Neither must we draw out our Allegory too long, left either we make ourselves obfcure, or fall into affectation, which is childish. But why do men depart at all from the right, and natural ways of speaking? Sometimes for neceffity, when we are driven, or think it fitter to speak that in obfcure words, or by circumftance, which uttered plainly would offend the hearers. Or to avoid obfceneness, or sometimes for pleafure, and variety; as travellers turn out of the highway, drawn, either by the commodity of a foot-path, or the delicacy, or freshnefs of the fields. And all this is called ἐσχηματισμένη, οι figured language.

Language moft fhews a man: speak that I may fee thee. It fprings out of the most retired, and inmoft parts of us, and is the image of the parent of it, the mind. No glafs renders a iman's form, or likeness, so true as his speech. Nay, it is likened to a man; and as we confider feature, and compofition in a man; fo words in language in the greatness, aptness, found, ftructure, and harmony of it. Some men are tall, and big; fo fome language is high and great. Then the words are chofen, their found ample, the compofition full, the abfolution plenteous, and poured out, all grave, finewy and ftrong. Some are little, and dwarfs; fo of fpeech it is humble, and low, the words poor and flat; the members and periods, thin and weak,

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weak, without knitting, or number. The middle are of a juft ftature. There the language is plain, and pleafing: even without flopping, round without fwelling; all well-torned compofed, elegant, and accurate. The vicious language is vaft, and gaping, fwelling, and irregu lar; when it contends to be high, full of rock, mountain, and pointedrefs: As it affects to be low, it is abject, and creeps, full of bogs, and holes. And according to their fubject, these ftiles vary, and lose their names: for that which is high and lofty, declaring excellent matter, becomes vaft and tumorous, fpeaking of petty and inferior things: fo that which was even, and apt, in a mean and plain fubject, will ap-. pear moft poor and humble in a high argument. Would you not laugh, to meet a great counfellor of ftate in a flat cap, with his trunk hofe, and a hobby-horfe cloak, his gloves under his girdle, and yond haberdasher in a velvet gown, furred with fables? There is a certain latitude in these things, by which we find the degrees.

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The next thing to the ftature, is the figure and feature in language: that is, whether it be round, and straight, which confifts of fhort and fuccinct Periods, numerous and polished: fquare and firm; which is to have equal and ftrong parts, every where anfwerable and weighed.

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The third is the fkin and coat, which refts in the well joining, cementing, and coagmentation of words; when as it is fmooth, gentle, and fweet; like a table, upon which you may run your finger without rubs, and your nail cannot find a joint; nor horrid, rough, wrinkled, gaping, or chapt after these the flesh, blood, and bones come in queftion. We fay, it is a fleshy ftyle, when there is much Periphrafes, and circuit of words; and when with more than enough, it grows fat and corpulent; Arvina Orationis, full of fuet and tallow. It hath blood, and juice, when the words are proper and apt, their found sweet, and the Phrase neat and picked. Oratio uncta, & benè pafta. But where there is redundancy, both the blood and juice are faulty and vicious. Redundat fanguine, quiâ multò plus dicit quàm neceffe eft. Juice in language is fomewhat lefs than blood; for if the words be but becoming, and fignifying, and the fenfe gentle, there is juice: but where' that wanteth, the language is thin, flagging, poor, ftarved; fcarce covering the bone, and fhews, like ftones in a fack. Some men, to avoid redundancy, run into that; and while they ftrive to have no ill blood, or juice, they lofe their good. There be fome ftyles again, that have not lefs blood, but lefs flesh and corpulence. Thefe are bony and finewy: Offa habent, &

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It was well noted by the late Lord St. Alban, that the study of words is the first distemper of learning vain matter the second: and a third distemper is deceit, or the likeness of truth; impofture held up by credulity. All these are the cobwebs of learning, and to let them grow in us, is either fluttish or foolish. Nothing is more ridiculous, than to make an author a Diétator, as the schools have done Ariftotle. The damage is infinite, knowledge receives by it. For to many things a man fhould owe but a temporary belief, and fufpenfion of his own judgment, not an abfolute refignation of himfelf, or a perpetual captivity. Let Ariftotle and others have their dues; but if we can make farther discoveries of truth and fitnefs than they, why are we envied? Let us beware, while we ftrive to add, we do not diminish, or deface we may improve, but not augment. By difcrediting falfhood, truth grows in request. We must not go about, like men anguished and perplexed, for vicious affectation of praise but calmly fludy the feparation of opinions, find the errors have intervened, awake antiquity, call former times into question; but make no parties with the prefent, nor follow any fierce. undertakers, mingle no matter of doubtful credit with the fimplicity of truth, but gently ftir the mold about the root of the question, and avoid all digladiations; facility of credit,

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or fuperftitious fimplicity; feek the confonancy, and concatenation of truth; ftoop only to point of neceffity, and what leads to convenience. Then make exact animadverfion where style hath degenerated, where flourished and thrived in choiceness of praife, round and clean compofition of sentence, fweet falling of the clause, varying an illustration by tropes and figures, weight of matter, worth of subject, foundness of argument, life of invention, and depth of judg ment. This is monte potiri, to get the hill. For no perfect discovery can be made upon a flat or a level.

Now, that I have informed you in the knowing these things, let me lead you by the hand a little farther, in the direction of the ufe; and make you an able writer by practice. The conceits of the mind are pictures of things, and the tongue is the interpreter of thofe pictures. The order of God's creatures in themfelves, is not only admirable and glorious, but eloquent then he who could apprehend the confequence of things in their truth, and utter his apprehenfions as truly, were the best writer or fpeaker. Therefore Cicero faid much, when he faid, Dicere rectè nemo poteft, nifi qui prudenter intelligit. The fhame of fpeaking unfkilfully were small, if the tongue only thereby were difgraced: but as the image of a King, in his feal ill represented, is not fo much a blemish to

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