This article argues that, contrary to Marc Fumaroli's claim in his classic work on sixteenth-century eloquence (1980), there does not exist in Spain such a thing as a group called “Borrhomaic Rhetorics”. Judging from Fumaroli's words, one might believe that Cardinal Charles Borromeo planned to produce a series of rhetorics in support of his ideas concerning the necessity of educating skillful preachers ready to spread the ideology of the Counter-Reformation all over Catholic Europe. However, the existence of such a plan cannot be ascertained from the available sources, nor can any clear results of it be established. Therefore, we should no longer talk about such a group.

This article argues that, contrary to Marc Fumaroli’s claim in his classic work on sixteenth-century eloquence (1980), there does not exist in Spain such a thing as a group called “Borrhomaic Rhetorics”. Judging from Fumaroli’s words, one might believe that Cardinal Charles Borromeo planned to produce a series of rhetorics in support of his ideas concerning the necessity of educating skillful preachers ready to spread the ideology of the Counter-Reformation all over Catholic Europe. However, the existence of such a plan cannot be ascertained from the available sources, nor can any clear results of it be established. Therefore, we should no longer talk about such a group.

Abstract The study of theories of actio is a basic part of Rhetoric which ought not to be neglected, especially when one is considering practical rather than literary rhetoric. The present study deals with neo-Latin ecclesiastical rhetoric and points out the differences between protestant and catholic notions about the phenomenon of preaching. The presence or absence of indications of actio permits a clear distinction among tendencies in neo-Latin theory. There is such a thing as actioin the Catholic sense, but not in the Protestant. Among catholic scholars, Fr. Luis de Granada stands out for his doctrinal focus and for the quantity of his reflections on this subject.

El estudio de las teorías sobre la actio es una parte básica de la Retórica que no debe descuidarse, sobre todo cuando se habla de Retórica práctica, no de Retórica literaria. Este análisis, aplicado a la retórica eclesiástica neolatina, señala las diferencias entre las concepciones protestante y católica del fenómeno de la predicación. La presencia o ausencia de indicaciones sobre la actio permite distinguir bien tendencias en la teorización neolatina; hay una actio católica, pero no una protestante. Entre los tratadistas católicos, destaca fray Luis de Granada por su enfoque doctrinal y cantidad de reflexiones sobre esta materia.