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GEN CHARACTERS OF STYLE. ?

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tions of all folid merit, both in fpeaking and Lect,writing. Many fubjects require nothing more; XVIII.and thofe which admit of ornament , admit itonly as a fecondary requifite. To ftudy and toknow our own genius well; to iollow nature 5to feek to improve , but not to force it, aredirections which cannot be too often given tothofe who defire to excel in the liberal arts.

When I entered on the confideration of Style,

I obferved that words being the copies of ourideas , there mull always be a very intimate con-nection between the manner in which everywriter employs words, and his manner of think-ing ; and that, from the peculiarity of thoughtand expreffion which belongs to him, there is acertain character imprinted on his Style, whichmay be denominated his manner ; commonlyexpreffed by fuch general terms, as ftrong, weak,dry, fimple affeCted, or the like. Thefe diftmc-tions carry , in .general , fome reference to anauthor’s manner of thinking, but refer chieflyto his mode of expreffion. They arife from thewhole tenour of his language ; and comprehendthe effect produced by all thofe parts of Stylewhich we have already confidered ; the choicewhich he makes of fingle words; his arrangementof thefe in fentences ; the degree of his precifion;and his embellishment, by means of mufical ca-dence, figures, or other arts of fpeecb. Of fuchgeneral Characters* of Style, therefore, it remainsnow to fpeak, as the refult of thofe underpartsof which I have hitherto treated.

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