3i8 On the Nature and Utility of Eloquence, 



** have talked of the * eloquence o{ filencet or 

 ** the ' eloquence of nonjenje.^ Perfuadent enim di- 

 " cendoy* faith Quintilian, " vel ducunt in id quod 

 ** volunty alii quoque meretrices, adulatores, cor- 

 *' ruptores. (lib. II. cap, i6.) The alluring ac- 

 *' cents of an harlot move the fenfualift ; the 

 *« abjed and extravagant praifes of a flatterer 

 *' move the vain man ; and the plain promife of 

 ** a large reward, exprefled without trope or 

 " figure, may have the greateft power over the 

 ** conduct of a traitor or an affaffin. But it will 

 " by no means follow, that the harlot, the flat- 

 ** terer, or the fuborner is eloquent. To merit 

 " this praife a man muft perfuade (if he does 

 " perfuade) by the real excellencies, the engag- 

 «' ing and conciliating qualities of fpeech. Ac- 

 " cordingly, Ariftotle tells us it is the office of 

 " rhetoric, videre quacunque appofita fint ad per- 

 " Juadendum in quaque re. So that the doftor's 

 <' orator, who throws a congregation of enthu- 

 « fiafts into tears and groans, is, in reality, no 

 <* orator at all, becaufe he owes his influence, 

 «< not to clearnefs and fl:rength of reafoning, not 

 " to dignity of fentiment, force, or elegance of 

 " expreflion, and the like, but to fenfelefs ex- 

 " clamation, unmeaning rhapfody, or to gri- 

 " mace, to a figh, to a rueful countenance j 

 " and if he would in vain endeavour to profe- 

 " lyte an Englifti parliament, it is for this very 

 " realbn, becaufe he is no orator, nor can any 



" man 



