I. COMPOSITION regards Grammatical Plainnefs and Propriety, by imitating the Phrafe, Idiom, and Order of Words, made ufe of by the beft Authors in the Style we'd write, whether in the bumble, middle, or fublime, or whether the Subject be Philofophical, Hiftorical, Oratorial or Poetical.

ANNOTATION S.

confervabitur, fi crebras Vocalium Concurfiones, & brevium aut longorum Verborum continuationem fugiamus.-Nec enim neceffe eft ut Oratio demetiendis Pedibus, ac perpendendis Sylla

ELE

bis confenftat. Satis in hoc
Oratorem formabit Aurium Ju-
dicium, & multa Scribendi Ex-
ercitatio; ut extempore etiam
numerosè dicat: Unde HORA-
TIUS, Art. Poët.

- Cui lecta potenter erit Res,
Nec Facundia deferit hunt, nec lucidus Ordo,
Verbaque provifam rem non invita fequentur.

2. ELEGANCE. «Ele-
gantia acquiritur Doctrinâ pue-
Fili, & Confuetudine Sermonis
quotidiani, & Lectione Ora-
torum & Poëtarum confirmatur.
Caf. aut Cicero ad Brut. de
Orat. Hence DIONYSIUS
Halicarn. gives this Advice,
Ετι δεῖ τοῖς τῶν παλαιών
ενυγχάνειν συγγράμμασιν, *
ἐλευθεν μὴ μόνον τῆς ὑποθέ-
σεως τὴν ὅλην,
ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν
τῶν ἰδιωμάτων ζῆλον χορη
Γηθώμεν. Η γὰρ ψυχὴ τὸ
ἀναγινώσκολο», ὑπὸ της συνε
χες παρατηρήσεως, τὴν ὁμοιό-
τα τὸ χαρακτηρ©· ἐφέλκεται,
We ought to be very con-
verfant in the Writings of
the Ancients, not only for Sub-
ject Matter, but for the fake
of imitating them in each par.
ticular Way. For the Mind
of a fedulous Perufer, by per-

petual Obfervation, will infen fibly contract to himself a Si militude of Style. De prifc. Script. c. 1.

3. DIGNITY. Majore autem Curâ Rhetor doceat Tropos omnes & Figuras, quibus pracipue non Poema modo, fed etiam Oratio Ornatur. Quint. ISOCRATES, fpeaking of Dignity, obferves that, τῶν καιρῶν μὴ διαμαρτεῖν, ἀλλὰ κα τοῖς ἐνθυμήμασι πρεπόν τως ὅλον τὸν λόγον κατα ποικίλαι, καὶ τοῖς τοῖς ὀνόμασιν ευρύθμως και μεσικῶς εἰπεῖν· ταῦτα δὲ πολλῆς ἐπιμελείας δεῖται, καὶ ψυχῆς ἀνδρικῆς καὶ δοξασικῆς ἔργον ἐσί, Το time every Thing properly, and with becoming Decency diverfify the Subject Matter of an Oration, and withal to place the Words in an harmonious

mufical

K. ELEGANCE confifts in the Purity, Perfpicuity, and Politeness of Language; and is hiefly gain'd by ftudying the correcteft Writers, converfing with Gentlemen and Scholars, and by accurate and frequent Compofition.

ANNOTATION S.

mufical Order require the utmoft Diligence, the fublimeft Thought, and most piercing Penetration. Orat. 5. contra Sophift Of the fame Opi nion too is LONGINUS, as M. ROLLIN obferves, who fuppofes the Mind of an Orator or Poet, when he writes or fpeaks, to have nothing low or groveling in it: but on the contrary to be full of great Ideas, generous Sentiments, and an inexpreffibly noble Pride, which appears in all his Actions.

OBS. II.

T

HE ORIGIN AND USE OF TROPES. ARISTOTLE and his Followers account for 'em thus, Ut Veftis Frigoris depellendi Causa reperta fuit primò, jost adhiberi tapta eft ad Orn tum Corporis & Dignitatem: Sic Tropi & Figuræ infi tuti erant Inopiæ Causâ, frequentati Delectationis. Arifi. l. 3. c. 2. Hence we now make ufe of Tropes, Aut quia Neceffe eft, aut quia fignificantius, aut quia decentius. Nam, Gemmare vites, Luxuriam effe in herbis, Læ tas fegetes, etiam Ruftici necef fitate dicent: Oratores, Durum hominem aut afperum; non enim proprium erat quod daret

DIG

bis Affectionibus Nomen. Jam,
Incenfum irâ, Inflammatum
Cupiditate, & Lapfum errore,
fignificandi gratiâ; Nihil enim
horum fuis Verbis, quàm his
accerfitis magis proprium erat.
Illa ad Ornatum, Lumen Ora-
tionis, & Generis Claritatem,
& Concionum Procellas, &
Eloquentiæ Flumina. See Quint.
1. 8. c. 6. Cic. Orat. 3. &c.
Caufa verò cur delectemur Tro
pis feu tranflatis Verbis, cum ad-
fint propria, eft, quòd Tropus
fit Similitudo ad unum Verbum
contracta: Similitudine autem
mirificè capiuntur Animi. Tropus
autem & Similitudo differunt;
quòd hæc comparat aliquid Rei,
quam volumus exprimere ; ille
pro Re ipfa ponitur. Thus fays
ARISTOTLE, fpeaking of
Achilles, is de Xé Ó-
σeixón S. ὅταν δὲ
év ETógσE μeraPogá, He
rub'd like a Lion is a Simili-
tude: but when we fay- The
Lion rush'd 'tis a Trope.
See Arift. lib. 2. c. 4. Quint.
8. 6. Cic. 3. de Orat.-
Obfervandum eft, poffe omnem
ferè Tropum refolvi & expli-
cari inferendo Vocem Quafi; ut,
Princeps eft Caput Reipublicæ,
i. e. quafi Caput. Ferreum
Pectus, i. e. quafi ferreum.
Walker, Trop. 1. r. c. 14.

E 2

Unde

OBS.

L. DIGNITY is that which adorns Language with fublime Thoughts, and Rhetorical Flowers, fuch as noble Tropes, moving Figures, and beautiful Turns.

TROPES affect only fingle Words; but FIGURES whole Sentences.

OBS. III.

ANNOTATION S.

T

SECT.

ROPORUM as, Latrant Oratores. 10. Hupræcipuorum man Parts; as, Eft Os Concionis. 11. Manual Operations ; as, Limare Scriptum. 12. Employments; as, Chriftus Paftor bonus, &c. Walker.

PRÆSTANTIA fi quæra, tur; Longè princeps erit Metaphora, Ironia deinde fuccedet, tertia erit Metonymia, poftrema Synecdoche. Ulus autem etiam frequentiffimus eft Metaphore, deinde Metonymiæ, tum Synecdoches, rariffimus Ironiæ. AUD. TALEUS. Inter omnes ille commendatiffima habentur Metaphoræ, quæ rebus fenfu expertibus Actum quendam ac quafi Animum tribuunt. Ut cum dicitur Fluvius Araxis impofitum fibi ab Alexandro Pontem indignatus evertiffe. WALKER, Rhet. lib. 1.

HE CLASSES from whence Metaphors may be taken are reckon❜d 12. viz. 1. From Divine Things; as, Homo Homini Deus. 2. Things Celestial; as, Vos eftis Lumina Mundi. 3. Things Infernal; as, Furiis agitatus. 4. The Elements; as, Eloquentia Flumen. 5. Meteors; as, Frontis Nabecula. 6. Stones; as, Marmoreum Cor. 7. Metals; as, Argentea Proles. 8. Plants; as, Chriftus Vitis vera. 9. Beafts;

F

OBS. V. AULTS OF TROPES. Tropus eft Verbi vel Sermonis à propriâ Significatione in aliam cum Virtute Mutatio. Quint. Inft. 8. 6. The Faults of Tropes are therefore 9. viz. 1. Perplexitas; ut, Charibdim bonorum, dixerim Voraginem potius; facilius enim ad ea qua vifa, quàm ad illa quæ audita funt mentis oculi feruntur. 2. Durior Tropus; ut, Si quis olim M. Catone mortuo, dicat Senatum Pupillum reli&tum. 3. Nimis frequens; nam, ùt modicus atque opportunus Ufus illuftrat Orationem, ita frequens &obscurat, & tædio complet. 4. Major quàm res poftulat; ùut, Tempeftas Commeffationis. 5. Similitudo longe ducta; ut, Syrtim Patrimonii, libentius Scopulum dixerim. 6. Diffimilitudo; qualis eft in illo Ennii, Coeli ingentes Fornices. 7. Compulfio; ut, Commeffatio Tempeftatis. 8. Nimis humilis; ut, Saxea Verruca.

SECT. I.

Of the CHIEF TROPES in Language.

A TROPE, from Tρéπw, verto, is the Elegant Turning or applying of a Word from it's native and proper to a relative improv'd Senfe.

ANNOTATION S.

Et 9. Obfcænitas. Neque omnia диа Poëtis permiffa convenire Orationi putemus, nec enim Paftorem Populi cum Homero, nec Volucres pennis remigrare, cum Virgilio dixerim. See Cic. de Orat. 3. 163. & Quint.

The CHIEF TROPES in Language are feven, a Metaphor, an Allegory, a Metonymy, a Synecdoche, an Irony, an Hyperbole, and a Catachrefis.

Blackw. p.

N. I. AMETAPHOR for Words Refemblancebrings. 106 II. AN ALLEGORY likens Things to Things. 164 III. A METONYMY Name for Name imposes, 166 For Caufe, Effect; for Subject, Adjunct chufes.

And vice versa.

IV. SYNECDOCHE the Whole with Pariconfounds. 170 v. An IRONY diffembling flily wounds. 176 VI. HYPERBOLE in Speech the Truth outflies. 172 VII. A CATACHRESIS Words abus'd applies. 179

N. B. The Numbers at the End of the Lines refer to the Pages in Mr. BLACKWELL's excellent Introduction to the Claffics; where these Tropes are judiciously explain'd, and may, if the Teacher pleafes, be read with much Profit to the Learner, before the Explication following.

ANNOTATIONS.

quoque vitatur. See Cyp. Soa-
rius; & Quint. 1. 9. 3.

THE

vertit, multas Figuras in tertio de Oratore Libro pofuit, quas in Oratore pofteà fcripto, quoniam de illis Mentionem non fecit, videtur repudiaffe. Quafdam pofuit inter Verborum Exornationes, que Sententiarum funt Lumina: Quædam ne Figure quidem funt. Non tamen eft cur Quifquam vel illum vel alios Authores hâc de Causa temerè reprehendat. Numerus enim illarum nec fuit olim certus, nec verò unquam effe poterit. Cujus Rei duas ego reperio Caufas. Altera eft, quòd novæ Figuræ, Quintiliano, e