fignifies difcourfe. Chronology and geography are called the two eyes of hiftory, because hiftory can never be clear, and well understood, without them. Hiftory relates facts; chronology tells us at what time or when those facts were done; and geography fhows us in what place or country they were done. The Greeks measured their time by Olympiads, which was a space of four years, called in Greek Oxas. This method of computation had its rife from the Olympic games, which were celebrated the beginning of every fifth year, on the banks of the river Alpheus, near Olympia, a city in Greece. The Greeks, for example, would fay, that fuch a thing happened in fuch a year of fuch an Olympiad ; as, for instance, that Alexander the Great died in the first year of the 114th Olympiad. The firft Olympiad was 774 years before Chrift; fo, con-fequently, Chrift was born in the first year of the 195th Olympiad. The period or era whence the Romans reckoned their time was from the building of Rome, which they: marked thus, ab U. C. that is, ab Urbe Condita.* Thus, the kings were expelled, and the confular government eftablished, the 244th ab U. C. that is, of Rome. All Europe now reckons from the great epocha of the birth of Jefus Chrift, which was 1738 years ago; fo that, when any body afks in what year did fuch or fuch a thing happen, they mean in what year fince the birth of Chrift. For example; Charlemain, in French Charlamagne, was made emperor of the Weft in the year 800; that is, 800 years after the birth of Chrift; but if we speak of any event or hiftorical fact that happened before that time, we then fay, it happened fo many years before Chrift. For inftance, we fay Rome was built 750 years before Chrift. The Turks date from their Hegira, which was the year of flight of their falfe prophet, Mahomet, from Mecca; and, as we fay that fuch a thing was done infuch a year of Chrift; they fay, fuch a thing was done *From the building of the city. in fuch a year of the Hegira. Their Hegira begins. in the 622d year of Chrift, that is, above 1100 years ago. There are then two great periods in chronology, from which the nations of Europe date events. The firft is the creation of the world, the fecond the birth of Jefus Chrift. Thofe events that happened before the birth of Christ are dated from the creation of the world. Thofe events which have happened fince the birth of Chrift, are dated from that time; as the prefent year 1739. For example: Noah's flood happened in the year of the world Troy was taken by the Greeks in the year A. M. 1656 1800 2400 4000 The meaning of A. M. at the top of thefe figures, is Anno Mundi, the Year of the World. From the birth of Chrift all Chriftians date the events that have happened fince that time, and this is called the Christian æra. Sometimes we fay, that fuch a thing happened in fuch a year of Chrift, and fometimes we fay in fuch a century. Now a century is one hundred years from the birth of Chrift; fo that at the end of every hundred years a new century begins; and we are, confequently, now in the eighteenth century. For example, as to the Christian æra, or fince the birth of Chrift: Mahomet, the false prophet of the Turks, who 632 Here the old Roman empire ended. William the Conqueror was crowned king of England in the eleventh century, in the year The reformation, that is, the Proteftant religion, begun by Martin Luther, in the fixteenth century, in the year Gunpowder invented, by one Bertholodus, a LETTER VIII. 1066 1530 1380 1440 Adieu ! On Eloquence and Compofition. MY DEAR CHILD, INDEE Bath, October the 17th. NDEED I believe you are the first boy to whom (under the age of eight years) one has ever ventured to mention the figures of rhetoric; but I am of opinion that we cannot begin to think too young, and that the art which teaches us how to perfuade the mind, and touch the heart, muft furely deferve the earliest atten tion. You cannot but be convinced, that a man who fpeaks and writes with elegance and grace; who makes choice of good words; and adorns and embellifhes the fubject upon which he either fpeaks or writes, will perfuade better, and fucceed more cafily in obtaining what he wishes, than a man who does not explain himfelf clearly, speaks his language ill, or makes ufe of low and vulgar expreffions, and who has neither grace nor elegance in any thing that he fays. Now it is by rhetoric that the art of speaking eloquently is taught; and, though I cannot think of grounding you in it as yet, I would with however to give you an idea of it, fuitable to your age. The firft thing you fhould attend to is, to fpeak ver language you do fpeak in its greatest purity, and according to the rules of grammar; for we muft rever offend againft grammar, nor make ufe of words which are not really words. This is not all; for not to speak ill is not fufficient; we must speak well; and the best method of attaining to that is, to read the best authors with attention; and to obferve how people of fashion fpeak, and those who exprefs themselves beft for fhopkeepers, common people, footmen, and maid fervants, all speak ill. They make ufe of low and vulgar expreffions, which people of rank never ufe.In numbers, they join the fingular and plural together; in genders, they confound mafculine with feminine; and, in tenfes, they often take the one for the other. In order to avoid all thefe faults, we muft read with care, obferve the turn and expreflions of the beft authors, and not pafs a word which we do not understand, or concerning which we have the leaft doubt, without exactly inquiring the meaning of it. For example, when you read Ovid's Metamorphofes with Mr. Martin, you should ask him the meaning of every word you do not know; and alfo, whether it is a word that may be made use of in profe, as well as in verfe; for the language of poetry is different from that which is proper for common difcourfe; and a man, would be to blame to make ufe of fome words in profe which are very happily applied in poetry. In the fame manner when you read French with Mr. Pelnote, ask him the meaning of every word you meet with that is new to you; and defire him to give you examples of the various ways in which it may be used. All this requires only a little attention; and yet there is nothing more ufeful. It is faid, that a man must be born a poet, but that he can make himself an orator. This means, that, to be a poet, one must be born with a certain degree of strength and vivacity of mind; but that attention, reading, and labour, are fufficient to form an orator. Adieu ! C DEAR BOY, LETTER IX. Diction of Poetry. Bath, October the 26th. THOUGH poetry differs much from oratory in many things, yet it makes ufe of the fame figures of rhetoric; nay, it abounds in metaphors, fimilies, and allegories; and you may learn the purity of the language, and the ornaments of eloquence, as well by reading verfe as profe. Poetical diction, that is, poet. ical language, is more fublime and lofty than profe, and takes liberties which are not allowed in profe, and are called Poetical Licences. This difference between verfe and profe you will eafily obferve, if you read them both with attention. In verfe, things are feldom faid plainly and fimply, as one would fay them in profe; but they are defcribed and embellifhed; as for example, what you hear the watchman fay often in three words, a cloudy morning, is faid thus in verfe, in the tragedy of Cato: The dawn is overcast, the morning lowers, This is poetical diction; which would be improper in 1 profe, though each word feparately may be used in 1 profe. 1 I will give you, here, a very pretty copy of verfes of Mr. Waller's, which is extremely poetical, and full of images. It is to a lady who played upon the lute.i The lute, by the way, is an inftrument with many c-rings, which are played upon by the fingers. Such moving founds from fuch a carelefs touch, So little the concern'd, and we so much; Small force there needs to make them tremble fo, Touch'd by that hand, who would not tremble too? |