f cius, in another place, which may likewife teach us how the fame thought may be turned different ways. Qui medius fidius (audacter dico) plus fidei quam artis, plus veritatis quam difciplina poffidet in fe: quem populus Romanus meliorem virum quàm hiftrionem effe arbitratur: qui ita digniffimus eft fcena propter artificium, ut digniffimum fit curia propter abftinentiam. This double encomium is reduced to this, that Rofcius has more of the honeft man than the excellent comedian. In how many shapes is this thought represented to us? Can we imagine any thing has more delicacy than the first turn which Cicero gives it? "Rofcius is fo excellent an ac"tor, that he alone feems worthy of mounting the ftage; but, on the other hand, he is a man of fo 66 much virtue, that he alone seems worthy of never 66 appearing upon it. The fecond encomium is as delicate as the former. The laft member would perhaps have been more graceful, if a word that ends like abftinentiam, had been fubftituted instead of artificium: For one of the principal beauties of the figures we are here treating of, and which confift in a ftudied and measured order, is, that the words fhould not only answer one another in fenfe, but likewife in found and cadence. Ita digniffimus eft fcena propter artis peritiam, ut digniffimus fit curia propter abftinentiam. But Cicero chose to renounce that minute elegance, rather than enervate the beauty of the fenfe, by an expreffion not fo proper; and he gives us an opportunity of adding in this place fome reflections of Quintlian, on the ufe that is to be made of fuch figures. Since they confift wholly in certain turns, and a certain difpofition of words; and that these must be employed only to exprefs the thoughts, it would be manifeftly abfurd to apply ourselves entirely to those turns f Pro Quint. Rofc. com. n. 17. Sunt qui negle&to rerum pondere & viribus fententiarum, fi vel inania verba in hos modos depravarint, fummos fe judicent artifices, Ideoque non definunt eas nectere: quas fine fententia fectari tam eft ridiculum, quàm quærere habitum geftumque fine corpore. Quint. 1. 9.c.3. Sed ne hæ quidem denfandæ funt n mis. H 5 Ibid. and - h and to that difpofition of words, and at the fame time neglect the very foundation both of thoughts and of things. But how juft foever we may suppose these figures to be, they must however be ufed fparingly; for the more artful and ftudied they appear, the more evident is the affectation, and confequently the more faulty. To conclude, the nature of the things we treat of must be fufceptible of this kind of ornaments. For when it is propofed, for inftance, to affect and melt the auditors, to terrify them by a view of the evils which threaten them, to raise a juft indignation in them against vice, to employ earneft entreaties; would not an orator be ridiculous, fhould he attempt to effect this by regular periods, antithefes, and fuch like figures, which are proper only to diftinguish the paffions, and to expose the vanity of an orator, folely intent upon himself, and the care of displaying his wit, at a time when he should have no thoughts but to draw tears from his auditors, and fill them with the fentiments of fear, anger or grief, neceffary to his purpose. Figures of Allufion. I must not conclude this article, which relates to the figures of words, without faying fomething of those that confift in an affected refemlance, and a kind of a play of words. Amari jucundum eft, fi curetur ne quid infit amari. Avium dulcedo ad avium ducit. Ax oratore oratar factus. The bare name of Verres, which in Latin fignifies a boar, gave rife to a great many allufions. Hinc illi homines erant, qui etiam ridiculi inveniebantur ex dolore: quorum alii, ut audiftis, negabant mirandum effe, jus tam nequam effe Verrinum: alii etiam frigidiores erant, fed quia ftomachabantur, ridi Sciendum imprimis quid quifque in orando poftulet locus: quid perfona, quid tempus... Ubi enim atrocitate, invidia, miferatione pugnandum eft, quis ferat contrapofitis, & pariter cadentibus, & confimilibus, irafcentem, flentem, culi videbantur effe, cum facerdotem execrabantur, qui Verrem tam nequam reliquiffet: (the prætor of Sicily whom Verres fucceeded was called Sacerdos.) Quæ ego non commemorarem (neque enim perfacete dicta, neque porro hac feveritate digna funt) nifi, &c. *Ex nomine istius quid in provincia facturus effet perridiculi bomines augurabantur... ad everrendam provinciam venerat. Quod unquam, judices, hujufmodi everriculum ulla in provincia fuit? At the fame time that Cicero mentions thefe puns, he informs us how flat and puerile he found them; by which he teaches youth what judgment they are to form of them, and warns against a vicious tafte, which young people are but too apt to give into, who imagine that there is fome wit in this kind of figures. But we must not however condemn allufions in general, fome being really ingenious, and give a grace to a difcourfe; and they muft appear fuch, when they are judicious, and founded on a folid thought, and a natural resemblance. Cicero had related the equitable and difinterested conduct of Verres in a certain affair; and adds the following reflection. Eft adhuc, id quod vos omnes admirari video, non Verres, fed 2. Mucius. Quid enim facere potuit elegantius ad hominum exiftimationem? æquius ad levandam mulieris calamitatem? vebementius ad quæftoris libidinem coercendam? Summe bæc omnia mihi videntur effe laudanda. Sed repente è veftigio ex homine, tanquam aliquo Circeo poculo, factus eft Verres, Redit ad fe, ad mores fuos. Nam ex illa pecunia magnam partem ad fe vertit: mulieri reddit quantulum vifum eft. Methinks this allufion, which is founded on what fiction relates of Circe, who by certain draughts changed men into boars or fwine, (which Verres fignifies in Latin) is happily and very naturally ufed in this place. It appeared by Cicero's examination of the journals of a certain trader in Sicily, that the laft five letters of * Verr. 4. n. 18 & 19. ! Ver. 6. n. 53. 1. Verr. I n. 57. oben g "Verr. 4. n. 186, &epoog H 6 b this this word Verrutius, which were frequently mentioned in those journals, were always obliterated, and that the four firft only remained, Verr. This was a fictitious name under which Verres concealed himself, to carry on an abominable ufury. Cicero produced those journals on the trial; ut omnes mortales, fays he, iftius avaritia non jam veftigia, fed ipfa cubilia videre poffint. P Videtis Verrutium ? videtis primas literas integras? videtis extremam partem nominis, caudam illam Verris, tanquam in luto, dimerfam effe in litura? Can any one condemn fuch a play of words, efpicially on an occafion where the orator thought it was neceffary to divert the judges, and at the fame time intended to make Verres ridiculous and contemptible? Sometimes the refemblance between words, or the bare changing a prepofition, or the fame word ufed in various fignifications, produces a kind of beauty not to be difpifed. Hanc reipublicæ peftem paulifper reprimi, non in perpetuum comprimi poffe.... non emiffus ex arbe, fed immiffus in urbem effe videatur..... Civis bonarum artium, bonarum partium. One of the ancients faid of a flave that pilfered in the house, that every thing was open to him: folum effe cui domi nihil fit nec bfignatum, nec occlufum: which might likewife be faid of a faithful fervant in whom we repose an entire con. fidence. Figures with regard to thoughts. I fhall only mention fome of the most remarkable among these. The interrogation, apoftrophe and exclamation are very common figures, and yet may render difcourfe more efficacious, lively and affecting. u Ufque adeo-ne mori miferum eft? With this tone of voice a man speaks, who is going to battle; whereas an old man who is fick and near death, would fay coldly: non eft ufque adeo miferum mori. Eneas fays, that if a certain event had been regarded, Troy would not have been taken. Trojaque nunc ftares, Priamique arx alta maneres. This apoftrophe makes us feel the great love a good citizen bears to his country. Change a letter, ftaret, maneret, and the fentiment is gone. Thus Cicero concludes the narrative he made of the punishment of a Roman citizen: O nomen dulce libertatis! O jus eximium noftræ civitatis! Olex Porcia, legefque Sempronia! O graviter defiderata, & aliquando reddita plebi Romanæ, tribunitia poteftas! Huccine tandem omnia reciderunt, ut civis R. in provincia populi R. in oppido fœderatorum, ab eo qui beneficio populi R. fafces &fecures haberet, deligatus in foro virgis cæderetur? These are the juft expreffions of grief and indignation. Cicero joins and unites the greatest part of these figures, and adds others to them in a very lively paffage.. Quia enim, Tubero, tuus ille diftri&tus in acie Pharfalica gladius agebat? cujus latus ille mucro petebat? qui fenfus erat armorum tuorum? quæ tua mens? oculi? manus? ardor animi? quid cupiebas? quid optabas ? All this is only to declare, that Tubero was prefent at the battle of Pharfalia, and had fought against Cæfar. But what strength does this thought receive from fo many and fuch lively figures, crowded one upon the other? Do not they feem to infinuate that Tubero's fword fought every where for Cæfar? For Cicero had faid immediately before: contra ipfum Cæfarem eft congreffus armatus. Ꮓ "ZO Princess! whofe deftiny is fo great and glori"rious, muft you be born in the dominions of thofe "who are the enemies of your houfe? O eternal God, "watch over her! Holy angels, draw your invifible En 1. . v. 56. * Verr. 7. n, 161 & 162. y ProLigar. n. 9. น "fquadrons |