hauftible Store of Knowledge, by the help of indefatigable Study. For all the Variety of Words naturally flows from a Variety, and Abundance of Things: And how fhould we make others fee while we are our felves in the Dark? Who is there now, that can fupport the Labour of fo ftubborn Application, fo perfevering Industry, as is neceffary to an Orator, whofe Knowledge must not be lefs than univerfal? But here we ought to remember that all this Diligence in the Purfuits of Art can prove effectual to thofe alone that have the Talents of Nature: Those who have them not, do but fatigue and torture themselves in vain with fcholaftick Rules. Nor can the Art of Speaking any more fucceed to him that wants a Genius, than the Art of Singing to him that wants a Voice. Not but that a Man of a good Understanding, and of a well turn'd Head, may be capable of ufing the Advantage of Precepts, though his Genius be not altogether fo particular and diftinguifh'd.

V.

True Eloquence being thus difficult in the Acquifition, Men have hop'd to recompence this Defect by the fpecious Appearance of a falfe Eloquence, fuch as was current in the Greek and Roman States, near the Time of their Diffolution, and owes its Existence to the Misfortunes and Servitude of thofe brave Nations. 'Twas with this Outside of Eloquence that the Sophifts, whofe Lives are written by Philoftratus and Eunapins, laid themselves out, in publick, upon loofe and empty Harangues; thefe Declaimers having fcarce any other End but to astonish and amufe the People. But this

Eloquence

Nulla res

tantùm ad

Eloquence being wholly unnatural, and being weaken'd and opprefs'd by its fictitious Ornaments, all its Movements were wrong, it never touch'd the Heart, or made an Entry upon the Soul: All that it could perform, was to entertain the Senfe with a thin and taftlefs Pleafure, and to afford a Kind of Paftime to the Idle and Impertinent. But true Eloquence commands a Paffage to the Heart, it strikes and alarms the Soul, and makes it fenfible of its Approach. Falfe Eloquence is but a Chime of Words, that tinkles in the Ear, but never reaches the Understanding. True Elcquence is strong, vigorous, and mafculine, not taken up with Flourish and Gaiety, or solicitous of vain Embellishments. For none but Counterfeit Beauties stand in need of a borrow'd Complexion; Thofe that are genuine and natural carry their own Graces with them. But fince we are univerfally liable to mistake the falfe for the true, becaufe the former offers it felf unfought for to the Mind, while the latter is not to be found but upon ftrict Search and Study; we ought not to be furpriz'd if the Appearance fhould pafs with us for the Reality, in Eloquence, as in all Things befides. Upon the whole, a Man who has any Degree of Sagacity will observe, That there are few accomplish'd in this Profeffion, and that, generally, what we call a Talent in Oratory, is no more than a Warmth of Fancy, and a Volubility of Speech.

VI.

dicendum In our Times, Men do not train themselves proficit, up to Eloquence, by that which is the fureft, jcriptio. and was heretofore the most common Way of

quintum

Cic. in

Brut.

arriving

arriving at its height, the frequent ufe of Com- Nulla res pofition; in which they ought to labour with tantùm ad Affiduity and Conftancy, if they would im- dicendum prove it into a fettled Habit. It was by this proficit, quantum means that Demofthenes and Cicero attained to fcriptio. thofe Degrees of Perfection, which every one Cic. in fees and admires. Not to fpeak of the for- Brut. mer, who cloyfter'd himself up so many Caput eft Years to learn his Art; 'tis well known of me faci the latter, that he employ'd all his Leifure mus:" eft and Vacation from Bufinefs, in rhetorical enim magExercises; which gave him occafion to fay, ni laboris, that an Orator's best Master is his Style or mus, quamquod fugi

Pen.

quod mini

plurimum

fcribere. Idem de Orat.

Stylus optimus dicendi Magifter. De Orat.

VII.

Men do not study to exprefs Things accurately, or to draw the juft Pourtraits of them: They are, for the most part, either deficient or redundant: The Medium, which ought always to be obferv'd, is what they are feldom acquainted with; as being an imperceptible Point, and lying within the Nicety of a very few Rules, without which it is never to be hit.' And as a skilful Painter knows how to give a different Air to the fame Passion in various Subjects, fo as not to exprefs the Joy and Complacency of a Prince like that of a Valet, nor the Fierceness of a common Soldier like that of a General: So in the Motions of the Soul there are different Degrees, which an Orator fhould be able exactly to feparate, that he may not confound and blend their Ideas; which Secret, after all, is not to be attain'd but by C

оде

one that is Master of his Profeffion. The want of this Rule, fo little known and pra&tis'd, is the Reafon that Eloquence, when not in Perfection, is wont frequently to lay its Colours, either too weak or too strong. 'Tis of great Importance, out of that multitude of Ideas which prefent themselves to the Fancy, to make a prudent Choice; without fuffering our felves to be impos'd upon by falfe Appearances; which requires the moft accurate Difcernment, the jufteft Obfervation, and the finest Senfe. We ought, especially, to confider, that in those Extremes, to which In omnibus the Heat of Genius may poffibly carry us, too rebus vi- much is always more difgufting than too little: dendum, That Verbofity can never move with fo good quatenus: Effect, as a fparing Sobriety of Speech; and fuus cuiq; that whatever is exceffive, is, at the fame modus eft, time, lefs probable than the contrary. This tamen ma-is what the Roman Orator fo often repeats in gis offendit his Books of Rhetorick: For too much is an nimium quàm paEvidence of Tranfport and Disorder, which rum. Cic. are Faults; whereas too little is an Argument de clar. of Moderation and Referve, which are always Orat. Virtues. To be short, whatever is difproportionable is as falfe in Eloquence, as it is in Morals.

Etfi enim

VIII.

After all, true Eloquence, which proceeds only upon Reality, confifts in reprefenting Things as they are. The most natural Turn of Speech is ever the most difficult; but then 'tis ever the most agreeable: Because this is an Art in which nothing but what is natural can pleafe. And as the trueft Penetration is to difcern Things as they are in themselves, fo

the

the trueft Perfuafion is to make them be dif cern'd by others, as they ought to be, by the proper Lights and Images of Eloquence. But in as much as Things are wont more forcibly to strike the Mind by their own immediate Prefence, than by their Representations only, thefe Images, (which are no more than rhetorical Figures,) ought never to be brought into Play, but when they are stronger and larger than the Things themselves.

IX.

We ought fo to ftudy our own Genius, as that we may be able to follow it without Violence: But this we omit; either by affecting fuch a manner as is wholly unfuitable to our Genius; or by ftraining and forcing it, with too rigid Application; or lastly, by giving it either a greater Port, or a more refined Sub- Phalereus tilty than it will bear. 'Twas thro' this De-Primus ir clinâffe Efault, that the Athenian Eloquence began to loquentiam degenerate from the Grandour which once it dicitur. held under Lyfias, Efchines, and Demofthenes Quintil. as Tully and Quintilian obferve, upon Occafion Phalereus of mentioning Demetrius Phalereus, who, they mis quâm tell us, aim'd at a nicer Degree of Art, than his paletra natural Capacity could sustain, and was more inftitutus. fond of Sweetnefs than of Strength. Cic. in

nontamar

Brut.

Succus ille & fanguis incorruptus ufque ad hanc ætatem oratorum fuit, in qua naturalis effet, non fucatus nitor. Id. ibid.

Suavis videri maluit, quam fortis, fed fuavitate eâ quâ perfunderet animos, non perfringeret. Id. ibid.

Pronunciation, which is one of the most important Parts of Eloquence, is one of those C 2

that