Ornaments as ferve only to please the Ear, with harmonious Sounds; and the Imagination, with Ideas that are more gay and Sparkling, than just and folid. To move the Paffions our eloquent Author wou'd have an Orator fet every Truth in its proper Place; and fo connect them that the First may make way for the Second; and the next fupport the former: So that the Difcourfe fhall gradually advance in Strength and Clearness, till the Hearers perceive the whole Weight and Force of the Truth. And then he ought to difplay it in the livelyeft Images; and both in his Words and Gesture ufe all those affecting Movements that are proper to express the Paffions he wou'd excite. It is by reading the Antients that we must form our Taste, and learn the Art of Eloquence in all its Extent. But feeing that fome of the Antients themselves have their Defects, we must read them with Caution and Judgment. Our Learned Author diftinguishes the genuine Beauties of the pureft Antiquity, from the falfe Ornaments us'd in After-Ages; he points out what is excellent, and what is faulty, both in Sacred Sacred and Profane Authors; and fhews us that the Eloquence of the Holy Scripture, in many Places, furpasses that of the Greeks and Romans, in na-tive Simplicity, Livelynefs, Grandeur, and in every thing that can recommend Truth to our Affent and Admiration. Nothing can be more proper than thefe Dialogues, to guard us against the vitiated Taste of falfe Wit; which ferves only for Amusement and Oftentation. Such Eloquence as is founded on Vanity and Self-love, delights in gaudy Ornaments; and neglects the genuine Graces of a noble Simplicity. For, the glittering Fancy and quaint Turns, and forc'd Antithefes, the fmooth Periods, and other artificial Ornaments of falfe Oratory, make a little Genius lofe the Relifh of those fuperiour and folid Beauties that force their way to the Mind, and at once enlighten, and captivate it. They who value nothing but Wit, will probably dislike the Plainnefs of thefe Dialogues: but they wou'd form another Judgment of them if they confider'd that there are different Stiles of Dialogue; of which Antiquity furnishes us with two celebrated Patterns; the the Dialogues of PLATO; and thofe of LUCIAN. Plato like a true Philo fopher, fudy'd chiefly to give Force and Light to his Arguments; and chose no other Stile than what is us'd in Converfation: fo that his Language is artless, eafy, and familiar. On the contrary Lucian is every-where witty and Sparkling. All the Perfons be introduces have a sprightly delicate Fancy; fo that in reading him, we forget the feign'd Characters of Gods and Men who speak in his Dialogues; and cannot but fee the ingenious Author in every thing they fay. We must own however that he is an Original, who has fucceeded wonderfully in this way of writing. He ridicul'd Men in the moft facetious pleafing Manner: While Plato inftructed them with Gravity and Wifdom. The Archbishop of Cambray bas imitated them both, on different Subjects. In his Dialogues of the Dead (which he compos'd for the Inftruction of a young Prince that was his Pupil) we find the various Wit and agreeable Humour of Lucian. And in the following Sheets, where he lays down the Rules of fuch a grave Eloquence as is proper to move and perfwade Men; he imitates Plato: every thing is natural, and inftructivé: and inftead of Wit and Humour we find Truth, and Wifdom fbine throughout the Compofure. It was thought proper to fubjoyn to thefe Dialogues the Author's Letter to the French ACADEMY concerning Rhetorick, Poetry, and other Subjects; which has met with fo good Reception, that it cannot but be acceptable to every polite Reader. The Dialogues, tho but lately publifh't, were compos'd feveral Tears ago in the Archbishop's younger Days. But the Letter was written in his more advanc'd Age, in anfwer to one that the Academy fent him by their Secretary; defiring bis Advice on the feveral Subjects he treats of: and therefore it is penn'd with the utmoft Elegance and Politeness. However both in the Dialogues, and the Letter, we find the fame juft Tafte, the fame noble Genius; the very fame Maxims; and the fame Defign in Writing; to reduce all Compofures to Truth, Nature, and Decency. THE |