. to lose its juft Tafte foon after AUGUSTUS's Reign. JUVENAL is lefs delicate than HORACE. There's a fhocking Bombaft in the Stile of SENECA the Tragedian, and LUCAN. At length Rome intirely declin'd. Solid Learning ran law at Athens, and the falfe Refinements of Wit prevail'd, when S. BASIL and S. GREGORY NAZIANZEN went thither. The Fathers being train'd up under the weak Declaimers of their Times were led away by the common Prejudices; which the wifeft Men fcarce ever refift. It was not thought tolerable then to fpeak in an eafy natural way. The World was in the fame Condition as to Eloquence, that we fhou'd be in now, as to Dress, if no-body dar'd to appear in a fine Cloath, without loading it with the thickeft Embroidery. According to this Fashion, we behov'd always to declaim; and never talk eafily to an Audience. But if we had the Patience to examine the Works of the Fathers, we fhou'd find many valuable Things in them. S. CYPRIAN has a Grandure and Vehemence that fomewhat resembles DEMOSTHENES. In S. CHRYSOSTOM we find an exact Judgment, noble Images, and a folid Morality explain'd in the moft obvious agreeable Manner. S. AUSTIN is at once fublime and po pular! pular. He leads us to the highest Notions, by the most familiar Turns of Expreffion. He asks Questions; he puts Questions to himfelf, he answers them. His Difcourse. is a fort of Gonverfation between him, and his Audience. He ufes pertinent, Comparifons to clear every Doubt. We fee him fometimes condefcend to the loweft and coarseft Apprehenfions of the People, in order to reclaim them. S. BERNARD was a Prodigy in an Age of the groffeft Ignorance. We find in his Works Delicacy, and Noblenefs, a happy Turn; and both Tenderness, and Vehemence., We are furpriz'd at every thing that is great or beautiful in the Writings of the Fathers, when we know the Times in which they liv'd. We forgive MONTAIGNE his Gafcon Expreffions; and MAROT, his old Language: why then may we not overlook in the Fathers, the fwelling Stile of their Age, with which they exprefs the most valuable Truths, in the livelyeft manner. But I am not here to attempt a Work that is referv'd for fome learned Pen. It is enough that I hint in general what may be expected from the Author of an excellent Rhetorick. He might adorn his Work by imitating CICERO's manner of mixing Examples and Precepts together. They who have a penetrating R "velie "vehement Temper (fays S. AUSTIN) learn Oratory better by reading the "Works of eloquent Authors, than by ftudying the Rules of Art," One might give an agreeable Account of the different Characters of Orators, their Manner, their Tafte, and their Maxims. They ought even to be compar'd together; to enable the Reader to judge of the diftinct Excellence of each. S.V. A TREATISE on POETRY feems to be as much wanted as a Rhetorick. Poetry is a more ferious and ufeful Art than common People imagine. Religion confecrated it to its own Ufe from the very Beginning of the World. Before Men had a Text of Divine Scripture, the facred Songs they learnt byheart preferv'd the Remembrance of the Creation, and the Tradition of GoD's wonderful Works. Nothing can equal the Magnificence and Tranfport of the Songs of MOSES. The Book of JOB is a Poem full of the boldest and most majestick Figures. The SONG of SoLOMON gracefully and tenderly expreffes the mysterious Union of GoD with the Soul of Man which becomes his Spouse. The PSALMS will be the Admiration and Comfort of all Ages, and all Nations that know the true Go D. The The whole Scripture is full of Poetry, even in those Places, where there is not the leaft Appearance of Verfification. See p. 151 Befides, Poetry gave the World its first &c. Laws: It foften'd Men's wild and favage Tempers: it drew them from the Forefts where they wander'd about; and civiliz'd them it govern'd their Manners: it form'd Familys and Nations: and made them relish the Sweets of Society: it reftor'd the exercise of Reason: it cultivated Virtue; and invented polite Arts: it animated People's Courage for War and difpos'd them likewife for the calm Enjoyments of Peace. Silveftres homines facer interprefque Deorum Speech animated by lively Images, noble Figures, the Tranfport of Paffions, and the Charms of Harmony, was call'd the Language of the Gods: Even the most barbarous Nations felt its Power. HOR. de Ar. Poet. V. 391-- * As Poetafters deferve the utmost Neglect; fo we cannot enough admire and encourage a true POET, who does not use Poetry as a Sport of Fancy, to gain himself a vain Applaufe; but inploys it to infpire Men with the love of Wifdom, Virtue, and Religion. May I not be allow'd here to exprefs the Concern it gives me when I confider that the perfecting our French Verfification feems almoft impoffible. What confirms me in this Apprehenfion, is, that our greatest Poets have made many forry Verfes. * 1 must confefs there is hardly any where to be found a more infipid Race of Mortals than those whom we Moderns are contented to call Poets, for having attain'd the chiming Faculty of a Language with an injudicious random Ufe of Wit and Fancy. But for the Man who truly and in a juft Senfe deferves the Name of POET, and who as a real Mafter, or Architect in the kind can defcribe both Men and Manners, and give to an Action its juft Body and Proportions, he will be found, if I mistake not, a very different Creature. Such a Poet forms a Whole coherent and proportion'd in it-felf, with due Subjection and Subordinacy of constituent Parts. He note's the Boundarys of the Paffions, and knows their exact Tones and Measures; by which he juflly reprefents them; marks the Sublime of Sentiments and Action; and diftinguishes the Beautiful, from the Deform'd; the Amiable, from the Odious. The moral Artist who can thus imitate the Creator, and is thus knowing in the inward Form and Structure of his FellowCreature, will hardly, I prefume, be found unknowing in Himself, or at a loss in thofe Numbers which make the Harmony of a Mind. For, Knavery is mere Diffonance and Difproportion. And tho' Villains may have ftrong Tones and natural Capacitys of Action; 'tis impoffible that true Judgment and Ingenuity fhou'd refide, where Harmony and Honefty have no Being. CHARACT. Vol. I. p. 207, 208. |