je& prefents itfelf to the mind, and 
thoughts arife, which are to be com- 
mitted to writing, it is then for a 
‘man to chufe whether he will ex- 
prefs himielf in fimple or in ela- 
borate diction, whether he will com- 
prefs his matter or dilate it, orna- 
ment it with epithets and robe it in 
metaphor, or whether he will de- 
liver it plainly and naturally in fuch 
language as a well-bred perion and 
a fcholar would ufe, who affects no 
parade of fpeech, nor aims at any 
flights of fancy. Let him decide 
as he will, in all thefe cafes he hath 
models in nlenty to chufe from, 
’ which may ‘e faid to court his imi- 
tation. 
For inftance; “if his ambition is 
to glitter and furprize with the 
‘figurative and metaphorical brilli- 
_ancy of his period, let him tune his 
ear to fome {uch paflages as the fol- 
lowing, where Dodor Fehnjen in the 
character of critic and biographer 
is pronouncing upon the poet Cox- 
greve. “ His fcenes exhibit not 
much of humour, imagery or pai- 
fion: his perfonages are a kind of 
intelleStual gladiators; every fen- 
tence is to ward orfirike; the con- 
teft of fmartnefs is never interiit- 
ted; his wit is a meteor playing 
to and fro with alternate corufca- 
tions.”’ If he can learn to embroi- 
‘der with as much fplendor, taite and 
refs as this and many other fam- 
from the fame matter exhibit, 
l€ cannot ftudy in a better {chool. 
On the contrary, if fimplicity be 
his object, and a certain ferenity of 
Mile, which feems in unifon with the 
“Foul, he may open the Spe@ator, and 
take from’ the firft paper of Mr. 
Addifon the firft paragraph, that 
“meets his eye-—the following for 
“inflance—“ There is nothing that 
- 
MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. 
“makes its way more direétly-to the 
125 
foul than Beauty, which immediately 
diffufes a fecret fatisfa&tion and 
complacency through the imagina- 
tion, and gives a finifhing to any 
thing that is great or uncommon: 
the very firft difcovery of it ftrikes 
the mind with an inward joy, and 
fpreads a chearfulnefs and delight 
through all its faculties.” Or again 
in the fame eflay: « We no where 
meet with amore ¢lorious or pleaf- . 
ing fhow in nature than what ap- 
pears in'the heavens at the rifing 
and fetting of the fun, which is 
wholly made up of thofe different 
ftains of light, that fhow themfelves 
in clouds of a diferent fituation.” 
A florid writer would hardly have 
refifted the opportunities, which 
here court the imagination to in- 
dulge its flights, whereas few writers 
of any fort would have been tempt- 
ed on a topic merely critical to 
have employed fuch figurative and 
fplendid di€tion, as. that of Doétor 
Johnfon ; thefe little famples there- 
fore, though felefted with little or 
no ¢are, but taken as they came te 
hand, may ferve to exemplify my 
meaning, and in-fome degree cha- 
racterize the different ftiles of the 
refpective writers. z 
Now as every ftudent, who is 
capable of copying either of thefe 
ftiles, or even of comparing them, 
mult difcern on which fide’ the 
greater danger of mifcarrying lies, 
as well as the greater difgrace in 
cafe of fuch mifcarriage, prudence 
will direct him in his outfet not to 
hazard the attempt at a florid dic- 
tion. If his ear hath not been vi- 
tiated by vulgar habitudes, he will 
only have to guard againft mean 
expreffions, whilft he is itudying to 
be fimple and pér{picuous ; he will 
put his thoughts into language na- 
“turally’as ‘tacy jrelent themfelves, 
. 
giving 
