DIALOGUES CONCERNING ELOQUENCE. The FIRST DIALOGUE, between. A. and B. and C. A. W 27ELL, Sir, I fuppofe you have been hearing the Sermon to which you wou'd have carry'd me. I have but very little Curiofity that way, and am content with our Parish-Minifter. B. I was charm'd with my Preacher? You had a great lofs, Sir, in not hearing him. I have hir'd a Pew, that I may not mifs one of his Lent-Sermons. O he's a wonderful Man. If you did but once hear him, you cou'd never bear any other. A. If it be fo, I'm refolv'd never to hear him. I wou'd not have any One Preacher give me a distaste of all Others; on the contrary, I fhou'd chufe one that will give me fuch a Relish and Respect for the Word of GOD, as may difpofe me the more to hear it preach'd every where. But fince I have loft fo much by not hearing this fine Difcourse you are fo pleas'd with, you may make up part of that lofs, if you'll be fo kind as to communicate to us what you remember of it. B. I fhou'd only mangle the Sermon, by endeavouring to repeat any part of it. There were an hundred Beauties in it that one cannot recollect, and which none but the Preacher himself cou'd display A. Well; but let us at least know fomething of his Defign, his Proofs, his Do&trine, and the chief Truths he enlarg'd on. Do you remember nothing? Was you unattentive? B. Far from it: I never liften'd with more Attention and Pleasure. C. What is the Matter then? Do you want to be intreated? B. No but the Preachers Thoughts were fo refin'd, and depended fo much on the Turn and Delicacy of his Expreffions, 3 that that tho' they charm'd me while I heard them, they cannot be eafily recollected and tho' one cou'd remember them, if they be exprefs'd in other Words, they wou'd not feem to be the fame Thoughts; but lofe all their Grace and Force. A. Surely, Sir, these Beauties muft be very fading, if they vanish thus upon the Touch, and will not bear a Review. I fhou'd be much better pleas'd with a Discourse which has more Body in it, and lefs Spirit, that things might make a deeper Impreffion on the Mind, and be more eafily remember'd. What is the End of fpeaking, but to perfuade People, and to instruct them in fuch Truths as they can retain? C. Now you have begun, Sir, I hope you will go on with this useful Subject. A. I wish I cou'd prevail with you, Sir, to give us fome general Notion of the elegant Harangue you heard. B. Since you are fo very urgent, I'll tell you what I can recollect of it. The Text was this, I have eaten afhes like Pfal.cij. 9. bread. Now cou'd any one make a happier choice of a Text for Afb-Wednesday! He fhew'd us that, according to this Paffage, Afhes ought this Day to be the Food of our Souls: Then in his Preamble he ingenioully interwove the Story of Artemefia, with regard to her Husband's B 2 Alhes. I. II. of it. 66 Afbes. His Tranfition to his Ave Maria was very artful; and his Divifion was extreamly ingenious: you fhall judge "Tho' this Duft (faid he) be a Sign of Repentance, it is a Principle of Felicity Tho' it seems to humble us, III. "it is really a Source of Glory: And "tho' it reprefents Death, it is a Remedy "that gives iminortal Life." He turn'd this Divifion various ways, and every time he gave it a new Luftre by his Antithefes. The reft of his Difcourfe was not lefs bright and elegant; the Language was polite; the Thoughts new; the Periods were harmonious; and each of them concluded with foine furprizing Turn. He gave fuch juft Characters of common Life, that his Hearers found their various Pictures faithfully drawn: and his exact Anatomy of all the Paffions equal'd the Maxims The Romish Preachers, in the Preamble of their Sermons, address themselves to the Virgin Mary; and are ofttimes very artful in their Tranfition to it, as our Author obferves. We have a remarkable Example of this in one of the greatest French Orators, M. L'ESPRIT FLECHIER, Bishop of Nifmes, who seems to be oftner than once alluded to in thefe Dialogues. In his Panegyrick on S. JOSEPH he introduces his Ave Maria thus, Every thing feems to concur to the Glory of my Subject; the Holy Spirit, Jefus Chrift, and Mary, are concern'd in it; why may I not hope for the Affiftance of one of them, the Grace of the other, and the Interceffions of the Virgin; whom we will addrefs ourselves in thofe Words that the Angel faid to her, and which S. Joseph no doubt often repeated; Hail Mary, &c. Panegyriques, Vol. I. p. 71. to |