Tully, when he was to drive out Catiline, as it were with a
thunderbolt of eloquence, often useth the figure of repetition, as
"vivit et vincit, imo in senatum venit, imo in senatum venit," &c.
{93} Indeed, inflamed with a well-grounded rage, he would have his
words, as it were, double out of his mouth; and so do that
artificially which we see men in choler do naturally. And we,
having noted the grace of those words, hale them in sometimes to a
familiar epistle, when it were too much choler to be choleric.

How well, store of "similiter cadences" doth sound with the gravity
of the pulpit, I would but invoke Demosthenes' soul to tell, who
with a rare daintiness useth them. Truly, they have made me think
of the sophister, that with too much subtlety would prove two eggs
three, and though he may be counted a sophister, had none for his
labour. So these men bringing in such a kind of eloquence, well may
they obtain an opinion of a seeming fineness, but persuade few,
which should be the end of their fineness.

Now for similitudes in certain printed discourses, I think all
herbalists, all stories of beasts, fowls, and fishes are rifled up,
that they may come in multitudes to wait upon any of our conceits,
which certainly is as absurd a surfeit to the ears as is possible.
For the force of a similitude not being to prove anything to a
contrary disputer, but only to explain to a willing hearer: when
that is done, the rest is a most tedious prattling, rather
overswaying the memory from the purpose whereto they were applied,
than any whit informing the judgment, already either satisfied, or
by similitudes not to be satisfied.

For my part, I do not doubt, when Antonius and Crassus, the great