tions and baths, inay be forced out by deleterics, scarifications, and more salutary, but less pleasing, physic. 3. Some productions of nature rise in value according as they more or less resemble art. 4. The farmer went to his neighbor, and told him that his cattle were in his field. 5. He may be said to have saved the life of a citizen, and consequently entitled to the reward. 6. I perceived it had been scoured with half an eye. 7. The love of a parent is one of the strongest passions implanted in the heart. 8. So obscure are Carlyle's sentences that nine tenths of his readers do not receive any idea from them. [Equivocal:—does it mean that only one tenth of his readers understand them; or that, though nine tenths may not do so, eight tenths may? Alter the sentence in two ways, so that it may perspicuously express both these ideas.] 9. Few kings have been more energetic than Menes, or [equivocal] Misraim. 10. The young man did not want natural talents; but the father of him was a coxcomb, who affected being a fine gentleman so unmercifully, that he could not endure in his sight, or the frequent mention of, one who was his son, growing into manhood, and thrusting him out of the gay world. 11. We are naturally inclined to praise who praise us, and to flatter who flatter us. 12. The rising tomb a lofty column bore. [Ambiguous:which bore the other?] 13. He advanced against the old man, imitating his address, his pace, and career, as well as the vigor of his horse and his own skill would allow. 14. Their rebuke had the effect intended. [Equivocal:-did they give the rebuke, or receive it?] 15. Whom chance misled his mother to destroy. [Ambiguous::—was the mother the destroyer or the destroyed?] 16. This work has been overlooked [equivocal] by the most eminent critics. 17. You ought to contemn all the wit in the world against you. 18. The clerk told his employer, whatever he did, he could not please him. 19. Claudius was canonized among the gods, who scarcely deserved the name of a man. 20. The Latin tongue, in its purity, was never in England. 21. The lady was sewing with a Roman nose. 22. Here I saw two men digging a well with straw hats. 23. We may have more, but we can not have more satisfactory, evidence. 24. Dr. Prideaux used to relate that, when he brought the copy of his "Connection of the Old and New Testaments" to the bookseller, he told him it was a dry subject, and the printing could not be safely ventured upon unless he could enliven the work with a little humor. 25. The sharks who prey upon the inadvertency of young heirs are more pardonable than those who trespass upon the good opinion of those who treat them with respect. 26. Dryden makes a handsome observation on Ovid's writing a letter from Dido to Æneas, in the following words. [Ambiguous:-were the words here referred to those of Dryden's observation or those of Dido's letter?] 27. Most of the hands were asleep in their berths, when the vessel shipped a sea that carried away our pinnace and binnacle. Our dead-lights were in, or we should have filled. The mainmast was so sprung, that we were obliged to fish it, and bear away for the nearest port. 28. This occurs in Ben Jonson's works, a prominent dramatist contemporary with Shakspeare. 29. D's fortune equal to half of E's fortune, which is a thousand dollars. [Ambiguous:-does E's fortune, or a half of it, amount to a thousand dollars?] 30. My Christian and surname begin and end with the same letters. [Ambiguous :—does the Christian name begin with the same letter that the surname begins with; and end with the same letter that the surname ends with; as, in Andrew Askew? or does the Christian name

end with the same letter with which it begins, and the surname also end with the same letter with which it begins; as, in Hezekiah Thrift? or, lastly, are all these four letters, the first and the last of each name the same; as, in Norman Nelson? 31. The good man not only deserves the respect but the love of his fellow-beings. 32. Charlemagne patronized not only learned men, but also established several educational institutions. 33. Sixtus the Fourth was, if I mistake not, a great collector of books, at least.

LESSON LXI.

STRENGTH.

§ 368. THE fifth essential property of a good style is STRENGTH; which consists in such a use and arrangement of words as make a deep impression on the mind of the reader or hearer.

§ 369. The first requisite of Strength is the rejection of all superfluous words, which constitutes, as we have seen, one of the elements of Precision also. Whatever adds nothing to the meaning of a sentence takes from its Strength; and, whether it be simply a word, a clause, or a member, should be rejected. In the following passages, the words in italics convey no additional meaning, and, consequently, a regard for Strength requires their omission :-" Being satisfied with what he has achieved, he attempts nothing further."-" If I had not been absent if I had been here, this would not have happened.""The very first discovery of it strikes the mind with inward joy, and spreads delight through all its faculties."

§ 370. The second principle to be observed by those who aim at Strength of style, has reference to the use of relatives,

§ 368. What is the fifth essential property of style? In what does it consist?

§ 869. What is the first requisite of strength? What is the effect of words which add nothing to the meaning of a sentence? Give examples.

§ 370. To what does the second principle refer? By what are parts of sentences

conjunctions, and prepositions, which, indicating the connec tion and relation of words, are constantly occurring.

I. Parts of sentences are connected by either a conjunction or a relative pronoun, not by both. In the following sentence, the connection is made by and, and who should therefore be rejected: He was a man of fine abilities, and who lost no opportunity of improving them by study." Between two relative clauses, however, a conjunction is generally employed; as, "Cicero, whom the profligate feared, but who was honored by the upright," &c. The conjunction is also introduced even when the relative and its verb are suppressed in one of the clauses, as in the commencement of the sentence from Swift, given below. Care must be taken not to use the relative for the conjunction, or the conjunction for the relative; of which latter fault, Swift is guilty in the following sentence:

"There is no talent so useful towards rising in the world, or which puts men more out of the reach of fortune, than that quality generally possessed by the dullest sort of people, and is, in common language, called discretion."

Here and should be which. It will be observed, also, that the words which is are understood after talent, near the commencement of the sentence, and that the conjunction or is therefore introduced to connect the first clause with that which follows.

II. The too frequent use of and must be avoided. Not only when employed to introduce a sentence, but also when often repeated during its progress, this conjunction greatly enfeebles style. Such is its effect in the following sentence from Sir William Temple, in which it is used no less than eight times :

"The Academy set up by Cardinal Richelieu, to amuse the wits of that age and country, and divert them from raking into his politics and ministry, brought this into vogue; and the French wits have, for this last age, been wholly turned to the refinement of their style and lan guage; and, indeed, with such success that it can hardly be equalled, and runs equally through their verse and their prose."

When the object is to present a quick succession of spirited images, the conjunction is often entirely omitted with fine effect, by a figure called by grammarians Asyndeton. This is illustrated in Cæsar's celebrated veni, vidi, vici, and constitutes the chief feature of the style of Sallust.

connected? Should both the relative and the conjunction be used for this purpose in the same connection? In what case is the relative alone insufficient to make the connection? What is the fault in the sentence quoted from Swift? What conjunction must not be repeated too often? From whom is a sentence quoted, which is faulty in this respect? What is meant by asyndeton! When is this figure used with fine

On the other hand, when we are making an enumeration in which it is important that the transition from one object to another should not be too rapid, but that each should appear distinct from the rest and by itself occupy the mind for a moment, the conjunction may be repeated with peculiar advantage. Such repetition is called Polysyndeton; it is exemplified in the following sentence of St. Paul's :

"I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God."

III. What is called the splitting of particles,—that is, the separation of a preposition from the noun which it governs,-is always to be avoided. This fault occurs in the following sentence: "Though virtue borrows no assistance from, yet it may often be accompanied by, the advantages of fortune." No one can read these lines without perceiving their decided lack of Strength and Harmony. A slight change will greatly improve their effect: "Though virtue borrows no assistance from the advantages of fortune, yet t may often be accompanied by them."

IV. Avoid, on ordinary occasions, the common expletive there, as used in the following sentence:-"There is nothing which disgusts us sooner than the empty pomp of language." The sentiment is expressed more simply and strongly thus: "Nothing disgusts us sooner", &c. This expletive form is proper only when used to introduce an important proposition,

§ 371. A third means of promoting the Strength of a sentence is to dispose of the important word or words in that place where they will make the greatest impression. What this place is, depends on the nature and length of the sentence. Sometimes, it is at the commencement, as in the fol lowing from Addison; "The pleasures of the imagination, taken in their full extent, are not so gross as those of sense, nor so refined as those of the understanding." In other

effect? In what sentence of Cæsar's is it illustrated? In whose writings does it constantly recur? What is polysyndeton? When may it be used with advantage? Repeat a sentence from Scripture, in which it occurs. What is meant by the splitting of particles? What effect has it on style? Repeat a sentence in which this fault occurs, and show how to correct it. In what cases is the expletive form there is proper, and where should it be avoided?

§ 371. As a third means of promoting strength, where should the important word or words be placed? In what position will they make the greatest impression? Where

cases, it will be found of advantage to suspend the sense for a time, and bring the important term at the close of the period. "On whatever side," says Pope, "we contemplate Homer, what principally strikes us is his wonderful invention." No rule can be given on this subject; a comparison of different arrangements is the only means of ascertaining, in any particular case, which is the best. It will, therefore, be well for a writer, when a sentence which he has composed seems weak, to try whether he can not improve it by varying the position of the important words.

But, whatever position the emphatic word or words may occupy, it is of primary importance that they be disencumbered of less significant terms; which, if presented in too close connection, divert the mind from the prominent idea or object on which it should be allowed to dwell. The difference of effect will be evident on comparing one of Shaftesbury's sentences, in which a variety of adverbs and adverbial phrases are skilfully introduced, and a sentence composed of the same words, less forcibly, though not ungrammatically, arranged.

As written." If, whilst they [poets] profess only to please, they secretly advise and give instruction, they may now, perhaps, as well as formerly, be esteemed, with justice, the best and most honorable among

authors."

As altered.-If, whilst they profess to please only, they advise and give instruction secretly, they may be esteemed the best and most honorable among authors, with justice, perhaps, now as well as formerly.

§372. Fourthly, Strength requires that, when the mem bers of a sentence differ in length, the shorter should have precedence of the longer; and, when they are of unequal force, that the weaker be placed before the stronger. Both of these principles are violated in the following sentence: "In this state of mind, every employment of life be

do they stand in the sentence quoted from Addison? Where, in that taken from Pope? What course is suggested to the writer, when he finds that he has composed a feeble sentence? Wherever the emphatic words are placed, what is of primary importance? From whom is a sentence quoted in illustration?

§ 372. What does strength require, as regards the position of members that differ in ength or force? Repeat a sentence in which these principles are violated, and how how it may be corrected. What figure consists in an arrangement similar