thred, not ravel'd, and perplex'd; then all is a knot, a
heape. There are words, that doe as much raise a
style, as others can depresse it. Superlation, and over- Super-
muchnesse amplifies. It may be above faith, but latio.
never above a meane. It was ridiculous in Cestius, Cestius.
when hee said of Alexander:

Fremit Oceanus, quasi indignetur, quòd terras

relinquas;

But propitiously from Virgil:-Credas innate reuul- Virgil.
sas Cycladas.

Hee doth not say it was so, but seem'd to be so.
Although it be somewhat incredible, that is excus'd
before it be spoken. But there are Hyperboles, which
will become one Language, that will by no meanes
admit another. As Eos esse P. R. exercitus, qui coelum Cæsar
possint perrumpere: who would say this with us, but comment:
circa fin.
a mad man? Therefore wee must consider in every
tongue what is us'd, what receiv'd. Quintilian Quinti-
warnes us, that in no kind of Translation, or Meta- lian.

phore, or Allegory, wee make a turne from what wee mixed met.
began; As if wee fetch the originall of our Meta-
phore from sea, and billowes; wee end not in flames
and ashes; It is a most fowle inconsequence. Neither
must wee draw out our Allegory too long, lest either
wee make our selves obscure, or fall into affectation,
which is childish. But why doe men depart at all
from the right, and naturall wayes of speaking?
Sometimes for necessity, when wee are driven, or
thinke it fitter to speake that in obscure words, or by
circumstance, which utter'd plainely would offend
the hearers. Or to avoid obscenenesse, or sometimes

Oratio imago animi.

for pleasure, and variety; as Travailers turne out of the high way, drawne, either by the commodity of a foot-path, or the delicacy, or freshnesse of the fields. Andall thisis call'd έoxnuatioμévn or figur'd Language. [Language most shewes a man: speake that I may see thee. It springs out of the most retired, and inmost parts of us, and is the Image of the Parent of it, the mind. No glasse renders a mans forme, or likenesse, so true as his speech. Nay, it is likened to a man; and as we consider feature, and composition in a man; so words in Language: in the greatnesse, aptnesse, sound, structure, and harmony of it. Some Sublimis. men are tall, and bigge, so some Language is high and Humilis great. Then the words are chosen, their sound pumila ample, the composition full, the absolution plenteous, and powr'd out, all grave, sinnewye and strong. Some are little, and Dwarfes: so of speech it is Mediocris humble, and low, the words poore and flat; the members and Periods, thinne and weake without knitting, or number. The middle are of a just stature. There the Language is plaine, and pleasing: Xeven without stopping, round without swelling; all

Structura, & statura.

Plana & placida.

Vitiosa oratio,

vasta.

Tumens.

Enormis.

well-torn'd, compos'd, elegant, and accurate. The affectata. vitious Language is vast, and gaping, swelling, and Abjecta. irregular; when it contends to be high, full of Rocke, Mountaine, and pointednesse: As it affects to be low, it is abject, and creeps, full of bogs, and holes. And according to their Subject, these stiles vary, and lose their names: For that which is high and lofty, (120) declaring excellent matter, becomes vast and tumorous: Speaking of petty and inferiour things: so Tumidcky & frigidity

that which was even, and apt in a meane and plaine subject, will appeare most poore and humble in a high Argument. Would you not laugh, to meet a great Counsellor of state in a flat cap, with his trunck hose, and a hobby-horse Cloake, his Gloves under his girdle, and yond Haberdasher in a velvet Gowne, furr'd with sables? There is a certaine latitude in these things, by which wee find the degrees. The next thing to the stature, is the figure and feature in Figura.! Language: that is, whether it be round, and streight, which consists of short and succinct Periods, numerous, and polish'd, or square and firme; which is to have equall and strong parts, every where answerable, and weighed. The third is the skinne, Cutis sive and coat, which rests in the well-joyning, cementing, Cortex. v Compoand coagmentation of words; when as it is smooth, sitio. gentle, and sweet; like a Table, upon which you may runne your finger without rubs, and your nayle cannot find a joynt; not horrid, rough, wrinckled, gaping, or chapt: After these the flesh, blood, and bones come in question. Wee say it is a fleshy style, when there is much Periphrases, and circuit of words; Carnosa. and when with more then enough, it growes fat and Adipata. corpulent; Arvina orationis, full of suet and tallow. It hath blood, and juyce, when the words are proper and apt, their sound sweet, and the Phrase neat and pick'd. Oratio uncta, & benè pasta. But where there is Redundancy, both the blood and juyce are faulty, and vitious. Redundat sanguine, quâ multò plus dicit, Redunquàm necesse est. Juyce in Language is somewhat dans. lesse then blood; for if the words be but becomming,

Iejuna macilenta, strigosa.

Ossia, &

nervosa.

mini St. Albani de doctrin:

Dictator.

Aristoteleo.

and signifying, and the sense gentle, there is Juyce: but where that wanteth, the Language is thinne, flagging, poore, starv'd; scarce covering the bone, and shewes like stones in a sack. Some men to avoid Redundancy, runne into that; and while they strive to have no ill blood, or Juyce, they loose their good. There be some styles againe, that have not lesse blood, but lesse flesh, and corpulence. These are bony, and sinnewy: Ossa habent, et nervos.

Note Do It was well noted by the late L. St. Alban, that the study of words is the first distemper of Learning: Vaine matter the second: And a third distemper is intemper. deceit, or the likenesse of truth. Imposture held up by credulity. All these are the Cobwebs of Learning, and to let them grow in us, is either sluttish or foolish. Nothing is more ridiculous, then to make an Author a Dictator, as the schooles have done Aristotle. The dammage is infinite, knowledge receives by it. For to many things a man should owe but a temporary beliefe, and a suspension of his owne Judgement, not an absolute resignation of himselfe, or a perpetuall captivity. Let Aristotle, and others have their dues; but if wee can make farther Discoveries of truth and fitnesse then they, why are we envied? Let us beware, while wee strive to adde, wee doe not diminish, or deface; wee may improve, but not augment. By discrediting falshood, Truth growes in request. Wee must not goe about like men anguish'd, and perplex'd, for vitious affectation of praise: but calmely study the separation of opinions, find the errours have intervened, awake Antiquity, call former times into

question; but make no parties with the present, nor follow any fierce undertakers, mingle no matter of doubtfull credit, with the simplicity of truth, but gently stirre the mould about (121) the root of the Question, and avoid all digladiations, facility of credit, or superstitious simplicity; seeke the consonancy, and concatenation of Truth; stoope only to point of necessity; and what leads to convenience. Then make exact animadversion where style hath degenerated, where flourish'd, and thriv'd in choisenesse of Phrase, round and cleane composition of sentence, sweet falling of the clause, varying an illustration by tropes and figures, weight of Matter, worth of Subject, soundnesse of Argument, life of Invention, and depth of Judgement. This is Monte potiri, to get the hill. For no perfect Discovery can bee made upon a flat or a levell.

Now, that I have informed you in the knowing De these things; let mee leade you by the hand a little optimo scriptore. farther, in the direction of the use; and make you an able Writer by practice. The conceits of the mind are Pictures of things, and the tongue is the Interpreter of those Pictures. The order of Gods creatures in themselves, is not only admirable, and glorious, but eloquent; Then he who could apprehend the/ consequence of things in their truth, and utter his apprehensions as truly, were the best Writer, or Speaker. Therefore Cicero said much, when hee said, Cicero. Dicere rectè nemo potest, nisi qui prudenter intelligit. The shame of speaking unskilfully were small, if the tongue onely thereby were disgrac'd: But as the