On the Nature and Utility of Eloquence. 321 



The fame reafoning is juft as applicable to 

 the parliamentary fpeaker, who (hould point the 

 thunderofhis eloquenceon aquaker-meeting. The 

 thundering fort of eloquence would here be mif-^ 

 applied, and how many foever he might ufe of 

 thofe conciliating qualities of fpeech, which 

 Leland fpeaks of, he would ftill be unfuccefsfulj 

 becaufe his fpeech would not be ad homines. Dr. 

 Leland's remarks are truly fenfible, and would 

 not be liable to objeftion, if altered but a little< 

 The addition to be recommended, is a fliort ex- 

 planation of what he means by thofe rational and 

 real excellencies, thofe conciliating qualities of 

 fpeech, which he repeats, as the bafis of his rea- 

 foning. Had he been called upon for fuch an 

 explanation, he would, I am perfuaded, have 

 expreffed himfelf fo, as to deviate materially from 

 the truth of the cafe. He would probably have 

 faid, that Nature had at firft fuggefted certain 

 forms of fpeech, which rhetoricians had ar- 

 ranged and fettled, and that thefe he meant to 

 defcribe by the terms, rational and real excellen- 

 cies, engaging and conciliating qualities. This 

 others have faid, and to fuch let it be anfwered^ 

 that perhaps the moft common faults of all bad 

 writing arife from this fuppofition, of fomething 

 intrinfically excellent and eloquent in certain 

 forms of fpeech, even when confidered without 

 any view to the efFeds they are fitted to produce. 

 Vol. in. y Moft 



