$32. Lord BOLINGBROKE excelled in the Vehement Style.

Among English writers, the one who has moft of this character, though mixed, indeed, with feveral defects, is Lord Bolingbroke. Bolingbroke was formed by nature to be a factious leader; the demagogue of a popular affembly. Accordingly, the Style that runs through all his political writings, is that of one declaiming with heat rather than writing with deliberation. He abounds in rhetorical figures; and pours himself forth with great impetuofity. He is copious to a fault; places the fame thought before us in many different views, but generally with life and ardour. He is bold rather than correct; a torrent that flows ftrong, but often muddy. His fentences are varied as to length and fhortnefs; inclining, however, inoft to long periods, fometimes including parentheses, and frequently crowding and heaping a multitude of things upon one another, as naturally happens in the warmth of fpeaking. In the choice of his words there is great felicity and precifion. In exact conftruction of sentences, he is much inferior to Lord Shaftesbury, but greatly fuperior to him in life and cafe. Upon the whole, his merit, as a writer, would have been very confiderable, if his matter had equalled his Style. But whilft we find many

things to commend in the latter, in the former, as I before remarked, we can hardly find any thing to commend. In his reafonings, for the most party he is fiimfy and false; in his political writings, factious; in what he calls his philofophical ones, irreligious and fophif tical in the highest degree. Ibid.

$32. Directions for forming a STYLE.. It will be more to the purpose, that I conclude thefe differtations upon Style with a few directions concerning the proper method of attaining a good Style in general; leaving the particular character of that Style to be either formed by the fubject on which we write, or prompted by the bent of genius.

The first direction which I give for this purpose, is to study clear ideas on the subjećt concerning which we are to write or speak. This is a direction which may at first appear to have fmall relation to Style; its relation to it, however, is extremely clofe. The foundation of all good Styls, is good fenfe, accompanied with a lively imagination. The Style and thoughts of a writer are fo intimately connected, that, as I have feveral times hinted, it is frequently hard to distinguifh them. Wherever the impreffions of things upon our minds are faint and indiftinéì, or perplexed and confufed, our Style in treating of fuch things will infallibly be fo too. Whereas, what we conceive clearly, and feel ftrongly, we will naturally exprefs with clearnefs and with ftrength. This, then, we may be affured, is a capital rule as to Style, to think closely of the subject, till we have artained a full and diftinct view of the matter which we are to clothe in words, till we become warm and interested in it; then, and not till then, fhall we find expreffion begin to flow. Generally fpeaking, the best and most proper

expreffions,

expreffions, are those which a clear view of the | c. 3. "initiis impero. Nam primum hoc fubiect fuggefts, without much labour or cn- "conftituendum ac obtinendum eft, ut quam quiry after them. This is Quinctilian's ob- "optimè fcribamus; celeritatem dabit conferation, lib. viii. c. 1. Plerumque op"fuetudo. Paulatim res faciliùs fe oftendent, "tima verba rebus cohærent, et cernuntur "verba refpondebunt, compofitio profeque ❝ fuo lumine. At nos quæ rimus illa, tan- "tur. Cuneta denique et in familia benè "quam lateant feque fubducant. Ita nun- "inftituta in officio erunt, Summa hæc eft quam putamus verba effe circa id de quo" rei: citò fcribendo non fit ut benè fcribadicendum eft; fed ex aliis locis petimus, 66 tur; benè scribendo, fit ut citò *." Ibid.

❝et inventis vim afferimus."

Blair.

$33. Pradice neceffary for forming a -STYLE.

In the fecond place, in order to form a good Style, the frequent practice of compofing is indifpenfably neceffary. Many rules concering Style I have delivered; but no rules will anfwer the end without exercife and habit. At the fame time, it is not every fort of compofing that will improve Style. This is fo far from being the cafe, that by frequent carelefs and hafty compofition, we shall acquire certainly a very bad Style; we fhall have more trouble afterwards in unlearning faults, and correcting negligencies, than if we had not been accustomed to composition at all. In the beginning, therefore, we ought to Write flowly, and with much care. Let the facility and speed of writing be the fruit of longer practice. "Moram et folicitudinem," fays Quinctilian with the greatest reafon, 1. x.

34 Too anxious a Care about WORDS

to be avoided.

We muft obferve, however, that there may be an extreme in too great and anxious a care about Words. We muft not retard the courfe of thought, nor cool the heat of imagination, by pauling too long on every word we employ. There is, on certain occafions, a glow of compofition which fhould be kept up, if we hope to exprefs ourselves happily, though at the expence of allowing foine inadvertencies to pafs. A more fevere examination of thefe must be left to be the work of correction. For if the practice of compofition be ufeful, the laborious work of correcting is no less fo; it is indeed abfolutely neceffary to our reaping any benefit from the habit of

I enjoin that fuch as are beginning the "practice of compofition, write flowly, and with " anxious deliberation. Their great object at first "should be, to write as well as poffible; practice will enable them to write fpeedily. By degrees matter will offer itself ftill more readily; words will be at hand; compofition will flow; every thing, as in the arrangement of a well-ordered family, will prefent itfelf in its proper place. The fum of the whole is this: by hafty "compofition we shall never acquire the art of compofing well; by writing well we shall come to write speedily.”

"The most proper words for the moft part "adhere to the thoughts which are to be exprefl" "ed by them, and may be difcovered as by their" "own light. But we hunt after them, as if they “were hidden, and only to be found in a corner. "Hence, instead of conceiving the words to lie." "near the subject, we go in queft of them to "fome other quarter, and endeavour to give force to the expreflions we have found out."

G 5

compofition.

compofition. What we have written fhould | page of one of Mr. Addifon's Spectators, and be laid by for fome little time, till the ardour read it carefully over two or three times, till of compofition be paft, till the fondness for we have got a firm hold of the thoughts conthe expreffions we have used be worn off, and tained in it; then to lay afide the book; to the expreffions themselves be forgotten; and attempt to write out the paffage from memory, then reviewing our work with a cool and cri- in the best way we can; and having done fo, tical eye, as if it were the performance of next to open the book, and compare what we another, we fhall difcern many imperfections have written with the Style of the author. which at first escaped us. Then is the feafen Such an exercife will, by comparison, fhew for pruning redundancies; for weighing the us where the defects of our Style lie; will arrangement of fentences; for attending to lead us to the proper attentions for rectifying the juncture and connecting particles; and them; and, among the different ways in which bringing Style into a regular, correct, and the fame thought may be expreffed, will make fupported form. This "Lime Labor" muftus perceive that which is the most beautiful.

be fubmitted to by all who would communicate their thoughts with proper advantage to others; and fome practice in it will foon tharpen their eye to the most neceffary objects of attention, and render it a much more cafy and practicable work than might at firft be imagined. Blair.

Ibid.

§ 36. A fervile Imitation to be avoided.

In the fourth place, I must caution, at the fame time, against a fervile imitation of any one author whatever. This is always dangerous. It hampers genius; it is likely to produce a stiff manner; and thofe who are given to clofe imitation, generally imitate an author's faults as well as his beauties. No

$35. An Acquaintance with the best Authors neceffary to the Formation of a STYLE. In the third place, with refpect to the af-man will ever become a good writer, or speakfiftance that is to be gained from the writingser, who has not fome degree of confidence to of others, it is obvious that we ought to render follow his own genius. We ought to beourfelves well acquainted with the Style of ware, in particular, of adopting any author's the best authors. This is requifite, both in noted phrases, or tranfcribing paffages from order to form a juft tafte in Style, and to him. Such a habit will prove fatal to all fupply us with a full frock of words on every genuine compofition. Infinitely better it is fubject. In reading authors with a view to to have fomething that is our own, though of Style, attention fhould be given to the pecu-moderate beauty, than to affect to thine in liarities of their different manners; and in borrowed ornaments, which will, at last, bethis and former Lectures I have endeavoured tray the utter poverty of our genius. Ôn to fuggeft feveral things that may be useful thefe heads of compofing, correcting, reading, in this view. I know no exercife that will and imitating, I advife every ftudent of orabe found more useful for acquiring a proper tory to confult what Quintilian has delivered Style, than to tranflate fome paffage from an in the Tenth Book of his Inftitutions, where he eminent English author, into our own words. will find a variety of excellent obfervations and What I mean is, to take, for inftance, fome directions, that well deserve attention. Ibid.

§ 37. STYLE must be adapted to the

Subject.

138

in

"citudinem *." A direction the more neceffary, as the prefent take of the In the fifth place, it is an obvious but ma- Thought. It is much eafier to drefs up triwriting, feems to lean more to Style than to age, terial rule, with refpect to Style, that we al- vial and common fentiments with fome beauty ways ftudy to adapt it to the fubject, and alfo of expreffion, than to afford a fund of vigoto the capacity of our hearers, if we are to rous, ingenious, and useful thoughts. The fpeak in public. Nothing merits the name latter requires true genius; the former may of eloquent or beautiful, which is not fuited be attained by industry, with the help of very to the occafion, and to the perfons to whom fuperficial parts. Hence we find fo many it is addreffed. It is to the laft degree auk-writers frivoloufly rich in Style, but wretchward and abfurd, to attempt a poetical florid edly poor in fentiment. The public ear is Style, on occafions when it fhould be our bu- now fo much accustomed to a correct and orfaefs only to argue, and reafon; or to speak namented Style, that no writer_can, with with elaborate pomp of expreffion, before per-fafety, neglect the study of it. But he is a fons who comprehend nothing of it, and who contemptible one, who does not look to fomecan only ftare at our unfeafonable magnifi- thing beyond it; who does not lay the chief cence. Thefe are defects not fo much in ftrefs upon his matter, and employ fuch ornapoint of Style as, what is much worse, in ments of Style to recommend it, as are manly, point of common fenfe. When we begin to not foppifh." Majore animo," fays the write, or speak, we ought previously to fix in writer whom I have fo often quoted, "aggreeur minds a clear conception of the end to be aimed at; to keep this fteadily in our view, valet, ungues polire et capillum componere, "dienda eft eloquentia; quæ fi toto corpore and to fuit our Style to it. If we do not fa non exiftimabit ad curam fuam pertinere. crifice to this great abject every ill-timed« Ornatus et virilis et fortis et fanétus fit; ornament that may occur to our fancy, we are vapardonable; and, though children and fools titum colorem amet; fanguine et viribus nec effeminatam levitatem et fuco emenmay admire, men of fenfe will laugh at us and our Style. *niteat t." Blair. Ibid.

† 38. Attention to STYLE must not detra&t

from Attention to THOUGHT,

In the laft place, I cannot conclude the fubject without this admonition, that, in any cafe, and on any occafion, attention to Style mut not engrofs us fo much as to detract from a higher degree of attention to the Thoughts. "Curam verborum," fays the prat Roman Critic, "rerum volo effe foli

"To your expreffion be attentive; but "about your matter be folicious.'

+"A higher spirit ought to animate thofe "who ftudy eloquence. They ought to confult the health and foundness of the whole body, rather than band their attention to fuch trifling objeđe as paring the nails and dreffing the hair. Let ornament be manly ** and chäfte, without effeminate gaiety, or artificial colouring, let it fine with the glow of health and Brength,”

GA

$39.

§ 39. Of the Rife of Poetry among the certainly fomething of poetry among them

In a nation originally of fuch a temper as this, taken up almost always in extending their territories, very often infettling the balance of power among themfelves, and not unfrequent-jefting dialogues begun at their harvest and ly in both thefe at the fame time, it was long before the politer arts made any appearance; and very long before they took root or flourifhed to any degree.Poetry was the first that did fo; but fuch a poetry, as one might expect among a warlike, bufied, unpolished people....