence a straunger, spoiled of that thou haddest, laden with sicknesse, pursued of thy foes, burdensome to thy friends, subiect to a number of casualties, of death, pouertie, hatred, penurie, griefe, trouble, and want, I tooke thee, I kept thee, I relieued thee, I prouided for thee, and that at such time as when forsaken of all others, thou wast onely compassed with extremitie, had not this one curtesie, nay rather vnaccustomed kindnes, beene sufficient alone, wherewith to haue bound thee? Questionlesse it had, rested there at al any sparke of good condition within thee, yet had this been all that I had done for thee, happilie could I then haue contented my selfe, and haue thought that thou haddest therein alone dealt but ingratefullie.
Erotema.
Commoratiō.
Asyndeton.
Erotema. Aporia. Allegoria.
Paradoxon.
Hyperbole.
Abhorrest thou not in the perusing hereof to thinke howe thou hast vsed mee? Well knowest thou that on this hie point of curtesie, I stucke not alone with thee, for after a recouery by my meanes had, and restitutions of thine estate, vnto thy wonted possessions, health, freedome and libertie, I not only so setled thee, but beeing haled thy selfe (as it were) out of the Lions iawes, I made thine aduersaries a praie vnto thee, I fauored thee, I loued thee, I esteemed thee when none would regard thee, when all men despised thee. Were not these benefits sufficient, to haue yoked any good or honest disposition vnto me? What Viper may I then terme thee? what monster or hellish imp that not onely hast not vouchsafed so much as to requite, but scornest in apparance so much as to beare a good opinion towardes me? Is it possible that man than a Serpent, or than the very Crocodile it selfe should become more malicious, yet hast thou in far greater quantitie then these contained thy venome, the Hydra was not answerable vnto thy propertie, the very Sauages themselues could not equall thee, thou art infine beyond all, and there are none beyond thee, for both men and beasts do abhor thy treachery.
Erotema.
Sententia.
Pleonasmus.
Polyptoton.
What then auaileth that of such a one I haue merited so highlie? Whereto serueth it to haue extended on him so greate and vnused bounty? The dog fawneth by kinde where he is loued, the Tyger by gentlenes is from his cruelty disturned, the Lion wil not suffer a kindnes vnregarded. But thou (hatefull of all others) degenerating from all nature both of men and beasts weighest not of friendship, reiectest fauors, hatest all gentlenes, regardest no kindnes, contemnest merits, and kindlesse of all kinds, or rather sequestred from any kinde, giuest thy selfe to rewarde the best deseruinges, with vnauoidable and most destestable villanies.
Epizeuxis.
Anaphora.
Merismus.
Antithesis.
Epiphonema.
Had I not too much deserued as I haue done at thy handes, it might in some sort haue sufficed me. Had I by any known or pretended euill, euer pursued thee, had I meant at any time badly vnto thee, it might yet haue cōtented me, that forgetfull of al that before passed, thou shouldest in this hatefull manner haue dealt with mee. But hauing onely heaped on thy head a multitude of fauors, receiued thee as I haue done with so sundrie curtesies, imbraced thee as thou knowest with infinite contentmentes, deliuered thee from death, and verie hellish tormentors, what kindnesse could be more, or what merite so ample? And contrariwise, what requitall so slender, what acknowledgement so bad, or what recompence so euill, then wherewith besides all course of iustice and equitie thou hast most vnnaturally acquited me? One only comfort resteth, that of all honest minds thou art hated deseruedly, and out of all gentle company art excluded perpetually, wherin hauing the only solace vnto my grieued conceits, that for the present may be acquired, I liue in hope to see thee once againe to haue neede of mee, when according to thy demerits I shall thinke of thee, and in the meane while esteeme of thy fashions, as thou hast giuen me cause to accompt of them.