Lord; and mankind will fee, that, without confidering the unworthinefs of the ambaffador, you refpected nothing in him but the power of the Mafter who fent him.

For it is not only in the name of the inhabitants of Antioch that I appear in this place; I am come from the fovereign Loid of men and angels to declare to you, that, if you pardon men their faults, the heavenly Father will pardon yours. Call to mind, great Prince, that tremendous day, when you will appear before the King of Kings, to give an account of your actions. You are going to pronounce your own fentence. Other ambaffadors ufed to difplay magnificent prefents before the Princes to whom they were fent as for me, I offer nothing to your Majesty but the holy book of the Gofpels; and I dare exhort you to imitate your Mafter, who does good every day to those who infult him.

He at length concludes his difcourfe, by affuring the Emperor, that, if he refufed that unfortunate city the pardon fhe fued for, he would never return to it, nor ever confider that city as his country, which the mildest Prince upon earth looks upon with indignation, and could not prevail with himself to pardon.

Theodofius was not able to refift the force of this fpeech. He could fcarce fupprefs his tears; and, diffembling the emotion he was in, as much as poffible, he fpoke thefe few words to the Patriarch: If Jefus Chrift, God as he is, was willing to pardon the men who crucified him, ought I to make any difficulty to pardon my fubjects who have offended me, I who am but a mortal man like them, and a fervant of the fame Mafter? Upon this Flavian proftrated himself, wifhing him all the profperity he deferved for this noble action. And as that Prelate expreffed a defire of pafing the feaft of Eafter at Conftantinople: Go, father, fays Theodofius, embracing him, and do not delay one moment the confolation which your people will receive by your return, and the affurances you

will give of the pardon I grant them. I know they are ftill grieved and afraid. Go then, and carry the pardon of their crime for the feaft of Eafter. Pray that God may blefs my arms, and be affured, that, after this war, I will go in perfon, and comfort the city of Antioch.

The holy prelate fet out immediately; and, to haften the joy of the citizens, he difpatched a more expeditious courier than himself, who freed the city from its uneafinefs and alarms.

I once more beg pardon for the length of this kind of digreffion. I imagined, that the extract of this elegant homily might be as useful to youth, as any paffage in profane authors. There would be room for many reflections, especially on two characters, which, though feemingly incompatible, are united, however, in Flavian's oration; the humility and proftrate fubmiffion of a fuppliant, with the magnificence and greatness of a Bishop, but which are fo modified, that they mutually fupport each other. We at fiist behold the Bifhop trembling, intreating, and, as it were, lying down at the Emperor's feet. But afterwards, towards the end of the difcourfe, he appears invefted with all the fplendor and majefty of the Lord, whose minister he is. He commands, he threatens, he intimidates; but ftill humble in his elevation. But I will content myself with the reflection which naturally arifes from the fubject which gave me occafion to relate this ftory. In my opinion, these two difcourfes of Flavian and Theodofius may be propofed as an excellent model in this fpecies of mild and tender paffions. I do not pretend thereby to exclude the strong and violent ones with which they are fometimes blended; but, if I am not mistaken, the former are predominant.

VOL. II.

K

SECTION

SECTION III.

OF THE ELOQUENCE OF THE BAR. THE rules I have hitherto given upon eloquence, being for the most part borrowed from Cicero and Quintilian, who applied themfelves chiefly in forming orators for the bar, might be fufficient for fuch young gentlemen as are defigned for that honourable profeffion. I thought, however, that I was obliged to add fome more particular reflections, which may ferve them as guides, to point out to them the paths they are to follow. I fhall firft examine what models must be propofed to form the ftyle fuitable to the bar, and will afterwards fpeak of the means which youth may employ, to prepare themfelves for pleading. And I shall conclude with collecting fome of Quintilian's fineft observations upon the manners and character of pleaders. XXXXXXXXXXXXX

ARTICLE

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I.

Of the models of Eloquence proper for the Bar. HAD we the harangues and pleadings of the great number of able orators, who for fome years have made the French bar fo famous, and of those who still appear at it with so much luftre, we should be able to find in them certain rules and perfect models of eloquence. But the few performances we have of this kind oblige us to have recourse to the fource itfelf; and to fearch in Athens and Rome for those things which the modesty of our orators (perhaps exceffive in this refpect) does not permit us to find at home.

Demofthenes and Cicero, by the confent of all ages, and of all the learned, have been the moft diftinguished for the eloquence of the bar; and confequently their ftyle may be proposed to youth, as a model they may fafely imitate. It would be neceffary, for that purpose, to make them well acquainted with it, to be careful in obferving the character, and to make them fenfible of the differences in it; but this

cannot

cannot be done without reading and examining their works. Thofe of Cicero are in every one's hands, and therefore well enough known. But it is not fo with Demofthenes's orations; and, in an age fo learned and polite as ours, it muft feem aftonishing, that, fince Greece has been always confidered as the firft and moft perfect school of eloquence and good tafte, we fhould be fo careless, especially with regard to the bar, in confulting the great mafters fhe has given us in that kind; and that, in case it was not thought neceffary to bestow much time upon their excellent leffons, we fhould not, at least, have the curiofity to take but a curfory view of them; and hear them, as it were, at a distance, in order to examine ourselves if it be true, that the eloquence of those famous orators is as admirable as it is declared to be; and if it fully answers the reputation they have acquired.

In order to inable young people, and those who have not studied Greek, to form fome idea of Demofthenes's ftyle, I fhall here tranfcribe feveral paffages from his orations, which indeed will not be fufficient to exhibit that great orator in the glorious light he ought to be fhewn, nor perhaps to give models of his eloquence in all its kinds; but they will contribute at least to display fome part of him, and his principal characteriftics. I fhall add to this fome paffages from the harangue which Æfchines, his competitor and rival, pronounced against him, and borrow M. Tourreil's tranflation; I mean the laft, which is much more laboured, and more correct, than the former ones. I fhall, however, fometimes take the liberty to make a few small alterations, because, on one hand, there are a great number of low and trivial expreffions in it, and,

y Ego idem exiftimavi pecudis effe, non hominis, cum tantas res Græci fufciperent, profiterentur, agerent. ... non admovere aurem, nec, fi palam audire eos non auderes, ne minueres apud tuos cives auctoritatem tuam, fubaufcultando

and, on the other, the ftyle is fometimes too fwelling and bombaftica: faults directly contrary to the character of Demofthenes, whofe eloquence was at the fame time very fimple and very magnificent. M. de Maucroy has tranflated fome of his orations. His verfion, though lefs correct in fome paffages, feems to me more agreeable to the genius of the Greek orator. I partly make ufe of it in the firft extract I here give, which is taken from the firft Philippic.