or lefs, with these groundless horrors and prefages of futurity, upon furveying the most indifferent works of nature. Spectator, N° 505%

Better:

Upon furveying the moft indifferent works of nature, men of the beft fenfe, &c.

She foon informed him of the place he was in, which, notwithstanding all its horrors, appeared to him more fweet than the bower of Mahomet, in the company of his Balfora.

Better:

Guardian, No 167.

She foon, &c. appeared to him, in the company of his Balfora, more sweet, &c.

The Emperor was fo intent on the establishment of his abfolute power in Hungary, that he expofed the Empire doubly to defolation and ruin for the fake of it.

Letters on hiftory, vol. 1. let. 7. Bolingbroke

Better:

that for the fake of it he expofed the

Empire doubly to defolation and ruin.

None

None of the rules for the compofition of periods are more liable to be abused, than those last mentioned: witness many Latin writers, among the moderns especially, whose style, by inverfions too violent, is rendered harsh and obfcure. Suspension of the thought till the clofe of the period, ought never to be preferred before perfpicuity. Neither ought fuch fufpenfion to be attempted in a long period; because in that cafe the mind is bewildered among a profufion of words. A traveller, while he is puzzled about the road, relishes not the finest prospects.

All the rich prefents which Aftyages had given him at parting, keeping only fome Median horfes, in order to propagate the breed of them in Perfia, he diftributed among his friends whom he left at the court of Ecbatana.

Travels of Cyrus, book v.

The foregoing rules concern the arrangement of a fingle period. I fhall add one rule more concerning the diftribution of a discourse into different periods. A fhort period is lively and familiar. A long pe

riod, requiring more attention, makes an impreffion grave and folemn. In general, a writer ought to study a mixture of long and short periods, which prevents an irkfome uniformity, and entertains the mind with variety of impreffions. In particular, long periods ought to be avoided till the reader's attention be thoroughly engaged; and therefore a difcourfe, efpecially of the familiar kind, ought never to be introduced with a long period; For that reason, the commencement of a letter to a very young lady on her marriage is faulty.

Madam, The hurry and impertinence of receiving and paying visits on account of your marriage; being now over, you are beginning to enter into a courfe of life, where you will want much advice to divert you from falling into many errors, foppe ries, and follies, to which your fex is fubject.

Swift.

See á ftronger example in the commencement of Cicero's oration, Pro Archia poeta.

rules laid

Before we proceed farther, it may be proper to take a review of the Tt

VOL. II.

down

down in this and the preceding fection, in order to make fome general obfervations. The natural order of the words and mem bers of a period, is undoubtedly the fame with the natural order: of the ideas that compofe the thought. The tendency of many of the foregoing rules, is to fubftitute an artificial arrangement, in order to reach fome beauty either of found or meaning that cannot be reached in the natural or der. But feldom it happens, that in the fame period there is place for a plurality of these rules. If one beauty can be catched, another must be relinquished. The only queftion is, Which ought to be preferred? This is a question that cannot be refolved by any general rule. But practice, fupported by a good tafte, will in moft inftan ces make the choice eafy. The component words and members of a period, are afcertained by the subject. If the natural order be not relished, a few trials will discover that artificial order which has the beft effect. All that can be faid in general is, that in making a choice, found ought to yield to fignification.

The

The tranfpofing words and members out of their natural order, fo remarkable in the learned languages, has been the subject of much fpeculation. It is agreed on all hands, that fuch tranfpofition or inverfion bestows upon a period a very fenfible degree of force and elevation; and yet writers feem to be at a lofs in what manner to account for this effect. Cerçeau* afcribes so much power to inverfion, as to make it the characteristic of French verse, and the fingle circumstance which in that language diftinguishes verfe from profe. And yet he pretends not to fay, that it hath any other power but to raife furprife; he must mean curiofity; which is done by fufpending the thought during the period, and bringing it out entire at the close. This indeed is one power of inverfion; but neither its fole power, nor even that which is the most remarkable, as is made plain above. But waving cenfure, which is not an agreeable task, I enter into the matter. And I begin with obferving, that if a conformity betwixt words and their

Reflections fur la poefie Françoise.

Tt 2

meaning