1803,] 



Hemarks on the Grecian Orator Ifocrates, 



409 



%jth glory and wealth at the age of ninety 

 years, a few days previous to the battle 

 of Chaercnea. 



In the orations of Ifocrates every word 

 has its place ; his diflion is pure ; and 

 no obfcure or obfolete phrafc disligures 

 his ftyle ; but it is fcldom lively, rapid, 

 and vehement ; it is various and fplen- 

 did, but h.irdly ever fimple and nat'iral. 

 Whatever obftrufts a fmootli pronunci- 

 ation, Ifocrates rejefts ; he ftudics above 

 all to meafore and round his periods, and 

 to give triem a cadence like that of verfe. 

 All hisdifcourfes are delightful to perufe, 

 and well adapted for panegyric, but are 

 unfit Ibi' the turbulent proceeding- of the 

 bar, and the tumult attending popular 

 harangues. The tribune and the bar re- 

 quire vehemence and pafTion, whxh do 

 rot comport with ' nicely- meafured pe- 

 riods. 



All is fyftematic in the ftyle of Ifo- 

 Ciatej ; words anfwer to words, members 

 to members, and phrafes to phrafes ; we 

 even meet with chiming terminations.— 

 This artifici^lnefs, if too frequent and too 

 manifeft, offends the ear, and obfcures 

 the fenfe. 



Magnificence of flyle, according to 

 Theophraftus, is derived from three 

 fources ; choice of words, the happy ar- 

 rangement of them, and the imagery 

 which enlivens the whole. Ifocrates 

 chofe well his words, but there is too 

 much affeftation in his arrangement j his 

 figures are either too farfetched, or dif- 

 Gordant, or extravagant, fo that he be- 

 comes cold and mannered; befides, in 

 ©rder the better to tune his ftyle, and 

 frame his peiicds with nicety, he makes 

 life of inefficient words, and unneccfiarily 

 lengthens out his difcourfes. 



We are far from aflTerting that thefe 

 faultt deform all his writings ; his compo. 

 fition is fometimes fimple and natural ; he 

 propeily feparates its mennbers, and dlf- 

 pofesof them neatly ; but in general he is 

 too mych the flive of full md rounded 

 periods j and the elegance which he af- 

 fefts too often degenerates into redun- 

 dancy. In fine, if the ftyle of Ifocrates 

 be wanting in the natural and the fimple, 

 it muft be owned that it difpiays rhagnifi- 

 oence and grandeur ; its coiiftruftiun is 

 fublime, and of a chara6lcr almolf more 

 than human. We may compare his 

 manner to that of Phidias, whole chilT^l 

 f«nt f ,r h heroic and divine forms of fucii 

 fuperior dignity. 



With relpeil to invention and difpofi- 

 tion, Ifocrates excels in both ; he varies 

 his fubjtiSl with admlrableart, and guards 



Monthly Mao. No. ijfi. 



againft languor by an infinity of epifodes, 

 all naturally introduced. But what ren- 

 ders him for ever deC-rrving of praife is 

 the cho'ce of his fubjeits, aiways noble, 

 always grand, always direfled to the pub- 

 lic good. He did not propofe merely to 

 embellidi th-; art of fpeech, but he was 

 defirovis to complete the mind, to teach his 

 difciples to govern their tamilies and their 

 country. 



AH his difcourfes inculcate viituo'is 

 and patriotic fentiments. While (peak- 

 ing relpcfting thofe of his anceilors who 

 broke the chains of Greece, he does not 

 confine himfelf to admire their force and 

 courage, but dwells particularly on the 

 elevation of their minds, the purity of 

 their fentiments, their ardent thirft for 

 glory, and at the fame time their extraor- 

 dinary moderation. They uniformly fa- 

 crificed their own inierefts to the public 

 weal. According to them happinefs con- 

 fifted not in opulence, but in the con- 

 fcioufnefs of having performed virtuous 

 aftions. In their opinion they left their 

 children ample wealth if they bequeathed 

 to them the efteem and confideration of 

 the public j an honourable death appeared 

 in their eyes preferable to an inglorious 

 obfcurity. Inftead of extending and mul. 

 tiplying the laws, they were conftantly on 

 the watch leaft any citizen might deviate 

 from the inftitutions of their anceftors. — 

 They feemed to vie with each other who 

 ihauld render the greateft fervice to his 

 country. It was by conferring favours, 

 and not by the terror of their arms, that 

 they retained their allies. Friends of vir- 

 tue, their word was held more inviolable 

 than the moft facred oaths at the prefent 

 day. Firm and uniform in their condu6f, 

 they fulfilled their engagements with 

 greater regularity than if iney had been 

 compelled to perforin them. CompaC 

 fionate and humane, they treated the weak 

 as if they wifhed that thofe who were 

 ftr'-nger ih^n themfelves might treat them 

 ill like manner. In (liort, while ftrongly 

 devoJed to the government under which 

 they lived, tliey ntverceafed to regard all 

 Greece as then' common country. 



" The duty of a general, fo powerful 

 as yourfeU (laid he, addrefTmg himicif to 

 Philip), Oiight to be directed to heal, and 

 rot to foment dirptite.s ; renounce a con- 

 dutl which is unworthy of a great mind ; 

 aggrandize Greece, inftead of endeavour- 

 ing to divide it; allume magnanimity to 

 undcitake tntcrprizes, which, if fuccefs- 

 ful, muft exalt you above the moft renown- 

 ed generals, and, if unfuccefsful, muft 

 lecure for you the good opinion of all 

 3 F Greece; 



