ficacious in this refpect than a fense of juftice, a fense of public utility, a fenfe of glory; and nothing conduceth more to operate on these, than the fentiments of fages whose wisdom we venerate, the example of heroes whofe exploits we admire. I fhall conclude what relates to the exciting of paffion, when I have remarked, that pleading the importance and the other pathetic cir

cumftances,

parifon introduced, greatly heightened, No. 13, 14. Fifthly, the intereft; which, not the hearers only, but all who bear the Roman name, have, in the confequences, No. 15, 16. We fee in the above example, with what uncommon address and delicacy those circumstances ought to be sometimes blended, sometimes but infinuated, fometimes, on the contrary, warmly urged, fometimes shaded a little, that the art may be concealed; and in brief, the whole conducted fo as that nothing material may be omitted, that every sentiment may eafily follow that which precedes, and ufher that which follows it, and that every thing said may ap pear to be the language of pure nature. The art of the rhetorician, like that of the philosopher, is analytical; the art of the orator is fynthetical. The former acts the part of the skilful anatomist, who, by removing the teguments, and nicely feparating the parts, prefents us with views at once naked, diftinct, and hideous, now of the ftructure of the bones, now of the muscles and tendons, now of the arteries and veins, now of the bowels, now of the brain and nervous fyftem. The latter imitates Nature in the constructing of her work, who, with wonderful fymmetry, unites the various organs, adapts them to their respective uses, and covers all with a decent veil, the skin. Thus, though fhe hide entirely the more minute and the interior parts, and fhow not to equal advantage even the articulations of the limbs, and the adjustment of the larger members, adds inexpreffible beauty, and strength, and energy to the whole.

cumftances, or pleading the authority of opinions or precedents, is ufually confidered, and aptly enough, as being likewise a species of reasoning.

THIS Conceffion, however, doth not imply, that by any reasoning we are ever taught that fuch an object ought to awaken fuch a paffion. This we must learn originally from feeling, not from argument. No fpeaker attempts to prove it; though he fometimes introduceth moral confiderations, in order to justify the paffion when raised, and to prevent the hearers from attempting to fupprefs it. Even when he is enforcing their regard to the pathetic circumstances abovementioned, it is not fo much his aim to how that thefe circumftances ought to augment the paffion, as that thefe circumftances are in the object. The effect upon their minds he commonly leaves to nature; and is not afraid of the conclufion, if he can make every aggravating circumftance be, as it were, both perceived and felt by them. In the enthymeme, (the fyllogifm of orators, as Quintilian terms it) employed in fuch cases, the fentiment that fuch a quality or circumftance ought to roufe fuch a paffion, though the foundation of all, is generally af Inftit, 1. i. c. 9.

fumed

fumed without proof, or even without mention. This forms the major propofition, which is suppreffed as obvious. His whole art is exerted in evincing the minor, which is the antecedent in his argument, and which maintains the reality of thofe attendant circumftances in the cafe in hand. A careful attention to the examples of vehemence in the First Chapter, and the quotation in the foregoing note, will fufficiently illuftrate this remark.

SECTION VII.

How an unfavourable paffion must be calmed.

*

I COME now to the fecond question on the fubject of paffion. How is an unfavourable paffion, or difpofition, to be calmed? The anfwer is, either, first, by annihilating, or at least diminishing the object which raised it; or fecondly, by exciting fome other paffion which may counterwork it.

By proving the falfity of the narration, or the utter incredibility of the future event, on the fuppofed truth of which the paffion was founded, the object is annihilated. It is diminished by all fuch circumftances as are contrary to those by

which it is increased. Thefe are, improbability, implaufibility, infignificance, distance of time, remoteness of place, the perfons concerned fuch as we have no connexion with, the confequences fuch as we have no intereft in. The method recommended by Gorgias, and approved by Ari-, ftotle, though peculiar in its manner, is, in those cafes wherein it may properly be attempted, coincident in effect with that now mentioned. "It was a juft opinion of Gorgias, that the fe"rious argument of an adverfary, should be "confounded by ridicule, and his ridicule by

ferious argument*." For this is only endeavouring, by the aid of laughter and contempt, to diminish, or even quite undo, the unfriendly emotions that have been raised in the minds of the hearers; or, on the contrary, by fatisfying them of the seriousness of the subject, and of the importance of its confequences, to extinguish the contempt, and make the laughter which the antagonist wanted to excite, appear, when examined, no better than madness.

THE fecond way of filencing an unfavourable paffion or difpofition, is, by conjuring up fome

Δειν έφη Γοργίας την μεν σπεδην διαφθείρειν των εναντιων γελωίι, του δε γέλωτα σπεδη ορθώς λέγων. Rhet. 1, iii. c. 18.

other

other paffion or difpofition which may overcome it. With regard to conduct, whenever the mind deliberates, it is confcious of contrary motives impelling it in oppofite directions; in other words, it finds that acting thus would gratify one paffion; not acting, or acting otherwife, would gratify another. To take fuch a step, I perceive, would promote my intereft but derogate from my honour. Such another will gratify my refentment, but hurt my intereft. When this is the cafe, as the speaker can be at no lofs to difcover the conflicting paffions, he must be fenfible, that whatever force he adds to the difpofition that favours his defign, is in fact so much fubtracted from the difpofition that oppofeth it, and conversely; as in the two fcales of a balance, it is equal in regard to the effect, whether you add fo much weight to one fcale, or take it from the other.

THUS We have feen in what manner paffion to an absent object may be excited by eloquence, which, by enlivening and invigorating the ideas of imagination, makes them refemble the impreffions of fenfe and the traces of memory; and in this respect hath an effect on the mind fimilar to that produced by a telescope on the fight;