fing the most difficult things with a certain eafe and perfpicuity, which does not appear the result of previous meditation. Whilft he speaks, he communicates univerfal animation. Every one who hears him, participates his fpirit; and is impreffed, not as by the mere image and reprefentation of things, but as if interefted by the view of prefent and new-created objects; the qualities therefore of ardour and of energy no one can deny him. Some there are, however, who, from a difpofition hard to be fatisfied, declare that he is entirely deftitute of thofe happier powers of oratory, which fkilfully felect and difplay the more florid beauties of eloquence; but these inferior, though pleafing ornaments, he avoids from judgment, not from their difficulty of attainment. Thofe fentiments which are introduced with propriety, and expreffed with a force which captivates attention and impreffes conviction, have, upon recollection or perufal, an appropriated beauty; not perhaps gaudy or meretricious, but what Ciccro admires as genuine and permanent. Mr Fox poffeffes one admirable diftinction; he is never known to violate the purity of the English idiom. Many who, in their attempts to fhine, introduce foreign expreffions-and, difdaining the unaffected language of fimplicity, acquire a strange and offenfive dialect-are overpowered by his raillery, conveyed in the chafte terms of his own language. He well knows that the oratory which is cbfcure, can never be admired; he knows also, that thofe expreffions which convey most information, have always most dignity, and frequently most beauty. He is fenfible, withal, that the thunder of his eloquence can never be fuccefsfully employed, unless under the direction of a certain regulated force; for which reafon he fometimes ufes fuch full continuity of expreffion, as feems in a manner to difdain the precifenefs of connection, but in reality defies the torture of the feverest criticism. Sometimes he separates his speech into minuter fentences, which have neverthe lefs a certain order and rythm. 'In' these instances he may be thought ne gligent, but they excite no prejudice against him; they mark a man more folicitous to fatisfy the judgment, than captivate the ear. Yet is he particu+ larly careful not to maim or weaken his fentences: he never violently in ferts pompous but unmeaning words, to fill up, as it were, fome cavity. He never fatigues and oppreffes the atten、 tion with vain and idle ornaments; a fubterfuge which the judgment rejects with all poffible difdain. He is confe quently neither diffufe nor confused, neither impotent nor disjointed. When he is about to conclude, he varies his powers with uncommon dex terity; and is either open, or reserved, as circumftance requires. So much has Mr Fox been benefited by thought, and by experience, that his knowledge appears to extend to every place; and he not only perceives in a moment what is worth his purfuit, but he difcerns where it is to be ob tained: to which we should add, that he is perfectly familiar with all the forms of law, the fubtleties of logic, and the application of both. When ever any fubject involving them is to be difcuffed, we have to admire his genius and fagacity; he can either explain or difcufs them copiously, or difpute minutely and perfpicuously con◄ cerning them. What is feparate and disjointed, he can connect and contract; what is abstracted and obscure, he can fcientifically unfold: not with imperfect, unconvincing hesitation; nor by the aid of pompous oftentatious language; but in a manner prompt, clear, fatisfactory; and in terms adapted to every judgment, and intelligible to the meanest capacity. If he does not forcibly imprefs his audience at the commencement of his fpeeches, his ftrong and varied power, as he proceeds, progrellively roufes and Mr Fox. fixes attention. His introductory fkir mithes, if we may fo term them, are fo contrived-not for infulting parade, in imitation of the Samnites, who did not use in battle the fpears which they brandifhed before--but fo as to be of the greatest advantage to his purpofe, when he appears more particularly anxious after victory. When ftrenuoufly preffed, he retreats; not as if he had thrown away, or even dropt his fhield; but he feems wholly collected in himself, and merely to be making ufe of a feint, whilft felecting a better fituation. When his object is to refute his opponents, he accumulates all his powers. Sometimes he applies the more compreffed weapons of logic, and with their extreme acutenefs haraffes thofe who are most verfed and most obftinate in conteft. Sometimes he expands himself, and lets loose all the reins to that fpecies of eloquence which is more diffufive, more magnificent, and more fplendid. But all the fuperior greatnefs of his genius is then apparent, when unrefifted he takes poffeffion of what feemed capable of a vigorous defence when he describes the opinions and manners of mankind; when he applies examples; when he alarms his adverfaries with apprehenfions of the future; when he denounces vengeance against crimes, or renders praife to virtue; when he paffes the limits which reftrain ordinary fpeakers; when he expreffes the emotions of fupplication, of hope, of detestation. The complacent refpect of an audience is principally excited by the dignity of the fpeaker, his actions, and his moral reputation. The great opponent of Mr Fox, although in this refpect he poffeffes no actual fuperio, rity, is yet fo circumfpect in the regulation of his conduct, as to appear an honeft, upright, moral character. However this may be, Mr Fox poffeffes all the perfection and wisdom of eloquence: he never wastes his time in idle difputations, but has wholly VOL. VI. No 36. 369 employed his abilities in the study of political bufinefs. When he has once fatisfied his mind about the rectitude of an action, he directs, with vigilance and ftrict propriety, all the talents of his mind, all the powers of art, to the accomplishment of his purpose; for which reafon he always appears to me to feel himself, with all imaginable force, the impreffion he endeavours to communicate. Wisdom, as of all the other arts, is the foundation alfo of eloquence; but the man whofe fcientific attainments have received the maturity of experience, will not be retained where the obfcure ftreamlet of eloquence meanders, but rufhes forwards to where the full torrent of the tide burfts forth. But Mr Fox, and in a manner which exceedingly becomes him, frequently affumes the humbler part of minuteft explanation. Whenever he condefcends to this, he ob tains all that he can wifh; but he can in a moment refume his dignity, and afcend, through every gradation, to the height of all which claims admiration. His ; ry rapid, that it appears fomewhat obfcure, from its extreme acuteness and celerity; but it still would not be eafy to adopt expreffions more fignificant, or more full of meaning: yet, in all that he fays, there is an obvious vigour and beauty, peculiar to himself. He feems withal to exhibit that arti ficial fhade, which makes fuch beauties more confpicuously obferveable : he poffeffes, in common with Demofthenes, the faculty of keeping his object conftantly in view, and of impreffing it, with the wished-for effect, on the minds of his audience. oratory is at times fo ve I would wish fuch to understand, who have been misled by erroneous reprefentation, that the very circumftance which is urged in diminution of Mr Fox's excellence, is equally a a proof of his skill and of his genius. His fentences, if minutely examined, are fo exquifite, and fo profound, that Z z they they feem rather the refult of philofophical investigation, than borrowed from the schools of rhetoric. They are fometimes confined to difquifitions of a perfonal nature; at others, they involve the hiftory of paft, or the occurrences of modern times; occafion ally, they comprehend fubjects of an univerfal nature. The better to excite and fix the attention, he difpofes them in various points of view. With infinite fkill he accommodates his Speeches to the different taftes and prejudices of different hearers: he introduces fo much novelty, calls to his aid fuch strong and unexpected arguments, and applies them fo admirably to the occafion, that he fafcinates even those who are prejudifed against him, or hurries them unrefifting along with him. I have before remarked, that the abilities of Mr Fox are adequate to every poffible occurrence. But when ever a fubject prefents itself, which claims the full exertion of his talents, he ftands forth with a kind of luminous activity, and shews how vaft are the powers of eloquence. He then feems like a torrent hurrying the mountain rocks before it, and difdaining all reftraints of bridges or of banks. This force and celerity in fpeaking, Eupolis formerly admired in Pericles; and the most violent opponents of Mr Fox, hear, confefs, and are aftonifhed*, Mr PITT. I have fome difficulty in delivering my fentiments concerning the style of this young man's eloquence, because there are few adequate judges of the matter itself, but a vaft multitude whọ are ignorantly devoted to his caufe. They who are without the faculty of tafte and judgment, are filled with admiration whenever they hear what is beyond the line of their experience, or fomewhat too refined for their com prehenfion, They, who think deeper than the vulgar, will allow that to be at best but a popular and plaufible eloquence, which glitters with puerile points; which fwells with tumid infignificance; which carrics its bombast almoft to phrenzy, and mistakes the rafh for the fublime. That fpecies of eloquence which Hume declared he could conceive in his mind, but never knew to be attained, his partizans appropriate to the minifter. This imagined model of perfection they fancy that they lead by the hand: A young man, with the greatcft acuteness of understanding, regularly trained in the most perfect difcipline, by no means unacquainted with jurifprudence; who, when he rifes in the fenate, never fails to charm the ear, and delight the paffions; who has all the fplendid stores of eloquence perfectly at command; who is copious, elegant, and fublime. Having * Dedication of the third Book:With becoming fentiments of reverence, this Book is infcribed to CHARLES JAMES FOX; becaufe he has not only cultivated the pureft and moft accomplished eloquence, but applied it, in all its perfection, to the fafety and dignity of his country;-because, in contracting either friendships or enmities, he has always fhewn himfelf in the former immutable, placable in the latter becaufe, with a mind firm, confiftent, invincible, he has continued fteady to his principles, difdaining the refentments of wicked men;-becaufe, in a bufinefs obviously claiming the public regard, he conducted himself, not as the infidious followers of popularity, but with perfeverance and with fortitude;-becaufe, laftly, in that moft difhonourable shipwreck of a most excellent and fagacious Senate, he deemed that, and that only, to be afficting, which he knew to be bafe. To be the noble guardian of the public weal, in conjunction with virtuous men, was to him far more eftimable than an union with those who were unprincipled, pregnant with danger, perfidy, and avarice *. Cupide, in the Latin dedication, may be applied either to avarice or ambition. Mr Pitt. Having taken this opportunity of giving my fentiments to the public, I fhall relaté, with unreferved freedom, what from various and important rea fons I have hitherto concealed. This young man is diftinguished by an ornamented and florid ftyle of eloquence, which, as it seems altogether transferred to the fenate from the fchools of the fophifts, offends the fagacity of fome, and the dignity of others. He poffeffes one faculty, in my opinion his chief recommendation, of fpeaking with facility on all occafions. The ancients were accustomed to believe this talent could only be the effect, though the honourable effect, of continued industry. Whatever is the neceffity of the occafion, as foon as he rifes, at the very waving of his hand, and motion of his foot, an exuberance of words (like the Pompeian Band, bound to their leader by the folemnity of an oath) prefs themfelves forwards with zealous eagerness; and very remarkable it is, that, whilft fpeaking with great variety, and still great er celerity, in all the turns and changes of debate, he is fo accurate in the choice, and correct in the application of his words, that he never, in the minutest inftance, deviates from grammatical precifion. To which facility it is to be added, that in difputation he preferves one uniform tenour, and that regularity which feems best and moft properly adapted to the order of his fentiments, as prompted by the contingence of the occafion. There is no paufe nor hesitation in his speaking; he never feems to deliberate, even for a moment, as if felecting, from two things prefent to his fancy, the one moft eligible for use or for ornament. There are many, however, who do not entirely approve of that rapidity of ftyle, which is produced by the imagination when warm with new ideas. Yet thefe, nevertheless, acknowledge, that if this ftyle were committed to writing, it could not be made more polished, or more perfect. The ap 371 plication perhaps of unufual, and of what are termed Attic expreffions, may be defective in ftrength, but is fometimes exceedingly beautiful. It fometimes alfo happens, that a fentence, however decorated by well-chofen words, carries with it little or no impreffion; the words themselves may be offenfive in their operation upon the ear and very often the speech to which we have liftened with attentive pleasure, appears, when we have the opportunity of examining it at leifure, weak, trifling, and unconnected. The minifter's ftyle of oratory is always fevere, and fometimes acrimonious; indeed, it is fometimes neceffary to make the retaliation his afperity provokes. At ridicule, alfo he makes occafional attempts, either to prevent the effects of weariness and fatiety on his audience, or probably by way of relaxation to his own genius, naturally of a very different propenfity. But in this refpect he fails altogether; he is neither pointed, elegant, nor witty'; and obviously discovers, that, like Demofthenes, he is not fo much averse to facetiousness, as unfuccefsful in attaining it. But his principal defect is entirely different from any thing I have yet mentioned. As a civilian, in which kind of knowledge it becomes an orator to be particularly accomplished, he has no claim to praife. He is deftitute of that ratiocination which is applied by philofophy to the investigation of human nature and human man-1 ners. He poffeffes not the impreflive power of exciting the ardour of the foul, and of leaving on the minds of his hearers an energy not eafily effaced. To obtain our applaufe, his fpeeches fhould be more compreffed, and lefs voluble; with greater marks of ftudy and polished artifice; with a fpirit of harmony, natural and unaffected, not as it were laboured and conftrained. If we determine that to be the only genuine eloquence, which at one time rifes to ardour, at another Z z 2 fteals fteals upon the fenfe; which communicates new ideas, and operates to the extinction of inveterate prejudices; the prefent minifter is by many degrees diftant from his father's excellence. He is by nature vehement and im petuous, and can by no means allow a fyllable to fall from another's tongue, that is not either agreeable or honourable to himself. It is this very circumftance which induces me to check his prefumption, and to reftrain his petulant promptitude of fpeech, by a few queftions of this nature. To thofe oftentatious ornaments, fo confpicuous in his fpeeches, does he add thofe which are derived from polished erudition-which in youth, a ftate entitled to every indulgence, we liften to with praife? Does he attend fufficiently to thofe events which modern times revere as facred? or is his memory enriched with those stories of ancient literature, which are not only delightful to hear, but in illustration are confidered as equally authentic and fatisfactory? Does he apply thofe words which breathe and glow, the delight of the ftudious and the learn ed, happily to his fubject, or introduce them in his fpeeches with effect? Does he communicate any thing uncommonly exquifite, any thing fully adequate to the expectation of those whofe learn ing is extenfive, and whofe judgments are mature? any thing, in fhort, to which men of continued experience, or even men of more moderate attainments, can afcribe the praife of originality? Of thefe perfections he poffefles NONE. I am therefore lefs reluctant in allowing him the merit of that eloquence which is trite and common. I will go farther; I will acknowledge, and it is one perfection of an orator, that he discovers marks of confiderable attention, that he has received fome benefit from reading. But if, at any time, fomewhat peculiarly exquifite has been introduced in his fpeeches, which has not frequently happened, it is to me fufficiently obvious that he has drawn it from other fources than his own. Specimen of a Collection of Periodical Essays, just published, entitled, The PHAROS. To well is an agrere O read well is to poffefs an agree able talent, and much pleasure is communicated by the exertion of it: it is a delightful regale to hear the words of an elegant author delivered with propriety, and, where the fubject admits or requires it, with energy and pathos. Of this no one can be ignorant who has ever been foothed by the mufic of judicious modulation, or who has been doomed to witnefs the murder of good fentiments and fine language, by dull monotony or ill-placed emphafis. Senfible of the power of the human voice, our rifing race of clergy are growing very affiduous in the attain ment of this attractive fpecies of excellence: many of them, I am told, are the pupils of players, and of such perfons as either fagacity or application has entitled to the office of teachers; in confequence of which endeavours and inftructions, our reading-defks and pulpits no longer fend forth unimpaffioned murmurs, but echo to all the vari ous tones of the organs of speech. I do not mean to enquire how fit the tutors, our fpruce parfons chufe, are qualified to direct them in the dif charge of a duty, which requires nothing more than what good fenfe and an attention to propriety would enable any one, who had an unimpeded ut terance, |