XII. A Defense of the Miracle of the Thundering Legion. By Mr. Woolfton,

69

XIII. Books published, or to be printed.

1. Lo Stato Geografico della Marca d' Ancona,

71

72

2. Bibliotbeca Ecclefiaftica,

3. De exiftentia Spirituum nervoforum, &c.

72

4. An account of all the natural and artificial Curiofities to be found at Breslaw,

73

5. A new Machine invented to extract the Stone out of the bladder,

6. Meditationes poetica in Libros Biblicos,

7. A new Edition of Lucan,

8. Miscellaneous Letters,

73

74

74

75

9. Hephæftionis Enchiridion de Metris, &c. A new Edition,

76

10. Feithius's Antiquitates Homerica reprinted, 76 II. Advertisement about the Continuation of Abbot Fleury's Ecclefiaftical Hiftory,

77

12. Directions for the Christian education of Children,

77

79

13. Abbot Fleury's Ecclefiaftical History translated into English,

14. A new Edition of Machiavel's Works,

80

15. Mr. Bub's Propofals for printing a Collection of Charters, Letters Patent, and other Inftru ments, concerning the Creation and Inveftiture of the Eldeft Sons of the Kings of England, as Princes of Wales, &c.

80

New

New Memoirs

OF

LITERATURE.

For JULY 1726.

ARTICLE I.

AN EXTRACT of the fecond Volume of Mr. ROLLIN's Method of teaching and learning polite Literature. (The Account of the first Volume may be feen in the third Volume of this Journal, Art. XLI. and XLVI.)

MR

The third Book.

R. ROLLIN proceeds to treat of Rhetoric. Though natural qualities (fays he) are the main foundation of Eloquence, and fometimes fufficient alone to form an Orator; yet it cannot be denied that precepts may be of great ufe, either by teaching him how to difcern what is good from what is bad, or to improve the talents he has received from naJULY 1726. A

ture.

ture. Thofe precepts, grounded upon the principles of good fenfe and found Reason, are nothing elfe but judicious obfervations, made by able men upon the difcourfes of the best Orators, and afterwards put into order, and placed under certain heads which has given occafion to fay that Eloquence was not derived from Art, but Art from Eloquence.

It appears from thence, that Rhetoric, without the reading of good Writers, is a barren and dumb fcience; and that here, as in every thing elfe, examples have a much greater force than precepts. The whole care of Mafters, in point of Eloquence, confifts therefore in these three things, the precepts of Rhetoric, the reading of Authors, and compofition.

Quintilian informs us that in his time, the fecond of thofe three parts was altogether neglected, and that the Rhetors beftowed all their time upon the two others. They gave a long detail of the precepts, and enlarged upon very intricate, and frequently infignificant queftions. And therefore Mr. Rollin does very well obferve that the Rhetoric of Quintilian, though otherwise excellent, appears very tedious in many places. He had too good a tafte not to be fenfible that the reading of Authors is one of the most effential and ufeful parts of Rhetoric; but he could not strive against the stream, and was obliged to comply in public with a custom generally established, following in private that method which he thought to be the best.

I. In the first Chapter of this Work, our Author treats of the precepts of Rhetoric. The right way of learning Rhetoric, fays he, would be to draw it out of the fountain-head, out of

Arifto

Ariftotle, Dionyfius Halicarnaffeus, Longinus, Cicero and Quintilian. But becaufe the reading of thofe Authors, especially of the Greeks, is much above the reach of young Scholars, the Profeffors muft explain to them by word of mouth the folid principles to be found in those great mafters of Eloquence, and be contented to point out to them the finest paffages in Cicero and Quintilian, wherein the matters explained to them are treated of.

What is most important in Rhetoric, does not fo much confift in the precepts themselves, as in the reflexions which fhow the ufe of them. One may know the number of the different parts of the Discourse, the number of Tropes and Figures, one may know exactly their definitions, without being the more skilled in the compofition. Those things are ufeful, and even neceffary to a certain degree; but they are not fufficient. This is only the outside of Rhetoric, a body without a foul, unless it be attended with judicious obfervations, which give a reason for every precept, and fhow the effect of it. Some examples will clear this fubject.

"Tis one of the rules of the Exordium, that an Orator, to get the benevolence of the Judges, ought to speak very modeftly of himfelf, conceal his eloquence in fome measure, and even, if he can do it, bring into fufpicion the elo quence of the Advocate, who pleads against him. This is a very good and neceffary precept but the reflexions Quintilian adds to it, are much more valuable. Tis natural, fays "be, (IV. 1.) for a man to incline to thofe "who are the weakeft; and an upright Judge "does willingly hear an Advocate, whom he

A 2

"does

.

"does not fufpect. Hence it is, pursues Quin"tilian, that the Antients took care to conceal

their eloquence; wherein they very much "differed from the Orators of our time, who "think only of displaying their vanity".

In another place (XI. 1.) he gives still a finer reafon for it, taken from Nature herself, and 66 It grounded upon the knowledge of Man.

never becomes any body, fays he, to praise "himfelf: but of all men an Orator fhould not ແ glory in his eloquence. It difpleases his hear“ ers, and frequently makes him odious. For "there is naturally in the heart of Man fome"thing great, noble and lofty, which makes "him unwilling to bear any thing above him. "Hence it is that we raise up thofe, who are "depreffed, or humble themfelves, because it "gives us an air of fuperiority; and when jea"loufy difappears, it is quickly fucceeded by "humanity. But when a man takes too much

upon himself, we think he defpifes us, and "that he does not feem fo much to raise him"felf, as to bring others under him".

Mr. Rollin obferves in the next place, that Brevity is reckoned one of the qualities of Narration, and made to confift in faying only what ought to be faid: quantum opus fit. Unless that principle be explained, it can be of no great ufe; and therefore our Author fets it in a full light by a paffage out of Quintilian, IV. 2. He wifhes, the University of Paris would make use of a short, clear and exact Rhetoric, containing good definitions, precepts attended with reflexions and examples, and pointing out upon each matter the fine paffages in Cicero and Quintilian, and even in Longinus, who has been fo

well