MOODS of P^ERB S. 235 



of Demosthenes. H. (3iiXs(T0e, u-Tn /juoi, "re^imrn aXKriXm TTvvDoi.Hir^oi.i 

 xetra rrjv ayo^uv, Xsytra,! ri Koctvov ; yivoiro ya.^ uv ri Ko-ivoripov, n MaxeJiiv 



vog i ov i^ct A;' aXX' aa-dinr rt 5' vu,iv ^ia,(p(pii ; l^c. 



The juftnefs of Longinus's remark on this paflage, and 

 indeed his general obfervation with refped to the animation and 

 force of interrogation, employed as a figure of rhetoric, can, 

 I think, admit of no difpute. But even the truth of it, and 

 our ready acquiefcence in it, implies that he was, and that we 

 too are, fenfible of fomething more animated and forcible in 

 an interrogation, even literally employed, as in common life, 

 than in a circuitous expreflion of the fame thought ; elfe it 

 never could have been employed, nor thought of, as an ani- 

 mated figure of fpeech. 



Even the fimple interrogation. Who is that? is evidently 

 more animated and forcible, as well as more concife, than I de- 

 Jire you to tell me who that is, or / defire to be informed who that is. 

 The fame is equally obvious with refpedl to go, come, do this, 

 te fpe£lem, te teneam, v^iv fj^v hoi lonv, if we compare them with 

 / order you to go, I command you to come, I defire you to do this, 

 cupio te fpeSiare, opto te tenere, \i(r<To^a.i rtsg Smc vfjutv h^omi, or, 

 Xey — hKTcr — hug vf^tv h — ; which is employing merely the 

 roots, without any inflexion whatever of the three verbs, the 

 meaning of all of which, to wit, affirmation, wifh, and giving, 

 is briefly, but fully and clearly, and confequently forcibly ex- 

 prefled by the Greek optative ^oiik 



The more urgent the occafion is, and the more interefted 

 the paflions become, the more important is the brevity and 

 force of thefe moods to the expreflion of our thoughts. This, 

 which is obvious even in common life, is ftill more ftriking in 

 thofe animated and intereftlng reprefentations of real life, which 

 we have in dramatic poetry ; to a great part of which it may 

 fairly be faid that thefe moods are efliential. 



G g 2 In 



