Encyclopaedia Britannica > Volume 15, NIC-PAR

Introd.
else account of things is often attended with obscurity,
from an omission of some necessary circumstances rela¬
ting to them. Or, however, where that is not the case,
yet for want of proper embellishments to enliven the dis¬
course, and thereby to excite and fix the hearers atten¬
tion, it is apt to slip through their minds without lea¬
ving any impression. But where the images of things
are drawn in their full proportion, painted in their pro¬
per colours, set in a clear light, and represented in dif¬
ferent views, with all the strength and beauties of elo¬
quence, they captivate the minds of the audience with
the highest pleasure, engage their attention, and by an
irresistible force move and bend them to the design of
the speaker.
The principal end and design of oratory is to per¬
suade : for which reason it is frequently called the art
of persuasion. Indeed the orator has often other subor¬
dinate views; as when he endeavours either to delight
his hearers with what is pleasant and agreeable, or to
conciliate their good opinion by a smooth and artful ad¬
dress j but still both these are in order to persuade and
excite them to action.
An objection may, perhaps, hence be formed against
eloquence, as an art which may be employed for per¬
suading to ill as well as to good. There is no doubt
that it may ; and so reasoning may also be, and too of¬
ten is, employed for leading men into error. But who
would think of forming an argument from this against
the cultivation of our reasoning powers ? Reason, elo¬
quence, and every art which ever has been studied
among mankind, may be abused, and may prove dan¬
gerous in the hands of bad men : but it were perfectly
childish to contend, that upon this account they ought
'to be abolished.
While the orator employs his art in pursuing only
those ends for which it was at first designed, the per¬
suading men to good and virtuous actions, and dissua¬
ding them from every thing that is ill and vicious ; no¬
thing can be more commendable in itself or useful to
buman societies.
ORATOR Y.
*
§ 3* Q/" rf‘c Division of Oratory.
Oratory consists of four parts ; invention, disposition, Oratory
elocution, and pronunciation. 'Ibis will appear by colt-consists of
sidering the nature of each of them, and what it contri-tour parts,
butes in forming an orator. Every one who aims to
speak well and accurately upon any subject, doesnatu-
rally, in the first place, inquire after and pursue such
thoughts as may seem most proper to explain and illus¬
trate the thing upon which he designs to discourse.
And if the nature of it requires that he should bring
reasons to confirm what he says, he not only seeks the
strongest, and such as are like to be best received j but
also prepares to answer any thing which may be offered
to the contrary. This is invention.—khev this hi de¬
liberates with himself in what method to dispose of those
things which have occurred to his mind, that they may
appear in the plainest light, and not lose their force by
disorder and confusion. This is the business of disposi¬
tion —liis next concern is to give his thoughts art
agreeable dress ; by making choice of the fittest words,
clearest expressions, smooth and harmonious periods,
with other ornaments of style, as may best suit the na¬
ture of his subject, brighten his discourse, and render it
most entertaining to his hearers. And this is called
elocution.— Ihe last thing he attends to, is to deliver
what he has thus composed, with a just and agreeable
pronunciation. And daily experience convinces us, bow
much this contributes both to engage the attention and
impress what is spoken upon the mind. This then is the
method which nature directs, in order to qualify our¬
selves for discoursing to the best advantage : Though
by custom and habit these things become so familiar to
us, that we do not always attend to them separately in
their natural order. However, it is the business of art
to follow nature, and to treat of things in that manner
which she dictates,
PART I. OF
Chart I. Of Invention in general ^ and particularly
of Common Places, and State of a Cause.
w-ention ENTION, considered in general, is the disco-
be disco- vei7 suc^ things as are proper to persuade. And in
eryof order to attain this end, the orator proposes to himself
jHth things three things: To prove or illustrate the subject upon
which he treats 5 to conciliate the mind of his hearers ;
c*and to engage their passions in his favour. And as these
require different kinds of arguments or motives, inven¬
tion furnishes him with a supply for each of them, as
will be shown in their order.
An argument, as defined by Cicero, is a reason
whicn induces us to believe what before w'e doubted
ef.
And as different kinds of discourses require different
arguments, rhetoricians have considered them two ways 5
in general, under certain heads, as a common fund for
ail subjects ; and, in a more particular manner, as they
Vol. XV. Part I. ’
INVENTION.
are suited to demonstrative, deliberative, or judicial Jus-
courses. At present we shall treat only upon the for¬
mer ot these. And now, that one thing may receive
proof and confirmation from another, it is necessary that
there be some relation between them ; for all things are
not equally adapted to prove one another. Thus, in
measuring the quantity of two things which we would
show to be either equal or unequal, if they are of such
a nature that one cannot be applied to the other, then
we take a third thing, which may be applied to them
both ; and that must be equal at least to one of the two,
which if applied to the other, and found equal to that
also, we presently conclude that these two things are
equal 5 but if it be unequal to the other, we say that
these two things are unequal. Because it is the certain
and known property of all quantities, that whatsoever
two things are equal to a third, are equal to one an¬
other-, and where one of any two things is equal to a
third, and the other unequal, those two things are urn
equal to one another. W hat has been said of quantities,
Q ‘l wilL