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English
Congeries in Marcin Kromer’s First Synod Speech (Sermo de tuenda dignitate sacerdotii, 1542)
Abstract
Marcin Kromer (1512–1589), an eminent humanist, diplomat, and royal secretary, was a Catholic clergyman deeply committed to the Counter-Reformation. His intellectual engagement is evidenced by a body of work spanning three decades, initiated by an oration delivered in 1542 at the provincial synod in Piotrków. Kromer inspired by Ciceronian oratory, drew a bold comparison between the dignity of ancient priesthood and that of its sixteenth-century successors. Kromer focused on the main thesis of his speech, dignitas sacerdotii tuenda est, and composed his oration in such a way that, following the example of the author of In Catilinam oratio prima, he continuously returned to the main thread. Similarly to Cicero, the Polish orator based his persuasive power on the figure of congeries, which involves the accumulation of various elements in the form of a list. In the case of the speech at hand, these are both individual words (nouns, adjectives, verbs) arranged in an artistic manner, as well as entire sentences, which are themselves separate figures (interrogatio, subiectio, exclamatio).Thanks to the use of congeries as an organizing figure, the speech is very persuasive, demonstrates the exquisite rhetorical skills of the young cleric, who won the recognition of not only his contemporaries but also researchers of Polish literature.
Keywords:
Martinus Cromerus, Cicero, speech, congeries, rhetoricDetails
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