RHETORIC, from the Creek word ed. to speak, may be defined the art of speaking with persuasion.
This art, like all others, is the result of observations and experiments made by men of good capacities and of en lightened minds. After multiplied and often defective essays, those principles are at length discovered, which distin guish between the good and the bad, between the faulty and the perfect. These principles, when reduced to me thod, and well arranged, save succeed ing enquirers much pains and trouble, considerably shorten the road to know ledge, and materially assist in the for mation of a correct judgment. As in respect to poetry, it is contended, that though accurate rules of criticism will not bestow genius, they will check re dundancy and bombast, and detect all the errors into which the competitors for the laurel are too apt to be betrayed, so with regard to the precepts of rhe toric it may safely be asserted, that though they will not generate that energy of mind which rises to the highest flights of eloquence, they will effectually warn the orator against in congruity in the disposition of his mat ter, absurdity in argument, and the false glitter of ornament which amuses instead of convincing, or those injudi cious attempts to interest the feelings which excite ridicule rather than sym pathy.
This will be the more manifest if we consider that the foundation of eloquence is right reason, and that its exercise im plies the possession of that faculty both in the speaker and the hearer. It was well observed by the Stagyrite, that rhetoric is nearly allied to logic.
In displaying the utility of the art of rhetoric, Quintilian expresses himself in the following forcible terms : " If in any thing the Creator has distinguished us from the rest of the animals, it is by the gift of speech. They surpass us in strength, in patience, in size, in swift ness, and especially in independence of foreign aid. Guided by instinct, they soon learn by its instructions to walk, to feed themselves, and to swim. Their protection against the cold, and their weapons of defence, are provided for them by nature. But what pains and labour does it cost man to procure all i these things. Reason is our inheritance, and seems to associate us to immortal be ings. But how feeble would reason be, were it not for the faculty of expressing our thoughts by speech, which is the faithful interpreter of reason. This is what is wanting to the inferior animals much more than understanding, of which it cannot be justly said that they are ab solutely destitute. If then we have re
ceived nothing from the Deity better than the use of speech, what is there which we ought to cultivate with greater industry ? What object is more worthy of our ambition than that of rising above other men by that faculty, which alone raises them above the level of the brutes ?" A still greater dignity will attach to the acquirement of eloquence, and con sequently to the science of rhetoric, if it be considered that eloquence and free dom go hand in hand. It is in free states, and under popular governments alone, that oratory can flourish. When the people are appealed to on the sub ject of state affairs ; when political mea sures are to be enforced by the en lightening of theirjudgements, or by the excitement of their passions ; the great est talents are exercised in studying the art of persuasion, and the result is found in the most wonderful efforts of human ability. But when brute force predominates, and the people how be neath the yoke of tyranny, the voice of reason is stilled, and eloquence is mute.
The ancient rhetoricians distinguish oratorical composition into three species; viz. the demonstrative, the deliberative, and the judicial.
The first of those species is chiefly con versant in bestowing praise or blame, and comprehends in its definition the pane gyric and the funeral eulogy, which were so much in use among the ancients. In the former class may be enumerated IsO crates's Panegyric on Evagoras Kihg of Salamis, Cicero 's Oration on the pardon ing of Marcellus, his Philippics against Mark Antony, and Pliny's Panegyric on Trajan. Of the latter specimens may be found in the funeral orations composed by Thucydides and Plato, to commemo rate the virtues of the Athenians who fell at the commencement of the Pelo ponnesian war. Nor have the moderns been wanting in excellent specimens of this species of eloquence. The funeral discourses of the most celebrated French and English preachers, the (loges pro nounced upon eminent men before the French Academy, the generality of mo dern pulpit compositions, and the occa sional commendatory or vituperative speeches which have at various times been uttered in the British Parliament, will afford rich subjects of study to him who wishes to become acquainted with the principles of demonstrative elo quence.