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That the English tongue, originally harth, is at present much softened by droping in the pronunciation many redundant confonants, is undoubtedly true. That it is not capable of being farther mellowed, without fuffering in its force and energy, will scarce be thought by any one who poffeffes an ear. And yet fuch in Britain is the propenfity for dispatch, that overlooking the majefty of words composed of many fyllables aptly connected, the prevailing tafte is, to fhorten words, even at the expence of making them disagreeable to the ear and harsh in the pronunciation. But I have no occafion to insist upon this article, being prevented by an excellent writer, who poffeffed, if any man ever did, the true genius of the English tongue *. I cannot however forbear urging one ob fervation borrowed from that author. Several tenfes of our verbs are formed by adding the final fyllable ed, which, being a weak found, has remarkably the worse ef

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See Swift's propofal for correcting the English tongue, in a letter to the Earl of Oxford.

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fect by poffeffing the most confpicuous place in the word. Upon that account, the vowel is in common speech generally fuppreffed, and the confonant is added to the foregoing fyllable. Hence the following rugged founds, drudg'd, difturb'd, rebuk'd, fledg'd. It is ftill lefs excuseable to follow this practice in writing; for the hur ry of fpeaking may excufe what is altoge ther improper in a compofition of any va lue. The fyllable ed, it is true, makes but a poor figure at the end of a word: but we ought to fubmit to that defect, rather than multiply the number of harth words, which, after all that has been done, bear an over proportion in our tongue. The author a bove mentioned, by fhowing a good example, did all in his power to reftore that fyllable; and he well deferves to be imitated. Some exceptions however I would make. A word which fignifies labour, or any thing harsh or rugged, ought not to be fmooth. Therefore forc'd, with an apo ftrophe, is better than forced, without it. Another exception is, where the penult fyllable ends with a vowel. In that cafe

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the final fyllable ed may be apoftrophized without making the word harsh. Examples, betray'd, carry'd, destroy'd, employ'd.

The article next in order, is to confider the music of words as united in a period. And as the arrangement of words in fucceffion fo as to afford the greatest pleasure to the ear, depends on principles pretty remote from common view, it will be neceffary to premise fome general obfervations upon the effect that a number of objects have upon the mind when they are placed in an increasing or decreafing feries. The effect of fuch a feries will be very different, according as refemblance or contrast prevails. Where the members of a feries vary by small differences, refemblance prevails; which, in afcending, makes us conceive the second object of no greater fize than the first, the third of no greater fize than the second, and fo of the reft. This diminisheth in appearance the fize of the whole. Again, when beginning at the largest object, we proceed gradually to the least, resemblance makes us imagine the fecond as large as the firft, and the third as VOL. II. I i large

large as the fecond; which in appearance magnifies every object of the feries except the first. On the other hand, simba feries varying by great differences, where contraft prevails, the effects are directly opposite. A large object fucceeding a small one of the fame kind, appears by the oppofition larger than ufual: and a small object, for the fame reason, fucceeding one that is large, appears less than ufual *. Hence a remarkable pleasure in viewing a series afcending by large intervals; directly op pofite to what we feel when the intervals are fmall. Beginning at the smalleft object of a feries where contraft prevails, this object has the fame effect upon the mind as if it stood fingle without making a part of the feries. But this is not the cafe of the second object, which by means of contraft makes a much greater figure than when viewed fingly and apart; and the fame effect is perceived in afcending progreffively, till we arrive at the laft object. The direct contrary effect is produced in descending; for in this direc

See the reafon, chap. 8.

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tion, every object, except the first, makes a lefs figure than when viewed feparately and independent of the feries. We may then lay down as a maxim, which will hold in the compofition of language as well as of other fubjects, That a strong impulse fucceeding a weak, makes a double impreffion on the mind; and that a weak impulfe fucceeding a strong, makes fcarce any impreffion. *i

29 After establishing this maxim, we can be at no lofs about its application to the fubject in hand. The following rule is laid down by Diomedes *." In verbis obfer

vandum eft, ne a majoribus ad minora defcendat oratio; melius enim dicitur, «Vir eft optimus, quam, Vir optimus efter This rule is applicable not only to fingle words, but equally to entire members of a period, which, according to our author's expreffion, ought not more than fingle words to proceed from the greater to the lefs, but from the lefs to the greater. In arranging the members of a period, no wri

De structura perfectæ orationis, 1. 2.

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