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He went into Auvergne, Languedoc, Provence, on the Alps, and the Pyrenees; and did "not return till he had got together numerous co**lonies of plants, defigned for replanting this defert, that is the royal garden; which was fo unfurnished " with plants, that it was in a manner no longer a << garden."

If we were allowed to fearch for imperfections among fo many beauties, we might perhaps fufpect one to be a certain turn of thoughts, fomething too uniform (though they are very much deverfified) which terminates the greatest part of the articles by a fhort and lively turn in a fententious way, and feems inftructed to feize the conclufion of the periods, as a poft which belongs to itself, exclufively of all others. What exalts the understanding should likewife exalt the foul.

The fame piety that made him worthy of entering the church, kept him out of it.

The fame caufe that kept him out, made him worthy of it.

The more the eyes have seen, the more reason itself fees.

That which he believed, he faw: whereas others fes ere they believe, &c.

с

I fhould be afraid that a model of fuch authority might, one day or other, make eloquence degenerate into thofe touches, called ftimuli quidam & fubiti ictus fententiarum, in Seneca; which, in the opinion of the fame author, feem, by their ftudied affectation, to beg applause; and which was unknown to the judicious ancients. Apud antiquos nondum captabatur

plaufibilis oratio.

We must, however, not reject them entirely; for they may give great grace, and even ftrength, to difcourfe, as we often find in the author in queftion, as I fhall take notice elsewhere. But there is reafon to

b M. Fagon. c Epift. 100,

d Epift. 59.

fear

fear the abuse of this permiffion; which obliges me to animadvert often and ftrenuously upon it.

CHAP. III.

Of the reading and explaining of authors. I HAVE already obferved, in treating of the various duties of a profeffor of rhetoric, with regard to eloquence, that this part was one of the moft effential; and may, in one fenfe, be faid to include all the reft. It is, indeed, in the explanation of authors, that the mafter applies the precepts, and teaches youth to make ufe of them in compofing.

The rules which relate to the explaining of authors, are, no doubt, neceffary in a certain degree to all the claffes, but they belong to that of rhetoric more particularly; because the judgment of youth is then more mature, and confequently more capable of improving from thofe rules: till then mafters are principally intent upon teaching them the rules and principles of grammar, and to make them obferve the correctness, purity, and elegance of language. But the proper duty of a rhetorician is to fhew them the difpofition of an oration, and the beauties and even faults which may occur in it.

"He obferves to them, in what manner the ex❝ordium conciliates the favour and good-will of the "auditors; points out the perfpicuity and brevity, "the air of fincerity, the defign which may fome"times

• Demonftrare virtutes, vel, fi quando ita incidat, vitia, id profeffionis ejus atque promiffi, qui fe magiftrum eloquentiæ pollicetur, maxime proprium eft. Quintil. 1. 5. c. 2.

f Quæ in proœmio conciliandi judicis ratio: quæ narrandi lux,

brevitas, fides, quod aliquando confilium, & quam occulta calliditas (namque ea fola in hoc ars eft quæ intelligi nifi ab artifice non poffit:) quanta deinceps in dividendo prudentia: quam fubtilis & crebra argumentatio; quibus viribus infpiret, qua jucunditate permulceat ;

quanta

<< times be concealed, and the artifice of a narration;

for the fecret of this art is fcarce known, except to "fuch as profefs it: afterwards he fhews the order "and exactness of the divifion; how the orator finds

out, by the force of genius, a great number of me"thods and arguments, which he crouds upon each "other; now he is more vehement and fublime; then "foft and infinuating; with what force and violence "he animates his invectives; what wit and beauty

appear in his raillery; in fine, how he moves the "paffions, wins the hearts of his hearers, and actuates "them as he thinks fit: from hence proceeding to "elocution, he makes them obferve the propriety, "the elegance and nobleness of expreffions; on what "occafion amplification is laudable, and what its op"pofite virtue is; the beauty of the metaphors, and "other figures; what a flowing and harmonious, and at the fame time a manly and nervous, ftile is."

This paffage of Quintilian may be confidered as an excellent epitome of the precepts of rhetoric, and of the duties of mafters in explaining authors. What I fhall fay hereafter will ferve only to illuftrate and fet it in a clearer light.

I fhall begin with giving an idea of the three kinds or characters of eloquence, and here fettle fome general rules of rhetoric, which appear to me beft adapted to form the taste; and this is properly the end I propofe in this work. I fhall afterwards proceed to the chief obfervations, which, I think, fhould be made in reading authors; and conclude this treatife with fome reflections on the eloquence of the bar, the pulpit, and that of the holy fcripture.

But I must first premife, that authors fhould not be read fuperficially, or in a hurry, if we propofe to imquanta in maledictis afperitas, in jocis urbanitas, ut denique dominetur in affectibus, atque in pectora irrumpat, animumque judicum fimilem iis quæ dicit efficiat. Tum in ratione eloquendi, quod verbum

proprium, ornatum, fublime: ubi amplificatio laudanda, quæ virtus ei contraria; quid fpeciofe tranflatum; quæ figura verborum : quæ lenis & quadrata, virilis tamen compofitio, Quint. 1. 2. c. 5.

prove

prove by them. We fhould often review the fame paffages, efpecially the most beautiful; read them again with attention, compare them with one another, by thoroughly examining their fenfe and beauties: and - make them fo familiar to us, as to have them almost by heart. The fureft way of improving by this study of authors, which is to be confidered as the food of the understanding, is to digeft it at leisure, and thereby convert it, as it were, into its substance.

To obtain that end, we must not value ourselves upon reading a great number of authors, but fuch only as are of most value. We may say of too great reading, what Seneca obferves of a prodigious library, that instead of enriching and forming the mind, it often only disorders and confounds it. It is much better to fix upon a small number of choice authors, and study these thoroughly, than to amufe ourselves fuperficially, and hurry over a multitude of books.

SECTION I.

Of the three different kinds or characters of eloquence.

* As there are three principle qualifications requifite in an orator, to instruct, to please, and move the paffions; fo there are three kinds of eloquence, which produce those effects, generally called the plain or fimple, the fublime, and the mixed.

g Optimus quifque legendus eft, fed diligenter, ac pene ad fcribendi folicitudinem. ... Repetamus autem, & tractemus: & ut cibos manfos ac prope liquefactos dimittimus, quo facilius digerantur; ita lectio non cruda, fed multa iteratione mollita, & velut confecta, memoriæ imitationique tradatur. Quintil. 1. 1o. c. I.

Tu memineris fui cujufque generis auctores diligenter eligere. Aiunt enim multum legendum effe, non multa. Plin. Epift. 9. 1 7.

i Quo mihi innumerabiles libros

& bibliothecas?... Onerat difcentem turba, non inftruit: multoque fatius eft paucis te auctoribus tradere, quam errare per multos. Sen. de Tranq. an. c. 9.

k Erit eloquens is qui ita dicet, ut probet, ut deletet, ut flectat. Probare, neceffitatis eft; delectare, fua vitatis flectere victoriæ. . . fed quot officia oratoris, tot funt genera dicendi ; fubtile, in probando; modicum, in delectando; vehemens, in flectendo. Orat. n. 69.

The

'The firft is more particularly adapted to narration and proof. Its principal character confifts in perfpicuity, fimplicity, and exactnefs. It is not an enemy to ornament; but then it admits of none except fuch as are plain and fimple, rejecting thofe which argue affectation and varnish. It is not a lively shining beauty that enhances its merit, but a foft, a modeft grace, fometimes attended with an air of negligence, which ftill exalts its value. Simplicity of thought, purity of diction, with an inexpreffible cloquence, which affects more fenfibly than it feems to do, are its fole ornaments. We do not find in it any of those elaborate figures, which too plainly difcover art; and feem to proclaim the orator's endeavour to please. In a word, the fame obfervation may be made on this fpecies of writing, as on thofe fimple, but elegant enterainments, where all the dishes are of an exquifite taste, but nothing admitted that is either too much forced, or too exceffive in fauces, feasoning, and preparation. m There is another fpecies of writing quite different from the former; great, rich, grave, and noble; it is IIilo fubtili præcipue ratio narrandi probandique confiftet. Quint. 1. 12. c. 10.

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Verecundus erit ufus oratoriæ quafi fupellectilis. N. 8o.

Aberunt quæfitæ venuftates, ne claborata concin itas, & quoddam aucupium delectationis manifefte deprehenfum appareat. Ib. n. 84.

m Tertius eft ille amplus, copiofus, gravi, ornatus: in quo profecto vis maxima eft. Hic est enim, cujus ornatum dicendi & copiam admiratæ gentes eloquentiam in civita ibus plurimum valere palæ funt, fed hanc eloquentiam quæ curfu magno fonituque feiretur, quam fufpicerent omnes, quam admirarentur, quam fe affequi poffe diffiderent. Hujus eloquentiæ eft tractare animos hujus omni modo permovere. Orat.

n. 97.

Nam & grandiloqui, ut ita dicam, fucrunt, cum ampla & fententiarum gravitate, & majeftate verborum; vehementes, varii, copiofi, graves, ad permovendos & convertendos animos inftructi &

Figuras adhibet quidem hæc fubtilis, fed paulo parcius. Nam fic, ut in epularum apparatu a magnificentia recedens, non fe parcum folum, fed etiam elegantem videri volét; eliget quibus utatur.... parati. Orat, n. 20.

called

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