The modest critick, or, Remarks upon the most eminent historians, antient and modern with useful cautions and instructions as well for writing as reading history : wherein the sense of the greatest men on this subject is faithfully abridged / by one of the Society of the Port-Royal.

XI. Which is the properest for History, the Great or the flourish'd Style?

In a Question of so great a Consequence as this, which is not yet determined; 'tis enough for one to give the Reasons which may serve for the decision there∣of, when a Man has not the Au∣thority of determining it. m Sa∣lust has a Greatness in his Style; but some of his Expressions are harsh, which makes him look dry in some Places, because he had form'd himself by the rudeness n of the Remains of Cato; which gives to his Discourse a Gravity which looks like Severity. And contrariwise, none is more polish'd than Q. Curtius; It is an admirable Flower of Expression, which plea∣ses Men of Wit, but the business is, that we must examin whe∣ther the stiff Stile of Salust, hard as it is, be not wholsomer and fitter for History, giving as it does

Weight, Strength, and Greatness to the Discourse. Is it not rich? and don't we find sometimes in that hard and severe Stile, that agreeableness of which Demetrius the Phalerian speaks; which o Ho∣mer has so well express'd in his Odyssaea, about the Adventures of Polyphemus; where Demetrius pre∣tends, in his Book of Elocution, that he is the first Author of it; that is to say, those Graces which have nothing soft nor effeminate, and which are agreeable without being affected. The same Author quotes many Examples of it, ta∣ken out of Xenophon, who has the Art of making things Pleasant, which of themselves are not at all so. Herein that severe Stile properly consists, which p Her∣mogenes prefers to a soft Stile, when he says, that a meer naked Nar∣ration has often more Strength, than a Narration which is adorn'd and flourish'd; because a severe Style may have some Greatness, and a soft Style can only have a Mediocrity. That is also the Rea∣son

why he reckons good Sense, (tho' never so naked) amongst the qualities of the Noble and ele∣vated Style. This was, says he, the Character of Pericles, upon which Demosthenes form'd himself to that strong and fierce Eloquence, wherein he has excell'd: Hiperides, says he, in another place, is great tho' careless: his Style is rough and dry, but it is noble and elevate; q for, that Austerity of Stile, which was the true Character of the Greeks, is nothing but r a true and exact Sense, and a just and correct Reason; which, with∣out stopping at a shew of Bright∣ness, pursues Solidity. s It has nothing false in its Sentiments; all its Attention is bent towards a Sobriety of Discourse, which is nothing but Sense and Simplicity. Plutarch also attributes that Style to Demosthenes, which Dionysius Ha∣lycarnassaeus does not distinguish from the great and elevate. It is, in fine, that strength of Ex∣pression, which alone gives to our Discourse, Nobleness and Majesty, by

which it becomes great and solid. Hence it is that Caesar, thô un∣affected, has something Nobler in the Simplicity of his Discourse, than Tacitus with all the Pomp of his Words: and there appears a kind of Carelesness in the Anti∣ents, which is worth all the Di∣ligence of the Moderns. t I don't say, but that a flourish'd Style may be of use in small Histories, which have not ground enough to support themselves without help. u The Princess of Mont∣pensier ought to be written with all the Eloquence Art can allow; but the History of the War of Paris, and of the Late Troubles, ought to be written with a great∣er Air; Small Subjects require Fi∣nery, great Ones Strength and Dignity. Let Paterculus be pretti∣ly adorn'd in the Character he took; but Livy ought to be great and serious: small Beauties ought to be finely attir'd to shew them∣selves; but great ones have no need of it, because they bear a good weight of themselves. Besides,

Truth, which is the Soul of Hi∣story, becomes suspicious, as soon as it is too much adorned; and Carelesness has more an Air of Sincerity. This is what was to be observed upon the Style in particular, after the general No∣tions I have given thereof: but as it is of use only in Narration, we'll examine in what manner it ought to be.

Notes

• m

  Verba ex∣cerpsit Salus∣tius ex origini∣bus Catonis. Suet. in Aug.
• n

  Salustius Scriptor seriae et severae ora∣tionis. Aulug. l. 17. c. 18.
• o

  Homer. Odyss. l. 9.
• p

  Hermogen. de Ideis, l. 1. c. 5. & l. 2. de invent.
• q

  Austerus graeca consue∣tudine Cornal. Fron. de differ∣vocum.
• r

  Artis se∣verae si quis amat effectus, mentemque magnis appli∣cat, prius mo∣re frugalitatis lege polleat exacta. Pet.
• s

  Si juvenes verba atroci stylo effode∣rent, jam illa grandis oratio haberet maie∣statis suas pon∣dus. Petr.
• t

  Historica locutio, ubi munditiem re∣tinuerit, majo∣ra ornamenta non requirat, simplex, pura, naturalis sit, nec Atticum siccitatem re∣ferre possit. Beni. l. 1. de Hist.
• u

  It is a small History in French.