In these verses you see how one crueltie surmounts another by degrees till it come to very slaughter and beyond, for it is thought a despite done to a dead carkas to be an euidence of greater crueltie then to haue killed him.

  [Sidenote:  Meiosis, or the Disabler.]
After the Auancer followeth the abbaser working by wordes and sentences of extenuation or diminution.  Whereupon we call him the Disabler or figure of Extenuation:  and this extenuation is vsed to diuers purposes, sometimes for modesties sake, and to auoide the opinion of arrogancie, speaking of our selues or of ours, as he that disabled himselfe to his mistresse thus.
  Not all the skill I haue to speake or do,
  Which litle is God wot (set loue apart:)
  Liueload nor life, and put them both thereto,
  Can counterpeise the due of your desart.

It may be also be done for despite to bring our aduersaries in contempt,
as he that sayd by one (commended for a very braue souldier) disabling him
scornefully, thus.
  A iollie man (forsooth) and fit for the warre,
  Good at hand grippes, better to fight a farre: 
  Whom bright weapon in shew as is said,
  Yea his owne shade; hath often made afraide.

The subtilitie of the scoffe lieth in these Latin wordes [eminus & cominus pugnare.] Also we vse this kind of Extenuation when we take in hand to comfort or cheare any perillous enterprise, making a great matter seeme small, and of litle difficultie, & is much vsed by captaines in the warre, when they (to giue courage to their souldiers) will seeme to disable the persons of their enemies, and abase their forces, and make light of euery thing than might be a discouragement to the attempt, as Hanniball did in his Oration to his souldiers, when they should come to passe the Alpes to enter Italie, and for sharpnesse of the weather, and steepnesse of the mountaines their hearts began to faile them.

We vse it againe to excuse a fault, & to make an offence seeme lesse then it is, by giuing a terme more fauorable and of lesse vehemencie then the troth requires, as to say of a great robbery, that it was but a pilfry matter:  of an arrant ruffian that he is a tall fellow of his hands:  of a prodigall foole, that he is a kind hearted man:  of a notorious vnthrift, a lustie youth, and such like phrases of extenuation, which fall more aptly to the office of the figure Curry fauell before remembred.

And we vse the like termes by way of pleasant familiaritie, and as it were for Courtly maner of speach with our egalls or inferiours, as to call a young Gentlewoman Mall for Mary, Nell for Elner:  Iack for Iohn_, Robin for Robert:  or any other like affected termes spoken of pleasure, as in our triumphals calling familiarly vpon our Muse, I called her Moppe.
  But will you weet,
  My litle muse, nay prettie moppe: 
  If we shall algates change our stoppe,
  Chose me a sweet.