which gentlemen of birth and fortune, qualified to manage public business, and fit as members in the moft auguft affemblies, have a more confiderable share in, than people of meaner condition. The fpeeches of the great men among the Greeks and Romans deferve their peculiar ftudy and imitation, as being maiter-pieces of clear reafoning and genuine eloquence: the orators in the Claffics fairly itate their cafe, and ftrongly argue it: their remarks are furprifing and pertinent, their repartees quick,and their raillery clear and diverting. They are bold without rafhnefs or infolence; and fevere with good manners and decency. They do juftice to their subject, and speak agreeably to the nature of things, and characters of perfons. Their fentences are fprightly, and their morals found. In fhort, no part of the compofitions of the ancients is more finished, more inftructive and pleafing, than their orations. Here they seem to exert their choiceft abilities, and collect the utmoft force of their genius. Their whole hiftories may be compared to a noble and delicious country, that lies under the favourable eye and perpetual fmiles of the heavens, and is every where crowned with pleasure and plenty: but their choice defcriptions and fpeeches feem like fome peculiarly fertile and happy spots of ground in that country, on which nature has poured out her riches with a more liberal hand, and art has made the utmost improvements of her bounty, They have taken fo much pains, and ufed fuch accuracy in the fpeeches, that the greater pleasure they have given the reader, the more they have expofed themfelves to the cenfure of the critic. The orations are too fublime and elaborate; and those persons to whom they are afcribed, could not at thofe times compofe or fpeak them. "Tis allowed, that they might not deliver themselves in that exact number and collection of words, which the hiftorians have fo curiously laid together; but it can scarce be denied, but the great men in hiftory had frequent occafions of speaking in public; and 'tis probable, that many times they did actually speak to the fame purpose. Fabius Maximus and Scipio, Cæfar and Cato, were capable of making as good fpeeches as Livy or Salluft; and Pericles was an orator no ways inferior to Thucydides. When the reafon of the thing will allow that there was time and room for premeditation, there is no queftion but many of thofe admirable men in history spoke as well as they are reprefented by those able and eloquent writers. But then the hiftorians putting the speeches into their own ftyle, and giving us thofe harangues in form, which we cannot tell how they could come at, trefpafs against probability, and the ftrict rules of writing history. It has always been allowed to great wits fometimes to ftep out of the beaten road, and to foar out of the view of a heavy fcholiaft. To grant all that is in the objection: the greatest Claffics were liable to human infirmities and errors; and whenever their forward cenfurers shall fall into fuch irregularities, and commit fuch faults joined to fuch excellencies, the learned world will not only pardon, but admire them. We may fay of that celebrated speech of Marius in Salluft, and others that are mut attacked upon this foot, as the friends of Virgil do in excuse of his offending againft chronology in the ftory of Æneas and Dido; that had there been no room for fuch little objections, the world had wanted some of the most charming and confummate productions of human wit. Whoever made thofe noble fpeeches and debates, they fo naturally arife from the pofture of affairs, and circumftances of the times which the authors then defcribe, and are fo rational, fo pathetic, and becoming, that the pleasure and intruction of the reader is the fame. A complete differtation upon the ufes and beauties of the chief speeches in the claffical hiftorians, would be a work of curiofity, that would require an able genius and fine pen. I fhall juft make fome fhort fictures upon two; one out of Thucydides and the other out of Tacitus. Blackwall. § 155. On the Funeral Oration of PE RICLES. The funeral oration made by Pericles upon his brave countrymen who died in battle, is full of prudence and manly eloquence; of hearty zeal for the honour of his country, and wife remarks. He does not lavish away his commendations, but renders the honour of the ftate truly defirable, by fhewing they are always conferred with judgment and warinefs. He praifes the dead, in order to encourage the living to follow their example; to which he propofes the ftrongest inducements in the most moving and lively manner; from the confideration of the immortal honours paid to the memory of the deceased; and, H h the the generous provifions made by the government for the dear perfons left behind by those who fell in their country's cause. He imputes the greateft fhare of the merits of thofe gallant men, to the excellency of the Athenian conftitution; which trained them up in fuch regular difcipline, and fecured to them and their defcendants fuch invaluable privileges, that no man of fenfe and gratitude, of public fpirit, and a lover of his children, would fcruple to venture his life to preferve them inviolable, and tranfmit them to late pofterity. The noble orator in his fpeech gives an admirable character of his countrymen the Athenians. He reprefents them as brave, with confideration and coolness; and polite and genteel, without effeminacy. They are, fays he, easy to their fellow-citizens, and kind and communicative to ftrangers: they cultivate and improve all the arts, and enjoy all the pleasures of peace; and yet are never furprised at the alarms, nor impatient of the toils and fatigues of war. They are generous to their friends, and terrible to their enemies. They ufe all the liberty that can be defired without infolence or licentioufnefs; and fear nothing but tranfgreffing the laws*. Black-wall. $156. On MUCIAN's. Speech in TA CITUS. Mucian's fpeech in Tacitus + contains many important matters in a finall compafs; and in a few clean and emphatical words goes through the principal topics of perfuafion. He preffes and conjures Vefpafian to difpute the empire with Vitellius, by the duty he owes his bleeding country; by the love he has for his hopeful fons; by the fairest profpect of fuccefs that could be hoped for, if he once vigorously fet upon that glorious bufinefs; but, if he neglected the prefent opportunity, by the difmal appearance of the worst evils that could be feared: he encourages him by the number and goodness of his forces; by the interest and steadiness of his friends; by the vices of his rival, and his own virtues. Yet all the while this great man compliments Vefpafian, and pays him honour, he is cautious not in the leaft to diminish his own glory: if he readily allows him the firft rank of merit, he brifkly claims the fecond to himself. Never were liberty *See Thucyd. Oxon. Ed. lib. 2. p. 103. 585. and complaifance of speech more happily mixed; he conveys found exhortation in praife; and at the fame time fays very bold and very obliging things. In short, he speaks with the bravery of a foldier, and the freedom of a friend: in his addrefs, there is the air and the gracefulness of an accomplished courtier; in his advice, the fagacity and caution of a confummate ftatefman. Ibid. $157. The Clafics exhibit a beautiful Syftem of Morals. Another great advantage of ftudying the Claffics is, that from a few of the best of them may be drawn a good fyftem and beautiful collection of found morals. There the precepts of a virtuous and happy life are fet off in the light and gracefulness of clear and moving expreffion; and eloquence is meritorioufly employed in vindicating and adorning religion. This makes deep impreffions on the minds of young gentlemen, and charms them with the love of goodnefs fo engagingly dreffed, and fo beautifully commended. The Offices, Cato Major, Tufculan Queftions, &c. of Tully, want not much of Epictetus and Antonine in morality, and are much fuperior in language. Pindar writes in an excellent ftrain of piety as well as poetry; he carefully wipes off the afperfions that old fables had thrown upon the deities; and never speaks of things or perfons facred, but with the tendereft caution and reve rence. He praises virtue and religion with a generous warmth; and fpeaks of its eternal rewards with a pious affurance. A notable critic has obferved, to the perpe-> tual scandal of this poet, that his chief, if not only excellency, lies in his moral fentences. Indeed Pindar is a great master of this excellency, for which all men of sense will admire him; and at the fame time be aftonished at that man's honefty who slights fuch an excellency; and that man's underftanding, who cannot discover many more excellencies in him. I remember, in one of his Olympic Odes, in a noble confidence of his own genius, and a just contempt of his vile and malicious adversaries, he compares himself to an eagle, and them to crows: and indeed he foars far above the reach and out of the view of noisy The famous, Greek fluttering cavillers. profeffor, Duport, has made an entertaining and useful collection of Homer's divine and moral fayings, and has with great dexterity compared them with parallel pafla ges out of the infpired writers: By which it appears, that there is no book in the world fo like the ftyle of the Holy Bible, as Homer. The noble hiftorians abound with moral reflections upon the conduct of human life; and powerfully inftruct both by precepts and examples. They paint vice and villainy in horrid colours; and employ all their reafon and eloquence to pay due honours to virtue, and render undiffembled goodness amiable in the eye of mankind. They express a true reverence for the established religion, and a hearty concern for the profperous state of their native country. Black-wall. § 158. On XENOPHON'S Memoirs of SOCRATES. to goodness, with vehemence of zeal that can scarce be diffembled, and ftrength of reason that cannot eafily be refifted. He does not praise virtue, and condemn vice, as one has a favourable, and the other a malignant aspect upon a man's fortune in this world only; but he establishes the unalterable diftinctions of good and evil; and builds his doctrine upon the immoveable foundations of God and infinite Providence. His morals are fuited to the nature and dignity of an immortal foul: and, like it, derive their original from heaven. How found and ferviceable is that wonderful notion in the thirteenth fatire*, That an inward. inclination to do an ill thing is criminal: that a wicked thought ftains the mind with guilt, and expofes the offender to the punishment of heaven, though it never ripen into action! A fuitable practice would effectually crush the ferpent's head, and banish a long and black train of mischiefs and miferies out of the world. What a scene of horror does he difclofe, when in the fame fatire + he opens to our view the wounds and gafhes of a wicked confcience! The guilty reader is not only terrified at dreadful cracks and flashes of the heavens, but looks pale and trembles at the thunder and lightning of the poet's awful verfe. The notion of true fortitude cannot be better ftated than it is in the eighth fatire ‡, where he preffingly exhorts his reader always to prefer his confcience and principles before his life; and not be reftrained from doing his duty, or be awed into a compliance with a villainous propofal, even by the prefence and command of a barbarous tyrant, or the nearest profpect of death in all the circumftances of crucity and terror. Muft not a profeffor of Chriftianity be afhamed of himself for harbouring uncharitable and bloody refentments in his breast, when he reads and confiders that invaluable paflage against revenge in the above-mentioned thirteenth fatire § ? where he argues against that fierce and fatal paffion, from the ignorance and littieness of that mind which is poffeffed with it; from the honour and generofity of paffing by and forgiving injuries; from the example of those wife and mild men, of Chryfippus and Thales, and efpecially that of Socrates, that undaunted champion and martyr of natural religion; who was fo great a proficient in the best philosophy, that he was aflured his malicious profecutors and murderers could do him no hurt'; and had not himfelf the leaft inclination or rifing wifh to do them any; who difcourfed with that chearful gravity, and graceful compofure, a few moments before he was going to die, as if he had been going to take poffeffion of a kingdom; and drank off the poisonous bowl, as a potion of Immortality. Blackwall. § 160. The best Claffics lay down excellent Rules for Converfation. The best Claffics lay down very valuable rules for the management of converfation, for graceful and proper address to thofe perfons with whom we converse. They inftruct their readers in the methods of engaging and preferving friends; and reveal to them the true fecret of pleasing mankind. This is a large and agreeable field; but I fhall confine myself to a fmall compass. 66 While Tully, under the perfon of Craffus, gives an account of the word ineptus, impertinent, he infinuates excellent caution to prevent a man from rendering himself ridiculous and diftafteful to company. Thefe are his words: "He that "either does not obferve the proper time of a thing, or fpeaks too much, or vainglorioufly fets himself off, or has not a regard to the dignity or intereft of those "he converfes with, or, in a word, is in any kind indecent or exceffive, is called impertinent." That is admirable advice in the third book of his Offices, for the prudent and graceful regulation of a man's difcourfe (which has fo powerful an influence upon the misfortune or happinefs of life) that we fhould always fpeak with that prudence, candour, and undiffembled complaifance, that the persons we addrefs may be perfuaded that we both love and reverence them. re For this perfuafion fettled in their minds, will fecure their friendship, and create us the pleasure of their mutual love and refpect. Every judicious reader of Horace will allow the juftnefs of Sir William Temple's character of him, That he was the greatest master of life, and of true fenfe in the conduct of it. Is it poffible to comprife better advice in fewer lines, than thefe of his to his friend Lollius, which I fall give you in the original? § 161. Directions for reading the Claffics. Thofe excellencies of the Ancients, which I have accounted for, feem to be fufficient to recommend them to the esteem and study of all lovers of good and polite learning: and that the young scholar may ftudy them with fuitable fuccefs and improvement, a few directions may be proper to be obferved; which I fhall lay down in this chapter. 'Tis in my opinion a right method to begin with the best and most approved Claffics; and to read thofe, authors first, which must often be read over, Befides that the best authors are cafieft to be understood, their noble fenfe and animated expreffion will make strong impreffions upon the young fcholar's mind, and train him up to the early love and imita tion of their excellencies. Plautus, Catullus, Terence, Virgil, Horace, Ovid, Juvenal, Tibullus, Propertius, cannot be ftudied too much, or gone over too often. One reading may fuffice for Lucan, Statius, Valerius Flaccus, Silius Italicus, Claudian; though there will be frequent occafions to confult fome of their particular paffages. The fame may be faid with refpect to the Greek poets: Homer, Pindar, Anacreon, Ariftophanes, Euripides, Sophocles, Theocritus, Callimachus, muft never be entirely laid afide; and will recompence as many repetitions as a man's time and affairs will allow. Hefiod, Orpheus, Theogonis, Efchylus, Lycophron, Apollonius Rhodius, Nicander, Aratus, Oppian, Quintus Calaber, Diony fius, Periegetes, and Nonnus, will amply reward the labour of one careful perufal. Salluft, Livy, Cicero, Cæfar, and Tacitus, deferve to be read feveral times; and read them as oft as you please, they will always afford fresh pleasure and improvement. I cannot but place the two Plinys after these illuftrious writers, who flourithed, indeed, when the Roman language was a little upon the declenfion: but by the vigour of a great genius, and wondrous induftry, railed themselves in a great measure above the difcouragements and difadvantages of the age they lived in. In quality and learning, in experience of the world, and employments of importance in the government, they were equal to the greateft of the Latin writers, though excelled by fome of them in language. The elder Pliny's natural history is a work learned and copious, that entertains you with all the variety of nature itfelf, and is one of the greatest monuments of univerfal knowledge, and unwearied application, now extant in the world. His geography, and defcription of herbs, trees and animals, are of great ufe to the understanding of all the authors of Rome and Greece. Pliny the younger is one of the fineft wits that Italy has produced; he is correct and elegant, has a florid and gay fancy, tempered with maturity and foundnefs of judgment. Every thing in him is exquifitely studied; and yet, in general fpeaking, every thing is natural and eafy. In his incomparable oration in honour of Trajan, he has frequent and furprifing turns of true wit, without playing and tinkling upon founds. He has exhaufted the fubject of panegyric, ufing every topic, and every delicacy of praife. Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Plato, Demofthenes, are of the fame merit among the Greeks to which, I think, I may add Polybius, Lucian, and Plutarch. Polybius was nobly born, a man of deep thought, and perfect mafter of his fubject: he difcovers all the myfteries of policy, and prefents to your view the inmoft fprings of thofe actions which he defcribes: his remarks and maxims have been regarded, by the greatest men both in civil and military affairs, as oracles of prudence: Scipio was his friend and admirer; Cicero, Strabo, and Plutarch, have honoured him with high commendations; Constantine the Great was his diligent reader; and Brutus abridged him for his own conftant ufe. Lucian is an univerfal scholar, and a prodigious wit: he is Attic and neat in his ftyle, clear in his narration, and wonderfully facetious in his repartees: he furnifhes you with almost all the poetical hif tory in fuch a diverting manner, that you will not eafily forget it; and fupplies the moft dry and barren wit with a rich plenty of materials. Plutarch is an author of deep fenfe, and vaft learning; though he does not reach his illuftrious predeceffors in the graces of his language, his mo rals are found and noble, illuftrated with a perpetual variety of beautiful metaphors and comparifons, and enforced with very remarkable flories, and pertinent examples: in his Lives there is a complete account of all the Roman and Grecian antiquities, or their cuftoms, and affairs of peace and war: thofe writings will furnifh a capable and inquifitive reader with a curious variety of characters, with a very valuable store of wife remarks and found politics. The furface is a little rough, but under lie vaft quantities of precious orc. Black-wall. § 162. The fubordinate Claffics not to be neglected. Every repetition of these authors will bring the reader fresh profit and fatisfaction. The rest of the Claffics mult by no means be neglected; but ought once to be carefully read over, and may ever after be occafionally confulted with much advantage. The Grecian Claffics next in value to thofe we have named, are, Diodorus Siculus, Dionyfius Halicarnaffenfis, Strabo, Ælian, Arrian's Expedition of Alexander the Great, Polyanus, Herodian; the Latin are, Hirtius, Justin, Quintus Curtius, Florus, Nepos, and Suetonius. We may, with a little allowance, admit that obfervation to be juft, that he who would completely underfland one Claffic, must diligently read all. When a young gentleman is entered upon a course of thefe ftudies, I would not have him to be dif couraged at the checks and difficulties he will fometimes meet with: if upon clofe and due confideration he cannot entirely mafter any paffage, let him proceed by conftant and regular reading, he will either find in that author he is upon, or fome other on the fame fubject, a parallel place, that will clear the doubt. The Greek authors wonderfully explain H.h 3 and |