ADVERTISEMENT. THE want of a system of Rhetoric upon a concise plan and at an easy price will, it is presumed, render this little Volume acceptable to the the public. To collect knowledge, which is scattered over a wide extent, into a small compass ; if it has not the merit of originality, has at least the advantage of being useful. Many, who are terrisied at the idea of travelling over a ponderous volume in search of information, will yet set out on a short journey in pursuit of science with alacrity and profit. Those, for whom the following Essays are principally intended, will derive peculiar benefit from the brevity, with which they are conveyed. To youth, who are engaged in the rudiments of learning ; whose time and attention must be occupied by a variety of subjects ; every branch of science should be rendered as concise, as possible. Hence the attention is not fatigued, nor the memory overloaded. That a knowledge of Rhetoric forms a very material part of the education of a polite fcholar must be universally allowed. Any attempt therefore, however imperfect, to make so useful an art more generally known, has claim to that praise, which is the reward of good intention. With this the Editor will be fufficiently satisfied ; since being serviceable to others is the most. agreeable method of becoming contented. with ourselves. PAGE I 6 Criticism-Genius-Pleasures of Taste--Sublimity Beauty, and other Pleasures of Taste Origin and Progress of Language Rise and Progress of Language and of Writing Structure of Language: English Tongue Style-Perfpicuity and Precison Stru&ure of Sentences. Harmony Origin and Nature of Figurative Language. Personification and Apostrophe Comparison, Antithesis, Interrogation, Exclamation, General Chara&ers of Style--diffuse, concise, feeble, 747 . IOI 103 108 . nervous, dry, plain, neat, elegant, flowery .... 113 114 316 PAGE Style—Simple, affe&ed vehement. Directions for forming a proper Style ............ Critical Examination of Mr. Addison's Style in No. 411 of the Spe&ator .......... Eloquence. Origin of Eloquence-Grecian Elo- quence—Demosthenes ............. Roman Eloquence--Cicero. Modern Eloquence .. Eloquence of Popular Asemblies ..... .... Eloquence of the Bar ........, Eloquence of the Pulpit .............. Conduct of a Discourse in all its Parts. Introduc- tion, Division, Narration, and Explication .. The Argumentative Part of a Discourse, the Pa- thetic Part, and the Peroration ....... Pronunciation or Delivery ............. Means of improving in Eloquence .......... Comparative Merit of the Antients and Moderns . Hisorical Writing ................. Philosophical Writing and Dialogue ......... Epistulary Writing ................ Nature of Poetry. Its Origin and Progress |