Sentences in which the rules of Harmony are violated. 320. Sobermindedness suits the present state of man. To use the Divine name customarily, and without serious consideration, is highly irreverent. From the favorableness with which he was at first received, great hopes of success were entertained. They conducted themselves wilily, and insnared us before we had time to escape. It belongs not to our humble and confined station, to censure; but to adore, submit, and trust. closely united: as, "Unsuccessfulness, wrongheadedness, tenderheartedness:" 2. Such as have the syllables which immediately follow the accented syllable, crowded with consonants that do not easily coalesce: as, "Questionless, chroniclers, conventiclers:" 3. Such as have too many syllables following the accented syllable: as, "Primarily, cursorily, summarily, peremptoriness; " 4. Such as have a short or unaccented syllable repeated, or followed by another short or unaccented syllable very much resembling it: as, "Holily, sillily, lowlily, farriery.” But let the words themselves be ever so well chosen, and well sounding, yet, if they be ill disposed, the melody of the sentence is utterly lost, or greatly impaired. We may take, for an instance of a sentence remarkably harmonious, the following lines from Milton's Treatise on education: "We shall conduct you to a hill-side, laborious 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." Every thing in this sentence conspires to promote the harmony. The words are well chosen; full of liquids and soft sounds; laborious, smooth, green, goodly, melodious, charming; and these words are so artfully arranged, that were we to alter the situation of any one of them, we should, presently, be sensible of the melody's suffering. The members of a sentence, should not be too long, nor disproportionate to each other. When they have a regular and proportional division they are much easier to the voice, are more clearly understood, and better remembered, than when this rule is not regarded; for whatever tires the voice, and offends the ear, is apt to mar the strength of the expression, and to degrade the sense of the author. With respect to the cadence or close of a sentence, care should be taken, that it be not abrupt, nor unpleasant. The following instances may be sufficient to show the propriety of some attention to this part of the rule "Virtue, diligence, and industry, joined with good temper and prudence are prosperous in general." It would be better thus: "Virtue, diligence, and industry, joined with good temper and prudence, have ever been found the surest road to prosperity. An author speaking of the Trinity, expresses himself thus: "It is a mystery which we firmly believe the truth of, and humbly adore the depth of." How much better would it have been with this transposition!"It is a mystery, the truth of which we firmly believe, and the depth of which we humbly adore." Though attention to the words and members, and the close of sentences, must not be neglected, yet, in no instance should perspicuity, precision, or strength of sentiment, be sacrificed to sound. All unmeaning words, introduced merely to round the period, or fill up the melody, are great blemishes in writing. They are childish and trivial ornaments, by which a sentence always loses more in point of weight, than it can gain by such additions to its sound. The humbling of those that are mighty, and the precipitation of persons who are ambitious, from the towering height that they had gained, concern but little the bulk of man. Sloth, ease, success, naturally tend to beget vices and follies. I had a long and perilous journey, but a comfortable companion, who relieved the fatigue of it. The truly illustrious are they who do not court the praise of the world, but who perform such actions as make them indisputably deserve it. By the means of society, our wants come to be supplied, and our lives are rendered comfortable, as well as our capacities enlarged, and our virtuous affections called forth into their proper exercise. As no one is without his failings, so few want good qualities. Providence delivered them up to themselves, and they tormented themselves. OF THE USE OF THE FIGURES OF SPEECH. [The figures of speech have already been enumerated and explained on page 66.] 327. The principal advantages of figures of speech, are the two following. First, They enrich the language, and render it more copious. By their means, words and phrases are multiplied, for expressing all sorts of ideas; for describing even the minutest differences: the nicest shades and colors of thought; which no language could possibly do by proper words alone, without assistance from Tropes. Secondly, They frequently give us a much clearer and more striking view of the principal object, than we could have, if it were expressed in simple terms, and divested of its accessory idea. By a well chosen figure, even conviction is assisted, and the impression of a truth upon the mind, made more lively and forcible than it would otherwise be. We perceive this in the following illustration of Young: "When we dip too deep in pleasure, we always stir a sediment that renders it impure and noxious:" and in this instance: "A heart boiling with violent passions, will always send up infatuating fumes to the head. An image that presents so much congruity between a moral and a sensible idea, serves, like an argument from analogy, to enforce what the author asserts, and to induce belief. 328. In general, Figures of Speech imply some departure from simplicity of expression; the idea which we mean to convey is expressed in a particular manner, and with some circumstance added, which is designed to render the impression more strong and vivid. When we say, for instance, "That a good man enjoys comfort in the midst of adversity;" we express our thoughts in the simplest manner possible: but when we say, "To the upright there ariseth light in darkness;" the same sentiment is expressed in a figurative style; a new circumstance is introduced; "light," is put in the place of "comfort," and "darkness" is used to suggest the idea of adversity. In the same manner, to say, "It is impossible, by any search we can make, to explore the Divine Nature fully," is to make a simple proposition: but when we say, "Canst thou, by searching, find out the Lord? Canst thou find out the Almighty to perfection? It is high as heaven, what canst thou do? deeper than hell, what canst thou know?" this introduces a figure into style; the proposition being not only expressed, but with it, admiration and astonishment. 329. In the use of the figures of speech, certain rules are to be observed. Analogy or resemblance is the foundation of figurative expressions and therefore in judging of the propriety of a metaphor, it is useful to form a picture of it in the mind, to see whether the parts agree. Thus when the Poet says, "And, as 1 twine the mournful wreath, "I'll weave a melancholy song:" if we present this idea in a picture, we must represent the poet at a loom, weaving a song!! 330. Again, when Shakspeare says, "To take arms against a sea* of troubles :" if we make a picture of this metaphor, we must represent a man clad in armor, going out to fight water! The impropriety of such mixed and inconsistent metaphors must be very apparent. The following rules relate to Metaphors. 331. 1. Metaphors should neither be too numerous, too gay, nor too elevated; but suited to the nature of the subject. 2. They must be drawn from proper objects; avoiding all such as will raise in the mind disagreeable, mean, or low ideas. 3. Every metaphor should be founded on a resemblance which is clear and striking; not far fetched, nor difficult to be discovered. 4. Metaphorical and plain language must not be jumbled together; that is, a sentence should never be so constructed that a part of it must be understood literally, and a part metaphorically. 5. Two different metaphors must not meet together on the same subject. 6. Metaphors should not be crowded together on the same subject. 7. Metaphors should not be too far pursued." The following sentences contain violations of the foregoing rules. 332. No human happiness is so serene as not to contain any alloy. There is a time when factions, by the vehemence of their own fermentations, stun and disable one another. I intend to make use of these words in the thread of my speculations. * Mr. Steele, in his "Prosodia Rationalis" has rescued the Poet from this inconsistency, by giving the following reading, which he supposes to be the original: "To take arms against assail of troubles. " Hope, the balm of life, darts a ray of light through the thickest gloom. The death of Cato has rendered the Senate an orphan. Let us be attentive to keep our mouths as with a bridle, and to steer our vessel aright, that we may avoid the rocks and shoals, which lie every where around us. Since the time that reason began to bud, and put forth her shoots, thought, during our waking hours, has been active in every breast, without a moment's suspension or pause. The current of ideas has been always moving. The wheels of the spiritual engine have exerted themselves with perpetual motion. OF THE TRANSPOSITION OF THE MEMBERS OF A SENTENCE. 333. Sentences consisting of several members may have their parts variously arranged without alteration in the signification. 334. The following example exhibits the manner in which this is done: He who made light to spring from primeval darkness, will make order, at last, to arise from the seeming confusion of the world. From the seeming confusion of the world, He who made light to spring from primeval darkness, will make order, at last to arise. He who made light to spring from primeval darkness, will, from the seeming confusion of the world, make order, at last, to arise. He who made light to spring from primeval darkness, will, at last, from the seeming confusion of the world, make order to arise. He will make order, at last, to arise from the seeming confusion of the world, who made light to spring from primeval darkness. From the seeming confusion of the world, He will make order, at last, to arise, who made light to spring from primeval darkness. He who made light to spring from primeval darkness, will, at last, make order to arise, from the seeming confusion of the world. OF VARIETY OF EXPRESSION. 335. The same idea may be expressed in a variety of forms, in the following manner: 1. By changing the active verb into the passive, or the passive verb into the active. 2. By the use of the preposition of, with the objective case instead of the possessive; and the contrary. 3. By altering the connexion of short sentences: by different adverbs and conjunctions, and by the use of prepositions. 5. By applying adjectives and adverbs, instead of substantives, and the contrary. 6. By using the case absolute in place of the nominative and verb. 7. By using the participle, instead of the verb. 8. By reversing the corresponding parts of the sentence. 9. By the negative of the contrary, instead of the assertion of the thing proposed. 15. By the union of two or more of the above directions. The following sentence exemplifies some of the modes of varying the expression enumerated in the preceding directions. 336. If we let a wolf into the fold the sheep will be destroyed. A wolf let into the sheepfold will devour the sheep. The wolf will devour the sheep if the sheepfold be left open. A wolf being let into the sheepfold the sheep will be devoured. There is no defence of the sheep from the wolf unless it be kept out of the fold. A slaughter will be made amongst the sheep, if the wolf can get into the fold. If we leave the sheepfold open, the wolf will devour the sheep. If the sheepfold be left open, the sheep will be devoured by the wolf. The wolf will make a slaughter among the sheep, if the fold be not carefully shut, &c. &c. OF STYLE. 337. Variety of expression leads to the consideration of STYLE ; which, as has already been stated, is the peculiar manner in which a writer expresses his thoughts. The requisites of a good style are perspicuity* and ornament. 338. Ornament in style consists in the use of figurative language, the adaptation of the sound to the sense, and the selection of such expressions as are harmonious and pleasing to the ear. 339. In Dr. Blair's Treatise on Rhetoric, twelve kinds of style are *Perspicuity has already been explained. See Page, 78, No. 263. The first four kinds above mentioned, are founded on the degree of perspicuity, the next five relate to the ornament, and the last three refer to the ideas which the author intends to convey. An imitation of |