Public Speaking, Communications - General & Miscellaneous, Rhetoric

Lectures Concerning Oratory

Name: Lectures Concerning Oratory
Author: John Lawson
ISBN: 9781150565090

by John Lawson

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Overview

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1760 Excerpt: ... the Difference of Times; for set Speeches would be absurd now, on Occasions wherein they would have been necessary at jithens or Rome. But if we should allow those Harangues to be fictitious, they hurt not the Truth of History: They impose upon none. We regard them only as a full State of both Sides of the Question; rendered more lovely and affecting, by being put into the Mouths of celebrated Persons who were real Actors on the Occasions And how have modern Historians avoided this supposed Fault? They give an Abstract or Skeleton as it were of the Arguments on each Side in the indirect Way; or what is yet worse, deliver their Opinion in their own Persons; during which Time the Action standeth still, you are called home from this illustrious Theatre to converse with the Historian; whereas in the other Way, the Action is continued; you never once lose Sight of the Actors; it k is Casar, and Cato, and Scipio, not Sallust orLivy, with whom you discourse; you remain without Interruption engaged and interested, by Means of this innocent and beautiful Fiction. But if you condemn these, what will you say of Parable and Fable, where Truth, in order to insinuate herself into the Mind, borrows the Dress even of Fiction? Yet the wisest of Men have used Fables and Parables: Nay, and one far greater than any of them; "Behold a greater than Solomon is here" The right Way of determining this Point is to consider the Nature of Man. Is Reason the sole Principle therein? If it be, that only are we to regard. But we have already seen, that there is another of mighty Influence, Passion. We know also, that there is a third, to which Regard must be had, namely, Sense. And, before we go so far, we shall find out another, a Kind of intermediate Faculty, or rather Act of...

Synopsis

This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.