CONTENTS.

EPISTLE DEDICATORY.

ONCERNING Publick Lectures. Ob-
jection against them confidered and answer-
ed. Ufual Form, capable of Amendment.
Inftance from the prefent Oratory-Lecture.
Farther Improvement hereof propofed. Ufe-
fulness hereof. Hence Motives to the Publica-
tion of the prefent Lectures. Infcription.

LECTURE THE FIRST.
Introduction.-Difficulty of the Work.-Encou-
raging Circumftances. Excellence of Elo-
quence. Comparison of it with Science.
Examples of it's powerful Influence. Objecti-
on anfwered. Difficulty of Oratory. Of Ge-
nius, Application, Tafte. Miftake concern-
ing this. Remarks concerning the Manner in
which the following Lectures are written.-
Why in English?-Why intermingled with
Poetry? Pronunciation why flightly treated of?
b
LECTURE

LECTURE THE SECOND.

Containing an Account of the Rife and Progrefs

of Eloquence among the Antients.-Plan of the

following Lectures.-Oratory why first culti-

vated. Why in free States? Why not in the

Eaft? Why most in Greece? Principally why

in Athens? PERICLES. Of the Sophifts. Of

the two great Hiftorians. Character of

Ifocrates. Of Demofthenes. Two Remarks

upon the Hiftory of Eloquence among the Ro-

mans.

Why Poely cultivated before Profe.

Why it furvived Profe. Two Caufes of the

Decay of Eloquence among the Greeks. Simi-

litude in it's decaying among the Romans.

Comparison of the Greek and Roman Elo-

quence.

Preference given to the former. -For four Rea-
fons.

LECTURE THE THIRD.

Containing an Abstract of the two most famous

Treatifes concerning this Art, remaining from

Antiquity.

Of Ariftotle's Rhetorick. Two Remarks useful

to the right understanding of this Treatife.

First, it was written to remove two general

Miftakes. Secondly, Caution not to expect

more in this Work than the Author intended.

Advantages arifing from the Study of it. Two

mentioned. Defign and Method of the Treatife

de Oratore. Comparison of these two.

LECTURE

LECTURE THE FOURTH.

The Temple of Eloquence, a Vifion. Introduction.
Account of this Piece when written. Afcent
to the Palace or Temple. Defcription of the
firft Apartments. Whom the Writer faw there.
Character of Quintilian. Introduction of
Marcus Rufus. Harangue of Longinus, with
Character of him. Inner Part of the Temple.
Goddess and her Attendants. Sudden Change
of the Scene. Defcription of the new Objects
exhibited to the Writer. Prediction and Ad-
vice of Mercury. Conclufion of the Vifion.

LECTURE THE FIFTH.

Continuation of the Hiftory of Eloquence,

Among the Moderns. Method, proposes to make

Remarks on the State of Eloquence fince the Re-

floration of Letters; fecondly, to point out Ufes

of thefe Reflexions. First, it's State in Italy.

In France. In England. Of the Language

of this latter. Remarkable Writers in feveral

Periods. Epigrammatick Turn. Comparison of

Languages. Thofe of the Antients why beft.

Caution about writing in them. Of the Eng-

lish Language. Writers incorrect; Inftances

from the best modern Poet, and best Writer of

Profe. Productions, wherein each Country

bath excelled. Of Hiftorians. Of Spanish Lan-

guage and Writers. Eloquence of the Bar im-

perfect. Whence. Two Caufes affigned.

LECTURE

b2

LECTURE THE SIXTH.

Continuation. England excels in the Eloquence
of the Pulpit. Caufe hereof. Of Arch-bishop

Tillotfon.

Second Article; Ufes derived from this Account.
Firft, Encouragement to write. Secondly, That
Oratory is an Art to which Rules are useful.
Thirdly, Whom we are to study most carefully,
and to what End. Points and fanciful Orna-
ments. Inftances from English Translation of
the Iliad. Fourth Ufe, Enquire why fo few
have been great Orators. Of writing in dead
Languages. Neglect of Greek Tongue a Fault
in Education. Tranfition to next Lecture.

LECTURE THE SEVENTH.

Of Imitation. It's Usefulness; and fecondly, Rules

of good Imitation. First, Arguments drawn

from Experience and Reafon. 1ft. Homer

probably had Models which he improved upon.

All Greeks and Romans imitated him. 2dly.

Arguments from Reafon drawn from human

Nature. Inftance of the Painter Raphael Ur-

bin. Object. Anfwer. 1ft. Excellent Ori-

ginals very rare. 2dly. Such faulty: Inftances

Shakefpear, Correggio. Imitation may burt:

Rules. First Rule, propofe the best Pattern.

Second, moft fuitable. Third, Follow not too

clofely. Fourth, not confined to one. Fifth,

Regard Circumftances of Time, Place, &c.

Fault of Sannazario, Michael Angelo. Sixth,

Be

Be not a meer Imitator. Not of Moderns, or
at least with much Caution.

LECTURE THE EIGHTH.

Of Reafon. Unjuft Cenfure of Eloquence. Opi-
nion of Lord Bacon. First End to convince.
Sagacity and Method. Of Topicks, recom-
mended by Lord Bacon. Practice of the Anti-
ents. Arguments ufed by Logician and Orator.
Ufe of Logick. More efpecially of Geometry.
Knowlege of the Subject. Two Advantages.
Method of the Oration for the Crown. Use of
Reading. Caution herein.

LECTURE THE NINTH.

Continuation of the foregoing. Queftion concern-

ing Arrangement of Arguments. Cautions -

neceffary. Arguments from Authority. From

Hiftory. Proofs rising from, or mixed with

Narration. Difference between that of an

Hiftorian and Orator. Of anfwering Objecti-

ons. Ridicule. Oftentation of Science. Rules.

Conclufion of two Kinds.

LECTURE THE TENTH.

Of Addrefs to the Paffions.

Miftake concerning the Operations of the Mind.

Origin of Paffions. All reduced to two. Paf-

fions Actions of the Will. Not to be con-

demned. Ufeful. How governable by the

Mind. How the Evils fuftained by others affect

the Paffions. Why do Objects which disgust,

yet