Again : Eripite nos ex miferiis, Eripite nos ex faucibus eorum, Quorum crudelitas noftro fanguine non poteft expleri. De oratore, l. 1. § 52. This order of words or members gradually increaf ing in length may, as far as concerns the pleasure of found, be denominated à climax in found. The laft article is the mufic of periods as united in a discourse; which fhall be dispatched in a very few words. By no other human means is it poffible to prefent to the mind, fuch a number of objects, and in fo fwift a fucceffion, as by fpeaking or writing: and for that reafon, variety ought more to be ftudied in these, than in any other fort of compofition. Hence a rule for arranging the members of different periods with relation to each other, That to avoid a tedious uniformity of found and cadence, the arrangement, the cadence, and the length of the members, ought to be diverfified as much as poffible; and if the members of different periods be fufficiently diversified, the periods themselves will be equally fo SECT. II. Beauty of Language with refpect to Signification. It is well faid by a noted writer,* « That T by means of speech we can divert our forrows, mingle our mirth, impart our fecrets, communicate our counfels, and make mutual compacts and agreements to fupply and affift each other." Confidering speech as Scot's Chriflian life. as contributing to fo many good purpofes, words that convey clear and diftinct ideas, must be one of its capital beauties. This caufe of beauty, is too extenfive to be handled as a branch of any other fubject for to afcertain with accuracy even the proper meaning of words, not to talk of their figurative power, would require a large volume; an useful work indeed, but not to be attempted without a large ftock of time, ftudy, and reflection. This branch therefore of the fubject I humbly decline. Nor do I propose to exhaust all the other beauties of language that relate to fignification: the reader, in a work like the prefent, cannot fairly expect more than a flight sketch of thofe that make the greatest figure. This task is the more to my tafte, as being connected with certain natural principles; and the rules I fhall have occafion to lay down, will, if I judge rightly, be agreeable illustrations of these principles. Every fubject must be of importance that tends to unfold the human heart; for what other science is of greater ufe to human beings? The prefent fubject is too extenfive to be difcuffed without dividing it into parts; and what follows fuggefts a divifion into two parts. In every period, two things are to be regarded: firft, the words of which it is compofed; next, the arrangement of thefe words; the former refembling the ftones that compofe a building, and the latter refembling the order in which they are placed. Hence the beauties of language with refpect to fignification, may not improperly be diftinguifhed into two kinds: first, the beauties that arife from a right choice of words or materials for conftructing the period; and next, the beauties that arife from a due arrangement of thefe words or materials. I begin with rules that direct us to a right choice of words, and then proceed to rules that concern their arrangement. And And with respect to the former; communication of thought being the chief end of language, it is a rule, That perfpicuity ought not to be facrificed to any other beauty whatever if it fhould be doubted whether perfpicuity be a pofitive beauty, it cannot be doubted that the want of it is the greatest defect. Nothing therefore in language ought more to be ftudied, than to prevent all obfcurity in the expreffion; for to have no meaning, is but one degree worse, than to have a meaning that is not understood. Want of perfpicuity from a wrong arrangement, belongs to the next branch. I fhall here give a few examples where the obfcurity arifes from a wrong choice of words; and as this defect is too common in the ordinary herd of writers to make examples from them neceffary, I confine myself to the most celebrated authors. Livy, fpeaking of a rout after a battle. Multique in ruina majore quam fuga oppreffi obtruncatique. L. 4. § 46. This author is frequently obfcure, by expreffing but part of his thought, leaving it to be completed by his reader. His defcription of the fea-fight, 7. 28. cap. 30. is extremely perplexed. Unde tibi reditum certo fubtemine Parcæ Horace, epod. xiii. 22. Non elaboratum ad pedem. Horace, epod. xiv. 11. Qui perfæpe cava teftudine flevit amorem, Me fabulofa Vulture in Appulo, Lude, I am in greater pain about the foregoing paffages, than about any I have ventured to criticife, being aware that a vague or obfcure expreffion, is apt to gain favour with those who neglect to examine it with a critical eye. To fome it carries the fenfe that they relish the moft; and by fuggefting various meanings at once, it is admired by others as concife and comprehenfive: which by the way fairly accounts for the opinion generally entertained with respect to moft languages in their infant ftate, of exprefling much in few words. This obfervation may be illuftrated by a paffage from Quintilian, quoted in the first volume for a different purpose. At quæ Polycleto defuerunt, Phidiæ atque Alcameni dantur. Phidias tamen diis quam hominibus efficiendis melior artifex traditur in ebore vero, longe citra æmulum, vel fi nihil nifi Minervam Athenis, aut Olympium in Elide Jovem feciffet, cujus pulchritudo adjeciffe aliquid etiam receptæ religioni videtur; adeo majeftas operis Deum @quavit. VOL. II. The The fentence in the Italic characters appeared to me abundantly perfpicuous, before I gave it peculiar attention. And yet to examine it independent of the context, its proper meaning is not what is intended: the words naturally import, that the beauty of the ftatues mentioned, appears to add fome new tenet or rite to the establifhed religion, or appears to add new dignity to it; and we muft confult the context before we can gather the true meaning; which is, that the Greeks were confirmed in the belief of their established religion by thefe majeftic ftatues, fo like real divinities. There may be a defect in perfpicuity proceeding even from the flightest ambiguity in conftruction; as where the period commences with a member conceived to be in the nominative cafe, which afterward is found to be in the accufative. Example: "Some emotions more peculiarly connected with the fine arts, I propofe to handle in feparate chapters." Better thus Some emotions more peculiarly connected with the fine arts, are propofed to be handled in feparate chapters." I add another error against perfpicuity; which I mention the rather becaufe with fome writers it paffes for a beauty. It is the giving different names to the fame object, mentioned oftener than once in the fame period. Example: fpeaking of the English adventurers who first attempted the conqueft of Ireland, "and instead of reclaiming the natives from their uncultivated manners, they were gradually affimilated to the ancient inhabitants, and degenerated from the customs of their own nation." From this mode of expreffion, one would think the author meant to diftinguifh the ancient inhabitants from the natives; and we cannot difcover otherwife than from the fenfe that these are only different names given to the fame * Elements of Criticifm, vol. i. p. 43. edit. 1. |