If you would have me weep, begin the strain, Then I fhall feel your forrows, feel your pain. FRANCIS. Whatever therefore weakens that principle of fympathy, muft do the fpeaker unutterable prejudice in refpect of his power over the paffions of his audience, but not in this refpect only. One fource at least of the primary influence of teftimony on faith, is doubtlefs to be attributed to the fame communicative principle. At the fame time it is certain, as was remarked above, that every teftimony doth not equally attach this principle; that in this particular the reputation of the attefter hath a confiderable power. Now the speaker's apparent conviction of the truth of what he advanceth, adds to all his other arguments an evidence, though not precifely the fame, yet near a-kin to that of his own teftimony. This hath fome weight even with the wifeft hearers, but is every thing with the vulgar. Whatever therefore leffens fympathy, muft alfo impair belief. Ut ridentibus arrident, ita flentibus adflent HOR. De Arte Poet. + Ne illud quidem præteribo, quantam afferat fidem expofitioni, narrantis autoritas. QUINT. lib. iv. cip. 2. SYMPATHY in the hearers to the speaker may be leffened feveral ways, chiefly by these two; by a low opinion of his intellectual abilities, and by a bad opinion of his morals. The latter is the more prejudicial of the two. Men generally will think themfelves in lefs danger of being feduced by a man of weak understanding but of diftinguished probity, than by a man of the best understanding who is of a profligate life. So much more powerfully do the qualities of the heart attach us, than thofe of the head. This preference, though it may be justly called untaught and instinctive, arifing purely from the original frame of the mind, reafon, or the knowledge of mankind acquired by experience, instead of weakening, feems afterwards to corroborate. Hence it hath become a common topic with rhetoricians, that, in order to be a fuccefsful orator, one must be a good man; for to be good is the only fure way of being long efteemed good, and to be efteemed good is previously neceffary to one's being heard with due attention and regard. Confequently, the topic hath a foundation in human nature. There are indeed other things in the character of the speaker, which, in a lefs degree, will hurt his influence; youth, inexperience of affairs, former want of fuccefs, and the like. BUT BUT of all the prepoffeffions in the minds of the hearers which tend to impede or counteract the defign of the speaker, party-spirit, where it happens to prevail, is the moft pernicious, being at once the most inflexible and the most unjuft. This prejudice I mention by itself, as those above recited may have place at any time, and in any national circumftances. This hath place only when a people is fo unfortunate as to be torn by faction. In that cafe, if the speaker and the hearers, or the bulk of the hearers, be of contrary parties, their minds will be more prepoffeffed against him, though his life were ever so blameless, than if he were a man of the most flagitious manners, but of the fame party. This holds but too much alike of all parties, religious and political. Violent party-men not only lose all fympathy with those of the oppofite fide, but contract an antipathy to them. This, on fome occafions, even the divineft eloquence will not furmount. As to perfonal prejudices in general, I shall conclude with two remarks. The firft is, the more grofs the hearers are, fo much the more fufceptible they are of fuch prejudices. Nothing exposes the mind more to all their baneful influ ences than ignorance and rudeness; the rabble chiefly confider who fpeaks, men of sense and education what is fpoken. Nor are the multitude, to do them juftice, lefs exceffive in their love than in their hatred, in their attachments than in their averfions. From a confciousness, it would feem, of their own incapacity to guide themselves, they are ever prone blindly to fubmit to the guidance of fome popular orator, who hath had the addrefs firft, either to gain their approbation by his real or pretended virtues, or, which is the eafier way, to recommend himself. to their efteem by a flaming zeal for their favourite diftinctions, and afterwards by his eloquence to work upon their paffions. At the fame time it must be acknowledged, on the other hand, that even men of the most improved intellects, and moft refined fentiments, are not altogether beyond the reach of preconceived opinion, either in the fpeaker's favour or to his prejudice. THE fecond remark is, that when the opinion of the audience is unfavourable, the speaker hath need to be much more cautious in every step he takes, to show more modefty, and greater deference to the judgment of his hearers; perhaps, in order to win them, he may find it neceffary to make fome conceffions in relation to his former principles or conduct, and to entreat their attention from pure regard to the subject; that, like men of judgment and candour, they would impartially confider what is faid, and give a welcome reception to truth, from what quarter foever it proceed. Thus he must attempt, if poffible, to mollify them, gradually to infinuate himself into their favour, and thereby imperceptibly to transfufe his fentiments and paffions into their minds. THE man who enjoys the advantage of popularity needs not this caution. The minds of his auditors are perfectly attuned to his. They are prepared for adopting implicitly his opinions, and accompanying him in all his moft paffionate excurfions. When the people are willing to run with you, you may run as fast as you can, efpepecially when the cafe requires impetuofity and dispatch. But if you find in them no fuch ardour, if it is not even without reluctance that they are induced to walk with you, you must Лlacken your pace and keep them company, left they either ftand ftill or turn back. Different rules are given by rhetoricians as adapted to dif |