Hook, in his Roman history, speaking of Eumenes, who had been beat down to the ground with a stone, fays, After a fhort time he came to himself; and the next day, they put him on board his ship, which conveyed him firft to Corinth, and thence to the ifland of Ægina. I give another example of a period which is unpleasant, even by a very flight deviation from the rule. That fort of instruction which is acquired by inculcating an important moral truth, &c. This expreffion includes two perfons, one acquiring, and one inculcating; and the scene is changed without neceffity. To avoid this blemish, the thought may be expreffed thus: That fort of instruction which is afforded by in culcating, &c. The bad effect of this change of person is remarkable in the following paflage. The The Britains, daily haraffed by cruel inroads from the Picts, were forced to call in the Saxons for their defence, who confequently reduced the greatest part of the island to their own power, drove the Britains into the most remote and mountainous parts, and the rest of the country, in cuftoms, religion, and language, became wholly Saxons. Letter to the Lord High Treasurer. Swift. The following example is a change from subject to perfons. This proftitution of praife is not only a deceit upon the grofs of mankind, who take their notion of characters from the learned; but also the better fort muft by this means lofe fome part at least of that defire of fame which is the incentive to generous actions, when they find it promifcuously beftowed on the meritorious and undeferving... C Guardian, N° 4. Even fo flight a change as to vary the conftruction in the fame period, is unpleafant: Annibal luce prima, Balearibus levique alia armatura præmiffa, tranfgreffus flumen, ut quofque traduxerat, traduxerat, ita in acie locabat; Gallos Hifpanof que equites prope ripam lævo in cornu adverfus Romanum equitatum; dextrum cornu Numidis equitibus datum. Tit. Liv. 1. 22. § 46. Speaking of Hannibal's elephants drove back by the enemy upon his own army: Eo magis ruere in fuos belluæ, tantoque majorem ftragem edere quam inter hoftes ediderant, quanto acrius pavor confternatam agit, quam infidentis magiftri imperio regitur. Liv. 27. $14. This paffage is alfo faulty in a different respect, that there is no refemblance betwixt the members of the expreffion, though they import a comparison. The prefent head, which relates to the choice of materials, fhall be closed with a rule concerning the use of copulatives. Longinus obferves, that it animates a period to drop the copulatives; and he gives the following example from Xenophon. VOL. II. N n Clofing Closing their fhields together, they were push'd, they fought, they flew, they were flain. Treatife of the Sublime, cap. 16. A The reafon I take to be what follows. continued found, if not ftrong, tends to lay us afleep. An interrupted found roufes and animates by its repeated impulses. Hence it is, that fyllables collected into feet, being pronounced with a fenfible interval betwixt each, make more lively impreffions than can be made by a continued found. A period, the members of which are connected by copulatives, produceth an effect upon the mind approaching to that of a continued found: and therefore to fupprefs the copulatives muft animate a defcription. To fupprefs the copulatives hath another good effect. The members of a period connected by the proper copulatives, glide fmoothly and gently along; and are a proof of fedatenefs and leifure in the speaker. On the other hand, a man in the hurry of paffion, neglecting copulatives and other particles, expreffes the principal image only. Hence it is, that hurry hurry or quick action is beft expreffed without copulatives : Veni, vidi, vici. Ite: Ferte cite flammas, date vela, impellite remos. Eneid. iv. 593 Quis globus, O Cives, caligine volvitur atra? In this view Longinus* justly compares copulatives in a period to ftrait tying, which in a race obftructs the freedom of motion. It follows from the fame premiffes, that to multiply copulatives in the fame period ought to be avoided. For if the laying aside copulatives give force and liveliness, a redundancy of them muftrender the period languid. I appeal to the following inftance, though there are not more than two copulatives. Upon looking over the letters of my female correfpondents, I find several from women complaining of jealous husbands; and at the same time protesting their own innocence, and defiring my advice upon this occafion, Spectator, No 170. * Treatife of the fublime, cap. 16. |