RECENT POETS.-ENGLISH BIBLE.

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forms are nearly equal. The following lines may be taken as representative :

But what was before us we know not,

And we know not what shall succeed.

Compare this with Shakespeare's directness throughout :—

We know what we are, but know not what we may be.

If inversion, in itself, be a source of strength and a part of poetic form, it should not be departed from merely to produce variety. As well might we vary a poem by infringing on the metre. No one would advocate the transposition of the order in one half of the Beatitudes, to take away the unavoidable monotony. There will always remain necessary instances of the direct order; and inversions may be used, wherever admissible, without the tedium of iteration. Monotony is more likely to be produced by neglecting to consider the proper occasions for deviating from prose order.*

*From the English Bible we have already made numerous quotations in exemplifying each separate form of inversion; but it will still be useful to add here a comprehensive statement on the general subject of how far our translators avail themselves of the advantages furnished by this form of sentence.

Inversion is not so largely used in the English Bible as is sometimes supposed, though it certainly occurs in cases where it would not be employed in the present day. In pure prose, such as the Gospels, the Epistles, and the historical books of the Old Testament, the inversion is more frequent than in modern English; at least, it is employed in many sentences that would not now be naturally so written. Examples have already been adduced. But when we examine the poetical books, such as the Psalms, Job, and many of the Prophets, where we might expect to meet with it much more frequently, we actually find that it is not so often resorted to as it would be in passages of the same style in modern English. The inversions in prose are principally archaic; the style of the Authorised Version, as is well known, dating, not from the time of King James I., but from that of Henry VIII., about a century earlier, when the Versions it was based on first took shape. These inversions are merely a survival from a still older period of the language when, inflections being more numerous, such variations of order were more common. In poetry it does not seem that the effect of the inversion was as yet very fully realised. Probably to the ears of our translators the specially poetical effect was not so perceptible as to ours, seeing that its general disuse in ordinary prose was necessary to this result being fully reached.

An examination of a few passages from the poetical books will illustrate these statements. We very often find that the emphasis could be improved or a more poetic form of sentence gained by a very obvious inversion that is, nevertheless, neglected. Here is a good example: This is my rest for ever; here will I dwell; for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread. I will also clothe her priests with salvation; and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.' The first sentence may stand; but the gain in emphasis and poetic form is clear in the following: Her provision will I abundantly bless; her poor will I satisfy with bread. Her priests will I clothe with salvation; and her saints shall shout aloud for joy'. The change also fully preserves the parallelism.

(The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made'=) 'In the pit that they made are the heathen sunk down; in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.' Cases like these three are very common, one member of the parallelism having the direct, the other the inverted form. Variety seems to have been the aim; but it is gained at the expense of poetic tone as well as complete parallelism. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence; and precious shall their blood be in his sight. And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba; prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.' The inversions here used are very effective; but the passage very naturally suggests an extension of the device, the result being an obvious advantage. Thus:- The poor

and needy shall he spare, and the souls of the needy shall he save. Their soul shall he redeem from deceit and violence; and precious shall their blood be in his sight. And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba; for him shall prayer also be made continually; and daily shall he be praised.'

The following is a curious instance: In Judah is God known; his name is great in Israel. In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling-place in Zion.' The proper name 'Judah,' at the beginning of the whole, deserves the emphasis it receives, since it really points out the locality referred to in all the four statements. The other proper names are little more than variations of it, and, therefore, have not much emphasis; the principal stress, after the opening phrase, really rests on the predicates. This will be gained, and parallelism preserved, by adopting inversion throughout: In Judah is God known; in Israel is his name great. In Salem also is his tabernacle, and in Zion his dwelling-place.'

Surely, he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows'=' Our griefs hath he borne and our sorrows hath he carried'. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed.' By inversion here there is clear gain in appropriate emphasis as well as in poetic form: For our transgressions was he wounded, for our iniquities was he bruised; upon him was the chastisement of our peace, and with his stripes are we healed'.

'The Lord is great, and greatly to be praised.' This is flat compared with the inverted order: Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised'. The one occurs in Psalm xcvi. 4, the other in Psalm cxlv. 3; and the varying translation from the same original illustrates the want of distinct aim in the translators' use of this form.

Partial inversion is exemplified in the verse: 'Unto us a child is born,' &c. There is an obvious improvement in making it thorough: Unto us is born a child; unto us is given a son; and on his shoulders shall be the government'.

These cases are not explained by any attention to the order of the original; indeed, no principle can be found in them beyond the desire for variety. The inversion in such examples is always a gain in poetic form, and very often a means of better expressing the correct emphasis. The parallelism of the members is an additional gain.

NUMBER OF WORDS.

1. On the principle of attaining ends at the smallest cost, it is a virtue of language to be brief.

If a thought can be properly expressed in five words, there is a waste of strength in employing ten?

2. As, however, there are also important effects brought about by Diffuseness, we must enquire minutely into the proper occasions of Brevity.

For example, of synonymous words, the rule of Brevity would be always to choose the shortest. Yet we often find that a long word answers our purpose better than a short. Long words can impart a certain emphasis and dignity, as may be seen in comparing such expressions as 'Telamonian Ajax' and 'Tom Tit'. So it is also with phrases and clauses.

3. Rhetoricians have specified three distinct forms of Diffuseness-TAUTOLOGY, REDUNDANCY, and CIR

CUMLOCUTION.

Under these heads, we may carry out the exemplification of all the modes of Diffuseness.

4. TAUTOLOGY means employing, in the same grammatical situation, two or more words or phrases for one and the same meaning.

Swift says: In the Attic Commonwealth, it was the privilege and birthright of every citizen and poet, to rail aloud and in public'. There are here three couples of terms where single words would suffice for the sense: it was the privilege of every citizen to rail in public'.

This is the simplest of all forms of diffuse expression, and is of very wide prevalence. The synonymous words are in the same grammatical position in the sentence-subjects, verbs, objects, adverbs, &c.

Farther examples:- The inaudible and noiseless foot of time': 'bounty and beneficence'; 'beg and petition';

and needy shall he spare, and the souls of the needy shall he save. Their soul shall he redeem from deceit and violence; and precious shall their blood be in his sight. And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba; for him shall prayer also be made continually; and daily shall he be praised.'

The following is a curious instance: In Judah is God known; his name is great in Israel. In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling-place in Zion.' The proper name Judah,' at the beginning of the whole, deserves the emphasis it receives, since it really points out the locality referred to in all the four statements. The other proper names are little more than variations of it, and, therefore, have not much emphasis; the principal stress, after the opening phrase, really rests on the predicates. This will be gained, and parallelism preserved, by adopting inversion throughout: In Judah is God known; in Israel is his name great. In Salem also is his tabernacle, and in Zion his dwelling-place.'

'Surely, he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows'=' Our griefs hath he borne and our sorrows hath he carried'. 'But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed.' By inversion here there is clear gain in appropriate emphasis as well as in poetic form: For our transgressions was he wounded, for our iniquities was he bruised; upon him was the chastisement of our peace, and with his stripes are we healed'.

The Lord is great, and greatly to be praised.' This is flat compared with the inverted order: Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised'. The one occurs in Psalm xcvi. 4, the other in Psalm cxlv. 3; and the varying translation from the same original illustrates the want of distinct aim in the translators' use of this

form.

Partial inversion is exemplified in the verse: 'Unto us a child is born,' &c. There is an obvious improvement in making it thorough: Unto us is born a child; unto us is given a son; and on his shoulders shall be the government'.

These cases are not explained by any attention to the order of the original; indeed, no principle can be found in them beyond the desire for variety. The inversion in such examples is always a gain in poetic form, and very often a means of better expressing the correct emphasis. The parallelism of the members is an additional gain.

NUMBER OF WORDS.

1. On the principle of attaining ends at the smallest cost, it is a virtue of language to be brief.

If a thought can be properly expressed in five words, there is a waste of strength in employing ten

2. As, however, there are also important effects brought about by Diffuseness, we must enquire minutely into the proper occasions of Brevity.

For example, of synonymous words, the rule of Brevity would be always to choose the shortest. Yet we often find that a long word answers our purpose better than a short. Long words can impart a certain emphasis and dignity, as may be seen in comparing such expressions as 'Telamonian Ajax' and 'Tom Tit'. So it is also with phrases and

clauses.

3. Rhetoricians have specified three distinct forms of Diffuseness-TAUTOLOGY, REDUNDANCY, and CIR

CUMLOCUTION.

Under these heads, we may carry out the exemplification of all the modes of Diffuseness.

4. TAUTOLOGY means employing, in the same grammatical situation, two or more words or phrases for one and the same meaning.

Swift says: In the Attic Commonwealth, it was the privilege and birthright of every citizen and poet, to rail aloud and in public'. There are here three couples of terms where single words would suffice for the sense: it was the privilege of every citizen to rail in public'.

This is the simplest of all forms of diffuse expression, and is of very wide prevalence. The synonymous words are in the same grammatical position in the sentence-subjects, verbs, objects, adverbs, &c.

Farther examples :-' The inaudible and noiseless foot of time'; 'bounty and beneficence'; 'beg and petition';