THE

WORKS

OF

HUGH BLAIR, D.D. F.R.S. ED.

ONE OF

THE MINISTERS OF THE HIGH CHURCH,

AND

PROFESSOR OF RHETORIC AND BELLES LETTRES IN THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH.

TO WHICH IS PREFIXED,

A SHORT ACCOUNT

OF

THE LIFE AND CHARACTER

OF

THE AUTHOR.

BY JAMES FINLAYSON, D. D.

IN FIVE VOLUMES.

VOL. V.

LECTURES ON RHETORIC, &c.

London:

PRINTED FOR T. CADELL AND W. DAVIES; F. C. AND J. RIVINGTON; LONGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME, AND BROWN; SCATCHERD AND LETTERMAN; J. CLARKE AND CO.; J. AND A. ARCH; R. SCHOLEY; BALDWIN, CRADOCK, AND JOY; J. ASPERNE; T. HAMILTON; R. SAUNDERS ; LLOYD AND SON; AND G. AND W. B. WHITTAKER; A. CONSTABLE AND Co.; MANNERS AND MILLER ; AND FAIRBAIRN AND ANDERSON, EDINBURGH; AND G. Clark, ABERDEEN.

1820.

SPEC 606

Blair

v. 5

CONTENTS

OF

THE SECOND VOLUME.

LECT.

XXVII. DIFFERENT Kinds of Public

Speaking- Eloquence of Po-

pular Assemblies - Extracts

from Demosthenes

XXVIII. Eloquence of the Bar — Analysis

of Cicero's Oration for Cluentius

XXIX. Eloquence of the Pulpit

XXX. Critical Examination of a Sermon

of Bishop Atterbury's

-

XXXI. Conduct of a Discourse in all its

Parts Introduction Divi-

sion- Narration and Explica-

XXXII. Conduct of a Discourse- The Ar-

gumentative Part The Pa-

thetic Part-The Peroration

XXXIII. Pronunciation, or Delivery

XXXIV. Means of improving in Eloquence

XXXV. Comparative Merit of the Ancients

and the Moderns - Historical

Writing

XXXVI. Historical Writing

134

157

180

199

220

243

Poetry -

312

335

357

378

XL. Didactic Poetry

XLI. The Poetry of the Hebrews

XLII. Epic Poetry

XLIII. Homer's Iliad and Odyssey

400

425

450

476

LECTURE XXVII.

DIFFERENT KINDS OF PUBLIC SPEAKING- ELOQUENCE OF POPULAR ASSEMBLIES-EXTRACTS FROM DEMOSTHENES.

AFTER the preliminary views which have been given of the nature of Eloquence in general, and of the state in which it has subsisted in different ages and countries, I am now to enter on the consideration of the different kinds of Public Speaking, the distinguishing characters of each, and the rules which relate to them. The ancients divided all Orations into three kinds: the Demonstrative, the Deliberative, and the Judicial. The scope of the Demonstrative was to praise or to blame; that of the Deliberative, to advise or to dissuade; that of the Judicial, to accuse or to defend. The chief subjects of Demonstrative Eloquence, were Panegyrics, Invectives, Gratulatory and Funeral Orations. The Deliberative was employed in matters of public concern agitated in the Senate, or before the Assemblies of the People. The Judicial is the same with the Eloquence of the Bar, employed in addressing Judges, who have power to absolve or to condemn. This division runs through all the ancient Treatises on Rhetoric; and is followed