I. COMPOSITION regards Grammatical Plainness and Propriety, by imitating the Phrafe, Idiom, and Order of Words, made use of by the best Authors in the Style we'd write, whether in the humble, middle or fublime, or whether the Subject be Philofophical, Historical, Oratorial or Poetical. ΑΝΝΟΤΑTIONS. confervabitur, fi crebras Vocalium Concurfiones, & brevium aut longorum Verborum continuationem fugiamus. -Nec enim neceffe eft ut Oratio demetiendis Pedibus, ac perpendendis Sylla ELE bis confenefcat. Satis in hoc Cui lecta potenter erit Res, 2. ELEGANCE. Ele-petual Observation, will insenfibly contract to himself a Similitude of Style. De prifc. Script. c. 1. gantia acquiritur Doctrinâ puerili, & Confuetudine Sermonis quotidiani, & Lectione Oratorum & Poëtarum confirmatur. Cæf. aut Cicero ad Brut. de Orat. Hence DIONYSIUS Halicarn. gives this Advice, Ἔτι δεῖ τοῖς το παλαιῶν ἐπυςχάνειν συγΓράμμασιν, ἵν ̓ ἐντεῦθεν μὴ μόνον τῆς ὑποθέσεως τὴν ὅλην, ἀλλὰ κς τὸν οἱ ἰδιωμάτων ζῆλον χορηγηθώμεν. Ἡ γε ψυχὴ τὸ ἀναγινώσκονα, ὑπὸ τῆς συνεχές πρατηρήσεως, τὴν ὁμοιότητα χαρακτῆς Θ ἐφέλκε), We ought to be very converfant in the Writings of the Ancients, not only for Subject Matter, but for the fake of imitating them in each particular Way. For the Mind of a fedulous Perufer, by per 3. DIGNITY. Majore autem Cura Rhetor doceat Tropos omnes & Figuras, quibus præcipuè non Poëma modò, fed etiam Oratio Ornatur. Quint. ISOCRATES, speaking of Dignity, observes that, Τῶν καιρῶν μὴ διαμαρτῖν, ἀλλὰ κὶ τοῖς ἀνθυμήμασι πρεπόν τως ὅλον τὸν λόγον καλαποικίλαι, κὶ τοῖς ὀνόμασιν ἐυρύθμως κῷ μεσικῶς εἰπεῖν· ταῦτα ἢ πολλῆς ὀπιμελείας δείται, κὶ ψυχῆς ἀνδρικῆς y δοξασικῆς ἔργον ἐσί, Το time every Thing properly, and with becoming Decency diverfify the Subject Matter of an Oration, and withal to place the Words in an harmonious mufical K. ELEGANCE confifts in the Puri-ty, Perfpicuity, and Politeness of Language; and is chiefly gain'd by studying the correctest Writers, converfing with Gentlemen and Scholars, and by accurate and frequent Compofition 1. ΑΝΝΟΤATION S. DIG mufical Order, require the ut his Affectionibus Nomen. Jam, moft Diligence, the fublimest Incensum irâ, Inflammatum Thought, and most piercing Cupiditate, & Lapsum errore, Penetration. Orat. 5. contra fignificandi gratiá; Nihil enim Sophist. Of the fame Opi- horum fuis Verbis, quàm bis nion too is LONGINUS, accerfitis magis proprium erat. as M. ROLLIN observes, who Illa Illa ad Ornatum, Lumen Orasupposes the Mind of an Orator tionis, & Generis Claritatem, or Poet, when he writes or & Concionum Procellas, & speaks, to have nothing low Eloquentiæ Flumina. See Quint. or groveling in it: but on the 1. 8. c. 6. Cic. Orat. 3. &c. contrary to be full of great Caufa verò cur delectemur TroIdeas, generous Sentiments, and an pis feu translatis Verbis, cum inexpressibly noble Pride, which adfint propria, eft, quòd Tropus appears in all his Actions. fit Similitudo ad unum Verbum contracta: Similitudine autem OBS. II. II. THE ORIGIN AND USE OF TROPES. ARISTOTLE and his Followers account for 'em thus, Ut Veftis Frigoris depellendi Causâ reperta fuit primo, post adhiberi cæpta eft ad Ornatum Corporis Dignitatem: Sic Tropi & Figuræ inftituti erant Inopiæ Causâ, frequentati Delectationis, Arift. 1. 3. 4. 2. we now make use of Tropes, Aut quia Neceffe eft, aut quia fignificantius, aut quia decentius. Nam, Gemmare' vites, Luxuriam effe in herbis, Lætas segetes, etiam Ruftici neceffitate dicent: Oratores, Durum hominem aut afperum; non enim proprium erat quod daret Hence mirificè capiuntur Animi. Tropus autem & Similitudo differunt; & expli L. DIGNITY is that which adorns Language with fublime Thoughts, and Rhetorical Flowers, fuch as noble Tropes, moving Figures, and beautiful Turns. TROPES affect only single Words; but FIGURES whole Sentences. ΑΝΝΟΤATION S. SECT. OBS. III. TROPORUM as, Latrant Oratores. 10. Hupræcipuorum man Parts; as, Eft Os Con PRÆSTANTIA fi quæratur; Longè princeps erit Meta. phora, Ironia deinde fuccedet, tertia erit Metonymia, poftrema Synecdoche. Ufus autem etiam frequentiffimus eft Metaphoræ, deinde Metonymiæ, tum Synecdoches, rariffimus Ironiæ. AUD. TALÆUS. - Inter omnes illæ commendatifimæ habentur Metaphoræ, quæ rebus fenfu expertibus Actum quendam ac quafi Animum tribuunt. Ut cum dicitur Fluvius Araxis impofitum fibi ab Alexandro Pontem indignatus evertiffe. WALKER, Rhet. lib. 1. c. 14. OBS. IV. THE CLASSES from whence Metaphors may be taken are reckon'd 12. viz. 1. From Divine Things; as, Homo Homini Deus. 2. Things Celestial; as, Vos eftis Lumina Mundi. 3. Things Infernal; as, Fuviis agitatus. 4. The Elements; as, Eloquentiæ Flumen. 5. Meteors; as, Frontis Nube cula. 6. Stones; as, Marmoreum Cor. 7. Metals; as, Argentea Proles. 8. Plants; as, Chriftus Vitis vera. 9. Beasts; cionis. 11. Manual Operations; as, Limare Scriptum. 12. Employments; as, Chriftus Paftor bonus, &c. Walker. Tropus est Verbi vel Sermonis à propriâ Significatione in aliam cum Virtute Mutatio. Quinc. Inst. 8. 6. The Faults of Tropes are therefore 9. viz. 1. Perplexitas; ut, Charibdim bonorum, dixerim Voraginem potius; facilius enim ad ea quæ visa, quàm ad illa quæ audita funt mentis oculi feruntur. 2. Durior Tropus; ut, Si quis olim M. Catone mortuo, dicat Senatum Pupillum relictum. 3. Nimis frequens; nam, ut modicus atque opportunus Ufus illuftrat Orationem, ita frequens & obfcurat, & tædio complet. 4. Major quàm res poftulat; ut, Tempestas Commessationis. 5. Similitudo longe ducta; ut, Syrtim Patrimonii, libentius Scopulum dixerim. 6. Dissimilitudo; qualis eft in illo Ennii, Cæli ingentes Fornices. 7. Compulfio; ut, Commessatio Tempeftatis. 8. Nimis humilis; ut, Saxea Verruca. Et SECT. І. Of the CHIEF TROPES in Language. M. ATROPE A TROPE, from τρόπω, verto, is the Elegant Turning or applying of a Word from it's native and proper to a relative improv'd Sense. ΑΝΝΟΤATIONS. OBS. VI. USE OF EPITHETS. Epithetis frequentius & liberius utuntur Poëtæ, quàm Oratores: namque illis fatis est convenire Verbo, cui apponitur; & ita, Dentes albi, & humida Vina, apud eos non reprehenduntur, quæ apud Oratores redundant. Quod fi Epitheta aliquid efficiat, ut in his, O abominandum Scelus, O deformem Libidinem, non redundat. Oratoribus exornantur autem Sententie Epithetis translatis; ut, Cupiditas effrænata, infanæ Substructiones; & aliis adjunctis Tropis, Turpis egestas, triftis Senectus. Unde fine Appositis, vel Epithetis, nuda & incompta est Oratio: fed ne ornetur multis, quia fit longa & impedita. See Arift. lib. 3. Rhet. c. 1. & Quint. lib. 8. 5. 6. OBS. VII. T The HE DIF between TROPES, FIGURES and REPETITIONS. Figura, ficut Nomine ipso patet, eft Confirmatio quædam Orationis remota à communi, & primum se offerenti, Ratione. Differt autem à Tropis Figura, quia propriis Verbis Figura fieri potest, quod in Tropos non cadit. See Quint. l. 6. c. 9. Repetitio, feu Verborum Figura, est in Verbo geminato in fuá Significatione manente. Cyp. Soarius. Vel, ut Cicero defcribit, eft ejufdem Verbi crebra à primo Repetitio. OBS. VIII. THE USE AND A BUSE OF FIGURES. Si quis parcè, & cum Res pofcit, Verborum Sententiarumque Figuris utatur, jucundiorem faciet Orationem. Qui verò immodice, & sine Judicio eas adhibuerit, ipsam illam Gratiam Varietatis amittet. Danda igitur Opera est, ut nec multæ fint fupra modum, nec ejufdem Generis, aut juncta, aut fre quentes: Quia Satietas, ut Paucitate earum, ita Multitudine quoque * The CHIEF TROPES in Language are seven, a Metaphor, an Allegory, a Metonymy, a Synecdoche, an Irony, an Hyperbole, and a Catachrefis. Blackw. p. Ν. Ι. ΑΜΕΤΑPHORfor WordsResemblance brings. 106 And vice versa. 176 IV. SYNECDOCHE theWhole with Part confounds. 170 N. B. The Numbers at the End of the Lines refer to the Pages in Mr. BLACKWALL's excellent Introduction to the Classics; where these Tropes are judiciously explain'd, and may, if the Teacher pleases, be read with much Profit to the Learner, before the Explication following 2id ΑΝΝΟΤΑΤΙΟNS. THE quoque vitatur. See Cyp. Soa- vertit, multas Figuras in tertio rius; & Quint. 1. 9. 3. OBS. IX. IX. THE NUM BER, NAMES, and Manner of Explaining Tropes, Figures, and Repetitions, was, is, and always will be uncertain. In Troporum Figurarumque Numero, Nomini bus, ut & Naturâ explicandâ, usque adeo dissentiunt Authores vel Græci vel Latini, ut non modo inter se dissentiant, fed, quod majus eft, Cicero ipfe fibi difcrepat. Nam, ut Quintilianus, lib. 9. c. 3. animad Quafdam de Oratore. Libro pofuit, quas in tiam 0 |