broke
Book II. CLASSICAL AND HISTORICAL. 297
broke. Bollngbroke was formed b)'- nature
to be a faftious leader ; the demagogue of a
popular aflembly. Accordingly, the Style
that runs through all his political writings,
is that of one declaiming with heat, rather
than writing with deliberation. He abounds
in rhetorical figures ; and pours himfelf
forth with great impetuofity. He is co-
pious to a fault ; places the fame thought
before us in many different views ; but ge-
nerally with life and ardour. He is bold,
rather than corred; a torrent that flows
ftrong, but often muddy. His fentences
are varied as to length and fhortnefs ; in-
clining, however, moll to long periods,
fometimes including parenthefes, and fre-
quently crov/ding and heaping a multitude
of things upon one another, as naturally
happens in the warmth of fpeaking. In the
choice of his words, there is great felicity
and precifion. In exad; conftruftion of fen-
tences, he is much inferior to Lord Shaftf-
bury; but greatly fuperior to him in life
and eafe. Upon the whole, his merit, as
a writer, would have been very confiderable,
if his matter had equalled his Style. But
whilft we find many things to commend in
the latter, in the former, as I before re-
marked, we can hardly find any thing to
commend. In his reafonings, for the moft
part, he is flimfy and falfe ; in his political
writings, fadious : in what he calls his
philofophical qjies, irreligious and fophif-
tical in the higheft degree. Ibid.
^32. Dirediom for forming a '^TYh'E.
It will be more to the purpofe, that I
conclude thefe differtations upon Style with
a few diredions concerning the proper me-
thod of attaining a good Style in general ;
leaving the particular charafter of that
Style to be either formed by the fubjed on
which we write, or prompted by the bent
of genius.
The firft direftion which I give for this
purpofe, is, to ftudy clear ideas on the fub-
jeft concerning which we are to write or
fpeak. This is a direflion which may at
firft appear to have fmail relation to Style.
Its relation to it, however, is extremely
clofe. The foundation of all good Style, is
good fenfe, accompanied with a lively ima-
gination. The Style and thoughts of a
writer are fo intimately conneded, that, as
I have feveral times hinted, it is frequently
hard to diftinguiib them. Wherever the
impreffions of things upon our minds are
faint and indiftind, or perplexed and con-
fufed, our Style in treating of fuch things
will infallibly be fo too. Whereas, what
we conceive clearly and feel, ftrongly, we
will naturally exprefs with clearneis and
with ftrength. This, then, we may be
aflured, is a capital rule as to Style, to
think clofely of the fubjed, till we have
attained a full and diftinft view of the
matter which we are to clothe in words,
till we become warm and interefted in it ;
then, and not till then, (hall we find expref-
fion begin to flow. Generally fpeaking,
the bell and moft proper expreffions, are
thofe which a clear v'ltw of the fubjed fug-
gefts, without much labour or enquiry after
them. This is Qn.indiliau's obfervation.
Lib. viii. c. i. «* i^lerumque optim.a verba
" rebus coha^rent, et cernuntur fuo lumine.
'* At nos quserimus ilia, tanquam lateant
" femper, feque fubducant. Ita nunquam
" putamus circa id effe de quo dicendum eft :
" fed ex aliis locis petimus, et inventis vim
" afferimus*." Ibid.
§33. PraSice neceffhrj for forming a S T y L E,
In the fecond place, in order to form a
good Style, the frequent pradice of com-
pofing is indifpenfably neceflTary. Many-
rules concerning Style I have delivered;
but no rules will anfwer the end without
exercife and habit. At the fame time, it is
not every fort of compofing that will im-
prove Style. This is fo far from being the
cafe, that by frequent carelefs and hafty
compofition, we Ihall acquire certainly a
very bad Style ; we Ihall have more trouble
afterwards in unlearning faults, and cor-
reding negligences, than if we had not
been accullomed to compofition at all. In
the beginning, therefore, we ought to write
flowly, and with much care. Let the faci-
lity and fpeed of writing, be the fruit of
longer pradice. " Moram et folicitudi-
" nem," fays Quindilian with the greateft
rcafon, L. x. c. 3. ♦« initiis impero. Nam
" primum hoc conftituendum hoc obtinen-
" dum cil, ut quam optime fcribamus. Cele-
" ritatem dabit confaetudo. Paulatim res
* " The moft proper words for the moft part adhere to the thoughts which are to be exprefled by
♦« them, and may be difcovered as by their own light. But we hunt after them, as if they were hidden,
•' and only to be found in a corner. Hence, inftead of conceiving the words to lie near the fubjedi, we
♦' go in queft of them to feme other quarter, and endeavour to give force to the expreffions we have
f* fo'jnd out."
facilius
2^g ELEGANT EXTRACTS, Book IL
*' facilius fe ofiendent, verba refpondebunt. Style of the beft authors. This is requifite,
•* compofitio fequetur, cunda denique, ut both in order to form a juft tafte in Style,
*' in familia bene inllituta, in officio erunt. and to fupply us with a full (lock of words
*' Summa haec eft rei : cito fcribcndo non on every fubjedl. In reading authors with
*' fit ut bene fcribatur; bene fcribendo, a view to Style, attention fhould be given
** fit ut cito *." jBiair, to the peculiarities of their diiferent man-
§cr • r^ I y-^xr^Brvc /o ners; and in this and former Leftures I
24. Too anxious a Cart aboai wokds to i„ 1 , j- ,, ^ 1 l-
•'^ , rvoided endeavoured to fugged feveral things
that may be ufeful in this view. I know no
We muft obferve, however, that there exercife that will be found more ufeful for
may be an extreme in too great and anxious acquiring a proper Style, than to tranflatc
a care about Words. We muft not retard fome paflage from an eminent Englifh au-
the courfe of thought, nor cool the heat of thor, into our own words. What 1 mean
imagination, by paufmg too long on every is, to take, for inftance, fome page of one
word we employ. There is, on certain of Mr. Addifon's Speftators, and read it
occafions, a glow of compofition which carefully over two or three times, till we
fhould be kept up, if we hope to exprefs have got a firm hold of the thoughts con-
ourfelves happily, though at the expence of tained in it; then to lay afide the book ; to
allowing fome inadvertencies to pafs. A attempt to write out the pjillage from me-
raore fevere examination of thefe muft' be mory, in the beft v<:i^.y we can : and having
left to be the work of correlation. For if done fo, next to open the book, and com- .
the practice of compofiticn be ufeful, the pare what we have written with the ftyle of
laborious work of correflin> is no lefs fo ; the author. Such an exercife will, by
it is indeed abfolutely neceffary to our reap- comparifon, (hew us where the defers of
g any benefit from the habit of compo- our Style lie ; w ill lead us to the proper at-
jn.
fition. What we have written fhould be tentions for rettifying them ; and, among
laid by for fome little time, till the ardour the different ways in which the fame thought
of compolition be paft, till the fondnefs for may be exprelTed, will make us perceive
X)i\i:i expreffions we have ufed be worn off, that which is the raoft beautiful. Blair.
and the cxpreifions themfelves be forgotten; ^ g^ ^/.;^.//, hnitation to he avoided.
and then reviewmg our work with a cool
and critical eye, as if it were the perform- In the fourth place, I muft caution, at
ance of another, we (hall difcern many im- the fame time, againft a fer^ale imitation of,;
perfections which at lirft efcaped us. Then any one author whatever, lliis is always ;
is the feafon for pruning redundancies ; for dangerous. It hampers genius ; it is likely â–
V eighing the arrangement of fentences ; for to produce a ftiff manner ; and thofe who •
?lttending to the junfture and conneding arc given to clofe imitation, generally imi-
particles ; and bringing Style into a regular, tate an author's faults as well as his beauties. ;
correa, and fupport'ed form. This «' Limce No man will ever become a good writer, or
♦* Labor" mull be fubmitted to by all who fpeaker, who has not fome degree of con-
V'ould communicate their thoughts with fidence to follow his own genius. Wc
proper advantage to others ; and fome prac- ought to beware, in particular, of adopting
tice in it will foon (harpen their eye to the any author's noted phrafes, or tranfcnbmg
moftneceffary objefts of attention, and render paiTages from him. Such a habit will prove
it a much more eafv and prafticable work iatal to all genuine compofition. Infinitely
than might at firft be imagined. Ibid, better it is to have fomething that is our
' , 1 T I a J h own, though of moderate beauty, than to
§ 35. An Acquaintance with the befl Authors afi^^t to ftiine in borrowed ornaments, which
necefaty to the Formation of a hTYhZ. ^^^W^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^^^3^, ^j^^ ^tj^^ poverty of
In the third place, with refpeft to the our genius. Op thefe heads of compofmg,
affiftance that is to be gained from the wri- corretling, reading, and imitating, I advife
tings of others, it is obvious that we ought every ftudent of oratory to confult what
to render ourfelves well acquainted with the Quindilian hass 4elivered in the Tenth Book
* " I enioin that fuchas are beginmngthe praftice of compofition, write flowly, and with anxious
•* deliberation. Their grtat objcfi: at firft (h uld be, to write as vyiell as poflible ; pra£tice will enable
«' them to write fpeedily. By degrees matter will offer itfelf ftill more reidily ; words will be at hand ;
*' compolition \v,!l flow; cvtry chine;, as in the arratigeinent of a w^U-ordered family, will preant
«' itfelf in its proper place. The fum of the whole is th.s : by hafty compofition, wc fnali never ac-
«' quire the ari of co.Tipo/.ng well; by writing well, we fiii;!! coir.t to v/rite Sptsdily."
BookIi. classical and historical
29^
of his Inftitutions, where he will find a va-
riety of excellent obfervations and diredion?,
that well deferve attention. Blair.
^ 37. StYLB muji be adapted to the SuhjeSl.
In the fifth place, it is an obvious but
material rule, with refped to Style, that
we always ftudy to adapt it to the fubjeft,
and alfo to the capacity of our hearers, if
we are to fpeak in public. Nothing merits
the name of eloquent or beautiful, which is
not fuited to the occafion,. and to the per-
fons to whom it is addrefled. It is to the
Jaft decree awkward and abfurd, to attempt
a poetical fiorid Style, on occafions when
it fhould be our bufinefs only to argue and
reafon j or to fpeak with elaborate pomp of
exprelTion, before perfons who comprehend
nothing of it, and who can only ftare at our
unfeafonable magnificence. Thefe are de-
feds not fo much in point of Style, as,
what is mqch worfe, in point of common
fenfe, When we begin to write or fpeak,
we ought previoufly to fix in our minds a
clear conception of the end to be aimed at ;
to keep this fteadily in our view, and to
fuit our Style to it. If we do not facrifice
to this great objedl every ill-timed ornament
that may occur to our fancy, we are unpar-
donable ; and though children and fools
may admire, men of fenfe will laugh at us
^nd our Style. Ihid^
^38. Attention to Style m:iji not dutra^l
from Attention /<? Thought.
In the laft place, I cannot conclude the
fubjed without this admonition, that, in
any cafe, and on any occafion, attention to
Style muft not engrofs us fo much, as to
detrafl from a higher degree of attention to
the Thoughts. '♦ Curam verborum," fays
the great Roman Critic, " rerum volo effe
•' folicitudinera*." A direction the more
neceffary, as the prefent tafte of the age, in
writing, feerns to lean more to Style than
to Thought, It is much eafier to drefs up
trivial and common fentiments with fome
beauty of expreffion, than to afford a fund
of vigorous, ingenious, and ufeful thoughts.
The latter requires true genius ; the former
may be attained by industry, with the help
of very fuperficial parts. Hence, we find
fo many writers frivoloufly rich in Style,
but wretchedly poor in fentiment. The
public ear is now fo much accuftomed to a
corred and ornamented Style, that 00 wri-
ter can, with fafety, negkft the ftudy of if.
But he is a contemptibl. one, who does not
look to fomething beyond it j who does not
lay the chief ftreis upon his matter, and em-
ploy fuch ornaments of Style to recommend
it, as are manly, not toppi(h. " Majore
•* animo," fays the writer whom I have f»
often quoted, •* aggredienda eft eloquentia ;
** qujE fi toto corpore valet, ungues polire
*' et capillum componere, non exiltimabit
** ad curam fuam pertinere. Ornatus et
" virilis et fortis et fandus fit ; nee efFe-
" minatam levitatem et fuco ementitum co-
" loremamet; fanguineetviribusniteat+,'*
Blair.
§ 29. Of the Rife of Poetry among the
Romans.
The Romans, in the infancy of their
ftate, were entirely rude and unpolilhed.
They cam.e from fhepherds ; they were in-
oreafed from the refufe of the nations around
them J and their manners agreed with their
original, As they lived wholly on tilling
their ground at home, or on plunder from
their neighbours, war was their bufinefs,
and agriculture the chief art they followed.
Long after this, when they had fpread their
conquefts over a great part of Italy, and
began to make a confiderahle figure in the
world,— -eveni their great men retained a
roughnefs, which they raifed into a virtue,
by calling it Roman Spirit ; and ^vhich
might often much better have been called
Roman Barbarity. It feems to me, that
there was more of aufterity than juftice, and
more of infolence than courage, in fome of
their moft celebrated aftions. However that
be, this is certain, that they were at firft a
nation of foldiers and hufbandmen : rough-
nefs was long an applauded charafter among
them ; and a fort of rufticity reigned, even
in their fenate-houfe.
In a nation originally of fuch a temper as
this, taken up almoft always in extending
their territories, very often in fettling the
balance of power among themfehes, and
not unfrequently in both thefe at the famei
time, it was long before the politer artij
made any appearance ; and very long before^
they took root or flourilhed to any degree.
Poetry was the firft that did fo j but fuch a
* " To your expreffion be attentive ; but about your matter be folicitous."
t " A higher fpirit ought to animate thofe who ftudy eloquence. They ought to confult the healtfc
<' and foundnefs of tV whole body, rather than bend their attention to fuch trifling objefls as paring
•' the nails, and drefling the hair. Let ornament be manly and chafte ; without effeminate gaiety, or
f artificial colci,»ring, let it fhine with the glow ot health and ftrcngth,"
jjoetry
3«»
ELEGANT EXTRACTS,
Book IL
poetry, as one might expe(?l among a war-
like, bufied, unpolifhed people.
Not to enquire about the fongs of tri-
umph, mentioned even in Romulus's time,
there was certainly fomething of poetry
among them in the next reign under Numa :
a prince, who pretended to converfe with
the Mufes, as well as with Egeria; and
who might pofilbly himfelf have made the
verfes which the Salian priefts fung in his
time. Pythagoras, either in the fame reign,
or if you pleafe fome time after, gave the
Romans a tinfture of poetry as well as of
philofophy ; for Cicero affures us,' that the
Pythagoreans made great ufe of poetry and
mufic : and probably they, like our old
Druids, delivered raoft of their precepts in
verfe. Indeed the chief employment of
poetry, in that and the following ages,
among the Romans, was of a religious
kind. Their very prayers, and perhaps
their whole liturgy, was poetical. They
had alfo a fort of prophetic or facred wri-
ters, who feem to have wrote generally in
verfe ; and were fo numerous, that there
were above two thoufand of their volumes
remaining even to Auguftus's time. They
had a kind of plays too, in thefe early
times, derived from what they had feen of
the Tufcan aftors, when fent for to Rome
to expiate a plague that raged in the city.
Thefe feem to have been either like our
dumb-faews, or elfe a kind of extempore
farces ; a thing to this day a good deal in
ufe all over Italy, and in Tufcany. In a
more particular manner add to thefe, that
extempore kind of jefting dialogues begun
at their harveft and vintage feafts ; and car-
ried on fo rudely and abufively afterwards,
as to occafion a very fevere law to reftrain
their licentioufnefs — and thofe lovers of
poetry and good eating, who feem to have
attended the tables of the richer fort, much
like the old provincial poets, or our own
Eritifh bards, and fang there, to fome in-
ftrument of mufic, the atchievements of
their anceftors, and the noble deeds of thofe
who had gone before them, to inflame others
to follow their great examples.
The names of almoft all thefe poets fleep
in peace with all their works ; and, if we
may take the word of the other Roman
writers of a better age, it is no great lofs to
us. One of their beft poets reprefents them
as very obfcure and very contemptible; one
of their beft hillorians avoids quoting them,
as too barbarous for politer ears ; and one
of their moll judicious emperors ordered the
greateft part of their writings to be bufntj
that the world might be troubled with them
no longer. '
All thefe poets therefore may very well
be dropt in the account : there being no-
thing reraaiaing of their works ; and pro-
bably no merit to be frxuid in them, if they
had retitained. And fo we -may date the
beginning of the Roman poetry from Llvius
Andronicus, the firft of fhtir poets of v/hom
any thing does remain to us ; arid from whom
the Romans themfc;!ves. feem' to 'have dated
the begmning of' their poetry, even in the
Auguftan ag^.
1 he iirft kind of poetry that vas followed
with any fuccefs among the Romans, was
that for the ftage. They v/ere a very reli-
gious people; and ftage plays in thofe times-
made no inconfiderable part in their public
devotions ; it is hence, perhaps, that the
greateft num.ber of their oldeft poets, of
whom we have any remains, and indeed al-
moft all of them, are dramatic poets.
Spatce,
§4.0. 0/"Livius, NiEvius, <z«</Ennius»
The foremoft in this lift, were Livius,
Nsvius, and Ennius. . Livius's firft play
(and it was the ftrft written play that ever
appeared at Rome, whence perhaps Horace
calls him Livius Scriptor) v.'as aded in the
514th year from the building of the city.
He feems to have got whatever reputation
he had, rather as their firft, than as a good
writer ; for Cicero, who admired tbefe old
poets more than they were afterwards ad-
mired, is forced to give up Livius ; and
fays, that his pieces did not deferve a fecond
reading. He was for fome time the fole
writer for the ftage ; till Nasvius rofe to
rival him, and probably far exceeded his
mafter. N^vius ventured too on an epic,,
or rather an hiftorical poem, on the firft
Carthaginian war. Ennius followed his
fteps in this, as well as in the dramatic
way ; and feems to have excelled him as
much as he had excelled Livius ; fo much
at leaft, that Lucretius fays of him, " That
he v/as the firft of their poets who deferved
a lafting crown from the Mufes." Thefe
three poets were aftors as well as poets ; and
feem all of them to have wrote whatever was
wanted for the ftage, rather than to have
confulted their ov/n turn or genius. , Each
of them publifhed, fometimes tragedies,
fometimes comedies, and fometimes a kiiid
of dramatic fatires ; fuch fatires., I fuppofe,
as had been occafioned by the extempore
poetry that had been in fafliion the century
before them. AH the moft celebrated dra-
mau*
IbookII. classical and historical.
301
matic writers of antiquity excel only in one
kind. There is no tragedy of Terence, or
Menander ; and no comedy of Aftius, or
Euripides. But thefe firft dramatic poets,
among the Romans, attempted evc'ry thing
indifferently; juft as the prefent fancy, or
the demand of the people, led them.
The quiet the Romans enjoyed after tlie
fccond Punic war, when they had humbled
their great rival Carthage ; and their carry-
ing on their conquefts afterwards, without
any great difficulties, into Greece, — gave
them leifure and opportunities for making
very great improvements in their poetry.
Their dramatic writers began to aft with
more fteadinefs and judgment ; they fol-
lowed one point of view ; they had the be-
nefit of the excellent patterns the Greek
writers had fet them ; and formed themfelves
en thofe models. Spence.
§ 41. Of Plautus.
Plautus was the firft that confulted his
own genius, and confined himfelf to that
fpecies of dramatic writing, for which he
was the beft fitted by nature. Indeed, his
comedy (like the old comedy af Athens) is
of a ruder kind, and far enough from the
polilh that was afterwards given it among
the Romans. His jefts are often rough,
and his wit coarfe ; but there is a ftrength
and fpirit in him, that make one read him
with pleafure: at leaft he is much to be
commended for being the firft that con-
lidered what he was moft capable of excel-
ling in, and not endeavouring to (bine in
too many different ways at once. Cascilius
followed his example in this particular ; but
-improved their comedy fo much beyond
him, that he is named by Cicero, as per-
haps the beft of all the comic writers they
ever had. This high character, of him was
not for his language, which is given up by
Cicero himfelf as faulty and incorredt ; but
cither for the dignity of his characters, or
the ftrength and weight of his fentiments.
Ibid.
§ 42. Of Terence.
Terence made his firft appearance when
Cscilius was in high reputation. It is faid,
that when he offered his firft play to the
Ediles, they fent him with it to Csecilius
for his judgment of the piece. Csciiius
was at fupper when he came to him ; and as
Terence was dreft very meanly, he v.\"c
placed on a little ftool, and defired to read
away : but upon his having read a very few
lines only, Csegilius altered his behaviour.
and placed him next himfelf at the table.
They all admired him as a Vifing genius ;
and the applaufe he received from the pub-
lic, anfwered the compliments they had
made him in private. His Eunuchus, in
particular, was afted twice in one day; and
he was paid more for that piece than ever
had been given before for a comedy : and
yet, by the way, it was not much above
thirty pounds. We may fee by that, and
the reft of his plays which remain to us, to
what a degree of exaftnefs and elegance the
Roman comedy was arrived in his time.
There is a beautiful fimplicity, which reigns
through all his works. There is no fearch-
ing after wit, and no oftentation of orna-
ment in him. All his fpeakers feem to fay
juft what they fliould fay, and no more.
The ftory is always going on ; and goes on
juft as it ought. This whole age, long be-
fore Terence and long after, is rather re-
rnarkable for ftrength than ' beauty in wri-
ting. Were we to compare it with the
following age, the compofitions of this
would appear to thofe of the Auguftan, as
the Doric order in building if compared
yvith the Corinthian ; but Terence's work
is to thofe of the Auguftan age, as the Ionic
is to the Corinthian order : it is not fo or-
namented, or fo rich ; but nothing can be
more cxaft and pleafing. The Roman lan-
guage itfelf, in his hands, feems to be im-
proved beyond what one could ever exped ;
and to be advanced almoft a hundred years
forwarder than the times he lived in. There
are fome who look upon this as one of the
ftrangeft phc-enomena in the learned world :
but it is a phasnomenon which may be well
enough explained from Cicero. He fays,
" that in feveral families the Roman lan-
guage was fpoken in perfedion, even in
thofe tirnes ;" and inftances particularly in
the families of the Lslii and the Scipio's.
Every one knows that Terence was ex-
tremely intimate in both thefe families : and
as the language of his pieces is that of fa-
miliar converfation, he had indeed little
more to do, than to write as they talked at
their tables. Perhaps, too, he v/as obliged
to Scipio and Laslius, for more than thefr
bare converfations. That is not at all im-
pofflble ; and indeed the Romans themfelve?
feem generally to have imagined, that he was
afiilled by them in the writing part too. If