σε 66 "lefs: it melts them into Tears. When "I endeavour'd to perfwade, the People "of Cafarea in Mauritania to abolish a Combat among the Citizens, in which Relations, Brothers, Fathers, and Sons, « being divided into two Party's, fought publickly for several Days, at a certain "time of the Year; and every Man en"deavour'd to kill the Perfon he attack't: According to the utmost of my Ability, I us'd the moft pathetick Expref"fions to extirpate fuch a cruel inveterate "Cuftom from the Minds and Manners "of this People, However I thought "I had done nothing, while I only heard "their Acclamations. But their Tears "gave me foine Hope: Their Applaufes "fhew'd that I had inftructed them ; "and that they were pleas'd with my "Difcourfe but their Tears declar'd "that their Minds were chang'd. When "I faw them weep, I believ'd that this "horrible Cuftom they had receiv'd from "their Ancestors, and been fo long en"flav'd to, wou'd be abolish't 'Tis 66 now eight Years ago, and upwards, and by the Grace of Go D they have "been reftrain'd from attempting any "fuch Practice." If S. AUSTIN had weaken'd his Difcourfe by the affected Ornaments of the florid kind of Rhetorick, he wou'd never have been able to to reform the People of Hippo, and Cafarea. DEMOSTHENES likewife follow'd this Rule of true Eloquence. * « Ο 4"thenians! (faid he) do not fancy that "PHILIP is like a Deity, affur'd of σε Succefs in all his Attempts. Among «those who seem devoted to his Interest, there are fomne that hate, and dread, « and envy him him ---- But your Negligence and Sloth puts all things to a « ftand -- Confider, Ο Athenians, to what "Condition ye are reduc'd. This wicked "Man is gone fo far as to leave you no « Choice betwixt Vigilance and Inacti σε * Μὴ γὰ ὡς θεῷ νομίζετ ̓ ἐκείνῳ τα παρόντα πεπηγέ και πράγματα αθάνατα, ἀλλὰ μισεῖ τὶς ἐκεῖνον, καὶ δέδιεν, ὦ ἄνδρες Αθηναῖοι, και φθονεῖ, καὶ τύ πάνυ των δοκέντων οικείως εχειν αὐτῷ κατέπληξε μου τοι ταῦτα πάντα νυ ἐκ ἔχοντα απότροφων διὰ τῶν ὑμετέραν βραδυτητα και ραθυμίας – ορατε γδ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, το πράγμα Οι προελήλυθεν ασελγείας ανθρωπG, ὃς ἐδ' αιρεσιν ὑμῖν δια δωσιν τρέπειν ἢ ἄγειν ἡσυχίαν, ἀλλ ̓ ἀπειλεῖ καὶ λόγος ὑπερη φάνες, ὥς φασι, λέγει, καὶ ἐκ' διός τέ ὅσιν ἔχων & κατέςραπε του, μένειν ἐπὶ τέτων, αλλ' αιει τι προσειε, κ κύκλῳ πανταχῆ μέλλοντας ὑμᾶς καὶ καθημες πετοιχίζει ται. Πότ' εν ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, πότε αχρὴ πράξετε; ἐπειδὰν τι γένη ; επειδὰν τὴ Δία αναγκη τις ἦ ; νὸν ἢ τί χρὴ τα γιγνομενα ηγείσαι, ἐγὼ γδ διμαι τοῖς ἐλευθέ τους μεγις την ανάγκην των πραγμάτων αιγυίην · βέλεπε, είπε μοι, ελόντες αὐτῇ πυνθάνεται και τω αγοραν, λέγεις τι καινόν ; γένοιτο νὰ ἄν τί καινότερον Μακεδών ανήρ Αθηναίος καταπολεμώ, καὶ τὰ Ελλήνων διοικῶν ; τέθνηκε Φίλιππο; & μα Δί ἀλλ ̓ ἀπενεῖ τί δ' ὑμῖν διαφέρει ; καὶ δ' ἂν ἔτΘ τι πάθη, ταχέως ὑμεῖς ἔτερον Φίλιππον ποιήσετε DEMOSTHENES in PHIL. I. vity. They say he threatens you; and "talks arrogantly. He is not content "now with what he has already conquer'd: He forms new Projects every 66 day; and lays Snares for you on all "Sides, while you continue ftill back"ward and flothful. When then, O "Athenians! when is it that ye will "do what ye ought to do? When will ye attempt fomething? When will Neceffity determine you to act? What "muft we think of what is now a-do ing? In my Opinion, no Neceffity "can be more urgent upon a free People "than what arifes from the Shame of "their past ill Conduct. Will ye ftill "wander about in publick Places, in quiring after News? What ftranger "News can there be, than that a Man "of Macedon fubdues the Athenians, " and governs all Greece? Is PHILIP "dead? fays one: No, fays another, he "is only fick. What avails it, which "he is for if he were dead, you wou'd "foon raise up another PHILIP." Here Good-Sense speaks without any other Ornament than its native Force. The Orator makes the Truth plain to all the People he awakens them: he fpurs them on to Action: he fhews them their impending Ruin. Every thing is fpoken for the common Good; not a Word to fhew his his own Wit there is no glittering Thought: all tends to instruct, and move the People. Indeed the Romans began very late to follow the Example of the Greeks, in improving polite Learning. Graijs ingenium, Graijs dedit ore rotundo The Romans were employ'd about. Excudent alij fpirantia mollius ara: Credo equidem; vivos ducent de marmore vultus. Tu regere imperio populos, Romane, memento: SALUST finely defcribes the Manners of antient Rome; even while he owns that the neglected Literature." The "moft prudent (fays he) were always "the bufyeft. No-one exercis'd his Wit 66 more * Prudentiffimus quifque negotiofus maximè erat, Ingenium nemo fine corpore exercebat. Optimus quifque facere, quam dicere; fua ab alijs benefacta laudari, quam ipfe aliorum narrare malebat. SAL. Bell. Catib. HOR. de Ar. Poet. .323-- Æn. vi *. 848. "more than his Body. The worthyest "Perfons chose rather to act wifely, than "to declaim and to have their brave "Deeds applauded by others; rather "than to busy themselves in recording "their Neighbour's good Actions. 66 : We must acknowledge however, according to LIVY's Teftimony, that a ftrong and popular Eloquence was well cultivated at Rome in the days of M Á NLIUS. This Man who had fav'd the Capitol from the Gauls, try'd to stir-up the People to Sedition. How long "(faid he) will ye be ignorant of your Strength; which Nature difcovers to "the very Beasts? Count at least how many ye are ---- I fhou'd think ye "wou'd fight more refolutely for Liber66 ty, than thofe Men for Dominion "How long will ye look upon me? Ye 66 may all of you depend on me to the "utmoft, &c." This powerful Orator perfwaded all the People to pardon him, ftretching out his Hands towards the Capitol which he had formerly fav'd. Nor cou'd his Death be obtain'd of the Multitude, * Quoufque tandem ignorabilis vires veftras, quas natura ne belluas quidem ignorare voluit? Numerate faltem quot ipfi fitis Tamen acrius crederem, vos pro libertate quam illos pro dominatione certaturos Quoufque me circumfpectabitis? Ego quidem nulli veftrum deero TIT. LIV. L. vj. ch. 18. |