232 THEORT of the 



joice, and weep with thofe that weep. This we muft all have 

 feen, and to a certain degree felt, even in common converfa- 

 tion. We can often obferve, that one very cheerful, or one 

 very melancholy perfon quickly communicates his (late of 

 mind to a whole company. We feel the fame to a (till greater 

 degree in fcenes of real diftrefs, or of violent emotions of any 

 kind, and often to a very high degree from exquifite theatrical 

 reprefentation. The fame principle extends to the fpreading of 

 the military ardour or of a pannic among foldiers, of civil 

 fury among a mob, and of religious fanaticifm, fometimes 

 even among people who did not apprehend any fuch danger to 

 themfelves. 



Next to this inftantaneous and moft effectual expreflion and 

 communication of thought by natural language, is the quick 

 tranfmiffion of it by very brief expreffions in artificial lan- 

 guage. The beauty and force (that is, the quick, and power- 

 ful, and pleafing, effect) of fuch quick and brief expreffions 

 has been generally acknowledged, and felt, and admired. The 

 chief, and fometimes perhaps the only merit of certain apoph- 

 thegms, or good fayings, confifls in the brevity, and confe- 

 quently force of the expreflion *. Among the Spartans, this 

 flyle of fpeaking and writing was fo much admired as to be- 

 come a matter of ftudy, and confequently fometimes of affec- 

 tation. It is certain, that many thoughts, which appear flriking 

 and admirable, when expreffed in one or two words, are feeble 

 and frivolous, when expreffed at full length, efpecially when put 

 into pompous language. On the fame principle too, we may 

 underftand how it comes to pafs, that brevity, and the employ- 

 ment of few and fimple words, are effential to the fublime in 

 literary compofition ; which is a well known and important 

 fad. 



We are fo apt to be difgufled with a very full and precife 

 expreflion of thought, efpecially on fubjects which are familiar 



to 



* Videfis Plutarch's Apophthegms. 



