Complacency, which the filent Perufal of

it naturally inspires.

So pafs'd they naked on, nor fhunn'd the Sight
Of God or Angel, for they thought no Ill:
So Hand in Hand they pass'd, the loveliest Pair
That ever fince in Love's Embraces met ;
Adam the goodliest Man of Men fince born
His Sons, the fairest of her Daughters EVE.
Under a Tuft of Shade, that on a Green
Stood whispering foft, by a fresh Fountain Side
They fat them down; and after no more Toil
Of their sweet gardening Labour than fuffic'd
To recommend cool Zephyr, and made Ease.
More eafy, wholsome Thirft and Appetite
More grateful, to their Supper Fruits they fell;
Nectarine Fruits which the compliant Boughs.
Yielded them, Side-long as they fat recline
On the foft downy Bank damafk'd with Flowers.
The favoury Pulp they chew, and in the Rind
Still as they thirfted scoop the brimming Stream:
Nor gentle Purpose, nor endearing Smiles
Wanted, nor youthful Dalliance as beseems
Fair Couple, link'd in happy nuptial League,
Alone as they. About them frisking play'd

All Beasts of th' Earth, fince wild, and of all Ghase
In Wood or Wilderness, Foreft or Den.

Sporting the Lion ramp'd, and in his Paw

Dandled the Kid; Bears, Tigers, Ounces, Pards,

Gambol'd before them; th' unwieldy Elephant

To make them Mirth us'd all his Might, and wreath'd›
His lithe Probofcis; close the Serpent sly.
Infinuating, wove with Gordian Twine
His breaded Train; and of his fatal Guile

Gave Proof unheeded. Others on the Grajs
Couch'd, and now fill'd with Pafture gazing fat,
Or bedward ruminating; for the Sun,
Declin'd, was hafting now with prone Career
To th' Ocean Ifles, and in th' afcending Scale
Of Heav'n the Stars that usher Evening rose .

It is yet certain, that, if the Complacence which this Defcription must naturally inspire, should work upon the Reader the Effects of Exultation, it would serve only to render him less intelligible; all the Paffions, whether of Joy, Sorrow, Rage, or Fear, being deftructive of Articulation.

Now, though an Orator engaged in a bad Cause, or an Actor reciting Nonfense, may find it expedient to employ Artifice to excite the Perfuafion or Paffion in the Audience, which a just Idea of his Declamation would not infpire; yet this is not the Business of a juft and faithful Reciter. He fhould endeavour always to keep himself perfectly calm, and affume the Appearance only of fuch Paffions as naturally arise from the Subject. It were, otherwife, impoffible for him to make thofe frequent Tranfitions from Mirth to Sadness, from Anger to Submiffion, from T 3

Love

Love to Hate, &c. as the Change of Subject in Reading requires.

When the Heart is really affected, it is impoffible for us to shift Appearances easily; nor can the Tongue, which really faulters through Fear, either properly describe the Cause of it, or ftop its Palpitation immediately, to affume the firm and stedfast Voice of Refolution and Fortitude. :

Hence it is plain, that in reciting all Kinds of Description, whether of StillLife, or Paffion, the Reader should endea vour to poffefs himself of just Ideas of the Objects described, and to affect only fuch Paffions and Emotions which fuch Defcriptions will really excite in the Heart of the Hearer.

But here I must defire the Reader not to forget that I am speaking of the Recital of what is written, and not of extempore Delivery. In the latter, the Imagination and the Paffions reciprocally operate on each other; but, when the Imagination is not upon Invention, and hath nothing more to do than barely to conceive what is laid before the Eye, or prefented by Memory to the Mind, our own Paffions

Paffions should be quite tranquil, to enable us to affume and diverfify their Appearance in reciting to others.

SECT. IV. Of Preaching, Pleading, and other publick Speaking.

Much hath been objected against the Clergy of the Church of England, on account of their Reading Sermons, instead of Speaking them extempore. The fame Rules, however, have been laid down for Preaching in both Cafes, although very different ones are requifite. In a Treatife on the Art of Preaching, now before me is the following Paffage; tending to invalidate most of what is advanced in the preceding Section,

"Be Master of your Subject, and as it

were infpired with it; and then Light "and Order will naturally dawn upon it; "Every thing will fall into the Place " which becomes it beft: One Part will "introduce another, juft at the time that "the Minds of the Audience are pre

66

pared to receive it; and what follows "will support and fortify that which "went before: The more plain and fim

T 4

ple

ple Truths will pave the Way to the more abftruse and complex ones; and "the Proofs or Illuftrations will still rife,

one above the other, in a regular and 66 eafy Gradation, till the whole Force " of Conviction breaks upon the Mind, "and now allows you fair Scope to play

upon every tender and paffionate String, "that belongs to the Heart of Man. "Then be sure to feel every Sentiment yourself, and to enter firft into every "Paffion you want to communicate to Others: And unless your Imagination plays its Part very ill, the boldest Figures, the ftrongest Images, and the "moft moving Expreffions will pour in

upon you, and animate your whole "Difcourfe and Manner with fuch Life

and Spirit, as cannot fail of winding up "the Hearer's Mind to the utmost Pitch "of Attention and of Paffion. If you "are thoroughly touched with the Im"portance and Dignity of the great Sub"jects of Religion and Virtue, you will "not be ambitious of the Reputation of

fine Speakers, nor ftudy the little Orna"ments of a gaudy Eloquence, fuch as "pretty Similes, ftrained Antithefes, po

lished