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lery, the more diftant is he from it.

2 Had he

ever attempted an Oration for a Phryne or an Athenogenes, he would in such Attempts have only served as a Foil to Hyperides.

Yet after all, in my Opinion, the nume rous Beauties of Hyperides are far from having any inherent Greatness. They fhew the Sedateness and Sobriety of the Author's Genius, but have not Force enough to enliven or to warm an Audience. No one that reads him, is ever fenfible of extraordinary Emotion. Whereas Demofthenes adding to a continued Vein of Grandeur and to Magnificence of Diction (the greatest Qualifications requifite in an Orator) fuch lively Strokes of Paffion, fuch Copiousness of Words, fuch Addrefs, and fuch Rapidity of Speech; and, what is his Mafterpiece, fuch Force and Vehemence, as the greatest Writers befides durft never aspire to; being, I fay, abundantly furnished with all thefe divine (it would be Sin.to call them hu man) Abilities, he excels all before him in the Beauties which are really his own; and to atone for Deficiencies in those he has not, overthrows all Opponents with the irresistible Force, and the glittering Blaze, of his Lightning. For it is much easier to behold, with ftedfaft and undazzled Eyes, the flashing Lightning,

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ning, than thofe ardent Strokes of the Pathetic, which come fo thick one upon another in his Orations.

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SECTION XXXV.

THE Parallel between Plato and his Opponent must be drawn in a different Light. For Lyfias not only falls fhort of him in the Excellence, but in the Number alfo, of his Beauties. And what is more, he not only falls fhort of him in the number of his Beauties, but exceeds him vaftly in the number of his Faults.

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What then can we fuppofe that those godlike Writers had in view, who laboured fo much in raising their Compofitions to the higheft pitch of the Sublime, and look'd down with contempt upon Accuracy and Correct_ nefs? Amongst others, let this Reafon be accepted. Nature never defigned Man to be a grov'ling and ungenerous Animal, but brought him into Life, and placed him in the World, as in a crouded Theatre, not to be an idle Spectator, but fpurr'd on by an eager Thirst of excelling, ardently to contend in the Purfuit of Glory. For this purpose, fhe implanted in his Soul an invincible Love of Grandeur, and a conftant Emulation of whatever seems

to

to approach nearer to Divinity than himself. Hence it is, that the whole Universe is not fufficient, for the extenfive Reach and piercing Speculation of the human Understanding. It paffes the bounds of the material World, and launches forth at pleasure into endless Space. Let any one take an exact Survey of a Life, which, in its every Scene, is conspicuous on account of Excellence, Grandeur, and Beauty, and he will foon difcern for what noble Ends we were born. Thus the Impulse of Nature inclines us to adimire, not a little clear tranfparent Rivulet that minifters to our Neceffities, but the Nile, the Ifter, the Rhine, or still much more, the Ocean. We are never furprized at the fight of a fmall Fire that burns clear, and blazes out on our own private Hearth, but view with Amaze the celeftial Fires, tho' they are often obscured by Vapours and Eclipfes. Nor do we reckon any thing in nature more wonderful than the boiling Furnaces of Ætna, which caft up Stones, and fometimes whole Rocks, from their labouring Abyss, and pour out whole Rivers of liquid and unmingled Flame. And from hence we may infer, that whatever is useful and neceffary to Man, lies level to his Abilities, and is cafily acquired; but whatever exceeds the

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common Size, is always great, and always amazing.

SECTION XXXVI.

WITH regard therefore to those Sublime Writers, whofe Flight, however exalted,' never fails of its Ufe and Advantage, we must add A another Confideration. Thofe other inferior Beauties fhew their Authors to be Men, but the Sublime makes near Approaches to the Height of God, What is correct and faultlefs, comes off barely without Cenfure, but the Grand and the Lofty command Admiration. What can I add further? One exalted and fublime Sentiment in those noble Authors makes ample Amends for all their Defects. And what is moft remarkable, were the Er rors of Homer, Demofthenes, Plato, and the reft of the most celebrated Authors, to be cull'd carefully out and thrown together, they would not bear the leaft proportion to those infinite, thofe inimitable Excellencies, which are fo confpicuous in these Heroes of Antiquity. And for this reafon has every Age and every Generation, unmoved by Partiality and unbiaffed by Envy, awarded the Lawrels to thefe great Mafters, which flourish ftill green

and

and unfading on their Brows, and will flourish,

As long as Streams in filver Mazes rove,

Or Spring with annual Green renews the Grove.

Fenton.

A certain Writer objects here, that an illwrought 2 Coloffus cannot be fet upon the level with a little Faultlefs Statue; for Inftance, *the little Soldier of Polycletus; but the Answer to this is very obvious. In the Works of Art we have regard to exact Proportion; in those of Nature, to Grandeur and Magnificence. Now Speech is a Gift beftowed upon us by Nature. As therefore Refemblance and Proportion to the Originals is required in Statues, fo in the noble Faculty of Difcourfe there should be something extraordinary, fomething more than humanly great.

But to close this long Digreffion, which had been more regularly placed at the beginning of the Treatife; fince it must be owned, that it is the Business of Art to avoid Defect and Blemish, and almost an Impoffibility in the Sub

*The Doryphorus, a fmall Statue by Polycletus a celebrated Statuary. The Proportions were fo finely obferved in it, that Lyfippus profeffed he had learned all his Art from the Study and Imitation of it.

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lime,

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