the beautiful paffages of the ancient rhetoricians in the authors themselves.. Methinks then, for the fake of time, which is very precious in ftudy, it were to be wished, that a fhort, plain, and clear printed fyftem of rhetoric was used in the university; wherein true definitions fhould be given; fome reflections and examples added to the precepts; and the beautiful paffages on each topic in Cicero, Quintilian, and even Longinus (fince we now have fo good a tranflation of him) pointed out. Part of thofe paffages might be read to scholars in the clafs of rhetoric, and they themselves might confult the reft. I am very fenfible it is difficult, if not impoffible, to do all this to advantage in the space of a years and the best advice that can be given to parents, who would have their children make a good progress in this clafs, which may be of infinite advantage to them during the remainder of their lives, whatever profeffion they may follow, is to let them continue two years in it. For what probability is there, that fcholars, next to children, who have little judgment, are not much verfed in the Latin tongue, and probably not very ftudious, fhould imbibe the precepts of fo important an art in so short a time? The Romans had a far different idea of this study. As eloquence, among them, opened the way to all grandeur, fuch young people as had care taken of their education, applied themselves seriously to it, and spent several years under mafters of rhetoric, as appears from Quintilian. But, even in thofe days, they fometimes neglected that excellent difcipline, of which one of the ancients complains; and ambitious fathers, folely intent upon promoting their children, hurried them to the bar, without giving them time to digest their ftudies, as though it were as easy to give them abilities as a lawyer's gown: whereas had they made them pafs through the ordinary degrees of literature, and allowed their judgment time to ripen, by a care fut full ftudy of authors; to imbibe a great number of just philofophical principles, and to acquire correct, nefs of ftile; they would have enabled their fons to fupport all the weight and majefty of eloquence, with dignity and advantage. IT Tis particularly in rhetoric that young people endeavour to display their genius by fome compofition of their own, and that the greatest care is taken to form them in this ftudy, which is not only the most difficult, but the most important, and as it were the end and scope of all the reft. To fucceed in it, they ought to have collected, from the good authors in the other claffes through which they paffed, a great number of terms and phrafes of that tongue in which they propofe to write; fo that when an occafion offers for expreffing any thought in juft and proper language, they may have recourfe to their memory, that like a rich treasury may fupply them with all the expreffions they have occafion to use. ARTICLE I. Of Themes. HE fubjects or themes for compofition are a kind of plan defcribed by the mafter to his fcholars, in order to point out what they are to say upon a fubject given. This plan may be laid down to the fcholars either by word of mouth, by propofing a fubject to be immediately difcuffed, and affifting them to invent, to B 4 range, range, and exprefs thoughts; or in writing, by dictating on fome fubject, the matter for compofition, which must be digefted, muft fupply thoughts, prefcribe their order, and requires little more than to be amplified and adorned. The former of these methods is not fo much practifed, as the other, but is no lefs ufeful; and I am perfuaded, that a little trial of it will evince, that nothing is better adapted to affift the invention of youth, than to make them from time to time compofe after this method in the mafter's prefence; by interrogating them viva voce, and making them invent what may be faid on a fubject. I fhall give fome examples of the feplans for compofitionin the fequel of this work. It is natural to begin with the eafieft things, and fuch as are beft adapted to the capacities of youth, as fables, for inftance; for which end it will be proper to make them, read, for fome weeks, thofe of Phædrus, which are a perfect model for that fpecies of compofition. Some of la Fontaine's might be added, which will teach them to introduce more thoughts with their fables, than we find in thofe of Phædrus, as Horace has done in that of the city and country mouse. These fables are to be followed by fhort narrations, which, at first, must be very simple, but afterwards have some ornament. They muft likewife be followed by common-places, and next by parallels, either between great men of different characters, whofe history they have learned; or different profeffions, of which Cicero has left us an example in his oration for Murena, where he makes a comparison between the art of war, and the profeffion of the Jaw parallels may also be drawn between different actions, and the fame great orator compares the military virtues of Cæfar with his clemency. Thefe kind of fubjects naturally fuggeft a great variety of ideas. In his oration for Marcellus. Since fpeeches and orations are the most difficultleffons in rhetoric, it is proper to referve them for the laft. The matter for composition given by the mafter, whether in Latin or the vulgar tongue, must be well ftudied and laid down; for on this the fuccess of scholars principally depends. We muft, as 'Quintilian obferves, remove all difficulties for them in the beginning and give them themes proportionate to their capacities, which should be almost done to their hands. After they have been thus exercised for fome time, nothing will then remain but to point out the path, as it were, to them;, and give them a flight sketch of what they are to fay, in order to accustom them by degrees, to go alone and without affiftance. It will afterwards be proper to leave them entirely to their own genius, left by being habituated to do nothing without help, they fhould fall into an idle, flothful difpofition, which may prevent their attempting to invent and digeft of themfelves. Something like this. is obfervable in birds; whilst their young ones are tender and weak, the parent brings them food; but when they gather more strength, the accuftoms them to go out of the neft,, and teaches them to fly, by Auttering round them; and, at last, having made trial of their strength, fhe makes them take wing, and leaves them to themselves. Among the duties of a rhetoric profeffor, the man-. ner of correcting the compofitions of fcholars, is one. of the most important, and no lefs difficult. 'Quintilian's reflections on this are extremely judicious, and may be very useful to mafters. They may learn from them particularly to avoid an effential defect in their profeffion, which is more dangerous, i Quint. lib 2. cap. 7. * Cui rei fimile quiddam faciente ares cernimus, quæ teneris infirmifque fætibus cibos ore fua collatos partiuntur; at cum vifį funt adulti, paululum egredi nidis, & circumvolare, fedem, illam præ. I Lib, 2. c. 4, as it proceeds from too much wit and delicacy; I mean the correcting the compofitions of youth with too great feverity and exactnefs. Quintilian had treated of two kinds of narration, the one dry and unadorned, the other too luxuriant, too florid and embellished. m Both, fays he, are "faulty; but the firft efpecially, as it denotes fte"rility, which is worse than the other proceeding "from too fertile a genius. For we muft neither "require or expect a perfect discourse from a child § "but I fhould conceive great hopes of a fruitful ge"nius, a genius that can produce without affiftance, "and make noble attempts, though it fhould fome"times take too great liberties. I am not offended "to meet with fome fuperfluities in the compofitions "of young people: I would even have a master, "like a good nurfe, full of indulgence for his ten"der pupils, give them fweet nourishment, and per"mit them to feed, as on delicious milk, on what"ever is moft gay and agreeable. Let us indulge them "a little in their rhetorica! wantonnefs, if I may be "allowed the expreffion; let us fuffer them to take "fome bold fteps, to ftrike out, and delight in their "own inventions, though their productions be nei"ther correct nor just. It is eafy to correct too great a redundancy; but a barren genius has no remedy. "Those who have read Cicero, continues Quin"tilian, know very well, that I only follow his "opinion m Vitium utrumque: pejus tamen illud quod ex inopia, quam quod ex copia venit. Nam in pueris oratio perfecta nec exigi nc fperari hoteft: melior autem et indoles læta generofique conatas, & vel plura jufto concipiens interim fpiritus. Nec unquam me In his difcentis annis offendat, fi quid fuperfuerit. Quin ipfis doctoribus hoc effe cure velim, ut teneras adhuc mentes more nutri cum mollius alant, & fatiari veluti quodam jucundioris difciplinæ lacte patiantur . . . Audeat hæc ætas plura, & inveniat, & inventis gaudea, fint licet illa interim non fa is ficca & fevera. Facile remedium eft ubertatis: fterilia nullo labore vincuntur..Ql.int.2. c. 4. л Quod me de his ætatibus fentire nemo mirabitur, qui apud Ciceronem legerit: Velo enim fe efferat |