choose for
himself. But rude speech, and contemptuous reflections on persons,
as they do signify nothing to the question, so they commonly bring
much disadvantage and damage to the cause, creating mighty
prejudices against it; they argue much impotency in the advocate,
and consequently little strength in what he maintains; that he is
little able to judge well, and altogether unapt to teach others;
they intimate a diffidence in himself concerning his cause, and
that, despairing to maintain it by reason, he seeks to uphold it by
passion; that not being able to convince by fair means, he would
bear down by noise and clamour: that not skilling to get his suit
quietly, he would extort it by force, obtruding his conceits
violently as an enemy, or imposing them arbitrarily as a tyrant.
Thus doth he really disparage and slur his cause, however good and
defensible in itself.

A modest and friendly style doth suit truth; it, like its author,
doth usually reside (not in the rumbling wind, nor in the shaking
earthquake, nor in the raging fire, but) in the small still voice;
sounding in this, it is most audible, most penetrant, and most
effectual; thus propounded, it is willingly hearkened to: for men
have no aversion from hearing those who seem to love them, and wish
them well. It is easily conceived, no prejudice or passion clouding
the apprehensive faculties; it is readily embraced, no animosity
withstanding or obstructing it. It is the sweetness of the lips,
which, as the wise man telleth us, increaseth learning; disposing a
man to hear lessons of good doctrine, rendering him capable to
understand them, insinuating and impressing them upon the mind; the
affections being thereby unlocked, the passage becomes open to the
reason.

But it is plainly a preposterous method of instructing, of deciding
controversies, of begetting peace, to vex and anger those concerned
by ill language. Nothing surely doth more hinder the efficacy of
discourse, and prevent conviction, than doth this course, upon many
obvious accounts. It doth first put in a strong bar to attention:
for no man willingly doth afford an ear to him whom he conceiveth
disaffected towards him: which opinion harsh words infallibly will
produce; no man can expect to hear truth from him whom he
apprehendeth disordered in his own mind, whom he seeth rude in his
proceedings, whom he taketh to be unjust in his dealing; as men
certai