neither flatter thyself with hopes, that he winketh at thy doings.

His eye pierceth the fecrets of every heart, and he remembereth them for ever: he respecteth not the perfons, nor the stations of men.

THE high and the low, the rich and the poor, the wife and the ignorant, when the foul hath shaken off the cumbrous fhackles of this mortal life, fhall equally receive, from the fentence of God, a juft and everlasting retribution, according to their works.

THEN fhall the wicked tremble, and be afraid; but the heart of the righteous, fhall rejoice in his judgments.

"O! fear the Lord, tberefore, all the days of "thy life; and walk in the paths, which he hath "opened before thee. Let Prudence admonish thee; "let Temperance reftrain thee: let Juftice guide thy "hand; Benevolence warm thy heart; and Gratí"tude to Heaven, infpire thee with devotion."Thefe fhall give thee happiness, in thy present "ftate; and bring thee to the manfions of eternal "felicity, in the paradife of God."

SEC

SECTION III.

LESSON I.

DESCRIPTION OF AN ORATION.

TH

HE mafters of rhetoric, among the Greeks and Romans, have confidered an oration as confifting of three or four parts; the exordium, or mere beginning; the narration, and confirmation ; extending from thence, to the peroration, or recapitulation, and conclufion, of what hath been faid. Now, as these parts of an oration differ widely in nature from each other; fo they require a difference of style.

A difcourfe may open variety of ways, bespeaking the favour and attention of the audience: as by an addrefs to those who prefide in chief; with an apology; with fetting forth the defign of the point in debate; or, with any other form, arifing from the fpeaker's confideration of his own fituation, or the perfons of his hearers. But, from whatever occafion the exordium may take its rife, in general, it should be short, and modeft. Swelling introductions,

to

to plain fubjects, are ridiculous; and, to great actions, unneceffary, because they fufficiently fhew and magnify themselves;-not, but, on fome occafions, it may be proper to begin with spirit and fire. Examples of this kind, are found in Cicero.

THE language, too, must be plain, fimple and concife, in the narration: which is the part for ftating the fubject; and fetting forth its confideration, under one or more propofitions; the fewer, and clearer, the better.

NEITHER muft the speaker rife much in the confirmation: where he is to prove the point under confideration, by proper illuftrations; apt, fhort, and plain examples; by expreffive fimilitudes; cogent arguments; and juft obfervations; backed and fupported, by authorities, divine and human. Here the speaker muft make his way, to the judgment and conviction of his audience, by words and matter, weighty and fignificant; in fentences, grave, and unaffected-in fhort; rather by ftrong good sense, in familiar language; than by trifling obfervations, in hard words, and ftudied ornaments.

THE fubject being opened, explained, and confirmed in the three first parts; that is to fay, the fpeaker having gained the attention and judgment of his audience, muft proceed, in the peroration, to complete his conqueft over the paffions; fuch as, imagination, admiration, surprise, hope, joy, love, fear, grief, anger. To thefe, fome application may be made in the exordium; but, now, the court must be paid wholly to them; in managing which, is required no small skill and addrefs. Now, therefore, the fpeaker muft begin to exert himself: here it is, that a fine genius may display itself, in

the

the use of amplification, enumeration, interrogation, metaphor, and every ornament, that can render a discourse entertaining, winning, ftriking, and enforcing. Thus the orator may gain the afcendant over his audience; can turn the current of their minds his own way: either, like the rapid Severn, with uplifted head, rufhing on impetuous; or, like the fmooth-gliding Thames, gently rifing, by almost imperceptible advances.

II.

CAIUS MARIUS TO THE ROMAN S.

This but too common, my countrymen, to observe a material difference, between the behaviour of those, who stand candidates for places of power and truft, before, and after their obtaining them. They folicit them, in one manner; and execute them, in another. They fet out, with a great appearance of activity, humility, and moderation; and they, quickly, fall into floth, pride, and avarice.-It is, undoubtedly, no eafy matter, to difcharge, to the general fatisfaction, the duty of a fupreme commander in troublesome times. I am, I hope, duly fenfible, of the importance of the office I propofe to take upon me, for the service of my country. To carry on, with effect, an expensive war, and yet be frugal of the public money; to oblige thofe to ferve, whom it may be delicate to offend; to conduct, at the fame time, a complicated variety of operations; to concert measures at home, anfwerable to the state of things abroad; and to gain every valuable end, in spite of oppofition from the envious, the factious,

and

and the difaffected; to do all this, my countrymen, is more difficult, than is generally thought.

BUT, befides the disadvantages, which are common to me, with all others in eminent stations, my cafe is, in this refpect, peculiarly hard; that, whereas a commander of Patrician rank, if he is guilty of a neglect, or breach of duty, has his great connections, the antiquity of his family, the important fervices of his ancestors, and the multitudes he has, by power, engaged in his intereft, to screen him from condign punishment; my whole fafety depends upon myself: which renders it the more indispensably neceffary for me, to take care that my conduct be clear and unexceptionable. Befides, I am well aware, my countrymen, that the eye of the public is upon me; and that, though the impartial, who prefer the real advantage of the commonwealth to all other confiderations, favour my pretenfions, the Patricians want nothing fo much, as an occafion against me. It is, therefore, my fixed refolution, to ufe my best endeavours, that you be not disappointed in me, and that their indirect defigns against me may be defeated.

I have, from my youth, been familiar with toils, and with dangers. I was faithful to your intereft, my countrymen, when I ferved you for no reward, but that of honour. It is not my defign to betray you, now that you have conferred upon me a place of profit. You have committed to my conduct, the war against Jugurtha. The Patricians are offended at this. But, where would be the wisdom of giving fuch a command to one of their honourable body? a perfon of illuftrious birth, of ancient family, of innumerable ftatues, but-of no experience! What service would his long line of dead ancestors,

or