SYSTEM OF RHETORIC, IN A METHOD ENTIRELY NEW; CONTAINING ALL THE TROPES AND FIGURES NECESSARY TO ILLUSTRATE THE CLASSICS, BOTH POETICAL AND HISTORICAL. BY JOHN STIRLING, M. A. TO WHICH IS ADDED, THE ART OF RHETORIC MADE EASY. OR THE ELEMENTS OF ORATORY BRIEFLY STATED AND FITTED FOR THE USE OF SCHOOLS GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND; ILLUSTRATED WITH PROPER EXAMPLES TO EACH FIGURE, AND A Collection of Speeches from the best English authors. BY JOHN HOLMES. REVISED AND ENLARGED BY THOMAS S. BRADY, Teacher and Translator of Ancient and Modern Languages. NEW-YORK: Sold by James Ryan, Classical and Mathematical Bookstore, 322 Broad- J. SEYMOUR, PRINTER. 1824. Southern District of New-York, ss. BE E IT REMEMBERED, That on the thirtieth day of October. A. D. 1824, in the forty-ninth year of the Independence of the United States of America, Thomas S. Brady, of the said District, has deposited in this office the title of a Book, the right whereof he claims as author and proprietor, in the words following, to wit: "A System of Rhetoric, in a method entirely new; containing all the Tropes and Figures necessary to illustrate the classics, both poetical and historical. By John Stirling M. A. To which is added, the Art of Rhetoric made easy, or the Elements of Oratory briefly stated and fitted for the use of schools of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; illustrated with Proper examples to each figure, and a collection of speeches from the best English authors. By John Holmes. Revised and enlarged by Thomas S. Brady, teacher and translator of Ancient and Modern languages." In conformity to the Act of the Congress of the United States, entitled, "An Act for the encouragement of Learning, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts, and Books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned." And also to an Act, entitled "an Act, supplementary to an Act, entitled an Act for the encouragement of Learning, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts, and Books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned, and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engraving, and etching historical and other prints." JAMES DILL, Clerk of the Southern District of New-York. THE PREFACE. It would enlarge this preface beyond its due bounds, to attempt to prove the advantage of a rhetorical system in general, in order to a right understanding of the classics. I shall therefore only briefly acquaint the reader, what laws I prescribed to myself, and have strictly observed in this composition, so far as it is my own, (the Latin definitions being mostly Parnaby's); and then the particular manner in which I use it. First, I determined for method's sake in the English system, to allow a distich for every figure, which in the Latin is generally explained in one line, and sometimes less: because our language being not so concise as the Latin, could not in so few words give, in an intelligible and easy turn of expression, a full and exact definition of the figure, its nature and use; with such observations, as is sometimes equally necessary with the very definition. Next I resolved, that the name of the figure should begin the distich, or have only a monosyllable before it because, had it been placed in the middle or end of the first, or any part of the second line, it is certain the memory might not be |