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That Rhetorick is an Art consisting not only in moving the passions of the Judge; but chiefly in Proofs. And that this Art is Profitable.
WE see that all men naturally are able in some sort to accuse and excuse: Some by chance; but some by method. This method may be discovered: and to dis∣cover Method is all one with teaching an Art. If this Art consisted in Crimi∣nations only, and the skill to stir up the Judg∣es to Anger, Envy, Fear, Pity, or other affecti∣ons;
a Rhetorician in well ordered Common∣wealths and States, where it is forbidden to digress from the cause in hearing, could have nothing at all to say. For all these perversions of the Judge are beside the que∣stion. And that which the pleader is to shew, and the Judge to give sentence on, is this only: 'Tis so: or not so. The rest hath been decided already by the Law-ma∣ker; who judging of universals, and future things, could not be corrupted. Besides, 'tis an absurd thing, for a man to make crooked the Ruler he means to use.
It consisteth therefore chiefly in Proofs; which are Inferences: and all Inferences be∣ing Syllogismes, a Logician, if he would ob∣serve the difference between a plain Syllo∣gisme, and an Enthymeme, (which is a Rhe∣toricall Syllogisme,) would make the best Rhetorician. For all Syllogismes and Inferen∣ces belong properly to Logick; whether they infer truth or probability: and because without this Art it would often come to pass, that evil men by the advantage of na∣tural abilities, would carry an evil cause a∣gainst a good; it brings with it at least this profit, that making the pleaders even in skill, it leaves the odds only in the merit of the cause. Besides, ordinarily those that are Judges, are neither patient, nor capa∣ble of long Scientifical proofs, drawn from
the principles through many Syllogisms; and therefore had need to be instructed by the Rhetoricall, and shorter way. Lastly, it were ridiculous, to be ashamed of being vanqui∣shed in exercises of the body, and not to be ashamed of being inferior in the vertue of well expressing the mind.