grauitie of the persons or of the
cause: wherein I report me to them that knew Sir _Nicholas Bacon_ Lord
keeper of the great Seale, or the now Lord Treasorer of England, and haue
bene conuersant with their speaches made in the Parliament house &
Starrechamber. From whose lippes I haue seene to proceede more graue and
naturall eloquence, then from all the Oratours of Oxford or Cambridge, but
all is as it is handled, and maketh no matter whether the same eloquence
be naturall to them or artificiall (though I thinke rather naturall) yet
were they knowen to be learned and not vnskilfull of th'arte, when they
were yonger men: and as learning and arte teacheth a schollar to speake,
so doth it also teach a counsellour, and aswell an old man as a yong, and
a man in authoritie, aswell as a priuate person and a pleader aswell as a
preacher, euery man after his sort and calling as best becommeth: and that
speach which becommeth one, doth not become another, for maners of
speaches, some serue to work in excesse, some in mediocritie, some to
graue purposes, some to light, some to be short and brief, some to be
long, some to stirre vp affections, some to pacifie and appease them, and
these common despisers of good vtterance, which resteth altogether in
figuratiue speaches, being well vsed whether it come by nature or by arte
or by exercise, they be but certaine grosse ignorance of whom it is truly
spoken, _scientia non habet inimicum nisi ignorantem._ I haue come to the
Lord Keeper Sir _Nicholas Bacon_, & found him sitting in his gallery alone
with the works of _Quintilian_ before him, in deede he was a most eloquent
man, and of rare learning and wisedome, as euer I knew England to breed,
and one that ioyed as much in learned men and men of good witts. A Knight
of the Queenes priuie chamber, once intreated a noble woman of the Court,
being in great fauour about her Maiestie (to th'intent to remoue her from
a certaine displeasure, which by sinister opinion she had conceiued
against a gentleman his friend) that it would please her to heare him
speake in his own cause & not to condemne him vpon his aduersaries report:
God forbid said she, he is to wise for me to talke with, let him goe and
satisfie such a man naming him: why quoth the Knight againe, had your
Ladyship rather heare a man talke like a foole or like a wise man? This
was because the Lady was a litle peruerse, and not disposed to reforme her
selfe by hearing reason, which none o