Tragedies as do not convey Inftruction as well as Pleasure? Now will you fuffer! that to be done in Profe, that you will not tolerate in Verse? After such a just Rigour against useless Poetry, how can you fhew any Favour to thofe Declaimers who talk only to fhew their Parts ? B. But thefe Orators we were speak ing of, have two Designs that are cominendable. A. What are they? B. The firft is to maintain themselves: for, by their Profeffion they procure a Subfiftence. Their Rhetorick gets them Repute; and this brings along with it that Wealth they ftand in need of. A. You your-felf have already anfwer'd this Pretence, for, did you not fay that 'tis : * Who can behold, without Indignation, how many Mifts and Uncertainties thefe fpecious Tropes and Figures have brought on our Knowledge? How many Rewards that are due to more profitable and difficult Arts, have been ftill fnatch't away by the eafy Vanity of fine fpeaking for now.. I am warm'd with this juft Anger, I cannot with-hold my felf from betraying the Shallowness of all thofe feeming Myfteries, upon which we Writers, and Speakers look fo big. And in few Words, I dare fay, that of all the Studies of Men, nothing may be fooner obtain'd, than this vicious Abundance of Phrafe, this Trick of Metaphors, this Volubility of Tongue, which makes fo great Noife in the World. But I spend Words in vain; for the Evil is now fo inveterate, that it is hard to know whom to blame; or where, to begin to reform. We all value one another so much upon this beautiful Deceit, and labour fo long after it, in the Years of our Education; that we cannot but ever after think kinder of it than it deferves. BifhopS PRAT'S Hift. of the Royal Society, p. 112 'tis not enough that one gains a Livelihood, unless he get it by fome Employment that is ufeful to the Publick? He who should reprefent Tragedies that give no Inftruction, might get his Bread by them but this wou'd not hinder you from driving him out of your Commonwealth. You wou'd fay to him, “Go "chufe fome regular useful Employment; "and don't divert your Neighbours from «their Business. If you wou'd have a lawful Gain from them; apply your "felf to do them fome real Service; or "to make them more wife and virtuous." Now why fhou'd you not fay the fame to the Rhetoricians? B. But I have a second Reason to offer for tolerating them. A. Pray, let us hear it. B. Why; the Orator ferves the Publick. A. In what ? B. He improves People's Minds, and teaches them Eloquence. A. Suppofe I fhou'd invent fome fantaftick Art, or imaginary Language, that cou'd not be of any Ufe; cou'd I ferve the Publick by teaching fuch a senseless Language, or filly Art? B. No: because one cannot ferve others as a Mafter, unless he cou'd teach them fomething that is useful. A. You A. You cannot prove then that an Orator ferves the Publick, by his teaching Eloquence, unless you cou'd firft fhew that 'tis an useful Art. Of what Use are a Man's fine Thoughts if they do not advance the Publick Good? I'm very fenfible that they are advantagious to himfelf; for they dazle his Hearers; who have fo bad a Tafte that they will applaud his Skill, and even reward him for his useless Talk. But ought you to suffer fuch a mercenary fruitless Eloquence in the Government you have to model? A Shoemaker is ferviceable in his way, and maintains his Family with what he gain's by supplying other People's Neceflities. So that you fee the moft ordinary Employments tend to fome useful Purpose: and there is no other Art but the Rhetorician's that serves only to amufe People with talking. In fine, fuch Eloquence can only, on the one hand, fatisfy the vain Curiofity of the Hearers, and encourage their Idlenefs; and on the other, gratify the Declaimer's Pride, and Ambition. But for the Honour of your Republick, Sir, do not tolerate fuch an Abuse. B. I must grant that an Orator's Aim fhou'd be to make People more wife and virtuous. A. Don't forget this: you fhall fee the Confequences of it by and by. B. Not B. Notwithstanding this Conceffion, he who is employ'd in inftructing others, may at the fame time endeavour to acquire Reputation and Wealth, for himself. A. I told you before, that we are not now handling the Point as Chriftians: I need only use Philofophy against you. Let me put you in Mind that you grant an Orator is oblig'd to inftruct others with a Defign to improve them in Virtue. Thus we get rid of all useless Declaimers. We ought not even to fuffer Panegyrifts any farther than they render true Wisdom and Probity more amiable by their Praises; and propofe Models of Virtue and Valour that are worthy of Imitation. * B. What then, is a Panegyrick good for nothing, unless it be full of Morality? A. Have you not granted this already? Inftruction is the proper End of Speech: and the only good Reafon for praifing any Hero, is, that we may reprefent his Worth to others, in order to excite their Emulation; and to fhew them that Virtue and true Glory are infeparable. Therefore a D Pane * Perfpicuum eft igitur alia effe in homine optanda, alia laudanda, Genus, Forma, Vires, Opes, Divitiæ, ceteraque quæ fortuna det, aut extrinfecus, aut corpori, non habent in fe veram laudem, quæ deberi VIRTUTI uni putatur,- Virtus autem quæ eft per fe ipfa laudabilis, & fine qua nihil laudari poteft, tamen habet plures partes, quarum alia eft ad laudationem aptior, CIC, de Orat. lib, ij, Panegyrick fhou'd be kept free from all general, exceffive, flattering Praises; and fuch barren Thoughts as do not afford the leaft Inftruction. Every thing fhou'd tend to make the Hearers in love with what is truly Great and Good. But we find that moft Panegyrifts feem to magnify particular Virtues, only that they may the more effectually praise those that practis'd them, and set off their Heroes to greater Advantage. When they have any one to praise, they exalt his peculiar Virtues far above all others. But every thing has its Turn; and on another occafion, thofe very Qualities which they preferr❜d before, muft now give place to fome other Virtues, that come in courfe to be extoll'd to the highest Pitch. In this respect, I think PLINY is to be blam'd. If he had prais'd TRAJAN, as a fit Model for other Heroes to copy after, this wou'd have been a Design worthy of an Orator. But the Praise of that Prince, (however deferving he was) ought not to have been PLINY's chief Aim. TRAJA N fhou'd only have been propos'd to Mankind as an imitable Example, to allure them to Virtue. When a Panegyrift has such a mean View, as to praise the Perfon, rather than the Virtues that render him confpicuous, this is only Flattery addreft to Pride. B. What |