,,the ,,augustan ,,reprint ,,society ,,thomas ,,sheridan ,a ,,discourse ,,being ,,introductory ,,to ,,his ,,course ,,of ,,lectures ,,on ,,elocution ,,and ,,the ,,english ,,language 7#agei7 ,introduction by ,g4 ,p4 ,,mohrmann ,,publication ,,number #acf ,,william ,,andrews ,,clark ,,memorial ,,library ,,university ,,of ,,california1 ,,los ,,angeles #aifi ,,general ,,editors ,william ,e4 ,conway1 ,william ,andrews ,clark ,memorial ,library ,george ,robert ,guffey1 ,university of ,california1 ,los ,angeles ,maximillian ,e4 ,novak1 ,university of ,california1 ,los ,angeles ,,associate ,,editor ,david ,s4 ,rodes1 ,university of ,california1 ,los ,angeles ,,advisory ,,editors ,richard ,c4 ,boys1 ,university of ,michigan ,james ,l4 ,clifford1 ,columbia ,university ,ralph ,cohen1 ,university of ,virginia ,vinton ,a4 ,dearing1 ,university of ,california1 ,los ,angeles ,arthur ,friedman1 ,university of ,chicago ,louis ,a4 ,landa1 ,princeton ,university ,earl ,miner1 ,university of ,california1 ,los ,angeles ,samuel ,h4 ,monk1 ,university of ,minnesota ,everett ,t4 ,moore1 ,university of ,california1 ,los ,angeles ,lawrence ,clark ,powell1 ,william ,andrews ,clark ,memorial ,library ,james ,sutherland1 ,university ,college1 ,london ,h4 ,t4 ,swedenberg1 ,jr41 ,university of ,california1 ,los ,angeles ,robert ,vosper1 ,william ,andrews ,clark ,memorial ,library ,,corresponding ,,secretary ,edna ,c4 ,davis1 ,william ,andrews ,clark ,memorial ,library ,,editorial ,,assistant ,mary ,kerbret1 ,william ,andrews ,clark ,memorial ,library ,,introduction ,thomas ,sheridan 7#agah-aghh7 devoted his life to enterprises within the sphere of spoken ,english1 and although he achieved more than common success in all his undertakings1 it was his fate to have his reputation eclipsed by more famous contemporaries and eroded by the passage of time4 ,on the stage1 he was compared favorably with ,garrick1 but his name lives in the theatre only through his son ,richard ,brinsley4 ,a leading theorist of the elocutionary movement1 his pronouncing dictionary ranks after the works of ,dr4 ,johnson and ,john ,walker1 and his entire contribution dimmed when the movement fell into disrepute4#a ,sheridan attained his greatest renown through his writing and lecturing on elocution1 and the fervor with which he pursued the study of tones1 looks1 and gestures in speaking animates ,a ,discourse ,delivered in the ,theatre at ,oxford1 in the ,senate-,house at ,cambridge1 and at ,spring-,garden in ,london4 ,this lecture1 ,being ,introductory to ,his ,course of ,lectures on ,elocution and the ,english ,language1 displays both the man and the elocutionary movement4 ,throughout the work1 ,sheridan exhibits his missionary zeal1 his dedication to a visionary hypothesis that dazzled his mind4#b ,at the same time1 he presents the basic principles of elocutionary theory and reveals the forces that made the movement a dominant pattern in ,english rhetoric4 ,it is difficult to account for ,sheridan's millennial approach to elocution1 but his absorption in language study is most understandable4 ,his father1 ,dr4 ,thomas ,sheridan1 was a minister and teacher1 judged to be a good classical scholar1 and an excellent schoolmaster4#c ,he supervised his son's early education1 and ,sheridan was being pointed toward a career as school master4 ,his exposure to1 and interest in1 ,english were reinforced by his godfather1 ,dean ,swift1 who was long an intimate of the elder ,sheridan4 ,in later years1 ,sheridan was eager to acknowledge that his attitudes had been profoundly influenced by those of ,swift4 ,to some degree ,sheridan's dedication to language study is evidenced in his theatrical activities4 ,as an undergraduate1 he wrote a play that was later published2 and almost immediately after taking his ,m4,a4 at ,trinity ,college1 he made his professional acting debut in ,dublin4 ,this was #agdc1 and forty years later he was taking part in ,attic ,entertainments1 performances consisting of recitation1 singing1 and music4#d ,a selective chronology suggests his involvement with the stage3 #agdd1 acting in ,london with ,garrick2 #agej1 acting and managing in ,dublin2 #agfj1 acting in ,london2 #aghj1 acting manager for his son at ,drury ,lane4 ,successful as an actor1 ,sheridan appears to have missed greatness because he could not overcome an inflexibility and obstinacy in personality2 and the same characteristics helped to precipitate a number of squabbles and riots that marred his managerial efforts4 ,however1 much of his frustration in the theatre must be attributed to the more compelling attraction to the theory of delivery in speaking4 ,the stage provided a practical outlet1 but ,sheridan's fascination with elocutionary theory dominated and deflected the interest in theatre4 ,that elocution was his primary concern is demonstrated in his major publications3 ,british ,education1 #agef2 ,lectures on ,elocution1 #agfb2 ,a ,plan of ,education1 #agfi2 ,lectures on the ,art of ,reading1 #agge2 and ,a ,general ,dictionary of the ,english ,language1 #aghj4 ,in all of these works the central argument remained unchanged after its initial statement in the complete title of ,british ,education4#e ,there1 ,sheridan suggested that a revival of the art of speaking would improve religion1 morality1 and constitutional government2 would undergird a refining of the language2 and would pave the way for ultimate perfection in all the arts4 ,having posited this thesis in #agef1 ,sheridan was reiterating it still in the material prefatory to his pronouncing dictionary in #aghj1 and he never rested with publication alone4 ,as early as #ageg he lectured on the principles of education1 and he first presented his course of lectures on elocution in #ageh-ei at ,oxford and ,cambridge4 ,over the years the course proved to be both popular and financially rewarding1 and ,sheridan sometimes presented the lectures in order to relieve financial embarassment4 ,nevertheless1 his devotion to the cause was the crucial factor4 ,his interest in language somehow became an almost blind devotion to spoken ,english1 and through his course he could carry his message to influential audiences in ,england1 ,ireland1 and ,scotland2 the ,edinburgh ,select ,society sponsored two series in #agfa1 and ,sheridan was lecturing on elocution as late as #aghe4 ,the ,discourse typifies ,sheridan's simplistic interpretation and the evangelistic ardor with which he addressed his audiences4 ,he was not content to fault an overemphasis in the study of ,latin1 nor was he satisfied to argue that the support of our establishments1 both ecclesiastical and civil rests upon public discussion4 ,many in his audiences would have agreed1 and few would have taken issue with the contention that the art of elocution needed further cultivation4 ,but ,sheridan pressed on to insist that the written language1 being an invention of man1 can have no natural power1 and he argued that the highest delights of aesthetic pleasures must wait upon the perfection of spoken ,english4 ,he even went so far as to suggest that the study of grammar1 rhetorick1 and oratory explained the outstanding artistic achievements of ,greece and ,rome4 ,moreover1 other benefits to society would add to the glory of the nation and to the ornament of individuals1 and of the state in general through a loosing of silent tongues4 ,sheridan dreamed that the study of elocution1 with a voice far sweeter than the syren's song1 would so entrance young students that they would linger long in native academic groves1 avoiding the baneful influence of travel abroad at the most unfit and dangerous season of life4 ,thus1 individual and social perfection had to be predicated upon the study of spoken ,english1 and ,sheridan implied that to slight this study was to offer an affront to the divine plan for earthly progress4 ,this panacean outlook prompted ,hume to remark that ,mr4 ,sheridan's ,lectures are vastly too enthusiastic4 ,he is to do every thing by ,oratory4#f ,and it is not surprising that the critical1 the ,johnsons and ,humes1 should have been distressed by ,sheridan's enthusiasm1 an enthusiasm that permitted him to posit such unlikely goals and to see himself as the sole authority on elocution4 ,yet1 for every negative reaction1 the elocutionists enlisted countless believers4 ,sheridan and other theorists capitalized upon a number of intellectual currents and social pressures of the era that centered attention upon delivery in speaking and that helped aggrandize this facet of rhetorical training4 ,a number of forces can be isolated1 but most relate to the classical inheritance1 to the belief that tones1 looks1 and gestures constitute a natural language of the passions1 and to the methodology of science4#g ,the classical inheritance was important to the elocutionists because of the impetus given to all language study4 ,sheridan did no more than echo a common complaint when he worried over the many bad consequences attending a neglect of the ,english language2 countless writers addressed themselves to a determination of phonology and pronunciation in the attempt to methodize the language4 ,furthermore1 the example of ancient oratory spoke loudly to a people striving to perfect both the individual and social institutions4 ,any educated man was expected to be able to express himself well in public1 particularly if his vocation found him in the pulpit1 the senate-house1 or at the bar4 ,the pulpit was a favorite target1 and critics regularly lamented the atrocious state of speaking in the very service of the ,most ,high4 ,the elocutionists and others appear to have been convinced that the doubt and scepticism of the age would be much relieved if only the preachers would learn to speak properly4 ,theirs seemed the best of all possible religions1 and it needed but a vitalization through adequate pulpit oratory to transcend anything accomplished by the ,popish devotees on the ,continent4 ,certainly ,sheridan's references to the ,continent also reflect a strong overlay of nationalism1 and the same spirit creeps into his worship of ,greece and ,rome2 but he and the other elocutionists knew that they owed a profound debt to classical rhetorical theory4 ,beyond supporting language study generally and beyond encouraging an interest in public speaking1 ancient rhetoric justified a concentration on delivery4 ,after centuries of a chameleon-like existence1 the complete ,ciceronian rhetoric emerged in ,england just in time to meet a savage onslaught from the methods of science and the new epistemology4#h ,eventually1 rhetoricians such as ,campbell and ,blair were to successfully blend the old and the new1 but the elocutionists found fertile ground in delivery alone4 ,they began1 as ,sheridan did1 with the testimony of ,cicero and ,quintilian because actio1 or pronuntiatio1 was one of the five established canons of classical rhetoric4 ,a favorite citation1 though ,sheridan did not use it1 was ,demosthenes' reputed response when asked to name the three most important parts of rhetoric3 ,actio1 actio1 actio4 ,the endorsement of antiquity lent powerful support to the study of delivery1 and this was the one canon that had not been subjected to regular exhaustive analyses throughout the rhetorical tradition4 ,here was a topic ripe for further investigation1 and by ,sheridan's day1 the tones1 looks1 and gestures of delivery had achieved commonplace status in discussions of man's emotions4 ,sheridan spoke as if this natural language of the passions were hardly ever thought of1 but the belief that tones1 looks1 and gestures were external signs of internal emotions was firmly established by the middle of the eighteenth century4 ,the notion has received some attention throughout western thought1 but most speculation appears to date from ,descartes' ,les ,passions de l'ame in #afej4 ,the increasing concern with mind-body problems encouraged inquiries into the nature and function of the natural language in all areas relating directly to man's emotion and its expression4 ,the topics were as various as religion and physiognomy1 but discussions of the natural language construct centered upon human communication1 particularly in the arts4 ,the construct became especially significant in analyses of painting and sculpture4 ,examples of its impress can be seen in ,le ,brun's sketches of the passions1#i in ,hogarth's having embraced the commonly received opinion1 that the face is the index of the mind1#aj and in ,dryden's contention that to express the passions which are seated in the heart1 by outward signs1 is one great precept of the painters4 ,dryden added that in poetry1 the same passions and motions of the mind are to be expressed1#aa and the natural language found its way into most discussions of tragedy and the epic4 ,other examples of literary analysis in which the construct operated include ,steele's ,prosodia ,rationalis1 ,say's ,an ,essay on ,harmony1 ,variety1 and ,power of ,numbers1 and ,kames' ,elements of ,criticism4 ,in sum1 it was almost universally accepted that the creative artist was to observe and record the natural language of the passions4 ,in ,sheridan's words1 he was to perceive and delineate the operations1 affections1 and energies1 of the mind itself 444 manifested and communicated in speech4 ,the methodology of science was indirectly responsible for giving added support to this facet of elocutionary rationale4 ,when ,british empiricism was pressed to the limit1 considerable doubt and scepticism resulted2 and the ,scottish common sense philosophy was1 in large part1 a counter response4 ,the operation of the natural language became one of the first principles of common sense2 and in their discussions of philosophy1 aesthetics1 and rhetoric1 the ,scots argued for the study of elocution4#ab ,science contributed directly to the movement by providing the framework for analysis4 ,without the empirical approach and the confidence in scientific methodology1 theorists simply would not have attempted to isolate and describe the elements in the external signs of the emotions4 ,science forced ,sheridan to think in terms of empirical observation and categorization1 and science permitted him to call for sure and sufficient rules in order that the art of speaking like that of writing 444 be reduced to a system4 ,it is even symptomatic that he should have referred to the design of the ,great ,mechanist4 ,almost as enthusiastic as ,sheridan1 a number of other elocutionists expressed similar views and found their theories invigorated by the same forces4 ,james ,burgh in the ,art of ,speaking 7#agfa71 ,john ,walker in ,elements of ,elocution 7#agha7 and a number of other works1 and ,gilbert ,austin in ,chironomia 7#ahjf7 were among the more influential elocutionary theorists4 ,numerous other writers in both ,england and ,america participated in making the study of elocution an established part of the ,english rhetorical tradition4 ,in ,america1 the study gained acceptance at all levels of education1 and the class in elocution became a standard course in colleges and universities4 ,elocution centered upon oral reading and public speaking1 and written composition came to be the exclusive province of the rhetoric class4 ,the resultant distinctions between oral and written discourse played a significant role in the eventual development of separate departments of speech and ,english in ,american colleges and universities4#ac ,although speech departments grew out of elocutionary studies1 elocution disappeared from the curriculum because of an association with an excessive emphasis upon performance as performance4 ,reaction was compounded by a sophistication in psychology that made early theory seem naive1 but neither later excesses nor seeming naivety should be permitted to distort the main thrust of the elocutionary movement4 ,concentrating upon language in use1 the elocutionists encouraged and anticipated analyses now being vigorously pursued in a range extending from linguistics to nonverbal communication4 ,their contribution has for too long been ignored1 and it is happily foreshadowed in ,thomas ,sheridan's enthusiastic ,discourse4 ,university of ,california1 ,davis ,,notes ,,to ,,the ,,introduction ,footnote #a3 ,see ,wallace ,a4 ,bacon1 ,the ,elocutionary ,career of ,thomas ,sheridan 7#agah-aghh71 ,speech ,monographs1 ,,xxxi 7#aifd71 #a-ec4 ,footnote #b3 ,john ,watkins1 ,memoirs of the ,right ,honorable ,r4 ,b4 ,sheridan1 7,london1 #ahag71 ,i1 #dc4 ,footnote #c3 ,ibid41 p4 #ci4 ,footnote #d3 ,ibid41 pp4 #ade-adf4 ,footnote #e3 ,british ,education3 ,or1 ,the ,source of the ,disorders of ,great ,britain4 ,being ,an ,essay towards proving1 that the ,immorality1 ,ignorance1 and false ,taste1 which so generally prevail1 are the natural and necessary ,consequences of the present defective ,system of ,education4 ,with ,an ,attempt to shew1 that a ,revival of the ,art of ,speaking1 and the ,study of ,our ,own ,language1 might contribute1 in a great measure1 to the ,cure of those ,evils4 ,in ,three ,parts4 ,i4 ,of the ,use of these ,studies to ,religion1 and ,morality2 as also1 to the ,support of the ,british ,constitution4 ,,ii4 ,their absolute ,necessity in order to refine1 ascertain1 and fix the ,english ,language4 ,,iii4 ,their ,use in the ,cultivation of the ,imitative ,arts3 shewing1 that were the ,study of ,oratory made a necessary ,branch of the ,education of ,youth2 ,poetry1 ,musick1 ,painting1 and ,sculpture1 might arrive at as high a ,pitch of ,perfection in ,england1 as ever they did in ,athens or ,rome4 ,footnote #f3 ,james ,boswell1 ,private ,papers of ,james ,boswell 7,mt4 ,vernon1 ,new ,york1 #aibh-cd71 ,i1 #abi4 ,footnote #g3 ,see ,frederick ,w4 ,haberman1 ,english ,sources of ,american ,elocution1 ,history of ,speech ,education in ,america1 ed4 ,karl ,wallace 7,new ,york1 #aied71 pp4 #aje-abf4 ,footnote #h3 ,see ,wilbur ,samuel ,howell1 ,logic and ,rhetoric in ,england1 #aejj-agjj 7,princeton1 #aief74 ,footnote #i3 ,charles ,le ,brun1 ,conference de ,monsieur ,le ,brun sur l'expression generale particuliere 7,amsterdam1 #afih74 ,footnote #aj3 ,william ,hogarth1 ,analysis of ,beauty1 ed4 ,joseph ,burke 7,oxford1 #aiee71 p4 #acf4 ,footnote #aa3 ,john ,dryden1 ,a ,parallel of ,poetry and ,painting1 in ,essays1 ed4 ,w4 ,p4 ,ker 7,oxford1 #aijj71 ,,ii1 #ade4 ,footnote #ab3 ,see ,g4 ,p4 ,mohrmann1 ,the ,language of ,nature and ,elocutionary ,theory1 ,quarterly ,journal of ,speech1 ,,lii 7#aiff71 #aaf-abd4 ,footnote #ac3 ,see studies reported in ,history of ,speech ,education in ,america4 ,,bibliographical ,,note ,the text of this reprint of ,sheridan's ,discourse is reproduced from a copy in the ,william ,andrews ,clark ,memorial ,library4 ,a ,,discourse ,,delivered ,,in ,the ,,theatre at ,,oxford1 ,,in ,the ,,senate-,,house at ,,cambridge1 ,,and ,at ,,spring-,,garden in ,,london4 ,by ,,thomas ,,sheridan1 ,m4 ,a4 ,being ,introductory to ,his ,,course of ,,lectures ,,on ,,elocution and the ,,english ,,language4 ,ut enim hominis decus ingenium1 fic ingenii ipsius lumen est eloquentia4 ,cic4 de ,orat4 ,,london3 ,printed for ,a4 ,,millar1 in ,the ,strand2 ,j4 ,,rivington and ,j4 ,,fletcher1 in ,pater-noster-,row2 ,j4 ,,dodsley1 in ,pall-,mall2 and sold by ,j4 ,,wilkie1 in ,st4 ,paul's ,church yard4 ,m4,,dcc4,,lix4 ,,to ,,the ,,two ,,learned ,,universities ,,of ,oxford ,,and ,,cambridge1 ,the following ,discourse 7,as a small token of gratitude ,for the candour with which they received1 ,and the generosity with which they encouraged1 ,his attempt ,towards improving ,elocution1 ,and promoting the study of the ,,english ,language7 ,is1 ,with all humility1 ,and the most profound respect1 ,inscribed1 ,by their very faithful and devoted servant1 ,,thomas ,,sheridan4 ,a ,,discourse ,,delivered ,,in ,the ,,theatre at ,,oxford1 ,,in ,the ,senate-,house at ,,cambridge1 ,,and ,at ,,spring-,,garden in ,,london4 ,it has been a long time since all men1 who have turned their thoughts to the subject1 have been convinced1 that the neglect of studying our own language1 and the art of speaking it in public1 has been attended with many bad consequences2 and some of our most eminent writers have freely delivered their thoughts upon this head to the world4 ,amongst the foremost of this number are ,milton1 ,dryden1 ,clarendon1 ,locke1 ,addison1 ,berkley1 and ,swift2 besides multitudes of less note4 ,but as they have only pointed out the evil1 without examining into its source1 or proposing an adequate remedy2 as they have shewn the good consequences which would follow from the introduction of those studies1 only in theory1 without laying down any probable method1 by which their speculations might be reduced to practice1 their endeavours in this way1 however laudable1 have hitherto proved but of little benefit to mankind4 ,any attempt1 therefore1 towards a practicable plan1 whereby such studies may be introduced1 will well deserve the attention of the best and wisest men2 and1 if it should meet with their approbation1 will necessarily also obtain their encouragement and assistance4 ,this consideration it was1 which emboldened me to appear before this learned assembly2 and though1 when ,i reflect on the knowlege1 wisdom1 and nice discernment1 of my hearers1 ,i am filled with that awe and reverence which are due to so respectable a body1 yet1 as candour and humanity are the inseparable attendants on wisdom and knowlege 7for as the brave are ever the most merciful1 so are the wise the most indulgent71 ,i can have no cause to fear the submitting my opinions to the decision of such judges as are here assembled4 ,whatever shall appear to be founded in reason and truth cannot fail of producing its due effect in this region of true philosophy3 and whatever errors or faults may be committed1 as they cannot escape the penetration1 so will they be corrected and amended by the skill and benevolence of such hearers4 ,a point to be wished1 not dreaded2 as to an inquirer after truth1 next to the being right1 the thing most to be desired is the being set right4 ,in either way1 a person engaged in a new undertaking is sure to be a gainer1 where honour1 and certainty of success1 will follow judicious approbation2 where benefit1 and the means of succeeding1 will attend just censure4 ,encouraged by these reflections1 ,i shall therefore1 without farther preface1 enter upon my subject4 ,that the ,english are the only civilized people1 either of ancient or modern times1 who neglected to cultivate their language1 or to methodize it in such a way1 as that the knowlege of it might be regularly acquired1 is a proposition no less strange than true4 ,that the ,english are the only free nation recorded in history1 possessed of all the advantages of literature1 who never studied the art of elocution1 or founded any institutions1 whereby1 they who were most interested in the cultivation of that art2 they whose professions necessarily called upon them to speak in public1 might be instructed to acquit themselves properly on such occasions1 and be enabled to deliver their sentiments with propriety and grace1 is also a point as true as it is strange4 ,these neglects are the more astonishing1 because1 upon examination1 it will appear1 that there neither is1 nor ever was a nation upon earth1 to the flourishing state of whose constitution and government1 such studies were so absolutely necessary4 ,since it must be obvious to the slightest enquirer1 that the support of our establishments1 both ecclesiastical and civil1 in their due vigour1 must in a great measure depend upon the powers of elocution in public debates1 or other oratorial performances1 displayed in the pulpit1 the senate-house1 or at the bar4 ,but to leave the public interests out of the question2 is it not amazing that these studies have never been established here1 even upon selfish principles1 which1 in all other cases seldom fail of having their due force8 since it can be shewn1 that there never was a state wherein so many individuals were so necessarily and deeply concerned in the prosecution of those studies2 or where it was the interest1 as well as duty1 of such numbers1 to display the powers of oratory in their native language4 ,there is not a single point1 in which the study of oratory was necessary to the ancients1 wherein it is not equally so to us2 nor was there any incitement to the knowlege and practice of that art1 whether of pleasure1 profit1 or honour1 which with us is not of equal strength4 ,we1 as well as the ancients1 have councils1 senates1 and assemblies of the people 7by their representatives7 whose deliberations and debates turn upon matters of as much moment1 where oratory has fields as ample1 in which it may exert all its various powers1 and where the rewards and honours1 attendant on eloquence are equal4 ,if we look into the history of ,england1 for more than a century past1 we shall find1 that most persons have made their way to the head of affairs1 and got into the highest employments1 not on account of birth or fortune1 but by being1 what is commonly called1 good speakers4 ,nor is oratory less necessary to us at the bar1 than it was to the ancients2 nor are the rewards of profit1 fame1 and preferment1 less attendant on it there2 as has been experienced by all in that profession1 who took pains to improve their talents in that way4 ,but there is one point1 a most momentous one1 in which oratory is essentially necessary to us1 but was not in the least so to the ancients4 ,the article ,i mean1 is of the utmost importance to us2 it is the basis of our government1 and pillar of our state4 ,it is the vivifying principle1 the soul of our constitution1 without which1 it cannot subsist2 ,i mean religion4 ,as the religion of the ancients consisted chiefly of rites and ceremonies1 it could derive no assistance from oratory2 but there is not the smallest branch of ours which can be well executed1 without skill in speaking2 and the more important parts1 calculated to answer the great ends1 evidently require the whole oratorial powers4 ,let it be observed1 that in this profession alone1 there are more persons employed throughout these realms1 than there were citizens of ,athens1 at any given period4 ,since1 therefore1 we have so much stronger motives to the cultivation of this art1 what can be the reason that even an attempt towards it has never hitherto been made8 ,one would imagine1 that in a country where the ancients are admired1 revered1 nay1 almost adored1 that we should certainly follow their example1 and adopt all their wise institutions1 so far at least as they coincided with the spirit of our government1 and were of equal necessity to the well being of the state4 ,but on the contrary1 we seem to have made it a law1 that we should sit down contented with seeing and admiring their excellence1 but that we should never attempt to use the means1 by which alone we might be enabled to rival them4 ,if it were difficult to come at the knowlege of those means2 if the method taken by the ancients1 in educating their youth to qualify them for such great performances1 had not been handed down to us2 or if there were any thing in the method itself1 which would be found impracticable in these times1 there might be some excuse for not taking the same course4 ,but on the contrary1 when many of their most eminent writers have minutely described to us the precise course of education1 passed through by all who were liberally trained2 when they tell us1 that both at ,athens and ,rome1 one of the chief studies was that of their native language in each country2 and that the art most assiduously sought after1 and practised in both1 was that of oratory3 shall we be surprised that their languages were more polished and beautiful1 and consequently that all works which depended upon the elegance and charms of language1 should be more finished than those of a people1 who never took any pains in that way8 or that oratory1 and all the arts dependant on it1 or connected with it1 together with all the benefits and advantages resulting from it1 should appear in a more conspicuous light1 in regions1 where that art was cultivated with the utmost pains and labour1 than in a country where it has been utterly neglected4 ,is there any natural impediment in our way1 is there any invincible obstacle to the pursuit of these studies1 and to the attainment of these arts8 ,have we not a language to study as well as they8 and do we not1 on many accounts1 stand in more need of studying that language8 ,have we not the same organs of speech1 the same features1 the same limbs1 muscles1 and nerves1 that the ancients had8 ,what want we then1 but to apply ourselves to the regulation of these1 and to study their true use in enforcing and adorning our sentiments1 when delivered by speech1 to rival or even excel them in their favourite art8 ,how did the ancients attain this art8 ,by study1 and practice4 ,would not the same means bring us to the same end8 ,and have we not the advantage of all their lights to guide us in our enquiries8 ,have we not the foundation of their experience to build upon1 ready to our hands1 whenever we are wise enough to set about raising the noble edifice8 ,did the ancients possess any advantages over us from nature1 either in point of intellectual faculties1 or the animal oeconomy8 ,with respect to the mental powers1 it is undoubtedly clear1 that we have carried our discoveries much farther than they did1 both in the physical and moral world4 ,and with respect to the bodily organs1 true philosophy must deride any attempts1 to shew that we are not framed exactly in the same manner4 ,in all the sciences1 to which we have applied1 we have far outdone them2 and if they still excel us in many of the arts1 it is either because we have wholly neglected their cultivation1 or where we have made the attempt1 we have taken a wrong course2 and unwisely deserted the method pointed out by the ancients towards their attainment1 and which1 with them1 had been always crowned with success4 ,in short1 the difference between the ancients and us1 arises from one obvious cause4 ,in the course of education1 we have pursued most of the studies1 which they did2 but some we have wholly omitted4 ,in all studies1 which we followed in common with them1 we have far excelled them3 that they have excelled us in those which were peculiar to themselves1 cannot be a matter of wonder4 ,the chief points in which they differed from us1 were the study of their native language1 and oratory4 ,and it can be indisputably shewn1 that they possessed no advantage over us1 but what arose1 either immediately1 or consequentially from their knowlege1 skill1 and practice2 in grammar1 rhetorick1 and oratory4 ,now1 as we have excelled them far1 in all the studies to which we have applied1 there can be no good reason assigned1 that with a due degree of attention and pains1 we might not surpass them in these also8 ,on the contrary1 ,i hope1 on another occasion1 to be able to prove1 that from certain lights furnished by time1 from peculiar advantages arising from our pure and holy religion1 and from the nature of our admirable constitution1 we might1 with moderate pains1 and in no long space of time1 as far surpass them in those arts1 and all that depend upon them1 or have a connection with them1 as we have already done in the sciences4 ,but though1 upon trial1 we should not find ourselves able to surpass the ancients1 let us not shamefully suffer ourselves to be outdone in those arts by the moderns4 ,if the ,briton should own himself unequal to the contest with ,greeks and ,romans1 let him not yield the palm to ,frenchmen also4 ,if1 in despair of victory1 he should say like ,mnestheus in ,virgil1 ,non jam prima peto1 let him add to his countrymen1 extremos pudeat rediisse6 ,believe me1 there is no time to be lost4 ,the ,italians1 the ,french1 and the ,spaniards1 are far before you4 ,their languages and authors are well known through ,europe1 whilst yours have got admission only into the closets of a few4 ,you have but to rouze yourselves from your lethargy1 and to exert your native vigour1 soon to outstrip them all4 ,should you set about refining and ascertaining your language1 with the same spirit of industry1 which you have often exerted on less important occasions1 the work will not be long accomplishing2 and you will not only immediately raise your credit in the eyes of ,europe1 but hand down to your posterity1 one of the noblest legacies which it is in your power to bequeath4 ,if the task should be accomplished1 how will that posterity wonder1 that their ancestors should have been for more than two centuries in possession of so rich a jewel1 without once examining its value2 and that1 merely through a neglect of polishing1 they should have suffered a diamond of the first water and magnitude1 to be outshone by the cut glass1 or pebbles1 of their poorer1 but more industrious neighbours4 ,the true source of the neglect of these studies1 will1 upon examination1 be found to be this2 that from the first introduction of letters into this kingdom1 the minds of all trained in the knowlege of them1 have to this hour1 from early institution1 got a wrong biass with respect to language3 in consequence of which1 the universal attention of the natives of this country1 has been turned from the natural1 the more forcible1 and more pleasing kind1 to that which is artificial1 weaker1 and accompanied with no natural delight4 ,i do not doubt1 but that this proposition will excite no small surprise in my hearers2 nor do ,i suppose1 they will easily comprehend my meaning1 till they recollect a distinction1 which is hardly ever thought of1 and yet1 which ought often to be had in remembrance1 that we have two kinds of language2 one which is spoken1 another which is written4 ,or that there are two different methods used of communicating our ideas1 one through the channel of the ear1 the other through that of the eye4 ,it is true1 that as articulate sounds are by compact symbols of our ideas1 and as written characters are by compact symbols of those articulate sounds1 they may1 at first view1 seem calculated to accomplish one and the same end2 and from habit1 an opinion may be formed1 that it is a matter of indifference which way the communication is made1 as the end will be equally well answered by either4 ,but1 upon a nearer examination1 it will appear that this opinion is ill founded1 and that1 in whatever country it prevails1 so far as to affect the practice of the people1 it must be attended with proportional bad consequences1 both to individuals1 and to society in general4 ,in order to prove this1 it will be necessary to shew1 that the difference between these two kinds of language is not more in form1 than in substance2 in the means of their communication1 than in their end3 that they widely differ from each other1 in the nature1 degree1 and extent of their power2 that they have each their several offices and limits belonging to them1 which they ought never to exceed2 and that1 where one encroaches on the province of the other1 it can never equally well discharge its office4 ,all these points will be made sufficiently clear1 only by examining the nature and constitution1 of these two kinds of language4 ,first1 as to that which is spoken4 ,speech is the universal gift of ,god to all mankind4 ,but as in his wise dispensations1 in order to excite industry1 and make reward the attendant on service1 in the most excellent things of this life1 he has only furnished the materials1 and left it to man to find out1 and make a right use of them2 so has he laid down this just law1 in regard to the great article of speech2 which in all nations must prove either barbarous1 discordant1 and defective2 or polished1 harmonious1 and copious1 according to the culture or neglect of it4 ,as the chief delight and improvement of a social1 rational being1 must arise from a communication of sentiments and affections1 and all that passes in the mind of man2 the powers of opening such a communication are furnished in a suitable degree1 and with a liberal hand4 ,in proportion to their acquisition of ideas1 men will find no want of articulate sounds to be their symbols4 ,in proportion to their progress in knowlege1 they will find adequate powers in the organs of speech1 to communicate that knowlege4 ,in proportion to the exertion of the powers of the intellect1 or the imagination1 the various emotions of the mind1 the different degrees of sensibility1 and all the feelings of the heart2 they will find1 upon searching for them1 that in the human frame there are tones1 looks1 and gestures of such efficacy1 as not only to make all these obvious1 but to transfuse all those operations1 energies1 and emotions into others3 without which1 indeed1 the mere communication of ideas would be attended with but little delight4 ,a wise nation will therefore1 above all things1 apply themselves to advance the powers of elocution1 to as high a degree as possible2 and they will find their labours well rewarded1 not only by opening a source of one of the highest delights1 which the nature of man is capable of feeling in this life1 but also by the extraordinary benefits and advantages thence resulting to society1 which cannot possibly be procured in any other way4 ,it has pleased the ,all-wise ,creator to annex to elocution1 when in its perfect state1 powers almost miraculous6 and an energy nearly divine6 ,he has given to it tones to charm the ear1 and penetrate the heart3 he has joined to it actions1 and looks1 to move the inmost soul4 ,by that1 attention is kept up without pain1 and conviction carried to the mind with delight4 ,persuasion is ever its attendant1 and the passions own it for a master4 ,great as is the force of its powers1 so unbounded is their extent4 ,all mankind are capable of its impressions1 the ignorant as well as the wise1 the illiterate as well as the learned4 ,such is the nature1 such the constitution1 such the effects1 of cultivated speech4 ,let us now examine the properties of written language4 ,that is wholly the invention of man1 a mere work of art1 and therefore can contain no natural power4 ,its use is to give stability to sound1 and permanence to thought2 to preserve words that otherwise might perish as they are spoke1 and to arrest ideas that might vanish as they rise in the mind2 to assist the memory in treasuring these up1 and to convey knowlege at distance through the eye1 where it could find no entrance by the ear4 ,in short1 it may be considered as a grand repository of the wisdom of ages1 from which the greatest plenty of materials may be furnished1 for the use of speech1 and the best supplies given to the powers of elocution4 ,here we may see1 that these two kinds of language essentially differ from each other in their nature and use3 and1 from this view1 we may plainly perceive the vast superiority which the former must have over the latter1 in the main end aimed at by both1 that of communicating all that passes in the mind of man2 inasmuch as the former works by the whole force of natural1 as well as artificial means2 the latter1 by artificial means only4 ,in the one case1 many hundreds may be made partakers at one and the same time1 of instruction and delight2 in the other1 knowlege must be parceled out only to individuals4 ,in the one1 not only the sense of hearing may receive the highest gratification1 from sounds the most pleasing1 and congenial to the organs of man2 but the sight also may be delighted with viewing the noblest work of the ,great ,mechanist put in motion1 to answer the noblest ends3 and1 whilst the charmed ear easily admits the words of truth1 the faithful eye1 even of the illiterate1 can read their credentials1 in the legible hand of ,nature1 visibly characterized in the countenance and gesture of the speaker4 ,in the other1 none of the senses are in the least gratified4 ,the eye can have no pleasure in viewing a succession of crooked characters1 however accurately formed2 and the ear cannot be much concerned in silent reading4 ,if any doubt remains about pre-eminence with regard to these two1 the dispute may1 at once1 be settled in the same way that ,cicero determined the controversy between oratory and philosophy2 ,sin quaerimus quid unum excellat ex omnibus1 docto oratori palma danda est3 quem si patiuntur eundem esse philosophum1 sublata controversia est4 ,sin eos disjungent1 hoc erunt inferiores1 quod in oratore perfecto1 inest omnis illorum scientia1 in philosophorum autem cognitione1 non continuo est eloquentia4 ,in like manner it may be said1 in this case1 that he who is master of speaking cannot1 on that account1 be retarded1 though he may be much advanced thereby in knowlege of written language2 whereas he who is master of the written language only1 is by no means advanced thereby in the art of speaking4 ,indeed1 the one should be considered only as an handmaid to the other1 and employed chiefly in such offices as she cannot do in her own person4 ,but should any nation be so unfortunately circumstanced1 as from habit1 or institution1 to bestow all their labour and pains upon cultivating the artificial language1 the invention of man1 to the utter neglect of that which is natural1 and the gift of ,god1 it must be allowed1 that they are in a wrong course2 and that they must necessarily lose some of the greatest blessings that can be enjoyed by rational1 social beings1 and which can flow from no other source but that of cultivated speech4 ,whether this be not our case1 is well worth considering2 and the point may be settled by the establishment of a few facts4 ,in order to this1 let us take a view of the perfections1 and imperfections1 of each kind of language2 see in which of them we take most pains to attain the one1 and avoid the other2 and1 in consequence of such pains1 which of them is at this day in the best state amongst us4 ,the chief object of both1 is the communication of ideas and emotions from mind to mind1 but they use different mediums for this purpose4 ,speech makes use of sound1 and reaches the mind through the ear3 writing makes use of characters1 and conveys knowlege through the eye4 ,the ideas that rise in the mind of the speaker1 together with the operations1 affections1 and energies1 of the mind itself1 are manifested and communicated in speech1 by articulate sounds1 combined1 or separated in various proportions2 by rests of the voice in certain places2 by accents1 emphases1 and tones4 ,the same is attempted in writing1 by different combinations of letters1 according to stated rules1 and by certain points1 stops1 and lines4 ,but that it cannot be done with equal success in the latter case1 is clear from this1 that sound contains in itself a natural power over the human frame1 in rousing the faculties of man1 and exciting the affections1 as is clearly proved by the force of music4 ,by the loud trumpet1 which our courage aids1 ,we learn that sound1 as well as sense1 persuades4 ,but written characters have1 in themselves1 no sort of virtue1 nor the least influence on the mind of man3 and the utmost extent of their artificial power can reach no farther1 than that of exciting ideas of sounds1 which belong to spoken words1 for which those combinations of letters stand1 and consequently cannot produce equal effects with the sounds themselves4 ,to instruct our youth in the arts of reading and writing1 there are many seminaries established every-where throughout this realm2 and1 accordingly1 all of a liberal education are well versed in them4 ,but who in these countries ever heard of a master for the improvement of articulation1 for teaching the due proportion of sound and quantity of syllables in ,english1 and for pointing out to his pupils1 by precept and example1 the right use of accents1 emphases1 and tones1 when they read aloud1 or speak in public8 ,if this has never yet been done1 surely it is a great omission1 when we reflect of how much more importance the one art is than the other2 how much more nice and subtle in its nature1 which renders it more difficult to be acquired1 and consequently demands more the benefit of instruction4 ,accordingly1 the bad fruits of this neglect are every day perceived4 ,each man's experience will tell him1 how few public readers1 or speakers1 he has heard acquit themselves well2 and even of those few1 those very few1 who have acquired any name in that way1 it would be found1 upon a critical inquiry1 that they have1 for the most part1 but a comparative excellence2 and that their superiority over others arises from pre-eminence in the natural faculties of speech1 and an happier construction of the organs1 rather than any skill1 or mastery1 in the art of elocution4 ,it is thus that1 in countries where music is learned by the ear only1 they who have the nicest ear1 and most tuneable voices1 will pass for the best singers1 and1 of course1 be accounted excellent4 ,but1 when they come to be compared with those of another country1 regularly trained in the art of music1 it will soon be perceived1 what amazing advantages such culture has given to the latter singers over the former2 not only in point of musical skill1 and variety of tones1 but also in the vast improvement made in the singing instrument itself1 with respect to all its powers of sweetness1 strength1 volubility1 or expression1 which have been gradually brought forward to their utmost perfection4 ,could some of the orators of old arise from the dead1 and be confronted with the best of these times1 perhaps the difference would be still more striking4 ,there cannot be a more flagrant proof of the preference given to the inferior species of language1 over that of the nobler kind2 nor1 at the same time1 one which will afford a more glaring instance of the uncontrolable power of fashion1 however absurdly founded1 than when we reflect1 that it is reckoned a great disgrace for a gentleman to spell ill1 though not to speak or read ill3 and yet1 if we were to weigh these defects in the true balance1 and consider them only with respect to the bad consequences which follow from each1 the former will appear to be scarce an object worthy of our attention1 and the latter ought to excite universal indignation4 ,a gentleman writes a letter to his friend1 or upon business 7the chief use which gentlemen in general make of writing72 there are many words in it mis-spelt2 this is a great scandal1 and lessens him in the eyes of those who read it3 and yet1 where is the mighty matter in this6 ,the unusual manner of placing letters in words1 gives no pain to the organs of sight2 the reader can soon correct any error2 or1 if he should be puzzled1 he can take time to examine and make out the sense by the context2 and then the end of the letter is answered4 ,on the other hand1 a man shall rise up in a public assembly1 and1 without the least mark of shame1 deliver a discourse to many hundred auditors1 in such disagreeable tones1 and unharmonious cadences1 as to disgust every ear2 and with such improper and false use of emphasis1 as to conceal or pervert the sense and all this without fear of any consequential disgrace1 quia defendit numerus4 ,when we consider that this is often done on the most aweful occasions1 in the very service of the ,most ,high6 at times when words1 delivered with due force and energy1 might be productive of the noblest consequences to society1 afford the highest delight to the auditory1 and give honour and dignity to the person of the speaker1 may we not justly cry out1 ,o custom6 thou art properly called second nature1 with respect to the immensity of thy power2 but thou usurpest her place1 thou art her tyrant1 thou tramplest her under foot1 and with thy scepter of iron1 thou swayest the powers of reason and truth at thy will6 ,indeed1 nothing but such an uncontrolable power1 could possibly have made a civilized and enlightened people continue1 for such a length of time1 in a course so opposite to all the rules of common sense4 ,for upon farther examination it will appear1 that even the written language1 to which they solely apply1 can never reach the perfection whereof it is capable1 nor answer its noblest purposes1 without the previous cultivation of that which is spoken4 ,when it is considered that articulate sounds or words are the types of ideas1 and that written characters are the types of articulate sounds or words1 it is evident that all the qualities of the latter must be circumscribed by the former1 as the type cannot exceed its archetype4 ,accordingly we find1 that the charms of style1 in the writers of all ages and countries1 have arisen from the beauty of the language spoken in those countries2 and the beauty of language arose not from chance1 but culture2 for it is not time1 but care1 that will bring a language to perfection4 ,if time alone would do1 those of the most barbarous nations in the world1 ought to be superior to those of the most civilized1 as they are infinitely more ancient4 ,it was to the constant pains and labour1 the study and application successively given by the choicest wits1 and men of brightest parts in each age1 to the improvement and establishment of their native tongues1 that we owe those two glorious languages of ,greece and ,rome1 which have justly been the wonder of the world1 and which will last to the end of time4 ,and is it not owing to the excellence of their languages1 that the noble works of their writers have been preserved8 ,had ,demosthenes written his orations in such a language as ,high ,dutch1 or ,virgil his poems in such a one as ,irish or ,welsh1 their names would not long have outlived themselves4 ,that the state of all the more elegant and beautiful compositions1 and the effects which they are capable of producing1 must chiefly depend upon the art of speaking1 may be clearly deduced from considering the nature and ends of such writings4 ,by the art of writing1 sentiments can be communicated1 either through the eye only1 or through the eye and ear together1 to individuals2 or through the ear only to numbers2 the first of these1 by silent reading1 the other two1 by reading aloud4 ,in the first instance1 ideas of things are excited by written words1 as the symbols of words spoken2 and by association1 the idea of the sounds also which accompany those words4 ,now at the best1 supposing the ideas of the properest sounds1 were always to be associated by the silent reader1 the effect of any composition must be much weaker than if it were spoken1 as far as ideas fall short of realities4 ,but if1 through ignorance in the art of speaking1 or through vicious habits1 he annexes the ideas of wrong sounds and tones to the words1 it is impossible he can perceive the true force and beauty of the composition1 so far at least as they depend upon sound and tone4 ,to trace this custom1 therefore1 to its original1 may not only be a matter of curiosity1 but1 by shewing the weakness of its foundation1 tempt us to abolish it1 and substitute a nobler one in its room4 ,when our system of education was first established on the revival of literature1 by means of the introduction of the languages of ,greece and ,rome1 men's thoughts were wholly turned to books1 and consequently to written language4 ,the ,english1 then poor and barbarous1 was soon supplanted by the richer1 and more polished ,latin4 ,the service of the church was in ,latin1 the laws in ,latin4 ,the religious controversies which embroiled all ,europe1 after the writings of ,luther and ,calvin had appeared1 were all carried on in ,latin4 ,men of the brightest parts throughout ,europe1 were necessarily engaged in the closest application to that language1 which became the universal vehicle of knowlege1 in all works of genius and learning4 ,no was its use confined to writing only1 but it was also adopted into speech amongst the polite2 it revived1 in a manner1 from its tomb1 and once more became a living tongue4 ,not1 indeed1 in its original beauty and strength2 it might rather be considered as the ghost of the old ,roman1 haunting different countries in different shapes4 ,for as the true pronunciation of a dead language could not be known1 each nation gave to it the sounds which belonged to their own2 and consequently it differed as much in point of sound in the several countries where it was spoken1 as the native tongues differed from each other in that respect4 ,but as they all agreed in one uniform manner of writing it1 for which they had models before them1 in the works of the ancients1 we need not wonder that the chief attention was given to the written language1 in preference to that which was spoken1 as they had sure rules to guide them in the one1 and none at all in the other4 ,latin words1 upon paper1 were universally intelligible to all nations1 as they all agreed in the orthography1 or true manner of writing them1 though they were far from agreeing with respect to the orthoepy1 or true manner of pronouncing them2 in which the difference was so great1 that the people of one country could scarce understand ,latin1 or know it to be the same language1 when pronounced by those of another4 ,this will sufficiently account for the fashion which prevailed in those days universally1 of applying their time chiefly to the acquisition of skill in letters1 not sounds2 in writing1 not speaking2 in words presented to the eye by the sure pen1 not in those offered to the ear by the uncertain or erroneous tongue4 ,afterwards1 when some of the nations of ,europe wisely set about the cultivation of their native tongues1 in proportion as they grew more perfect1 the ,latin fell into disuse2 till at last it was reduced to its former state of a dead language1 and confined chiefly to books4 ,but whilst the ,italians1 ,french1 and ,spaniards were vying with each other1 in the improvements of their several tongues1 by giving all manner of encouragement to so useful a work1 by establishing several societies and academies for the purpose1 from whose joint labours excellent grammars and dictionaries were produced2 by the assistance of which1 and the instruction of masters1 not only natives1 but foreigners might acquire the most accurate knowlege of those tongues with ease2 the ,english alone remained in the old track1 and never to this hour1 either by public or private encouragement1 have taken one step towards regulating or ascertaining theirs4 ,and yet this seems to have been a point of much more moment to them1 and to which they were in a more peculiar manner1 and much earlier called upon to give their attention1 as the church service1 upon the reformation1 was performed in their own tongue1 which is not the case to this day in those countries1 where ,latin still maintains that post4 ,the refiners of those living languages justly gave great attention to sound and pronunciation1 in the regulations which they established2 the ,english1 who from the nature of their constitution and public worship1 had infinitely more occasion for the refinement and regulation of their tongue in that respect1 left theirs wholly to chance4 ,nor are we to wonder at this1 when we consider that we have made no alteration in our institutions1 with the alteration of times and circumstances4 ,our establishments for training youth1 pursue invariably the same plan1 and inculcate only the same studies1 which they did before the reformation1 when ,latin was the universal language2 nor has any change been made since the ,english came into general use4 ,at that time there was no necessity to apply to the study of it2 and the barbarous structure of its words could afford no inducement to try what might be done in it1 by the power of sounds4 ,accordingly those who taught ,english1 were amongst the most ignorant of mankind4 ,their whole business was only to teach pupils the letters1 to spell1 and read words1 no matter with what kind of tones1 so as they were well acquainted with the characters1 in order to fit them for the ,latin school2 where the learned languages only being the object of attention1 their farther progress in ,english was neglected4 ,is not this the case at this day8 ,are not the rudiments of ,english now taught by low and ignorant masters1 for wretched stipends1 and for the same ends8 ,is it afterwards any-where regularly taught8 ,does not ,latin still continue to be the chief language taught in schools1 in the same manner as when it was the chief language used on all the important occasions of life8 ,only with this difference1 that whilst it was in a manner a living tongue1 by being used in conversation1 more care was probably taken with regard to pronunciation1 which at present is chiefly transferred to understanding and writing it correctly2 and whoever has a mind to make himself master of those points1 may have all the guidance of rules1 and aid of preceptors3 but with regard to the ,english1 he is left to make his own way1 as well as he can4 ,this will serve as an explanation of many extraordinary phaenomena in this country4 ,such as1 that there are numbers who understand ,latin well1 who do not understand their native tongue4 ,that there are many who can write ,latin elegantly1 who are remarkably incorrect in their ,english style4 ,and that there are many who can produce excellent compositions both in ,latin and ,english1 who can neither read aloud1 or repeat those very compositions with tolerable propriety1 much less with grace4 ,of these facts1 ,i dare venture to say1 there is not one of my hearers who cannot immediately suggest to himself sufficient instances4 ,the natural consequence1 indeed1 of neglecting the art of elocution1 is that of reducing a living language at best to the state of a dead one4 ,for in just and true elocution alone1 consists the life of language2 that which is false or disagreeable1 places it below its dead written state1 by the uneasiness and disgust which it occasions4 ,if language1 when spoken1 gives no pleasure1 if it excites no emotions1 it is in that case1 for the mere purpose of information1 far below that which is written2 inasmuch as the reader of words can take his own time to make himself master of their meaning1 and consider their force4 ,but if public speaking in any country should in general rather give pain than pleasure1 occasion satiety1 instead of rouzing attention1 and far from illustrating1 should render the sentiments obscure1 the people of that country will be necessitated to give their attention to written language2 they must prefer the invention of man1 to the gift of ,god2 and the noblest ends1 and highest delights which language can answer or afford1 will be frustrated and lost4 ,whether we are in that condition or not1 let our army of writers1 and scarcity of speakers declare4 ,they who have seen in the clearest light the fatal consequences of this course1 did not1 at the same time1 see the only method by which it might be changed4 ,they did not know how impregnable are the bulwarks which surround the fortress of custom to all attacks by storm1 though they may easily be reduced by sapping the foundations4 ,and though the tyrant may be dethroned by reason2 yet cannot reason supply his place4 ,his scepter can be wielded only by one of his own race1 and custom alone can succeed to custom4 ,all that reason can do1 is to preside at the election1 and endeavour to fix the choice on the most worthy4 ,till a new custom1 therefore1 shall have opened the way to skill in the art of speaking1 so that it may be as easily and certainly attainable1 by pursuing that road1 as skill in the art of writing now is1 by pursuing the others1 the latter path must continue to be most frequented4 ,and nothing can assist the new custom in its progress1 but the same means that brought forward the old4 ,the art of speaking1 like that of writing1 must be reduced to a system2 it must have sure and sufficient rules to guide such as apply to the study of it2 it must have masters to teach it1 and to enforce the rules by examples4 ,this alone can ensure success to the studious in that way2 and till that be done1 it cannot be expected that many will employ their time in laborious researches into an intricate1 difficult1 and obscure subject1 without the least moral certainty of attaining their point1 when a clear1 obvious1 and certain method lies open to them1 of arriving at1 what they imagine to be1 the same end4 ,but had they a like certainty of success in the one way1 as in the other1 there cannot be any doubt to which the preference would be given1 not only on account of the superior advantages resulting from it1 but also the superior pleasure which would attend their progress1 and the delight which would crown the attainment of that art4 ,how exquisite that must have been when eloquence was at its height1 may be gathered from the testimony of ,cicero1 who1 in his ,brutus1 does not scruple to affirm1 ,that neither the fruits nor glory which he derived from eloquence1 gave him so much delight as the study and practice of the art itself4 ,his words are1 ,dicendi autem me non tam fructus gloria1 quam studium ipsum exercitatioque delectat4 ,the neglect1 therefore1 to this hour1 of so useful1 so necessary1 so delightful an art1 may well excite wonder and amazement4 ,and1 indeed1 it is hardly possible1 but that it should long ere this have got some footing amongst us1 had not all1 who have pointed out the defect1 and proposed methods of supplying it1 agreed in laying the blame at the wrong door1 and consequently pointing to a wrong quarter for redress4 ,thus the nation in general1 influenced by their sentiments1 has1 from year to year1 waited like the countryman1 ---- dum defluat amnis3 ,at ille ,labitur1 labetur in omne volubilis aevum4 ,all writers on this subject have agreed in laying the fault on the schools and universities1 and that the redress can only come from them4 ,than which there cannot be any thing more unjust as to the charge1 nor more ill-founded than the conclusion4 ,thus the author of the ,spectator says----,we must bear with this false modesty in our young nobility and gentry1 till they cease at ,oxford and ,cambridge to grow dumb in the study of eloquence4 ,and one of the bishop of ,cloyne's queries is1 ,whether half the learning and study of these kingdoms is not useless1 for want of a proper delivery and pronunciation being taught in our schools and colleges8 ,mr4 ,locke bears hard upon the masters1 for not instructing their pupils in ,english1 as well as ,latin and ,greek1 in the following passage4 ,to write and speak correctly1 gives a grace1 and gains a favourable attention to what one has to say3 and since it is ,english that an ,english gentleman will have constant use of1 that is the language he should chiefly cultivate1 and wherein most care should be taken to polish and perfect his style4 ,this ,i find universally neglected1 nor no care taken any-where to improve young men in their own language1 that they may thoroughly understand and be masters of it4 ,if any one among us have a facility or purity more than ordinary in his mother tongue1 it is owing to chance1 or his genius1 or any thing1 rather than to his education1 or any care of his teacher4 ,to mind what ,english his pupil speaks or writes1 is below the dignity of one bred up amongst ,greek and ,latin1 though he have but little of them himself4 ,these are the learned languages1 fit only for learned men to meddle with1 and teach2 ,english is the language of the illiterate vulgar3 though yet we see the polity of some of our neighbours hath not thought it beneath the public care to promote and reward the improvement of their own language4 ,polishing and enriching their tongue1 is no small business amongst them2 it hath colleges and stipends appointed it2 and there is raised amongst them a great ambition and emulation of writing correctly3 and we see what they are come to by it1 and how far they have spread one of the worst languages possibly in this part of the world1 if we look upon it as it was in some few reigns backwards1 whatever it be now4 ,the great men among the ,romans were daily exercising themselves in their own tongue2 and we find yet upon record the names of orators1 who taught some of their emperors ,latin1 though it were their mother tongue4 ',tis plain the ,greeks were yet more nice in theirs3 all other speech was barbarous to them but their own2 and no foreign language appears to have been studied or valued amongst that learned and acute people2 though it be past doubt that they borrowed their learning and philosophy from abroad4 ,to this ,mr4 ,locke adds1 ,i am not here speaking against ,greek and ,latin2 ,i think they ought to be studied1 and the ,latin at least understood well by every gentleman4 ,but whatever foreign languages a young man meddles with1 7and the more he knows1 the better7 that which he should critically study1 and labour to get a facility1 clearness1 and elegancy to express himself in1 should be his own2 and to this purpose he should daily be exercised in it4 ,to the same effect1 have many other eminent authors written on this subject2 but surely they must have been under the influence of strong prejudice1 to charge men with neglect of points1 which do not at all belong to their office2 and with the omission of studies and arts1 which they never profess to teach4 ,a master of a grammar-school is to teach grammar1 not oratory2 he is to teach ,latin1 and ,greek1 not ,english4 ,and this is what all masters of endowed schools are bound to do2 and it is upon these terms1 that all others receive their pay4 ,but it may be said1 that these studies might be added to the others1 and taught at the same time4 ,surely1 they who say so1 have not given themselves time to reflect on the nature of these studies1 or the state of our established mode of education2 else they would see that what they expect is an absolute impossibility4 ,can any man communicate more knowlege than he is himself possessed of8 ,can any man teach an art which he never learned8 ,can any man instruct others in a language1 in which he never was instructed8 ,can either any art or language be regularly taught without a well digested system of rules8 ,and if no such system has hitherto been formed1 either with respect to the ,english language1 or the art of speaking it1 how shall any man set about teaching them8 ,it will be said1 that it is a shame for a master to be ignorant of these4 ,but why more a shame for him1 than any other gentleman who has been trained exactly in the same way8 or why is more expected from him8 ,because it would be of great benefit to his pupils4 ,so it might1 but if in his course of education1 previous to his entering upon that employment1 he has had no lights given him as to those points1 is he likely to find much leisure in so laborious an office1 to investigate the principles of an unpractised art1 or the rules of an unstudied language8 ,it is probable that he would make a greater progress in that way1 than others of equal abilities1 and equal advantages of education1 who have dedicated whole lives of leisure to those studies1 without ever arriving at the end proposed8 ,but suppose he could teach them1 how could he find time to do it8 ,the low stipend which custom has established1 as the pay to masters of grammar-schools1 obliges most of them to take such numbers of scholars under their care1 even to get a tolerable subsistence1 that it is with the utmost difficulty they are at present able to prepare them for the university1 in the usual time allotted for that purpose1 by teaching only ,greek and ,latin2 how is it then possible for them to think of introducing the study of new things1 which would require nearly as much time and pains1 as those which they are bound to teach1 and which they cannot accomplish1 without the utmost stretch of application8 ,though1 indeed1 considering the salaries paid by parents to masters of grammar-schools1 that they are near half of what they pay their grooms1 and that they are at least a full fourth1 if not a third1 of what they pay to the dancing master or fencing master1 the music or riding master1 the teacher of ,french or ,italian1 it must be allowed that they have a just right to expect that those two supernumerary studies should be thrown into the bargain4 ,nor would it be at all surprising1 if some parents should also expect of the master of a grammar-school1 that he should teach their sons to dance1 because he has legs1 and can walk2 as well as that he should teach them the art of speaking1 because he has a tongue1 and can talk4 ,if no attention has been given to these points in the previous part of education1 what reason have we to suppose that the evil can be remedied at the universities8 ,the business of tutors and professors there1 is to finish young gentlemen in such studies as they had begun at school1 or to instruct them in such new arts and sciences1 as they are obliged by their several establishments to teach4 ,if the ,english language1 and the art of speaking1 be not in the number of those1 what reason have we to expect that they should be taught8 ,whoever discharges his duty1 in what he professes to teach1 will find but little leisure to attend to any thing else2 or if a few should attempt it1 they would upon trial find1 that they could make so little progress in instructing others without the help of rules or principles1 and they would meet such obstacles in their way1 on account of inveterate bad habits contracted through early neglect1 as would soon make them give up the voluntary and fruitless labour4 ,the reason1 therefore1 that the belles lettres1 and philosophy in all its branches1 are the only things now taught in a course of liberal education1 is obvious enough2 because it is for those only that institutions and endowments have been made2 by which means they have been reduced to systems1 and are regularly taught2 they who have been regularly instructed themselves1 can teach others by the same rules2 and they are induced to take upon them the office of instructing others1 from the rewards and emoluments which attend it4 ,from an opposite cause it is1 that the ,english language and the art of speaking are not taught2 because there are no institutions or establishments for the purpose2 in consequence of which1 they have not been reduced to systems1 or taught by rule2 and no one can regularly instruct another in what he has not regularly acquired himself2 nor are there hitherto any rewards or emoluments annexed to such an office4 ,that there has been no encouragement given1 to this day1 for the establishment and cultivation of two such important articles to all ,british subjects1 can be accounted for on no other principle1 but that of custom1 founded upon the strongest prejudice4 ,from the first time that a ,latin grammar is put into our hands1 we are taught to believe1 that a complete knowlege of ,latin and ,greek will of course give a complete knowlege of ,english2 that reading the ancient writers upon oratory will furnish us with all the powers of elocution2 that the same master who instructs pupils in the one1 can also teach the other2 and that1 therefore1 any particular establishments for those purposes would be unnecessary3 and this prepossession has been so early in life1 and with such force stamped upon us1 that neither the experience of more than two centuries1 nor daily demonstration to the contrary1 are able to erase it4 ,nor need we wonder1 that the prejudice has been so universal1 when we reflect that some of the most eminent men that these countries have produced were strongly tinctured with it3 nay1 when we find1 in the passage before quoted1 that the clear-sighted and candid ,mr4 ,locke was so blinded by it1 as not to see that1 in the very instance mentioned by him1 with regard to the ,french1 he had attributed our deficiency to a wrong cause4 ,for though he has laid the whole blame of the want of culture and improvement in the ,english tongue1 on the masters of grammar-schools1 yet he shews clearly1 that the culture and improvement of the ,french took their rise from another source2 where he says1 ',we see the polity of some of our neighbours hath not thought it beneath the public care to promote and reward the improvement of their own language4 ,polishing and enriching their tongue is no small business amongst them2 it hath colleges and stipends appointed it2 and there is raised amongst them a great ambition and emulation of writing correctly4' ,was it not1 therefore1 more natural to impute the low state of ,english amongst us to the want of such institutions and encouragement1 than to the neglect of masters who do not profess to teach it8 ,and was it not more rational to expect the improvement of our tongue from the same methods which brought forward the ,french2 from public encouragement1 from colleges and stipends appointed it1 than from one which never was found to answer1 nay1 which1 in its own nature1 never can answer the end8 ,in like manner1 in speaking of elocution1 he has imputed our general deficiency in that point also1 to the neglect of the masters of grammar-schools2 though1 at the same time1 he clearly points out the only means by which knowlege in that art can be acquired1 in these-words3 ',this 7speaking of elocution71 as all other things of practice1 is to be learned not by a few1 or a great many rules given1 but by exercise and application1 according to good rules1 or rather patterns1 till habits are got1 and a facility of doing it well4' ,now1 if there be no such system of rules in being1 with regard to ,english elocution1 how can a master give his pupils practice according to good rules8 ,or what pattern can he afford them1 but in himself8 ,and is such a model likely to be a perfect one8 ,is it not probable1 that masters of grammar-schools may have contracted bad habits in that respect1 as well as any others trained in the same way8 ,will the profession itself inspire them with propriety of pronunciation1 proper management of the voice1 and graceful gesture and deportment8 ,it is time to put an end to such gross prejudice4 ,after waiting for more than two centuries1 to no purpose1 in hopes that things would mend in one way1 it is more than time that another course should be tried4 ,the only method which can be followed with success1 is obvious enough4 ,when ,cicero gave a definition of elocution1 he1 at the same time1 pointed out the means by which it is to be acquired4 ,his words are these3 ,pronunciatio est vocis1 et vultus1 et gestus moderatio1 cum venustate4 ,haec omnia tribus modis assequi poterimus1 arte1 imitatione1 exercitatione#ad4 ,here we see that art is placed first2 and1 indeed1 without that guide our labour would be either fruitless1 or productive of error4 ,imitation alone can go no farther than to give us the manner of those whom we imitate2 if that be bad1 the imitation of it must be so too2 but if it should be good upon the whole1 and faulty only in part1 it doth not follow that we shall acquire both in the same degree2 on the contrary1 it is generally the case1 that the faulty part only1 as being the most easily caught1 is the consequence of imitation without art3 and practice grounded upon such imitation1 can only serve to confirm and rivet us in error4 ,footnote #ad3 ,elocution is the proper and graceful management of the voice1 the countenance and gesture in speaking4 ,these we shall be able to acquire by three ways1 art1 imitation1 practice4 ,since1 therefore1 nothing can be done without art1 and all art is founded upon principles1 and should be taught by rules1 the first necessary step is1 to trace the principles of elocution4 ,those once discovered1 to establish upon them a system of rules1 peculiarly adapted to the genius of the ,english tongue1 whereby the art of elocution may be as regularly acquired as any other art now is1 and a knowlege of ,english1 so far as regards elocution1 methodically obtained4 ,to shew that this is far from being impracticable1 is one of the chief objects of the first course of lectures which ,i propose to give upon these subjects4 ,in this course ,i shall endeavour to lay open the principles of elocution1 and the peculiar constitution of the ,english language1 with regard to the powers of sound and numbers1 in a method1 which should it prove to be as rational as it is new1 will1 ,i hope1 give the author of these lectures no cause to repent of the time and pains which his researches into these abstruse subjects have cost him4 ,he hopes also to see some good fruits immediately produced from this first course2 and that not only the young1 but the adult1 who should not think these points below their attention1 may1 from the knowlege of those principles1 and some general rules deduced from them1 have sure lights to guide them in their future enquiries into those subjects1 hitherto involved in the shades of darkness2 or obscurely and falsely viewed through the mists of error4 ,should his principles be allowed to be just1 and his system so far meet with the sanction of men of learning and discernment1 he will be encouraged to proceed from a general1 to a more particular course2 in which he hopes to give all necessary lights to assist1 not only speculation1 but practice2 and by going up to the very first elements1 point out a regular way by which children may be rightly trained in the art of speaking1 and knowlege of their mother tongue1 from the earliest rudiments2 instead of being necessarily corrupted and led astray1 by the false principles and rules which at present are laid down to them1 from the moment the primer is put into their hands1 and of the bad effects of which1 few ever get the better during the remainder of their lives4 ,should it be known in the world1 that a design was set on foot at the universities1 of introducing the study of the ,english language1 and the art of speaking1 upon a practicable plan1 and in a systematic way1 there would not be wanting all due encouragement to such an undertaking from many of their grateful offspring4 ,what numbers of their illustrious sons1 when they have entered into life1 have had occasion to lament1 that through the neglect of these necessary branches1 the chief advantages of their education have been concealed from the world2 and all their funds of knowlege1 like the hoards of misers1 shut up in their own breasts4 ,how many well instructed minds1 and honest hearts1 furnished with the means1 and most ardent inclination to serve their country1 have sat still in silent indignation1 where her interests were nearly concerned1 for want of a practised tongue to disclose what passed in their minds8 ,how many of our wisest members1 in the great national council1 has shame on that score1 kept silent like ,mr4 ,addison8 ,and how many others1 after a few attempts1 have closed their lips for ever1 from self-disappointment1 in not finding their utterance correspond to their conceptions8 ,the experience of what they have suffered on such occasions1 will teach them to feel1 and as far as in them lies1 to prevent the sufferings of others in like circumstances4 ,should1 therefore1 upon a candid examination1 the proposed plan be judged practicable1 there cannot be any doubt but that there would be many found sufficiently jealous of the honour of their country1 to contribute to the support of such an establishment1 as might wipe away that stain of barbarism which still rests upon this nation1 of having left their language hitherto to the guidance of chance3 and when it is considered1 that no country ever produced so many instances of private benefactions for public service1 particularly in the seminaries of learning1 it is to be supposed1 that1 in case of future endowments1 a due attention will be paid to that language which is now solely used on all public occasions throughout these realms1 and whose improved state must add to the glory of the nation1 as well as to that art1 which1 of all others1 is most likely to contribute to the benefit and ornament of individuals1 and of the state in general4 ,here ,i cannot help observing1 how necessary the introduction of these studies will be to the promoting1 and rendering more effectual1 the new institutions1 which have been lately adopted by the wisdom of the university of ,oxford4 ,and first1 as to the ,vinerean endowment for the study of the law4 ,it has been lately proved1 by the strongest and clearest arguments1 that not only they who intend to make that their profession1 but that all gentlemen in general should acquire a competent knowlege in that branch2 but more especially such as have reason to expect that they shall become members of the legislative body4 ,would it not be a strong inducement to such noblemen or gentlemen to apply more closely to such a study1 if1 at the same time1 they were practised and perfected in an art1 which alone could enable them to display to advantage their superior knowlege in the constitution and laws of their country1 to their own honour and credit1 and support of that constitution1 and those laws8 ,and1 with respect to ,lord ,clarendon's benefaction for the introduction of the bodily exercises1 that institution may not of itself be found a sufficient inducement to prolong the stay of young gentlemen at the university beyond the usual time1 or put an end to the custom of going upon their travels at the most unfit and dangerous season of life 7which has proved the chief bane of our ,british youth71 inasmuch as those exercises can also be acquired abroad2 and1 from caprice or fashion1 perhaps1 it will be thought too in a more perfect way4 ,but should a critical inquiry into the genius and powers of their own tongue succeed to their knowlege of ,latin and ,greek2 should they be regularly instructed and practised in the art of elocution1 in all its various branches2 in that case1 the most necessary and ornamental of all accomplishments to ,british subjects could be had only in this country1 and would of course detain them from all foreign academies or masters4 ,the very delight which would accompany both the speculative and practical part of those studies1 would hold them by the surest tie1 that of inclination4 ,should eloquence1 that regina rerum1 establish her throne here1 they would with pleasure pay her homage2 they would listen to the voice of the charmer1 far sweeter than the syren's song2 nor would they quit the academic grove1 till they were masters of the harmony which reigned there4 ,possessed of that1 how greedily would they hoard up knowlege of all kinds1 which they might then be enabled to draw forth at will1 and display to the utmost advantage6 ,they would not1 in that case1 think of going into life1 till they were well qualified to discharge whatever office they should enter upon4 ,or such as chose to travel1 might then do it with great benefit to themselves1 and to their country4 ,we should not then need 7to make use of a passage in ,milton7 the ,monsieurs of ,paris to take our hopeful youth into their slight and prodigal custodies1 and send them over back again transformed into mimics1 apes1 and kickshaws4 ,but if they desire to see other countries at two or three-and-twenty years of age1 not to learn principles1 but to enlarge experience1 and make wise observation1 they will1 by that time1 be such as shall deserve the regard and honour of all men where they pass1 and the society and friendship of those in all places1 who are best1 and most eminent4 ,and1 perhaps1 then other nations will be glad to visit us for their breeding1 or else to imitate us in their own country4 ,or whether they be to speak in parliament or council1 honour and attention would be waiting on their lips4 ,there would then also appear in pulpits other visages1 other gestures1 and stuff otherwise wrought1 than what we now sit under1 oft-times to as great trial of our patience1 as any other that they preach to us4 ,as the motives to the study of elocution will1 probably1 be allowed to be sufficiently strong1 it would be no small inducement to set about the work with vigour1 if there were reason to believe1 that the speedy accomplishment of the point would follow the attempt2 and that we have just grounds for such an opinion1 we may easily see1 by considering the state of that art in the only country where we can exactly trace its rise and progress4 ,we know that in ,rome1 from the time that oratory was first regularly taught there as an art1 it arrived to its maturity in a very short space2 and if it can be shewn1 that we enjoy great advantages over the ,romans in all the material points necessary to the perfection of that art1 it is but reasonable to conclude1 that its progress here might be still more rapid4 ,as this matter has already been discussed in an essay1 called1#ae ,british ,education1 and as ,i shall have sufficient opportunities1 in my course of lectures1 to prove all that has been there advanced1 it would be unnecessary1 in this place1 to expatiate upon this head4 ,and as ,i fear that ,i have already exhausted your patience1 ,i shall hasten to close1 with the same exhortation to the revival of the art of elocution1 which ,quintilian used to the ,romans1 to engage them in the support of it1 when in its declining state4 ,after having invalidated several objections to the study of that art1 he concludes thus3 ,ante omnia sufficit ad exhortationem studiorum1 non cadere in rerum naturam1 ut quicquid non est factum1 ne fieri quidem possit3 cum omnia quae magna sunt atque admirabilia1 tempus aliquod quo primum efficerentur1 habuerint4 ,verum etiam si quis summa desperet 7quod cur faciat1 cui ingenium1 valetudo1 facultas1 praeceptor1 non deerunt87 tamen est 7ut ,cicero ait7 pulchrum in secundis tertiisque consistere4 ,adde quod magnos modica quoque eloquentia parit fructus3 ac si quis haec studia utilitate sola metiatur1 pene illi perfectae par est4 ,neque erat difficile1 vel veteribus1 vel novis exemplis palam facere2 non aliunde majores honores1 opes1 amicitias1 laudem praesentem1 futuram1 hominibus contigisse1 si tamen dignum literis esset1 ab opere pulcherrimo1 7cujus tractatus1 atque ipsa possessio1 plenissimam studiis gratiam refert7 hanc minorem exigere mercedem1 more eorum qui a se non virtutes1 sed voluptatem quae fit ex virtutibus1 peti dicunt4 ,ipsam igitur orandi majestatem1 qua nihil ,dii mortales melius homini dederunt1 et qua remota muta sunt omnia1 et luce praesenti et memoria posteritatis carent1 toto animo petamus1 nitamurque semper ad optima3 quod facientes1 aut evademus in summum1 aut certe multos infra nos videbimus4 ,footnote #ae3 ,vide ,b4 ,i4 ,ch4 xv4 ,b4 ,,ii4 ,ch4 ix4 ,,finis4 ,,notes ,,to ,,the ,,text ,in the following notes1 numbers refer to pages and lines in the present text4 ,all translations from the ,latin are from ,loeb ,classical ,library editions4 #f3a-h4 ,thomas ,sheridan1 ,british ,education 7,london1 #agef71 p4 #eb4 #f3bd-g3g4 ,ibid41 p4 #ec4 #ab3d-f4 ,aeneid1 ,v1 #aid4 ,trans4 ,h4 ,ruston ,fairclough4 ,no more do ,i seek the first place 444 it were a shame to return last4 #ag3g-bb4 ,british ,education1 p4 #he4 #ag3bf-ah3ae4 ,ibid41 pp4 #he-hf4 #ai3bd-bj3e4 ,de ,oratore1 ,,iii4xxxv4#adc4 ,trans4 ,h4 ,rackham4 ,but if on the contrary we are trying to find the one thing that stands top of the whole list1 the prize must go to the orator who possesses the learning4 ,and if they allow him also to be a philosopher1 that is the end of the dispute2 but if they keep the two separate1 they will come off second best in this1 that the consummate orator possesses all the knowledge of the philosophers1 but the range of philosophers does not necessarily include eloquence4 #cg3bb-bd4 ,brutus1 vi4 #bc4 #ch3aa-ab4 ,horace1 ,epistles1 ,i4ii4#dc4 ,trans4 ,h4 ,ruston ,fairclough4 444 waiting for the river to run out3 yet on it glides1 and on it will glide1 rolling its flood forever4 #ch3bj-bc4 ,richard ,steele1 ,spectator1 #dhd1 #ae ,september #agab4 #ch3be-ci3c4 ,george ,berkeley1 ,the ,querist1 in ,works1 ed4 ,a4 ,a4 ,luce and ,t4 ,e4 ,jessop 7,london1 #aidh71 ,,iv1 ,query #bjc4 #ci3g-da3aa4 ,john ,locke1 ,some ,thoughts ,concerning ,education1 in ,works 7,london1 #ahbc71 ,,ix1 #aha-ahb4 #dg3aj-ai4 ,ibid41 p4 #ahb4 #dh3i-ae4 ,ibid41 p4 #agi4 ,sheridan indicates that ,locke is discussing elocution1 but his topic is writing and speaking4 #di3i-ac4 ,rhetorica ad ,herennium1 ,i4ii4#c4 #ef3ad-eg3c4 ,john ,milton1 ,of ,education1 ,works 7,new ,york1 #aica71 ,,iv1 #bij-bia4 #eg3c-aj4 ,ibid41 pp4 #bhf-bhg4 #eh3ag-ei3bc4 ,institutio ,oratoria1 ,,xii4xi4 #be-bf1 #bi-cj4 ,trans4 ,h4 ,e4 ,butler4 ,to which ,i reply that sufficient encouragement for study may be found in the fact1 firstly1 that nature does not forbid such achievement and it does not follow that1 because a thing never has been done1 it therefore never can be done1 and secondly1 that all great achievements have required time for their first accomplishment4444 ,finally1 whatever is best in its own sphere must at some previous time have been nonexistent4 ,but even if a man despair of reaching supreme excellence 7and why should he despair1 if he have talents1 health1 capacity and teachers to aid him871 it is none the less a fine achievement1 as ,cicero says1 to win the rank of second or even third4444 ,add to this the further consideration that even moderate eloquence is often productive of great results and1 if such studies are to be measured solely by their utility1 is almost equal to the perfect eloquence for which we seek4 ,nor would it be difficult to produce either ancient or recent examples to show that there is no other source from which men have reaped such a harvest of wealth1 honour1 friendship and glory1 both present and to come4 ,but it would be a disgrace to learning to follow the fashion of those who say that they pursue not virtue1 but only the pleasure derived from virtue1 and to demand this meaner recompense from the noblest of all arts1 whose practice and even whose possession is ample reward for all our labours4 ,wherefore let us seek with all our hearts that true majesty of oratory1 the fairest gift of god to man1 without which all things are stricken dumb and robbed alike of present glory and the immortal record of posterity2 and let us press forward to whatsoever is best1 since1 if we do this1 we shall either reach the summit or at least see many others far beneath us4 ,,the ,,augustan ,,reprint ,,society ,,william ,,andrews ,,clark ,,memorial ,,library 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,subsequent publications may be checked in the annual prospectus4 ,william ,andrews ,clark ,memorial ,library3 ,university of ,california1 ,los ,angeles ,,the ,,augustan ,,reprint ,,society #bebj ,,cimarron ,,street1 ,,los ,,angeles1 ,,california #ijjah ,general ,editors3 ,william ,e4 ,conway1 ,william ,andrews ,clark ,memorial ,library2 ,george ,robert ,guffey1 ,university of ,california1 ,los ,angeles2 ,maximillian ,e4 ,novak1 ,university of ,california1 ,los ,angeles ,corresponding ,secretary3 ,mrs4 ,edna ,c4 ,davis1 ,william ,andrews ,clark ,memorial ,library ,the ,society's purpose is to publish rare ,restoration and eighteenth-century works 7usually as facsimile reproductions74 ,all income of the ,society is devoted to defraying costs of publication and mailing4 ,correspondence concerning memberships in the ,united ,states and ,canada should be addressed to the ,corresponding ,secretary at the ,william ,andrews ,clark ,memorial ,library1 #bebj ,cimarron ,street1 ,los ,angeles1 ,california4 ,correspondence concerning editorial matters may be addressed to the ,general ,editors at the same address4 ,manuscripts of introductions should conform to the recommendations of the ,,mla ,style ,sheet4 ,the membership fee is #e4jj a year in the ,united ,states and ,canada and ,l#a4af4f in ,great ,britain and ,europe4 ,british and ,european prospective members should address ,b4 ,h4 ,blackwell1 ,broad ,street1 ,oxford1 ,england4 ,copies of back issues in print may be obtained from the ,corresponding ,secretary4 ,publications of the first fifteen years of the ,society 7numbers #a-ij7 are available in paperbound units of six issues at #af4jj per unit1 from the ,kraus ,reprint ,company1 #af ,east #dfth ,street1 ,new ,york1 ,n4,y4 #ajjag4 ,make check or money order payable to ,,the ,,regents ,,of ,,the ,,university ,,of ,,california ,,regular ,,publications ,,for #aifh-aifi #acc4 ,john ,courtenay1 ,a ,poetical ,review of the ,literary and ,moral ,character of the ,late ,samuel ,johnson 7#aghf74 ,introduction by ,robert ,e4 ,kelley4 #acd4 ,john ,downes1 ,roscius ,anglicanus 7#agjh74 ,introduction by ,john ,loftis4 #ace4 ,sir ,john ,hill1 ,hypochondriasis1 a ,practical ,treatise on the ,nature and ,cure of that ,disorder ,call'd the ,hyp or ,hypo 7#agff74 ,introduction by ,g4 ,s4 ,rousseau4 #acf4 ,thomas ,sheridan1 ,discourse 444 ,being ,introductory to ,his ,course of ,lectures on ,elocution and the ,english ,language 7#agei74 ,introduction by ,g4 ,p4 ,mohrman4 #acg4 ,arthur ,murphy1 ,the ,englishman ,from ,paris 7#agef74 ,introduction by ,simon ,trefman4 ,previously unpublished manuscript4 #ach4 ,catherine ,trotter1 ,olinda's ,adventures 7#agah74 ,introduction by ,robert ,adams ,day4 ,,special ,,publication ,,for #aifh-aifi ,after ,,the ,,tempest4 ,introduction by ,george ,robert ,guffey4 ,next in the continuing series of special publications by the ,society will be ,after ,,the ,,tempest1 a volume including the ,dryden-,davenant version of ,the ,tempest 7#afgj72 the operatic ,tempest 7#afgd72 ,thomas ,duffet's ,mock-,tempest 7#afge72 and the ,garrick ,tempest 7#agef71 with an ,introduction by ,george ,robert ,guffey4 ,already published in this series are3 #a4 ,john ,ogilby1 ,the ,fables of ,aesop ,paraphras'd in ,verse 7#affh71 with an ,introduction by ,earl ,miner4 #b4 ,john ,gay1 ,fables 7#agbg1 #agch71 with an ,introduction by ,vinton ,a4 ,dearing4 #c4 ,elkanah ,settle1 ,the ,empress of ,morocco 7#afgc7 with five plates2 ,notes and ,observations on the ,empress of ,morocco 7#afgd7 by ,john ,dryden1 ,john ,crowne and ,thomas ,shadwell2 ,notes and ,observations on the ,empress of ,morocco ,revised 7#afgd7 by ,elkanah ,settle2 and ,the ,empress of ,morocco4 ,a ,farce 7#afgd7 by ,thomas ,duffet2 with an ,introduction by ,maximillian ,e4 ,novak4 ,price to members of the ,society1 #b4ej for the first copy of each title1 and #c4be for additional copies4 ,price to non-members1 #d4jj4 ,standing orders for this continuing series of ,special ,publications will be accepted4 ,british and ,european orders should be addressed to ,b4 ,h4 ,blackwell1 ,broad ,street1 ,oxford1 ,england4 ,transcriber's ,note3 ,the oe ligature has been expanded4 ,punctuation has been standardised4 ,spelling and grammar have been retained as in the original publication4