VN rhetoricien du temps passé, disoit que son mestier estoit, de choses petites les faire paroistre et trouuer grandes. C’est vn cordonnier qui sçait faire de grands souliers à vn petit pied. On luy eust faict donner le fouët en Sparte, de faire profession d’vn’ art piperesse et mensongere: et croy qu’Archidamus qui en estoit Roy, n’ouit pas sans estonnement la response de Thucydidez, auquel il s’enqueroit, qui estoit plus fort à la luicte, ou Pericles ou luy: Cela, fit-il, seroit mal-aysé à verifier: car quand ie l’ay porté par terre en luictant, il persuade à ceux qui l’ont veu, qu’il n’est pas tombé, et le gaigne.
A rhetorician of times past said that his trade was to make small things look great and be taken for great. He is a shoemaker who knows how to make big shoes for a small foot. In Sparta they would have had him whipped for professing a deceitful and lying art. And I believe that Archidamus, who was king there, was not a little astonished to hear the reply of Thucydides, whom he had asked which was the better wrestler, Pericles or he. “That,” he said, “would be hard to prove: for when I have thrown him in wrestling, he persuades those who saw it that he did not fall, and wins.”
Ceux qui masquent et fardent les femmes, font moins de mal: car c’est chose de peu de perte de ne les voir pas en leur naturel: là où ceux-cy font estat de tromper, non pas nos yeux, mais nostre iugement, et d’abastardir et corrompre l’essence des choses.
Those who mask and paint women do less harm: for it is no great loss not to see them in their natural state. These men, on the other hand, make it their business to deceive not our eyes but our judgment, and to debase and corrupt the essence of things.
Les republiques qui se sont maintenuës en vn estat reglé et bien policé, comme la Cretense ou Lacedemonienne, elles n’ont pas faict grand compte d’orateurs. Ariston definit sagement la rhetorique, science à persuader le peuple: Socrates, Platon, art de tromper et de flatter. Et ceux qui le nient en la generale description le verifient par tout, en leurs preceptes. Les Mahometans en defendent l’instruction à leurs enfants, pour son inutilité. Et les Atheniens, s’aperceuants combien son vsage, qui auoit tout credit en leur ville, estoit pernicieux, ordonnerent, que sa principale partie, qui est, esmouuoir les affections, fust ostée, ensemble les exordes et perorations.
The republics that have kept themselves in an orderly and well-governed state, like the Cretan or the Spartan, did not think much of orators. Ariston wisely defined rhetoric as the science of persuading the people; Socrates and Plato, as an art of deceiving and flattering. And those who deny this in their general description confirm it everywhere in their precepts. The Muslims forbid teaching it to their children because it is useless. And the Athenians, perceiving how pernicious was its use, which carried all the weight in their city, ordered that its principal part, which is stirring the emotions, be removed, together with opening addresses and perorations.
C’est vn vtil inuenté pour manier et agiter vne tourbe, et vne commune desreglée: et est vtil qui ne s’employe qu’aux Estats malades, comme la medecine. En ceux où le vulgaire, où les ignorans, où tous ont tout peu, comme celuy d’Athenes, de Rhodes, et de Rome, et où les choses ont esté en perpetuelle tempeste, là ont afflué les orateurs.
It is a tool invented to manage and stir up a mob and an unruly populace; and it is a tool that is used only in sick states, like medicine. In those where the common people, the ignorant, where everyone has been able to do everything, as in Athens, Rhodes and Rome, and where affairs have been in perpetual storm, there orators have flocked.
Et à la verité, il se void peu de personnages en ces republiques là, qui se soient poussez en grand credit sans le secours de l’eloquence: Pompeius, Cæsar, Crassus, Lucullus, Lentulus, Metellus, ont pris de là, leur grand appuy à se monter à cette grandeur d’authorité, où ils sont en fin arriuez: et s’en sont aydez plus que des armes, contre l’opinion des meilleurs temps. Car L. Volumnius parlant en public en faueur de l’election au Consulat, faitte des personnes de Q. Fabius et P. Decius: Ce sont gents nays à la guerre, grands aux effects: au combat du babil, rudes: esprits vrayement consulaires. Les subtils, eloquents et sçauants, sont bons pour la ville, Preteurs à faire iustice, dit-il.
And in truth, you see few men in those republics who pushed their way to great influence without the help of eloquence. Pompey, Caesar, Crassus, Lucullus, Lentulus, Metellus drew from it their main support in climbing to the height of authority that they finally reached; and they relied on it more than on arms, contrary to the opinion of better times. For Lucius Volumnius, speaking in public in favor of the election of Quintus Fabius and Publius Decius to the consulship, said: “These are men born for war, great in deeds; in the combat of chatter, unpolished: truly consular minds. The subtle, the eloquent and the learned are good for the city, as praetors to administer justice.”
L’eloquence a fleury le plus à Rome lors que les affaires ont esté en plus mauuais estat, et que l’orage des guerres ciuiles les agitoit; comme vn champ libre et indompté porte les herbes plus gaillardes.
Eloquence flourished most in Rome when affairs were in the worst state and the storm of civil wars was tossing them about; just as a free and untamed field bears the lustiest growth.
Il semble par là que les polices, qui dépendent d’vn Monarque, en ont moins de besoin que les autres: car la bestise et facilité, qui se trouue en la commune, et qui la rend subiecte à estre maniée et contournée par les oreilles, au doux son de cette harmonie, sans venir à poiser et connoistre la verité des choses par la force de raison; cette facilité, dis-ie, ne se trouue pas si aisément en vn seul, et est plus aisé de le garentir par bonne institution et bon conseil, de l’impression de cette poison. On n’a pas veu sortir de Macedoine ny de Perse, aucun orateur de renom.
It seems from this that governments that depend on a monarch need it less than others. For the stupidity and pliancy found in the common people, which make them liable to be managed and led by the ears by the sweet sound of this harmony, without coming to weigh and know the truth of things by the force of reason—this pliancy, I say, is not so easily found in a single person; and it is easier to protect him from the impression of this poison by good upbringing and good counsel. No orator of renown was ever seen to come out of Macedonia or Persia.
I’en ay dit ce mot, sur le subiect d’vn Italien, que ie vien d’entretenir, qui a seruy le feu Cardinal Caraffe de maistre d’hostel iusques à sa mort. Ie luy faisoy compter de sa charge. Il m’a fait vn discours de cette science de gueule, auec vne grauité et contenance magistrale, comme s’il m’eust parlé de quelque grand poinct de theologie.
I have said this much on the subject of an Italian I have just been talking with, who served the late Cardinal Caraffa as steward until his death. I had him tell me about his duties. He gave me a discourse on this science of the gullet with a gravity and a magisterial air, as if he had been speaking to me of some great point of theology.
Il m’a dechifré vne difference d’appetits: celuy qu’on a à ieun, qu’on a apres le second et tiers seruice: les moyens tantost de luy plaire simplement, tantost de l’eueiller et picquer: la police de ses sauces; premierement en general, et puis particularisant les qualitez des ingrediens, et leurs effects: les differences des salades selon leur saison, celle qui doit estre reschaufée, celle qui veut estre seruie froide, la façon de les orner et embellir, pour les rendre encores plaisantes à la veuë. Apres cela il est entré sur l’ordre du seruice, plein de belles et importantes considerations.
He spelled out for me a difference in appetites: the one you have when fasting, and the one you have after the second and third courses; the means now simply of pleasing it, now of waking it up and pricking it; the government of his sauces, first in general, and then going into the qualities of the ingredients and their effects; the differences between salads according to their season, which one must be warmed, which one wants to be served cold, the way to garnish and embellish them to make them pleasing to the eye as well. After that he went on to the order of service, full of fine and important considerations.
Nec minimo sanè discrimine refert / Quo gestu lepores, et quo gallina secetur. Et tout cela enflé de riches et magnifiques parolles: et celles mesmes qu’on employe à traiter du gouuernement d’vn Empire. Il m’est souuenu de mon homme, Hoc salsum est, hoc adustum est, hoc lautum est parum; / Illud rectè, iterum sic memento; sedulò / Moneo quæ possum pro mea sapientia. / Postremo tanquam in speculum, in patinas, Demea, / Inspicere iubeo, et moneo quid facto vsus sit. Si est-ce que les Grecs mesmes louërent grandement l’ordre et la disposition que Paulus Æmylius obserua au festin, qu’il leur fit au retour de Macedoine: mais ie ne parle point icy des effects, ie parle des mots.
And it surely makes no small difference / with what gesture you carve a hare, and with what a hen. And all this puffed up with rich and magnificent words, the very ones used in discussing the government of an empire. I was reminded of my man: This is too salty, this is burnt, this is not washed enough; / that one is right, remember to do it that way again. I give them careful / advice as best I can, according to my wisdom. / Finally, Demea, I bid them look into the dishes as into a mirror, / and I advise them what needs to be done. Even so, the Greeks themselves greatly praised the order and arrangement that Paulus Aemilius observed at the feast he gave them on his return from Macedonia; but I am not speaking here of deeds, I am speaking of words.
Ie ne sçay s’il en aduient aux autres comme à moy: mais ie ne me puis garder quand i’oy nos architectes, s’enfler de ces gros mots de pilastres, architraues, corniches d’ouurage Corinthien, et Dorique, et semblables de leur iargon, que mon imagination ne se saisisse incontinent du palais d’Apollidon, et par effect ie trouue que ce sont les chetiues pieces de la porte de ma cuisine.
I do not know whether others are affected the way I am; but when I hear our architects puffing themselves up with those big words—pilasters, architraves, cornices of Corinthian and Doric work, and the like from their jargon—I cannot stop my imagination from immediately seizing on the palace of Apolidon; and in fact I find that they are the paltry parts of my kitchen door.
Oyez dire metonomie, metaphore, allegorie, et autres tels noms de la grammaire, semble-il pas qu’on signifie quelque forme de langage rare et pellegrin? ce sont titres qui touchent le babil de vostre chambriere.
When you hear people say metonymy, metaphor, allegory and other such grammatical names, does it not seem that they mean some rare and exotic form of language? They are labels that apply to your chambermaid’s chatter.
C’est vne piperie voisine à cette-cy, d’appeller les offices de nostre Estat, par les titres superbes des Romains, encore qu’ils n’ayent aucune ressemblance de charge, et encores moins d’authorité et de puissance. Et cette-cy aussi, qui seruira, à mon aduis, vn iour de reproche à nostre siecle, d’employer indignement à qui bon nous semble les surnoms les plus glorieux, dequoy l’ancienneté ait honoré vn ou deux personnages en plusieurs siecles.
A cheat close to this one is calling the offices of our state by the proud titles of the Romans, even though they bear no resemblance in function, and still less in authority and power. And this one too, which will one day, I think, be held against our age: bestowing unworthily, on anyone we please, the most glorious surnames with which antiquity honored one or two figures in the course of several centuries.
Platon a emporté ce surnom de diuin, par vn consentement vniuersel, qu’aucun n’a essayé luy enuier: et les Italiens qui se vantent, et auecques raison, d’auoir communément l’esprit plus esueillé, et le discours plus sain que les autres nations de leur temps, en viennent d’estrener l’Aretin: auquel, sauf vne façon de parler bouffie et bouillonnée de pointes, ingenieuses à la verité, mais recherchées de loing, et fantastiques, et outre l’eloquence en fin, telle qu’elle puisse estre, ie ne voy pas qu’il y ait rien au dessus des communs autheurs de son siecle: tant s’en faut qu’il approche de cette diuinité ancienne. Et le surnom de Grand, nous l’attachons à des Princes, qui n’ont rien au dessus de la grandeur populaire.
Plato carried off the surname “divine” by a universal consent that no one has tried to begrudge him. And the Italians, who boast, and with reason, of having generally livelier minds and sounder reasoning than the other nations of their time, have just bestowed it on Aretino. Yet in him, apart from a way of speaking that is inflated and bubbling over with conceits—ingenious, to be sure, but far-fetched and fanciful—and apart from his eloquence, after all, such as it may be, I do not see that there is anything above the common authors of his century; so far is he from approaching that ancient divinity. And the surname “the Great” we attach to princes who have nothing above the greatness of ordinary people.