"ment extinguish the conftancy of a fick perfon. But "if God's mercy foftened the rigour of his repentance, "his juftice increased its duration; and as much "ftrength of mind was requifite to fupport that long ❝ trial, as if it had been shorter and more fevere. "Indeed, nature collects her whole ftrength, when "attacked by fudden and violent difeafes; the heart "fortifies itself with its whole fund of conftancy. Ex❝cefs of pain, on these occafions, makes us more in"fenfible; and, if we fuffer much, we have ftill the "comfort of thinking we shall not fuffer long. Bút "languishing diseases are so much the more fevere, as "we cannot foresee when they will end. We must "bear both with the fickness, and the medicines, which are no lefs grievous. Nature is every day "more and more oppreffed: its ftrength decays every "inftant; and patience grows weak, as well as the 66 perfon who fuffers." III. PARALLEL. The Queen ferving the poor in the hofpital, and sharing in the King's glory and triumphs. "Faithful companions of her piety, who now "bewail her death, you followed her, when the "walked in this christian pomp, between two lines "of poor, fick, or dying perfons; greater far in thus "voluntarily divefting herself of her grandeur, and more glorious in imitating the humility and patience "of Jefus Chrift, than when the fhared in the glory " and triumphs of the King her confort, in a fplen"did and triumphant car, between two lines of vic"torious foldiers." IV. PARALLEL between a wicked and an ignorant judge. "He would have thought it the most effential de "fect in his employments, not to have made his in 1 The Queen's funeral oration, by M. Flechier. M. Lamoignon's funeral ora. tion, by M Flechier, ❝tentions C 4 ❝tentions as clear and obvious, as he believed them "upright and juft; and indeed it was a ufual faying "with him, that there was little difference between a corrupt and an ignorant judge: the one has, at "leaft, the precepts of his duty, and the image of "his injuftice, before his eyes; but the other fees "neither the good nor the evil he does: the one fins "wittingly, and is therefore the more inexcufable; "but the other fins without remorse, and is the more "incorrigible; but they are equally criminal with re"gard to those they condemn, either through mistake, or through malice. Whether a person is hurt by 66 a mad or a blind man, the pain is ftill the fame. "And with regard to thofe who are undone, it "avails little whether it be by a man who deceives "them, or one who is himself deceived." COMMON-PLACES. Having already cited several, I shall give but one here, in which the importance and difficulty of the employment of the " Lieutenant de Police in Paris are reprefented. "The inhabitants of a well governed city enjoy "the benefit of its polity, without confidering the "trouble and pains of thofe who eftablish or preferve "it; much after the fame manner as all inankind en joy the benefit of the celeftial motions, without any "knowledge of them; and even, the more the uni formity of political order refembles that of the ceeleftial bodies, the lefs it is obfervable; and confe"quently is always lefs obvious, the more perfect it is. But he who should know it, in all its extent, would be aftonished. To repair perpetually the immense confumption of the neceffaries of life in fuch a "city as Paris, of which fome of the fources may be "dried up by a multitude of accidents; to restrain "the tyranny of tradefimen, with regard to the pub"Jick, and at the fame time to encourage their trafM, de Fontenelle. A kind of Lord Mayor. "fick; to prevent the encroachments of the people upon one another, which often are difficult to un"ravel; to discover in an infinite multitude, all those "who can fo eafily conceal their pernicious arts in "it; to purge the community of, or not tolerate, "them farther than as they may be useful to it, by "employments which none but themfelves would undertake, or could difcharge fo well; to keep ne"ceffary abufes within the exact bounds of the occafions for them, through which they are always "ready to break; to confine them to the obfcurity to "which they ought to be condemned, and not to "draw.them out of it by too notorious and remark"able punishments; to be ignorant of fuch things "as had better be unknown than punished; and to "punish but feldom, and with good effect; to pe"netrate, by invifible methods, into the most con cealed conduct of families; and to keep thofe "fecrets which were not trufted, fo long as there may "be no occafion to make ufe of them; to be every. "where without being feen; in a word, to put in "motion, or reftrain at pleasure, an infinite and tú"multuous multitude; and to be continually the ac"tive and almoft unknown foul of this great body;; thefe are, in general, the functions of this magift"rate in the city of Paris. One would imagine, that a fingle perfon were not equal to all this, from the "number of things he is to take cognizance of; the views and defigns he muft purfue; the appli"cation that must be used, and the variety of conduct and characters he muft affume. But the public voice will declare, whether M. d'Argenfon is "equal to thefe feveral functions." It is obvious, that fuch models, fo beautiful and perfect in their kind, being propofed to youth, either for reading, or for fubjects of compofition, are very well adapted to raise their genius, and enlarge the inventive faculty, efpecially when explained and illuftrated by an able mafter; which was one reafon that induced 1 me to make choice of thofe examples in the demonftrative kind, being moft fufceptible of embellishments. After they have read a confiderable number of these paffages felected from good authors, it will be prỏper to make them obferve the difference of ftiles and characters; and even the faults, if any occur, both in ftile and language. I have hitherto cited but four authors: not but there are feveral others, out of which I might extract the like examples; but it was proper to limit myself to a certain number; and thofe above fell in my way. They are all extraordinary: but then they are all different, there being no refemblance between any of them, each forming a peculiar character that diftinguishes them; and perhaps they may not be without fome faults. What is moft diftinguishable in M. Flechier, is a purity of diction, elegance of ftile, rich and florid expreffions, beautiful thoughts, a prudent vivacity of imagination; and, what is confequential of it, a wonderful art in painting objects, and making them, as it were, fenfible and obvious. But then, I think a kind of monotony and uniformity run through all his writings: he has every-where almoft the fame turns, the fame figures, the fame method. The antithefis engroffes almost all his thoughts, and often enervates, out of defign to adorn them. When that figure is fparingly used, and properly applied, it has a beautiful effect. Thus it happily concludes the magnificent elogium of Lewis XIV. fpoke by M. Flechier. P By authority, always a king; by tendernefs, always a father. When it turns on a play of words, it is not fo valuable: Happy he, who did not go in pursuit of riches! more happy he, who refused them when they went to him! This figure may often become tedious, though it be ever fo juft, if it be too often repeated. Who does not know, she was admired P M le Tellier's funeral oration. 9 M. de Lamoignon's funeral aration, Mad, de Montaufier's funeral oration, in an age when others are not known? How great was her wisdom, at a time when others have hardly the use of reafon! And how able was he to give advice, when others are fearce capable of receiving it! M. Boffuet writes in a quite different manner. He did not amuse himself with the fuperficial ornaments of oratory; and even fometimes neglected the too flavish rules of the purity of diction, and aims at the grand, the fublime, and pathetic. It is true indeed, he is lefs uniform and equal, which is the characteristic of the fublime ftile; but, on the other hand, he raises, ravishes, and transports. The strongest and moft lively figures are common, and, as it were, natural to him. "O admirable Mother, Wife, and Queen! and worthy of better fortune, were the fortunes of this "world of any value! but you must submit to your fate. She faw with astonishment, when her hour was come, that God was going to take the King her "fon, as it were, by the hand, to conduct him to his "throne. She fubmitted more than ever to that fo❝vereign hand, which from the highest heavens "holds the reigns of all empires; and, defpifing the "thrones that may be ufurped, the fixed all her af"fection on that kingdom where there is no fear of "rivals, and where competitors view one another "without jealousy." He draws the portrait of Cromwell, as follows. "A man arose of an incredible depth of understand❝ing; a refined hypocrite, as well as able politician; "capable of undertaking and concealing all things; "equally active and indefatigable in peace and war; "who never left any thing to fortune, which he could "force from her by counsel or forecaft; but, at the "fame time, fo vigilant and ready, that he never The Queen of England's funeral oration. Plus amant illud regnum, in quo non timent habere confortes, S. Austin, " lost |