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ENGLISH COMPOSITION, 
 
 IN A METHOD ENTIRELY NEW, 
 WITH VARIOUS SHORT 
 
 CONTRASTED EXAMPLES, 
 
 FROM CELEBRATED WRITERS, 
 ■ THE WHOLE ADAPTED TO 
 
 COMMON CAPACITIES, 
 
 AND DESIGNED AS AN 
 
 EASY HELP TO FORM A GOOD STYLE, 
 
 AND TO ACQUIRE A TASTE FOR 
 
 THE WORKS OF THE BEST AUTHORS. 
 
 BY THE REf. (Pi G SCRAGGS. 
 
 TO WHICH ARE ADDED, 
 
 AN ESSAY ON THE 
 
 ADVANTAGES OE UNDERSTANDING COMPOSITION, 
 
 AND A LIST OF SELECT BOOKS FOR ENGLISH READERS WITH 
 
 REMARKS. 
 
 LONDON: 
 PRINTED BY C. WHITHNGHAM, 
 
 Ve.in Street, Fetter L-.rut. 
 
 FOR H. D. S/MONDS, PATERNOSTER-ROW. 
 And may be had of Mr. Seeley, Bookseller in Buckingham. 
 
 1802. 
 

CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 The Preface v 
 
 An Introductory Essay on the Advantages of un- 
 derstanding English Composition .... xiii 
 
 A small select Literary Library for English Read- 
 ers, with Remarks xxv 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 An Exemplification of the Ten Parts of Speech, 
 with Contrasted Examples at the end of each... 2' 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Various Contrasted Phrases or Expressions 60 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 Divided and Transposed Sentences 82 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 The principal Figures of Speech, with Contrasted 
 Examples at the End 90 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 Short Examples of different Kinds of good English 
 Language 126 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 Brief Directions how to form a suitable Style ,; 165 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 HPHE writings of Cicero, Qwritiltan, Lon- 
 ginus, and other classic authors, are truly- 
 valuable. To them we are indebted for 
 many original remarks on style, as well as 
 for those excellent rules respecting elocution 
 which we find in so many recent publications. 
 
 Notwithstanding this, it must be owned 
 that succeeding writers of different polite na- 
 tions have made improvements in composition 
 suited to their languages, and especially mo- 
 dern British authors. 
 
 The best of such English books on this 
 subject are, Harris' 's Hermes, Karnes on 
 Criticism, Campbell's Rhetoric, and Blair's 
 Lectures. 
 
 But although these are valuable works, yet 
 most of them are so expensive, that not many 
 a 
 
Vt PREFACE. 
 
 can purchase them, or so scholastic, that but 
 few are able to have a competent under- 
 standing of their meaning. For these rea- 
 sons it is impossible that they should be so 
 extensively useful as the importance of the 
 subject requires. 
 
 To remedy this, Mr* Irving has published 
 lately, in one vol. 12mo. ' The Elements of 
 English Composition ;' but even this is not 
 sufficiently short and plain for persons of 
 common capacities, who have but little time 
 to read. Besides, it supposes the readers to 
 be acquainted with all the rules of grammar, 
 and the figures of rhetoric, and if not, some 
 books must be procured, and well understood, 
 before Mr. living's publication can be pro- 
 perly useful to such persons. 
 
 The subsequent little work is meant to 
 contain every thing important on the subject 
 within itself, and will save time, trouble, and 
 expence. Each part of speech is first fully 
 explained in a very plain manner, and then, 
 instead of long complicated rules of syntax, 
 the principal things respecting grammar and 
 composition, are reduced to a few simple 
 
PREFACE. vn 
 
 rules, with examples to the respective parts 
 of speech, and also to the rhetorical figures. 
 By this new and easy method, scholars are 
 reminded, and others encouraged to improve 
 their minds as well as their style, who per- 
 haps would not have been induced to do 
 either by the common tedious and perplexing 
 mode. One remark may here be made, that 
 as the construction of the English tongue is 
 very different from the learned languages, 
 therefore no one should expect to find in 
 this work grammatical rules exactly similac 
 to the Latin syntax. 
 
 Such being the general plan of this work, 
 It is evidently more easy than any hitherto 
 published. It requires only some previous 
 knowledge of punctuation, and an ability to 
 conjugate the verbs, but no other elementary 
 book is at first necessary. If any should 
 think, that this concise method will necessa- 
 rily tend to make readers superficial, the au- 
 thor observes, that he hopes it will not have 
 any such tendency. To avoid this, no im- 
 portant rule is designedly omitted, nor any 
 example left out, and when all the rules in 
 
 a 2 
 
Viu PREFACE. 
 
 this book are well understood the author 
 advises, the reader to study the works of the 
 great writers first mentioned. 
 
 The compiler hereof is an Englishman. 
 He feeis an ardent desire, that all his coun- 
 trymen may improve rapidly in their lan- 
 guage, and he cannot think of any means 
 more likely to answer this desirable end, than 
 the publication of a short and plain book on 
 composition. No new theory, nor original 
 remarks, are here, offered ; but as the requi- 
 sites to produce a good style are here brought 
 all together, the author presumes that the 
 subject is illustrated in a new and striking 
 manner, especially with respect to the con- 
 trasted examples. The design of these ex- 
 amples is at one view to correct those inaccu- 
 racies which are to be observed not only in 
 conversation, but in the writings of the best 
 English authors, and which many persons at 
 first sight would not consider as improprie- 
 ties. These contrasted examples recom- 
 mend themselves, as they please, improve, 
 and satisfy the mind, while they engage the 
 eye and the understanding. To avoid unne- 
 
 2 
 
PREFACE. IX 
 
 cessary repetitions, only one or two examples 
 are given to exemplify the chief foregoing 
 rules. The improper are on the left hand, 
 and the proper on the right, and the words 
 in italics visibly point out the inaccuracy. 
 Should any person casually open in this part 
 of the book, let him not hastily reject any of 
 the amendments, nor think any of them 
 trifling. All improprieties should be avoid- 
 ed, and the author may confidently affirm, 
 that most of the alterations he has made are 
 either authorized by the rules, or by the opi- 
 nion of the best critics. 
 
 It is not within the design of this work, to 
 take notice of gross errors in grammar, nor 
 yet of provincial expressions. Neither are 
 there in this work any examples of the gram- 
 matical errors in our translation of the Bible.. 
 These are omitted, partly as they are but few 
 when compared with its beauties, and also 
 because the author will do nothing that may 
 have the least tendency to lessen that high 
 veneration, which all should have for the sa- 
 cred Scriptures. Bishop Lowth very pro- 
 perly observes, that our present translation 
 
SB PREFACE. 
 
 is in most places a model for English compo- 
 sition. As to the examples of good language 
 in Chap. V. they are taken from the best 
 English authors, and are few and short, that 
 they might not increase the price of this vo- 
 lume. They are also on such subjects that 
 cannot fail to instruct and entertain judicious 
 persons. Some of these, and other examples 
 in this book, are in prose, and others in poe- 
 try, in order to give variety. That nothing 
 might be wanting for the instruction of En- 
 glish readers, a short select number of books 
 are recommended, with remarks by the au- 
 thor, from above twenty years extensive 
 reading. 
 
 Although this work may be used as a 
 school book, yet it is by no means to be con- 
 fined to children. All who have not time to 
 read the great works first mentioned, may 
 use this, as may also those who have neg- 
 lected to ir" prove the grammatical education 
 which they received in their youth. 
 
 The author has only to add, that as he re- 
 sides at a distance from the press, and is so 
 constantly employed, he hopes that candid 
 
PREFACE. xi 
 
 readers will allow for any inaccuracies that 
 remain uncorrected. As the great Dr. Blair 
 finishes the Preface to his Lectures with the 
 following apologetic observations, so the au- 
 thor of this little work adopts the same, * If 
 after the liberty which it was necessary for 
 the author to take in criticising the style of 
 the most eminent writers in our language, 
 his own should be thought open to reprehen- 
 sion, all that he can say is, that his book will 
 add one to the many proofs already offered to 
 the world, of its being more easy to give irt* 
 structions, than to set examples. 
 
INTRODUCTORY ESSAY, 
 
 ON THE 
 
 ADVANTAGES OF UNDERSTANDING 
 
 ENGLISH COMPOSITION 
 
 Harsh words, though pertinent, uncouth appear ; 
 Few please the judgment, who offend the ear. 
 
 GARTH. 
 
 5 Tis not enough, no harshness gives offence, 
 The sound must be an echo to the sense. 
 
 POPE. 
 
 A S this work may be read by some who do 
 not see the importance of understanding 
 composition, it is thought necessary to recite 
 some of its benefits. This will be done by 
 first answering objections against studying this 
 subject, and then by pointing out the adva?i- 
 
 a3 
 
XIV ADVANTAGES OF 
 
 tages of being able to speak and write the 
 English language with propriety and ele- 
 gance. 
 
 1. It may be alledged by some who are 
 past sixty years of age, that they are too old 
 for such a study. This objection would be 
 strong against aged persons learning any fo- 
 reign language; it would also have been 
 weighty respecting such becoming very pro- 
 ficient in our own tongue a century ago, when 
 there was no easy introduction to the sub- 
 ject. Now it has very little force, particu- 
 larly as this book is so short and plain, that 
 the aged may soon learn how to form a good 
 style, and to relish works of taste, which will 
 afford them great pleasure during the re- 
 mainder of their lives. 
 
 2. Others may say, that as they can read 
 and write very intelligibly :, it is quite enough 
 for them. Such a plea may do for poor 
 labouring persons, but others should be 
 ashamed to make such an excuse. To speak 
 in this manner, shews great ignorance and 
 conceit, for it is in fact saying, that they are 
 content with being blunderers, and are deter- 
 
UNDERSTANDING COMPOSITION. xv 
 
 mined so to continue, rather than take some 
 pains to improve. Such stupidity and indo- 
 lence of mind is the more inexcusable, as the 
 means of instruction are now so easy. 
 
 3. Some may argue, that being so much 
 engaged in business, they have no time for 
 this study. The plea respecting want of 
 time for any thing commendable, is now be- 
 come so common, that it is generally disre- 
 garded. Time can be found for luxury '» 
 journeys, and amusements,, by them who 
 make this excuse. They have also hours 
 which they misuse. Some of this time 
 would be more profitably employed in such a 
 rational and pleasing study as that of compo- 
 sition, the understanding of which will render 
 us more fit to transact business. 
 
 4. Many perhaps will say, that other things 
 are of greater importance. The care of the 
 soul is certainly of greater consequence, but 
 surely mental improvement is not to be neg- 
 lected.. As to the degree of importance which 
 the study of composition has, when com- 
 pared with other parts of learning, if we 
 consult the most eminent men of the greatest 
 
x Vi ADVANTAGES OF 
 
 nations, it is to berated very high. Thus 
 the Greeks and Romans considered the refine- 
 ment of their languages very important, and 
 the French are now of the same opinion 
 with respect to theirs. Every Briton, like 
 them, should consider it as an absolute duty 
 to improve his style, and to have his children 
 well instructed in the various branches of his 
 own language. Persons in genteel life have 
 for many years been accustomed to have 
 their children taught the French tongue; 
 this is an accomplishment, and may be useful 
 to them, but it is of much more consequence 
 for them to understand their own language 
 completely. A poet very properly gives this 
 advice : 
 
 Let ev'ry other tongue alone, 
 
 Till you can read, and spell your own. 
 
 How ridiculous is it to hear young ladies 
 or gentlemen boast of proficiency in the 
 French language, and yet, perhaps, they can- 
 not write many sentences in English without 
 various inaccuracies. Mr. Sheridan observes, 
 
UNDERSTANDING COMPOSITION. xvi* 
 
 that ' as our own language contains every 
 thing useful and ornamental, it ought to be 
 the firsts and a principal part of our educa- 
 tion.' We have so many well written En- 
 glish books, in every branch of literature, that 
 the study of composition is now become al- 
 most absolutely necessary in Great Britain. 
 
 Lastly, some, supposing that it will take a 
 long time - to understand composition, are 
 discouraged from making any attempt. This 
 is a great mistake, for they who know some- 
 thing of grammar and rhetoric, by studying 
 this book will soon become proficient, and 
 such as have not this knowledge, by a close 
 application to the same, will not be long be- 
 fore they receive so much pleasure, that it 
 will encourage them to proceed. The au- 
 thor is confident, that a grown person of a 
 common capacity, by attentively studying all 
 that is herein contained, for only about three 
 hours each day, may be able, in 2. few weeks, 
 not only to avoid inaccuracies, but to write 
 and speak with great propriety. 
 
 As to the advantages of understanding 
 composition, much may be gathered from 
 
XV ill-: ADVANTAGES OF 
 
 what has been advanced, therefore only a few 
 of the benefits will be considered. 
 
 1. Such a knowledge gives a great insight 
 into any subject, either heard or read. They 
 who do not understand grammar and rheto- 
 ric, are liable continually to mistakes. Even 
 supposing that they have quick natural abi- 
 lities, still, as our tongue is so equivocal, they 
 must have very imperfect conceptions. On 
 the contrary, such as know the rules of com- 
 position,- very soon enter into the meaning of 
 what is expressed in words, and thus errors 
 are detected, and great improvement speedily 
 received. This knowledge also includes such 
 an extensive acquaintance with the meaning 
 of phrases as well as words, with all their cor- 
 responding connections, that those who pro- 
 perly understand. composition, may be said to 
 be masters of the English language. 
 
 2. Our reasoning powers are greatly as- 
 sisted by this knowledge. We are not indeed, 
 to expect that it will of itself make profound 
 logicians, but it will be a considerable help 
 for that purpose. Thus, an: acquaintance 
 with composition teaches us to analyze that 
 
UNDERSTANDING COMPOSITION. xixk 
 
 which we hear or read, and to reason upon* 
 its beauties or defects. This will lead to fur- 
 ther investigations, and so by degrees the 
 powers of the mind are strengthened. 
 
 3. A taste for the beauties of language 
 increases mental pleasures. As the excel- 
 lencies of nature or art are not much relished 
 by persons of little taste, so it is with respect 
 to a good style. For instance, Addison may- 
 be admired by superficial readers, but as they 
 can discern only a few of his beauties, their 
 pleasures from perusing his writings must be 
 small. On the other hand, one who is well 
 acquainted with the properties of good lan- 
 guage, discovers many more excellencies in 
 the works of Addison, and consequently re- 
 ceives much more delight from reading them. 
 These remarks are equally applicable to what 
 we hear. Thus,- an illiterate serious person 
 may admire a gospel preacher who uses good 
 language, but a hearer of this kind can never 
 receive so much profit and pleasure as gra- 
 cious learned persons have in hearing such a 
 minister. In these respects we may see that 
 one who understands composition has mani- 
 
XX ADVANTAGES OF 
 
 fest advantages over those who, though sen- 
 sible and pious, are without this knowledge. 
 
 4. By using good language, we may add 
 charms to truth. It is well known, that 
 many excellencies on moral and literary sub- 
 jects are obscured by feeble expressions, but 
 what is worse, the glorious truths of the gospel 
 appear to great disadvantage with mean Ian-' 
 guage. Here perhaps it may be observed, 
 that the Ai mighty has not owned some mi- 
 nisters who are very correct, while he has 
 abundantly blessed the labours of many who 
 use low expressions. To this it may with, 
 truth be-replied, that as God is a sovereign, 
 he wi!i bless his word, when, and hi whom 
 he pleases. None however will dare to say, 
 that this is on account of the mean language 
 which some use : on the contrary, it is likely 
 to suppose, that if such worthy ministers were 
 not to use vulgar expressions, and to endea- 
 vour to be more correct, that they would be 
 still more useful. By good language, the au- 
 thor does not mean to recommend any thing 
 like a bombastic style, which is not fit for the 
 press, and much less for the pulpit. Our 
 
UNDERSTANDING COMPOSITION. xxi 
 
 style may be sufficiently plain, and yet neat 
 or elegant, which is the proper dress for truth 
 of every kind. Some writers have remarked, 
 that it does not stand in need of any embel- 
 lishments. This is very just with respect to 
 the intrinsic value of truth, but it certainly 
 shines with double lustre, and is likely to do 
 more good when properly ornamented. 
 
 5. A knowledge of composition is continu- 
 ally useful. Experience convinces us that 
 the manner of expressing our thoughts is of 
 considerable importance, for although our 
 sentiments may be just,' yet if we express 
 them improperly, they are not well received. 
 \V^ may also fail in an undertaking, merely 
 from some defect in language. But further, 
 how many mistakes are continually made, 
 both verbally and in writing* merely for want 
 of using proper words ? How many families, 
 as well as individuals, have suffered by law 
 suits on account of incorrect writings? On 
 the other hand, an ability to write and speak 
 with propriety, not only qualifies for much 
 usefulness as an author or a public speaker, 
 but it is often the chief cause of raisins: some 
 
xxii ADVANTAGES OF 
 
 to riches and honour. If however it should 
 not prove so highly beneficial, it cannot fail 
 in private lift to give us superiority over the 
 illiterate, to accomplish for conversation, and 
 to render us much more capable of serving 
 ourselves and others. Every Briton is there- 
 fore deeply interested in endeavouring to ac- 
 quire a knowledge of good composition, since 
 k has great advantages when considered in 
 a practical point of view. 
 
 Finally, young persons in particular should 
 form a good style, by studying the best au- 
 thors. The most favourable time for this 
 purpose is in youth, as bad habits are not 
 then contracted, the mind is unincumbered 
 with care, and durable impressions may ea- 
 sily be made. Here it will be necessary to 
 make some shtoit remarks on &** ]»*«««** 
 mode of education in Great Britain, so far as 
 connected with English composition. 
 
 Since this knowledge is so advantageous, 
 St may be enquired why it is not better taught 
 in schools ? To this we may answer, that the 
 deficiency is owing chiefly to the injudicious 
 <& parsimonious conduct of some parents and 
 
UNDERSTANDING COMPOSITION. xxiu 
 
 guardians. They either prefer large schools,, 
 where there is not sufficient time to teach 
 composition, or, to save expences, young per- 
 sons are put under the care of such teachers 
 as are not capable to instruct them in this, as 
 well as other valuable-parts of learning. To- 
 avoid such evils, children should be sent to 
 those places of education, which receive a 
 small number only, and where the tutor pos- 
 sesses distinguishing abilities, and not where 
 the best parts of learning are taught by ushers. 
 In such a seminary where the master is thus 
 qualified, and which he constantly superin- 
 tends, it must be the fault of the pupils if 
 they do not improve, as they are taught to 
 compose themes, which are intended to lead 
 to all those refinements in style that are here 
 recommended. After this, when those who 
 have had such an education leave their 
 schools, they should read only such books as 
 are written in good language. Thus, an at- 
 tention to correct composition in youth would 
 soon become habitual, and the benefits would 
 be great throughout life. 
 This essay shall be concluded with the- 
 
Xxiv ADVANTAGES OF, &c 
 
 following quotation, on this part of the sub- 
 ject, from Mr. Irving. « No object has ever 
 appeared of greater importance to wise men, 
 than to tincture young minds with an early 
 relish for the pleasures of taste. Easy in 
 general is the transition from the pursuits of 
 these to the discharge of the higher duties 
 of life. Sanguine hopes may be entertained 
 of those who have this liberal and elegant 
 disposition; it is favourable to the growth 
 of every virtue ; whereas, to be void of taste, 
 is justly regarded as an unpromising symptom 
 111 youth, and raises suspicion of their being 
 prone to low gratifications, or destined to 
 drudge in the more vulgar pursuits of life. 
 There are few good dispositions with which 
 the improvement of this faculty is not in 
 some degree connected. A cultivated taste 
 increases sensibility to ail the tender and hu- 
 mane passions, by giving them frequent ex- 
 ercises, while it tends to weaken the more 
 violent emotions, by exciting in us a lively 
 sense of decorum.' 
 
A SMALL, SELECT, 
 
 LITERARY LIBRARY, 
 
 FOR 
 
 ENGLISH READERS, 
 
 WITH REMARKS. 
 
 TT must be owned, that since magazines, re- 
 views, and periodical publications have been 
 so common, that the number of English 
 readers is greatly increased. Still however 
 it is to be lamented, that there are in Great 
 Britain many who might, but will not read. 
 Some of these are so covetous that they cannot 
 be persuaded to purchase books ; others 
 spend so much money in dress, or luxury, 
 that they have none left; some also, having 
 never acquired a habit of reading, have no 
 proper relish for such a commendable exer- 
 cise of the mind. The author earnestly en- 
 treats all, who have any opportunities of im- 
 
XXVi A SELECT LIBRARY 
 
 provement by reading, no longer to neglect 
 them. It is not indeed to be expected, that 
 profligate characters should attend to the cul- 
 tivation of their minds, but it is surprising 
 that moral persons should be deficient herein. 
 Above all, it is to be lamented, that many 
 serious persons, who have time, should employ 
 so little of it in reading, though they daily 
 lose some hours either in useless visits, mine- 
 pessary sleep, or unprofitable conversation* 
 Some of these may, perhaps, read occasionally, 
 but it is for a short time only, in a careless 
 manner, and their conversation proves that 
 their reading is very superficial. Let us hope 
 that this defect amongst some serious persons 
 is either because they have not been told 
 plainly of this fault, or that they have not had 
 proper directions what books they should 
 purchase, and how to improve their minds. 
 To furnish such with the best means for these 
 purposes is the chief object of the following 
 short list of English books ; and it may be 
 observed, that they are noticed in the pro- 
 gressive order in which they should be read, 
 
FOR ENGLISH READERS. xxva 
 
 1. Dr. ASH's ENGLISH GRAMMAR, 
 
 SMALL 12mO. 
 
 They who are ignorant of grammar, and 
 have but little time, should very carefully 
 study this, which is the most easy, short, and 
 cheap English Grammar that is published. 
 Those who have more money, and time to 
 •read, should procure Linlcy Murray's Gram- 
 mar and Exercises, 2 vols. 12mo. which are 
 deservedly celebrated, and Mr. Scr&ggs grate- 
 fully acknowledges that he has taken many of 
 the rules and examples in his book from va- 
 rious parts of Mr. Murray's publications. 
 
 2. BARCLAY'S ENGLISH blCTIONARY, 
 8vo. 1801. Robinson. 
 
 The new editions of the dictionaries by 
 Dyckc, Fenning, and Johnson, have made 
 them much more acceptable to the public, 
 than the old editions, but Barclay's has many 
 useful articles, both prefixed and in the body 
 of the work, which are not in any other En- 
 glish dictionary 
 
xxviu A SELECT LIBRARY 
 
 3. Dr. WATTs 
 IMPROVEMENT OF THE MIND. 
 
 12mo, 1792. Lackington. 
 
 This is a well-known valuable work, and 
 the abovementioned is a very cheap edition, 
 as it has both parts, and some other of Dr. 
 Watts's pieces, in this one vol. Dr. Johnson 
 says of this publication, ' whoever has the 
 care of instructing others, may be charged 
 with deficiency in his duty, if this book be 
 not recommended.' It contains such a great 
 number of useful directions in reading, speak- 
 ing, &c. that it should be read over very often, 
 until the whole contents of it are engrafted into 
 the reader's mind. 
 
 4. Dr. MAVORs 
 
 UNIVERSAL HISTORY, l2mo. 
 
 Now publishing in monthly volumes. Hurst. 
 
 The Universal History. Rapirts History of 
 England, and Smollett's History, have their 
 excellencies, but few can purchase either of 
 
FOR ENGLISH READERS. xxix 
 
 them. Goldsmith's History of England, and 
 also his Roman and Grecian histories, are 
 good abridgments, but Dr. Mavor's work 
 seems an improvement, and is to be brought 
 down to the peace in 1801. The first nine 
 volumes are to be the ancient history, and the 
 next sixteen the modern. About eight vo- 
 lumes are already published, and though the 
 work will cost, when half bound, about four 
 guineas and a half, yet it is very cheap, con- 
 sidering how much it comprehends. Mr, 
 Scraggs has not the least acquaintance with 
 Dr. Mavor nor his bookseller, but in common 
 justice to this, and some other of his books, he 
 with pleasure recommends them. 
 
 5. WALKER'S GEOGRAPHY, 8vo. also 
 his GAZETTEER, 8vo. 1801. 
 
 Mr. Walker's Geographical publications, 
 and his abilities, are so well known, that very 
 little need be said respecting either. If any 
 wish to have a work on the subject which is 
 shorter, Mr. Scraggs recommends the new 
 edition of Mr. Evans's Geography, in 12mo. 
 b 
 
xxx A SELECT LIBRARY 
 
 just published. This little work is not only 
 proper for all schools, but this new edition 
 contains so much in a small compass, that 
 it cannot fail to please and satisfy most 
 readers. 
 
 6. BARR's NEW EDITION OF 
 BUFFON's NATURAL HISTORY, 
 
 12mo. 15 vol. 1801. Symonds. 
 This work is an improvement upon many 
 celebrated Natural Histories, and though it 
 will cost about four guineas bound, yet it is 
 not dear, considering it contains so much 
 reading, as well as a great number of beau- 
 tiful copper plates. They who cannot pur- 
 chase this work, may have some satisfaction 
 by reading Dr. Mavor's Natural History, one 
 volume 12mo. 2d edit. 1801. 
 
 7. Dr. W ATKINS's 
 BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL 
 DICTIONARY, 1 vol. 8vo. 1801. Hurst. 
 The Biographical Dictionary, in ten vo- 
 lumes octavo, is an excellent work, as is the 
 
FOR ENGLISH READERS. xxxi 
 
 Biographia Britanica, but they are too ex- 
 pensive. Dr. Watkins's is a judicious a- 
 bridgment, or rather an Epitome of these 
 works ; and yet there are articles in this vo- 
 lume, which are not to be' found in the former 
 large works. It is to be hoped that a 
 second edition with additions and improve- 
 ments will soon be published. 
 
 8. THE TABLET OF MEMORY, 
 12rno, 1S00, 10th edit. Robinson. 
 
 Blair's Chronology is so dear, that few can 
 purchase it, and besides, the last edition only 
 comes down to 1789. Mortimer's Student's 
 Dictionary, in one vol, 12mo. is upon a 
 most excellent plan, as one part is biography, 
 and the other chronology, but it is only 
 brought down to 1789. A new edition, with 
 improvements is much wanted. 
 
 The Tablet of Memory has gone through 
 many editions, and is brought down to 1800, 
 the dates, &c. are accurate, and it contains a 
 vast abundance of information. 
 
xxxn A SELECT LIBRARY 
 
 9. ADAMS'S 
 
 ELEMENTS OF USEFUL KNOW- 
 LEDGE, l2mo. 1199. Law. 
 
 This is a good school book, but it is not re- 
 commended to grown persons, for what it has 
 of geography, biography, or chronology, as 
 they are too short. It is proper, however, to 
 be read, for what it contains of mythology, 
 astronomy, natural philosophy, and the En- 
 glish government. 
 
 10. SCRAGGS's 
 INSTRUCTIVE SELECTIONS, 
 
 Being striking extracts from 150 of the best 
 authors on divine, moral, and literary sub- 
 jects, 2 vols. 12mo. 1802, closely printed, 
 2d edit. Symonds. 
 
 This would not have been mentioned here, 
 if it were not a work that is expressly written 
 for the benefit of English readers. There are 
 a great number of selections published, but 
 let any unprejudiced person compare the best 
 of them with this, and then its superiority 
 will be seen. It is much more comprehen- 
 
FOR ENGLISH READERS. xxxin 
 
 sive than any other selection, as well as more 
 methodical. If it. had been printed like most 
 modern books, as it contains so much, it 
 would have been almost double the size and 
 price. It was first printed about a year and a 
 half ago. The critics, who have reviewed it, 
 have recommended it very favourably. For 
 a more particular account, see the Prospectus 
 at the end of this volume. 
 
 11. CLASSICAL ENGLISH POETRY, 
 
 By Mayor and Pratt, 1 vol. 12mo. 1801. 
 
 Hurst. 
 
 Johnson's', Anderson's) and BeWs Poets, are 
 in many volumes, and are too expensive. 
 As every piece that the great poets published 
 is not excellent, a selection is best, especially 
 for those who have not much time to read. 
 This volume is not methodically arranged, 
 but it contains the most celebrated pieces from 
 eminent poets, and has some original poems. 
 The whole is neatly printed on good paper. 
 
A SELECT LIBRARY 
 
 RHETORICAL GRAMMAR, Svo. 1801. 
 Mr. John Walker, the author of this,, and 
 some other excellent works, is a teacher of 
 elocution. No person, from his age and abi- 
 lities, was more capable to write on this sub- 
 ject. Gibbons' 's Rhetoric is a good produc- 
 tion, but this is an improvement, especially in 
 what relates to the voice, and other pari of 
 elocution. _ Ail who frequently speak in pub- 
 lic, should carefully peruse this Work, and 
 others may be instructed by reading it atten- 
 tively. If Mr. Walker would abridge some 
 parts, and publish a cheaper edition, this work 
 would be still more useful. 
 
 THE above-mentioned books, are some of 
 the best that the author can recommend to 
 English readers who have not much time. 
 After these are well understood, the reader's 
 good sense will naturally point out others that 
 should follow. If any desire to have further 
 information respecting English books, they 
 
FOR ENGLISH READERS. xxxv 
 
 may consult the Reviews, the London Cata- 
 logue to 1800, Mr. Collins on the Choke of 
 Books, and Lackington's C .talogue. They 
 who wish to know what new publications are 
 out every month, should procure the Monthly 
 Magazine, or a new Monthly List of Publica- 
 tions with their prices, published by Bent, and 
 to be given gratis to booksellers on the last 
 day of every month. 
 
ENGLISH COMPOSITION, 
 
 8Cc. &c. 
 
 A CCORDING to the best modern writers, 
 the art of good composition consists 
 principally in being able to write in any- lan- 
 guage with purity, perspicuity, and precision, 
 in a style adapted to the subject. In order 
 to enable the reader to write and speak the 
 English language in this manner, it will be 
 necessary, in the subsequent parts of this 
 work, to give 
 
 1. An exemplification of the ten parts of 
 speech, with rules, and contrasted examples. 
 
 2. Various contrasted expressions. 
 
 3. Divided and transposed sentences. 
 
 4. The principal figures of speech, with 
 contrasts at the end. 
 
 5. Short examples of good composition, 
 and, 
 
 6. Directions how to form a good style. 
 
ARTICLE. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 OF THE PARTS OF SPEECH. 
 
 AN ARTICLE 
 
 Is placed before nouns, to determine or 
 limit their signification. There are only- 
 three, viz. a, an, the. A is placed before a 
 word in the singular number, which begins 
 with a consonant; as, a man, &c. an is set be- 
 fore words beginning with a vowel , as, an owl, 
 he. ; these two are called indefinite, because 
 they relate only to any thing in general. 
 The article the is definite, because it denotes a 
 particular person or thing, in either the sin- 
 gular or plural numbers; as, the man, the 
 books. The peculiar use of the article will 
 be seen in the following example, < the son of 
 a king, the son of the king, a son of the king. 
 Each of these has a very different meaning. 
 
 RULES. 
 
 1. A substantive without any article to 
 limit it, is taken in its widest sense ; as, * a 
 candid temper is proper for man ;' i. e. for all 
 mankind. 2. A nice distinction is made by 
 
ARTICLE. 3 
 
 the use or omission of the article a, as if I 
 say, 'lie behaved with a little reverence,' the 
 meaning is positive, and the person is praised ; 
 but if it be said l he behaved with little reve- 
 rence,' the meaning is negative, and he is not 
 praised. 3. Sometimes a and the distinguish 
 a person by an epithet, as 'I am surprised that 
 he treated so coldly, a man so much the gen- 
 tleman.' 4. The article a or an, distin- 
 guishes families or eminent persons; as, 'he 
 is a Russell,* i. e. of the Russell family ; 
 or, ' he is almost a Newton, an Alexander,' 
 &c. 5. For the sake of emphasis, a and an 
 are sometimes repeated ; as, ' he hoped that 
 this would secure him a perpetual and an in- 
 dependent authority. 5 6. Sometimes the ar- 
 ticle should be omitted by ellipsis; as, 'a 
 man, woman and child ;' i. e. a man, a woman 
 and a child. 7. Sometimes it should be re- 
 peated by way of emphasis ; as, ' he remem- 
 bers not only the year, but the day and the 
 hour.' 8. The article a is sometimes joined 
 with the adjective few or great many ; as, c a 
 few men, a great many men ;' at other times 
 it is joined to a plural substantive ; as, ' a dozen, 
 a hundred years.' 9. The article a, is some- 
 b 2 
 
4 ARTICLE. 
 
 times placed between the adjective and a 
 noun of the singula;- number, as in the fol- 
 lowing beautiful verses. 
 
 Full many a gem of purest ray serene, 
 " The dark unfathom'd caves of ocean bear ; 
 Full many a flow'r is born to blush unseen, 
 And waste its sweetness on the desert air. 
 
 10. The definite article the is sometimes 
 used comparatively .; as, « I Like this Me least of 
 any ;' or, « the more I examine it, the better 
 1 like it.' II. The article the is sometimes 
 elegantly put for the possessive pronoun ; as, 
 < he looked him full in the face,' i. e. in his 
 face. 12. The following will serve as an 
 example of the different uses of a and the. 
 Man was made for society, but a man will 
 naturally entertain a kindness for the man 
 with whom he often converses, and he will 
 enter into a still closer union with the man 
 whose temper and disposition suits best with 
 his own. 
 
 CONTRASTED EXAMPLES. 
 Improper. Proper, 
 
 A man is the noblest Man is the noblest 
 work of God, work of Ged. 
 
 4 
 
ARTICLE. 5 
 
 Improper, Proper. 
 
 We are placed here We are placed here 
 under a trial of our vir- under the trial of our vir- 
 tues, tues, 
 
 He is a much better He is a much tetter 
 writer than a reader. writer than reader. 
 
 Reason was given to Reason was given to 
 a man to controul his man tocontroul his pas- 
 passions. sions. 
 
 At worst, time might At the worst, time 
 be gained by this expe- might be gained by this 
 dient. expedient. 
 
 Purity extends its in- Purity extends its in- 
 fluence over so much of fluence over so much of 
 outward conduct as to the outward conduct as 
 form the great and ma- to form a great and ma- 
 terial part of a charac- terial part of the charac- 
 ter, ter. 
 
 Who breaks a butter- Who breaks a butter- 
 fly upon a wheel ? fly upon the wheel ? 
 
6 NOUN OR SUBSTANTIVE, 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 The king has confer- The king has confer- 
 red on him the- title of red on him the title of 
 
 duke. duke. 
 
 A profligate man is A profligate man is 
 
 seldom found to be the seldom found to be a 
 
 good father or the bene- good father or a beiiefi- 
 
 ficent neighbour. cent neighbour. 
 
 He was influenced He was influenced by 
 by a just and generous a just and a generous 
 principle. principle. 
 
 The fear of shame, The fear of shame, 
 
 and a desire of approba- and the desire of appro- 
 
 tion, prevents many bad bation, prevents many 
 
 actions. bad actions. 
 
 A NOUN OR SUBSTANTIVE 
 Is sense of itself, and expresses the name of 
 any person, place, or thing ; as, John, Lon- 
 don, virtue, &c. : most have two numbers, 
 the singular, which speaks of one, and the 
 
NOUN- OR SUBSTANTIVE. 7 
 
 plural which denotes more than one. Nouns 
 have three genders* masculine, feminine and 
 neuter. They have also two cases, the no- 
 minative, (or first and leading case,) which 
 names or refers to the principal person or 
 thing in the sentence, and the genitive, (called 
 also the possessive,) expressing the relation: 
 or property ; as, John's bopk, i. e. the book 
 of John. Many grammarians divide all 
 noun-substantives into — 1st. proper names of. 
 any particular person or thing ; as, John, 
 London, &c. 2d. common, (called also ap- 
 pellatives,) which are the names of collective. 
 things; as, virtue, animal, man, trees, &c. 
 In all nouns and pronouns, the masculine is 
 more worthy than the feminine, and the fe- 
 minine than the neuter. Nouns that have no • 
 immediate relation to rational or animal life, 
 , are called ideal names ; as, fame, time, wis- 
 dom, &c. 
 
 RULES-* 
 
 1. Substantives, wmether in- the singular or 
 plural number, are generally considered as of 
 the third person. 2. Some have no singular, 
 as ashes, bellows, scissors, and lungs : others 
 bave no... plural; as,, wheat, pitch, sheep, and 
 
8 NOUN" OR SUBSTANTIVE, 
 
 tleer. 3. A few words from the Hebrew 
 have a peculiar termination in the plural; as, 
 seraph makes seraphim, cherub, cherubim: 
 some in like manner from the Latin ; as, ra- 
 dius makes radii in the plural; phenomenon, 
 phenomena, and magus, magi. 4. Figura- 
 tively, the sun and time are masculine ; a ship, 
 a country, a city, the earth, the church, virtue 
 and fortune, are feminine ; things without 
 life are generally neuter, unless they are 
 personified. 5. It happens sometimes, that 
 the same noun in different sentences, is either 
 masculine or feminine ; as, parent, child, 
 cousin, friend, neighbour or servant. 6. 
 When two nouns signifying much the same 
 thing are set together, they are said to be 
 pfaced in apposition, and there is no variation 
 of case ; as, * George, king of Great Britain, ' 
 i. e. who is king, &c. 7/ When two nouns 
 are placed together, and do not signify the 
 same, the former is put in the possessive case, 
 as man's happiness : when the plural ends in 
 s, the apostrophe is only put ; as, * on eagles' 
 wings:' * the drapers' company,' &c. 8. 
 When several nouns come together in the 
 possessive case, the s, with an apostrophe, is 
 
NOUN OR SUBSTANTIVE. 9 
 
 only put to the last, (unless each be ernphati- 
 cal ;) as, < this was my father's, mother's, and 
 brother's advice.' 9. Sometimes a noun in 
 the possessive case stands alone, by way of 
 ellipsis, another being understood; as, ' I 
 went to St. Paul's, i. e. St. Paul's church ; or, I 
 went to the booksellers,' i. e. the bookseller's 
 shop. 10. Sometimes, not only the posses- 
 sive termination is used when two nouns come 
 together, but also the preposition of; as, 'it 
 is a discovery of Sir Isaac Newton's,' instead 
 of, * It is Sir Isaac Newton's discovery.' 11. 
 To prevent a hissing sound in the possessive 
 case, the apostrophe is only retained in some 
 cases; as, < for righteousness' sake, for con- 
 science' sake. 12. Collective nouns, (called 
 also nouns of multitude or of number,) are 
 the following; committee, parliament, mob, 
 tribe, corporation, assembly, synod, convoca- 
 tion, city, nation, people, family, flock. 
 These nouns of multitude must sometimes 
 have a singular verb, and some of them a 
 plural verb, which see under the verbs. 1 3. 
 The names of God are always written with 
 capital letters, and so are all words that begin 
 B3 
 
10 NOUN OR SUBSTANTIVE. 
 
 a new sentence, or a new line in a title 
 page: others are written generally with small 
 letters, except /and O when alone. 
 
 CONTRASTED EXAMPLES. 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 At the birth of Christ At the birth of Christ 
 kill the seraphs rejoiced, all the seraphims re- 
 rogers. joiced. 
 
 Light may be said to Light may be said to 
 be made up of the ra~ consist principally of the 
 dius's of the sun. radii of the sun. 
 
 NORRIS. 
 
 Thy son's sin's will Thy son's sins will 
 
 not condemn thee, not condemn thee. 
 
 I would not do it for I would not do it for 
 
 conscience's sake. conscience' sake. 
 
 j. SMITH. 
 
 Much depends on this Much depends on this 
 rule being observed. rule's being observed. 
 
abjective:- 11 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 It was my father's, It was my father, bro- 
 
 brother's, and sister's lot ther, and sister's lot to 
 
 to suffer by him. suffer by him. 
 
 I bought these books I bought these books 
 at Smith's the stationer's, at Smith's the stationer. 
 
 Not only the counsel's Not only the counsel 
 and the attorney's, but and the attorney's, but' 
 the judge's opinion fa- the judge's opinion fa- 
 vour 'd his cause, vour'd his cause. 
 
 A tender infant is the A tender infant is the 
 peculiar object of his peculiar object- of its 
 mother's care. mother's care, 
 
 AN ADJECTIVE 
 
 Is- not sense of itself, but is added to a sub- 
 stantive to shew its quality or peculiar nature ; 
 as, a good man, a great city, a fine house. Ad- 
 jectives hav© no variation of number, gender, 
 or case, but have what are called three de- 
 grees of comparison, viz. positive, small, com- 
 
12 - ADJECTIVE. 
 
 paxatioe smaller, and superlative smallest, 
 &c. They have also many that are irregu- 
 lar m comparison ? as, good, better, best, 
 &c. The adverbs more and most, are used 
 in many comparatives and superlatives, to 
 give them a better sound ; as, more lovely 
 instead of lovelier, most holy instead of ho- 
 liest, &c. The word rather expresses a 
 small degree or excess of a quality ; as, < she 
 is rather more profuse in her experices than 
 some are.' Adjectives of one or two sylla- 
 bles are compared- by er and est ; as, mild. 
 milder, mildest, happy, happier, happiest, 
 &c. : words of more syllables than two are 
 compared by more and most; as. glorious, 
 more glorious, most glorious, occ. 
 
 I. Sometimes a noun becomes a kind of 
 adjective, with or without a hyphen; as, 'a 
 man-servant, a sea-fish, &c. ; also sometimes 
 an adjective becomes a kind of noun ; as, 
 * the chief-good.' 2. When the word thing 
 is understood, the -adjective is pijl alone ; as, 
 ' who will shew us any good ?' L e. any good 
 thing. 3. Adjectives that express numbers 
 
ADJECTIVE. 13 
 
 are either cardinals ; as, one, two, three, &c. 
 or ordinals; as, first, second, third, &c. 4. 
 Such adjectives as have a superlative signifi- 
 cation of themselves, must not be put. in the 
 superlative degree ; as, chief, extreme, right, 
 perfect, universal, &c. 5. Some are not to 
 be compared ; as, * all, every, and many :* 
 some have only the comparative degree ; as, 
 * superior, inferior/ &c. : and others only the 
 superlative ; as, < utmost and foremost.' 6. 
 The pronominal adjectives, ' each, k every, 
 and either,' agree with nouns, pronouns, or 
 verbs in the singular number onl ; ; as, every 
 tree is known by its fruit ; unless the "plural 
 noun conveys a collective idea ; as, * every 
 six months, every hundred years.' 7. Each 
 and any apply to more than two things taken 
 separately, but either and neither refer to 
 only two taken disjunctively. 3. When art 
 adjective has the proposition in before it, 
 and the substantive is understood, it takes 
 the nature of an adverb ; as, ' in general;, in 
 particular,' means generally or particular! 'ij, 
 9. Double comparatives or superlatives are 
 always improper, unless when applied to 
 God ; as, * the most highest.' 10. In com- 
 
H. ADJECTIVE. 
 
 parisons the word more requires the word 
 than after it, as its proper corresponding 
 word ; as, ' he is more unhappy than I am.' 
 1 1 . The following words in comparisons are 
 allowable, if not strictly grammatical ; he is 
 much wiser, he is by far the most accom- 
 plished, it is incomparably more, God is 
 infinitely greater than all. 12. The adjec- 
 tive is generally placed before its substantive, 
 yet sometimes after it; as, * Alexander the 
 Great, a man truly pious and wise,' &c. 1 3. 
 The word all is elegantly placed after several 
 nouns; * as, ambition, interest, honour,' all 
 concur in this. 14. There is beauty and 
 force in some cases, in placing the adjective 
 before the verb, and the substantive imme- 
 diately after it; as, * great is the Lord, just 
 and true are thy ways, thou King of Saints.' 
 15. An adjective put without a substantive, 
 with the definitive article before it, becomes 
 a substantive in meaning, and is written as a 
 substantive; as, 'Providence rewards the good 
 but punishes the bad.' 16. In most cases ad- 
 jectives should not be separated from their 
 substantives. 
 
ADJECTIVE. 15 
 
 C0NTA8TED EXAMPLES. 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 We can much easier We can more easily 
 form this conception. form this conception. 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
 This is the chiefest. This is the chiefs 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
 The lesser differences. The s?ualkr differ- 
 blair. ences. 
 
 The most perfect The most improved 
 state. blair. state. 
 
 It is too universal. It is too genera!. 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
 Truth, duty, and inr Truth, duty, and in- 
 terest, or either of them, teres*., or each of them. 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
 Any of the two. Either of the two. 
 
 BLAIR, 
 
16 ADJECTIVE. 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 Which of these two Which of these two 
 is the g reatest ? b l a i r, is the grea ter ? 
 
 I can never think so I can never think so- 
 very mean of him. meanly of him. 
 
 ADDISON*. 
 
 The extremest parts The most remote parts 
 
 of the earth. " of the earth. 
 
 ATTEKBURY. 
 
 Tins is the likeliest This is the most likely 
 to succeed. to succeed. 
 
 ATTERBURY, 
 
 These kmd v of indul- This kind of indul 
 gences soften and injure gence softens and in 
 the mind. jures the mind. 
 
 You have been play- You have been play- 
 ing this two hours. ing these two hours. 
 
 Those sort of people That sort of people 
 are dangerous, is dangerous. 
 
PRONOUN. 17 
 
 Thomas has a new Thomas has a pair of 
 pair of shoes, -new shoes. 
 
 He is the servant of He is the >ervant of a 
 n old rich man. rich old man, 
 
 A PRONOUN 
 
 Is a word used instead of a noun, to avoid 
 the too' frequent repetition of the same 
 word ; as, { the man is happy, he is benevo- 
 lent, he is useful.' Pronouns like nouns have 
 two numbers ; the singular, I, thou, he, she, 
 it ; and the plural, we, ye, they. Gender 
 has only respect to the third person, he, she, 
 or it. Pronouns have three cases : the no- 
 minative ; as, I, then, he, she, or it, we, ye, 
 they, &c. : the possessive ; as, mine, thine, 
 his, her's, yours, their's : and the accusative 
 (or objective) me, thee, him, her, it, as, you, 
 them, &c. There are five primitive perso- 
 nal pronouns ; I, thou, he, she, it, with their 
 plurals. Possessive or adjective pronouns, 
 are, my, thy, his, her, our, your, and their, 
 with their plurals mine, thine, Sec. ; relativq 
 
IS PRONOUN. 
 
 pronouns are, who, which, and what; de- 
 monstratives are, this and that, with their 
 plurals, these and those ; interrogatives are, 
 who, which-, and what ; distributives are,. 
 each, every, either, and neither, Each other 
 refers only to two, one another to more than 
 two. The indtjinite.1 .-are, some, other, any,, 
 one, all, such, &c. ; and, lastly,, the com-, 
 pounds are, myself, themselves-, &e. Rela- 
 tive pronouns serve to connect. sentences like 
 conjunctions; as, ' blessed, is the man who 
 feareth the Lord/'&c. : ourstlf is only used 
 in the regal style by sovereigns* 
 
 RULES. 
 
 1. Quakers, and some country people, say 
 thou, thee, and ye ; but amongst others, cus-- 
 torn has established the use of you in the 
 nominative case of the second person sin- 
 gular, but it should always have a plural 
 verb. 2, Relatives-must agree with their an- 
 tecedents and the nouns for which they stand 
 in gender, number, and person ; as, * this is 
 the friend whom I love ;' < this is the vice which 
 I hate j' ' the king and queen had put on their 
 robes;' ' the moon appears and she shines Jnui 
 
PRONOUN. 1 9 
 
 the light is not her own.' 3. Who applies 
 to persons, which to things, places, &c. ex- 
 cept when a question is asked ; as, { which 
 is the man r' 4. That is used chiefly to avoid 
 repeating the words who or which too often. 
 5. That is also used as a kind of relative; 
 
 * who that has any sense of religion,' and 
 { the woman and the estates that became his 
 portion.' 6. In what follows it is doubtful 
 whether whom or which should be used ; as, 
 
 * the number of inhabitants with whom (or 
 with which) some cities abound/ and l the 
 company with whom (or with which) he as- 
 sociated. * 1. This and these relate to per- 
 sons and things near, but that and those to 
 such as are more remote. 8. Active verbs 
 and prepositions expressed or understood, 
 cause the pronoun following to be in the 
 objective case ; as, I love her, by whom, 
 give it me, i. e. to me. 9. Neuter verbs 
 have the same cases of pronouns after as be- 
 fore them ; ' it is I, it was she, it was they.' 
 10. The relatives who, which, or that, are 
 nominative cases to verbs, when no other 
 nominative comes between them ; as, ' the 
 master who taught us, the trees which are 
 
20 PRONOUN, 
 
 planted.* 11. When some other word 
 comes between the relative and the verb, 
 the relative is governed by such word as its 
 nominative case ; as, « he who preserves 
 me, to whom I owe my being, whose I am' 
 and whom I serve.' 12. When the relative 
 is preceded by two nominatives of different 
 persons, the relative and \evb may agree in 
 person with either ; as, * I am the man who 
 command you,' (or commands you) but the 
 latter is the best. 13. Whose- is the pos- 
 sessive case of who ; but of late years it is 
 used by good writers as the possessive of 
 which • as, < pleasure, whose nature is to 
 deceive,' i. e. the nature of which is to 
 deceive. 14. The pronoun it, by an Eng- 
 lish idiom, is used in explanatory sentences, 
 but adds nothing to the sense ; as, * it may 
 be,' < it appears to me/ < How is it with you?' 
 15. By the same idiom the same pronoun 
 is used, thus < it is this that hurts you,' < it is 
 a few great men who rules,' ■* it was the peo- 
 ple who began.' 16. One or ones, used as 
 follows, are made substantives, < one is apt 
 to think the great ones ;' this, however, is 
 not good language. 17. None is used in 
 
Pj&ONOtfN. 21 
 
 both numbers, but it. more properly belongs 
 to the plural' and no one is always singular; 
 as, ' none are so deaf as they who will not 
 hear,' i. e, no persons are so deaf, &c. ; none 
 of his works can be purchased, i. e. not one of 
 his works, &c. 18. The interjections O! ah! 
 or oh ! require the objective case in the Jirsl 
 person after them ; as, O me ! ah me ! but 
 the nominative of the second person singular 
 or plural ; as, * O thou villain ! O ye peo- 
 ple !' ] 9. Some grammarians think that the 
 words this, .that, some, and such, are pro- 
 .nouns, when used separately from then* 
 nouns ; as, ' this is mine, give me that, 
 such were some of you :' yet the following 
 words are adjectives ; as, ' this book is in- 
 structive,' 'give me that hat,' 'some boys are 
 good..' 20. Very often pronouns are omitted 
 elHptically ; as, * my mother, brother, and 
 sister,' &c. : but when very emphatical, they 
 are retained and repeated ; as, not only my 
 mother, but my brother, &c. 21. When 
 pronouns are placed singly after the compa- 
 rative particles than or as, they must be in 
 the nominative case ; as, 4 he is better than 
 I,' i. e. than I am : but if a verb or preposi- 
 
23 » PRONOUN. 
 
 tion be understood, the pronouns must be in 
 the objective case; as, 4 they love him better 
 than me,' i. e. better than they love me. 22. 
 The plural pronoun, others, is often used el- 
 liptically ; as, ' she pleases some, but not 
 others,' i. e. other persons ; he has got some 
 books, but he wants others, i. e. other books. 
 23. A demonstrative pronoun should not be- 
 gin a sentence ; but a personal one in the no- 
 minative case, should be put thus ; « they who 
 sow in tears, shall reap,' &c. and not those 
 who sow, &c. 24. We may use either the 
 objective case of a personal pronoun, or one 
 of the demonstratives in the middle of a sen- 
 tence ; thus, ' we are not unacquainted with 
 them, (or those) who are given to flatter,' &c. 
 25. When two things are spoken of in prose 
 or verse, that refers to the first, and this to 
 the other; as, both wealth and poverty are 
 temptations, thai tends to excite pride, this 
 discontent.' — and, 
 
 Self-love the spring of motion, arts the soul, 
 Reason's comparing balance rules the whole; 
 Man but for that no action could attend, 
 And but for this were active for no end. 
 
PRONOUN. 23 
 
 CONTRASTED EXAMPLES. 
 Improper* Proper. 
 
 Charles was older Charles was older 
 than him. than he. 
 
 BOLINGBROKB, 
 
 He was as covetous He was as covetous 
 as her. swift. as she. 
 
 He lays the suspicion He lays the suspicion 
 on somebody, 1 know on somebody, I know 
 not who. swift. not ivkom. 
 
 Whom do they say Who do they say that 
 that I am? swift. lam. 
 
 Who should I meet Whom should I meet 
 but my old friend. but my old friend. 
 
 STEELE. 
 
 It is her. Steele. It is she. 
 
 He would not be per- tie would not be per- 
 suaded but what I was su.aded but that I was in 
 in fault. fault. 
 
24 
 
 PRONOUN. 
 
 Improper, Proper. 
 
 ' All fevers except All fevers except those 
 what are called nervous, called nervous. 
 
 I hope it is not I who I hope it is not I with 
 you are displeased with. %vho?n you are displeased. 
 
 It is not he that they It is not he with whom 
 are angry with. they are angry* 
 
 It is good to practise It is good to practise 
 
 before a mirror, where- before a mirror, whereby 
 
 by one -may see and any one may see and 
 
 judge of their errors. judge of his errors. 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
 Objects could not be Objects could not be 
 distinguished from each distinguished from one 
 other. aLAiR. another. 
 
 Two men ignorant of Two men ignorant of 
 -one anothers language. each others language. 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
VERB. 
 
 2j 
 
 improper. . Proper. 
 
 Here are sight and Here are sight and 
 
 feeling, and neither can feeling, and neither can 
 
 ■extend beyond their own extend beyond its own 
 
 objects. blair. object. 
 
 Here are several ob- Here are several ob- 
 jects, and each of them jects, and each of them 
 are addressed. is addressed. 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
 It might have been It might have been 
 him, but it could not be he but it could not be /. 
 me. 
 
 Let him and I take a Let him and me take 
 walk together. a walk together. 
 
 A VERB 
 Signifies to be, to do, or to suffer; as, < I am, 
 I beat, I am beaten. Verbs have three 
 voices, the active, (or transitive,) the pas- 
 sive, and the neuter, (or intransitive). Five 
 moods, the indicative ; as, I beat, or do beat, 
 c 
 
2(5 VERB. 
 
 or am beating; the imperative, beat thou; the 
 potential, / may, might, would, or should 
 beat; the subjunctive, if I- beat; and the infi- 
 nitive, to beat or to be beaten. Five tenses, 
 (or times) ; present, I beat, or do beat, or am 
 beating ; imperfect I beat, or did beat ; per^ 
 feet, I havebeat; pluperfect, I had beat; fu- 
 ture, I shall or will beat. Verbs have also 
 two numbers, and three persons in each num- 
 ber ; as, I, thou, he, we, ye, they. There- 
 are also irregular verbs, which chiefly differ 
 in the past tenses ; as, teach, taught, begin, 
 began, &c. Lastly, there are defective verbs, 
 which want some of the tenses, or some of 
 the persons; as, it rains, it snows, &c. The 
 imperative mood prays and entreats, as well 
 as commands; as, ' let thy will be done,' i. e. 
 do thou let thy will be done, &c. 
 
 RULES. 
 
 1. A verb must agree with its nominative 
 case in number and person ; as, I learn, thou 
 art improved, the birds sing. 2. Active, (or 
 transitive) verbs govern the objective case ; as, 
 faith supports us ; virtue rewards them who 
 follow her. 3. Neuter, or intransitive verbs, 
 
 4 
 
VERB. 2f 
 
 are only conductors to the noun or pronoun 
 following,' but do not govern them, for we 
 may observe, that the word which follows 
 requires a preposition expressed or under- 
 stood ; as, I walk a mile, i. e. for the space of 
 a mile ; I ride a horse, i. e. upon a horse. 
 
 4. One verb governs another in the infinitive 
 mood; as, learn to do good. Sometimes to is 
 omitted ; as, I heard him say so, i. e. to say so. 
 
 5. The infinitive mood has much the nature 
 of a substantive in its meaning, and frequent- 
 ly is the nominative case; as, to play is 
 pleasant. 6. The infinitive mood is often 
 made absolute, and supplies the place of the 
 conjunction that; as, * to conclude, i. e. that 
 I may conclude ;' to begin with the first, to 
 proceed, i. e. that I may begin, &c. 7. In 
 the use of verbs that have a relation, the time 
 must be preserved consistently through the 
 sentence ; thus, instead of saying, the Lord 
 hath given, and hath taken away, we must 
 say, * the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken 
 away.' 8. Some adjectives may be said to 
 govern the infinitive mood ; as, < he is eager 
 to learn; she is worthy to be loved.* 9. 
 Every relative must agree with its antecedent 
 
 c2 
 
2^ VERB. 
 
 in gender and number; as, my son is a good 
 boy, he learns his lesson. 10. The relative 
 is the nominative case to the verb, when no 
 other nominative comes between it and the 
 verb, as, ' the master who taught us ; the 
 trees which are planted.' 11. When another 
 nominative comes between the relative and 
 the verb, the relative is governed by some 
 word in its own member of the sentence ; as, 
 4 he who preserves me, to whom I owe my 
 being, whose I am, and xvhom I serve, is eter- 
 nal.' 12. The nominative case denoting the 
 agent, generally goes before the verb; as, 
 * the king on a sudden appeared,' but often it 
 is placed after ; as, * on a sudden appeared 
 the king;' * long live the king,' &c. 13. 
 Every verb, exce.ptthe infinitive mood and 
 the participle, .has a nominative expressed or 
 understood;; as, * speak now, i. e. speak now 
 thau or 3^,' &c. 14. Every nominative, ex- 
 cept the case absolute, and when an address 
 is made to a person, belongs to some verb 
 expressed or understood ; as, ' to whom thus 
 Adam,' i. e. to whom thus Adam said. 1 5. 
 When the nominative has no personal tense, 
 but is set before a participle, it is called the 
 
VERB. 29 
 
 ease absolute ; as, 6 shame being lost, all vir- 
 tue is lost ; and, .< that having been discussed, 
 there is no occasion to resume it.' 16. When 
 the relative is preceded by two nominative 
 cases of different persons, the relative and 
 verb may agree with either, but best with the 
 first ; as, ' I am the man who commands 
 you ;' or, ' I am the man who command 
 yon. 7 IT. When a verb comes between two 
 nouns, either of which may be understood as 
 the subject of the affirmation, the verb may 
 agree with either, yet not without regard to 
 that to which it most naturally agrees; as, 
 * his meat was locusts and wild honey:' * a 
 great cause of the low state of industry were 
 the restraints put upon it.' 18. A noun of 
 multitude may have a singular or plural verb, 
 yet not without regard to the import of the 
 word, as conveying unity ox plurality of idea; 
 as, * the parliament is dissolved ; the council 
 were divided in their sentiments,' &c. 19. 
 When two or more nouns are joined with a 
 copulative conjunction in the singular number, 
 they must have plural verbs ; as, ' Piato, So- 
 crates, and Pythagoras, were wise men.' 20. 
 When pronouns of different persons are dis- 
 
30 VERB. 
 
 junctively connected, the verb must agree 
 with that person which is placed nearest to it ; 
 as, * I or you are to blame f you or I am to 
 blame : * not they, but he, is the author of it.' 
 21. When a disjunctive is placed between a 
 singular noun or pronoun and a plural noun 
 or pronoun, the verb is made to agree with 
 the latter ; as, ■ < neither poverty nor riches 
 were injurious to him.' I or they were of- 
 fended. But the plural must be placed imme- 
 diately before the verb. 22. In some com- 
 plex sentences, when the nouns have a pre- 
 position between them, there must be a sin- 
 gular verb ; as, * prosperity with humility 
 renders the possessor amiable ;' and, ■ not 
 only his estate, but his reputation has suffered 
 by it.' 23. The neuter verb to be, through all 
 its variations has the same case after as before 
 it; as, it is she, it was they, &c. 2L Let 
 governs the objective case ; as, l let him be- 
 ware, let me die the death of the righteous.' 
 25. There is a peculiar neatness in beginning 
 some sentences ; thus, ' were there no differ- 
 ence there would be no choice :' this is using 
 the subjunctive mood, i. e. if there were no 
 difference, &c. 26. Great attention should 
 
VERB. 
 
 31 
 
 be paid in using the potential mood, espe- 
 cially as to the signs must and ought, which 
 are too frequently used for should; would is 
 also often used instead of should, and can in- 
 stead of may, &c. 
 
 CONTRASTED EXAMPLE'S. 
 
 Jjaiproper. Proper. 
 
 There are a variety There is a variety of 
 
 of virtues to be exer- virtues to be exercised, 
 cised. 
 
 What signifies good What signify good 
 principles when the principles when the 
 practice is bad. practice is bad. 
 
 Great pains has been Great pains have been 
 taken. taken. 
 
 There's two or three There are two or 
 of them. three of them. 
 
 Here's only you and Here are only you 
 me here. and I here. 
 
32 VERB. 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 Where's those two or Where are those two 
 three books, or three books. 
 
 I am- now as well as I am now as well as 
 when you was here. when you were here. 
 
 POPE. 
 
 If either of the two If either of the two- 
 qualities are wanting. qualities is wanting. 
 
 ADDISON. 
 
 I have considered I have considered 
 
 what have been said on what hath been said cji 
 
 both sides. both sides. 
 
 TILLOTSON. 
 
 Each of these words Each of these words 
 imply some object. implies some object. 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
 Neither of them are Neither of them is 
 remarkable for preci- remarkable for preci- 
 sion, blair, sion. 
 
VERB. 
 
 33 
 
 Improper. 
 My heart, or my com- 
 passion, begin to flow. 
 
 Proper. 
 My heart, or my com- 
 passion, begins to flow. 
 
 It were to be wished, It is to be wished, 
 for the honour of his for the honour of his 
 memory. blair. memory. 
 
 Neither the one or Neither the one nor 
 
 the other find a proper the other -finds a proper 
 
 place in history. place in history. 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
 This manner of writ- This manner of writ- 
 ing obtained amongst ing prevailed amongst 
 the Assyrians, blair. the Assyrians. 
 
 The reader soon wea- The reader is soon 
 ries of this. blair. ivearied with this. 
 
 Every audience is Every audience may 
 very ready to tire. soon be tired. 
 
 blair. 
 
 C3 
 
34 VERB. 
 
 Improper. , ,, Proper. 
 
 This saying applies This saying is apph 
 to the subject. cable to the subject. 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
 This sentence had This sentence would 
 better be omitted. have been better omitted. 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
 If it shall now be en- If it should now be 
 
 quired, what are the enquired, what are the 
 
 proper sources, &c. proper sources, &c. 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
 These are words that These are words that 
 we would take to be we should take to be 
 synonymous, blair. synonymous. 
 
 The difference can be The difference may 
 clearly pointed out. be clearly pointed out. 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
 Passages could be Passages* might be 
 produced to prove this, produced to prove this. 1 
 
 BLAIR, 
 
VERB. 
 
 Improper. 
 If any should main- 
 tain that sugar was bit- 
 ter, and tobacco was 
 sweet, &c. BLAIR. 
 
 Proper. 
 If any should main- 
 tain that sugar 25 bitter, 
 and tobacco is sweet. 
 
 What he would have What he would have 
 had him to have done. wished him to do, (or to 
 blair. have done.) 
 
 I intended to have I intended to write 
 written yesterday to yesterday to you. 
 you. 
 
 I found him better I found him better 
 than I expected to have than I expected to find 
 found him. kitn. 
 
 Those whom the Those whom the 
 splendor of their rank splendor of their rank, or 
 or the extent of their ca- the extent of their ca- 
 pacity have placed on pacity, has placed on the 
 the summit of life. summit of life. 
 
 D-R. JOHNSON. 
 
36 PARTICIPLE. 
 
 A PARTICIPLE 
 
 Partakes both of the nature of the verb and 
 the adjective. The active is known by end- 
 ing in ing, and the passive often in ed or en, 
 &c. as, loved, beaten, shaken. A participle 
 differs from a verb, as it does not expressly 
 assert or affirm any thing, and from an ad- 
 jective, because it implies time; as if I say, 
 4 the master is writing, or the horse is trot- 
 ting ;' in that case I use the participle ; but if 
 I say, c a writing master, or a trotting horse,' 
 the same word's are adjectives, and have no 
 reference to time. In common conversation 
 we sometimes change the termination of the 
 participles that end in ed, into si; as, * he 
 drest himself: he surpast the other : but this, 
 is not proper for written language., 
 
 RULES. 
 
 1 . Sometimes participles perform the office 
 of substantives; as, * the beginning, good writ- 
 ing.' &c. 2. Sometimes a participle governs 
 the possessive case, and forms the case abso- 
 lute ; as, * the general's having failed in his 
 enterprize occasioned his disgrace.' 3. Ac- 
 
PARTICIPLE. S7 
 
 tive participles also govern words in the same- 
 manner as the verbs do, from which such 
 active participles are derived; as, ' he is in* 
 structing us, he was admonishing them.'' 4-. 
 The present participle, with ths or •■ their* be- 
 fore it becomes a substantive ; as, * these are 
 the rules of grammar, by the observing 1 of 
 which you may avoid mistakes:' and, .' much 
 depends on their observing: of this rule, or of 
 their neglecting it.' 5. Some grammarians 
 think that we should never contract, either in 
 writing or speakings those participles that end 
 in ed, but others are of opinion that we should, 
 at least in speaking, always contract them 
 with an apostrophe, thus, * recovered, be- 
 liev'd,' &c. yet the word beloved must not al- 
 ways be contracted with an apostrophe. 
 
 CONTRASTED EXAMPLES. 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 1 will write as the I will write as the 
 
 ancient authors would ancient authors would 
 
 have wrote. have ivritten, 
 
 BOLINGBK.OKE. 
 
38 PARTICIPLE. 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 You hit the manners You hit the manner* 
 better than any other better than any other 
 who has wrote since. who has written since. 
 
 LORD LYTTLETON. 
 
 The court had not The court had not 
 wore off the manners, worn off the manners, 
 
 &C» HUME. &C. 
 
 I was mistaken in I mistook in that mat- 
 that matter. pope. ter. 
 
 The greatest regard The greatest regard 
 was shew'd him. was shewn him. 
 
 SWIFT. 
 
 John the Baptist pre- John the Baptist pre- 
 
 pared the way by pared the way by 
 
 preaching of repen- preaching repentance. 
 tance. tillotson. 
 
 He having never seen He having never seen 
 any of them, nor intends any of them > nor ™- 
 it, till they appear in tending it, till they ap- 
 
 pnnt, swift. 
 
 pear in print. 
 
PARTICIPLE. 30 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 Keeping one day in The keeping one day 
 seven is God's com- in seven is God's com- 
 mand, inand, 
 
 A sick or drunk per- A sick or intoxicated 
 son. blair. person. 
 
 Before concluding Before this subject is 
 this subject. blair. concluded. 
 
 When by reading or When by reading or 
 discourse we find our- discoursing we find our- 
 selves convinced. selves convinced. 
 
 ADDISON. 
 
 It is as if he had It is as if he had 
 writ on the subject be- written on the subject 
 fore. temple, before. 
 
40 ADVERB. 
 
 AN ADVERB 
 Is joined to a verb, an adjective, and some- 
 times to another adverb, to express some 
 quality or circumstance ; as, he reads well, a 
 truli/ good man, he writes very correctly. 
 Some adverbs are compared ; as* soon, 
 sooner, soonest ;, often, oftener, most often, 
 &c. : those that end in ly are generally com- 
 pared by more and most ; as, more wisely, 
 most wisely, &c. The adverbs here,. there 
 and where, have of late years been used in- 
 stead of hither, thither, and whither; it must 
 be allowed they sound better, but the latter/ 
 are more grammatical. 
 
 RULES. 
 
 1. The same word in different places is a. 
 noun, an adjective, or an adverb ; thus, if I 
 say, ' where muck-is given, much is required,' 
 the word much is a noun ; if it be said, ' much 
 money has been expended,' it is an adjective; 
 but if I say, » it is muck better to stay here 
 than to go,' much is here an adverb. 2. 
 Many adverbs are formed by a combination' 
 
ADVERB. ft 
 
 of prepositions with adverbs of place ; as, 
 hereof, thereof, &c. Sometimes the preposi- 
 tion suffers no change, hut becomes an adverb 
 by its application; as, ' he rides -about, he was 
 near falling, do not after lay the blame on 
 me.' 3. Adverbs are commonly placed be- 
 fore adjectives, and after the verb ; as, a very 
 pious man prays frequently ; sometimes ad- 
 verbs precede the verb; as, vice generally 
 creeps by degrees, I never was there, &c. 4. 
 The words when, where, whence, whenever, 
 &c. may be properly called adverbial con- 
 junctions, because like conjunctions they join 
 sentences, and yet like adverbs, they denote 
 time or place; as, * I will give it you when 
 you come to me.' 5. The adverb there, is 
 often used as an expletive, i. e. a word that 
 adds nothing to the sense; as, 'there is a 
 person at the door,' but sometimes it is em- 
 phatical; as, ' there was a man sent from 
 God, whose name was John.' 6. The ad- 
 verbs thence, whence, and hence, generally 
 imply the preposition from before them; as, 
 4 thence, (or hence) we learn, &c. i. e. from, 
 thence, (or from hence) we may leasn.' %. 
 
42 ADVERB. 
 
 Adverbs used in comparisons j as, ' than and 
 as,' with the conjunctions, and, nor, or, he, 
 connect like cases; as, ' she loves him better 
 than me.' ' John is as tall as I.' * Neither he 
 nor she can bring it to me, or her.' 8. Two 
 negatives must not be used in the same sen- 
 tence ; as, • he never did no good.' * I cannot 
 by no means do it.' 9. Adverbs do not go- 
 vern cases, and yet they require an appropri- 
 ate situation in a sentence ; as, * he made a 
 very sensible discourse, he spoke unaffectedly 
 and forcibly, and was attentively heard by 
 all.' A good taste, and the easy flow of the 
 sentence, are the best rules to regulate in this 
 respect. 10. A great number of divisions 
 have been of adverbs, the principal of which 
 are those of time, place, order, negation, and 
 comparison. 11. Therefore, consequently, 
 and accordingly, are adverbs when they give 
 the sense of the passage, and are joined to 
 and, if, since, &c. but when they only connect 
 it, they are conjunctions. 
 
ADVERB. 
 
 43 
 
 CONTRASTED EXAMPLES. 
 
 Improper. ^ Proper. 
 
 I shall endeavour to I shall endeavour to 
 
 live suitable to a man live suitably to a man in 
 
 in my station. my station. 
 
 AOSfSON. 
 
 It might be requisite It might be requisite 
 for them to be exceed- for them to be exceed* 
 ing full. blair. ingly full . 
 
 He behaved himself He behaved himself 
 conformable to that ex- conformably to that ex- 
 ample, sprat. ample. 
 
 My son can do the My son can do the 
 
 business, whether I be business, whether I be 
 
 present or no. present or not. 
 
 NORRIS. 
 
 I cannot by no means I cannot by any means 
 allow this. . allow this. 
 
U ADVERB. 
 
 Improper, Proper. 
 
 Let a speaker have Let a speaker have 
 
 never so good a reason ever so good a reason to- 
 
 to be animated. be animated. 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
 We must not expect We must not expect 
 to find study agreeable to find study always 
 alwa J s - agreeable. 
 
 From where did he From ivhence, (or 
 tome ? from what place) did he 
 
 come ?. 
 
 He came from there. He-came from theme 
 (or from that place.) 
 
 Agreeable to this, is Agreeably to this is 
 the following remark. the following remark. 
 
 N.B. Respecting the misplacing of adverbs,, 
 see Misplaced Expressions,, chap. 2d. 
 
CONJUNCTION. 45 
 
 A CONJUNCTION 
 Is used to connect sentences or words. Con- 
 junctions are generally divided into two sorts. 
 1. Copulative or connective, which serve to 
 continue a sentence, by expressing an addi- 
 tion, a supposition, a cause, &c. as he and his 
 brother reside in London. * I will go if he 
 will go with me.' 'You are happy, because you 
 are good.' The principal of this sort are, 'and, 
 if, because, also, than, that,' &c. 2. The 
 disjunctive, w T hich not only connect the sen- 
 tence, but express some opposition in mean- 
 ing ; as, ' though he was frequently reproved, 
 yet he did not reform.' « They came w r ith 
 her, but went away without her.' The prin- 
 cipal of these are, but, though, although, yet, 
 except, or unless, he. Also^ as, -otherwise, 
 since, and then, are sometimes adverbs ; for is 
 sometimes a preposition ; save and except 
 are sometimes verbs, and that is sometimes a 
 pronoun. 
 
 RULES. 
 
 1. Copulative conjunctions generally con- 
 nect the same moods and tenses of verbs, 
 
46 CONJUNCTION. 
 
 and cases of nouns and pronouns: as, i can- 
 dour is to be approved and practised.' * If 
 thou earnestly desire and practise virtue, she 
 will be found by thee, and prove a rich re- 
 ward/ 2. If they connect different tenses, 
 the nominative must be repeated : as, * he 
 may return, but he will not continue.' ' She 
 was proud, but now she is humble.' 3. Those 
 conjunctions that connect any thing of a po- 
 sitive nature require the indicative mood : 
 thus, ' as virtue enters, so vice recedes.' Such 
 as imply a doubt, have the subjunctive: as, 
 ' if I were to write, he would not regard it.' 
 6 Unless he repent, he will not be pardon- 
 ed.' 4. In some cases the subjunctive does 
 not imply a doubt ; as, ' though he is poor, 
 yet he is contented ;' * though he was rich, 
 yet for our sakes he became poor.' 5. Con- 
 junctions used in comparison agree with a 
 verb or a preposition expressed or understood ; 
 as, ' they loved hi in more than me,' i. e. 
 than they loved me ; ' the sentiment is well 
 expressed by Plato, but better by Solomon or 
 Paul,' i. e. by Paul. 6 When the word 
 neither is used in a sentence, nor must cor-- 
 
CONJUNCTION. 47 
 
 respond with it ; but when either is made use 
 of, the conjunction or must correspond. 
 .7. Sometimes the conjunction that is omit- 
 | ted ; as, « I beg you would come to me ;' 
 * see thou do it,' i. e. that you would come, 
 &c. but in many places it should be inserted ; 
 I as, * it is just that the memory of the virtu- 
 f ous should remain.' 8. The words so and as 
 \ should correspond in a sentence : thus, c the 
 t style of Tillotson is not so good as that of 
 ^ Atterbury.' 9. The" word as is often used 
 \£ov a relative pronoun : as, 'let such as (who) 
 *advise others look to their own conduct.' 
 10. All the members of a sentence should be 
 consistent, and especially those parts should 
 correspond which are united by conjunctions: 
 thus it is very inelegant to say, ' this dedica- 
 tion may serve for any book that has, is, or 
 may be published ;' it should be thus : * this 
 . dedication may serve for any book that has 
 been or shall be published.' 11. Very often 
 conjunctions are properly omitted by ellipsis; 
 as, * they confess the wisdom, power, good- 
 ness, and love of their Creator,' i. e. the 
 wisdom, and power, and goodness, &c. 
 
4« CONJUNCTION. 
 
 12. The same conjunction should not be too 
 often used in the same sentence. 
 
 CONTRASTED EXAMPLES. 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 If he prefer a virtuous If he prefer a virtuous 
 
 life, and is sincere in his life, and be sincere in 
 
 profession, he will sue- his profession, he will 
 
 ceed. succeed. 
 
 The Parliament ad- The Parliament a"^-> 
 dressed the King, and dressed the King, and >» 
 has been prorogued. tvas prorogued. 
 
 Anger may glance in- Anger may glance in- 
 to the breast of the wise, to the breast of the wise, 
 but will only rest in the but it will rest only in 
 bosom of fools. the bosom of fools. 
 
 We overlook the mer- We overlook the mer- 
 cies in our possession, cies in our possession, 
 and are searching after and search after those 
 those which are out of which are out of our 
 our reach. reach. 
 
CONJUNCTION. 49 
 
 Improper. Proper* 
 
 If thou had been dili- If thou hadst been di- 
 
 gent thou would be more ligenk thou vuouldst have 
 
 prosperous. been more prosperous. 
 
 You and us enjoy You and we enjoy 
 many privileges. many privileges. 
 
 She and him are very She and he are very 
 unhappy, unhappy. 
 
 He is neither pious or He is neither pious 
 learned, nor learned. 
 
 I will come myself, or I will either come 
 send my brother. myself or send my bro- 
 
 ther. 
 
 Unless he learns fast- Unless he learn faster, 
 er, he will be no scholar, he will be no scholar. 
 
 He is not as wise as' He is not so wise as 
 "his brother. his brother. 
 
 D 
 
50 
 
 CONJUNCTION. 
 
 Improper. Proper, 
 
 He has not behaved He has not behaved 
 
 / as he ought to have as he ought, 
 done. 
 
 This is no other but This is no other than 
 the book I want. the book I want. 
 
 I wish I could do that I wish I could do such 
 justice to his memory to justice to his memory, 
 oblige the painter, &c. as to oblige the painter, 
 &c. 
 
 We should help such We should help such 
 persons that need our persons as need our as- 
 assistance. sistance. 
 
 He has little more of He has little more of 
 the scholar, besides the the scholar than the 
 name. name. 
 
 I must be so just to I must be so just as 
 own -I did it. to own that I did it. 
 
Improper. 
 He will not db it him- 
 self, orletanbtherdoit. 
 
 CONJUNCTION. $ I 
 
 Proper. 
 He will neither do it 
 himself, nor let another 
 do it. 
 
 A stone is heavy, and A stone is heavy, and 
 
 the sand' weighty, but a the sand weighty, but a 
 
 fool's wrath is heavier fool's wrath is heavier 
 
 than them both. than both. 
 
 In the order as they In the order in which 
 lie, they are not right. they lie, they are not 
 right. 
 
 This was such a sharp This was such a sharp 
 reply, as cost him his reply, that it cost him 
 Ylfe > his life. 
 
 If he is that man as If he be such a man 
 he is represented. as he is represented. 
 
 D2 
 
52 PREPOSIT.IOX. 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 And then he" would He would look at the 
 
 look at the divisions of divisions of the chap- 
 
 the chapters, and then ters, afterwards dip in- 
 
 dip here and there in the to several parts of the 
 
 book, and then return book, and then he would 
 
 it. spen.ce. return it. 
 
 A PREPOSITION 
 
 Is a word set before other words, to shew 
 their relation or dependance upon them, as 
 will be plainly seen by the following striking 
 example; ' he came, out of London in the 
 morning, and went through Acton; -before 
 twelve o'clock he arrived at Winchester, 
 from thence, he posted to Newcastle, where 
 I met with him.' Most grammarians divide 
 prepositions into, first, the separable-, as, 
 above, about, &c. and, secondly, the insepara- 
 ble ; as, be, fore, mis, &c. used only in com- 
 pound words. Some of the chief prepo- 
 sitions are, by, from, with, of, to, in, into, 
 up, upon, within, without, above, below, he- 
 neath, under, before, behind, after, near, 
 against, &c. Often prepositions are properly 
 
PREPOSITION. 55 
 
 omitted" by ellipsis ; as, * he went into the 
 abbeys, halls, and public buildings,' instead 
 of, he went into the abbeys, into the halls, &LC. 
 Much of the beauty of all languages consists 
 in the proper use of prepositions. 
 
 RULES. 
 
 Prepositions at first only denoted relation 
 of place, but now they express other rela- 
 tions ; as, ' he is above disguise, we should do 
 nothing beneath our character,' &c. 2. After, 
 before, above and beneath, are sometimes 
 used as adverbs; as, ' they had their reward 
 soon after, he died long before f but if the 
 words time or place be added, they are pre- 
 positions ; as, * he died long before that 
 time,' &c. 3. Prepositions govern nouns and 
 pronouns in the objective case ; as, ' he came 
 to me/rom my father with my sister..' 4. 
 To, for, and from, are often understood ; as, 
 * give me the book,' i. e. to me ; get me some 
 paper,' i. e. get for me ; ' he was banished 
 England,' i. e. from England. 5. The pre- 
 position is often improperly separated from 
 the relative which it governs ; as, « whom 
 
54, PREPOSITION, 
 
 wilt thou give it to V i. e. to whom wilt thou 
 give it? ' he is an author whom I am much 
 delighted with/ i. e. with whom I am much 
 delighted. 6. Different relations and senses 
 must be expressed by various prepositions; as 
 we properly say, ' we are disappointed of any 
 thing when we could not get it, and disap- 
 pointed in it, when we have it, and yet it 
 does not answer our expectations. 7. The 
 preposition betwixt, strictly speaking, is ap- 
 plied only to two, between, to more than two, 
 and among or amongst to many ; but amongst 
 having a plural meaning, should not be made 
 to correspond with each, and every, which 
 are singular. 8. Participles are sometimes 
 used as prepositions; as, ' excepting, re- 
 specting, touching and concerning ;' as, ' they 
 are all in fault, except (or excepting) him.' 
 9. Some prepositions are very commonly 
 shortened in conversation, but they ought not 
 to be in composition ; as, ' he went a foot,' 
 i. e. on foot ; they are a penny a piece, i. e. 
 a penny for each ; he is a bed, i. e. in the 
 bed. 10. It is difficult in some cases to say 
 which of the two following prepositions 
 
PREPOSITION. $$ 
 
 ought to have the preference ; as, < he is ex- 
 pert at play, or he is expert in play,' &c. II. 
 We should avoid separating the preposition 
 Jar horn its noun or pronoun ; as, < It does 
 not depend upon, nor is it to be decided by 
 any point in history,' better thus ; 'it does not 
 depend on any point of history, nor should it 
 be decided by the same.' 
 
 CONTRASTED EXAMPLES. 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 The style of Dean The style of Dean 
 Swift is free of all affec- Swift is free from affec- 
 tation. - blair. tation. 
 
 It is wrong to place It is wrong to place 
 
 any modern writer on any modern writer in 
 
 the same rank, the same rank. 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
 Among * nation so In a nation so en- 
 enlightened and acute. lightened and acute. 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
56 PREPOSITION. 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 He found the great- He found the greatest 
 est difficulty of writing, difficulty in writing. 
 
 HUME. 
 
 You know the esteem You know the esteem 
 I have of his philoso- that I have for his phi- 
 phy. kames. losophy. 
 
 This shall not make This shall not make 
 me swerve out of the me depart from the 
 path. Robertson. path. 
 
 To which he was With which he was 
 willing to comply.,, willing to comply.. 
 
 BOLINGBROKE, 
 
 Mankind are gene- Mankind are gene- 
 rally averse from think- rally averse to exercise 
 ing. Berkley. much thought. 
 
 This discovery he This discovery he 
 communicated with his communicated to his 
 friends. swift. friends. 
 
-PREPOSITION. 57 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 It is such a thing, I should not have 
 
 that I should not have thought of such a thing, 
 thought on. 
 
 Who do you speak To whotn do you 
 to ? speak ? 
 
 Who do you enquire For whom do you en- 
 for ? quire } 
 
 He is a very different He is a very differ- 
 man now to what he ent man now from what 
 was formerly. he was formerly. 
 
 The opinion seems to The opinion seems to 
 gain ground amongst gain ground amongst 
 every body. all sorts of people. 
 
 I will call of my friend I will call on my 
 to-day. friend to-day. 
 
 It is more than I It is more than I 
 thought for. thought of, (or than I 
 
 conjectured.) 
 D3 
 
5 3 INTERJECTION. 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 He was made much He was made much 
 on by his uncle. of by his uncle. 
 
 He finished the work. He finished the work 
 in the limited period. within the limited pe- 
 riod. 
 
 If I can prevail upon If I can prevail over 
 
 him, him. :_ 
 
 AN INTERJECTION 
 
 Is a letter, or word placed between the parts 
 of a sentence, without altering the construc- 
 tion, and denotes a sudden emotion of the 
 mind ; as, O ! oh ! ah ! alas ! Those of 
 calling, are hem ! ho ! soho ! of requiring 
 attention; are, lo ! behold! hark! request- 
 ing silence, hush ! stop ! of salutation, hail ! 
 all hail ! welcome ! of wonder, really ! 
 strange ! of contempt, tush ! pish ! fie ! 
 away ! poh ! of laughter, ha ! ha ! he ! of 
 exultation, as, glorious ! huzza ! 
 
INTERJECTION. 59 
 
 i 
 
 RULES. 
 
 I. The interjections, ah ! ah ! alas ! re- 
 quire the objective case of a pronoun in the 
 first person ; as, * O ! me ; ah ! me/ &c. but 
 the nominative in the second ; as, ' O thou ! 
 aye !' 2. There are a great number of vul- 
 gar Interjections or exclamations, but they 
 should be carefully avoided by polite speak- 
 ers and good writers. 3. The ellipsis of the 
 interjection is not very common ; it is, how- 
 ever, sometimes used ; as, • oh, pity and 
 shame ;' i. e. oh ! pity and oh shame, &c. 4. 
 Interjections should not be too frequently 
 used in good speaking or writing. When 
 they are often repeated, instead of moving 
 the passions, they appear as affectation, and 
 must disgust every judicious person. 
 
 N. B. There are no contrasted examples, 
 of any importance, under interjections. 
 
60 AWKWARD EXPRESSIONS. 
 
 I 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 VARIOUS CONTRASTED EXPRESSIONS OR PHRASES, NOT 
 INCLUDED UNDER ANY OF THE FOREGOING PARTS OF 
 SPEECH. 
 
 FIRST, 
 LOW OR AWKWARD EXPRESSIONS. 
 
 Improper, Proper. 
 
 The excuse can rare- Such an excuse can 
 \y, if ever , be sustained, but seldom be admitted. 
 
 Thus I have endea- Thus I have endea- 
 voured to make the sub- voured more clearly to 
 ject be better understood, illustrate the subject. 
 
 He was fonder of no- He was too fond of 
 thing, than of wit and wit and raillery, 
 raillery. blatr. 
 
 In his reasonings, for In his reasonings he 
 the most part, he is Aim- is generally flimsy and 
 sy and false, blair. false. 
 
AWKWARD EXPRESSIONS. 
 
 6! 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 The best French tra- The best French tra- 
 gedies make not a deep gedies make not a sufii- 
 enough impression on the cient impression on the 
 heart. blair. heart. 
 
 The French writers The French writers 
 of sermons, study neat- of sermons,, study neat- 
 ness in laying down their ness in dividing their 
 heads. blair. subjects. 
 
 When we read an When we read an au~ 
 
 author without pleasure, thor without pleasure, 
 
 we shall soon give over we shall soon cease to 
 
 to read him at all. read him. 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
 This much is sufficient This is sufficient to 
 to have said on the sub- be said on the subject 
 ject of beauty. of beauty. 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
 This is the most use- This is the most use- 
 ful art of u;hich men are ful art which men pos- 
 possessed* blair,. sess. 
 
62 
 
 AWKWARD EXPRESSIONS. 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 I just express my I express my thoughts 
 thoughts in the simplest in the most simple man- 
 manner possible. ner. 
 
 BLATR. 
 
 We are every noiv and We are frequently in- 
 
 then interrupted by un- terrupted by unnatural 
 
 natural thoughts. thoughts. 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
 Bating this expres- Excepting this ex- 
 sion, the rest is not sub- pression, the rest is not 
 ject to reprehension. liable to reprehension. 
 
 To our surprize, a To our surprize, a 
 new member of a sen- new member of a sen- 
 tence pops out. tence presents itself.- 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
 I have pitched upon I have selected this 
 this moving story. moving story. 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
AWKWARD EXPRESSIONS. 63 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 No subject bids fair- No subject is more 
 
 er for being favourable likely to be favourable 
 
 to poetry. blair. to poetry. 
 
 It is the burst of in- It is the language of 
 spiration. blair. inspiration. 
 
 Nature must always Nature must always 
 have done somewhat. have done something. 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
 More instances can More instances may 
 be quoted from Shakes- be quoted fiom Shakes- 
 pear, than from all po- pear, than from all other 
 ets put together. poets united. 
 
 BLAIR. • 
 
 Milton has chalked Milton has invented 
 
 out for himself a new anew kind of English 
 
 road in poetry. poetry. 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
m AWKWARD EXPRESSIONS. 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 Tillotsonis much out- Atterbury very much 
 
 done by Atterbury, as excels Tillotson, as to 
 
 to style. blair. style. 
 
 If these be any Jioiv If these be in any 
 connected. blair. manner connected. 
 
 Delightful scenes Delightful scenes 
 
 have a kindly influence have a beneficial effect 
 
 upon the body as well upon the body, as well 
 
 as the mind. as the mind. 
 
 ADDISON, 
 
 Those are arguments These are arguments 
 
 which cannot be got which will stand against 
 
 over by all the cavils of all the cavils of infide- 
 
 infidelity. addison. lity.' 
 
 We call up ideas into We call up ideas into 
 
 our minds, by painting, our minds, by painting, 
 
 descriptions, or any the descriptions, or any such 
 
 like occasion. • means. 
 
 ADDISON. 
 
AWKWARD EXPRESSIONS. 6S 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 This is a picture of This is a picture be- 
 
 my friend's. longing to my friend. 
 ) 
 
 This woman married This woman married 
 
 my son's wife's brother. my son's brother-in-law,. 
 
 This is the sister of This is Mr. Brown's 
 Mr. Brown's wife. sister-in-law. 
 
 He gave me one of He gave me a book 
 the books of my uncle's, lately belonging to my 
 uncle. 
 
 This is my wife's hro- This house belongs to 
 ther's partner's house. the partner of my wife's 
 brother. 
 
 This matter X had a I was much inclined' 
 great mind not to reply not to reply to this mat* 
 to. collier, ter*. 
 
€6 AWKWARD EXPRESSIONS. 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 A perfect union of Wit and judgment 
 
 wit and judgment is one are very seldom united 
 
 of the rarest things in in one person, 
 the world. burke. 
 
 I had as Ikf say a I would as readily 
 thing after him, as after say a thing after hinvas 
 another, bp.lowth. after another. 
 
 The reader without The reader should not 
 rejecting by the lump, entirely reject it, but 
 should gather the plain gather the plain mean- 
 meaning, kames. ing. 
 
 We heartily go along We heartily unite 
 with them in this. with them in this. 
 
 dr. smith. 
 
 It so happened that a It unhappily occur- 
 
 controversy was agi- red, that a controversy 
 
 tated between Addison took place between Ad« 
 
 and Steel. dison and Steel. 
 
 ftR. JOHNS. OX* 
 
MISPLACED EXPRESSIONS. 
 
 67 
 
 SECONDLY, 
 
 MISPLACED AND INVERTED EXPRESSIONS. 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 The subject which I The subject upon 
 proceed upon. which I proceed. 
 
 ADDISON. 
 
 / 
 
 By the pleasures of By the pleasures of 
 
 imagination, I mean on- imagination, I mean 
 
 ly such pleasures as arise such pleasures only as 
 
 originally from sight, arise originally from 
 
 addison. sight. 
 
 This kind of wit was 
 very much in vogue a- 
 mongst our countrymen 
 about an age or two ago, 
 who practised it purely 
 for the sake of being 
 witty. ADDISON. 
 
 This kind of wit 
 about an age or two ago 
 was much in vogue a- 
 mongstour countrymen, 
 who practised it purely 
 for the sake of being 
 witty. 
 
S3 MISPLACED EXPRESSIONS. 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 This was the temper This was the temper 
 €>f mind he was then in., of mind in which he 
 tillotson. was at that time. 
 
 Considerable merit He has undoubtedly 
 doubtless he has. considerable merit.. 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
 Great virtues he cer- He certainly had: 
 tainly had. blair. great virtues. 
 
 Of figures and orna* He is very full of fl- 
 uents of every kind he gures and ornaments of 
 is exceedingly fulL every kind. 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
 No contemptible ora~ He was By no means 
 tor he was. blair. a contemptible orator. 
 
 Of parables, the pro- The prophetical writi 
 phetical writings are ings are full of parables. 
 
 full. BLAJR, 
 
MISPLACED EXPRESSIONS. 
 
 69 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 .Sextus the fourth was Sextus the fourth was 
 
 a^great collector of books a great collector, at 
 
 at least. least of books. 
 
 B.OLINGBROKE. 
 
 The Romans under- 
 stood liberty at least as 
 well as we. swift. 
 
 The Romans under- 
 stood liberty, as well at 
 least as we. 
 
 It is folly to pretend 
 to arm ourselves against 
 the accidents of life, by 
 heaping up treasures, 
 which nothing can pro- 
 tect us against but God. 
 
 SHERLOCK. 
 
 It is folly to pretend, 
 by heaping up treasures, 
 to arm ourselves against 
 the accidents of life, 
 against which nothing 
 can protect us but God. 
 
 1 allude to the article 
 blind, in the Encyclope- 
 dia Britannica, publish- 
 ed at Edinburgh, in the 
 year 1783, which was 
 written by him. 
 
 MACKENZIE,, 
 
 I allude to the article 
 blind, which was writ- 
 ten by him, and pub- 
 lished at Edinburgh, in 
 the year 1783, in the 
 Encyclopedia Britanni- 
 ca. 
 
70 MISPLACED EXPRESSIONS'. 
 
 Improper. Propei\ 
 
 From a habit of sav- From a habit which 
 
 ing time and paper, they have acquired at 
 
 which they have acqui- the university, of saving ^* 
 
 red at the university, time and paper, they v 
 
 they write in so dimi- write in so diminutive a 
 
 nutive a manner. manner. 
 
 SWIFT. 
 
 The two first are The first two are 
 cherry trees, the other cherry trees, the other 
 two are pear trees. two are pear trees. 
 
 These things should These things should 
 be never separated. never be separated. 
 
 So well educated a A boy so well ediu 
 boy, gives great hopes cated, gives great hopes 
 to his friends. to his friends. 
 
 We always should We should always 
 prefer our duty to our prefer our duty to our 
 pleasure. pleasures. 
 
MISPLACED EXPRESSIONS. 71 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 The heavenly bodies The heavenly bodies 
 
 are in motion perpetu- are perpetually in mo- 
 
 ally. tion. 
 
 If you are blessed na- If you be naturally 
 turally with a good me- blessed with a good me- 
 mory, continually exer- mory, exercise it conti- 
 cise it. nually. 
 
 We always find them We find them always 
 ready when we want ready when we want 
 them. them. 
 
 There is a fine obser- To this purpose, 
 
 vation in Aristotle to there is a fine observa- 
 
 this purpose, which I tion in Aristotle, which 
 
 have never seen quoted. I have never seen 
 
 addison. quoted. 
 
 There may remain a There may remain a 
 suspicion, that we over- suspicion, that we over- 
 rate the greatness of his rate the greatness of his 
 genius, in the same man- genius in the same man- 
 
72 MISPLACED EXPRESS-IONS. 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 ner as bodies appear ner as we over-rate the 
 
 more gigantic, on ac- greatness of bodies that 
 
 count of their being dis- are dis proportioned and 
 
 proportioned and mis- misshapen, 
 shapen. hume. 
 
 The wise man is hap- The wise man is hap- 
 py when he gains his py when he gains his 
 own approbation, the own approbation, the 
 fool, when he recom- fool when he obtains 
 mends himself to the ap- that of others, 
 plause of those about 
 him. 
 
 There is not any There is not any 
 beauty more in one than beauty in one more than 
 in another. in another. 
 
 A great stone that I A great stone, that 
 
 happened to find, after after a long search I 
 
 a long search by the sea happened to find by the 
 
 shore, served me for an sea shore, served me for 
 
 anchor, an anchor. 
 
REDUNDANT EXPRESSIONS, 73 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 May not we say that May we not say that 
 virtue is its own reward, virtue is its own reward 
 
 I only spoke a very I spo ke only a very 
 
 few words. f ew words. 
 
 I was engaged for- I was formerly en* 
 merly in that business. gaged in that business. 
 
 We do those things We frequently do 
 frequently which we these things of which 
 repent of afterwards. we afterwards repent 
 
 By doing often the By often doing the 
 same thing it becomes same thing it becomes 
 iiabitual * habitual. 
 
 THIRDLY, 
 
 REDUNDANT EXPRESSIONS. 
 Let us proceed to Let us proceed to con- 
 
 considertfthe style of sider the style* of Ian 
 
 language. blair. gua ge. 
 
 E 
 
7* REDUNDANT EXPRESSIONS. 
 
 To unite together copi- To unite copiousness 
 oasness and precision. with precision, 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
 What goes before What goes before 
 and immediately follows and immediately foL- 
 after.. blajr. lows. 
 
 Let us consider of the Let us consider the 
 means. tjlair. means. 
 
 The more that this The more this track 
 
 track is pursued, the is pursued, and the more 
 
 more that eloquence is eloquence is studied, the 
 
 studied, the more shall better we shall be 
 
 we be -guarded. guarded. 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
 Provided always that Provided always such 
 such unity be preserved, unity be preserved. 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
tt'EDUNDAKT EXPRESSIONS. 75 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 It must give pleasure It must give pleasure 
 if we shall find the dig- when we find the dig- 
 nity of the composition nrty of the composition 
 adequate to the impor- adequate to the impor- 
 tance of the matter. tance of the matter. 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
 We should close with Wc should close witk 
 
 that side which appears that side which appears 
 
 the most safe and the the safest and most 
 
 most probable. probable. 
 
 ADDISON. 
 
 Few words in the En- Few words in our 
 gHsh language are em- language. are used in a 
 ployed in a more loose more loose sense than 
 and uncircumscribed fancy and imagination, 
 sense than those of the 
 fancy and the imagina- 
 tion. ADDISON. 
 
 £ 2 
 
m 
 
 REDUNDANT EXPRESSIONS. 
 
 Improper. 
 The very first disco- 
 very of it strikes the 
 mind with inward joy, 
 and spreads delight 
 through all its faculties, 
 
 ADDISON. 
 
 Proper. 
 The first discovery of 
 it strikes the mind, and 
 fills it with great de- 
 light. 
 
 Reading books of con- Reading books which 
 
 trqversy, which are writ- are written on both 
 
 ten on both sides of the sides, in points of faith. 
 question, in points of 
 
 faith. ADDISON. 
 
 The doubt which was The doubt which was 
 
 laid revives again and laid revives and shews 
 
 shews itself. itself. 
 
 ADDISON. 
 
 Every man who sees 
 the divine power and 
 wisdom in every object 
 on which he casts his eyes 
 
 ADDISON. 
 
 Every man who sees 
 the divine power and 
 wisdom in every object 
 around him. 
 
REDUNDANT EXPRESSIONS. 77 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 I went home full of a I went home full of 
 great many serious re- serious reflections. 
 
 Sections. 
 
 GUARDIAN. 
 
 This is the sum and This is the substance 
 substance of what he of what he says on the 
 says, bentley* subject, 
 
 By attending to this By attending to this 
 
 we may receive great we may receive great 
 
 eotiifort and consolation, consolation. 
 
 TILLOTSON. 
 
 True believers of True believers of 
 
 every denomination on every denomination on 
 
 earth make up the earth compose the 
 
 church and people of church of God. 
 
 God. BAXTER. 
 
 It was the privilege It was the privilege 
 
 and birth-right of every of every citizen to 
 
 citizen to rail aloud speak in public. 
 and in public, swift. 
 
78 
 
 REDUNDANT EXPRESSIONS* 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 To contain the spirit A restraint from an^ 
 
 of anger is the worthi- ger is the most worthy 
 
 est discipline which we discipline under which 
 
 can put ourselves to* we can put ourselves.. 
 
 STEELE. 
 
 It is now nine months It. is nine months 
 ago since I was in that since I was in that 
 j>lace. Steele. place. 
 
 They returned back They returned to the 
 
 again to the same city city from whence they, 
 
 from whence they came came. 
 forth 
 
 This may afford- some This may afford-' both; 
 profit, and furnish some profit and amusement, 
 amusement. 
 
 There hnothmgvMch Nothing disgusts us ; 
 
 sooner disgusts us than sooner than the empty 
 
 the empty pomp of Ian- pomp of language., 
 guage. 
 
REDUNDANT EXPRESSIONS. 79 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 Thought and Ian- Thought and lan- 
 guage act and react guage act upon eack 
 upon each other mutu- other mutually, 
 ally. 
 
 Less capacity is re- Less capacity, but 
 
 quired for this business, more time, is required 
 
 but more time is ncces- for this business. 
 sary. 
 
 Their interests were Their interests were 
 dependent upon,and'mse- inseparably connected* 
 parably connected with 
 eack other. 
 
 If I mistake not, I I think he is im- 
 think he is improved proved both in know- 
 both in knowledge and ledge and behaviour, 
 behaviour. 
 
 I shall in the first place I shall begin with the 
 begin with the defects, defects, and then shew 
 and proceed afterwards its excellencies, 
 to shew the excellencies 
 of it. 
 
80 
 
 REDUNDANT EXPRESSIONS. 
 
 Improper. Proper* 
 This agreement of This agreement of 
 mankind is not confined mankind is not con- 
 to the taste solely. fined to the taste. 
 
 The other species of The other species of 
 
 motion are incidentally motion are incidentally 
 
 blended also. blended* 
 
 HARRIS. 
 
 A friend exaggerates A friend exaggerates 
 
 a man's virtues, an ene- a man's virtues, an 
 
 my infantes his crimes* my his crimes. 
 
 ADDISON. 
 
 Many never heard Many never heard 
 such tidings of good such good tidings. 
 
 nexus. 
 
 He did not mention He did not mention 
 Leonora, nor that her Leonora, mot her fa- 
 father was dead. ther's death. 
 
REDUNDANT EXPRESSIONS. 81 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 Her extraordinary Her extraordinary 
 
 beauty was such, that it beauty struck observers 
 
 struck observers with with admiration,, 
 admiration. 
 
 By a multiplicity and 
 variety of words the 
 thoughts and sentiments 
 are not set off and ac- 
 commodated, but, like 
 David dressed out and 
 equipped in Saul's ar- 
 mour, they are encum- 
 bered and oppressed. 
 
 By a multiplicity of 
 words the sentiments 
 are not set off and ac- 
 commodated, but, like 
 David equipped in 
 Saul's armour, they are 
 encumbered and op- 
 pressed. 
 
 A shall in the first I shall first treat of 
 
 place treat of the cause, the cause, and then (or 
 
 and, then secondly, con- next) consider its ef- 
 
 sider the effects of it. fects. 
 
 E 3J 
 
S2 DIVIDED SENTENCES; 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 OF DIVIDED AND TRANSPOSED, 
 SENTENCES. 
 
 EIRST, 
 DIVIDED SENTENCES- 
 
 Too long. Divided. 
 
 Though in yesterday's In yesterday's paper 
 
 paper we shewed how we have shewn that 
 
 every thing that is great, every thing which is 
 
 new, or beautiful, is apt great, new, or beautiful, 
 
 to affect the imagination is apt to affect the ima-- 
 
 with pleasure, we must gination with= pleasure.. 
 
 own that it is impossi- We must own that it is 
 
 jble for us to assign the impossible for us to as- 
 
 necessary cause of this sign the efficient cause 
 
 pleasure,, because we of this pleasure, because 
 
 know neither the nature we know not the nature 
 
 of an idea nor the sub- either of an idea, or of 
 
 stance of a human soul, the human soul ; all that 
 
 and therefore; for want we can do therefore, in, 
 
 of such a light, all that speculations of this kind, 
 
 we can do in specula- is to reflect on the ope- 
 
DIVIDED SENTENCES^ 83 
 
 Too long. Divided. 
 
 tions of this kind, is to rations of the soul which 
 reflect on those opera- are most agreeable, and 
 tions of the soul that are to range under proper 
 most agreeable, and to heads what is pleasing 
 
 range under their pro- 
 per heads what is 
 pleasing or displeasing 
 to the mind, without be- 
 ing able to trace out the 
 several necessary and 
 efficient causes from 
 whence the pleasure or 
 displeasure arises.. 
 
 Upon surveying the 
 annals of past ages, it 
 seems that the greatest 
 geniuses have been sub- 
 ject to this historical 
 darkness, as is evident 
 in those great lights of 
 antiquity, Homer and 
 Euclid, whose writings 
 indeed enrich mankind 
 with perpetual stores of 
 
 or displeasing to the 
 mind. 
 
 Upon surveying the 
 annals of past ages, it 
 seems that the greatest 
 geniuses have been sub- 
 ject to this historical 
 darkness. This is evi- 
 dently the case with re- 
 gard to those great 
 lights of antiquity, Ho- 
 mer and Euclid. The 
 writings of these illus- 
 
84 DIVIDED SENTENCES. 
 
 Too long. Divided. 
 
 knowledge and delight, trious authors enrich; 
 but whose lives are for mankind with perpetual 
 the most part concealed stores of knowledge and 
 in impenetrable dark- delight, but their lives 
 ness. taylor. are for the most part 
 
 coucealed in impenetra- 
 ble darkness. 
 
 The sun approaching 
 melts the snow, and 
 breaks the icy fetters of 
 the main, where vast 
 sea monsters pierce 
 through floating islands 
 with arms which can 
 withstand i the crystal 
 rock; while others, who 
 ofthemselves seem great 
 as islands, are by their 
 bulk alone armed against 
 all but man, whose su- 
 periority over creatures 
 of such stupendous size 
 and force should make 
 him mindful of his pri- 
 
 The sun approaching; 
 melts the snow, and 
 breaks the icy fetters of 
 the main. Here vast 
 sea monsters pierce 
 through floating islands 
 with arms which can. 
 withstand the crystal 
 rock, whilst others, 
 which of themselves 
 seem great as islands,, 
 are by their bulk alone, 
 armed against all but 
 man. The superiority 
 which he possesses over 
 creatures of such stiir 
 pendous size and force 
 
DIVIDED SENTENCES. 
 Too long. Divided. 
 
 85 
 
 vilege of reason, and should make him mind- 
 force him humbly to a- ful of his privilege of 
 dore the great composer reason, and force him 
 of those wonderous humply to adore the 
 frames, and the author great composer of these 
 of his own superior wonderous frames, and 
 wisdom. the author of his own 
 sHAFTESbURY. superior wisdom. 
 
 Boast not thyself of 
 to-morrow, for thou 
 knowest not what a day 
 may bring forth; and, 
 for the same reason, de- 
 spair not of to-morrow, 
 for it may bring forth 
 good as well as evil,, 
 which is a ground for 
 not vexing thyself with 
 imaginary fears ; for the 
 impending black cloud, 
 which is regarded with 
 so much dread, may pass 
 by harmless; or though 
 it should discharge the 
 
 Boast not thyself of 
 to-morrow, because thou, 
 knowest not what a day 
 may bring forth. For 
 the same reason despair 
 not of to-morrow, it may 
 bring forth good as well- 
 as evil. Vex not thy- 
 self with imaginary 
 fears. The impending 
 black cloud, which is re- 
 garded with so much 
 dread, may pass by 
 harmless, or though it 
 should discharge the 
 storm, yet before it 
 
S'6 DIVIDED SENTENCES. 
 
 Too long. Divided. 
 storm, yet before it break, thou raayst be- 
 break thou mayst be lodged in that lowly- 
 lodged in that lowly mansion which no 
 mansion whieh no storms ever touch, 
 storms ever touch. 
 
 Without some degree 
 ©f patience exercised 
 under injuries, (as of- 
 fences and retaliations 
 would succeed one ano- 
 ther in endless train,) 
 human life v/ould be 
 rendered a state of per- 
 petual hostility. 
 
 Without some degree 
 of patience exercised 
 under injuries, human, 
 life would be rendered 
 a state of perpetual hos- 
 tility. An implacable 
 spirit would cause of- 
 fences and retaliations 
 to succeed one another 
 in endless train. 
 
 If your hearts secret- 
 ly reproach you for the 
 wrong choice you have 
 made, (as there is time 
 for repentance and re- 
 treat, and a return to 
 wisdom is always ho- 
 
 If your hearts re- 
 proach you for the 
 wrong choice you have 
 made, bethink your- 
 selves that the evil is not 
 irreparable. Still there 
 is time for repentance 
 
TRANSPOSED SENTENCES. 87 
 
 Too long. Divided. 
 
 nourable) bethink your- and retreat, and a return 
 selves that the evil is to wisdom is always ho- 
 not irreparable. nourable^ 
 
 *.*** Long sentences were formerly much in 
 use, but of late years not only French writers,.. 
 but-the best English authors, generally use such as 
 are shorU The parenthesis also was very, com- 
 mon, but now it is seldom used, except in some. 
 explanatory sentences. 
 
 SECONDLY, 
 
 TRANSPOSED OR VARIED SENTENCES.. 
 
 Good. Better, 
 
 lam willing, pro- If it may be done with 
 
 vided it may be done safety, I am willing to 
 
 with safety, to forgive remit all that is past, 
 all that is past. . 
 
88 TRANSPOSED SENTENCES. 
 
 Good. Better. 
 
 The Roman state, in In proportion to the 
 proportion to the in- increase of luxury, the 
 crease of luxury,, evi- Roman state evidently 
 dently declined. declined. 
 
 That greatness of If that greatness of 
 
 mind which shews itself mind, which shews it- 
 
 in dangers and labours, self in dangers and Ia- 
 
 if it want justice is hours, be void of justice,, 
 
 blameable.. it is blameable. 
 
 The sister was less The brother deserved 
 reprehensible than her censure more than his 
 brother.. sister. 
 
 I intend to be at the I will attend the con- 
 conference, unless it ference if I can do it 
 should be inconvenient, conveniently. 
 
 He who lives always It is a continual war- 
 in the bustle of the fare to live perpetually 
 world lives in a perpe- in the bustle of the 
 tual warfare. world,. 
 
TRANSPOSED SENTENCES. 89 
 
 Good. Better. 
 True religion teaches Gentleness and affa- 
 irs to be gentle and affa- bility are the genuine 
 ble. effects of true religion* 
 
 Improvement and Industry generally 
 pleasure are the pro* produces both improve * 
 ducts of industry * meat and pkaaune,. 
 
 We may innocently The advantages of 
 
 gain the advantages of this world, even when 
 
 fliis world, but even innocently gained, are 
 
 then they are uncertain uncertain blessings., 
 blessings. 
 
 Using ail the pru- Whilst you use all the 
 dence which reason can prudence which reason 
 suggest, let your pray- can suggest, let your 
 ers at the same time prayers continually as- 
 continually ascend to eend to God for sup- 
 God for support. ' port. 
 
SO SIMILE, METAPHOR, ALLEGORY 
 
 CHAP. IF. 
 
 Qt THE PRINCIPAL FIGURES OF SPEECH* 
 
 Experience proves, that plain language is 
 not sufficient for all the purposes of good 
 writing and speaking. Some knowledge of 
 rhetoric therefore is necessary, and a proper 
 use of the figures of speech will not only 
 embellish the style, but will actually render 
 our ideas and sentiments more clear and 
 forcible. The following are some of the 
 principal tropes and figures, viz. 
 
 1. A SIMILE, METAPHOR, AND AN 
 ALLEGORY, 
 
 These are not synonymous, but being all 
 founded on similitude, and the same rules 
 being very nearly applicable to either of 
 them, they are here placed together.. 
 
SIMILE, METAPHOR, ALLEGORY. 91 
 
 A simile or comparison is when two ot 
 $iore things, having some resemblance, are 
 compared with a view to exalt or degrade a 
 person or thing, or to explain something,; 
 thus, when we wish to praise or dispraise a 
 woman, we say» that i she looks like an. 
 angel,* or, * is as fickle as the wind.* Many 
 similes have not much to do with the imagi- 
 nation, but chiefly with the understanding* 
 Of this kind are most of those in the Bible, 
 and in various other books. 
 
 A metaphor is also founded on likeness,, 
 but differs from a simile ; thus, when it- is 
 said that any man is as bold as a lion, a simile 
 is used, and we speak comparatively, but if it 
 be said, such a man is a Hon, we speak meta- 
 phorically. This is, perhaps, the most fre- 
 quent and diversified of all the tropes which: 
 we use. 
 
 An allegory is a chain of tropes, or the 
 continuation of several metaphors* &c. united 
 in one general description of any thing, as a, 
 constellation includes, many stars, &c. Fables 
 and parables are much the same as allegories,, 
 and' they are in words what an hieroglyphic^!; 
 
£2 SIMILE,. METAPHOR, ALLEGORY. 
 
 representation is in colours, or in a picture. 
 The Bible has many allegories, especially a 
 striking one, in Psalm Ixxx. from ver. 8. 
 to the end. * Thou hast brought a vine out 
 of Egypt, thou hast cast out the heathen, and 
 planted it, thou preparest room for it, and 
 didst cause it to take deep rooty and it filled 
 the land, he. 
 
 We have also a fine allegory in Priori 
 Menry and Emma : 
 
 Did I but purpose to embark with thee 
 On the smooth surface of a summer sea, 
 While gentle zephyrs play with prosperous gales, 
 And fortune's favours fill the swelling, sails, 
 But would forsake the ship, and make the shore, 
 When the winds whistle and the tempests roar > 
 No, Henry, no, one sacred oath has tied y 
 Our lives, one destiny our fate shall guide, > 
 Nor wild, nor deep, our common way divide. ■) 
 
 RULES.. 
 
 1. Similes or metaphors should not be 
 taken from mean things, unless on purpose 
 to degrade. 2. They should not be taken 
 
METONYMY AND SYNECDOCHE. 9S 
 
 from what is but little known. 3. They 
 should not be introduced at the beginning of 
 a subject, and should be well adapted. 4. 
 We must not join different metaphors in 
 one sentence^ nor crowd too many together, 
 and they must not be strained. 5. A sen- 
 tence must not be partly figurative and partly 
 literal. 6. As to allegories, they are not so 
 much used in prose as formerly, because our 
 language is not so well adapted to them as 
 Greek or Latin, and besides, they require 
 uncommon skill in making all the parts con- 
 sistent. 
 
 2. A METONYMY AND A SYNECDOCHE. 
 
 These also are not synonymous, but are 
 here placed together for the same reasons as 
 before-mentioned. 
 
 A metonymy is a trope, whereby names 
 
 are changed ; as when, 1 . the cause is put 
 
 for the effect ; thus we say, * we read Milton, 
 
 i. e. Milton's works-;' or, 2. the effect for 
 
 the cause ; thus, 'grey hairs should be re- 
 
m METONYMY AND SYNECDOCHE, 
 
 spected, i. e. old persons should be respect- 
 ed. ' 3. A common name for a proper name ; 
 as, ' the Roman orator, i.*e. Cicero.' 4. A 
 proper name for a common, < a Nero, i. e. a 
 tyrant.' 5. The container for the thing con* 
 tained; as, ' the kettle boils, i. e. the water 
 in the kettle.' 6. A sign for the thing sig- 
 nified; as, the faculty for physic ; the pro*. 
 fession, or the long robe, for the law,^and the 
 cloth for divinity, &c. 
 
 A synecdoche (which is also called the 
 comprehending trope) is when any thing 
 more or less is put for the precise object^ thus, 
 
 1 . a part is put for the whole, when we use 
 the word waves for the sea, the point for tbe 
 sword, or the head for the whole person. 2. 
 The whole for a part, as when we say, ' the 
 whole city went out, or the town is depopu- 
 lated, i. e. a great part of the city or town, &c.' 
 
 2. The singular for the plural, and the contra* 
 ry ; as, * a man is justified by faith, i.-e. men 
 are justified by faith;' and on the contrary, 
 authors and preachers, to avoid egotism, very 
 often say, we shall consider the subject, when 
 in fact only one individual is meant. 3. A 
 
PROSOPOPEIA AND APOSTROPHE. 9b 
 
 certain number for an uncertain ; thus we 
 often read the numbers, three, seven, twelve, 
 &c. which may mean more or less : also when 
 we say, I told him of it an hundred times, i. e, 
 many times, &c. 
 
 R0LES. 
 
 1. Each of these has more subdivisions, 
 which may be seen in Gibbons's or Holmes's 
 Rhetoric. 2. In order to distinguish these 
 two-, when we say one thing and mean ano- 
 ther depending on it, that is a metonymy, but 
 when we say one thing and mean another, 
 which is more or less of the same kind, this is 
 a synecdoche. 
 
 3. A PROSOPOPEIA AND APOSTROPHE. 
 
 For the foregoing reasons these are like- 
 wise placed together. 
 
 A prosopopeia or personification is a figure 
 of speech which attributes life and human 
 speech to things inanimate, making not only 
 Jocks and fields, but even ideal things, as 
 
96 PROSOPOPEIA AND APOSTROPHE, 
 fame, &c. to express human actions, or to 
 listen to what is said. This figure is very 
 often used in conversation, as well as in writ- 
 ing ; thus we say, « the earth smiles with 
 plenty, the dry ground thirsts for rain, and 
 ambition is restless?' &c. ; the following de- 
 scription of fame is a beautiful example in 
 poetry : 
 
 Fame, of all things the swiftest in its course, 
 By motion gathers and augments its force ; 
 Low creeps at first, but after swells its size, 
 Runs thro* the w r orld, and tow'rs into the skies. 
 
 VIRGIL. 
 
 The Bible has a great number of examples 
 of this sort, and especially the following : 
 * When Israel went out of Egypt, and the 
 house of Jacob from a people of strange lan- 
 guage, the sea saw it and fled, Jordan was 
 driven back. The mountains skipped like 
 rams, and the little hills like lambs, &c. 
 
 An apostrophe is nearly connected with 
 the former, but is chiefly limited, either to 
 give an ideal presence to dead or absent per- 
 
PROSOPOPEIA AND APOSTROPHE. 97 
 
 sons, or else to make inanimate things listen 
 to what is said. By this figure the speaker 
 seems to turn aside from the subject, and to 
 address something, and generally appeals for 
 the truth of what is advanced. There is an 
 example of this in the following well-known 
 passage of scripture : ' Death is swallowed 
 up in victory. O death ! where is thy sting ! 
 O grave ! where is thy victory /' What fol- 
 lows is a good poetical apostrophe : 
 
 Phillips, whose touch harmonious could remove 
 The pangs of guilty pow'r and hapless love, 
 Rest here, disturbed by poverty no more, 
 Find here that calm thou gav'st so oft before : 
 Sleep undisturb'd within this peaceful shrine, 
 Till angels wake thee with a note like thine. 
 
 DR. JOHNSON. 
 
 Sometimes it happens, that a prosopopeia 
 and an apostrophe are united, as in the fol- 
 lowing example from Scripture: * thou 
 sword of the Lord ! how long will it be ere 
 thou be quiet? put thyself up into thy scab- 
 bard, rest, and be still ! How can it be quiet, 
 
 F 
 
9S HYPERBOLE. 
 
 seeing the Lord hath given it a charge against 
 Askelon, and against the sea shore? there 
 hath he appointed it. 
 
 RULES. 
 
 1 . These being bold figures, they must be 
 kept within bounds, especially in prose. 2. 
 Homer and Milton have used these figures 
 to great advantage in poetry. 3. The En- 
 glish language is very favourable to each of 
 these figures, because all nouns (excepting 
 those which signify male or female objects,) 
 being neuter, we can easily make the latter 
 male or female, by personifying them. 
 
 4. AN HYPERBOLE, 
 
 Called also exaggeration, is a trope which 
 is used to magnify or diminish any thing be- 
 yond reality, in order to praise or dispraise 
 it; thus, we often say of a woman, * she is 
 as- fair as an angel ;' or, if a bad man, that 
 his heart is as black as Satan's. It is very 
 well explained in poetry, thus, 
 
HYPERBOLE. 99 
 
 Hyperbole soars high, or sinks loo low, 
 
 He touch'd the skies— a snail don't crawl so slow. 
 
 This is often used in the Bible, viz. Deut. 
 ix. 4. Cities fenced up to heaven; and Joel 
 iii. 18. The hills shall flow with milk, and the 
 mountains with wine. It is also very often 
 used in common conversation; as, when we 
 say any thing is * as hard as a stone,' or, ' as 
 soft as silk.' An hyperbole is a metaphor, 
 carried to the highest degree of boldness. 
 
 The following is a striking example of a 
 poetical hyperbolical description of rage and 
 despair, in the character of Satan : 
 
 Me miserable ! which way shall I fly 
 Infinite wrath and infinite despair ? 
 Which way I fly is hell ; myself am hell, 
 v And in the lowest depth, a lower deep 
 Still threatning to devour me opens wide, 
 To which the hell I suffer seems an heav'n ! 
 
 MILTON. 
 RULES. 
 
 1. This is a trope, (that is, a figure of a 
 name J when we call a drunkard, a swine, &c. ; 
 f 2 
 
100 ANTITHESIS. 
 
 bat it is a figure, (that is a figure of thought) 
 when we say, that * fame flies swifter than 
 the wind,' &c. 2. It is always better to use 
 this figure in magnifying any object, than in 
 diminishing any thing. 3. It should never 
 be used on trivial subjects, nor yet on any 
 that have much tenderness; as, pity, grief, 
 &c. ; it is best employed on strong or majestic 
 subjects, as earthquakes, battles, thunder, the 
 day of judgment, despair, &c. 4. We should 
 never introduce this figure suddenly, but the 
 reader ought to be prepared for it, and it must 
 be comprehended in as few words as possible. 
 5. Though this figure goes beyond belief, yet 
 it is not beyond rules; it must not be carried 
 too far, or it will be bombast, and yet nothing 
 but good sense can ascertain its limits, or re- 
 gulate its application. 
 
 AN ANTITHESIS 
 
 Is a figure whereby we illustrate a subject by 
 an opposition of words or thoughts, in the 
 
ANTITHESIS. 101 
 
 way of contrast. Such is that of Cicero in 
 his oration against Catiline, * on one side 
 stands modesty, on the other impudence; on 
 one fidelity, on the other deceit ; here piety, 
 there sacrilege ; here continence, there lust, 9 
 &c. We have also a fine poetical example 
 in the following couplet: 
 
 Tho-' deep, yet clear, tho* gentle, yet not dull, 
 Strong without rage, without o'erflowing, full, 
 
 DENHAM. 
 
 The Bible also contains many examples of 
 this figure, especially in the book of Proverbs, 
 Some of our best sentimental writers very 
 often use this figure ; take the following exam- 
 ple from one of them ; * Labour is odious to 
 the idle, fasting to the glutton, want to the 
 covetous, shame to the proud, and strict laws 
 to the wicked. ' The works of some old au- 
 thors are too full of antithesis's, and perhaps 
 the moderns have not enough of them. 
 
 RULES. 
 
 1 . Every thing exhibited in contact should 
 be different in sense, as well as in sound, or in 
 
10$ IJtONY. 
 
 appearance. 2, Very suitable words should 
 be used in that which is contrasted, and as 
 few as possible, the difference also must 
 be very apparent. 3. If contrasts be just 
 and striking, they help the memory, and are 
 very pleasing and instructive, especially con- 
 trasted examples. 
 
 6. THE IRONY 
 
 Is called the mocking trope, because when 
 it is used, the contrary is meant to what is 
 expressed, as when we call a silly person * a 
 Solomon, 'or an unchaste woman, 'a Penelope.' 
 It is sometimes to be met with in Scripture, 
 especially in 1 Kings xviii. 27. where Elijah 
 says to the worshippers of Baal, < Cry aloud, 
 for he is a God, he is talking, or on a journey, 
 or asleep,'' kc. An antiphrasis signifies an 
 ironical word or name, as the first examples 
 shew, and an irony signifies the contrary 
 meaning of a sentence, as the other example 
 proves. 
 
INTERROGATION AND EXCLAMATION. 103 
 RULES. 
 
 1. It is greatly to be lamented that this 
 way of writing or speaking should ever be 
 used to ridicule piety, or to encourage per- 
 sonal abuse. 2. It may be properly made 
 use of to expose sin and error, and also to 
 reprove wilful ignorance. 
 
 T. AN INTERROGATION AND 
 EXCLAMATION. 
 
 An interrogation, in grammar, onjy signi- 
 fies asking a question ; but as a rhetorical 
 figure, it is used as a challenge for the 
 impossibility of contradiction, and is called 
 an erotesis. There is a striking example of 
 this in the following, passage of Scripture: 
 * God is not a man that he should lie, neither 
 the son of man, that he should repent. Hath 
 he said it ? and shall he riot make it good f 
 
 An exclamation is chiefly used as an in- 
 terjection in grammar, but as a rhetorical 
 
i0 * PERIPHRASIS. 
 
 figure, it expresses the language of passion 
 on various occasions ; as, joy, grief, admira- 
 tion, and the like. It is called in rhetoric, 
 ephonesis, and is used in Scripture in a great 
 variety of senses; as, « O wretched man that 
 I am I O Lord, how excellent is thy name ! 
 O happy people that are in such a case ! 
 
 RULES. 
 
 1. Neither of the above should be used on 
 mean or trivial occasions. 2. They should 
 not be crowded in an essay, or on any sub- 
 ject. 3. When used judiciously, they gene- 
 rally agitate the hearer or reader with similar 
 passions. 
 
 8. A PERIPHRASIS, 
 
 Or circumlocution, is a figure wherein we use 
 more words to express any thing than are 
 absolutely necessary. Conciseness is truly 
 excellent on most subjects, but it would not 
 be proper always, especially in poetry. In 
 
PERIPHRASIS. 105 
 
 prose also, it is necessary sometimes to use 
 the periphrasis, in order to give beauty and 
 variety to language; thus, instead of using 
 the word death, it is called the loss of life, 
 and instead of repeatedly saying, Homer, we 
 use a periphrasis, and call him ' the writer of 
 the Trojan war ;' or speaking of Garrick, we 
 say, * the English Roscius ;' thus also in 
 Scripture, Abraham is called, * the father of 
 the faithful, and John is described as * the 
 disciple whom Jesus loved.' The following 
 short poetical explanation of this figure, will 
 give an intimation how it is used in poetry. 
 
 Periphrasis takes many words for one, 
 
 ' Now night's pale empress quits her silver throne/ 
 
 RULES. 
 
 1. This figure is absolutely necessary in 
 poetry, and without it prose would be 
 poor. 2. If it be used too much in prose, it 
 will make our style too florid, and the pe- 
 riods too long. 3. The principal use of this 
 figure is to give variety to language, but we 
 must be careful not to be too diffuse, or to 
 use redundancies. 
 
 r 3 
 
106 PROLEPSIS. 
 
 9. A PROLEPSIS, 
 
 Or anticipation, is a figure wherein the 
 speaker or writer foreseeing an objection 
 that may be raised against what is said, gives 
 an answer. There are many instances of this 
 figure in the sacred Scriptures, particularly 
 Rom. vi. 15. ' Shall we sin, because we are 
 not under the law, but under grace ? God for- 
 bid.' It is also thus poetically explained. 
 
 Prolepsis to prevent, objects and answers too, 
 Great things you'll say, but not too great for you. 
 
 This figure is generally used by first sta- 
 ting a precept, then mentioning the objection, 
 and immediately after answering it; thus it 
 is said in Prov. iii. 9. * Honour the Lord with 
 thy substance \ but some may object and 
 say, if I do this, I shall soon greatly impo- 
 verish myself; this is answered in the next 
 verse, * so shall thy barns be filled with 
 plenty,'' which proves that we shall be repaid. 
 
VISION. . 107 
 
 RULES. 
 
 L Although this figure may be used to 
 favour any.bad thing, yet it is very useful to 
 defend truth and innocence. 2. The objec- 
 tion should be fairly stated, and the answer 
 should not be long, but very plain and satis- 
 factory, or else the objection will injure the 
 cause more than if it never had been men- 
 tioned. 
 
 10. VISION 
 
 Is a modern term, to signify a figurative way 
 of speaking, in which the present tense is put 
 for the pasty in order to bring the thing de- 
 scribed immediately before the me?ital view 
 of the reader or hearer. Cicero, in his fourth 
 oration against Catiline, uses this figure thus, 
 * I seem to behold this city, the light of the 
 universe and the citadel of all nations, sud- 
 denly involved in flames. I figure to myself 
 my country in ruins, and the miserable bodies 
 
108 EP ANAPHORA, 
 
 of slaughtered citizens lying in heaps without 
 burial. The image of Cethegus furiously re- 
 velling in your blood, is now before my eyes.' 
 
 RULES. 
 
 This figure should never be introduced ex- 
 cept on very grand, or interesting occasions, 
 and it ought to be expressed with much emo- 
 tion. 2. It should be introduced in a suit- 
 able place, and be written or expressed 
 quite free from affectation. 
 
 11. JEPANAPHORA, 
 
 Or repetition, is a figure which gracefully 
 and emphatically repeats either the same 
 words, or the same sense in different words. 
 
 The following is a good instance in prose, 
 from Cicero's second oration against An- 
 thony : 
 
 <• You mourn, O Romans, that three of 
 your armies have been slaughtered— they 
 were slaughtered by Anthony: you lament 
 the loss of your most illustrious citizens — they 
 
SYNCHORESIS. 109 
 
 were torn from you by Anthony. The au- 
 thority of this order is deeply wounded — it is 
 wounded by Anthony. In short, all the 
 calamities we have ever since beheld, (and 
 what calamities have we not beheld,) if we 
 reason rightly, have been owing to Anthony. 
 As Helen was of Troy, so the bane, the mi- 
 sery, the destruction of this state is Anthony. 5 
 The following is a poetical instance : 
 
 Thee, his lov'd wife, along the lonely shores, 
 Thee, his lovM wife, his mournful song deplores ; 
 Thee, when the rising morning gives the light 
 Thee,when the world was overspread with night 
 
 VIRGIL, 
 
 Also the following : 
 
 Happy, happy, happy pair, 
 
 None but the brave, 
 
 None but the brave, 
 None but the brave, deserve the fair. 
 
 DRYDEN, 
 
 12. SYNCHORESIS, 
 
 Or concession, is a figure by which we grant 
 or yield up something, in order to gain a 
 
1 10 SYNCHORESIS. 
 
 point which we could not so well secure 
 without it. 
 
 The following is a good instance in prose, 
 from Ceero's oration for Flaccus. The ora- 
 tor, in order to invalidate the testimony of the 
 Greeks, who were witnesses against his cli- 
 ent, allows them every quality but that which 
 was necessary to make them credited. 
 
 * This however, I say, concerning all the 
 Greeks. I grant them learning, the know- 
 ledge of many sciences ; I do not deny that 
 they have wit, fine genius, and eloquence ; 
 nay, if they lay claim to many other excel- 
 lencies, I shall not contend their title; but 
 this I must say, that nation never paid a pro- 
 per regard to the religious sanctity of public 
 evidence, and are strangers to the obligation, 
 authority, and importance of truth.' 
 
 CICERO. 
 
 Nothing more confounds an adversary, 
 than to grant him his whole argument, but 
 at the same time, either to shew 7 that it is 
 nothing to the purpose, or to offer some- 
 thing else that may completely invalidate it. 
 
EPANORTHOSIS. 1 1 1 
 
 13. EPANORTHOSIS, 
 
 Or correction, is a figure by which we retract 
 or recal what has been spoken, for the pur- 
 pose of substituting something stronger, or 
 more suitable, in its place. 
 
 This figure is something like the paren- 
 thesis. The use of it lies in the unexpected 
 interruption it gives to the current of our 
 discourse, by turning the stream as it were 
 back upon itself, and then returning it upon 
 the audience with redoubled force. 
 
 Most commonly it occurs about the mid- 
 dle of a subject or an oration, but sometimes 
 at the end, as in the following example : 
 
 * Octavius Caesar, though but a youth, was 
 inspired with an incredible courage at the 
 very time when the fury of Anthony was at 
 its height. When we neither solicited nor 
 imagined it, because it seemed utterly im- 
 practicable. This Caesar raised a most pow- 
 erful army of invincible veterans, for which 
 service he threw away his estate ; but / have 
 used an improper word ; he did not throw it 
 
112 PARALEPSIS. 
 
 away, he bestowed it for the salvation of the 
 commonwealth.' cicero. 
 
 14. PARALEPSIS, 
 
 Or omission, is a figure by which the orator- 
 pretends to conceal or pass by what he really 
 means to declare for or against a person. 
 
 Thus Cicero, in his defence of Sextius, in- 
 troduces his character in the following man- 
 ner, with a design to recommend him to the 
 favour of the judges. 
 
 ' 1 might say many things of his liberality, 
 kindness to his domestics; his command in 
 the army, and moderation during his office in 
 the province, but the honour of the state pre- 
 sents itself to my view, and calling me to it, 
 advises me to omit these smaller matters.' 
 
 CICERO. 
 
 The following is an example of this figure 
 being used against Rullus, who had proposed 
 a law to sell the public lands. 
 
 ' I do not complain of the diminution 
 of our revenue, owing to ' the conduct of 
 Rullus, I omit the woeful effects of this 
 
ANACOENOSIS. 1 1 3 
 
 loss and damage, I will not enlarge on 
 the sad consequence of such a law being 
 established, such as that in such a case 
 we could not preserve the estates of the pub- 
 lic, the fund of our provinces, or the granary 
 of our wants ; I pass over all these things, 
 and only speak at present of the danger of 
 our peace and liberties.* cicero. 
 
 15. ANACOENOSIS, 
 
 Or communication, is a figure whereby we 
 apply or appeal to our hearers or readers for 
 their opinion upon the point in debate. 
 
 This figure has something of the air of 
 conversation, and though public discourses 
 ought not to be turned into mere conversa- 
 tion, yet a proper mixture of such a sort of 
 freedom pleases and entertains, both on ac- 
 count of its variety and its apparent co?ide- 
 scension and good nature. 
 
 The following is an example : 
 
 • But what could you have done in such a 
 
 case, and at such a juncture, when to have sat 
 
 Still, or to have withdrawn, would- have been 
 
 cowardice ? when the wickedness and fury of 
 
114 HYPOTYPOSIS. 
 
 Saturninus had sent for you into the capital, 
 and the consuls had called you to protect the 
 safety and liberty of your country? whose 
 authority, whose voice, which party would 
 you have followed ? and whose orders would 
 you have chosen to obey/ 
 
 ClCEllofor RABIR1US. 
 
 *** This figure should not be confounded 
 with the erotesis or interrogation, for al* 
 though it is used in the way of a question, yet 
 the definition and the example prove it very 
 different. 
 
 16. HYPOTYPOSIS, 
 
 Or lively description, is a representation of 
 things in such strong and glowing colours, as 
 to make them seem painted or transacted to 
 the imagination of the hearer or reader. 
 
 This may- in some respects partake of the 
 nature of the prosopopeia, the hyperbole, &c. 
 but it is often so very different, that it de- 
 serves to be distinctly considered, though it 
 is not, properly speaking, any figure. 
 
 The distinguishing characteristic of the 
 hypotoposis is, that the sound is an echo to 
 
HYP0TYT0S1S. 115 
 
 the sense, and the description is strong and 
 vivid. No part of composition requires 
 greater taste and judgment, lest it should be 
 extended too Jar. 
 
 The following is a good example in prose. 
 It contains a description of the behaviour of 
 Verres to a Roman citizen, in the island of 
 Sicily. 
 
 6 The unhappy man being arrested, is 
 brought before the wicked prastor. With 
 eyes darting fury, and a countenance distort- 
 ed with cruelty, he orders the helpless victim 
 of his rage to be stripped, and rods to be 
 brought, falsely accusing him of having come 
 to Sicily as a spy. It was in vain that the 
 unhappy man cried out, ' I am a Roman citi- 
 zen; lhave served under Lucius Pretius, who 
 is now at Panormus, and will attest my in- 
 nocence.* The blood-thirsty praetor, deaf 
 to all he could urge in his own defence, or- 
 dered the infamous punishment to be inflict' 
 ed. Thus, fathers, was an innocent Roman 
 citizen publicly mangled with scourging, 
 whilst the only words he uttered amidst his 
 cruel sufferings were, * I am a Roman citi- 
 zen.' With these he hoped to defend him- 
 
116 CLIMAX. 
 
 Self from violence and infamy; but of so little 
 service was this privilege to him, that while 
 he was thus asserting his citizenship, the 
 order was given for his execution ; for his 
 execution upon the cross !' 
 
 The following is one amongst the many 
 poetical examples, It is a description of a 
 country life : 
 
 Here easy quiet, a secure retreat, 
 -A harmless life that knows not how to cheat, 
 With homebred plenty the rich owner bless, 
 .And rural pleasure crowns his happiness; 
 Unvex'd with quarrels, undisturb'd with noise, 
 The country king his peaceful realm enjoys: 
 Cool grots and living lakes, the flow'ry pride 
 Of meads and streams that thro' the valleys glide, 
 And shady groves that easy sleep invite, 
 And after toilsome days, a sweet repose at night. 
 
 DRYDEN'S VIRGIL. 
 
 17. A CLIMAX, 
 
 Or gradation^ is a figurative way of speaking, 
 whereby we gradually rise from one circum- 
 stance to another, till our ideas are raised to 
 a very high degree. The literal meaning of 
 
CLIMAX, 117 
 
 the word climax is a ladder,, and it is such 
 a kind of figure as consists in the ideas or 
 arguments rising in the most easy manner, 
 step by step, till they have attained the high- 
 est degree intended ; as thus in scripture, 
 ' Whether Paul, or Apollo s, or Cephas, all 
 are yours, and ye are Chrisfs, and Christ 
 is God's-? and thus by a celebrated writer; 
 ' The boy despises the infant, the man the 
 boy, the philosopher both, and the christian 
 all.' The anti-climax is when the ideas or 
 arguments gradually sink, and become more 
 weak ; as, k Queen Semiramis was the founder 
 of Babylon, a conqueror of the East, and an 
 excellent housewife ; or thus poetically ridi- 
 culed : 
 
 Not only London echoes with thy fame, 
 But also Islington has heard the same. 
 
 RULES. 
 
 1 . The degrees of the climax should gradu- 
 ally rise, and the last be very striking. 2. 
 As this figure supposes study, it should only 
 be admitted into regular subjects, or syste- 
 matical essays, &c. 
 
1 18 CONTRASTED FIGURATIVE 
 
 CONTRASTED FIGURATIVE EXPRESSIONS* 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 Rules tend to lead a Rules tend to lead a 
 genius from unnatural genius from unnatural 
 deviations, into a pro- deviations, into a pro- 
 per channel. blair. per path. 
 
 Good hopes may be Good hopes may be 
 
 entertained of those entertained of those 
 
 whose minds have this whose minds have this 
 
 liberal turn, many vir- liberal disposition, it 
 
 tues may be engrafted may produce many vir- 
 
 upon it. el air. tues. 
 
 Lord Shaftesbury is Lord Shaftesbury is 
 
 ever in buskins, and he ever in buskins, he is 
 
 is full of circumlocutions too fond of circumlocu- 
 
 and artificial elegance. tions and artificial ele- 
 
 blair, gance. 
 
EXPRESSIONS. 119 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 Similes in prose should Similes in prose should 
 
 be used in moderation, be used in modera- 
 
 or they will become dis- tion, or they will con«* 
 
 gustingly luscious. fuse and tire the imagi^ 
 
 blair. nation. 
 
 Comparison is a Comparisons are 
 
 sparkling ornament, and sparkling ornaments of 
 
 all things that sparkle style, that dazzle if they 
 
 dazzle if they recur too recur too often, 
 often. blaiu. 
 
 The proper orna- The proper orna- 
 ments of style are mentsof style are in the 
 wrought into the sub- very nature of it, and 
 stance of it, and they flow they flow in the same 
 in the same stream with stream with the current 
 the current of thought. of thought. 
 
20 CONTRASTED FIGURATIVE 
 
 Improper. 
 
 The plainness of his 
 manner gives his wit 
 a singular edge, there is 
 no froth nor affectation 
 in it, it flows without 
 any studied preparation. 
 
 BLAIR. 
 
 Proper. 
 The plainness of his 
 manner sets off his wit 
 to the best advantage, 
 there is nothing trifling 
 or affected in it, nor does 
 it seem to be the effect 
 of study, i 
 
 We may observe We may observe how 
 
 how the following meta- the following metaphor 
 
 phor is spun out. is too far extended. 
 
 BLAIR- 
 
 From the influx of so The English language 
 many streams, from the being formed from so 
 junction of so many dis- many different Ian- 
 similar parts, the En- guages, it naturally fol- 
 glish language must be lows, that from the junc- 
 irregular. blair. tion of so many dissimi- 
 
 lar parts it must be ir- 
 regular. 
 
EXPRESSIONS. 121 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 Eloquence is a field There is much room 
 
 where there is much to improve in English 
 
 honour yet to be reaped, eloquence, and it may 
 
 It is an instrument wfrieh he used for many im- 
 
 may be employed for portant purposes, 
 important purposes. 
 
 BLAIH. 
 
 By the pleasures- of 
 imagination, I mean ei- 
 ther such as arise from 
 visible objects, or when 
 ive call up their ideas 
 into our minds by paint- - 
 ings, statues, &c. 
 
 ADDISON. 
 
 By the pleasures of 
 imagination, I mean ei- 
 ther such as arise from 
 visible objects, or those 
 which we present to our 
 minds when we reflect 
 on paintings, statues, &c. 
 
 There is not a single There is not a single 
 
 view of human nature view of human nature 
 
 which is not sufficient to which is not sufficient 
 
 extinguish the seeds of to expose pride, 
 pride. addison. 
 
122 CONTRASTED 
 
 Improper. 
 Women were formed 
 to temper mankind, not 
 to set an edge upon their 
 minds, and blow up in 
 them those passions, 
 which are apt to rise of 
 their own accord. 
 
 ADDISON. 
 
 FIGURATIVE 
 
 Proper. 
 
 Women were formed 
 to temper mankind, and 
 not to inflame their 
 minds with those evil 
 passions, which are too 
 apt to rise of their own 
 accord. 
 
 They cherish and cul- They very much cul- 
 tivate that humanity tivate that humanity 
 which is the ornament which is the ornament 
 of our nature. of our nature. 
 
 ADDISON. 
 
 I prefer a noble sen- I prefer a noble sen- 
 timent in homely Ian- timent in homely lan- 
 guage, before a vulgar guage, before a vulgar 
 one bloion up with all one in the best style, 
 the sound and energy of 
 expression. 
 
 ADDISON. 
 
EXPRESSIONS. 123 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 The bill at length The bill, after some 
 
 floated through both debates, went through 
 
 houses on the tide of a both houses by a great 
 
 great majority, and majority, after which it 
 
 passed safe into the port received the -royal as- 
 
 of royal approbation. sent. 
 
 SMOLLET. 
 
 He endeavours to He endeavours to 
 shelter himself under the conceal himself under 
 mask of dissimulation. the mask of dissimula- 
 tion. 
 
 Hope, as the balm of Hope, as the cheering 
 fe, darts a ray of light star of life, darts a ray 
 thickest of light through the 
 
 U 
 
 through the 
 gloom. 
 
 thickest gloom. 
 
 The man who has no The man who has no 
 
 rule over his own spirit, rule over his own spirit, 
 
 possesses no antidote a- has no defence against 
 
 gainst poison of any dangers of any sort, but 
 
 sort, but lies open to lies open to any invasion 
 
 every gale of distress. of distress. 
 
 G 2 
 
12* CONTRASTED FIGURATIVE 
 
 Improper. Proper. 
 
 No human happiness No human happiness 
 is so serene as not to is so pure as not to con- 
 contain an alloy. tain an alloy. 
 
 I intend to make use I intend to make use 
 
 of these words in the of these words in the 
 
 thread of my specula- course of my speculation, 
 tion. 
 
 The wheels of the The wheels of the 
 
 spiritual engine have spiritual engine have 
 
 exerted themselves with circulated with perpe- 
 
 perpetual motion. tual motion. 
 
 It is like erecting a It is like erecting a 
 
 fortress, into which in fortress, into which in 
 
 the day of sorrow he the day of distress he 
 
 may retreat with satis- may retreat with safety. 
 faction. 
 
 The current of our 
 ideas has been moving. 
 
 The current of our 
 ideas has been flowing. 
 
EXPRESSIONS. 125 
 Improper. Proper. 
 It is pleasant to com- It is pleasant to mor- 
 mand our passions, for tify our evil desires, for 
 this is empire; it is plea- this is victory; it is plea- 
 sant to mortify our evil sant to command our 
 desires, for this is vie passions, for this is em- 
 
 tory 
 
 pire. 
 
 Since the time that Since the time that 
 
 reason began to bud and reason began to exert 
 
 put forth her shoots, her power, thought has 
 
 thought has been active, been active. 
 
126 EXAMPLES OF GOOD COMPOSITION, 
 
 CHAP. r. 
 
 EXAMPLES OF GOOD COMPOSITION. 
 
 The best modern English writers in prose, 
 are Addison, Arbuthnot, Blair, Goldsmith, 
 Johnson, Karnes, Melmoth, Middleton, Pope, 
 Reid, Robertson, Dr. Smith, Stewart, and 
 Swift. Most of these excel in different kinds 
 of style, which are adapted to various sub- 
 jects. 
 
 Authors on prosaic composition, have ge- 
 nerally enumerated many kinds of good 
 stvle, and given various names to them, but 
 perhaps only two are particularly worthy of 
 imitation, viz. 1. The manly or vigorous 
 style used by Robertson, Steward, and John- 
 son, which 1 shall contrast with the feeble. 
 2. The clear or graceful, chiefly used by 
 . Addison, which shall be contrasted with the 
 obscure or inelegant style. 
 
STYLE. 
 
 127 
 
 1. CONTRASTED EXAMPLES. 
 
 The feeble. 
 When a book came 
 into the hands of Magli- 
 abechi, he would look 
 the title page all over, 
 then dip here and there 
 in the preface and dedi- 
 cation, if there were any, 
 and then cast his eyes on 
 each of the divisions or 
 chapters, and then he 
 w r ould be able for ever 
 to know what that had 
 contained. It was af- 
 ter he had taken this 
 way of foreshortening 
 his reading, (if I may be 
 allowed so odd an ex- 
 pression, and I think J 
 rather may), because he 
 conceived the matter 
 almost as completely in 
 this short way, as if he 
 
 The manly. 
 
 Wherever they march- 
 ed, their road was 
 marked with blood. 
 They respected no age, 
 or sex, or rank. What 
 escaped the fury of the 
 first attack, perished in 
 those which followed. 
 The most fertile and po- 
 pulous provinces were 
 converted into deserts, 
 in which were scattered 
 the ruins of cities, that 
 afforded shelter to the 
 miserable inhabitants 
 whom shame had pre- 
 served, or the sword of 
 the enemy tired with 
 destroying had spared. 
 The conquerors who 
 first settled in the coun- 
 tries they had wasted. 
 
128 
 
 STYLE. 
 
 The feeble. 
 
 had read it at full length, 
 that a priest who had 
 composed a panegyric 
 on one of his favourite 
 saints, brought it to 
 Magliabechi as a pre- 
 sent. He had read it 
 over the way above- 
 mentioned, only the ti- 
 tle page and the heads 
 of the chapters, and then 
 thanked him very kind- 
 ly for his excellent trea- 
 tise. SPENCE. 
 
 The manly, 
 were expelled or exter- 
 minated by new Inva- 
 ders, still more fierce 
 and rapacious. This 
 brought new calamities 
 upon mankind, which 
 did not cease until the 
 north, by pouring forth 
 successive swarms, were 
 drained of people, and 
 could no longer furnish 
 instruments of destruc- 
 tion. ROBERTSON, 
 
 The obscure. 
 Now if the fabric or 
 temper of the mind ap- 
 peared to us such as it 
 really is; if we saw it 
 impossible to remove 
 hence any good or or- 
 derly affection, or to in- 
 troduce any ill or disor- 
 
 The graceful. 
 Man considered in 
 himself, is a very help- 
 less and miserable being. 
 He is subject every mo- 
 ment to the greatest ca- 
 lamities and misfortunes. 
 He may become unhap- 
 py by numberless e&- 
 
THE GRACEFUL STYLE. 
 
 129 
 
 The obscure, 
 derly one, without draw- 
 ing on in some degree 
 that dissolute state, 
 which at its height is 
 confessed to be so mi- 
 serable; it would then 
 undoubtedly be confes- 
 sed, that since no ill, 
 inunoral, or unjust ac- 
 tion can be committed 
 without either a new in- 
 road and breach on the 
 
 The graceful. 
 sualties which he could 
 not foresee, nor have 
 prevented had he fore- 
 seen them. 
 
 It is our comfort while 
 we are obnoxious to so 
 many calamities, that 
 we are under the care 
 of one who directs con- 
 tingencies, and has in 
 his hands the manage- 
 ment of every thing that 
 
 temper and passions, or is capable of annoying 
 
 a further advancing of or offending us, who 
 
 that execution already knows the assistance 
 
 done; whoever did ill, we stand in need of, 
 
 or acted in prejudice of and is always ready to 
 
 his integrity, would of bestow it on those who 
 
 necessity act with ask it of him. 
 greater cruelty towards The natural homage 
 
 himself, than he who 
 scrupled not to swallow 
 what was poisonous, or 
 who with his own hands 
 should voluntarily man- 
 
 which such a creature 
 bears to so infinitely wise 
 and good a being, is a 
 firm reliance on him for 
 the blessings and con- 
 
 G 3 
 
130 A CONCISE STYLE. 
 
 The obscure. The graceful. 
 
 gle o?" wound his out- veniences of life, and an 
 
 ward form or constitu- habitual trust in him for 
 
 tion. Shaftesbury. deliverance out of all 
 
 such dangers and diffi* 
 
 culties as may befal us. 
 
 ADDISON. 
 
 2. UNCONTRASTED EXAMPLES. 
 
 Besides the two foregoing particular kinds 
 of good style, there are also two general ways 
 of writing or speaking, viz. the concise and 
 the diffuse. Each of these is good in differ- 
 ent respects, and the reader is to consider to 
 which he is naturally inclined to give the 
 preference, or how far he can adopt both on 
 suitable subjects. The concise has usually 
 short sentences, comprehends much in few 
 words, and is necessary for all subjects that 
 require much precision. The diffuse has ge- 
 nerally longer sentences than the concise, it 
 places the ideas in various views, and is 
 
A CONCISE STYLE. 131 
 
 adapted to subjects that require much illus- 
 tration. A quotation shall be given to ex- 
 emplify each of these two, and also exam- 
 ples of other sorts of style, and this chapter 
 will conclude with various specimens of good 
 compositions. 
 
 1. Examples of a good Concise Style, 
 
 A man while awake is conscious of a con- 
 tinued train of perceptions and ideas passing 
 in his mind. It requires no activity on his 
 part to carry on the train, nor can he at will 
 add to the train any idea that has no connec- 
 tion with it. At the same time we learn 
 from daily experience, .that the train cf our 
 thoughts is not regulated by chance, and if it 
 depends not upon will nor upon chance, by 
 what law is it governed ? The question is 
 important, and I promise beforehand, that it 
 will be found of great importance in the fine 
 arts. 
 
 It appears from the relations by which 
 things are linked together to have a great in- 
 fluence in directing the train of thought. 
 
132 A CONCISE STYLE. 
 
 Taking a view of external objects, we see that 
 their inherent properties are not more re- 
 markable than their various relations which 
 connect them together-: one thing perceived 
 to be a cause is connected with its several 
 effects: some things are connected by conti- 
 guity in time, others by contiguity in space ; 
 and some are connected by resemblance, 
 some by contrast, some go before, some fol- 
 low; not a single thing appears solitary and 
 altogether devoid of connection ; the only 
 difference is, that some are ultimately con- 
 nected, some more slightly, some near, some 
 at a distance. 
 
 Experience will satisfy us of what reason 
 makes probable, that the train of our thoughts 
 is in a great measure regulated by the fore- 
 going connections: an external object is no 
 sooner presented to us in idea, than it sug- 
 gests to the mind other objects with which it 
 is connected, and in this manner is a train of 
 thoughts composed. Such is the law of suc- 
 cession: whether an original law, or whether 
 directed by latent principle is doubtful, and 
 probably will for ever remain so. This law 
 
A DIFFUSE STYLE. 133 
 
 however is not inviolable, it sometimes hap- 
 pens, that an idea arises in the mind without 
 that connection, as for example after a pro- 
 found sleep. LORD KAMES. 
 
 2. Examples of a good Diffuse Style. 
 
 I can easily admire poetry, and yet without 
 adoring it : I can allow it to arise from the 
 greatest excellency of natural temper, or the 
 greatest degree of native genius, without ex- 
 ceeding the reach of what. is human, or giv- 
 ing it any approaches of divinity, which is, I 
 doubt, debased or dishonoured by ascribing 
 to it any thing that is in the compass of our 
 action, or even comprehension, unless it be 
 raised by an immediate influence from itself. 
 I cannot allow poetry to be more divine in 
 its effects than in its causes, nor any opera- 
 tions produced by it to be more than purely 
 natural, or to deserve any other sort of won- 
 der than those of music or of natural magic, 
 however any of them have appeared to 
 minds little versed in tbe speculations of na~ 
 
134 A DIFFUSE STYLE. 
 
 ture, of occult qualities, and the force of num- 
 bers or of sounds. Whoever talks of draw- 
 ing down the moon from heaven by force of 
 verses or of charms, either believes not him- 
 self, or too easily believes what others tell 
 him, or perhaps follows an opinion begun by 
 the practice of some poet, upon the facility 
 of some people, who knowing the time when 
 an eclipse would happen, told them he would 
 by his charms call down the moon at such 
 an hour, and was by them thought to have 
 performed it. 
 
 When I read that charming description in 
 Virgil's eighth eclogue of all sorts of charms 
 and fascinations, by verses, by images, by 
 numbers, by fire and by herbs, employed 
 upon occasion of a violent passion from a 
 jealous or disappointed love, I have recourse 
 to the strong impressions of fables and of 
 poetry, to the easy mistakes of popular opi- 
 nions, to the force of imagination, to the se- 
 cret virtues of several herbs, and to the 
 powers of sounds ; and I am sorry the natu- 
 ral history or account of fascination has not 
 
A DIFFUSE STYLE. % 135 
 
 employed the pen of some person of such 
 excellent wit, deep thought and learning, as 
 Casaubon, who" wrote that curious and useful 
 treatise of enthusiasm, and by it discovered 
 the hidden or mistaken sources of that delu- 
 sion so frequent in all regions and religions of 
 the world, and which had so fatally spread 
 over the country in the age in which that 
 treatise was published. It is much to be la- 
 mented, that he lived not to complete that 
 work in the second part he promised, or that 
 his friends neglected the publishing it, if it 
 were left in papers, though loose and unfi- 
 nished. I think a clear account of enthusi- 
 asm and fascination from their natural causes, 
 would very much deserve approbation from 
 mankind in general, as well as from the com- 
 monwealth of learning, and it might perhaps 
 prevent many public disorders, and save the 
 Jives of so many innocent deluded or delud- 
 ing persons, who suffer so frequently upon 
 account of witches and vizards. I have seen 
 many miserable examples of this kind in my 
 youth at home, and though the humour or 
 
1 36 A PLAIN STYLE. 
 
 fashion be a good deal worn out of the world, 
 within thirty or forty years past, yet it still 
 remains in several remote parts of Germany, 
 Sweden, and some other countries. 
 
 SIR W. TEMPLE. 
 
 3. Specimen of a good Plain Style. 
 
 I suppose it will be granted, that hardly 
 one in an hundred among our people of qua- 
 lity or gentry, appear to act by any principle 
 of religion. That great numbers of them do 
 entirely discard it, and are ready to own 
 their disbelief of all revelation. Nor is the 
 case much better among the vulgar, especi- 
 ally in large towns, where the profaneness 
 and ignorance of handicrafts, small traders, 
 and servants, are to a degree very great. It is 
 observed abroad, that no race of mortals has 
 so little sense of religion as English soldiers, 
 and the same at least may "be affirmed of the 
 fleet. The consequences of all which, upon 
 the actions of men, are equally manifest. 
 Immoral men do not go about as in former 
 
A NEAT STYLE. 13-7 
 
 times to hide or pailiate their vices, but ex- 
 pose them freely to view, like any other com- 
 mon occurrence of life; and although all 
 regard for reputation be not quite laid aside 
 in the other seXj yet it is at a very low ebb. 
 
 SW3£FT. 
 
 4. A neat Style, 
 
 We sympathize even with the dead, and 
 overlooking that awful futurity that awaits 
 them, we are chiefly affected by those cir- 
 cumstances which strike our senses. It is 
 miserable we think for them to be deprived 
 of the light of the sun, to be shut out from 
 life and conversation, to be laid in the cold 
 grave a prey to corruption and reptiles, and 
 in a little time- to be obliterated from the 
 affections, and almost from the memory of 
 their dearest friends and relations. Surely 
 we imagine we can never feel too much for 
 those who have suffered so dreadful a cala- 
 mity. That our sympathy can afford them 
 no consolation, seems to be an addition to 
 
138 A GOOD FLORID STYLE. 
 
 their calamity, and to think that the regret 
 and love of their friends can yield them no 
 comfort, serves only to exasperate our sense 
 of their misery. The happiness of the dead 
 most assuredly is affected by none of these 
 circumstances, nor is it the thought of these 
 things which can disturb the profound secu- 
 rity of their repose. It is from this very illu- 
 sion of the imagination that the foresight of 
 our own dissolution is so terrible to us, and 
 that the idea of those circumstances which 
 undoubtedly can give us no pain when we 
 are dead, makes us miserable while we are 
 alive. dr. smith. 
 
 5. A good Florid Style. 
 
 There is a kind of voice which speaks 
 through the universe. The language of na- 
 ture is that of delight, and even the parts in- 
 capable of admitting this delight have yet the 
 means of imparting it. 
 
 The structure of the heavens manifest 
 such design and wisdom, that some of the 
 
A GOOD FLORID STYLE. 159 
 
 ancient philosophers supposed that man was 
 born only to view and admire them. The 
 beauty displayed in this earth, equals the 
 grandeur conspicuous in the heavens. There 
 is no region in which the volume of instruc- 
 tion is not unfolded. In every climate is 
 found proper food for the support of the in- 
 habitants, and proper medicines for the re- 
 moval of their diseases. And should every 
 age even change its food and its diseases, 
 there would still be found in the world sup- 
 plies sufficient for the inhabitants — so beau* 
 tiful and provident is nature 1 The distribu- 
 tion of oceans, seas and rivers ; the variety 
 of fields, meadows, and groves ; the luxuriance 
 of fruits, herbs, and flowers; the return of the 
 four seasons, not only regular in their ap- 
 proaches, but bringing with them presents to 
 make their return desirable ; the pleasing vi- 
 cissitudes of day and night, all have a voice, 
 which by telling man he is constantly receiv- 
 ing favours, reminds him that he should be 
 ready to bestow them. dyer. 
 
140 A LACONIC STYLE. 
 
 6. A JLaconic Style. 
 
 The women in' their turn learned to be 
 more vain, gay, and alluring. They grew 
 studious to please and to conquer. They 
 lost some of the intrepidity and fierceness 
 which before were characteristic of them. 
 Their education was to be an object of great- 
 er attention and care. A finer sense of beau- 
 ty was to arise. They were to exert a fancy 
 in dress and ornament. A greater play was 
 to be given to sentiment and anticipation. 
 Greater reserve was to accompany the com- 
 merce of the sexes. Modesty was to take 
 the alarm sooner. Gallantry, in all its fashi- 
 ons and all its charms, was to unfold itself. 
 
 STEWART. 
 
 Man he surveyed with the most accurate 
 observation. His understanding acute and 
 vigorous, was well fitted for diving into the 
 human mind. His humour lively and versa- 
 tile, could paint justly and agreeably what he 
 saw. He possessed a rapid and clear concep- 
 tion with an animated and graceful style. 
 
 ANDERSON, 
 
GOOD EPISTOLARY STYLES. 1 U 
 
 7. Good Epistolary Styles, 
 
 Pythagoras to King Hiero. 
 
 I am happy at present in a life of safety 
 and retirement; a life entirely different from 
 yours. Sicillian luxury can never add to the 
 felicity of a man whose sole enjoyment is in 
 moderation and tranquillity. Wherever Py- 
 thagoras goes he will find every thing he 
 stands in need of. Attendance on the great 
 is a heavy task, to which those who are not 
 used to servitude can never submit. Health 
 is not to be preserved by intemperance, but 
 by that abstinence which leads men to the 
 practice of virtue. All pleasures weaken and 
 impair the mind, and especially those in 
 which you so frequently indulge yourself. 
 Whilst you live thus, do not invite Pythago- 
 ras ; but remember, that physicians are most 
 careful to avoid those distempers which af- 
 fect their patients. 
 
14-2 GOOD EPISTOLARY STYLES, 
 
 Cicero to Tiro, 
 
 I did not imagine that I should have been 
 so little able to support your absence* but in- 
 deed it is more than I can well bear. Be 
 well assured that there is nothing that I more 
 ardently desire than to have you with me, 
 provided I may enjoy that pleasure without 
 prejudice to yourself; but if your continuing 
 longer at Pratrae should be thought necessary, 
 I prefer your health to all other considera- 
 tions. If you should embark immediately, 
 you may overtake me at Leucus, but if you 
 defer your voyage till your recovery be better 
 confirmed, let me entreat you to be very care- 
 ful in choosing a safe ship, and do not sail at 
 an improper season, nor without a convoy. 
 I particularly charge you also my dear Tiro, 
 by all the regard you bear me, not to suffer 
 the arrival of Mario, or any thing that I have 
 said in this letter, in the least to influence 
 your resolution. It is true, I am extremely 
 desirous of your company, and of enjoying it 
 as early as possible: but the same affection 
 which causes me to be anxious to see you 
 
GOOD EPISTOLARY STYLES. ] 43 
 
 soon, makes me wish to see you well. Let 
 your health therefore be your principal care; 
 assuring yourself that among all the number- 
 less good offices I have received at your 
 hands, I shall esteem that by far the most 
 acceptable. cicero. 
 
 Mr. Tope to the Earl of Oxford. 
 MY LORD, 
 
 Your lordship may be surprised at the li- 
 berty I take of writing to you, though you 
 will allow me always to remember, that you 
 once permitted me that honour in conjunc- 
 tion with some others who better deserved 
 it. I hope you will not wonder I am still 
 desirous to have you think me your grateful 
 and faithful servant, but I own I have an am- 
 bition yet farther to have others think me so, 
 which is the occasion I give your lordship the 
 trouble of this. Poor Parnell, before he died, 
 left me the charge of publishing these few 
 remains of his. I have a strong desire to 
 make them, their author, and publisher, more 
 
144 GOOD EPISTOLARY STYLES. 
 
 considerable, by addressing and dedicating 
 them all to you. There is a pleasure in 
 bearing testimony to truth, and a vanity per- 
 haps, which at least is as excusable as any 
 vanity can be. I beg you, my Lord, to allow 
 me to gratify it in prefixing this paper of 
 honest verses to the book. I send the book 
 itself, which I dare say you will receive more 
 satisfaction in perusing, than you can from 
 any thing written upon the subject of your- 
 self. Therefore I am much in doubt whe- 
 ther you will care for such an addition. All 
 I shall say for it is, that it is the only dedi- 
 cation I ever wrote, and shall be the only 
 one, whether you accept of it or not ; for I 
 will not bow the knee to a less man than lord 
 Oxford, and I expect to see no greater in my 
 time. I am, my Lord, 
 
 Yours, &c. 
 
 ALEX. POPE. 
 
 Lady M. W. Montagu to Mr. Pope. 
 
 I have this minute received a letter of 
 yours, sent me from Paris. I believe- and 
 
GOOD EPISTOLARY STYLES. 145 
 
 hope that I shall very soon see both you and 
 Mr. Congreve, but as I am here at an inn, 
 where we stay to regulate our baggage in our 
 march to London, I shall employ some of 
 my leisure time in answering that part of 
 yours, that seems to require an answer. 
 
 I must applaud your good nature, in sup- 
 posing that your pastoral lovers, vulgarly cal- 
 led hay-makers, would have lived in conti- 
 nual joy and harmony, if the lightning had 
 not interrupted their scheme of happiness, 
 I see no reason to imagine, that John Hughes 
 and Sarah Drew, were either wiser, or more 
 virtuous than their neighbours ; neither am 
 I of opinion, that their sudden death was a 
 reward of their virtue. You know that the 
 Jews were reproved for thinking a village 
 destroyed by fire, more wicked than those 
 which had escaped the thunder. Time and 
 chance happen to all. Since you desire me 
 to- try my skill in an epitaph, I think the fol- 
 lowing more just, though not so poetical as 
 yours : 
 
 H 
 
146 EXAMPLES OF GOOD LANGUAGE. 
 
 Here lies John Hughes and Sarah Drew, . 
 Perhaps you'll say, what's that to you ; 
 Believe me, friend, much may be said 
 On that poor couple that are dead : 
 On Sunday next they should have married, 
 But see how oddly things are carried : 
 On Thursday last it rain'd and lightened, 
 These tender lovers sadly frighten'd, 
 Shelter'd beneath the cocking hay, 
 In hopes to pass the time away; 
 But the bold thunder found them out, 
 Commission'd for that end, no doubt, 
 And seizing on their trembling breath, 
 Consign'd them to the shades of death. 
 Who knows if 'twas not kindly done, 
 For had they seen the next year's sun, 
 A beaten wife and cuckold swain 
 Had jointly curs'd the marriage chain. 
 
 8. EXAMPLES OF GOOD PROSAIC 
 COMPOSITION. 
 
 Defence of Mila» 
 
 My Lords, 
 Let fear, if you Have any, be laid aside, and 
 act with spirit, for if ever you had it in your 
 
EXAMPLES OF GOOD LANGUAGE, 14*7 
 
 power to judge of the honest and the brave ; 
 if ever the liberty of worthy citizens was in 
 your hands ; if ever men, selected from the 
 most illustrious of our orders had an oppor- 
 tunity to render effectual by their decision 
 those favourable intimations which they had 
 before given by looks and words; in you at 
 this instant all these powers are vested, that 
 you may pronounce whether we who have 
 been devoted to your authority should lan- 
 guish under oppression, or after long perse- 
 cution by the most abandoned citizens, at 
 last be relieved by your integrity, virtue and 
 wisdom. cicero. 
 
 In praise of Pompey. 
 
 Where is the man that possesses greater 
 abilities in war than Pompey ? One who has 
 fought more pitched battles than others have 
 maintained personal disputes, carried on 
 more wars than others have acquired know- 
 ledge of by reading, reduced more provinces 
 than others have aspired to even in thought ; 
 whose youth was trained to the profession of 
 H 2 
 
US EXAMPLES OF GOOD LANGUAGE. 
 
 arms, not by precepts derived from others, 
 but by the highest offices of command ; not 
 by personal mistakes in war, but by a train 
 of important victories ; not by a series of cam- 
 paigns, but by a succession of triumphs. 
 
 CICERO. 
 
 Incitement to Action. 
 
 When will you, my countrymen, when will 
 you rouse from your indolence, and consider 
 what is to be done ? when you are forced to 
 it by some fatal disaster? when irresistible 
 necessity drives you ? What think you of the 
 disgraces that are already come upon you ? 
 Is not the past sufficient to stimulate your 
 activity ? How long will you amuse yourselves 
 with enquiring of one another what news, 
 as you ramble about the streets ? W'hat news 
 so strange ever came to Athens, as that Philip 
 the Macedonian should subdue, this state, 
 and lord it over Greece ? In the name of all 
 that is sacred, and all that is dear to us, let 
 us make an attempt with what forces we can 
 raise, and do what we can to curb this tyrant ! 
 
 DEMOSTHENES. 
 
EXAMPLES OF GOOD LANGUAGE. 149 
 
 Against the Romans. 
 But after all, who are these mighty Ro- 
 mans ? does not peace effeminate them ? 
 does not abundance debauch them ? and car 
 you imagine that they who are so remarkable 
 for their vices, are remarkable for their valour ? 
 What then do ye dread ? what is this formid-. 
 able Roman army? Is it not composed of a 
 mixture of people from different countries ? 
 They keep togetherwhile they are successful. 
 Attack them with vigour, and distress them j 
 you will then see them more disunited among 
 themselves than we are now. The Romans 
 have no parents, as we have, to reproach 
 them; they have no country here to fight 
 for; let us therefore boldly attack this dis- 
 united rabble. I conclude, my countrymen, 
 with putting you in mind, that on your be- 
 haviour this day depends your future enjoy- 
 ment of peace and liberty, or your subjection 
 to a tyrannical enemy with the grievous con- 
 sequences. When, therefore, you come to 
 engage, think of your ancestors, and think of 
 your posterity,, galgacus. 
 
150 EXAMPLES OF GOOD LANGUAGE. 
 
 Against the American War. 
 
 The war against America is against your 
 own countrymen, every blow therefore that 
 you strike in America is against yourselves. 
 The war of the Americans is of such a na- 
 ture as to be supported by the most powerful 
 virtues, the love of liberty and of their coun- 
 try, and at the same time by those passions 
 in the human heart which give courage, 
 strength, and perseverance to man. Every 
 thing combines to animate them, in order to 
 undergo difficulties and dangers, and as long 
 as there is a man in North America, you will 
 have him present himself against you in the 
 field. What is become of the ancient spirit 
 of the nation ? Have the present ministry 
 spent that too with almost all your money? 
 While you keep the ministers you have now, 
 no power in Europe will join you ; there is 
 none blind enough to be allied with weakness 
 and become partner in bankruptcy ; there is 
 no one blind enough to ally itself to obsti- 
 nacy, absurdity, and imbecility. fox. 
 
EXAMPLES OF GOOD LANGUAGE. 151 
 
 True Generosity. 
 
 True generosity is a vigorous principle of 
 the soul, which opens and expands all her 
 virtues far beyond those which are only the 
 forced productions of a timid obedience. 
 Religion without this principle of generosity 
 degenerates into a slavish fear, wisdom into 
 a specious cunning, and learning is but the 
 avarice of the mind. In a word, generosity 
 adds grace to every acquisition of the soul, 
 and if it does not necessarily include, at least it 
 reflects lustre upon the whole circle of moral 
 and intellectual qualities. 
 melmoth's letters of fiTzosborne. 
 
 Language, 
 
 Language is the dress of thought. As the 
 noblest mien or most graceful action would 
 be degraded by a garb appropriated to rustics 
 or mechanics, so the best sentiments will lose 
 their efficacy, if conveyed by words used 
 
152 EXAMPLES OF GOOD LANGUAGE, 
 upon low or trivial occasions, debased by 
 vulgar mouths, or improperly applied. 
 
 DR. JOHNSON. 
 
 Familiar Intercourse. 
 
 A wise and good man is never so amiable 
 as in his unbended and familiar intervals. 
 Heroic generosity or philosophical discove- 
 ries may compel veneration j but love always 
 implies some kind of natural or voluntary 
 equality, and is only to be excited by that 
 cheerfulness which disencumbers all minds 
 from awe and solicitude, invites the modest 
 to freedom, and the timorous to confidence. 
 
 DR. JOHNSON. 
 
 Redeeming Time. 
 
 Redeem your time from dangerous waste, 
 and seek to fill it with such employments 
 which you may review with satisfaction. 
 The acquisition of knowledge is one of the 
 most honourable occupations of youth. The 
 desire of it discovers a liberal mind, and is 
 
connected with many virtues and many ac- 
 complishments. Whatever you pursue be 
 emulous to excel. Think not that any afflu- 
 ence of fortune* or any elevation of mind, 
 exempts you from the duties of application. 
 Industry is the law of our being, it is the de- 
 mand of nature, of reason, and of God. 
 
 DR. BLAIR. 
 
 Advantages of Gentleness. 
 
 To the man of gentleness, the world is 
 generally disposed to ascribe every other 
 good quality. The higher endowments of 
 the mind we admire at a distance ; but this 
 much nearer, for since all in some degree 
 partake- of the effects of gentleness, therefore 
 all love it, The man of this character often 
 rises in the world without struggle, and flou- 
 rishes without envy. His misfortunes are 
 universally lamented, and his failings are ea- 
 sily forgiven. DR. BLAIR. 
 
 Lessons of Mortality. 
 When I look upon the tombs of the 
 great, every emotion of envy dies in me; 
 H 3 ; 
 
154. EXAMPLES OF GOOD LANGUAGE. 
 
 when I read the epitaphs of the beautiful, 
 every inordinate desire goes out; when I 
 meet with the grief of parents upon tomb- 
 stones, my heart melts with compassion; 
 when I see the tombs of the parents them- 
 selves, 1 consider the vanity of grieving for 
 those whom we must quickly follow ; when 
 I see kings lying by those who deposed them, 
 and rivals placed side by side, or the men that 
 divided the world with their contests and dis- 
 putes, I reflect with astonishment on the 
 little competitions, factions, and debates of 
 mankind ; when I read the several dates of 
 the tombs, of some that died yesterday and 
 some many hundred years ago, I consider 
 that great day when we shall all of us be 
 contemporaries, and make our appearance 
 together. addison. 
 
 Blessings of Nature. 
 
 Nature seems to have taken a particular 
 care so to disseminate her blessings that the 
 inhabitants of different parts of the globe 
 might have a kind of dependence upon one 
 another, and be united by their common in^ 
 
EXAMPLES OF GOOD LANGUAGE. 155 
 
 terests. Almost every nation produces some- 
 thing peculiar to it. The food often grows 
 in one country, and the sauce, in another. 
 The fruits of Portugal are corrected by the 
 products of Barbadoes; the infusion of a 
 China plant sweetened with the pith of an 
 Indian cane. The Phiilippine islands give a 
 flavour to our European bowls. The single 
 dress of a woman of quality is often the pro- 
 duct of many climates; The muff and the 
 fan come together from different ends of the 
 earth. The scarf is sent from the torrid 
 zone, and the tippet from beneath the pole. 
 The brocade petticoat rises out of the mines 
 of Peru, and the diamond necklace out of the. 
 bowels of Indostan. addison. 
 
 Character of Mary Queen of Scots, 
 
 To all the charms of beauty, and the ut- 
 most elegance of external form, Mary ad- 
 ded those accomplishments which make their 
 impression irresistible. Polite, affable, in- 
 sinuating, sprightly and capable of speaking 
 and writing with equal ease and dignity, 
 
156 EXAMPLES OF GOOD LANGUAGE. 
 
 Sudden however, and violent in all her at- 
 tachments, because her heart was warm and 
 unsuspicious. Impatient of contradiction, 
 because she had been accustomed from her 
 infancy to be treated as a queen. No 
 stranger to dissimulation, which, in that per- 
 fidious court where she received her educa- 
 tion was reckoned among the necessary arts 
 of government. Not insensible to flattery, 
 or unconscious of that pleasure with which 
 almost every woman beholds the influence 
 of her own beauty. To say that she was al- 
 ways unfortunate, will not account for that 
 long succession of misfortunes that befel her, 
 we must likewise add, that she was often im- 
 prudent. Her passion for Darniey was rash 
 and excessive, and the manners of the age, 
 licentious as they were, are no apology for 
 her attachment to that nobleman. Huma- 
 nity will draw a veil over this part of her 
 character, which it cannot approve, and it 
 may perhaps prompt some to impute her im- 
 prudent actions more to her situation than to 
 her disposition. Mary's sufferings exceed, 
 both in degree and in duration, those tragical 
 
EXAMPLES OF GOOD LANGUAGE. 157 
 
 distresses which fancy has feigned to excite 
 sorrow and commiseration, and while we 
 survey them we are apt to forget her frailties. 
 Besides the beauty of her person, she danced, 
 she walked, and rode with equal grace. Her 
 taste for music was just, and she both sung 
 and played upon the lute with uncommon 
 skill. In short, she possessed all the quali- 
 ties and talents that we admire, and no per- 
 son of sensibility will ever read her history 
 without sorrow. Robertson, 
 
 On Justice, 
 
 Justice may be defined that virtue which 
 impels us to give every person what is his 
 due. In this extended sense of the word it 
 comprehends the practice of every virtue 
 which reason prescribes or society should ex- 
 pect. Our duty to our Maker, to each other, 
 and to ourselves, are fully answered if we give 
 them what we owe them. Thus justice, pro- 
 perly speaking, is very comprehensive, and 
 all the other virtues have their origin from it, 
 The qualities of candour, fortitude, charity. 
 
158 EXAMPLES OF GOOD 
 
 and generosity, for instance, are not in their 
 own nature virtues; and if ever they deserve 
 the title, it is owing only to justice, which im- 
 pels and directs them. Without such a mo- 
 derator, candour might become indiscretion, 
 fortitude obstinacy, charity imprudence, and 
 generosity mistaken profusion. 
 
 GOLD-SMJTH. 
 
 Horner and Virgil compared. 
 
 Homer was the greater genius, Virgil the 
 better artist ; in the one we must admire the 
 man, in the other the work. Homer hurries 
 and transports us with a commanding impe- 
 tuosity, Virgil leads us with an attractive 
 majesty ; Homer scatters with a generous 
 profusion, Virgil bestows with a careful mag- 
 nificence. Homer, like the Nile, pours out 
 his riches with a boundless overflow; Virgil, 
 like a river in its banks, with a gentle and 
 constant stream. pope. 
 
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE. 159 
 
 9. EXAMPLES OF GOOD FIGURATIVE 
 LANGUAGE. 
 
 Christ superior to Mahomet, 
 
 Go to your natural religion-; lay before 
 her Mahomet and his disciples, arrayed in ar- 
 mour and in blood, riding in triumph over 
 the spoils of thousands who fell byJiis victo- 
 rious sword. Shew her the cities which he 
 set in flames, the countries which he ravaged 
 and destroyed, and the miserable distress of 
 the inhabitants of the earth. When she has 
 viewed him in this scene, carry her into his 
 retirement, shew her the prophet's chamber, 
 his concubines and his wives, and let her hear 
 him ailedge revelation and a divine commis- 
 sion to justify his adultery and lust. When 
 she is tired with this prospect, then shew her 
 the blessed Jesus, humble and meek, doing 
 good to all the sons of men. Let her see 
 him in his most retired privacies, let her fol- 
 low him to the mount, and hear his devotions 
 
1 50 EXAMPLES OF GOOD » 
 
 and supplications to God. Carry her to his 
 table, and . view his poor fare, and hear his 
 heavenly discourse. Let her attend -him to 
 the tribunal, and consider the patience with 
 which he endured the scoffs and reproaches 
 of his enemies. Lead her to his cross; let 
 her view him in the agony of death, and 
 hear his last prayer for his persecutors, * Fa- 
 ther forgive them, for they know not what 
 they do.' 
 
 When natural religion has. thus viewed 
 both, ask her which is the prophet of God ? 
 But her answer .we have already had, when 
 she saw part of this scene through the eyes 
 of the centurion who attended at the cross. 
 By him she spoke and said, c truly this man 
 was the son of God.' bp. Sherlock, - 
 
 Revolutions of Life. 
 
 The world is like a vast sea, mankind like- 
 a vessel sailing on its tempestuous bosom. 
 Our prudence is its sails, the sciences serve 
 us for oars, good or bad fortune are the fa- 
 vourable or contrary winds, and judgment is 
 
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE, 161 
 
 the rudder. In a word, obscurity and indi- 
 gence are sometimes the parents of vigilance 
 and ceconomy, vigilance and ceconomy of 
 riches and honour, riches and honour of 
 pride and luxury, pride and luxury of impurity 
 and idleness, and impurity and idleness may 
 again produce indigence and obscurity. Such 
 are the revolutions of life. 
 
 GOLDSMITH. 
 
 Poverty never welcome, 
 
 The goddess appears, for poverty ever 
 comes at the call ; but alas ! he finds her by 
 no means the charming figure, which books, 
 and imagination had painted. As when an. 
 eastern bride, whom her friends and relations 
 had long described as a model of perfection, 
 pays her first visit, the longing bridegroom 
 lifts the veil to see a face he had never seen 
 before, but instead of a countenance blazing 
 with beauty like the sun, he beholds de- 
 formity shooting icicles to his heart; such ap- 
 pears poverty to her new entertainer. 
 
 GOLDSMITH-. 
 
1 62 EXAMPLES OF GOOU 
 
 Knowledge compared to a Hill. 
 
 We shall conduct you to a hill-side, labo- 
 rious indeed at the first ascent, but else so 
 smooth, so green, so full of goodly prospects 
 and melodious sounds on every side, that the 
 harp of Orpheus was not more, charming. 
 
 MILT. ON. 
 
 The m& and the foolish. 
 
 How different is the view of past life in 
 the man who is grown old in knowledge 
 from that of him who is grown old in igno- 
 rance ! the latter is like the owner of a bar- 
 ren country, that fills the eye with the pro- 
 spect of naked hills and plains, which produce 
 nothing either profitable or ornamental ; the 
 former beholds a pleasant and spacious- land- 
 scape, divided into delightful gardens, green 
 meadows, fruitful fields ; and can scarce cast 
 his eye on a single spot of his possessions, 
 that is not covered with some beautiful flower 
 or plant, addison. 
 
 
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE. 163 
 
 Superiority of Sense. 
 
 A man of sense and imagination is let unto 
 a great many pleasures which the vulgar are 
 not capable of receiving. He can converse 
 with a picture, and find an agreeable compa- 
 nion in a statue. He meets with a secret re- 
 freshment in a description, and often feels a 
 greater satisfaction in the prospect of £elds 
 and meadows, than another does in the pos- 
 session. It gives him a kind of property in 
 every thing he sees, and makes the most rude 
 uncultivated parts of nature administer to his 
 pleasures; so that he looks upon the world in 
 another light, and discovers in it a multitude 
 of charms that conceal themselves from the 
 generality of mankind. addison. 
 
 Seme and Imagination like Wax, 
 
 As wax would not be adequate to the pur- 
 pose of signature, if it had not the power to 
 retain as well as to receive, the impression, 
 the same holds of the soul with respect to 
 
J 64 EXAMPLES OF GOOD, &c. 
 
 sense and imagination. Sense is its receptive 
 power, imagination its retentive. Had it 
 sense without imagination, it would not be as 
 wax, but as water, where, though ail impres- 
 sions be instantly made, yet as soon as they 
 are made, they are immediately lost. 
 
 Unseen Heights in Learning.. 
 
 Fir'd at first sight with what the Muse imparts,, 
 In fearless youth we tempt the height of arts; 
 While from the bounded level of our mind, 
 Short views we take, nor see the lengths behind j 
 But more advanced, behold with strange surprize 
 New distant scenes of endless science rise ! 
 So pleas'd at first, the towering Alps we try, 
 Mount o'er the vales, and seem to tread the sky ! 
 Th' eternal snows appear already past, 
 And the first clouds and mountains seem the last ; 
 But these attained, we tremble to survey 
 The growing labours of the lengthen'd way ; 
 TV increasing prospect tires our wand'ring eyes* 
 Hills geep o'er hills, r and Alps on Alps arise! 
 
HOW TO FORM A GOOD STYLB. 165 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 * H'OW TO FORM A GOO© STYLE. 
 
 A good style cannot be better defined than 
 in the following words by Dr. Armstrong, 
 * If I were to reduce my own idea of the best 
 Janguage to a definition, 1 should call it the 
 shortest, clearest, and most easy way of ex- 
 pressing our thoughts by the most harmonious 
 arrangement of the best chosen words, both 
 for meaning and sound. The best language 
 is strong and expressive without stiffness or 
 affectation, short and concise without being 
 either obscure or ambiguous, and easy, flow- 
 ing, and disengaged, without undetermined or 
 superfluous words.' 
 
 From the examples of style in the preced- 
 ing chapter, it appears that there are various 
 sorts of good style. The judicious reader 
 
166 HOW TO FORM A GOOD STYLE. 
 
 should not merely consider to which he gives 
 the preference, but which is most suited to 
 his disposition of mind, and present attain- 
 ments. Those who are classical scholars, or 
 have a correct taste with a fine imagination, 
 may on suitable subjects, use the graceful or 
 florid style, so that they keep clear from 
 bombast and affectation. Such as have not 
 these accomplishments, should adopt the 
 plain, the neat, or the vigorous style, with 
 few or no figurative expressions. With re- 
 spect to the diffuse or concise manner of 
 writing, each has its peculiar advantages, and 
 each becomes faulty when carried to the ex- 
 treme. The extreme of diffuseness becomes 
 weak, and tires the reader, and therefore 
 conciseness upon the whole is preferable, yet 
 it may degenerate into abruptness and ob- 
 scurity. As to the laconic style, although it 
 may seem pleasing, and it was much used by 
 the ancients, yet being so short, it is very lia- 
 ble to obscurity, and is without dignity. For 
 these reasons it is but seldom used by the 
 foest modern writers; however, it may be 
 used on some familiar subjects, especially in 
 
HOW TO FORM A GOOD STYT.E. 167 
 
 epistolary writings. Thus much being said 
 on the different kinds of style, in order to as- 
 sist the reader to fix on one which is suitable, 
 it will also be necessary to give directions 
 how to form any such style correctly. This 
 will be done by pointing out, first, what 
 faults must be avoided, secondly, to what we 
 must particularly attend. 
 
 1. WHAT MUST BE AVOIDED. 
 
 1. All improper words — Any one> who 
 wishes to be a correct writer, must not only 
 avoid all ungrammatical and provincial ex- 
 pressions, but also all improper contractions; 
 as, 'tis, 'twere, &c. Besides, he must not 
 use words that are obsolete, low, or inele- 
 gant, such for instance as are mentioned in 
 the contrasted examples, and various others 
 of a similar nature. He should also avoid 
 words that have a harsh sound though they 
 may be proper. 
 
 2. All redundant words — Synonymous 
 words are sometimes proper, in order to avoid 
 repetitions, or to give a pleasing variety, but 
 
163 HOW TO FORM A GOOD STYLE. 
 
 they should be very cautiously used. Every 
 sentence should either have a new idea, or 
 contain a necessary illustration of the fore- 
 going, and every member of a sentence should 
 not have superfluous words of any kind, for 
 it is an invariable rule in composition, that 
 every word which adds nothing to the sense 
 or beauty of the sentiment must tend to in- 
 jure one or both of them. The same re- 
 marks are also applicable to the repetition of 
 ideas. 
 
 3. All ambiguous expressions — Our words 
 may not be improper in themselves, and no 
 redundant terms maybe used, and yet some 
 of the words may not convey the precise idea, 
 but perhaps a very different one, which may 
 cause mistakes or confusion. When words 
 or terms are thus misapplied, the reader or 
 hearer must either bcrnisledy or else he is not 
 edified. 
 
 4, Stiff inverted phrases — All inversions 
 are not to be avoided, for sometimes they are 
 necessary for the sake of variety, but in gene- 
 ral the natural order of a sentence is best. 
 Lord Shaftesbury's style has too many in- 
 
HOW TO FORxM A GOOD STYLE. 169 
 
 verted phrases, which make it very affected, 
 and Blair is rather faulty in this particular, as 
 may be seen under the Misplaced Contrasted 
 Examples, Chap. II. 
 
 5. Very long sentences — It is true that 
 sentences ought not to be too short, for then 
 the sense may be obscured, but to be very 
 long is a great impropriety. Old English 
 authors generally wrote in a very diffuse 
 manner, with long sentences, and some mo- 
 dern French authors write in a laconic style, 
 with very short sentences. Perhaps both of 
 these are extremes. No invariable rule can 
 be given, but we may truly say that every 
 good style is generally composed of long and 
 short sentences properly intermixed. In or- 
 der to know how to divide long sentences, 
 see Divided Contrasted Sentences, Chap. III. 
 6. All servile imitations — If we can so 
 imitate the style of Addison, or any other 
 good writer, as to make it our own, it will be 
 well. If we-injudiciGiisli/ imitate any. cele- 
 brated author, we shall copy their defects as 
 weli as their beauties. It is better to have a 
 plain style of our own, than to affect a florid 
 i 
 
]70 HOW TO FORM A GOOD STYLE. 
 
 one of some great writer. This servile imi- 
 tation is an attempt to shine in borrowed or- 
 naments, and it will sooner or later expose us 
 to contempt. 
 
 7. Improper beginnings and conclusions — ■ 
 Never begin a subject with a long sentence, 
 or one that is hard to be understood. Do 
 not let any sentence consist chiefly of words 
 of one syllable. Never conclude a subject 
 with a short sentence, nor yet with any such 
 inconsiderable words as, ' by, from, with, 
 upon, of, after, to, also, it,' &c. After you 
 have exhibited good ideas, let there be no 
 
 falling off towards the end. To conclude 
 harmoniously, the last word or the last but 
 one should be a long syllable in every sen- 
 tence. Be careful not to conclude any im- 
 portant part of a subject abruptly, and much 
 less the last sentence in such a manner. 
 
 8. Avoid carelessness in composition — It 
 is a great mistake, to suppose that there must 
 be a kind of carelessness in our language, or 
 it will be stiff. We may use great judgment 
 in the choice and arrangement of words, and 
 yet the style may be easy and elegant. In 
 
HOW TO FORM A GOOD STYLE. 17 I 
 
 first setting down to compose, perhaps it may 
 be proper to take almost the first words that 
 offer, but we must not neglect to review and 
 correct what is written. Some authors, pre- 
 suming upon the reputation they have gained, 
 have afterwards lost it by carelessness. 
 
 2. TO WHAT WE MUST PARTICULARLY 
 ATTEND. 
 
 Get a comprehensive and clear knowledge 
 of the subject — If we do not understand what 
 we write upon, we are not likely to explain it 
 properly to others, .but when it is well under- 
 stood, suitable words generally come into the 
 mind. This will be the case in an especial 
 manner, if, while speaking or writing on a 
 subject, it animates us, or we strongly feel its 
 importance. 
 
 2. Be well acquainted with the requisites 
 for composition. English composition is 
 now so much refined, that those who wish to 
 appear to advantage as authors, must not 
 only know grammar and the elements of rhe- 
 toric, but they should also understand the 
 
172 HOW TO FORM A GOOD STYLE, 
 various idioms of the English language,- and 
 its extent. They should likewise know the 
 most approved phrases, used by the best 
 writers, and the distinction between words 
 accounted synonymous. Besides all this, 
 they should have taste and a good ear. 
 
 3. Often peruse the best prosaic authors — 
 As examples teach better than any rules that 
 can be given, therefore we must study the 
 works of the most polished writers. This 
 will not only furnish us with valuable ideas, 
 but supply with a stock of suitable words. 
 Swiff s style is pure English, but it is too fa- 
 miliar and unadorned for any grand subject. 
 The style of Shaftesbury is generally correct 
 snd harmonious, but it is very affected and 
 bombastic. Dr. Johnson's style is masculine, 
 and his writings are truly valuable, but they 
 are not free from pedantic expressions, and 
 the language wants more simplicity. The 
 style of Dr. Blair would be very good, if it 
 had more ease, and if his writings had not so 
 many Scotticisms, inaccuracies, and stiff in- 
 verted sentences. Dr. Robertson's style is 
 excellent for historical representations, but 
 
HOW TO FORM A GOOD STYLE. 173 
 perhaps it is not fit for any other kind of 
 composition. Addison has some inaccuracies 
 in his writings, but, upon the whole, his style 
 is certainly the best of any English author. 
 It may also be added, that Lord Karnes, Drs. 
 Reid, Smith, Goldsmith, and Mr. Melmoth, 
 have written in a style very well adapted to 
 their respective subjects. With respect to 
 theological writers, Dr. Jortin's style is very 
 good, and the sermons of Dr. Wit her spoon 
 and Mr. Rob ert Walker are models of com- 
 position in different respects. 
 
 4. Read the best British poets — As poetry 
 is under very different laws to what prose is, 
 and as nature must make a poet, therefore 
 this treatise is not intended to give rules to 
 poets; however, prosaic authors should read 
 poetry, in order to improve their taste, and to 
 enliven their imagination. The best English 
 writers in blank verse are, Milton, Thompson, 
 Young, and Phillips, and some of the best in 
 rhyme are, Pope, Cowper, Watts, Prior, 
 Goldsmith, Shenstone, and Hayley. Those 
 who cannot purchase Dr. Jjhnson's British 
 Poets, and have noi much time to read, may 
 
 12 
 
174 HOW TO FORM A GOOD STYLE, 
 find great pleasure and profit in perusing Dr. 
 Mavor's classical poetry, lately published, in 
 1 vol. 12mo. price 4s. 6d. 
 
 5. Often clothe the thoughts of a good 
 writer in your own words. Take any very 
 sentimental passage from Addison, Blair, or 
 Johnson, read it over till you fully understand 
 it, and then give it in your own language. 
 By doing this, and then comparing your per- 
 formance with the original, you will not only 
 perceive your faults, but discover the peculiar 
 beauties of the original. 
 
 6. Very frequently compose— Good rules 
 respecting composition may greatly assist, but 
 only taste and frequent exercise can make a 
 correct writer. Begin with short essays upon 
 common subjects ; think very much before you 
 compose, and form the general plan before 
 you begin to write on any subject. Always 
 lay by your performance to be afterwards 
 corrected, and if you have a literary friend, ask 
 his ad ice, or let him impartially examine 
 your production. Endeavour to get a habit 
 of correct writing, but do not compose too ia~ 
 piaty. Remember the following lines : 
 
HOW TO FORM A GOOD STYLE. 175 
 
 Compare each phrase, examine, ev'ry line, 
 Weigh ev'ry word, and ev'ry thought refine ; 
 Write and re- write, blot out and write again, 
 And for its swiftness ne'er commend your pen. 
 
 7. Let the style be adapted to the subject — 
 A plain or neat style is most fit for subjects 
 that require reasoning or deep thought. The 
 manly or graceful is suited to religious, moral, 
 and some literary topics. The vehement 
 style of Lord Bolingbroke or Mr. Burke, is 
 on many occasions proper for public speakers- 
 in the senate or at the bar. 
 
 A florid style, which is free from bombast, 
 is well adapted to some grand or picturesque 
 subjects. The style of Hume or Gibbon, but 
 especially Dr. Robertson, may well suit all 
 historical descriptions. Cicero- and Pliny 
 amongst the ancients, and Atterbury, Arbuth- 
 not, Montaigne, Pope, and Lady Montague 
 amongst the moderns, are models fcr episto- 
 lary writing. 
 
 8. Let the conclusion of every subject 
 be striking — Cicero, Quintilian, and other 
 writers on eloquence, give particular direc- 
 
176 HOW TO FORM A GOOD STYLE. 
 
 tions that the peroration, i. e. the conclu- 
 sion of an oration, should be so harmonious 
 and striking, as to leave a pleasing impression 
 upon the minds of the hearers. This is 
 equally applicable to written language, and 
 the reader may observe, that most of the 
 short examples of good composition in this 
 work finish gracefully. 
 
 I shall conclude this treatise with the fol- 
 lowing quotation taken from Mr. Linley 
 Murray's Grammar. ' Did we always think 
 clearly, and were we fully masters of the 
 language in which we write, there would be 
 occasion iox Jew rules. Our sentences would 
 then, of course, acquire all those properties 
 of clearness, unity, strength, and accuracy, 
 which have been recommended. We may 
 rest assured, that whenever we express our- 
 selves ill, besides the mismanagement of lan- 
 guage, there is for the most part some mis- 
 take in our manner of conceiving the subject. 
 Embarrassed, obscure, and feeble sentiments 
 are generally, if not always, the result of 
 embarrassed, obscure, and feeble thought. 
 The understanding and language have a 
 
HOW TO FORM A GOOD STYLE. 177 
 
 strict connexion, and they who are learning 
 to compose and arrange their sentences with 
 accuracy and order, are learning at the same 
 time to think with accuracy and order; a 
 consideration which alone will recompense 
 the student for his attention to this branch of 
 literature.' 
 
 THE END. 
 
 Printed by C. WHITTINGHAM, 
 Dean Street, Fetter Lane. 
 
BUCKINGHAM BOARDING SCHOOL 
 
 YOUNG GENTLEMEN 
 
 The Rev, G. G. Scraggs takes Boarders at E ; ghteen C-, 
 neas per Annum, (Washing excluder!) and One Guinea En- 
 trance. Besides Reading, Writing, and Cyphering, Mr. 
 Scraggs teaches the English, Latin, and Greek. Languages; 
 together with the Elements of History, Geography, Astronomy, 
 and English Composition. French, Music, and Drawing are 
 also taught on the usual terms. 
 
 Buckingham is well known to be a very healthy situation, 
 57 miles from London, and coaches up or down every day. 
 
 *£* Mr. Scraggs has been above 16 years engaged in 
 teaching youth. He has never taken a large number of pupils, 
 well-knowing that a small school is moat for the benefit of the 
 scholar, as well as the comfort of the master. Being fully con- 
 vinced also, that long holidays are injurious to pup:l., Mr. 
 Scraggs gives only three weeks at Christmas and Midsum- 
 mer. 
 
 e 
 
 5