Chapter Eight<\/strong> takes up rhetorical scholarship in the eighteenth century, from Vico\u2019s interests in the origins of human thought processes to Thomas Sheridan\u2019s theory of eloquence. Theorists explored include Giambattista Vico, George Campbell, Sheridan, Hugh Blair, Lord Kames, Richard Whately, Margaret Cavendish, and Maria Edgeworth. It is noted that concern for the British nation\u2019s development and welfare marks much of British Enlightenment rhetorical theory. Campbell\u2019s \u201cscientific\u201d interest in the rhetoric of the human mind is explored, as is Whately\u2019s treatment of rhetoric as centered on matters of argument. The Belletristic Movement\u2019s interest in the power of beautiful language is also considered, as is Maria Edgeworth\u2019s satire.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n