W B. HOEVER hath an Ambition to be heard in a Crowd, muft prefs, and fqueeze, and thruft, and climb with indefatigable Pains, till he has exalted himself to a certain Degree of Altitude above them. Now, in all Affemblies, though you wedge them ever fo close, we may obferve this peculiar Property, That over their Heads there is Room enough; but how to reach it, is the difficult Point; it being as hard to get quit of Number, as of Hell. م Evadere Evadere ad auras, Hoc opus, hic labor eft *. To this end, the Philofopher's Way in all Ages has been by erecting certain Edifices in the Air. But, whatever Practice and Reputation these kind of Stru &tures have formerly poffefied, or may ftill continue in, not excepting even that of Socrates, when he was fufpended in a Basket to help Contemplation; I think, with due Submiffion, they feem to labour under two Inconveniencies. First, That the Foundations being laid too high, they have been often out of Sight, and ever out of Hearing. Secondly, That the Materials, being very tranfitory, have fuffered much from Inclemencies of Air, especially in these North-west Regions. A THEREFORE, towards the juft Performance of this great Work, there remain but three Methods that I can think on; whereof the Wisdom of our Ancestors being highly fenfible, has, to encourage all afpiring Adventurers, thought fit to erect three wooden Machines, for the Ufe of thofe Orators who defire to talk much without Interruption. Thefe are, the Pulpit, the Ladder, and the Stage-itinerant. For, as to the Bar, though it be compounded of the fame Matter, and defigned for the fame Ufe, it cannot however be well allowed the Honour of a Fourth, by reafon of its Level or inferior Situation, expofing it to perpetual Interruption from Collaterals. Neither can the Bench itself, though raised to a proper Eminency, put in a better Claim, whatever its Advocates infift on. For if they please to look into the original Defign of its Erection, and the Circumstances. or Adjuncts fubfervient to that Defign, they will foon acknowledge the prefent Practice exactly correfpon dent to the primitive Institution; and both to an But to return, and view the chearful Skies, 12 fwer fwer the Etymology of the Name, which in the Phar nician Tongue is a Word of great Signification, importing, if literally interpreted, The Place of Sleep; but in common Acceptation, A Seat well bolstered and tufbioned, for the Repofe of old and gouty Limbs; Senes ut in otiastuta recedant : Fortune being indebted to e them this Part of Retaliation, that, as formerly, they have long talked, whilst others flept; fo now they may fleep as long, whilst others talk. But if no other Argument could occur to exclude the Bench and the Bar from the Lift of oratorial Ma chines, it were fufficient, that the Admiffion of them would overthrow a Number which I was refolved to eftablish, whatever Argument it might coft me; in Imitation of that prudent Method obferved by many other Philofophers and great Clerks, whofe chief Art in Divifion has been to grow fond of fome proper myftical Number, which their Imaginations have rendered facred, to a Degree, that they force common Reason to find Room for it in every Part of Nature; reducing, including, and adjusting every genus. and fpecies within that Compafs, by coupling fome against their Wills, and banishing others at any rate. Now, among all the reft, the profound Number THREE is that which hath most employed my sublimeft Speculations, nor ever without wonderful Delight. There is now in the Prefs, (and will be published next Term), a panegyrical Effay of mine upon this Number; wherein I have, by most convincing Proofs, not only reduced the Senfes and the Elements under its Banner, but brought over feveral Deferters from its two great Rivals SEVEN and NINE. Now, the first of these oratorial Machines in Place as well as Dignity, is the Pulpit. Of Pulpits there are in this Ifland feveral Sorts. But I efteem only that made of Timber from the fylva Caledonia, which agrees very well with our Climate. If it be upon its Decay, it is the better, both for Conveyance of Sound, and for other Reasons to be mentioned by and by. The Degree of Perfection in < Shape Shape and Size, I take to confift in being extremely narrow, with little Ornament, and beft of all without a Cover (for, by antient Rule, it ought to be the only uncovered Veffel in every Affembly where it is rightfully used): by which Means, from its near Refemblance to a Pillory, it will ever have a mighty Influence on humán Ears. "OF Ladders I need fay nothing. It is obferved by Foreigners themfelves, to the Honour of our Country, that we excel all Nations in our Practice and Understanding of this Machine. The afcending Orators do not only oblige their Audience in the a greeable Delivery, but the whole World in the early Publication of their Speeches; which I look upon as the choiceft Treafury of our British Eloquence; and whereof I am informed, that worthy Citizen and Bookfeller, Mr. John Dunton, hath made a faithful and a painful Collection, which chefhortly defigns to publifh in twelve Volumes in Folio, illustrated with Copper plates: A Work highly ufeful and curious, and altogether worthy of fuch a Hand.: THE laft Engine of Orators is the Stage itinerant*, erected with much Sagacity, Jub Jove pluvio, in tri viis & quadriviist. It is the great Seminary of the two former: And its Orators are fometimes preferred to the one, and fometimes to the other, in Proportion to their Defervings; there being a strict and perpetual Intercourfe between all three. T FROM this accurate Deduction it is manifeft, that, for obtaining Attention in Publick, there is of Neceffity required a fuperior Pofition of Place. But although this Point be generally granted, yet the Caufe is little agreed in; and it feems to me, that very few Philofophers have fallen into a true, natural Solution of this Phenomenon. The deepest Account, and the moft fairly digefted of any I have yet met with, is Is the Mountebank's Stage, whofe Orators the Author determines either to the Gallows or a Conventicle. In the open Air, and in Streets where the greatest Re· fort is. this, |