Taste, thou “art fled indeed to bruin general are so apt to confound

tish beasts"

"And men have lost" discernment!

When I see a council of five hundred, whether in French or translated, solemnly convene to debate, produce systems, and legislate; five hundred lawgivers! I furn suddenly indignant, am pedant enough to cry out "Odi profanum vulgus," and, for the benefit of country members, I hate the mob.

relative duties. Their system of principle seems to be in chaos, and the light of justice not yet to have emerged. They forget this virtue. Whatever they take from creditors, if they expend in the education of their children, they think their peace made with their conscience But let them reand heaven.

member, there is no virtue without justice. BRUTUS Sacrificed sons, soul and body, to justice. Are we Whenever I am unluckily caught degenerate? Forbid it, heaven! in the company of ladies, or happen Not a child in the country, but to be present at a tea party, where would rather take a stone for bread, the talk is about gowns and cloaks, than not have his father wear the and becoming dresses, the beauty crown of glory, integrity. The deof a particular belle, handsome men, viation is indeed amiable; but it is stander and plays, who is married still a deviation. "The angel as and who courting, the Babel con- he penned it down," might drop founds me. I groan out, " Odi pro-" a tear upon" the record; but he fanum vulgus," and the company could not blot it out. mistake it for a compliment. It is then more than ever that I hate the

In one of my late wanderings I strolled near the scene of a public mob. execution. My eye was fixed on There is a vulgar eccentricity, the scaffold. That many headed that is equally disgustful with the monster, the people, surrounded it. nost slavish obsequiousness. In-The convict was separated only by dependence may be as servile as im-a plank from the deep unknown. itation. The man, that labours, in At that moment an apple or an egg every action and movement of his was thrown and passed near his life, to distinguish himself from the blindfold face. The laugh of inanicommon herd, is even more a slave ty was heard hideous. Is this thẹ to leave, than others are to follow, nation? Nations then have no the mob. In matters of indifference souls. It was the laugh of hell. it is wisdom to regard fashion and The grin horrible struck home and folly to oppose it. "Follow not the sunk me in dejection. "Profanum "multitude, to do evil" is the only vulgus !" I detest the mob. exaction; "profanum vulgus" the Would to heaven civilization sole object of odium. It is to do would utterly exterminate public evil, not to follow the multitude to executions! They tend to convert do good. It is indeed not to be men into fierce barbarians. They among the profane vulgar, but it is to be the profanely distinguished. destroy sympathy and deaden feelA man may be upright without ing. Instead of preventing crimes by the force of terrific example, bending backward. they increase them by the entire destruction of those social virtues, which are essential to the existence of social purity.

There is another sort of profanity, which may be called vulgar, because common. It is that men

S.

REVIEW.

found themselves to have deviated. Aa Inaugural Oration, delivered at the Better keep close to the line, when installation of the Boylston Professor once struck, should even those whe of Rhetoric and Oratory at Harvard strike it, inadvertently fall below. University, Cambridge, Massachu-We must else have Reports of cases

setts, Thursday 12th June, 1806. By John Quincy Adams.

to settle correctness of diction, and Rhetoric herself must stagger "under the lumber of a thousand vo

WITH the utmost respect for the profound erudition and popular tal-lumes." The substitution of the ents of the Harvard Orator by profession, we attempt a review of his "Inaugural Oration."

correct phrase, many persons, may indeed often, as in this instance, infringe harmony. But surely there Not being of the ear witnesses are trisyllables enough in the lanto this splendid performance, we guage of similar signification and shall be in no danger of having accent to render the epithet, “many yielded "the guidance of criticisma," wholly unnecessary even on this to the dominion of the voice." account. We had hoped its outThe work is in print and palpable lawry had long since been effectuto sight. The style is the object. ally pronounced from the tribunals From such a character on so au- of taste. It seems to be a sort of just an accasion, it will probably be unmanageable compound, which the anded with the most important greatest literary giant is utterly uneffects. It may be regarded, at able to wield. In the sentence beleast in New-England, as a model fore us, it is singular; it is plural; a correct composition. It is the it is exclusively neither. le of a Professor of Oratory, and the Professor an ADAMS.

"In forming an estimate of the moral or intellectual merits of many his for these reasons, and on ac- a person, whose name is («ırgular) tant of the extremely influential recorded in the volumes of history, situation of the writer on the taste their virtues and vices are (pivrví) of the public, that we shall be more so nearly balanced, that their station minute in attention to this discourse, (singular) in the ranks of fame has than might be otherwise requisite. never been precisely ascertained, If it have any faults, however trivial, and their reputation (singular) even they ought to be noted, as they may after death, vibrates upon the hingsoon get to be general. They come es of events, with which they have from the oracle of eloquence, and (plural) little or no perceptible may be hallowed as the language connexion." This confused alterof divinity. nation of singular and plural within In the very threshold of this dis-the same period, we think not warcourse we are not a little surprised ranted even on the liberal supposiat meeting the phrase, "many ation, that this heterogeneous comferson." It has the sanction of pre-pound, "many a person" can be cedents, but is still a barbarism. considered as a noun of multitude Mr. Adams as a lawyer must often singular. Such nouns admit verbs have felt, that there may be prece-in the singular or plural either, but dents without right. Great names not both. Nor are the sibilations of Are not law to rhetoric. Princi-this sentence lessened by adopting ples test precedents. The system the phrase, “many a person." If of rules should guide, even though they were, this might be some reathose, who established it, should be son, since these, after all, are in

"As the necessary adjunct and vehicle of reason," says the Orator,

English, numerous enough. But duction so generally marked for throughout the whole of this period dignified diction. taking the sibilant termination from "the substantive (person,) adds it to the verb, and adding it to the sub-" the faculty of speech was also bestantive takes it from the verb. stowed as an exclusive privilege up"Reputation" and "station" are in on man." Mathematics and Rhethis period for another reason words toric are not very congenial. We of doubtful correctness. From the wonder the harmony of Mr. A's context in the members of the sen- disposition could have suffered them tences, in which they are respect- to approach thus near to each other. ively found, it seems the author The literal and metaphorical seem must have taken the remote ante- too closely united. Nor is the recedent collectively; that there was mark substantially true. Speech a unity attached to it. As in is not the “necessary adjunct of reaSHAKESPEARE; son;" since there may be reason without speech. Mr. A. seems aware of this, when in the next page he says, "It is by the means of recson, clothed with speech, that the most precious blessings of social life are communicated."

"O, thou fond many with what loud
applause

Didst thou beat Heaven with blessing
Bolingbroke,
Before he was, what thou wouldst have

him be?"

2 Hen. 4.

"As the necessary adjunct and vehicle of reason, the faculty of speech was

also bestowed as an exclusive privilege upon man: not the mere utterance of articulate sounds; not the mere cries of passion, which he has in common with the lower orders of animated nature, but as the conveyance of thought; as the means of rational intercourse.

We conceive however this unity cannot apply here. Mr. A. cannot mean, when he speaks of "the moral or intellectual merits" of a multitude," their virtues and vices," the merits, virtues, and vices of the multitude collectively, but individually; not of the whole, but of each. If he do mean collectively, then he These last expressions make the ought not to have spoken of these phrase "vehicle of reason" tautologiattributes in the plural. But from cal. Bring the members together the whole period together it is evi-and the propriety of this remark dent he does not. It should then will be obvious. "As the vehicle read their stations, their reputations, with correspondent alterations in the verbs. The idea being, not the station and reputation of the multitude, as an aggregate, but the station and reputation of every individual respectively, that composed that multitude. But in all this maze is this sentence involved merely from the treachery of that Vandal barbarian," many a person.

In the second section we should have passed without notice the flatness of the phrase "bringing the mind," had it not occurred in a pro

of reason, the faculty of speech was also bestowed as the conveyance of thought; as the means of rational intercourse." Strike out, “as the necessary adjunct and vehicle of reason” and let the period read, “The faculty of speech was also bestowed as an exclusive privilege upon man : not the mere utterance of articulate sounds; not the mere cries of passion, which he has in common with the lower orders of animated nature, but as the conveyance of thought; as the means of rational intercourse with his fellow-creature, and of hum

ble communion with his God."

and employments of the world before

The whole will then stand as per-you, it cannot be necessary to urge upch haps the author intended..

-"Through the long series of Greek and Roman history down to the gloom of universal night, in which the glories of the Roman empire expired, the umphs and the splendor of eloquence e multiplied and conspicuous." Here with submission we think, "erfüred" should have been in the present time, or "are" in the past. The beginning of the next sentence The words, "life" and messengers "Then it was, &c." shows that the in italics are doubtful. They ought past would have been preferable rather to be both in the plural. But and uniformity aided by the substi-"yourselves" and "yourself" cannot tution of were..

You the importance of the art, concerning which I am speaking. Is it the in the temples of Almighty God, to be purpose of your future life to minister the messenger of heaven upon earth, tạ tri-enlighten with the torch of eternal truth the path of your fellow mortals to brighter worlds? Remember the reason assigned for the appointinent of Aaron to that minstry, which you purpose to assame upon yourself."

It

both apply to the same antecedent and both be proper. Yet "Sons of Harvard!" is here the sole antecedent to both.

The brilliancy of the next section is too dazzling for the eye of analysis: "In the flourishing periods of Athens and Rome, eloquence was POWER. was at once the instrument and the spur to ambition. The talent of public speaking was the key to the highest dignities: the passport to the supreme dominion of the state. The rod of Hermes was the sceptre of empire: the oice of oratory was the thunder of JuThe oration is marked with all piter. The most powerful of human that fertility of classic allusion, passions was enlisted in the cause of which was to be expected from the eloquence, and eloquence in return was author's renown for acquaintance the most effectual auxiliary to the pas-with the lore of antiquity, The sion. In proportion to the wonders she achleved, was the eagerness to acquire the faculties of this mighty magician. Oratory was taught as the occupation

Invidious duty is fmished. A task far more difficult remains, the selection of beauties. It is easier to find specks in the sun, than to count the stars.

plan is easy and natural. The use made of "the testimonial of Omnipotence" in favor of the orator;,"I

of a life. The course of instruction KNOW THAT HE CAN SPEAK WELL? commenced with the infant in the cra-is admirable and to us novel. Sodle, and continued to the meridian of manhoobd." CRATES first brought philosophy

In this last period is a similar from heaven. But we here witness: union of the literal and metaphoria nobler attempt. The heavens are cal, which has been noticed in one bowed to do honor to eloquence. other instance. Had maturity been The allegorical personification of adopted in lieu of meridian," sim-eloquence. is beautiful throughout. plicity would perhaps have been better preserved.

The address to the sons of Harrard is peculiarly apposite; but here again is a seeming confusion

"At the revival of letters in mode ern Europe, eloquence together with her sister muses awoke, andi shook the poppies from her brow But their torpors still tingled im her veins." Can torfors tingle The boldness of the fightre, that "Sons of Harvard! you who are ascending with painful step and persever. represents eloquence as shrinking ing toil the eminence of science to "intuitively from the forum," at the Fare yourselves for the various functions recollection of the last object” she

of number.

pre

saw there, "the head of her darling | sympathy for deceased worth is CICERO, planted upon the rostrum," sometimes commingled with the makes the blood chill with horror, smile of approbation for living inand the heart for a moment forget genuity. In a late English Magato beat; zine we find the following inscription inserted from a stone in the

"Obstrepui, steteruntque comæ.”

Somerset

county

Her ascension of the "tribunals of porch of the church at Westonjustice;"" her child, Persuasion,ma-super-Mare, nacled and pinioned by the letter of (England.) the law; an image of herself, stam

"Here lieth the body of Peter Day,

"His life was holy,

He dy'd in love,
Here rest his body,
His sovl's above."

As you approach the rails of the Communion, awe at the sanctity of the place is a little relieved by a a smile at a quaint inscription on a tomb-stone within them.

"Of two brothers born together, Cruel Death was so vnkind,

As to bring the eldest hither,
And the younger leave behind
May George live long;
Edgar dy'd yvong,

For born he was

mering in barbarous Latin, and stag-yeoman, who departed this life the 28th gering under the lumber of a thou-Jvly, 1695. sand volumes," have all inimitable grandeur and aptness. The address to the students is bold, yet judicious. The conception toward the close, "Gather fragrance from the whole paradise of science, and learn to distil from your lips all the honies of persuasion," may be fastidiously thought to savor more of the vat, than the bee-hive; yet strikes us on the whole as a very happy combination. Hypercriticism indeed may object her ignorance of the process by which fragrance can be distilled into honey. But though small errors may escape, Mr. A. is familiar in the palaces of eloquence and at home in the halls of Minerva. The erudition, introduced in this discourse with all the easy familiarity. of a polite scholar, and the known felicity of the author at delivery, inust have struck the audience at the time with the force of one living xample, where bountiful heaven bad bestowed at once "the blessing of wisdom and the readiness of utterance." They must have been wrapt in ecstacy of attention and have listened to the practice of the art with admiration and despair.”.

For the Emerald. DESULTORY SELECTIONS And Original Remarks,

There is something to please

To Master Sam. Willan, Rectovr of this place, of Jane his wife, Sept. 5, 1680, and bvryed Feb. the eleventh, 1686. The 9th ..Did pvt an end to all his pain, And sent him into everlasting gain.

It

The closing lines of an Epitaph in Orton Church yard, Westmoreland, (Eng.) form a striking instance of the happy abrupt. They have good point and no bad moral. is an epitaph on Charles Stanhope. When his last hour approach'd (his. friends around) He fault'ring said, “Peace is by virtue

found;

O, Conscience! thou it is who hast the
power,
[hour;
T'assuage the anguish of this fearful
Virtue on earth has its reward" he cries:
No, it has not, for here Charles Stanhope

lies

The following icky hit is taken even in an epitaph. In contem- from that elegant Melo-Drama, plating a tombstone, the sigh of "The sleeping beauty," the avowed