from Hugh Blair, Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres
EPISTOLARY Writing becomes a diフinct パecies of Compoナtion, ブbject to the cognizance of Criticiノ, only or chiefly, when it is /67/ of the eaペ and familiar kind ; when it is converヂtion carried on upon paper, between two friends at a diフance. Such an intercourテ, when well conducted, may be rendered very agreeable to Readers of taフe. If the ブbject of the Letters be important, they will be the more valuable. Even though there ドould be nothing very conナderable in the ブbject, yet if the パirit and turn of the correパondence be agreeable ; if they be written in a パrightly manner, and with native grace and eaテ, they may フill be entertaining ; more eパecially if there be any thing to intereフ us, in the characters of thoテ who write them. Hence the curioナty which the Public has always diツovered, concerning the Letters of eminent perバns. We expect in them to diツover バmewhat of their real character. It is childiド indeed to expect, that in Letters we are to find the whole heart of the Author unveiled. Concealment and diトuiテ take place, more or leピ, in all human intercourテ. But フill, as Letters from one friend to another make the neareフ approach to converヂtion, we may expect to テe more of a character diパlayed in theテ than in other productions, which are フudied for public view. We pleaテ ourテlves with beholding the Writer in a ナtuation which allows him to be at his eaテ, and to give vent occaナonally to the overflowings of his heart.
/68/MUCH, therefore, of the merit, and the agreeableneピ of Epiフolary Writing, will depend on its introducing us into バme acquaintance with the Writer. There, if any where, we look for the man, not for the Author. Its firフ and fundamental requiナte is, to be natural and ナmple ; for a フiff and laboured manner is as bad in a Letter, as it is in Converヂtion. This does not baniド パrightlineピ and wit. Theテ are graceful in Letters, juフ as they are in converヂtion ; when they flow eaナly, and without being フudied ; when employed バ as to テaバn, not to cloy. One who, either in Converヂtion or in Letters, affects to ドine and to パarkle always, will not pleaテ long. The フyle of Letters ドould not be too highly poliドed. It ought to be neat and correct, but no more. All nicety about words, betrays フudy ; and hence muナcal periods, and appearances of number and harmony in arrangement, ドould be carefully avoided in Letters. The beフ Letters, are commonly ブch as the Authors have written with moフ facility. What the heart or the imagination dictates, always flows readily ; but where there is no ブbject to warm or intereフ theテ, conフraint appears ; and hence, thoテ Letters of mere compliment, congratulation, or affected condolance, which have coフ the Authors moフ labour in compoナng, and which, for that reaバn, they perhaps conナder as their maフer-pieces, never fail /69/ of being the moフ diヂgreeable and inナpid to the Readers.
IT ought, at the ヂme time, to be remembered, that the eaテ and ナmplicity which I have recommended in Epiフolary Correパondence, are not to be underフood as importing entire careleャneピ. In writing to the moフ intimate friend, a certain degree of attention, both to the ブbject and the フyle, is requiナte and becoming. It is no more than what we owe both to ourselves, and to the friend with whom we correパond. A ネovenly and negligent manner of Writing, is a diバbliging mark of want of reパect. The liberty, beナdes, of writing Letters with too careleピ a hand, is apt to betray perバns into imprudence in what they write. The firフ requiナte, both in converヂtion and correバndence, is to attend to all the proper decorums which our own character, and that of others, demand. An imprudent expression in converヂtion may be forgotten and paピ away ; but when we take the pen into our hand, we muフ remember, that "Litera ツripta manet."
PLINY's Letters are one of the moフ celebrated collections which the Antients have given us, in the epiフolary way. They are elegant and polite ; and exhibit a very pleaナng /70/ and amiable view of the Author. But, according to the vulgar phraテ, they ノell too much of the lamp. They are too elegant and fine ; and it is not eaペ to avoid thinking, that the Author is caフing an eye towards the Public, when he is appearing to write only for his friends. Nothing indeed is more difficult, than for an Author, who publiドes his own Letters, to diveフ himテlf altogether of attention to the opinion of the world in what he ヂys ; by which means, he becomes much leピ agreeable than a man of parts would be, if, without any conフraint of this バrt, he were writing to his intimate friend.
CICERO's Epiフles, though not バ ドowy as thoテ of Pliny, are, on テveral accounts, a far more valuable collection ; indeed, the moフ valuable collection of Letters extant in any language. They are Letters of real buナneピ, written to the greateフ men of the age, compoテd with purity and elegance, but without the leaフ affectation ; and, what adds greatly to their merit, written without any intention of being publiドed to the world. For it appears, that Cicero never kept copies of his own Letters ; and we are wholly indebeted to the care of his freed-man Tyro, for the large collection that was made, after his death, of thoテ which are now extant, amounting to near /71/ a thouヂnd*. They contain the moフ authentic materials of the hiフory of that age ; and are the laフ monuments which remain of Rome in its free フate ; the greateフ part of them being written during that important criナs, when the Republic was on the point of ruin ; the moフ intereフing ナtuation, perhaps, which is to be found in the affairs of mankind. To his intimate friends, eパecially to Atticus, Cicero lays open himテlf and his heart, with entire freedom. In the courテ of his correパondence with others, we are introduced into acquaintance with テveral of the principal perバnages of Rome ; and it is remarkable that moフ of Cicero's correパondents, as well as himテlf, are elegant and polite Writers ; which テrves to heighten our idea of the taフe and manners of that age.
THE moフ diフinguiドed Collection of Letters in the Engliド Language, is that of Mr. Pope, Dean Swift, and their friends ; partly publiドed in Mr. Pope's Works, and partly in thoテ of Dean Swift. This Collection is, on the whole, an entertaining and agreeable one ; /72/ and contains much wit and refinement. It is not, however, altogether free from the fault which I imputed to Pliny's Epiフles, of too much フudy and refinement. In the variety of Letters from different perバns, contained in that Collection, we find many that are written with eaテ, and a beautiful ナmplicity. Thoテ of Dr. Arbuthnot, in particular, always deテrve that praiテ. Dean Swift's alバ are unaffected ; and as a proof of their being バ, they exhibit his character fully, with all its defects ; though it were to be wiドed, for the honour of his memory, that his Epiフolary Correパondence had not been drained to the dregs, by バ many ブcceャive publications, as have been given to the world. Several of Lord Bolingbroke's, and of Biドop Atterbury's Letters, are maフerly. The cenブre of writing Letters in too artificial a manner, falls heavieフ on Mr. Pope himテlf. There is viナbly more フudy, and leピ of nature and the heart in his Letters, than in thoテ of バme of his correパondents. He had formed himテlf on the manner of Voiture, and is too fond of writing like a wit. His Letters to Ladies are full of affectation. Even in writing to his friends, how forced an Introduction is the following of a Letter to Mr. Addiバn : "I am more joyed at your return, than I ドould be at that of the Sun, as much as I wiド for him in this /73/ melancholy wet テaバn ; but it is his fate too, like yours, to be diパleaナng to owls and obツene animals, who cannot bear his luフre." How フiff a compliment is it, which he pays to Biドop Atterbury? "Though the noiテ and daily buフle for the Public be now over, I dare ヂy, you are フill tendering its welfare ; as the Sun in winter, when テeming to retire from the world, is preparing warmth and benedictions for a better テaバn." This テntence might be tolerated in a harangue ; but is very unブitable to the Style of one friend correパonding with another.
THE gaiety and vivacity of the French genius appear to much advantage in their Letters, and have given birth to テveral agreeable publications. In the laフ age, Balzac and Voiture were the two moフ celebrated Epiフolary Writers. Balzac's reputation indeed バon declined, on account of his ヘelling periods and pompous Style. But Voiture continued along a favourite Author. His Compoナtion is extremely パarkling ; he ドows a great deal of wit, and can trifle in the moフ entertaining manner. His only fault is, that he is too open and profeャed a wit, to be thoroughlly agreeable as a Letter Writer. The Letters of Madam de Sevignè, are now eフeemed the moフ accompliドed model of a familiar correパondence. They turn indeed very much /74/ upon trifles, the incidents of the day, and the news of the town ; and they are overloaded with extravagant compliments, and expreャions of fondeピ, to her favourite daughter ; but withal, they ドow ブch perpetual パrightlineピ, they contain ブch eaペ and varied narration, and バ many フrokes of the moフ lively and beautiful painting, perfectly free from any affectation, that they are juフly intitled to high praiテ. the Letters of Lady Mary Wortley Montague are not unworthy of being named after thoテ Mad. de Sevignè. They have much of the French eaテ and vivacity ; and retain more the character of agreeable Epiフolary Style, than perhaps any Letters which have appeared in the Engliド language.
* See his Letter to Atticus, which was written a year or two before his death, in which he tells him, in anヘer to バme enquiries concerning his Epiフles, that he had no collection of htem, and that Tyro had only about テventy of them.
| Ad ATT. 16. 5. |
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