Teaching Christianity
changing the order of the words found there; he will acknowledge that nothing he learned in the schools of grammar or rhetoric that is considered important was wanting in the writings of those God-sent men; and he will find many turns of phrase of real elegance, which are indeed elegant in our language, but above all in theirs, and none of which are to be found in the literature which these people are so proud of.
But one must beware of detracting from the weight of grave divine statements, while adding to their rhythm.[46] For the subject of music, in which this matter of number or rhythm is most fully studied, was to be found so prominently in our prophets that Jerome, the most learned of men, even recorded the meters of some of them, at least in the Hebrew language; but in order to keep the true meaning of the words, he did not transfer these meters into Latin.[47] For my part, though, to express my own sentiments, which are of course better known to me than to other people and than other people's sentiments, while I do not neglect these concluding rhythms in my own speaking, as far as I consider can decently be done, still what gives me more pleasure in our authors is that I find them there so very infrequently.
42. As for the grand manner of speaking, it is as far removed as can be from this moderate kind, being not so much a matter of elegantly stylish language as of the impetuous expression of very deep feelings. For it seizes on almost all those elegant embellishments, but if it doesn't have them to hand it doesn't look for them. It is in fact carried along by its own vehemence, and if it stumbles on some beauty of expression, it carries it along in virtue of its subject, rather than choosing it with a careful eye on appearances. It is sufficient, you see, for the subject which engages it that suitable words, rather than being picked by the deliberation of the tongue, should follow upon the ardor of the breast. After all, if a mighty man of valor should be