ONC ne furent à tous toutes graces données. Aussi voyons nous qu’au don d’eloquence, les vns ont la facilité et la promptitude, et ce qu’on dit, le boutehors si aisé, qu’à chasque bout de champ ils sont prests: les autres plus tardifs ne parlent iamais rien qu’elabouré et premedité.
Never were all gifts given to all. So too we see that in the gift of eloquence some have facility and promptness, and, as they say, such an easy delivery that they are ready at every turn, while others, slower, never say anything that is not worked out and premeditated.
Comme on donne des regles aux dames de prendre les ieux et les exercices du corps, selon l’auantage de ce qu’elles ont le plus beau. Si i’auois à conseiller de mesmes, en ces deux diuers aduantages de l’eloquence, de laquelle il semble en nostre siecle, que les Prescheurs et les Aduocats facent principalle profession, le tardif seroit mieux Prescheur, ce me semble, et l’autre mieux Aduocat: par ce que la charge de celuy-là luy donne autant qu’il luy plaist de loisir pour se preparer; et puis sa carriere se passe d’vn fil et d’vne suite, sans interruption: là où les commoditez de l’Aduocat le pressent à toute heure de se mettre en lice: et les responces improuueuës de sa partie aduerse, le reiettent de son branle, où il luy faut sur le champ prendre nouueau party.
Just as ladies are given rules for choosing games and bodily exercises so as to show off what is most beautiful in them, so, if I had to give similar advice about these two different advantages in eloquence—which in our age preachers and lawyers seem to make their chief profession—the slow speaker would make the better preacher, it seems to me, and the other the better lawyer. For the preacher’s office gives him as much leisure as he likes to prepare, and then his course runs on in one thread and sequence, without interruption. The lawyer’s situation, by contrast, presses him at every hour to enter the lists, and the unexpected replies of the opposing party throw him off his stride, so that he must take a new line on the spot.
Si est-ce qu’à l’entreueuë du Pape Clement et du Roy François à Marseille, il aduint tout au rebours, que Monsieur Poyet, homme toute sa vie nourry au barreau, en grande reputation, ayant charge de faire la harangue au Pape, et l’ayant de longue main pourpensee, voire, à ce qu’on dict, apportée de Paris toute preste, le iour mesme qu’elle deuoit estre prononcée, le Pape se craignant qu’on luy tinst propos qui peust offenser les Ambassadeurs des autres Princes qui estoyent autour de luy, manda au Roy l’argument qui luy sembloit estre le plus propre au temps et au lieu, mais de fortune, tout autre que celuy, sur lequel Monsieur Poyet s’estoit trauaillé: de façon que sa harengue demeuroit inutile, et luy en falloit promptement refaire vne autre.
And yet at the meeting of Pope Clement and King Francis at Marseille, quite the opposite happened. Monsieur Poyet, a man trained all his life at the bar and of great reputation, was charged with making the address to the Pope. He had thought it out long in advance, and had even, so they say, brought it from Paris all ready. On the very day it was to be delivered, the Pope, fearing that something might be said that could offend the ambassadors of the other princes around him, sent the King the subject that seemed to him best suited to the time and place—but, as luck would have it, quite different from the one Monsieur Poyet had worked on. So his speech was useless, and he had to make another one quickly.
Mais s’en sentant incapable, il fallut que Monsieur le Cardinal du Bellay en prinst la charge. La part de l’Aduocat est plus difficile que celle du Prescheur: et nous trouuons pourtant ce m’est aduis plus de passables Aduocats que Prescheurs, au moins en France. Il semble que ce soit plus le propre de l’esprit, d’auoir son operation prompte et soudaine, et plus le propre du iugement, de l’auoir lente et posée. Mais qui demeure du tout muet, s’il n’a loisir de se preparer, et celuy aussi, à qui le loisir ne donne aduantage de mieux dire, ils sont en pareil degré d’estrangeté.
But he felt unable to do it, and Cardinal du Bellay had to take on the task. The lawyer’s part is harder than the preacher’s; and yet, in my opinion, we find more passable lawyers than preachers, at least in France. It seems that working promptly and suddenly is more the nature of wit, and working slowly and deliberately more the nature of judgment. But the man who stays utterly mute if he has no time to prepare, and the man to whom time to prepare gives no advantage in speaking better, are equally odd.
On recite de Seuerus Cassius, qu’il disoit mieux sans y auoir pensé: qu’il deuoit plus à la fortune qu’à sa diligence; qu’il luy venoit à proufit d’estre troublé en parlant: et que ses aduersaires craignoyent de le picquer, de peur que la colere ne luy fist redoubler son eloquence. Ie cognois par experience cette condition de nature, qui ne peut soustenir vne vehemente premeditation et laborieuse: si elle ne va gayement et librement, elle ne va rien qui vaille. Nous disons d’aucuns ouurages qu’ils puent à l’huyle et à la lampe, pour certaine aspreté et rudesse, que le trauail imprime en ceux où il a grande part.
It is told of Cassius Severus that he spoke better without having thought about it; that he owed more to chance than to his own diligence; that it helped him to be interrupted while speaking; and that his opponents were afraid to provoke him, for fear that anger would redouble his eloquence. I know by experience this cast of nature, which cannot bear vehement and laborious premeditation: if it does not move along cheerfully and freely, it gets nowhere worthwhile. We say of certain works that they smell of oil and the lamp, because of a certain harshness and roughness that labor imprints on those in which it has a large part.
Mais outre cela, la solicitude de bien faire, et cette contention de l’ame trop bandée et trop tendue à son entreprise, la rompt et l’empesche, ainsi qu’il aduient à l’eau, qui par force de se presser de sa violence et abondance, ne peut trouuer yssue en vn goulet ouuert. En cette condition de nature, dequoy ie parle, il y a quant et quant aussi cela, qu’elle demande à estre non pas esbranlée et picquée par ces passions fortes, comme la colere de Cassius, car ce mouuement seroit trop aspre: elle veut estre non pas secoüée, mais sollicitée: elle veut estre eschauffée et resueillée par les occasions estrangeres, presentes et fortuites.
But besides that, the anxiety to do well, and the straining of a soul too taut and too intent on its undertaking, breaks it and hampers it. So it is with water that, pressing on itself through its own violence and abundance, cannot find a way out through an open bottleneck. In this cast of nature I am speaking of, there is also this: it asks not to be shaken and goaded by strong passions, like Cassius’s anger, for that movement would be too harsh. It wants not to be jolted but coaxed; it wants to be warmed and roused by occasions from outside, present and fortuitous.
Si elle va toute seule, elle ne fait que trainer et languir: l’agitation est sa vie et sa grace.
If it goes on its own, it merely drags and languishes. Agitation is its life and its grace.
Ie ne me tiens pas bien en ma possession et disposition: le hazard y a plus de droit que moy: l’occasion, la compaignie, le branle mesme de ma voix, tire plus de mon esprit, que ie n’y trouue lors que ie le sonde et employe à part moy. Ainsi les paroles en valent mieux que les escrits, s’il y peut auoir chois où il n’y a point de prix. Cecy m’aduient aussi, que ie ne me trouue pas où ie me cherche: et me trouue plus par rencontre, que par l’inquisition de mon iugement. I’auray eslancé quelque subtilité en escriuant. I’entens bien, mornée pour vn autre, affilée pour moy. Laissons toutes ces honnestetez. Cela se dit par chacun selon sa force.
I do not have myself well in my own possession and control: chance has more rights over me than I do. The occasion, the company, the very rhythm of my voice draw more out of my mind than I find there when I sound it and use it on my own. So my spoken words are worth more than my writings, if there can be any choosing where nothing has any value. This too happens to me: I do not find myself where I look for myself, and I find myself more by chance encounter than by the searching of my judgment. I will have tossed off some subtle point while writing. I mean, of course, blunt for someone else, sharp for me. Let us drop all these polite disclaimers: everyone says this according to his own powers.
Ie l’ay si bien perdue que ie ne sçay ce que i’ay voulu dire: et l’a l’estranger descouuerte par fois auant moy. Si ie portoy le rasoir par tout où cela m’aduient, ie me desferoy tout. Le rencontre m’en offrira le iour quelque autre fois, plus apparent que celuy du midy: et me fera estonner de ma hesitation.
I have lost it so completely that I do not know what I meant to say, and sometimes a stranger has discovered it before I did. If I took the razor to every passage where this happens to me, I would erase myself entirely. Some other time, chance will show it to me in a light brighter than noonday, and make me astonished at my hesitation.