way; the effect of whofe operation is harmony or concord: that which heals alfo the breaches made by the oppofite, the difuniting and dividing principle, the caufe of irregular motions and of difcord, Aristophanes treats of Love as other writers of Comedy do, taking it only in the groffeft fense of the word, as it means the paffion common to man with all brute animals,And Agatho talks about it, like other enthufiaftic Poets, in a vague manner, taking it in various fenses; commonly, indeed, for the refinement of that paffion between the fexes, but fometimes for great liking or attachment of the mind to any object: and then all at once, ufing the word to fignify concord or harmony, Socrates goes much deeper into the fubject, and premifes certain univerfal truths relating to Love ;-that the object of it is, Beauty; the Effence of it, Defire; its aim or end, the Poffeffion of Beauty, or, if already poffeffed of it, the Perpetuity of that poffeffion. Next, he confiders Love as the Defire of Good; whatever is beautiful, being alfo good, fo far as it is beautiful and Love, peculiarly fo called, being part of that univerfal Love, or defire of Good, common to all beings intelligent and fentient. The defire of immortality, he fays, is of neceffity annexed to the defire of good, or love of beauty. But perfonal immortality being impoffible to be obtained by any being whofe nature is mortal, every fuch being, prompted by nature, feeks to continue itself, and its enjoyment of good, in the only way poffible, the propagation of its fpecies, and the production of fome being resembling itfelf. Hence the Love of that beauty, with which every animal is most smitten in the beautiful of its own kind, is accompanied with an inftinct, of natural defire, to mix and unite with it, and thus to generate another animal of the fame kind. From corporeal beauty, and that lower fpecies of Love regarding it, man, as his mind opens more and is improved, naturally proceeds. farther; attaining the fight of that beauty which is feen only by the eye of the mind, in the temper and difpofition of fome fellow mind: and fired with that Love which attends the fight of mental beauty. To that Love alfo is annexed, fays Socrates, the defire of generating, of ftamping upon that other mind its own thoughts, and of raifing and nurturing between them an intellectual progeny, of generous fentiments and fair ideas. But if the foul be endowed with a genius of the highest kind, The refts not here, nor fixes her attachment on any one of thefe mental excellencies or beauties in particular, The genuine Lover of truth and nature rifes from hence to the science of mind itself, in which all thofe excellencies and beauties are Com

comprehended; and contemplates that univerfal original and exemplary beauty, of which the herfelf partakes. In this fcience only, that of mind, does Plato allow the name of true wifdom; the Love and purfuit of this fupreme beauty, he calls philofophy and to the embraces or enjoyment of it, and to no other caufe, does he ascribe the generation and growth of true virtue.

From this abstract of the Dialogue before us, the Reader may perceive that it is conducted with great judgment and analytical skill; and though the fentiments are many of them antiquated, and exploded, and the wit and humour of the piece has, from the distance of time and the change of manners, loft much of its poignance, yet it may ftill afford entertainment to the attentive and philofophical Reader.

Bd

The Art of Speaking. Containing, 1. An Effay, in which are given Rules for expreffing properly the principal Paffions and Humours, which occur in Reading, or public Speaking. And 2. Leffons taken from the Ancients and Moderns, (with Additions and Alterations, where thought useful) exhibiting a Variety of Matter for Practice; the emphatical Words printed in Itaticks with Notes of Direction referring to the Effay. To which are added, a Table of the Leffons, and an Index of the. various Paffions and Humours in the Effay and Leffons. 8vo. 4s. 6 d. bound. Longman, &c.

T

HE Public is indebted for this performance to the ingenious and worthy Author of the DIGNITY OF HUMAN NATURE*. His prefent work is a laudable attempt to excite greater attention to an important part of education than is generally paid to it. How far the Author has fucceeded in his attempt, our Readers will be better able to judge from a few extracts, than from any general account that can be given.

The whole work confifts of Lessons, taken from fome of the beft antient and modern Writers, excepting an effay of fortyfix pages, and a fermon. In the effay we meet with many pertinent but obvious reflections on the importance of Oratory, and the great neglect of just elocution in the generality of public Speakers. But the Author confines himself principally to that part of oratory which relates to gesture, looks, and command of voice; pointing out the manner wherein

For an account of this work fee Review, Vol. XI. p. 81.

nature expreffes the principal passions, humours, fentiments, and intentions, which are to be expreffed by speech and action.

Raillery, (fays he) in fport, without real animofity, puts on the afpect of chearfulness. The tone of voice is fprightly. With contempt, or difguft, it cafts a look afquint, from time to time, at the object; and quits the cheerful afpect for one mixed between an affected grin, and fournefs. The upper lip is drawn up with an air of disdain. The arms are set a-kimba on the hips; and the right hand now and then thrown out toward the object, as if one were going to ftrike another a flight back-hand blow. The pitch of the voice rather loud, the tone arch and fneering; the fentences fhort; the expreffions fatyrical, with mock-praife intermixed. There are inftances of Raillery in Scripture itself, as 1 Kings xviii. and Ifa. xliv. And the excellent Tillotfon has not fcrupled to indulge a ftrain of that fort now and then, efpecially in expofing the mock folemnities of that moft ludicrous (as well as odious) of all religions, Popery. Nor fhould I think Raillery unworthy the attention of the lawyer; as it may occafionally come in, not unufefully, in his pleadings, as well as any other ftroke of ornament, or entertainment.

"Buffoonery aflumes an arch, fly, leering gravity. Muft not quit its ferious afpect, though all should laugh to burft ribs of fteel. This command of face is fomewhat difficult; though not fo hard, I fhould think, as to reftrain the contrary fympathy, I mean of weeping with those who weep.

Joy, when fudden and violent, expreffes itself by clapping of bands, and exultation, or leaping. The eyes are opened wide; perhaps filled with tears; often raised to heaven, especially by devout perfons. The countenance is fmiling, not compofedly, but with features aggravated. The voice rifes, from time to time, to very high notes.

"Delight, or pleafure, as when one is entertained, or ravifhed with mufic, painting, oratory, or any fuch elegancy, Thews itself by the loks, geftures, and utterance of joy; but moderated. (See Joy.)

"Gravity, or ferioufnefs, the mind fixed upon fome important fubject, draws down the eye-brows a little; cafts down, or fhuts, or raifes the eyes to heaven; fhuts the mouth, and pinches the lips clofe. The pofture of the body and limbs is compofed, and without much motion. The fpeech, if any, flow and folemn; the tone unvarying.

"Enquiry

Enquiry, into an obscure subject, fixes the body in one pofture, the head stooping, and the eye paring, the eye-brows drawn down.,

"Attention to an esteemed, or fuperior character, has the fame afpect, and requires filence; the eyes often caft down upon the ground; fometimes fixed on the face of the Speaker; but not too pertly.

"Modefty, or fubmiffion, bends the body forward; levels the eyes to the breaft, if not to the feet, of the fuperior character. The voice low; the tone fubmiffive; and words few.

"Perplexity, or anxiety, which is always attended with fome degree of fear and uneafiness, draws all the parts of the body together; gathers up the arms upon the breast, unless one hand covers the eyes, or rubs the forehead; draws down the eye-brows; hangs the head upon the breaft; cafts down the eyes, fhuts and pinches the eye-lids close; fhuts the mouth, and pinches the lips clofe, or bites them. Suddenly the whole body is vehemently agitated. The perfon walks about bufily; ftops abruptly. He talks to himfelf, or makes grimaces. If he fpeaks to another, his paufes are very long; the tone of his voice unvarying, and his fentences broken, expreffing half, and keeping in half of what arifes in his mind.

"Vexation, occafioned by fome real, or imaginary misfortune, agitates the whole frame, and, befides expreffing itself with the looks, geftures, restlessness, and tone of perplexity, it adds complaint, fretting, and lamenting.

"Pity, a mixed paffion of love and grief, looks down upon diftrefs with lifted hands; eye-brows drawn down; mouth open; and features drawn together. Its expreffion, as to looks, and gefture, is the fame with those of fuffering, (fee Suffering) but more moderate, as the painful feelings are only fympathetic, and therefore one remove, as it were, more diftant from the foul, than what one feels in his own person.

Grief, fudden, and violent, expreffes itself by beating the head; groveling on the ground; tearing of garments, hair, and flesh; fcreaming aloud, weeping, ftamping with the feet, lifting the eyes, from time to time, to heaven; hurrying to and fro, running distracted, or fainting away, fometimes without recovery. Sometimes violent grief produces a torpid fullen filence, refembling total apathy.

"Melancholy, or fixed grief, is gloomy, fedentary, motionless. The lower jaw falls; the lips pale, the eyes are caft down, half

Shut,

fhut, eye-hids fwelled and red, or livid, tears trickling filent, and unwiped; with a total inattention to every thing that paffes. Words, if any, few, and thofe dragged out, rather than spoken; the accents weak, and interrupted, fighs breaking into the middle of fentences and words.

"Defpair, as in a condemned criminal, or one, who has loft all hope of falvation, bends the eye-brows downward; clouds the forehead; rolls the eyes around frightfully; opens the mouth toward the ears; bites the lips, widens the nostrils; gnafhes with the teeth, like a fierce wild beaft. The heart is too much heardened to fuffer tears to flow; yet the eye-balls will be red and inflamed like thofe of an animal in a rabid state. The head is hung down upon the breaft. The arms are bended at the elbows; the fifts clenched hard; the veins and muscles fwelled; the fkin livid; and the whole body ftrained and violently agitated; groans, expreffive of inward torture, more frequently uttered than words. If any words, they are few, and expreffed with a fullen, eager bitterness; the tone of voice often loud and furious. As it often drives people to distraction, and felf-murder, it can hardly be over acted by one, who would represent it.

Fear, violent, and fudden, opens very wide the eyes and mouth; fhortens the nofe; draws down the eye-brows; gives the countenance an air of wildness; covers it with deadly palenefs; draws back the elbows parallel with the fides; lifts up the open bands, the fingers together, to the heighth of the breaft, so that the palms face the dreaded object, as shields oppofed against it. One foot is drawn back behind the other, fo that the body feems fhrinking from the danger, and putting itself in a pofture for flight. The heart beats violently; the breath is fetched quick and short; the whole body is thrown into a general tremor. The voice is weak and trembling; the fentences are short, and the meaning confused and incoherent. Imminent danger, real, or fancied, produces, in timorous perfons, as women and children, violent shrieks, without any articulate found of words; and sometimes irrecoverably confounds the underflanding; produces fainting, which is fome times followed by death.

Shame, or a fenfe of one's appearing to a disadvantage, before one's fellow creatures, turns away the face from the beholders; covers it with blushes; hangs the head; cafts down the eyes, draws down the eye-brows; either ftrikes the perfor dumb, or, if he attempts to fay any thing in his own defence,

...caufes