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PREFACE,

THE following LECTURES were read in the university of Edinburgh, for twenty-four years. The publication of them, at present, was not altogether a matter of choice. Imperfect copies of them, in manuscript, from note: taken by students who heard them read, were first privately handed about; and afterwards frequently exposed to public sale. When the author saw them circulate so currently, as even to be quoted in print,* and found him. self often threatened with surreptitious publications of them, he judged it to be high time that they should proceed from his own hand, rather than come into public view under some very defective and erroneous form.

They were originally designed for the initiation of youth into the study of belles lettres, and of composition. With the same intention they are now published; and, therefore, the form of Lectures, in which they were at first composed, is still retained. The author gives them to the world, neither as a work wholly original, nor as a compilation from the writings of others. On every subject contained in them, he has thought for himself. He consulted his own ideas and reflections: and a great part of what will be found in these Lecturos is entirely his own. At the same time he availed himself of the ideas and reflections of others, as far as he thought them proper to be adopted. To proceed in this manner, was his duty as a public professor. It was incumbent on him to convey to his pupils all the knowledge that could improve them; to deliver not merely what was new, but what might be useful, from whatever quarter it came. He hopes, that to such as are studying to cultivate their taste, to form their style, or to prepare themselves for public speaking or composition, his Lectures will afford a more comprehensive view of what relates to these subjects, than, as far as he knows, is to be received from any one book in our language.

In order to render his work of greater service, he has generally referred to the books which he consulted, as far as he remembers them; that the readers might be directed to any farther illustration which they afford. But, as such a length of time has elapsed since the first composition of these Lectures, he may, perhaps have adopted the sentiments of some author into whose writings he had then looked, without now remembering whence he derived them.

In the opinions which he has delivered concerning such a variety of authors, and of literary matters, as come under his consideration, he cannot expect that all his readers will concur with him. The subjects are of such a nature, as allow room for much diversity of taste and sentiment: and the author will respectfully submit to the judgment of the public.

Retaining the simplicity of the lecturing style, as best fitted for conveying instruction, he has aimed, in his language, at no more than perspicuity. If, after the liberties which it was necessary for him to take, in criticising the style of the most eminent writers in our language, his own style shall be thought open to reprehension, all that he can say, is, that his book will add one to the many proofs already afforded to the world, of its being much easier to give instruction, than to set example.

* Biographia Britanica. Article ADDISON.

EDITOR'S PREFACE.

THE Editor of the present edition of Dr. Blair's Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres, has endeavoured to present the work to the public, in a style which he thinks will meet with entire approbation. The plates írom which it is printed, were originally cast for Mr. George F. Hopkins, from a late London copy, and were, in general, found to be very correct; a few errors were, however, on critical examination, detected; but these having been carefully removed, the Editor has now no hesitation in saying, that this is as perfect an edition of the work, as any previously issued from the press, either in this country or in Great Britain.

In addition to its correctness, this edition has to recommend it, a copious collection of questions, which were prepared with the greatest care and attention. The Editor is, however, aware, that this method of teaching has, by some gentlemen of science, been objected to; and considering the manner in which questions have almost uniformly been written, the objection is certainly not without foundation. But that the student may be preserved from the disadvantages arising from using questions unskilfully prepared, and, at the same time, be relieved from the tediousness of studying the work without them, the Editor has been careful, so to construct these questions, that the answers which they require, necessarily include every senlence of the work itself; thus effecting the double purpose of greatly facilitating the recitations of classes, and, at the same time, of compelling each scholar to learn every word of the author.

To the lectures that require them, the Editor has also affixed analyses, which are principally designed to facilitate the studies of young gentlemen at college, and of young ladies at school, who may be sufficiently advanced to pursue this course; and it affords the Editor peculiar pleasure here to state, that they have been used by a number of classes of young ladies, educated by himself, in this city, with entire success.

In preparing these analyses, the Editor has generally followed the natural divisions of the lectures, as they are laid down by the author himself; but from the necessity of making each one of nearly the same length, he has, perhaps, in a few instances, extended the number of his subdivisions beyond their natural length: he presumes, however, that no inconvenience will result to the student from the course which he has pursued. as the omission of such subdivisions as may appear unnecessary, will be attended with no material consequences.

NEW-YORK, August, 1829.

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XXXV. Comparative Merit of the Ancients and the Moderns-Historical Writing,.

387

XXXVI. Historical Writing,

398

XXXVII. Philosophical Writing-Dialogue-Epistolary Writing-Fictitious
History,.......

410

XXXVIII. Nature of Poetry-Its Origin and Progress-Versification,...........
XXXIX. Pastoral Poetry-Lyric Poetry,..................

423

433

XL. Didactic Poetry-Descriptive Poetry,.

XLI. The Poetry of the Hebrews,.

XLII. Epic Poetry,......

XLIII. Homer's Iliad and Odyssey-Virgil's Æneid,...................

447

459

471

481

XLIV. Lucan's Pharsalia-Tasso's Jerusalem-Camoen's Lusiad-Fenelon's
Telemachus--Voltaire's Henriade-Milton's Paradise Lost,....... 493

XLV. Dramatic Poetry-Tragedy,.........

506

XLVI. Tragedy-Greek, French, English Tragedy,..

519

XLVII. Comedy-Greek and Roman-French-English Comedy,........ 533

RECOMMENDATIONS

TO G. & C. & H. CARVILL'S STEREOTYPE EDITION OF BLAIR'S LECTURES ON

RHETORIC AND BELLES LETTRES.

From the New-York Evening Post, September | many more, some of which, it is obvious, must have rendered the sense doubtful, have been corrected in this edition.

25th, 1829.

quaintance with the author. It is remarked in the
answer which necessarily implies a sufficient ac-
editor's preface, that this method of forwarding the
end of tuition by questions, has been objected to by
some well informed gentlemen; but we are inclined
to think, that their objections must have had refe-
interrogatories, with which many excellent books on
rence to the numerous interpolations, notes, and
education have ben encumbered by quacks in lite
rature, desirou, the reputation of authorship,
without possessing the ability to write. For our own
part, we are wel convinced that the questions which
Mr. Mills has added to the lectures, cannot but have
a tendency to fix the topics of discussion more firmly
on the mind of the student. In addition to the ques

Blair's Lectures.-The excellence of Dr. Blair's Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres, has been so But, although it is important to have the work freed from inaccuracies of these kinds, yet the edi. long and generally acknowledged, that the work has acquired the authority of a standard, and is the one tion which the Messrs. Carvill are about to publish, has a still stronger recommendation. To every lec most used in our colleges and principal seminaries. The best and most correct edition of this work hith-ture, Mr. Mills has affixed a list of questions, which erto before the American public, is one that was pub-embrace the whole subject matter, and to be able to Iisned about three years ago, by Mr. G. F. Hopkins, from stereotype plates, the proofs from which were revised by several distinguished literary gentlemen, with an especial view to the correction of whatever errors might have occurred in the quotations from the Latin and Greek. From these plates the brothers Carvill are now about to publish another edition; but in order to render it still more deserving of patronage, than any previous one, they have not only been at greater cost with regard to the quality of paper, &c. but have procured the entire work to be carefully read by Mr. Abraham Mills, teacher of Rhetoric and Belles Lettres, whose edition of Burke on the Subhime and Beautiful, our readers may remember that we mentioned with deserved approbation. In the course of his examination, Mr. Mills has discoveredtions, an analysis, or brief of the contents of each a very great number of errors, (not less than eighteen lecture has been read, all its topice, and in their prolecture, is given, by a perusal of which, after the hundred in all,) of greater or less moment, but all of per order, are brought at once to mind. In every re suflicient magnitude to require correction. We have a copy before us containing his annotations, and inspect, both as regards the additions and corrections looking over it, have remarked a great number of in-graphy, this edition of Blair's Lectures, more than of the editor, and the quality of the paper and typostances where verbal inaccuracies had occurred, and where, by the substitution of a word that had been any other we have seen, is worthy of public patronomitted, or the restoration of the one intended by the author, for the improper one that had crept into its place, and been hitherto overlooked, the sense, from being obscure in some cases, and in others unintelli-] gible, has been rendered perfectly plain. Besides these important alterations and amendments, the punctuation, which was before very imperfect, has undergone careful revision: and a good number of merely literal errors of the press, such as passing instead of passion, seeks instead of speaks, and

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age.

From the Morning Courier and Enquirer, Sep
tember 29th, 1829.

Blair's Lectures.-Messrs. G. & C. & H. Car-
vill have published a stereotyped edition of Blair's
Lectures, adapted to the use of schools, by Mr. Abra-
ham Mills, one of our most respectable and populai
teachers. We have examined this work, and care-
fully compared it with the most approved American

1

edition heretofore published. Mr. Mills has made an immense number of corrections in typography and punctuation, we should suppose nearly two thousand. At the end of each lecture, Mr. Mills gives a list of questions, so worded as to call upon the recollection of the learner, without putting the answer into his mouth. He also appends to each lecture a summary analysis, arranged with great care and judgment.

This edition is decidedly superior to any other that we have ever seen, English or American.

1829.

From the New-York American, September 30th, Blair's Lectures, by Mills.-We have looked over this new edition of Blair, published under the direction of Mr. Mills, of this city, well known as a successful teacher; and, upon comparing it with the best previous American edition, are satisfied a its superior accuracy in typography and punctuation. Indeed, but for the evidence this comparison has furnished of the fact, we should have hardly thought it possible, that a book so constantly used as a standard work in education, and printed with great apparent care too, could have been so faulty.

Mr. Mills has appended to each chapter a series of questions, the answers to which embrace, of necessity, every sentence in the chapter, so as to require the student to master the whole. This is followed by an

analysis of each topic treated in the chapter. The
two together will both aid and test the scholar's profi-
ciency.

From the Mercantile Advertiser, October 1st, 1829.
Blair's Lectures.-We observed a few days

since, a notice of a new edition of this standard work
on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres, in which high praise
was awarded to Mr. Abraham Mills, for the detection
of numerous errors in a late American edition-for
an analysis of each lecture, and copious questions
arising from them. This praise was awarded on
what was said to be a careful comparison of the two
editions; and, as we were struck with the strength
of the remarks, and wondered not a little at the bold-
ness which had attempted the einendation of Blair,
we took the trouble to call on the publishers, Messrs.
Carvill, to examine and compare for ourselves. The
result has been, that although Mr. Mills may have, in
one or two instances, been too fastidious in his correc
tions, yet, in the main, they are judicious, and, whe
ther the errors arose from inadvertence in the learned
author, or the carelessness or ignorance of some of
his editors, the present corrections are invaluable to
those for whom the work was intended. The correc-
tions in punctuation are very numerous, and almost
invariably unexceptionable. The analysis is such as
could not have been made but by one who, Eke Mr.
Mills, has been in the long and daily practice of in-
structing by means of these lectures; and the ques-
tions which he has arranged at the close of all the ec-
tures admitting of iliustration pv question, are also
the results of rice age and sorram survións anting
of the autoC.
Mr Mla sa mai migured in t❗
of our most votar female, and one of our best male
seminaries. We hope is wat may xanperare for
the labour bestowed upon it, and remunerate the
publishers for nair enterprise, write amaniant ex
pense of >

From the New-York Daily Advertiser, October 2d, 1829.

Corrected Stereotyped Edition of Blair's Leo tures.-Messrs. Carvill have just published an edi. tion of Blair's Lectures, from the stereotype plates of Hopkins, after making numerous corrections, and introducing many additional pages of matter, peculi arly well calculated to make the work still more use ful in the study of rhetoric.

It is a well known fact, to all persons familiar with the highly popular and useful fectures of Dr. Blair, work, in which the very faults of style which the authat numerous cases occur, in different parts of the thor criticises and condemns, repeatedly occur. These faults are so obvious, that it must have seemed surprising, even to learners themselves, that they should have been allowed to disfigure all the English editions, even the most recent, as well as our own. In addition to this, there were almost innumerable irregularities in punctuation, calculated to confuse and mislead the reader or pupil; and Mr. Mills, to whom the defects of the work had become intimately known, through a long course of professional use, as a teacher of rhetoric in some of the most respectable academies of this city, was very judiciously engaged to make the necessary corrections. We have had an opportu nity to judge of the extent and importance of the labour he had to perform. About two thousand correc tions were made in the plates; and, in addition to these, a series of questions follows every lecture, closely connected with the "ject, and requiring in. the pupil a thorough knowle of the lesson. These questions amount to five thousand seven hundred and fifty in all; and each lecture is also furnished with a brief analysis, of great convenience and use. shall expect to see this improved work etablished in England.

We

From the New-York Commercial Advertiser, Oc. tober 3d, 1829.

The Messrs. Carvills have just issued a new edi. tion of Blair's Lectures, the text for which is perhap entitled to be called immaculate. A few years ago an edition was printed with extraordinary care, from stereotype plates. Nearly two thousand errors have however, been detected by Mr. Abraham Mills, web known as a teacher in this city. Some few of these may, by possibility, have escaped Dr. Blair himself, though they are violations of his own rules. The bulk of them, however, had been accumulating through the successive editions of the work, as they were published in Great Britain and this country. Many were of a serious character, deforming the sense; while all were important in a work expressly treating of accuracy in style. The punctuation in the former editions was very slovenly. It has, as we have ascertained by an examination of the copy sent to us, and by comparing it with tnat imprinted fron the old plates, been judiciously corrected by Mr. Mills. The questions and analysis annexed to each lesture, are calculated to ce of much practical use in schools, and even in colleges, according to the present standard of education in this country. The questions comprehend the literal whole of each lecture; the analysis, the whole of each of them in sub

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