Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres, Volume 2A. Strahan, 1801 - English language |
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Page 2
... must flow from a mind warmed by the object which it feeks to defcribe ; we fhould never interrupt the courfe of thought to caft about for figures . If they be fought after coolly , • and fastened on as defigned ornaments , they will ...
... must flow from a mind warmed by the object which it feeks to defcribe ; we fhould never interrupt the courfe of thought to caft about for figures . If they be fought after coolly , • and fastened on as defigned ornaments , they will ...
Page 5
... must add , concerning those figures which are proper " in themselves , that as they beautify a compofition when they are seasonably introduced , fo they deform it greatly , if " too frequently fought after . There are fome , who ...
... must add , concerning those figures which are proper " in themselves , that as they beautify a compofition when they are seasonably introduced , fo they deform it greatly , if " too frequently fought after . There are fome , who ...
Page 6
... must be derived from nature . Its redundancies we may prune , its deviations we may correct , its fphere we way enlarge ; but the faculty itself we cannot create : and all efforts towards a metapho- rical ornamented ftyle , if we are ...
... must be derived from nature . Its redundancies we may prune , its deviations we may correct , its fphere we way enlarge ; but the faculty itself we cannot create : and all efforts towards a metapho- rical ornamented ftyle , if we are ...
Page 12
... must be directed by the nature of the compofi- tion . Difcourfes that are to be spoken , require a more copious ftyle , than books that are to be read . When the whole meaning must be catched from the mouth of the speaker , without the ...
... must be directed by the nature of the compofi- tion . Difcourfes that are to be spoken , require a more copious ftyle , than books that are to be read . When the whole meaning must be catched from the mouth of the speaker , without the ...
Page 22
... must not look for much ornament and grace in his language . His haughty and morofe genius , made him despise any embellishment of this kind as beneath his dignity . He delivers his sentiments in a plain , downright , pofitive manner ...
... must not look for much ornament and grace in his language . His haughty and morofe genius , made him despise any embellishment of this kind as beneath his dignity . He delivers his sentiments in a plain , downright , pofitive manner ...
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Common terms and phrases
Addiſon affembly againſt alfo alſo appears arguments beauty becauſe buſineſs cafe caufe cauſe character Cicero cloſe Cluentius compofition concife confequence confiderable conftruction courſe defign Demofthenes difcourfe diffuſe diftinct diftinguiſhed diſcourſe diſcovered eaſily elegant eloquence employed Engliſh expreffed expreffion faid fame feems fenfe fentence fentiments fermon feveral fhall fhould fhow fimple fimplicity firft firſt fome fometimes ftate ftill ftrain ftrength ftrong ftudy ftyle fubject fuch genius give greateſt hearers higheſt himſelf idea illuftration imagination impreffion inftance intereft itſelf juft laft language lefs looſe manner meaſure mind moft moſt muft muſt nature neceffary obferve object occafion Oppianicus orator ornament ourſelves paffion perfons perfpicuous perfuade phraſe pleaſe pleaſures poffible praiſe prefent profe proper public fpeaking purpoſe raiſe reaſon refpect reft rife ſay ſcene ſenſe ſeveral ſhow ſome ſpeaker ſpeaking ſtudied ſtyle ſuch thefe themſelves theſe thing thofe thoſe thought tion underſtanding uſeful words writers
Popular passages
Page 64 - Delightful scenes, whether in nature, painting, or poetry, have a kindly influence on the body as well as the mind ; and not only serve to clear and brighten the imagination, but are able to disperse grief and melancholy, and to set the animal spirits in pleasing and agreeable motions.
Page 113 - I do not know whether I am singular in my opinion, but, for my own part, I would rather look upon a tree in all its luxuriancy and diffusion of boughs and branches, than when it is thus cut and trimmed into a mathematical figure ; and cannot but fancy that an orchard in flower looks infinitely more delightful than all the little labyrinths of the most finished parterre.
Page 73 - Such wide and undetermined prospects are as pleasing to the fancy as the speculations of eternity or infinitude are to the understanding. But if there be a beauty or uncommonness...
Page 61 - A man of a polite imagination is let into a great many pleasures that the vulgar are not capable of receiving. He can converse with a picture, and find an agreeable companion in 'a statue. He meets with a secret refreshment in a description, and often feels a greater satisfaction in the prospect of fields and meadows, than another does in the possession.
Page 73 - On the contrary, a spacious horizon is an image of liberty, where the eye has room to range abroad, to expatiate at large on the immensity of its views, and to lose itself amidst the variety of objects that offer themselves to its observation. Such wide and undetermined prospects are as pleasing to the fancy as the speculations of eternity or infinitude are to the understanding.
Page 74 - We are indeed so often conversant with one set of objects, and tired out with so many repeated shows of the same things, that whatever is new or uncommon contributes a little to vary human life, and to divert our minds, for a while, with the strangeness of its appearance. It serves us for a kind of refreshment, and takes off from that satiety we are apt to complain of, in our usual and ordinary entertainments.
Page 98 - I have here supposed that my reader is acquainted with that great modern discovery, which is at present universally acknowledged by all the inquirers into natural philosophy: namely, that light and colours, as apprehended by the imagination, are only ideas in the mind, and not qualities that have any existence in matter.
Page 72 - The mind of man naturally hates every thing that looks like a restraint upon it...
Page 111 - A marsh overgrown with willows, or a mountain shaded with oaks, are not only more beautiful, but more beneficial, than when they lie bare and unadorned. Fields of corn make a pleasant prospect ; and if the walks were a little taken care of that lie between them, if the natural embroidery of the meadows were...
Page 394 - Do you ride to town to-day ?" is capable of no fewer than four different acceptations, according as the emphasis is differently placed on the words. If it be pronounced thus : " Do you ride to town to-day ?" the answer may naturally be, " No, we send a servant in our stead.