552 
RHETORIC. 
terms. For example : Dr. J. Heylyn, speak- j 
itig of John the Bapti t, says “ prophecy, 
vision, and miracle concurred to render his 
birth illustrious, and draw attention, and raise 
expectation with regard to a person so signally 
tire care of heaven. Soon after his birth he 
was carried into the wilderness to escape (as 
antient writers relate), the slaughter which 
Herod made of the Jewish children. Thus 
the desart became the school in which he 
learnt temperance. Want taught him absti- 
nence, till, grace and reason gaining strength, 
he embraced that mortification with a de- 
liberate choice, in which he had been en- 
gaged for the preservation of his life.” Hey- 
lyn’s Flfeolog. Lectures, vol. 1, p. 13. 
Another example of the sublime in narra- 
tion. “ ft is true, king Ferdinand had laid 
some foundation for the future greatness of 
Spain ; for whilst his perpetual negotiations 
and intrigues formed him many able states- 
men and ministers, his long and successful 
wars in the kingdom of Grenada, and in 
Italy, had intro luced such excellent order 
and discipline into his armies, and particular- 
ly amongst his infantry, that either in suffer- 
ing hardships, or in battle, the world could 
not shew its equal. These were the arms 
which, at Pavia and on the Elbe, crowned so 
great a work of fortune with the highest pitch 
ot glory ; and afterwards in the Low Countries, 
supported for a while its declining greatness.” 
Political Works of Fletcher of Saltown, 
page 133. 
Beauty of style may be said in general to 
consist of an union of purity, perspicuity, a 
moderate use of tropes, and in harmony. In 
the energetic or pathetic, and the sublime, - 
the mind being in a state of emotion and agi- 
tation, is naturally hurried into figurative lan- 
guage. In the contemplation or description 
of those objects which give birth to emotions 
of beauty, we are calm, and collected, and 
are not, as in the pathetic and sublime, con- 
strained to make use of tropes and figures ; 
yet it is in this calm state only that we are at 
leisure to make use of some of the finest and 
most expressive tropes and figures, as anti- 
theses, allegories, similes, and metaphors, if 
carried beyond a single word. Plow much 
this figurative language contributes to the 
beauty of style and composition is exem- 
plified by judge Blackstone in the following: 
“ Benevolences extorted from the subject, 
the arbitrary imprisonments for refusal, the 
exertion of martial law in time of peace, and 
other domestic grievances clouded the morn- 
ing of that misguided prince’s (Charles I.) 
reign, which, though its noon began a little to 
brighten, at last went down in blood, and left 
the whole kingdom in darkness.” Blackstone’s 
Commentaries. 
Of the metaphors which ascribe life and 
action to inanimate beings, we have an ex- 
ample in a metaphorical description of the 
steam engine. “The steam engine, approach- 
ing to the nature of a perpetuum mobile, or 
rather an animal, incapable of lassitude as of 
sensation, produces coals, moves machines, 
works metals, and is certainly the noblest 
drudge that was ever employed by the hand 
of art. Thus we put a hook in the nose of 
the leviathan (Jobxli.); thus we play with 
him as with a child, and take him for a ser- 
vant for ever; thus we subdue natu.e, and 
de rive aid and co ntort from the elements of 
earthquakes.” Anal Review, Retrospect 
of the Active World, Feb. 1797, The 
metaphor being aptly kept up, givs beauty 
to the two first sentences here; the last rises 
into a style somewhat higher. 
Having thus treated briefly of the principal 
qualities of style in general, .we come now to 
speak of the varieties of style most proper for 
tne different kinds of prosaic composition, 
which may be divided into four: the familiar 
or colloquial, the rhetorical, the philosophi- 
cal, and the historical. 
The familiar or colloquial style, is that of 
common but genteel and polished conversa- 
tion, of letters, meaning epistles, and of 
written dialogue, comical or serious. The 
style of conversation should be simple and 
plain: no elaborate sentences ; no affectation 
of wit or eloquence; scarcely any great at- 
tention to grammatical accuracy: at least that 
attention should never be visible. To repeat 
what has been said ungrammatically, for 
the purpose of correcting himself, as is 
sometimes done, is most miserably pe- 
dantic. The greatest powers of conversa- 
tion are shewn in following th'e turn and 
tone of j conversation, in an ingenious and 
pleasing manner, not in leading it. It is 
easy to pour forth a shew of knowledge, if 
one is allowed to lead the conversation ; not 
so easy to illustrate any topic extempore. The 
former shews only reading, the latter learn- 
ing. There are a kind of babblers, familiarly 
called cocks of the conversation, who, having 
furnished and loaded their memories at home 
in set conversations or literary meetings, 
however denominated, say their lessons to an 
auditory, admiring, if stupid, disgusted, if 
intelligent. Tins great metropolis abounds 
in illustrations of this position. In letters 
greater care and preparation is both allowable 
and required. Of epistolary writing we have 
some excellent models in the correspondence 
of Swift, Pope, Arbuthnot, Gay, and other 
wits of their time ; but none, either in Eng- 
land or France, for ease, elegance, and energy 
of style, are to be at all compared with the 
epistles of Cicero, Brutus, and other Romans 
of high rank and cultivated genius. A* to 
written dialogue, the style of this seems to 
hold a middle place between the familiar or 
colloquial, and the rhetorical, which may be 
divided into three kinds ; the style proper for 
short and popular essays, that for a popular as- 
sembly, the senate or bar, and that for the 
pulpit. The subjects of the first-menliom d 
species of writing, are moral, critical, or en- 
tertaining; the thoughts must be condensed 
and close, and every thing to be said, said 
briefly, because the whole work itself is but 
short, and supposed to be read at some mo- 
ment of leisure. The style should be plain 
and simple, that every one may understand 
it: yet so elegant that rto one may be dis- 
gusted with it. The best model of essays, in 
every respect, is Mr. Addison's papers in the 
Spectator, Guardian, and Freeholder. 
The style of eloquence proper for a public 
oration, admits of every possible variation or 
inflection, - according to the tone and temper 
of the auditory, to what they can bear, or 
may be brought to bear, and enter into or 
sympathize with, familiar, eaqv and in a hu- 
morous strain, or serious, solemn, rapid, im- 
passioned, and vehement. This rule holds in 
some degree in speeches addressed to juries 
and to our house of commons. In the house 
of peers, the supreme judges in civil cases, 
and that branch of the legislature which mo- 
derates and checks any effervescence that 
may appear in the resolutions of the more 
popular branch, the eloquence of the orator 
should be, as it indeed is, more guarded, 
chastened, and sober. 
Vv e have instances of the most pathetic and 
sublime eloquence among savage tribes. Wit- 
ness the celebrated address ol Logan, an In- 
dian chief, to lord 'Dunmore, governor of 
V irginia. The Greek and Roman orators 
united the bold and unconfined tone of the 
rudest, with the knowledge and art of the 
most refined nations. The circumstances of 
climate, and form of government, in which 
there were but few laws, and ihe appeal in 
many, nay, most cases, made to equity, ac- 
count, in some measure at- least, for the dif- 
ference between antient and modern oratory. 
But the more an English orator can elevate 
his tone, and by a rapid stream of passion 
throw his audience into a kind of dream, or 
temporary belief of every thing that is said, 
the nearer he arrives at the summit of ex- 
cellence. 
The eloquence of the pulpit is altogether 
of a serious, solemn, pathetic, and sublime 
cast. Here no rhetorical artifices are either 
admissible or necessary; the preacher must 
speak the truth, and nothing but the truth ; 
and the truths predicated are so interesting 
and important, so sublime and awful, that 
they are not to be heightened by any ex- 
aggerations of fancy. The language of scrip- 
ture too, is infinitely more energetic and im- 
pressive than that of any human composition. 
l'he preacher has only to speak from believ- 
ing, and to convince bis audience that he 
really believes what he says, by the simpli- 
city, purity, and heavenly-mindedness of his 
character and conduct. This is the charm 
that gave efficacy to the preaching of the 
apostles and Christian fathers, and success to 
the missionaries from Rome in modern times. 
Order in every discourse is indispensable; 
and tins will arise out of the subject, treated 
in a rational and sensible manner. Never 
was any English divine more esteemed and 
admired, either as a preacher or a man, than 
Dr. Heylyn, a prebendary of Westminster, 
above quoted. In what did his*ratory con- 
sist? “The principal rule of his eloquence, 
(says the writer of a preface to his posthumous 
works) was to carry his real thoughts to the 
pulpit, and to preach as if he was speaking to 
his congregation ; while his action, and every 
look and gesture was adapted to the nature 
and variations of his subject.” 
Philosophical or didactic style. In pure 
mathematics, and experimental philosophy 
illustrated by mathematics, nothing more is 
requisite or proper than purity and perspi- 
cuity. But moral philosophy, which is' a 
mixture of facts and principles, as natural 
philosophy is of facts and mathematics, ad - 
mits of great eloquence, and should be made 
as entertaining as possible. 
Historical style. History may be divided 
into three heads. 1. Natural history. 2. An- 
ecdotes, memoirs, annals, and books of voy- 
ages and travels, all of them containing, at 
least, materials for history. 3. Civil history, 
! or the condition, actions, vicissitudes, and 
[ improvements of men united in society under 
| different forms of governments. To each of 
