ON

RHETORIC

AND

BELLES LETTRES.

By HUGH BLAIR, D.D. & F.R.S. Ed.

ONE OF

THE MINISTERS OF THE HIGH CHURCH, AND
PROFESSOR OF RHETORIC AND BELLES LETTRES
IN THE UNIVERSITY, OF EDINBURGH.

THE TWELFTH EDITION.

IN THREE VOLUMES.

VOL. III.

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR T. CADELL AND W. DAVIES, IN THE STRAND;

AND W. CREECH, EDINBURGH.

1812.

Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München

Strahan and Preftón, Printers-Street, London.

CONTENTS

OF

THE THIRD VOLUME.

LECT.

XXXV. COMPARATIVE Merit of

the Antients and the Mo-

derns-Hiftorical Writing

XXXVI. Hiftorical Writing

XXXVII. Philofophical Writing Dia-

Page

I

-

26

logue-Epiftolary Writing

-Fictitious Hiftory

XXXVIII. Nature of Poetry · its Origin

53

and Progrefs-Verfification 78

XXXIX. Paftoral Poetry-Lyric Poetry 106

XL. Didactic Poetry-Defcriptive

Poetry

XLI. The Poetry of the Hebrews

XLII. Epic Poetry

XLIII. Homer's Iliad and Odyssey -

Virgil's Æneid

LECT.

XLIV. Lucan's Pharfalia-Taffo's Je-

rufalem-Camoens' Lufiad

Page

-Fenelon's Telemachus-

- 239

Voltaire's Henriade-Mil-

ton's Paradife Loft

XLV. Dramatic Poetry-Tragedy 269

XLVI. Tragedy - Greek-French-

English Tragedy

299

XLVII. Comedy-Greek and Roman-

French-English Comedy 329

LECTURE XXXV.

COMPARATIVE MERIT OF THE ANTIENTS
AND THE MODERNS-HISTORICAL

I

WRITING.

XXXV.

HAVE now finished that part of the Courfe L ECT. which refpected Oratory or Public Speaking, and which, as far as the fubject allowed, I have endeavoured to form into fome fort of fyftem. It remains, that I enter on the confideration of the moft diftinguished kinds of Compofition both in Profe and Verfe, and point out the principles of Criticism relating to them. This part of the work might easily be drawn out to a great length; but I am fenfible that critical difcuffions, when they are purfued too far, become both trifling and tedious. I fhall ftudy, therefore, to avoid unneceffary prolixity; and hope, at the fame time, to omit nothing that is very material under the feveral heads.

I SHALL follow the fame method here which I have all along purfued, and without which thefe Lectures could not be entitled to any attention; that is, I fhall freely deliver my own opinion on

VOL. III.

B

every