VISION.

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tenfe , and defcribe it as actually palling before L e c t.our eyes. Thus Cicero, in his fourth oration XVII.againft Catiline: “ Videor enim mihi hanc urbem“ videre , lucem orbis terrarum atque arcem

omnium gentium, fubito uno incendio conci-“ dentem; cerno animo fepulta in patria miferos“ atque infepultos acervos civium; verfatur mihi“ ante oculos afpectus Cethegi, & furor in veftrd*' caede bacchantis *. ” This manner of deferip-tion fuppofes a fort of enthufiafm, which carriesthe perfon who deferibes in fome meafure out ofhimfelf ; and, when well executed, mull needsimprefs the reader or hearer ftrongly, by theforce of that fympathy which I have before ex-plained. But in order to a fnccefsful execution , itrequires an uncommonly warm imagination, andfuch a happy felection of circumftances, as fhallmake us think we fee before our eyes the feenethat is deferibed. Otherwife, it fhares the famefate with all feeble attempts towards paflionatefigures ; that of throwing ridicule upon theauthor, and leaving the reader more cool anduninterefted than he was before. The fame obler-vations are to be applied to Repetition, Sufpen-fion , Correction , and many more of thofe

* “ I feem to myfelf to behold this city, the orna-“ ment of the earth, and the capital of all nations, fud-“ cjenly involved in one conflagration. I fee before me“ the flaughtered heaps of citizens lying unburied in the“ midft of their ruined country. The furious countenance“ of Ccthegus riles to my view, while with a fuvage“ joy he is triumphing in your miferies, "