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"the fource of his glory, and his glory was the

fource of his envy. And again; the empire "of Greece was firft in the hands of the Athe"nians, the Athenians were conquered by the "Spartans, the Spartans were fubdued by the "Thebans, the Thebans were vanquished by the "Macedonians, who in a fhort time annexed to "the Grecian empire that of Afia, which they re"duced to their dominion by the power of the "fword *."

"There is alfo a Figure, fays HERMOGENES, "remarkable and well adapted for illustration, "which is ftiled a Climax. This Climax is no

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thing else than a copious repetition; as when "DEMOSTHENES fays, Not only did I not speak "these things, but I did not write them; not "only did I not write them, but I did not make "them a part of my embassy; and not only did "I not make them a part of my embassy, but I "did not fo much as advise them †."

CICERO

Gradatio eft, in qua non ante ad confequens verbum defcenditur, quàm ad fuperius confcenfum eft, hoc modo: nam quæ reliqua fpes manet libertatis, fi illis, & quod libet, licet; & quod licet, poffunt; & quod poffunt, audent; & quod audent, faciunt; & quod faciunt, vobis moleftum non eft? Item, Africano induftria virtutem, virtus gloriam, gloria æmulos comparavit. Item, imperium Græciæ fuit apud Athenienfes, Athenienfium potiti funt Spartiate, Spartiatas fuperavere Thebani, Thebani Macedones vicerunt, qui ad imperium Græciæ brevi tempore adjunxerunt Afiam bello fubactam. CICER. ad HERENNIUM, lib. iv. § 25.

+ Ετα των επιφανως καλλωπιζονίων επι μετα ενάργειας, και

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CICERO gives us an inftance of the Climax in the following pafsage. "Nor did he (MILO) "commit himself only to the people, but also is to the fenate; nor to the fenate only, but to "the public forces and arms; nor to these only, "but to his power, with whom the fenate had "intrusted all the commonwealth, the flower "of Italy, and all the arms of the Roman peo«ple *." ple"

"All the actions of men," fays Archbishop TILLOTSON," which are not natural, but pro<ceed from deliberation and choice, have fome

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thing of difficulty in them, when we begin to "practise them; because at first we are rude and "unexercised that way, but after we have prac"tifed them a while, they become more eafy; "and when they are easy, we begin to take plea«fure in them; and when they please us, we do "them frequently, and think we cannot repeat "them too often; and by frequency of acts, a

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thing grows into an habit; and a confirmed "habit is a fecond kind of nature: and fo far "as any thing is natural, fo far it is necessary, "and

το κλιμακωλον καλέμενον χημα -Εςι δε εδεν αλλ' η πλεονάζει Τα Ανατροφη. Οιον, εκ είπον μεν ταυία, ουκ έγραψα δεν είναι εγαψα μεν, εκ επρεσβυσα δε, εδ' επρεσβυσα μεν, ουκ επεισαδε HERMOGEN. de Ideis, lib. i.

*Neque vero fe populo folum, fed etiam fenatui commifit; neque fenatui modo, fed etiam publicis præfidiis & armis; neque his tantum, verum etiam ejus poteftati, cui fenatus totam rempublicam, omnem Italiæ pubem, cuncta populi Romani arma commiferat. CICER. pro Milon. § 23.

" and we can hardly do otherwife; nay, we do it many times when we do not think of it +."

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§3. Inftances of this Figure occur in the facred Writings: Hofea ii. 21. " And it fhall come " to pass in that day, I will hear, faith the LORD, "the heavens, and they shall hear the earth, and the earth fhall hear the corn, and the wine, and s the oil, and they fhall hear JEZREEL." So Rom. v. 3. S Tribulation works patience, and "patience experience, and experience hope; ss and hope makes not ashamed." And Rom. viii. 29, 30. For whom GOD did foreknow, " them alfo he did predeftinate; and whom he s did predeftinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he alfo juftified; and s whom he juftified, them he alfo glorified." In like manner, Rom. x. 14, 15. " How then s fhall they call on him, on whom they have not Ss believed? and how fhall they believe on him, ss of whom they have not heard? and how fhall they hear without a Preacher? and how shall they preach, except they are fent?

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We may alfo recite for our purpose 2 Peter i. 5. And besides this giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and "to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, #patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity."

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†TILLOTSON's Sermons, vol. ii. p. 32. Octavo edition.

§ 4. But besides the Climax, which is regular and perfect, according to the definition we have given, there is what I may call a kind of freer Climax, that may be frequently observed in good Writers, in which the sense rises by degrees, though not according to the exact form and order in which we have defcribed this Figure; of which we may take the following inftances.

CICERO fomewhere fays, "It is a great fault "to lay a freeman of Rome in bonds, worse to

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fcourge him, and still worse to take away his "life, but what fhall I fay of crucifying him * ?” And again; "It is a miferable thing to be thrust "out of our pofsefsions, more miferable to be "thruft out of them by injuftice: it is a bitter thing to be cheated by any perfon, more bitter "to be cheated by a neighbour: it is a calamity "to be stript of our goods, more calamitous to "be ftript of them with difgrace: it is fhameful "to be beaten by an equal or a fuperior, but it " is more shameful to be thus used by an infe"rior: it is dreadful to have ourselves and our "all delivered into the hands of another, but "it is more dreadful if that person is our "enemy +."

There

Facinus eft vincire civem Romanum, fcelus verberare, prope parricidium necare; quid dicam in crucem tollere?

+ Miferum eft exturbari fortunis omnibus; miferius eft, injuria. Acerbum eft ab aliquo circumveniri; acerbius à propinquo. Calamitofum eft bonis everti; calamitofius cum

dedecore.

There appears evidently a Gradation in these celebrated lines of HORACE ;

He who does rectitude purfue,
To all his refolutions true,
On the firm bafis of his foul
Can all oppofing force controll;
His citizens tumultuous rage
Urging him headlong to engage
In fome foul scheme; the tyrant's ire
Infifting on some wild defire;

Th' impetuous hurricanes that fweep
In terror o'er th' afflicted deep;
And the red arm of angry Jove

That darts the thunder from above.

Should the strong bonds that earth and sky
In peace unites afunder fly,

His foul would fmile, fecure from fears,
Amidst the ruins of the spheres *.

"What is every year," says Mr POPE to Bishop ATTERBURY, " of a wife man's life, but "a cenfure or critic on the past? Thofe, whose "date

dedecore. Indignum eft à pari vinci, aut fuperiore; indignius ab inferiore, atque humiliore. Luftuofum eft tradi alteri cum bonis; luctuofius inimico. CICER. pre QUINT. § 31.

*Juftum & tenacem propofiti virum
Non civium ardor prava jubentium,
Non vultus inftantis tyranni
Mente quatit folida; neque aufter,

Dux inquieti turbidus Adriæ,
Nec fulminantis magna Jovis manus.
Si fractus illabatur orbis
Impavidum ferient ruina.

HORAT. Od. lib. iii. od. 3.

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