Law, undertake the defence of a client? or a person wholly unacquainted with morals or theology, attempt to fpeak from the pulpit? Whatever fubject, therefore, any person intends to write or speak upon, he muft, by applying to the proper fources, acquire a perfect knowledge of it, before he can expect any affistance from the art of oratory, as fuch.

Moreover, let a person be ever so perfect a master of his subject, he could not be taught to speak or write about it with propriety and good effect, without being previously instructed in the principles of GRAMMAR, i. e, without a knowledge of the inflection of words, and of the ftructure of sentences, in the language he makes ufe of.

It is neceffary, likewife, as far as reasoning is concerned, that a perfon be, in fome fenfe, a logician before he be an orator; fince it is by the rules of LOGIC that we judge of every thing relating to arguments, their perfpicuity or confufion, their fallacy or their force. More especially is it of confequence to every orator whose business is with men, to be well acquainted with human nature; that knowing the paffions, prejudices, interefts, and views of thofe he hath to do with, he may know how to addrefs them accordingly.

But notwithstanding this be treated of in many books written on the subject of oratory, and particularly

1

ticularly by Ariftotle; there is no more reason why we should encumber a system of oratory with it, than that we croud into it the elements of any other science, or branch of knowledge, that the orator may have occafion for. Befides, thofe plain principles of human actions with which the orator hath to do, are obvious to common reflection, and must have occurred to every person before he hath lived to the age in which he has any occafion for the art of oratory. For this part of the furniture of an orator, therefore, let the ftudent have recourfe to Ethical treatifes, as far as they unfold the principles of human nature; let. him study authentic hiftories of human characters and conduct; and let him principally attend to the emotions of his own heart. However, that knowledge of human nature, which is neceffary to understand the rationale of the ornaments of ftyle will not be excluded a place in these Lectures, but will be explained pretty much at large in the third part of the course.

Supposing a man, therefore, to be perfectly acquainted with the subject on which he propofes to speak or write, that he is not deficient in the knowledge of grammatical propriety, and that by logic, natural or artificial, he can judge of the force or fallacy of any argument that occurs, or is propofed to him; it is afked what affiftance he may expect from the art of oratory, in carrying

his defign into execution in the most advantageous manner? In this cafe, all that remains to be done is,

First, to aflift him in the habit of recollection, or to direct him which way to turn his thoughts, in order to find the arguments and illustrations with which his mind is already furnished; and likewife, when a general topic, or head of discourse, is found, in what manner to confirm or illuftrate it, in order to have materials for the bulk or body of the difcourfe. In this manner oratory may affift the invention; but it is not in finding things with which the mind was wholly unacquainted, but in readily recollecting, and judiciously felecting, what is proper for his purpose, out of the materials with which the mind was previoufly furnished.

Secondly, the art of oratory teaches in what order to difpofe of thofe topics. It fhews what difpofition of the materials of a discourse will give them the greatest force, and contribute the moft to produce the effect intended by it.

Thirdly, to contribute ftill farther to the effect of a difcourfe, the art of oratory teaches what Style, or manner of expreffion, will beft become, adorn, and recommend it.

Fourthly,

Fourthly, if the difcourfe is to be pronounced, the art of oratory teaches what tone of voice, or what gestures of the body, will beft become, and add grace to the delivery of it.

The four great objects, therefore, that fall within the province of the orator are RECOLLECTION, METHOD, STYLE, and ELOCUTION. Of these I shall treat in the order in which they are here mentioned.

LECTURE

LECTURE II.

Of the Nature and Use of TOPICS.

ALL the kinds of compofition may be reduced

to two, viz. NARRATION and ARGUMENTATION. For either we propose simply to relate facts, with a view to communicate information, as in Hiftory, natural or civil, Travels, &c. or we lay down fome propofition, and endeavour to prove or explain it.

With respect to Narration of any kind, it is fuperfluous to fay much about it under the first head of Recollection or Invention, except so far as facts are wanted for the purpose of argumentative difcourfes. The chief affiftance that those who compose only in the narrative style can expect from the art of oratory, is in digefting and adorning their compofitions; and these articles will be confidered in the second and third parts of these lectures.

The whole business, therefore, of artificial recollection muft, in a manner, be confined to the ufe of those who compofe argumentative difcourfes, whose minds are previously furnished with every argument and obfervation proper to be introduced into them; but who may not be able to find

them