Puslapio vaizdai
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carry her into his retirements: fhew her the prophet's chamber, his concubines, " and wives; let her fee his adultery, and "hear him alledge revelation, and his divine' ❝ commiffion, `ta juftify his luft, and his " oppreffion, When the is tired with this profpect, then fhew her the bleffed Jefus, "humble and meck, doing good to all the "fons of men, patiently inftructing both the "ignorant and the perverfe: let her fee him "in his most retired privacies; let her fol"low him to the mount, and hear his devo ❝tions and fupplications to God: carry "her to his table to view his poor fare, and "hear his heavenly discourse: let her fee "him injured, but not provoked; let her "attend him to the tribunal, and confider "the patience with which he endured the "fcoffs and reproaches of his enemies: lead "her to his crofs; and let her view him in "the agonies of death, and hear his last

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prayer for his perfecutors-Father, for

give them, for they know not what they * do!

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"When natural Religion has viewed both, "afk, Which is the prophet of God? But "her answer we have already had: when "fhe faw part of this fcene through the eyes "of the centurion, who attended at the "crofs; by him fhe spoke, and faid, "Truly, this man was the fon of God !"

In the admirable enthufiafm of the late Dr." YOUNG'S Night-Thoughts, an instance of amplification more folemnly descriptive may be fingled out from many others of the fort, Night IX. P. 12. Vol. IV. Oct. Edit. The length of the quotation might be atoned for from the rich variety of its beauties.

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XI.

HE critic, having expofed false definitions of amplification, made by feveral predeceffors, proceeds to his own fentiments thereon, and enters upon a comparison between

between PLATO and DEMOSTHENES, and from thence, between DEMOSTHENES and the Roman orator. It is evident, that he aims to prove the different effects of amplification and concisenefs on different writers, engaged in the fame task of literature.

The fources of fublime writing are various as the variety of writers. PLATO poffeffes fublimity; it confists in an elegant sweetness of expreffion. DEMOSTHENES is fublime; his fentiments are nervous, and his ftyle inflammatory. The fublimity of TULLY is formed from his "copia verborum :" his diction exhibits the powers of redundancy. In PLATO we are ravifhed with the pure flow of a filver ftream. The current of DEMOSTHENES is majestically violent. The Roman, though more ferene, wants not rapidity. In one particular, PLATO cannot properly be compared to the others. Oratory is declamation, improved by strength of reasoning, interspersed with the fallies of genius, which "modò me Thebis, modò ponit Athenis :"

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but PLATO is the immediate philofopher of the Mufes; his province is, to captivate that of the others, to overpower.

To this of PLATO, DEMOSTHENES, and CICERO, I beg leave to add, as more obvious examples, HOMER, VIRGIL, and MILTON. VIRGIL excells in a fubdued elegance of style, and a judicious propriety of imagination. HOMER is the fource of defcription. Our admirable country-man engages the mind, with a more artful vein of fancy, and a native glow of genius, which boasts a more lafting efficacy than the judgement of the firft, or the majefty of the latter. Our admiration increases as we read: we find a heat that warms, but does not burn: his rays, have a fplendid mildnefs, which induced DRYDEN juftly to pronounce (though at other times he whimfically depreciated his merits) that to make MILTON,

"The force of Nature join'd the former two."

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MULATION is the fpur to glory. In moral life the best men are fet before us as examples: in the literary life the beft authors are confulted for our direction. As it is no diminution to a man's moral character, that he imitates a virtuous difpofition; it cannot, on the other hand, reflect difcredit to the reputation of an author, if he treads in the fteps of fuperior genius. HOMER was the fountain-head, from which even PLATO drew many admirable reflections: a fpirit, which those only fhould allow themselves to defpife, who have emulated the fame of PLATO. If fuch imitations only had been indulged, we should have little reafon to fecond the reflection of the poet-" Odi "imitatores:" though we, alas! know very

few

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