or Tell me, will you go about and afk one another, What "News? What can be more aftonishing News than this, "that the Man of Macedon makes War upon the Athenians, "and difpofes the Affairs of Greece? Is Philip dead? No; "but he's fick. What fignifies it to you whether he be dead alive! For if any thing happen to this Philip, you'll "immediately raise up another." All this delivered without Interrogation had been faint and ineffectual; but the Suddennefs and Fervor of Question and Answer imitates the Transport of Paffion; makes the Difcourfe to found with Probability, and to be heard with Attention. What is faid after fuch a warm and eager Manner does not feem the Effect of Study and Premeditation, but the natural Refult and Effufion of a Man's unfeigned Concern. The Orátor conceals his Art and Defign, and fo gains the Efteem of the Audience for his Sincerity and Heartiness; they lie open to him, and are carried along with the Torrent of his Paffion, and refiftlefs Eloquence. Scarce any Paffim can be nam'd but may be put into the Form of Interrogation, and may appear with Beauty and Advantage in it. Expoftulation is nearly related to this vigorous and preffing Figure: Whereby the injur'd Perfon urges the Offender with all the proper Queftions he thinks can be propos'd, and pleads with him from all the Topics of Reafon; that he may convince him of his Injuftice, and make him afham'd of his Folly and Ingratitude; that he may beat him off his Excufes and Pleas of Abatement, that he may reduce him to an ingenuous Promife and fteddy Refolution for the future to obfarve his Duty. "For what have you left unattempted, what have you "efteemed facred thefe late Days? What Name fhall I be"ftow on this Affembly? Shall I call you Soldiers? Who "have befieged your General and Emperor's Son with Trenches and Arms? Citizens? who fo contemptuoufly infult the "Authority of the Senate *? S. 9. Prevention is, when an Author starts an Objection, which he forefees may be made against any thing he affirms, defires or advifes to; and gives an Anfwer to it. Ff4 iDemofthenes quoted by Longinus. What * Germanicus in his noble Speech to bis mutinous Soldiers, Tacit. Annal. i. 27, &c. See also Scipio's noble Speech to the Mutineers at Sucro, Liv. Vol. 3. lib. 28. p. 360. Edit. Heárne. What then remains? Are we depriv'd of Will? This generally gets the Author the Reputation of Forefight and Care; of Diligence and a generous Affurance of the Reafon and Juftice of his Caufe. When he puts the Objections against himself in their full Force, it is plain that he does not fear the cleareft Light, nor decline the ftrictest Examination. By it likewife fome Advantage is gain'd over an Adversary : He is foreftall'd 'and prevented in his Exceptions; and either filenced, or obliged to a Repetition; which is not fo grateful as the Mention of a thing fresh and untouch'd. To this Figure may be referr'd Premunition, whereby the Speaker, efpecially in the Entrance and Beginning of his Difcourfe, cautiously guards himself against Prejudice and Misapprehenfion; That he may neither leffen his Intereft with his Friends, nor enflame the Malice, and increafe the Power of those who watch to do him Mifchief. §. 10. Conceffion freely allows fomething that yet might bear Difpute, to obtain fomething that a Man would have granted to bim, and which he thinks cannot fairly be denied. This Figure is fometimes favourable in the Beginning, but fevere and cutting in the Clofe; as Tully upon the Greeks. I allow the Greeks Learning, and Skill in many Sciences; "Sharpnefs of Wit, and Fluency of Tongue; and if you "praise them for any other Excellencies, I fhall not much "contradict you: but that Nation was never eminent for "Tenderness of Confcience, and regard to Faith and Truth." Sometimes the firft Parts are fretting and fevere, but the Conclufion healing." I am, Sir, I own, a Pimp, the common "Banc of Youth, a perjured Villian, a very Peft: but I never did you an Injury" The Shew of Candour and Veracity a Man makes by this Figure in frankly granting fo much, removes from him the Sufpicion of Partiality, and him more Credit and Authority in what he denies. Dryd. Juv, Sat. x. ver. 346, &c. Sannio to chinus in Terence Adelphi, 2, 1. 34, 35° 2 gives Another Another Sort of Conceffion is, when fearing we cannot obtain all we defire, we give up one Part to carry the reft. When Dido defpairs of prevailing with Eneas to fettle with her at Carthage, the only intreats he would stay a little longer, to allow her fome time to affwage her Grief, and prepare to bear his Departure. Tell my perfidious Lover, I implore The Name of Wedlock he difclaims, no more: I grow at laft familiar with my Fate, 'Tis by this Figure that oppreffed People in the Extremity of their Indignation provoke their Enemies to do them all the Mischief they can, and proceed ftill to farther Degrees of Barbarity; that fuch lively Representations of their Injustice and Cruelty, may ftrike them with Horror and Shame, and difpose them to relent. The Complaints and Upbraidings of jarring Friends and Lovers, are most emphatically expreffed in this Figure: The Defign of which is to give the guilty Perfon a deep Senfe of his Unkindness, and to kindle all the old Paffion and Tenderness. Proceed, inhuman Parent, in thy Scorn, Root out my Trees, with Blights destroy my Corn; } To this Figure may be referred that eloquent Infinuation, whereby the Orator, after he has used all his Arguments to perfuade his Hearers, at it were once more fets them at Liberty, and leaves them to their own Election; it being the Nature of Man to stick more stedfaftly to what is not violently impofed, but is our own free and deliberate Choice. "If it feem evil * unto you to serve the Lord, chufe you this Day whom you " will Pitt's Virg. Æn. iv. ❝ will ferve P." When the great Jabua had, under God, in the most astonishing Manner, conquered the People of Canaan, and conducted the Ifraelites into their Land; he exhorts them to a steddy Adherence to the Worship of the true God, who had fo vifibly appeared for them; and made them fo gloriously triumph over their Enemies. In the Conclufion of his Speech, well knoing the Advantage and Merits of his Cause, and that he might fafely appeal to their Confcience and Experience for the Truth of what he faid, he leaves them to their own Liberty and Choice. As if that brave Man had faid, My Friends and Countrymen! if I fhould enlarge on a Matter fo plain, it might feem a Diftruft upon both your Understanding and Ingenuity. I leave all to you, not in the leaft fufpecting that you can refift fuch Arguments as cannot fail to work upon any one, who has either Reafon or Gratitude. §. 11. Repetition is a Figure which gracefully and emphatically repeats either the fame Word, or the fame Senfe in different Words. Care is to be taken that we run not into infipid Tautologies, nor affect a trifling Sound and Chime of infignificant Words. All Turns and Repetitions are fo, that de not contribute to the Strength and Luftre of the Discourse; or at least one of them. The Nature and Defign of this Figure is to make deep Impreffions on thofe we addrefs. It expreffes Anger and Indignation; full Affurance of what we affirm, and vehement Concern for what we have espoused. The moft charming Repetitions are thofe, whereby the principal Words in a Sentence, either the fame in Sound or Signification, are repeated with fuch Advantage and Improvement, as raises a new Thought, or gives a mufical Cadence and Harmony to the Period. These in English are called fine Turns; and are either upon the Words or the Thought, or both. A dextrous Turn upon Words is pretty; the Turn upon the Thought fubftantial; but the Confummation and Crown of all, is, when both the Sound of the Words is grateful, and their Meaning comprehenfive; when both the Reafon and the Ear are entertained with a noble Thought vigorously expreffed, and beautifully finished. That in Mr. Prior's Henry and Emma is a very agreeable Turn. Are there no Poifons, Racks, and Flames, and Swords, Yet what cou'd Swords, or Poifons, Racks, or Flame, More fatal Henry's Words: They murder Emma's Fame 9. • Tillotson on Joshua xxiv. 15. Serm. 27. p. 308. } Strong Strong and vehement Paffions will not admit Turns upon Words; nor ought they to have Place in Heroic Poems, or in grave Exhortations, and folemn Difcourfes of Morality. To this Figure, which has great Variety and many Branches, may be referr'd the ufing of many Words of the fame Signification to exprefs one important Thing. When a Man is full of his Subject, and eager to communicate his Thoughts with Vigour, he is not fatisfy'd with one Expreffion, tho' never fo ftrong; but ufes all the fignificant Variety he can recollect. So Tully for Milo, " The Affaffin was baffled, "Force repell'd by Force, or rather Boldness overcome by "Bravery. If Reafon prefcribes this to the Learn'd, and Ne❝ceffity to Barbarians, Custom to Nations, and Nature itself "to brute Beafts, always to beat off all manner of Violence, by all poffible Ways from their Body, from their Head, " from their Life; you cannot judge this to be a criminal and "wicked Action, but at the fame time you must judge that "all Perfons, who fall amongst Robbers and Bravoes, must either perifh by their Weapons, or your Sentence." An Orator in the Heat of his Engagement, in the Vehemence of his Indignation against an infolent and unreasonabic Adverfary, and his earnest Concern for the Prefervation of a dear Friend in Danger, exerts the utmoft Power of his Eloquence, redoubles his Strokes, and eagerly pufhes on all his Advantages. §. 12. Periphrafis or Circumlocution ufes more and fometimes lefs plain Words to avoid fome Inconvenience and ill Effect, which would proceed from expressing a thing in fewer and plainer Words. When Tully" cou'd not deny the Death of Clodius, and was defending Milo charg'd with his Murder, he fays, Milo's Servants, without the Command, Knowledge, or Prefence of their Mafter, did what every Master wou'd expect his Ser vants fhou'd do in the like Cafe. He avoids the Word kill'd or fabbed, for fear of offending the People. This Method of treating a Subject gives the Audience a good Opinion of the Prudence and Modefty of the Pleader: One unguarded and distasteful Word, has fometimes loft the Speaker the Favour of the Audience before well inclin'd to him; and ruin'd a promifing Caufe. ♦ Selec. Orat. in ufum Del. Lond. 1706, p. 316. §. 7. Very |
