Taxis.
Taxis is a figure or forme of speech, which distributeth to every subject his most proper & naturall adjunct.
An example: The feare of so great a danger and the terror of so likelie a destruction, caused noble men to consult, the minds of wisemen to doubt, the faces of valiant captains to wax pale, the hearts of lusty youth to quake, old men to tremble, and women to weepe.
Another: Princes for their dignities, magistrates for their authorieite, rich men for their wealth, captains for their courage, counsellors for their wisdome, & holy men for their profession, are assaulted of the mightie, and envied of the wicked, from whence it commeth that they are often either deprived of thier lives, or spoiled of that they possesse.
Another: The power of God among his own people is renowned, his woonders are recorded, his judgements pondered, his promises beleeved, his threatnings feared, his goodnesse praised, and his justice duly regarded.
Another. The divine wisedome hath assigned Kings to raigne,
Judges to heare causes & give sentence, Advocates to plead, subjects to obey, the wise to give counsell, and the rich to give almes.
The use of this figure.
This figure is a singular ornament of eloquence, well deferving that commendation, and that in sundrie respects first for
that it ministreth a pleasant harmonie to the eare, secondly, for that it presenteth proper countenances of persons to the eye of the minde. Thirdly, for the excellent brevitie in noting the adjucts
2. Description by a propertie |
of persons, duties of degrees, and proper words with their proper relations.
The Caution.
The especiall regard to avoyd the abuse, which this figure may commit, is to take heed that we do not attribute unproper advjunctes
1. Improprietie of Adjuncts. |
to the subjects, for it were not onely verie unproper, but also verie absurd to attribute weeping to valiant Captaines, and consultation to youth: or to say that rich men are envied for their wisedome, and holie men for their wealth, which forme of speech is verie unproper. And this vice or fault is called, Acyrologia: which is an unproper speaking in forme and sense.
