He breathes new Life into them by his artful Encomiums, and teaches them to set as great a Value on their unsuccessful Engagement with Philip, as on the Victories of Marathon and Salamis. In fhort, by the fole Application of this Figure, he violently feizes the Favour and Attention of his Audience, and compels them to acquiefce in the Event, as they cannot blame the Undertaking.

Some would infinuate, that the Hint of this Oath was taken from these Lines of 2 Eupolis.

2

No! by my Labours in that glorious* Field,
Their Foy fhall not produce my Difcontent.

3 But the Grandeur confifts not in the bare Application of an Oath, but in applying it in the proper Place, in a pertinent manner, at the exactest Time, and for the strongest Rea fons. Yet in Eupolis there is nothing but an Oath, and that address'd to the Athenians at a time they were flufh'd with Conqueft, and confequently did not require Confolation. Befides, the Poet did not fwear by Heroes, whom he had before deified himself, and thereby raife Sentiments in the Audience worthy of fuch Virtue; but deviated from those illuftrious Souls, who ventured their Lives for their Country,

Marathon.

Country, to fwear by an inanimate Object, the Battle. In Demofthenes, the Oath is addrefs'd to the vanquished, to the end that the Defeat of Charonea may be no longer regarded by the Athenians as a Misfortune. It is at one time a clear Demonstration that they had done their Duty, it gives occafion for an illustrious Example, it is an Oath artfully addrefs'd, a juft Encomium, and a moving Exhortation. And whereas this Objection might be thrown in his way, "You speak of a Defeat partly "occafion'd by your own ill Conduct, and "then you swear by thofe celebrated Victo"ries," the Orator took care to weigh all his Words in the Balances of Art, and thereby brings them off with Security and Honour. From which prudent Conduct we may infer, that Sobriety and Moderation must be obferva ed, in the warmeft Fits of Fire and Transport. In fpeaking of their Ancestors he fays, " Thofe "who fo bravely expofed themselves to dan

ger in the Plains of Marathon, those who << were in the naval Engagements near Sala"mis and Artemifium, and those who fought "at Plataa," induftriously fuppreffing the very mention of the Events of thofe Battles, because they were fuccefsful, and quite oppo fite to that of Charonea. Upon which aca

count he anticipates all Objections, by immediately fubjoining, "all whom, Efchines, the "City honoured with a public Funeral, not "because they purchased Victory with their "Lives, but because they loft those for their "Country."

SECTION XVII.

I must not in this Place, my Friend, omit an Observation of my own, which I will mention in the fhorteft manner: Figures naturally impart affiftance to, and on the other fide receive it again, in a wonderful manner, from fublime Sentiments. And I'll now fhew where, and by what means, this is done.

A too frequent and elaborate Application of Figures, carries with it a great Sufpicion of Artifice, Deceit, and Fraud, efpecially when, in pleading, we speak before a Judge, from whose Sentence lies no Appeal; and much more, if before a Tyrant, a Monarch, or any one invefted with arbitrary Power or unbounded Authority. For he grows immediately angry, if he thinks himself childishly amused, and attacked by the Quirks and Subtleties of a wily Rhetorician. He regards the Attempt as an Infult and Affront to his Understanding,

and

and fometimes breaks out into bitter Indignation; and tho' perhaps he may suppress his Wrath, and ftifle his Refentments for the prefent, yet he is averse, nay even deaf, to the most plaufible and perfuafive Arguments that can be alledged. Wherefore a Figure is then most dextrously applied, when it cannot be discerned that it is a Figure.

Now a due Mixture of the Sublime and Pathetic very much increases the Force, and removes the Sufpicion, that commonly attends on the use of Figures. For veil'd, as it were, and wrapt up in fuch Beauty and Grandeur, they seem to disappear, and securely defy difcovery. I cannot produce a better Example, to strengthen this Affertion, than the preceding from Demofthenes: "I fwear by those "noble Souls," &c. For in what has the Orator here concealed the Figure? Plainly, in its own Luftre. For as the Stars are quite dim'd and obfcur'd, when the Sun breaks out in all his blazing Rays, fo the Artifices of Rhetoric are entirely overshadowed, by the fuperior Splendor of fublime Thoughts. A parallel Illuftration may be drawn from Painting. For when several Colours of Light and Shade are drawn upon the fame Surface, those of Light seem not only to rife out of the Piece,

E 2

Piece, but even to lie much nearer to the Sight. So the Sublime and Pathetic either by means of a great Affinity they bear to the Springs and Movements of our Souls, or by their own fuperlative Luftre, always outfhine the adjacent Figures, whofe Art they fhadow, and whofe Appearance they cover, in a Veil of fuperior Beauties.

SECTION XVIII.

I

*

WHAT fhall I fay here of Question and Interrogation? Is not Difcourfe enlivened, ftrengthened, and thrown more forcibly along by this fort of Figure? "Would you, fays "Demofthenes, go about the City, and de"mand what News? What greater News can "there be, than that a Macedonian enflaves "the Athenians, and lords it over Greece? "Is Philip dead? No: but he is very fick. "And what Advantage would accrue to you "from his Death, when as foon as his Head "is laid, you yourselves will raise up another "Philip?" And again, + "Let us set fail † for Macedonia. But were fhall we land? 2 "The very War will difcover to us the rot"ten and unguarded Sides of Philip.” Had this been uttered fimply and without Interrogation,

* Demofth. Philip. Ima. + Ibidem.