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CHA P. I.

Of the Precepts of Rhetoric.

HE beft way to learn rhetoric, would be to imbibe it at the fountain head, I mean from Ariftotle, Dionyfius Halicarnaffeus, Longinus, Cicero and Quintilian. But fince the reading of these authors, especially the Greek, is much above the capacity of the scholars ufually admitted into the clafs of rhetoric, the profeffors may explain by word of mouth, the folid principles that occur in those great masters of eloquence, which they ought to have made their peculiar ftudy; and content themselves with pointing out to their pupils, the most beautiful paffages in Cicero and Quintilian, where the topics to be expounded are difcuffed; for methinks it would be a fhame to leave the class of rhetoric, without having fome idea and knowledge of thofe authors, who have treated the art with so much fuccefs.

What is most important in rhetoric does not confift fo much in the precepts, as in the reflections that attend them, and fhew their ufe. A man may know the number of the feveral parts of an oration, that of the tropes and figures, and the definitions very exactly, and yet be never the better qualified for compofition. These things are indeed useful and even neceflary to a certain degree, but do not fuffice; being only, as it were, the body or fhell of rhetoric. If the obfervations which give a reafon for, and fhew the effect of every precept, are not added, 'tis a body without a foul; but fome examples will explain my meaning.

One rule of the exordium is, that the orator fhould fpeak very modeftly of himself, in order to conciliate the judges in his favour; that he should not display his eloquence too much, and, if poffible, even render that of his opponent fufpected. This is a good and very neceffary precept, but Quintilian's reflections upon it B 2

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are much more valuable. "It is natural for us, fays he, to be prejudiced in favour of the weakeft, and a religious judge hears very willingly a pleader or advo"cate, when he thinks him incapable of impofing upon his justice, and that he has no reason to distrust him. Thence, fays he, proceeded the care of the "ancients, to conceal their eloquence; in which they "differ very widely from the orators of our age, who "ufe their utmost efforts to difplay theirs.",

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He elsewhere gives another ftill more laudable reafon, deduced from nature itself, and founded on the knowledge of the human heart. ❝f It is never com"mendable, fays he, in any man to boast of him< felf; but an orator, of all people, appears with the "worst grace, when his eloquence makes him vain. "Such a conduct raises contempt and fometimes "hatred in the auditors; for there is fomething na❝turally great, noble and fublime in the heart of "man, which cannot bear a fuperior. For this reason we are inclined to raise up those who are caft down, or humble themselves, because it gives us an air of ❝fuperiority; and as that proftrate condition leaves no room for jealoufy, fentiments of candor and humanity naturally take place. On the contrary, he, "who fets too high a value upon himself, fhocks our pride, because we think, he leffens and contemns us; and feems lefs intent upon magnifying himself, than upon making others his inferiors."

In his quoque commendatio tacita, fi nos infirmos & impares ingeniis contra agentium dixerimus

Eft enim naturalis favor pro laborantibus; & judex religiofus libentiffimè patronum audit, quem juftitiæ fuæ minimè timet. Inde iila veterum circa occultandam eloquentiam fimulatio, multum ab hac noftrorum temporum jactatione diverfa. Quintil. I. 4. c. I.

f Omnis fui vitiofa jactatio eft, eloquentiæ tamen in oratore præcipuè; affertque audientibus non

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faftidium modò, fed plerumque etiam odium. Habet enim mens noftra fublime quiddam, & erectum, & impatiens fuperioris. Ideoque abjectos, aut fummittentes fe, libenter allevamus, quia hoc facere tanquam majores videmur; & quoties difceffit æmulatio, fuccedit humanitas. At, qui fe fupra modum extollit, premere ac defpicere creditur ne tam fe majorem, quam minores cæteros facere. Quint. 1. 11. c. I.

Brevity

Brevity is generally laid down as one of the neceffary qualities of narration, and is made to confift in faying no more than is neceffary. If this precept be not explained, it will inform the mind but very little, and may occafion mistakes; but what Quintilian adds, fets it in the cleareft light. "Although I obferved "that brevity confifts in saying no more than what "is neceffary, I don't however pretend, that the ora "tor fhould confine himself to the bare ftating the fact; for though the narration fhould be fhort, it "should not want its graces: without which it would "be void of art, and difgufting. For pleasure de"ceives and amuses, and whatever gives delight seems "of fhort duration; as a smooth and pleasant road, "though of a confiderable length, fatigues less than "one that is fhort, but fteep or difagreeable.

It is plain, fuch reflections may be of great "fervice towards giving us a just taste of eloquence, " and may even form and improve the ftyle; but jejune and over refined precepts only cramp the genius, and deprive orations of their nobler parts, their vigour and beauty."

M. Herfan, formerly profeffor in the college du Pleffis, under whom I was fo happy to ftudy three years, and who contributed in forming fome of the beft mafters that have fince appeared in the university, compofed, on the plan here mentioned, an excellent fyftem of rhetoric, into which he introduced all the fineft thoughts of the ancients; but unhappily, 'twould take up too much time to dictate it; and befides, I own I am of opinion, that it would be better to read

Quantum opus eft autem, non ita folum accipi volo, quantum ad judicandum fufficit: quia non incrnata debet effe brevitas, alioqui fit indocta. Nam & fallit voluptas, & minus longa quæ delectant videntur; ut amoenum ac molle iter, etiamfi eft fpatii amplioris, minus fatigat quam durum arduumque compendium. Quintil. 1. 5.

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h His omnibus admifcebitur dicendi ratio... quæ alere facundiam, vires augere eloquentiæ poffit. Nam plerumque nudæ illæ artes, nimia fubtilitatis affectione frangunt, atque concidunt quicquid eft in oratione generofius, & omnem fuccum ingenii bibunt, & ffa detegunt. Quintil. Procem. 1. 1.

the beautiful paffages of the ancient rhetoricians in the authors themselves.

Methinks then, for the fake of time, which is very precious in ftudy, it were to be wifhed, that a fhort, plain, and clear printed fyftem of rhetoric was used in the university; wherein true definitions fhould be given; fome reflections and examples added to the precepts; and the beautiful paffages on each topic in Cicero, Quintilian, and even Longinus, (fince we now have fo good a tranflation of him) pointed out. Part of those paffages might be read to fcholars in the class of rhetoric, and they themselves might confult the reft.

I am very fenfible, 'tis difficult, if not impoffible, to do all this to advantage in the fpace of a year; and the best advice that can be given to parents, who would have their children make a good progrefs in this clafs, which may be of infinite advantage to them during the remainder of their lives, whatever profeffion they may follow, is to let them continue two years in it. For what probabilty is there that fcholars, next to children, who have little judgment, are not much verfed in the Latin tongue, and probably, not very ftudious, fhould imbibe the precepts of fo important an art in fo fhort a time?

The Romans had a far different idea of this study. As eloquence, among them, opened the way to all grandeur, fuch young people, as had care taken of their education, applied themselves feriously to it, and spent several years under mafters of rhetoric, as appears from Quintilian. But even in those days, they fometimes neglected that excellent difcipline, of which one of the ancients complains; and ambitious fathers, folely intent upon promoting their children, hurried them to the bar, without giving them time to digest their ftudies, as though it were as eafy to give them abilities, as a lawyer's gown: whereas had they made them pass through the ordinary degrees of literature, and allowed their judgment time to ripen, by a care

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ful ftudy of authors; to imbibe a great number of just philofophical principles, and to acquire correctness of ftyle; they would have enabled their fons to fupport all the weight and majesty of eloquence, with dignity and advantage.

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CHA P. II.

Of Compofition.

T is particularly in rhetoric, that young people endeavour to display their genius by fome compofition of their own, and that the greatest care is taken to form them in this ftudy, which is not only the moft difficult, but the most important, and as it were the end and scope of all the reft. To fucceed in it, they ought to have collected, from the good authors in the other claffes through which they paft, a great number of terms and phrases of that tongue in which they propose to write; fo that when an occafion offers for expreffing any thought in just and proper language, they may have recourfe to their memory, that like a rich treasury may fupply them with all the expreffions they have occafion to use.

ARTICLE I.

Of Themes.

HE fubjects or themes for compofition are a kind of plan defcribed by the mafter to his fcholars, in order to point out what they are to fay upon a fubject given.

This plan may be laid down to the scholars either by word of mouth, by propofing a fubject to be immediately difcuffed, and affifting them to invent, to

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range,