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tury : being then gradually undermined by 
other philosophers, Des Cartes finally blew 
it up, whofe bafelefs fabric, as I told you 
before, was, in its turn, annihilated by Sir 
Ifaac Newton. 
I faid above, that Ariftotle's fyftem of 
Rhetoric is a work of genius. It is an art 
which was formerly confidered as an indif- 
penfible branch of education in every part 
of Europe, and was accordingly taught, firfl 
in the fchools, and afterwards purfued at 
the Univerfity, in Ariftotle's technical lan- 
guage and manner. It has however gra- 
dually fallen into difufe: neverthelefs, as 
fome of the technical terms of this art are 
retained, it is necefiary you fhould know 
their meaning; I will therefore apply the 
remaining part of this letter to the expla- 
nation of thofe terms which are moft necef- 
fary to be underftood. 
Rhetoric^ from gw, dico> the Romans tran- 
flated Oratoria-j by which they underftood, 
the Art of fpeaking with efFec\; the Art of 
perfuafion. That it was an art in high 
efteem and cultivation among the Greeks, 
appears from Quintilian, who, I think, men- 
tions upwards of twenty eminent profeflbrs 
of Rhetoric, in different parts of Greece. 
The 
