A Dissertation on Reading the Classics and Forming a Just Style/Contents
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THE
CONTENTS.
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Page 1. | |
The Introduction, | 5. | |
The Necessity of Education, | 8. | |
The Methods of it. The Difficulties, | 11. | |
Application and Attention necessary, | 12. | |
In Knowledge as in War, | 13. | |
The Way to Knowledge, | 15. | |
Proper Subjects, | 16. | |
Use of humane Learning, | 18. | |
Classics recommended, | 19. | |
Compared, | 21. | |
A comparison of the Greek and Roman Authors, | 22. | |
The Greeks excell in Tragedy, | ibid. | |
Of Comedy. Menander and Terence, | ibid. | |
Plautus and Aristophanes, | 22. | |
Homer and Virgil, | 23. | |
The Opinion that Homer wrote loosely, and without any premeditated Scheme, considered and refuted, | 26. | |
Virgil preferred to Hesiod, | 32. | |
Theocritus to Virgil, | 33. | |
The Lyric Poets, | ibid. | |
Horace compared with Pindar and Anacreon, | 34. | |
Catullus and Anacreon, | 35. | |
Cowley mentioned to the Honour of our Country, | ibid. | |
The Greek and Roman Historians, | 36. | |
Tully opposed to the Grecian Orators, | 37. | |
The Commendations of the Latin Tongue, | ibid. | |
The Art of Writing well, | 38. | |
A general Character of the Roman Authors, | 39. | |
Directions in Reading the Classics, | 40. | |
Caution against Common-Places, | 41. | |
The true way of remembering and imitating the Ancients, | 44. | |
Caution against the critical Part of Learning, | 47. | |
Commendation of true Criticism, | ibid. | |
Censure of small Critics, | 48. | |
Learning to be made easy, | 49. | |
Learning dressed to Disadvantage by Critics and Grammarians, | ibid. | |
A Complaint against Schools considered, | 50. | |
Schools vindicated, | 52. | |
Another Method proposed, | 53. | |
Not practicable in Schools, | 54. | |
Complaint against Commentators, | 55. | |
Dr. Busby's Opinion of the meaner Sort, | 56. | |
The best Writers perplexed with Notes, and obscured by Illustrations, | 57. | |
The Abilities of the Teacher will best supply the Defects of the Commentator, | 58. | |
The finest Wits should comment on the finest Authors, | 59. | |
The Art of Teaching, | 61. | |
Not the Talent of Critics, | 62. | |
An Apology for these Censures designed only against Pedantic, Formal Critics and Grammarians, | 63. | |
The Commendation of great Schools, especially of their Masters, | 64. | |
The Mischiefs of Pedantry, | 65. | |
Concerning a Just Style, | 67. | |
Persons of Quality excell in Style from the Advantages of their Education, | 68. | |
Cæsar and Ovid, | 70. | |
Copiousness of Gentlemens Style, accounted for, | 71. | |
Horace and Virgil compared with Ovid, | 72. | |
Terence considered, | 73. | |
His genteel way of Writing ascribed to Scipio and Lælius, | ibid. | |
The Court of King Charles II. produced as an Instance that Persons of Quality excell in Style, | 74. | |
The Present Age, Lord Hallifax, Mr. Granville, | 76. | |
Sir William Temple produced in Prose, | 77. | |
And Lord Orrery, | ibid. | |
The Advantages of their Education an Encouragement to Persons of Quality in their Studies, | 79. | |
Rules for Forming a just Style, | 80. | |
A perfect Piece defined, | 81. | |
1. Rule. Matter suited to the Subject, | 82. | |
The Absurdity of weak, injudicious Writers, in offending against this Rule, | 83. | |
2. Rule. Thoughts suited to the Matter, | 84. | |
Compass of Thought considered, | 85. | |
Horace's Censure of incoherent, trifling Thoughts, | 86. | |
Offences against this Rule, | 87. | |
Propriety of Thought rises from being acquainted with the Nature and Decency of Things, | 88. | |
3. Rule. Words suited to the Thoughts, | 89. | |
The Connection between the Thoughts and Words, | ibid. | |
The Danger of lively Wits, | 90. | |
Their Discipline, | 91. | |
Their Praise, | 91. | |
A Maxim concerning Wit, | ibid. | |
The Design of Expression, | 92. | |
The Reason of Arts and Ornaments, | 93. | |
They are founded in Nature, | ibid. | |
Embelishment of Style, | 94. | |
Wherein its Commendation lieth, | 95. | |
Rules or the Ornaments and Illustration of Style proposed, | ibid. | |
The first Thing required in a just Style, is a perfect Mastery of the language we write in, | 96. | |
Wherein a perfect Mastery doth consist, | 97. | |
Of the Purity and Idiom of Language, | 98. | |
Caution against Mixtures with foreign Tongues, | 99. | |
To repair the Decays of Language, | 101. | |
Character of the English Tongue, | 103. | |
Reviving old Words recommended, | 104. | |
The second Thing required, Plainness and Perspicuity, | 105. | |
Offences against this Rule by obscure Writers, | 106. | |
Conciseness considered, | 108. | |
Copiousness and Diffusiveness, | 109. | |
The third Thing required, Decoration and Ornament, | 111. | |
Whence they arise, | 112. | |
The principal Ornarnents, | 113. | |
Images, | 114. | |
Similitudes, | 115. | |
Fault of the Similitude, | 116. | |
Wherein a perfect Mastery doth consist, | 117. | |
Metaphors defined and stated, | 118. | |
Their Beauty, | 119. | |
Their Use, | 120. | |
Epithets, | 121. | |
Allegories, | 123. | |
The fourth Thing required, Regard to the Nature and Dignity of the Subject, | 124. | |
Of the Sublime. Instances in Divine Subjects, | 125. | |
The Heathen Eloquence deficient, | 127. | |
In Divine Subjects the Scripture only the true Sublime, | 128. | |
Observations on the Scripture Language, | 129. | |
Milton compared with Homer and Virgil, | 131. | |
4. General Rule in Composition, Order and Proportion, | 133. | |
Rules of Order and Proportion, | 134. | |
A Recapitulation, | 138. | |
The Distribution of Ornaments thro' a Discourse, | 139. | |
The Dependence of the Rules on one another, | 141. | |
Of a Right Taste necessary to form a Style, | 142. | |
To be improved by Reading the best Authors, | ibid. | |
A Taste of Poetry, | 143. | |
What Taste in Writing is, | 145. | |
Its Commendation, | 148. | |
And Office, | 109. | |
Of a vicious Taste, and false Oratory, | 150. | |
The best English Authors proposed, | 153. | |
In Divinity first, Tillotson his Character, | 154. | |
The Bishop of Rochester his Character, | 155. | |
Dr. Atterbury his Character, | 157. | |
Dr. Moss his Character, | 158. | |
Dr. Smalridge his Character, | 159. | |
Dr. Snape. Dr. Stanhope their Characters, | 160. | |
Dr. Adams. Bishop of Chester. Bishop Fleetwood. Bishop Blackall their Characters, | 161. | |
The Arch-Bishop of York his Character, | 162. | |
Dr. Beveridge the late Bishop of S. Asaph his Character, | ibid. | |
The Didactical Style, | 163. | |
The Oratorical, | 164. | |
Of Christian Eloquence, | 165. | |
Christian Orators compared with the Greek and Roman, | 166. | |
Christian Topics, | 168. | |
Why the Heathen Writers on Moral Subjects are preferable to the Christian, | 170. | |
Of History, | 173. | |
The Difficulties of writing History, | 174. | |
The Abilities of an Historian, | 175. | |
The Historical Style, | 178. | |
Standards of History among the Greeks and Romans, | 180. | |
Herodotus and Thucydides, | 181. | |
Salust and Livy, | 183. | |
Salust compared with Thucydides, and how far he agreeth with him, | 184. | |
Salust concise, but clear, | ibid. | |
His Style vindicated, | 186. | |
Livy his Character, | 187. | |
Resembled to Herodotus and Thucydides, | 189. | |
Compared with Salust, | 190. | |
Salust clearer than Livy, | 191. | |
The Praise of Livy, | 193. | |
History and Oratory compared, | 195. | |
Greater Abilities required in an Historian, than an Orator, | ibid. | |
Of Modern History, and a general Remark on our Historians, | 196. | |
Lord Bacon censured, | 198. | |
Sir Walter Raleigh's Commendation, | 199. | |
The best Writers before the Restoration, flourished in Queen Elizabeth's Reign, | 201. | |
The Bishop of Sarum, | 202. | |
The Bishop of Rochester's History of the Royal Society, | 203. | |
The Earl of Clarendon, | 204. | |
The Use to be made of Historians, as to Style, | 206. | |
Squire Bickerstaff recommended for Style, | 207. | |
Modern Comedies with a Caution, | 208. | |
Of Poetry. Mr. Addison's Character, | 210. | |
Mr. Prior's Character, | 209. | |
The old Poets, Chaucer & Spencer, | 211. | |
Shakespear's Character, | 212. | |
Milton, and his Attempt to deliver us from Rhiming vainly followed by Dryden, | 213. | |
Best seconded by Mr. Philips. His Works, | 214. | |
Milton's Character, and a Censure on him, | 214. | |
Cowley and Waller, | 215. | |
Mr. Granville, Sir John Denham, | 216. | |
Mr. Dryden's Praise, and Otway's Character, | 217. | |
Tragedy, | 218. | |
Our best Writers, | 221. | |
Ancients and Moderns considered, | 222. | |
Spencer, and Mr. Philips of Cambridge excell in Pastoral, | 123. | |
Of Ancient and Modern Learning, | 224. | |
The late Duke of Devonshire's Character as a Scholar, | 226. | |
The Conclusion, | 228. |
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