intends which amounts to no more, than DIAL. that fometimes a variety, even of rougher II. numbers, has its proper place; not that we are to be pleased with a continual foam of Style, if I may use the expreffion.

CRITOM. And on the other fide, a writer will be fure to difpleafe, if he goes always on in a hum-drum way, and unless he takes a little scope both in thought and expreflion.

EUDOX. But ftill the fcope must have it's bounds. Thoughts must agree with one another, and the expreffion with the fubject. Nor muft they think the nobleness of a Style confifts in the unusual found of words.

CRITOM. Yet your Ariftotle, Sir, as you are pleased to call Cartefius mine, is far from denying the agreeableness of furprizes which are the natural effect of metaphors, tranflatitious terms, foreign words, or the ufe of known words when taken in a dif ferent sense than one wou'd have imagined.

EUDOX. I could eafily fhew that AriStotle requires a great moderation in that kind. For although he grants that way of expreffion is often requifite to make the Style great and noble, yet he is pofitive that if it is immoderately ufed, it becomes ridiculous.

E 2

DIAL. diculous. And this (which is remarkable) II. he says speaking of Poetry, where a great

er liberty is cafily allowed. In his Rhetorick, he not only fays those liberties muft not be used immoderately, but expreffly that they must be taken seldom and in few places, and that tranflatitious terms must not be far-fetch'd, but from objects of a like nature, and which are allyed together, or, as it were, a-kin'. In which Cicero perfectly agrees with him, and expreffes this latter part, by faying that what is called tranflation of terms (that is, transferring them from their proper to another fignification) fhould be very bashful, and feem rather to be led, than to have rush'd in, and to have come rather by intreaty than by violence, or to have begg'd, rather than forced an admittance".

CRITOM. Let not that at least be called forced, which is only carried up equal to the proper force of the thought. Let not things pass for extravagant, because they are extraordinary. Let it be reflected on too,

* Qui metaphoris & è peregrind linguâ petitis vocibus, reliquifque, id genus immodicè utitur, & qui deditâ operâ ut rifum moveat, idem effecerit. Poët. cap. 22.

Y Linguis & duplicibus nominibus, & factis, rarò & paucis locis utendum....praterea verò non longè oportet, fed ex cognatis &conformibus transferre. Rhet. lib. 3. cap. 2.

Etenim verecunda debet effe tranflatio, ut deducta effe in alienum locum, non irruiffe; atque ut precariò non vi veniffe videatur. Cic. de Oratore, lib. 3. poft medium.

that

.

that we are in a strange mifliking age, DIAL. which finds fault with every thing; fo that IL there is no way to gain reception in the world, but by the commendation of novelty. And though indeed criticks deferve little regard, yet they have by their numbers brought a neceffity upon authors. They must conform to the prevailing genius of the times, or let writing alone; for you might as well walk the streets with an oldfashion'd Coat, as appear in print with an antiquated Style: and it were equally ridiculous to dress and to write as they did in the politeft days of our Edwards.

EUDOX. It were fo. Nor would I have you question but I am of Favorinus's opinion, who counfelled an affected youngster to live like the Antients, but to talk like Moderns. For our language is better, though our morals are worse. When Í speak against novelty of Style, I do not mean the language must be as old as Chaucer's. Though his sense stands good ftill, (for fenfe is never out-dated) yet his words do not. These are strangely dependent of custom, which has abfolute power in the change of language. It is visible in English and French, as we lately observed

a Vive moribus præteritis, utere verbis prafentibus. A. Gell. Noct. lib. 1.

cap. 20.

> Confuetudo tum omnium domina rerum, tum maximè verborum eft. Idem, lib. 12. cap. 13.

II.

DIAL. in reading together in the country, the fecond Dialogue between Arifte and Eugene whofe author, by the by, was very uncivilly ufed by your friends. Amongst his other enemies, there is in the treatise of Idleness, a very cholerick gentlewoman, to whom (as an ingenious friend of mine took notice) the author has given all the wit of the company. She, as far as I can guefs, would needs have him hang'd for his grammatical remarks. There is a duller gentleman in the Dialogue, by name Zeroander, who propofes a leffer revenge, to which Angelica fubfcribes. However, fhe is much too angry for her name and character, and I cou'd not but cry out,

Tantene animis cæleftibus ira?

Can heav'nly minds fuch angry thoughts

contain?

CRITOM. As I am willing to grant you have a great deal of reafon to defend the Critick Bouhours, when unjustly and rudely attack'd; fo, dear Sir, a little more impar tiality if you please, as to our prefent fubject. You allow words perpetually change, and that the prefent ufe is the only rule of language; and yet you complain of the novelty of authors.

De la Pareffe, Entr. 2.

EUDOX. Yes, Sir, because their novelty is too fingular in its kind. 'Tis true an author's language fhou'd be of a fresh ftamp, and yet the perfection of his language confifts not in an affectation of new words, or an unusual management of terms. Expreffions are not better because fingular, nor does he write the best English that has moft words borrow'd from foreign languages or objects, or who phrafes his thoughts in the most uncommon turn. The greatest art of expreffion consists in a judicious choice and application of the most ordinary terms, that where the language is moft artificial, there it may appear most natural, because the art is concealed ". As art is never greater than when you cannot distinguish it from Nature. Which particularly happens in that certain easy smoothnefs of writing, where the author feems not to have fought for his expreflions, but to have taken them as they flowed in of themselves. You would think nothing could be more eafy than to write as they do ; nothing however is harder upon the tryal *.

Latere & diffimulari debet ornatus, uti ne conficta, conquifitaque oratio videatur: fed obvia, fed innata, & fed fpontè illaboratéque fuppetens ... latet autem fi lectis è medio atque ex ufu communi vocabulis componatur oratio. Arift. Rhet. 1. 3. c.2.

Imitabilis illa quidem videtur effe exiftimanti, fed nihil eft experienti minus. Cic. de Oratore, lib. 3. poft medium.

DIAL.

II.

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