Of Style, and its Kinds.

Of the low

Style.

Of the mean
Style.

Of the fublime
Style.

the Eyes; and the Art of the Orator fhould oblige us with the additional Pleasure of a Sight and Profpect of what Nature has only qualified us to bear and understand.

BEFORE we quit this Subject, it may not be amifs to fay fomewhat concerning Style, Charaiter, or Manner of Writing and Speaking. This is of three Kinds. (1.) The magnific and fublime. (2.) The mean and equable; and (3.) The low and fimple Style.

THE low or bumble Style is a Diction pure, decent, and native, but not rude and uncouth; is close, modeft, gently flowing, elegant, and fimple; and though it rifes not to Pomp and Ornament, yet it rejects the vulgar ways of Expreffion, and requires a comely Drefs. Virgil's Bucolics may be ftudied for a Specimen of this Sort of Style or Dillion.

THE mean and equable Style rifes fomewhat higher, and is more frequent in Tropes, but yet modeft ones; is pretty florid with Figures, pleafant in Epifodes and Digreffions; flowing with Sentences, yet gently, like a River whofe Waters glide murmuring over the Stones between its Banks, painted on either Side with Flowers, and variously shaded with Woods. For this read Virgil's Georgics.

THE fublime and magnific Style admits of nothing mean or low throughout the whole, no not so much as a fingle Sentence; if any fuch Thing be obferv'd, though all befides be faid ever fo well, it will lofe the Character of the Sublime. It confifts in a moft exquifite Choice of Words, polite and elegant, bold and ponderous; great Dignity of Tropes and Figures, which it ufeth with the utmoft Freedom, Splendid and noble, but not dazzling; folemn Majesty of Sentences, abounding with grand and awful Ideas; and all

other

other magnificent Furniture of Periods, Numbers, &c. This not only terrifies with Thunder, and flashes with Lightning, but ftrikes with Thunderbolts: Or like a mighty rapid Torrent, inlarg'd with Winter Snows, or Mountain Streams, which furiously bears down Bridges, Banks and FloodGates, lays waste the Fields, overturns the Rocks, and where it finds no way, will force one; fo it bears away with itself the Hearer and Adverfary, and forces them to go wherever it pleases to ravish them. This glorious Strain of Rhetoric runs through the Eneid, which is perhaps the nobleft Inftance of the Sublime that we can read. If any thing common there occurs, it receives a peculiar Turn, and is exalted by fome Trope, or beautified with a Figure. Thus inftead of Wine, Fire, Bread; Bacchus chears, Vesta warms, and Ceres fatiates Hunger.

191

193

Of LOGIC, or the ART of

REASONING.

OGIC is the Art of juft Reafon- LOGIC
ing; or, it is the Skill of ufing defined.
rightly the Faculties of the Mind
to the Purposes of discovering
Truth or Error.

ties and Ope

rations

THE Faculties or Powers of the of the Facul Mind, whofe Operations are more immediately of the concerned in Logic, are four. (1.) Perception, Mind concern'd Conception, or Apprehenfion, is that Act of the therein. Mind which perceives and contemplates the Species Perception. of external Objects offered to the Mind by the Senfes, and whereby we become confcious of them. (2.) Judgment; this is that Operation of the Mind Judgment. whereby we compare two or more Ideas together, and from viewing them we difcover, and accordingly affirm or deny fome Property of them; as, Fire is bet; mere Matter cannot think, &c. (3.) Reasoning, Argumentation, or Ratiocination, Reasoning. is that Action of the Mind whereby we infer one Thing, or one Propofition, from two or more Propofitions premifed. Thus when I have judged that Man cannot be the Caufe of himself originally, and yet he is the Effect of fome Caufe, I muft neceffarily infer and conclude, the Caufe of Man's Existence is fomething external and different from bimfelf, which we call GoD. (4.) Difpofition; Difpofition. this is that Faculty of the Mind whereby it puts the Ideas or Conceptions in fuch an Order as is moft fitting to give a clear View, and yield the O compleatest

Ideas, what.

All Ideas ac

quired by SenJation or Reflection.

Themes, what.

Of Being and
Not-being.

Subftance.

Mode.

ous Kinds:

Simple.

compleatest Knowledge of them; and for an Inftance thereof, you may take this very Description of the four Operations of the Mind, and their Effects. The Effect of this Operation is call'd Method.

THE firft of thefe Operations or Faculties of the Mind is converfant about Ideas. An Idea is the Image or Reprefentation of Objects in the Mind: Thus the Notion or Form of a Horse, a Tree, a Man, &c. as it exifteth in the Mind, is call'd the Idea of a Horfe, a Tree, or a Man.

ALL Ideas become the Objects of the Mind, or are there prefented to the Judgment, either (1.) By the Perception of the Senfes, by means of the Nerves, which we call Senfation: or (2.) By the Meditation of the Mind, which we call Reflection.

THE Objects of Perception, which are the Archetypes of our Ideas, are call'd Themes, whether they are Beings or Not-beings, or Entities or Non-entities; for Non-existence may be propofed to our Minds, as well as real Existence or Being.

Being is that which is or doth really and actually exist, and therefore call'd Existence; Not-being is that which hath no Being or Existence in Nature, and is call'd Non-existence. Again; every Being is confidered as fubfifting either (1.) in and by itself, and that is call'd a Substance; or, (2.) it fubfifts in and by another, and then 'tis call'd a Mode or Manner of Being. Thus a Body, as my Pen is a Subftance, and its Figure or Shape the Mcde.

Of Subftances, OF Subftances fome are Simple, others Comand the vari- pound: Simple Substances are thofe which are perfectly homogeneous, or without any Mixture or Compofition of different Natures in them: as (1.) Spirits; fuch we conceive GOD to be, and the Angelic Species: or (2.) The Elements of Natural Bodies, or thofe first Principles, or fimple Corpufcles of which all material Bodies do originally confift.