ftronger one; and, when a fentence confifts of two members, the longest fhould in general be the concluding one. Periods, thus divided, are pronounced more eafily; and, the fhorteft member being placed first, we carry it more readily in our memory, as we proceed to the fecond, and fee the connexion of the two more clearly. Thus to fay, "When our passions "have forfaken us, we flatter ourselves with the belief "that we have forfaken them," is both more graceful and more perfpicuous, than to begin with the longest part of the propofition: "We flatter our"felves with the belief that we have forfaken our paf"fions, when they have forfaken us."

The fifth rule for constructing fentences with ftrength is, avoid concluding them with an adverb, a prepofition, or any infignificant word. By fuch conclufions style is always weakened and degraded. Sometimes, indeed, where the strains and fignificancy reft chiefly upon words of this kind, they ought to have the principal place allotted them. No fault, for ex ample, can be found with this fentence of Bolingbroke: “In their profperity my friends fhall never "hear of me; in their adverfity always ;" where never and always, being emphatical words, are so placed as to make a strong impreffion. But, when thefe inferiour parts of speech are introduced, as circumftances, or as qualifications of more important words, they should always be disposed of in the leaft confpic- · uous parts of the period.

We should always avoid concluding a fentence or member with any of those particles which diftinguish the cafes of nouns; as, of, to, from, with, by. Thus it is much better to fay, "Avarice is a crime, of which

"wife men are often guilty," than to fay, "Avarice "is a crime which wife men are often guilty of." This is a phrafeology which all correct writers fhun.

A complex verb, compounded of a fimple verb and a fubfequent prepofition, is also an ungraceful conclufion of a period; as, bring about, clear up, give over,. and many others of the fame kind; inftead of which, if a fimple verb be employed, it will terminate the fentence with more ftrength. Even the pronoun it, especially when joined with fome of the prepofitions, as, with it, in it, to it, cannot without violation of grace be the conclufion of a fentence. Any phrafe, which expreffes a circumftance only, cannot conclude a fentence without great inelegance. Circumstances. indeed are like unfhapely ftones in a building, which. try the skill of an artist where to place them with the leaft offence. We fhould not crowd too many of them together; but rather interfperfe them in different parts of the fentence, joined with the principal words on which they depend. Thus, for instance, when Dean Swift fays, "What I had the honour of "mentioning to your Lordthip fome time ago in con"versation, was not a new thought;" these two circumftances, fome time ago and in converfation, which are joined, would have been better feparated thus: "What I had the honour fome time ago of mention"ing to your Lordship in converfation."

The fixth and last rule concerning the ftrength of a fentence is this, in the members of it, where two things are compared or contrafted; where either refemblance or oppofition is to be expreffed; fome refemblance in the language and conftrution ought to be obferved. The following paffage from Pope's pres

face to his Homer beautifully exemplifies this rule. "Homer was the greater genius; Virgil the better "artist; in the one we admire the man; in the other "the work. Homer hurries us with a commanding. 'impetuosity; Virgil leads us with an attractive majefty. Homer fcatters with a generous profufion'; Virgil bestows with a careful munificence. Homer, "like the Nile, pours out his riches with a fudden · "overflow; Virgil, like a river in its banks, with a "conftant ftream. When we look upon their machines, Homer seems like his own Jupiter in his ter

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rors, fhaking Olympus, fcattering lightnings, and fir"ing the heavens.. Virgil like the fame power in his "benevolence, counselling with the gods, laying plans "for empires, and ordering his whole creation." Periods, thus constructed, when introduced with propriety, and not too frequently repeated, have a fenfible beau-ty. But, if fuch a conftruction be aimed at in every fentence, it betrays into a difagreeable uniformity, and produces a regular jingle in the period, which tires the ear, and plainly difcovers affectation..

STRUCTURE OF SENTENCES. HARMONY.

HAVING confidered fentences with regard to their meaning under the heads of Perfpicuity, Unity, and Strength; we fhall now confider them with refpect to their found.

In the harmony of periods two things are to be confidered. First, agreeable found or modulation in general, without any particular expreffion. Next, the found.

fo ordered as to become expreffive of the fenfe. The first is the more common; the fecond the fuperiour beauty.

The beauty of mufical conftruction depends upon the choice and arrangement of words. Those words are moft pleafing to the ear, which are compofed of fmooth and liquid founds, in which there is a proper intermixture of vowels and confonants without too many harsh confonants, or too many open vowels in fucceffion.. Long words are generally more pleafing to the ear than monofyllables; and thofe are the most mufical, which are not wholly compofed of long and fhort fyllables, but of an intermixture of them; fuch as delight, amuse, velocity, celerity, beautiful, impetuofity. If the words, however, which compose a sentence, be ever fo well chofen and harmonious; yet, if they be unfkilfully arranged, its mufick is entirely loft. As an inftance of a mufical fentence, we may take the following from Milton: "We fhall conduct you to a "hill fide, laborious indeed at the first afcent; but "else, so smooth, fo green, fo full of goodly prospects "and melodious founds on every fide, that the harp "of Orpheus was not more charming." Every thing in this fentence confpires to render it harmonious. The words are well chofen ; laborious, fmonth, green, goodly, melodious, charming; and fo happily arranged, that no alteration can be made without injuring the melody.

There are two things on which the mufick of a fen-· tence principally depends; thefe are, the proper diftribution of the feveral members of it, and the clofe or cadence of the whole.

First, the diftribution of the several members should' be carefully regarded. Whatever is eafy to the organs of fpeech, is always grateful to the ear.

While

a period advances, the termination of each member forms a pause in the pronunciation; and thefe paufes should be so diftributed, as to bear a certain mufical proportion to each other. This will be beft illuftrated by examples.. "This difcourfe concerning the eafi"nefs of God's commands does all along fuppofe and " acknowledge the difficulties of the first entrance up.

on a religious courfe; except only in those persons "who have had the happiness to be trained up to relig"ion by the easy and infenfible degrees of a pious and "virtuous education." This fentence is far from being harmonious, owing chiefly to this, that there is but one pause in it, by which it is divided into two members; each of which is fo long as to require a confiderable stretch of breath in pronouncing it. On the contrary, let us obferve the grace of the following paffage from Sir William Temple, in which he speaks. farcastically of man. But, God be thanked, his "pride is greater than his ignorance; and what he

wants in knowledge he fupplies by fufficiency.. "When he has looked about him as far as he can, ઠંડ he concludes there is no more to be feen; when he " is at the end of his line, he is at the bottom of the ocean; when he has shot his best, he is fure none

ever did, or even can fhoot better, or beyond it. "His own reafon he holds to be the certain measure. "of truth; and his own knowledge, of what is poffi"ble in nature." Here every thing is at once eafy to the breath, and grateful to the ear. We must how-