to blame, or to excuse them, and very often to commend them for departing from the common forms. The Old Teftament has nothing of this nature, but what, for ought that can now be known, was most proper in the Hebrew tongue, whatever it may be in others. And as to the New Teftament, it is penned in fuch words, and in fuch conftruction of Grammar, as might render it most useful, not according to the Attick, or any other dialect, which was known to fo few in comparison, that it was confined, as it were, to one Country, or known only to the Learned in others; but in fuch Greek, as was generally understood in the remote and numerous Nations, where that Language was spoken. For which reafon fo many expreffions are taken from the Tranflation of the Septuagint, which was fo much in ufe amongst the Profelytes in all parts of the world. In the Preface to the Book of Ecclefiafticus it is obferved, that the fame things uttered in Hebrew and tranflated into another Tongue, have not the fame force in them; and *St Jerom fhews, that there was a neceffity of ad Amos. making ufe of fuch words, as were first taken v. 8. & in from the Heathen Fables, in tranflating the Epift. ad Scriptures, which had no affinity to them: but when men speak or write, they must do it so as to be understood, unless they will do it to no purpose; and therefore must take fuch words as are to be had, and are intelligible to thofe for whose benefit they write, and they muf

* Hieron.

Galat. 3.

*

2.

must be contented too with fuch Grammatical construction, as well as with fuch words, as fhall be found expedient to the end for which they write. Sometimes again it was neceffa Hieron. in Galat.1, ry to frame new words, to exprefs the Propriety of the Hebrew Language, as Tully has done in his Books of Philofophy, to explain in Latin the terms of it in the Greek tongue. And in all respects men must accommodate themfelves to their fubject, and to the capacities of thofe for whom they undertake to difcourfe upon it.

II. Metaphors, and Rhetorical Schemes or Figures of Speech. Men differ as much in their forms and schemes of speaking, as they do in their manners or customs, or in their complexions and difpofitions. Every man has fomething peculiar in his way of exprefling himself, which is fo easily diftinguished by good Criticks from that of others, that they feldom fail in it, tho there can be no abfolute

cod. cclxy.

certainty in things of this nature. And † Pho-t Phot. tius obferving that fome Orations which pass under the name of Demosthenes, were, by reafon of the difference of ftyle, afcribed by certain Criticks to other Authors, makes this remark, that he had often taken notice of a great refemblance in the ftyle of Orations made by different Authors, and of as great an unlikeness in the ftyle of thofe made by the fame man. But the different character and manner of ftyle in the feveral Countries and

Nations

runt ap

quam adi

patæ di&ti

Orator.

Cic. Brut.

Nations of the world is much more easily difcerned, than it can be in particular men of the

fame Country. Thr people of Caria, Phrygia *Adfcive- and Myfia were not at all polite and neat *, tum fuis fays Tully, and therefore they loved a grofs auribus o- and flovenly kind of difcourfe, which the Rhopimum dians, not far diftant from them, never apquoddam & tan- proved of, and the other Greeks liked it much lefs, but the Athenians could not endure it. onis ge†There were three kinds of style among the nus. Cic. Greeks, the Attick, the Afiatick and the Rho+ Quintil. dian; and Tully befides makes the Afiatick Inftit. lib. twofold. The Attick was close and compre12. C. IO. henfive the Afiatick was quite contrary to this, and was very lofty, figurative and copious; which fome affigned to other caufes, but Quintilian more truly thinks it proceeded from the different nature and temper of the Athenians and Afiaticks. The third kind of ftyle was the Rhodian, which was of a middle nature betwixt the other two, neither so concife as the Attic, nor so redundant as the Afiatick, but was a mixture of both; the Genius of that people inclining rather to the Afiatick, but Afchines in his Banishment at Rhodes reformed their style, and fashioned it after the Attick manner, as far as the Rhodian Genius would admit of it.

It would be endless to make observations upon particular Authors. Xenophon and Plato have not escaped the Cenfure of Longinus; and Demofthenes and Cicero, befides what hath

been

fine venia

been objected to them in particular, fall under the general cenfure, which Seneca paffeth Nullum upon all Authors of the greatest Fame and placuit inMerit; but he adds, that there is no certain genium. rule for Style, which is continually altered by Da mihi the use and custom of the place.

quem cun

que vis magni no

minis virum, dicam, quid illi ætas fua ignoverit, quid in illo Sciens diffimulaverit. Sen. Epift. cxiv.

Cafari, fratri meo, Salutem plurimam diftanti

an. Mar

+ Ricant's

Both the Language and Actions of the Eastern Nations, especially in the earlier ages of the world, had fomething more vehement and paffionate in them, than those of these Western Countreys. The Stiles and Titles of of their Kings are a remarkable instance of this; witness that of Sapores, Rex Regnum Sapor,* Ammiparticeps fiderum, frater Solis & Luna Conftanti cellino. And lib. 14. C. they retain the like Titles to this day; † the; Grand Signior's is in fome things the fame, in Hift. lib. 1. others more extravagant; he is ftiled, God on . 2. Earth, the Shadow of God, Brother to the Sun and Moon, the Giver of all Earthly Crowns. The King of Ethiopia calls himself, the King at whofe Name the Lyons tremble. David, K. of Ethiop. The Romans themselves, who used greater in Geddes modesty of style, and more gravity in their Church Hift. of actions than many other Nations, practis'd di- Ethiop. vers things in their Orations and Pleadings, which amongst us would be very strange and Lic. de abfurd. Thus † C. Gracchus, a great and po- 3. Quinpular Orator at Rome, was wont to have one til. infli

Letter of

Orat. lib.

tut, lib.1.

ftand C. 10.

P, Sextio.

ib. lib. 6.

C. I.

stand behind him with a Flute, to give him the true Key, to which he was to raise his voice; which would go near to make the best Orator amongst us ridiculous. It was cuftomary likewife with the Romans, to use all arts to raise the paffions, by Actions and Reprefen* Cic. pro tations as well as by Words: *Sometimes they would hang up a Picture, representing the Fact about which they were to speak; and the * Accufers were wont to produce in open Court a Bloody Sword, or the Garments of the Wounded, and the Bones, if any had been taken out of their Wounds, or to unbind the Quintil. wounds, or fhew the Scars. † Quarum rerum irgens plerumque vis eft, velut in rem prefentem animos hominum ducentium, Thefe and other things more strange to us, were practifed' by the most famous Orators of their times amongst the Romans, by which they spoke to the eyes, as it were, of their Hearers, and therefore thefe may well be reckoned amongst the Fi* Cic. O-gures and Modes of Rhetorick, whereby they Nulla gained upon the affections of the people * perturba- Tully tells us of himself,that he took up a Child tio animi, fometimes, and held it in his arms to move poris; compaffion; and that when M. Callidius had frons non accufed 2. Gallins of an attempt to poisonpercuffa, non fe- him, and had made it out by clear proof, he mur pe urged this as a fufficient objection against all dis (quod that Callidins had faid, that he had not exmum eft) preft any paffion in his pleading, he had nulla fup- not fmote his Forehead, or his Thigh,

rator.

nulla cor

mini

plofio.

Cic. Brut.

nor