226 London Philosophical Society/. 



sentiment by which the minds of Englishmen arc so rmi- 

 nently characterized, Mr. W. alluded to the celebrated 

 controversies of Lord Chatham and Sir William Pulteney, 

 the disputations of Mr. Pitt and Mr. Fox, the metaphysi- 

 cal disquisitions of Mr. Windham, the splendid talents of 

 the " silver-tongued Murray," the transcendent abilities of 

 the author of the *' Sublime and Beautiful," the charac- 

 teristic circumflexes of the inhabitants of Scotland and 

 Ireland, all of which fully exemplify their quickness of 

 thought and readiness of discernment. 



Having considered the rise of the liberal arts as de- 

 pendent upon the science of oratory, and demonstrating its 

 excellence in Great Britain, he proceeded to treat of those 

 particular circumstances calculated to call forth the genius 

 of an orator. " It has been urged," says he, " that the 

 genius of an orator cannot appear in all the fullness of its 

 vigour, unless it be assisted by the concurrence of congenial 

 and appropriate causes, by the fitness and plenitude of time, 

 circumstance, and place. Regard the tumults of Greece, 

 say they, and contcmjilale the discords of Rome ! It was 

 this which stimulated the exertions of a Cicero : this which 

 fired the breast of a Demosthenes — " Let us march against 

 Philip!" It was this which '* cali'd aloud on Tully's 

 name and shook thecrimson'd steel !" that vociferated the 

 cause of Freedom, Liberty, and Rome ! Contingences like 

 these might have exhibited a Demosthenes or a Cicero j 

 but "let me ask," says Mr. W. " these bold declaimers, 

 whether similar chances operated on a Saul of Tarsus ?" To 

 pass over the advantage of an opportunity which the an- 

 cients did not possess, to leave for the present our sublimer 

 notions of astronomy as dictated by Sir Isaac Newton, the 

 discoveries in chemistry by Priestley, Lavoisier, Davy, and 

 others, to disregard other modern discoveries, (all of which 

 are well calculated to improve the moral feeling, and to ex- 

 - tend our general view of objects and things,) let us con- 

 test the science and ability of our constitutional assemblies, 

 our houses of parliament, and courts of judicature. 



After copiously treating of the rise and fall of eloquence, 

 in a manner which we should feel pleasure in following, 

 did not the narrow limits of a journal prevent, the lecturer 

 proceeded to investigate genius and qualification. " A 

 habit of close thinking," says he, " has ever been ac- 

 knowledged to be peculiar to the itihabitants of the British 

 isles ; and their standard language appears to be appro- 

 priate to their energy of mind." " Quelle langiie rai- 

 sonnie J" Now, if we compare this evident disposition of 



the 



