An Essay on the Composition and Manner of Writing of the Antients, Particularly Plato |
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againſt Alcibiades alfo allegory alſo antient beauty becauſe beſt cauſe Cicero compariſon compofition confider Cratylus defcribed defcriptions defires DEITY Demofth Demofthenes dialogues diction difcovered divine doctrine Epinomis exoteric expreffions faid fame fays feems fenfe fentiments fhall fhew fhould firſt fome fometimes foul fubject fublime fuch future ftate give Gods greateſt happineſs higheſt himſelf HOMER ILIAD imitates inftance itſelf juft juſt juſtice kind laſt leaſt mankind manner meaſures Menexenus mind moft moſt muſt nature noble numbers obferve orator paffage paffions perfon Phaedrus Philebus philofopher Pindar PLATO pleaſed pleaſure poet prefent puniſhments reaſon repreſent Republ ſays Sect ſeems Serran ſhall Socrates Sophifts ſpeak ſpeech ſpirit ſtate ſtudy ſtyle ſuch taſte Theaetetus thefe themſelves ther theſe thing thofe thoſe truth underſtand uſe virtue words wou'd Xenophon γὰρ δὲ εἰς ἐκ ἐν καὶ κὶ μὲν τὰ τε τὴν τῆς τὸ τῷ τῶν ὡς ὥσπερ
Popular passages
Page 288 - Two urns by Jove's high throne have ever stood, The source of evil one, and one of good ; From thence the cup of mortal man he fills, Blessings to these, to those distributes ills; To most, he mingles both : the wretch decreed To taste the bad, unmix'd, is cursed indeed; Pursued by wrongs, by meagre famine driven, He wanders, outcast both of earth and heaven.
Page 71 - ... to name the parcels from whence the three feveral ingredients were taken. A man of a fine tafte in writing will difcern, after the fame manner, not only the general beauties and imperfections of an author, but difcover the feveral ways of thinking and exprefling himfelf, which diverfify him from all other authors, with the feveral foreign infufions of thought and language, and the particular authors from whom they were borrowed.
Page 360 - For profuseness will be wherever there is affluence. They are firmly linked together, and constant attendants upon one another. Wealth unbars the gates of cities, and opens the doors of houses: profuseness gets in at the same time, and there they jointly fix their residence. After some continuance in their new establishment, they build their nests (in the language of philosophy), and propagate their species. There they hatch arrogance, pride, and luxury, no...
Page 254 - God, As his wife plan demanded; and when paft Their various trials, in their various fpheres, If they continue rational, as made, Reforbs them all into Himfelf again ; His throne their centre, and his fmile their crown.
Page 208 - Eager they view'd the prospect dark and deep, Vast was the leap, and headlong hung the steep ; The bottom bare (a formidable show !) And bristled thick with sharpen'd stakes below.
Page 10 - If it is asked," says a late writer, " whence arises the harmony, or beauty of language ? what are the rules for obtaining it ? the answer is obvious. Whatever renders a period sweet and pleasant, makes it also graceful. A good ear is the gift of nature ; it may be much improved, but not acquired by art. Whoever is possessed of it, will scarcely need dry critical precepts to enable him to judge of a true rhythmus, and melody of...
Page 10 - ... there is as much difference in apprehending a thought clothed in Cicero's language, and that of a common author, as in seeing an object by the light of a taper > or by the light of the sun.
Page 71 - A man of a fine taste in writing will discern after the same manner, not only the general beauties and imperfections of an author, but discover the several ways of thinking and expressing himself which diversify him from all other authors, with the several foreign infusions of thought and language, and the particular authors from whom they were borrowed.
Page 31 - As thofe move eafieft who have learn'd to dance. 'Tis not enough no harfhnefs gives offence, The found muft feem an echo to the fenfe. Soft is the ftrain when Zephyr gently blows, And the fmooth ftream in fmoother numbers flows ; But when loud furges lafh the founding more, The hoarfe rough verfe mould like the torrent roar.
Page 212 - But wondrous visions drew my curious eye. High on a throne, tremendous to behold, Stern Minos waves a mace of burnish'd gold ; Around ten thousand thousand spectres stand Through the wide dome of Dis, a trembling band. Still as they plead, the fatal lots he rolls, Absolves the just, and dooms the guilty souls.