ing, what a proper light is to a fine picture; it not only fhews all the figures in their feveral proportions and relations, but flows them in the most advantageous manner.

As gentility appears in the most minute actions, and improves the most inconfiderable gefture, fo grace is difcovered in the placing even of a fingle word, or in the turn of a mere expletive. Nor is this inexpreffible quality confined to one fpecies of compofition: it extends from the humble pastoral to the lofty epic; from the flightest letter to the most folemn difcourfe.

It is fuppofed, that Sir William Temple was the firft writer who introduced a graceful manner into English profe." I am rather inclined to think, that this honour is due to Cowley. The general merit of this author's effays has been acknowledged by Johnfon,† Goldsmith,‡ and alfo, I believe, by Beattie : but they have never been referred to as inftances of graceful compofition. They however feem entitled to this mark of diftinction. His fentiments are natural, and his diction fimple and unaffected. Nothing appears farfetched, or artificially conftructed; and our ears are feldom or never affailed with pompous and pedantic expreffions.

But where foever we may look for the origin of this quality, it is certainly to be found in its highest perfection in the compofitions of Mr. Addifon, an author whofe writings will be diftinguifhed as long as politenefs and good fenfe find any admirers. That becoming air which Cicero efteems the criterion of fine writing, and which every reader, he fays, imagines fo eafy to be imitated, yet will find fo difficult to attain, is the prevailing characteristic of all this excellent author's performances. We may justly apply to him what Plato, in his allegorical language fays of Ariftophanes : the Graces, having fearched all the world round for a temple in which they might for ever dwell, fettled at laft in the breaft of Addifon.

*Melmoth's Letters of Fitzofborne, let. xxix.

↑ Johnfon's Life of Cowley.

Goldfmith's Effays, vol. iii. effay xx.

Beattie on Claffical Learning.

His style is thus characterised by an admirable critic. "His profe is the model of the middle style; on grave subjects not formal, on light occafions not grovelling ; pure without fcrupulofity, and exact without elaboration; always equable, and always eafy, without glowing words or pointed fentences. Addifon never deviates from his track to snatch a grace; he feeks no ambitious ornaments, and tries no hazardous innovations. His page is always luminous, but never blazes in unexpected fplendour.

"It was apparently his principal endeavour to avoid all harfhnefs and feverity of diction: he is therefore fometimes verbose in his tranfitions and connections, and fometimes defcends too much to the language of converfation: yet if his language had been lefs idiomatical, it might have loft fomewhat of its genuine Anglicifm. What he attempted, he, performed: he is never rapid, and he never stagnates. His fentences have neither ftudied amplitude, nor affected brevity: his periods, though not diligently rounded, are voluble and eafy."

Dryden, Pope, and Atterbury, are reckoned among the number of graceful writers: and to thefe we may likewife add the names of Melmoth and Hume.

As a polite writer, Hume appears to the greateft advantage in fome of his philofophical effays.f His ftyle is often poffeffed of uncommon grace and fuavity. It muft however be acknowledged that he too frequently adopts French idioms; sa fault which is undoubtedly owing to his long refidence on

Johnson's Life of Addifon.

Dr. Aikin, fpeaking of the ftyle of philofophical writings, makes the following obfervations: "Great precision in the use of words, clear arrangement of all the members of a fentence, clofenefs of method, ftrength and concifenefs of expreffion, without harshness or obfcurity, are effential to perfection in this department of writing; and if fomewhat of the grace and amenity of language be added, which is not incompatible with the other requifites, the effect of conviction may be promoted, by leading on the reader pleafantly through a topic perhaps naturally dry and unalluring. I conceive Cicero and Hume to be examples of this union of every useful and agreeable quality in difcuffions purely philofophical."

Aikin's Letters to his Son, vol. ii. let. iv.

the Continent. But from whatever caufe it may have origi nated, it certainly detracts from his merit as a writer.*

In the writings of Harris I cannot perceive those Platonic graces for which they have been fo highly extolled by Dr. Knox. His ftyle feems for the most part to be quite the reverfe of graceful. His combination of words is often harth and difagreeable and on many occafions, he employs Greek rather than English idioms.

:

In exhibiting examples of the graceful, ftyle, I shall have recourfe to the works of Melmoth:

I confider a generous mind as the nobleft work of the creation, and am perfuaded, wherever it refides, no real merit can be wanting. It is, perhaps, the most fingular of all the moral endowments: I am fure, at least, it is often imputed where it cannot justly be claimed. The meanest self-love, under some refined difguife, frequently paffes upon uncommon obfervers for this god-like principle; and I have known many a popular action attributed to this motive, when it flowed from no higher a fource than the fuggeftions of concealed vanity. Good-nature, as it hath many features in common with this virtue, is ufually mistaken for it: the former, however, is but the effect, poffibly, of a happy difpofition of the animal structure, or, as Dryden fomewhere calls it, of a certain "milkinefs of blood :" whereas the latter is feated in the mind, and can never fubfift where good sense and enlarged fentiments have no existence. It is entirely founded, indeed, upon juftnefs of thought, which, perhaps, is the reason this virtue is fo little the characteristic of mankind in general. A man whofe mind is warped by the selfish paffions or contracted by the narrow prejudices of fects or parties, if he does not want honefty, muft undoubtedly want understanding. The fame clouds that darken his intellectual views, obftruct his moral ones; and his generofity is extremely circumfcribed, becaufe his reafon is exceedingly limited.

* Hume was remarkable for his facility of compofition. The M.SS. of fome of the laft volumes of his History of England never underwent tranfcription. He fent them the prefs after having made a few marginal corrections. (Stewart's Life of Smith)

Knox's Effays, No. cxxvi.

P

to

True generosity rifes above the ordinary rules of fócial conduct, and flows with much too full a ftream to be comprehended within the precife marks of formal precepts. It is a vigorous principle in the foul, which opens and expands all her virtues far beyond those which are only the forced and unnatural productions of a timid obedience. The man who is influenced fingly by motives of the latter kind, aims no higher than at certain authoritive standards; without even attempt ing to reach thofe glorious élevations, which conftitute the only true heroifm of the focial character. Religion without this fovereign principle, degenerates into a flavish fear, and wifdom into a fpecious cunning; learning is but the avarice of the mind, and wit its more pleasing kind of madness. In a word, generofity fanctifies every paffion, and adds grace to every acquifition of the foul; and if it does not neceffarily include, at least it reflects a luftre upon the whole circle of moral and intellectual qualities.

Melmoth's Letters of Fitsosborne.

Q

CHAP. XXIII.

OF THE FLORID STYLE.

UINCTILIAN regards it as a favourable prefage in juvenile writers, that their compofitions difplay a redundancy of fancy. We muft however beware of mistaking pomp of expreffion for luxuriance of imagination. The for

Facile reme

* Audeat hæc ætas plura, et inveniat, et inventis audeat, fint licet illa non fatis interim ficca et fevera. dium eft ubertatis ; fterilia nullo labore vincuntur. Illa mihi in pueris natura minimum fpei dabit, in quà ingenium judicio præfumitur. Materiam effe primum volo vel abundantiorem, atque ultra quam oporteat fufam. Multum inde decoquent anni, multum ratio limabit, aliquid velut ufu ipfo deteretur, fit modo unde excidi poffit, et quod exculpi; erit autem, fi non ab initiio tenuem nimium laminam euxerimus, et quam cæ ratura altier rumpat. Quod me de his ætatibus fentire minus

mer is of eafy accefs, but the latter is more rarely to be found. It is in the power of every one to load his ftyle with highfounding words and phrafes; but to embellish a difcourfe with the glowing colours of fancy, requires the aid of inventive genius..

A certain degree of chafte ornament can never be unfeafonable; though gaudy and meretricious ornaments are always difgufting: The over-florid ftyle, therefore, cannot be agreeable to a reader of tafte. Although it may be allowed youth in their firft effays, it must not receive the fame indulgence when employed by waiters of maturer years. We may reafonably expect, that judgment, as it ripens, fhould chaften imagination, and reject as juvenile all fuch ornaments as are redundant or unfuitable. Nothing can be more contemptible than that tinfel fplendour of language which fome writers perpetually affect. It were well if this could be ascribed to the overflowings of a rich imagination; for, in that cafe, we fhould at least find fomething to amufe our fancy, if we found nothing to inftruct our understanding. But it is luxuriancy of words, not of thought, that is exhibited by these frothy writers. We fee a laboured attempt to rife to a fplendour of compofition, of which they have formed fome kind of loofe idea. But not poffeffing fufficient ftrength of genius to attain the defired object, they endeavour to fupply the defect by the ufe of poetical words, cold exclamations, and common-place figures. While they are fo folicitous about every thing which has the appearance of pomp and magnificence, it has efcaped thefe writers, that fobriety in ornament is one great fecret for rendering it pleafing; and that, without a foundation of good fenfe and folid thought, the most florid ftyle is but a childish impofition on the public. The public, however, are but too apt to be impofed on in this manner. I cannot help thinking, that it reflects more honour on the religious and benevolent difpofition of the prefent age, than on the refinement of its tafte, that the works of Mr. Hervey have been fo generally admired. The pious and benevolent heart which is always difplayed in them; and the lively fancy which appears on fome occafions, juftly merit applaufe: but the per

mirabitur, qui apud Ciceronem legerit, Volo enim se efferat in adolescenti facunditas.

Quinctilian de Institut, Orator. lib. ii. cap. iv.