to action, or to dissuade it from acting upon the resolutions already taken, or which are in contemplation. Its immediate employment is not to search after truth, but to render acknowledged or supposed truths influential. It leaves to Logic the province of cool investigation, and of drawing legitimate conclusions from admitted premises, without any regard to motives. The Rhetorician is solicitous to effect some particular purpose, and calls in the aid of reason merely as an auxiliary. He attempts to influence the Will by reasoning with the affections; knowing that if they be gained over to the party espoused, the will is ready to follow. He therefore artfully conceals, or slightly passes over every circumstance which is not favourable to his views, and he brings forward, and largely expatiates upon those which are. He suggests motives of pleasure, utility, safety, honour, pity, &c. as the subject admits. He not only pre-supposes the object in view to be of the first importance, but he employs every method to implant this conviction, in the minds of those whom he endeavours to persuade.

These attempts become most successful, by a close imitation of that train of ideas, and those modes of expression, which any partieular passion or affection is prone to suggest,

If the design be to excite anger and resentment, rhetoric imitates the language of anger. It places the supposed offence in the strongest point of view, and describes it in the most vivid colours. It assiduously collects and expatiates upon every circumstance, which contributes to the aggravation of the crime. It is indignant against that spiritless tranquillity which can patiently endure such insults, and attributes reluctance to revenge, to some mean and cowardly motive. If its object be to excite terror, it assembles together every cir cumstance which has a tendency to alarm with a sense of Danger. It stigmatizes courage with the epithet of rashness, and flight is dignified with the title of prudence, &c. If compassion be the object, it expatiates upon the wretched state of the sufferer; his fears, his apprehensions, his penitence. It palliates his faults, extols his good qualities; and thus collects in one point of view all his claims to commiseration.

The species of argument, argument, which persons under the influence of passions and strong affections perpetually adopt, is rendered more efficacious by appropriate language. The rhetorician therefore studies and imitates the particular language of each passion, either in its energy, vivacity,

or diffuseness. Hence he liberally employs all those tropes and figures of speech, which nature suggests, and art has classified.

Oratory adds to rhetorical compositions the advantages of elocution. It adapts the manner of delivery to the nature of the subject, and the appropriate language. It takes the characteristic signs of each emotion for its model, as far as it dares to imitate without the imputation of mimickry. It enters into the attitudes, gestures, tones of voice, accents, emphasis, expressions of countenance, inspired by the particular emotion, in such a manner, that not an idea is suffered to lose its proper effect, by any deficiency, in kind or degree of energy communicated to it; and thus it enjoys every advantage to be derived from the power of sympathy.

Eloquence, according to the modern ideas of it, appears to be the medium between the impetuosity which oratory admits, and which was highly characteristic of ancient oratory, and the studied artifice of the professed rhetorician. The term is sometimes applied to composition, sometimes to delivery. When applied to both, it comprehends a certain degree of elegance, both of diction and of manner. The want of that energy which approaches to violence, is

compensated by pertinency of language, fluency of utterance, and guarded chastity of address. Its excellency consists in a pleasing adaptation of language to the subject, and of manner to both. It refuses too close an imitation of the turbid emotions, but it delights in animated description. It seems rather partial to the pathetic the elegance and graces which it loves, harmonizing most easily and successfully, with the softest and finest feelings of our

nature.

The power of oratorial Eloquence is almost irresistible. It penetrates into the inmost recesses of the soul. It is able to excite or to calm, the passions of men at will; to drive the multitude forwards to acts of madness, or to say to the contending passions," Peace, be still." It changes the whole current of our ideas, concerning the nature and importance of objects, and of our obligations and advantages respecting them. It rouses from pernicious indolence; and it renders the sentiments and dispositions already formed, most influential. In a word, it has made of the human species both angels and monsters. It has animated to the most noble and generous exertions, and it has impelled to deeds of horror!

§ 17. The Drama.

The successful dramatic Writer catches the ideas, and imitates the language of every passion, emotion, and affection, in their different stages and degrees. His professed object is to suppose a diversity of characters, and to support them with a correspondent train of ideas; to inspire them with predilections and aversions; or call forth particular passions and affections, according to the situations in which he has placed them. His hopes of success depend on the closeness of the imitation; and success itself consists in being able to interest the heart, by exciting affections and emotions similar to those which would be felt by the reader or spectator, were he an immediate witness to similar scenes, in real life.

The complete Actor possesses the happy talent of expressing, by manner, the state of mind represented by his author. He adopts what modern orators reject. He attempts to give force to pertinent ideas and language, by imitative tones, gestures, and countenance. These he varies, according to the versatile state of those who are tossed upon the billows of passion, agitated by some contending emotions,