This Figure is vaftly various. Hereby we “may vent our indignation,

"And who will Juno's deity adore?

"or our wonder,

"Where does the luft of riches drive mankind * ?

LONGINUS has largely considered the Interrogation in the following pafsage; which not only furnishes us with inftances of this Figure, but likewise discloses its beauty and power in composition. "But what shall we fay concerning "Interrogation and inquiry? Does not DE"MOSTHENES, by the help of this Figure, exert "himself to infufe life and grandeur into his "difcourfe?

Simplex eft fic rogare; Sed vos qui tandem? quibus aut veniftis ab oris? Figuratum autem, quoties non sciscitandi gratia affumitur, fed inftandi. Quid enim tuus ille, Tubero, diftri&tus in acie Pharfalica gladius agebat? &, Quoufque tandem abutere, Catilina, patientia noftra ? & totus denique hic locus. Quanto enim magis ardet, quam fi diceretur: diu abuteris patientia noftra; & patent tua confilia? Interrogamus etiam ut invidiæ gratia, ut Medea apud Senecam:

Quas peti terras jubes?

Aut miferationis, ut Sinon apud Virgilium:

Heu quæ me tellus, inquit, quæ me æquora poffunt
Accipere ?

Totum hoc plenum eft varietatis. Nam & indignationi convenit:

Et quifquam numen Junonis adoret ?

Et admirationi:

Quod non mortalia pectora cogis

Auri facra fames?

QUINTIL. lib. ix. cap. 2. § 1.

"difcourfe? Will you, fays he, running about "the city, ask one another, What's the news? Why, what fresher news than that a Macedo"nian makes war upon Greece? Is PHILIP

dead? No, by heaven but he is sick. But "what benefit is this to you? If PHILIP "fhould die, you will foon conjure up another « PHILIP in his room. And again the fame "Orator fays, Let us fail into Macedonia. But "where fhall we land? Why the war itself will "fhew us where PHILIP is weakeft. But all

this, if it had been plainly fpoken, would "have been far beneath the subject; but the spirit and rapidity of the queftion and answer, and the Orator's replying upon himself, as if "he was answering another, not only ennoble "his oration, but give it an air of probability.

66

The pathetic is then in its glory, when the

fpeaker does not appear to have studied his "Figures, but when the very occasion feems to "have produced them. Now this way of interrogating and answering one's felf well re

prefents fuch an occasion: for as they who "are demanded by others, inftantly rouse themfelves with eagerness to make a reply; so this Figure of queftion and answer leads the hearer "into a perfuasion, that what is the effect of

study is conceived and uttered without any premeditation *."

To

Τι δ' εκείνα φωμεν, τας πεύσεις και ερωτήσεις ; αρα εκ αυταις ταις των οχηματων ειδοποιίαις παραπολυ εμπρακλότερα

To the obfervations of QUINTILIAN and LONGINUS, let me add the fentiments of the celebrated Dr YOUNG on this Figure. This fpeech

w of the Almighty,” fays he, in the notes he has added to his Paraphrafe on Part of the Book of JOB, « is made up of Interrogations. Interroga

tion feems indeed the proper ftile of majesty * incenfed : it differs from other manner of re« proof, as bidding a perfon execute himfelf, « does from a common execution; for he that « afks the guilty perfon a queftion, makes him, « in effect, pafs fentence upon himfelf.”

§ 5. Let us only, for a conclusion of our discourse on this Figure, try by two or three exam

ples

και σοβαρώτερα συντείνει τα λεγόμενα ; " Η βέλεθε, ειπε μας περιτονίες αλλήλων πυνθανεθαι, λεγεται τι καινον; τι γαρ αν γενοιτο (τελε) καινότερον, η Μακεδων ανης καταπολεμων την Ελε λαδα; τέθνηκε Φιλιππα ; ε μα Δι', αλλ' ασθενει· τι δια υμιν δια Φερείς και γαρ αν ουλα τι πάθη, ταχέως υμείς ετερον Φίλιπτον ποιησεις. Και πάλιν, 66 Πλεωμεν επι Μακεδονίαν, φησι που δη προσορμισμεθα ; ηβείο τις ευρήσει τα σαθρα των Φλιππε πραγμαίων αυτα ο πόλεμο. Ην δε, απλως ρηθεν, το πραγμα τω παντί καταδέτερον νυνι δε το ενθεν και οξυςροπον της πεύσεως και αποκρίσεως, και το πιο εαυτον ως προς έλερον ανθυπανίαν, 8 μονον υψηλότερον εποίησε τω χηματισμω το ρηθεν, αλλά και πισοτερον. Αγει γαρ τα παθηλικα τολε μαλλον, όταν αυτά φαίνηται μη επιτηδεύειν αὐτῷ ο λέγων, άλλα γενναν ο καιρα η δε ερωτησις η εις εαυτον, και απόκρισις μιμείται τα παι θες το επικαιρον. Σχεδον γαρ, ως οι υφ' ετέρων ερωτωμένοι, πας ροξυνονίες εκ τε παραχρήμα, προ το λεχθεν εναγωνίως και απ' αυτής αλήθειας ανθυπανίωσιν: εδώ το χήμα της πεύσεως και αποκρίσεως, εις το δοκείν εκατον των εσκεμμένων εξ υπογειο κεκινηθας το και λεγεσθαι. LONGINUS de Sublimitate, $ 18.

ples its excellence and power, by obferving how the very fame ideas thrown into a simple and plain form, immediately become flat and languid, or at least lose much of their force.

TIBERIUS, in his discourse concerning the Figures used by DEMOSTHENES, obferves, "that "the Interrogation is ferviceable for reprehen“sion,” and gives us the following instance from that great Orator: " In doing thefe things, "did he act unjustly, violate his league, and "break the peace, did he, or did he not? "Did it become any Grecian to step forth to " controll this conduct, or did it not?" Only let it be faid, that the enemy acted unjustly, violated his league, and broke the peace, and that it became every Grecian to make head against him, and the spirit of the Orator is eva porated; whereas by the repeated Interrogation, as TIBERIUS obferves, DEMOSTHENES expofes the unbounded infolence of the enemy †.

What a divine grandeur and energy are there in the following passage in BALAAM's fpeech! Numb. xxiii. 19. 5 GOD is not a man that he fhould lie; neither the fon of man that he

should repent. Hath he said it, and fhall not she do it? or hath he spoken, and fhall not he $ make it good?" Throw out the Interroga tions,

† Πότερον ταύτα ποιων ηδικεί και παρεσπονδεί και ελνε την ειρήνην, η 8 ; και πολέρον φανήναι τίνα Ελλήνων τον ταυλά και Ιαλυσονία ποιειν έχρην, η μη κατα τω συνεχες της ερωτήσεως το απειρόν της απειθήσεως εξελείχει. TIBERIUS, § 12.

tions, and reduce the words to a plain affirmation, and the life and force inftantly vanish, or are greatly weakened, as will be evident upon the trial: "GOD is not a man that he should lie, "neither the fon of man that he should repent; "what he has faid he will do, and what he hath spoken he will make good."

Might I not in the fame view mention Job xi. 7? "Canft thou by fearching find out GOD? SS Canft thou find out the Almighty unto perfecstion? It is high as heaven, what canft thou

do? deeper than hell, what canft thou know?ss Where would be the vigour and vehemence of this passage, if once divefted of the Interrogations? and it fhould be faid, Thou canst not by fearching find out GOD; thou canst not find him. out to perfection: it is as high as heaven, and thou canst do nothing; and it is as deep as hell, and thou canst know nothing.

How does St PAUL, fays the ingenious Mr SMITH, in his translation of LONGINUS, in "Atts xxvi. transfer his difcourfe from FESTUS to AGRIPPA? In verfe 26. he speaks of him in the third perfon: "The King, fays he, knows " of these things, before whom alfo I fpeak freely." Then, in the following, he turns fhort upon him: " King AGRIPPA, believest ss thou the Prophets?" and immediately anfwers his own question, " I know that thou beSs lieveft." "The smootheft eloquence," adds

SS

Mr SMITH," the most insinuating complai

"fance,