[Sidenote: Expeditio, or the
speedie dispatcher.]
Occasion offers many times that our maker as an oratour,
or perswader, or pleader should go roundly to worke,
and by a quick and swift argument dispatch his perswasion,
& as they are woont to say not stand all day trifling
to no purpose, but to rid it out of the way quickly.
This is done by a manner of speech, both figuratiue
and argumentatiue, when we do briefly set down all
our best reasons seruing the purpose and reiect all
of them sauing one, which we accept to satisfie the
cause: as he that in a litigious case for land
would prooue it not the aduersaries, but his clients.
No man can say its his by heritage,
Nor by Legacie, or Testatours deuice:
Nor that it came by purchase or engage,
Nor from his Prince for any good seruice.
Then needs must it be his by very wrong,
Which he hath offred this poore plaintife
so long.
Though we might call this figure very well and properly
the [Paragon] yet dare I not so to doe for
feare of the Courtiers enuy, who will haue no man
vse that terme but after a courtly manner, that is,
in praysing of horses, haukes, hounds, pearles, diamonds,
rubies, emerodes, and other precious stones:
specially of faire women whose excellencie is discouered
by paragonizing or setting one to another, which moued
the zealous Poet, speaking of the mayden Queene, to
call her the paragon of Queenes. This considered,
I will let our figure enioy his best beknowen name,
and call him stil in all ordinarie cases the figure
of comparison: as when a man wil seeme to make
things appeare good or bad, or better or worse, or
more or lesse excellent, either vpon spite or for
pleasure, or any other good affection, then he sets
the lesse by the greater, or the greater to the lesse,
the equall to his equall, and by such confronting of
them together, driues out the true ods that is betwixt
them, and makes it better appeare, as when we sang
of our Soueraigne Lady thus, in the twentieth Partheniade.
As falcon fares to bussards flight,
As egles eyes to owlates sight,
As fierce saker to coward kite,
As brightest noone to darkest night:
As summer sunne exceedeth farre,
The moone and euery other starre:
So farre my Princesse praise doeth passe,
The famoust Queene that euer was.
And in the eighteene Partheniade thus.
Set rich rubie to red esmayle,
The rauens plume to peacocks tayle,
Lay me the larkes to lizards eyes,
The duskie cloude to azure skie,
Set shallow brookes to surging seas,
An orient pearle to a white pease.
&c. Concluding.
There shall no lesse an ods be seene
In mine from euery other Queene.


