228 THEORT of the 



" dans I'ame des autres, le fentlment profond dont on eft pene- 

 " tre. Cette definirion convient a I'eloqiience meme du filence, 

 " langage energique et quelquefois fublime des grandes paf- 

 " fions ; a Teloquence du gefte, qu'on peut appeller I'eloquence 

 " du peuple, par le pouvoir qu'elle a pour fubjuguer la multi- 

 " tude, toujours plus frappee de ce qu'elle volt que de ce qu'elle 

 " emend ; enfin a cette eloquence adroite et tranquille, qui fe 

 " borne a convaincre fans emouvoir, et qui ne cherche point a 

 " arracher le confentement, mais a I'obtenir. Cette derniere 

 " efpece d'eloquence n'eft peutetre pas la moins puifTante ; on 

 " eft moins en garde contre I'infinuation que centre la force." 

 D'Alembert D/^'o«rJ• ii VAcadeinie Fran(joife^ et Reflexions fur 

 V Eloquence Oratoire. Melanges, Vol. II. p. 304, 305. 319. 



Of all the moods of thought which are commonly exprefled 

 by grammatical moods, the indicative (comprehending the 

 ftmple fubjuTi£iive) though one of the moft important, and 

 moft frequently employed, is plainly one of the leaft animated 

 or interefting, from the nature of the thought exprefled by it, 

 which is merely propofition, that is, affirmation and negation. 

 Though animation and force be little needed, yet brevity and 

 quicknefs are of much confequence in the exprefling of this 

 combination of thoughts. Had we not an indicative mood to 

 exprefs it briefly, and in one word, our converfation and wri- 

 ting would be intolerably flow and tedious, and confequently 

 feeble and difagreeable. We fhould be obliged to employ at 

 leaft two verbs inftead of one, and after all fliould have but Sl 

 very inaccvirate and clumfy expreflion of a thought, which we 

 [hould wifh to communicate as precifely and diftindly as pofli- 

 ble. Fuit Ilium could not be refolved into Dico Ilium fuijfe ; 

 for dico is itfelf an indicative, refolvable in the fame way with 

 fuit; aio, inquam, affero, affevero, l^c. me dicere. Without the ufe 

 of grammatical moods, we could get no nearer to a refolution 

 of fuit Ilium than ego dicere fuiffe Ilium. Or dropping the in- 

 flexions which ferve to diftinguifh. the infinitives from the 



moods, 



