COMPOSITION regards Grammațical Plainness and Propriety, by imitating the Phrafe, Idiom, and Order of Words, made ufe of by the best Authors in the Style we'd write, whether in the bumble, middle or fublime, or whether the Subject be Philofophical, Hiftorical, Oratorial or Poetical. ANNOTATIONS. 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 Oratorem formabit Aurium Judicium, & multa Scribendi Exercitatio ut extempore etiam numerosè dicat: Unde HORATIUS, Art. Poët. Cui leta potenter erit Res, Nec Facundia deferit bunc, nec lucidus Ordo. Verbaque provifam rem non invita fequentur. 2. ELEGANCE. Elegantia acquiritur Doctrinâ puerili, & Confuetudine Sermonis quotidiani, & Lectione Oratorum & Poëtarum confirmatur. Cæf. aut Cicero ad Brut. de Orat. Hence DIONYSIUS Halicarn. gives this Advice, "ETI de Tois o manauwv επιγχάνειν συγγράμμασιν, ἵν' απεῦθεν μὴ μόνον τῆς ὑποθέσεως τὴν ὅλην, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἢ ἰδιωμάτων ζῆλον χορηγηθώμου. Η η ψυχή τὸ ἀναγινώσκοντα, ὑπὸ τῆς συνεχές πρατηρήσεως, τὴν ὁμοιότητα το χαρακτῆς 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 petual Obfervation, will infenfibly contract to himself a Similitude of Style. De prifc. Script. c. 1. 3. DIGNITY. Majore autem Curâ Rhetor doceat Tropos omnes & Figuras, quibus præcipuè non Poëma modo, fed etiam Oratio Ornatur. Quint. ISOCRATES, fpeaking of Dignity, obferves that, Τῶν καιρῶν μὴ διαμαρτῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἐνθυμήμασι πρεπόν τως ὅλον τὸν λόγον καλα ποικίλαι, καὶ τοῖς ὀνόμασιν ευρύθμως και μεσικῶς εἰπεῖν· ταῦτα ἢ πολλῆς ἐπιμελείας δεται, καὶ ψυχῆς ἀνδρικῆς και 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 Purity, 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, ANNOTATION S. DIG mufical Order, require the ut- bis Affectionibus Nomen. Jam, moft Diligence, the fublimeft Incenfum irâ, Inflammatum Thought, and moft piercing Cupiditate, & Lapfum errore, Penetration. Orat. 5. contra fignificandi gratiá; Nihil enim Sophift. Of the fame Opi- borum fuis Verbis, quàm his nion too is LONGINUS, accerfitis magis proprium erat, as M. ROLLIN obferves, who Illa ad Ornatum, Lumen Orafuppofes the Mind of an Orator tionis, & Generis Claritatem, or Poet, when he writes or Concionum Procellas, & fpeaks, 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 tranflatis Verbis, cum inexpreffibly noble Pride, which adfint propria, eft, quòd Tropus appears in all his Actions. fit Similitudo ad unum Verbum contracta: Similitudine autem mirificè capiuntur Animi. Tropus autem & Similitudo differunt; quòd hæc comparat aliquid Rei, quam volumus exprimere; ille pro Re ipfa ponitur. Thus fays ARISTOTLE, fpeaking of Achilles, De 5 λéwv èπógyσεν εἰκών ἐςιν. ὅταν δε OBS. II. TH Dignitatem: Sic Tropi & Figuræ inftituti erant Inopiæ Causâ, frequentati Delectationis, Arift. 1. 3. 6. 2. Hence we now make ufe of Tropes, Aut quia Neceffe eft, aut quia fignificantius, aut quia decentius. Nam, Gemmare vites, Luxuriam effe in herbis, Lætas fegetes, etiam Ruftici neceffitate dicent: Oratores, Durum hominem aut afperum; non enim proprium erat quod daret av ÈπógσE-μETapoeg, He rush'd like a Lion is a Similitude: but when we fay The Lion rub'd 'tis a Trope. See Arift. lib. 2. c. 4. Quint. 8. 6. Cic 3. de Orat:- Unde Obfervandum eft, poffe omnem ferè Tropum refolvi & explicari inferendo Vocem Quafi; ut, Princeps eft Caput Reipublicæ, i. e. quafi Caput. Ferreum Pectus, i. e. quafi ferreum. Walker, Trop. 1. 1. c. 14. E 2 OBS. DIGNITY is that which adorns Language with fublime Thoughts, and Rhetorical Flowers, fuch as noble Tropes, moving Figures, and beautiful Turns. TROPES affect only fingle Words; but FIGURES whole Sentences: ANNOTATIONS. ד SECT. OBS. II. TRO 'ROPORUM as, Latrant Oratores. 10. Hu præcipuorum man Parts; as, Eft Os Concionis. 11. Manual Operations; as, Limare Scriptum. 12. Employments; as, Chriftus Paftor bonus, &c. Walker. PRÆSTANTIA fi quæratur; Longè princeps erit Meta. phora, Ironia deinde fuccedet, tertia erit Metonymia, poftrema Synecdoche. Ufus autem etiam frequentiffimus eft Metaphora, deinde Metonymiæ, tum Synecdoches, rariffimus Ironiæ. AUD. TALEUS- Inter omnes illa commendatiffima habentur Metaphoræ, que 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. TH HE 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, Furiis agitatus. 4. The Elements; as, Eloquentia Flumen. 5. Meteors; as, Frontis Nubecula. 6. Stones; as, Marmoreum Cor. 7. Metals; as, Argentea Proles. 8. Plants; as, Chriftus Vitis vera. 9. Beafts; OBS. V. FAULTS OF TROPES. Tropus eft Verbi vel Sermonis à propriâ Significatione in aliam cum Virtute Mutatio. Quinc. Inft. 8. 6. The Faults of Tropes are therefore 9. viz. 1. Perplexitas; ut, Charibdim bonorum, dixerim Voraginem potius; facilius enim ad ea que vifa, 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; ùt, Tempeftas Commeffationis. 5. Similitudo longe ducta; ùt, Syrtim Patrimonii, libentius Scopulum dixerim. 6. Diffi militudo; qualis eft in illo Ennii, Cœli ingentes Fornices. 7. Compulfio; ut, Commeffatio Tempeftatis. 8. Nimis humilis; ut, Saxea Verruca. Et SECT. I. Of the CHIEF TROPES in Language. M. A TROPE, from τpire, verto, is the Elegant Turning or applying of a Word from it's native and proper to a relative improv'd Sense. ANNOTATIONS. Et 9. Obfcænitas. Neque omnia qua Poëtis permissa convenire Orationi putemus, nec enim Paftorem Populi cum Homero, nec Volucres pennis remigrare, cum Virgilio dixerim. See Cic. de Orat. 3. 163. & Quint. 1. 8. c. 6. OBS. VI. TTSE OF EPITHETS. Epithetis frequentiùs & liberiùs utuntur Poëtæ, quàm Oratores: namque illis fatis eft convenire Verbo, cui apponitur; & ita, Dentes albi, & humida Vina, apud eos non reprehenduntur, quæ apud Oratores redundant. Quòd fi Epitheta aliquid efficiat, ùt in his, O abominandum Scelus, O deformem Libidinem, non redundat. Oratoribus exornantur autem Sententia Epithetis tranflatis; ut, Cupiditas effrænata, infanæ Substructiones; & aliis adjunctis Tropis, Turpis egeftas, triftis Senectus. Unde fine Appofitis, vel Epithetis, nuda & incompta eft Oratio: fed ne ornetur multis, quia fit longa & impedita. See Arift. lib. 3. Rhet. c. 1. & Quint. lib. 8. £. 6. The HE DIF OBS. VII.FERENCE between T ROPES, FIGURES and REPETITIONS. Figura, ficut Nomine ipfo patet, eft. Confirmatio quædam Orationis remota à communi, & primùm fe offerenti, Ratione. Differt autem à Tropis Figura, quia propriis Verbis Figura fieri poteft, quod in Tropos non cadit. See Quint. . 6. c. 9. Repetitio, feu Verborum Figura, eft in Verbo geminato in fuá Significatione manente. Cyp. Soarius. Vel, ùt Cicero defcribit, eft ejufdem Verbi crebra à primo Repetitio. The CHIEF TROPES in Language are feven, a Metaphor, an Allegory, a Metonymy, a Synecdoche, an Irony, an Hyperbole, and a Catachrefis. Blackw. p. N. 1. AMETAPHOR for Words Refemblance brings. 106 II. AN ALLEGORY likens Things to Things. 164 III. A METONYMY Name for Name imposes, 166 For Caufe, Effect; for Subject, Adjunct chuses. And vice versa. IV. SYNECDOCHE theWhole with Part confounds. 170 v. An IRONY diffembling lily wounds. 176 VI. HYPERBOLE in Speech the Truth outflies. 172 VII. A CATACHRESIS Words abus'd applies. 179 N. B. The Numbers at the End of the Lines refer to the Pages in Mr. BLACKWALL's excellent Introduction to the Claffics; where thefe Tropes are judicioufly explain'd, and may, if the Teacher pleases, be read with much Profit to the Learner, before the Explication following. ANNOTATIONS. THE THE quoque vitatur. See Cyp Soa vertit, multas Figuras in tertio cur Quifquam vel tamen wel ་ alios Authores bac de Causa temerè reprehendat, Numerus enim illarum nec fuit olim certus, nec vefò unquam effe poterit. Cujus Rei duas ego repe rio Caujas. Altera eft, quòd novæ Figuræ, Quintiliano e tiam |