familiar kind, and we are in no hazard of miftaking the fenfe of the author, though every word which he uses is not precife and exact.

Many authors offend against this rule of precifion. A confiderable one, in defcribing a bad action, expreffes himfelf thus: "It is to remove a good and orderly affection, and to introduce an ill, or disorderly one; to commit an action that is ill, immoral, and unjuft; to do ill, or to act in prejudice of integrity, good nature, and worth."

A crowd of unmeaning or useless words is brought together by fome authors, who, afraid of expreffing themfelves in a common and ordinary manner, and allured by an appearance of splendour, furround every thing which they mean to fay with a certain copious loquacity.

The great fource of a loose style in oppofition to precifion, is the injudicious ufe of the words termed fynonymous. They are called fynonymous, because they agree in expreffing one principal idea; but, for the most part, if not always, they express it with some diversity in the circumftances.

The following inftances fhow a difference in the meaning of words reputed fynonymous, and point out the use of attending, with care and ftrictness, to the exact import of words.

Cuflom, habit. Cuftom, refpects the action; habit, the actor. By custom, we mean the frequent repetition of the fame act by habit, the effect which that repetition produces on the mind or body. By the custom of walking often in the streets, one acquires a habit of idleness.

Pride, vanity.-Pride makes us esteem ourselves; vanity, makes us defire the esteem of others. It is just to say, that a man is too proud to be vain.

Haughtiness, difdain.-Haughtiness is founded on the high opinion we entertain of ourselves; difdain, on the low opinion we have of others.

Only, alone.-Only, imports that there is no other of the fame kind; alone, imports being accompanied by no other. An only child, is one that has neither brother nor fifter; a child alone, is one who is left by itself. There is a differ

ence, therefore, in precife language, between these two phrafes: "Virtue only makes us happy ;" and "Virtue alone makes us happy."

Wisdom, prudence.-Wisdom leads us to speak and act what is moft proper. Prudence, prevents our speaking or acting improperly.

Entire, complete.-A thing is entire, by wanting none of its parts complete, by wanting none of the appendages that belong to it. A man may have an entire houfe to himself, and yet not have one complete apartment.

Surprifed, aftonished, amazed, confounded.—I am surprised with what is new or unexpected: 1 am aftonished at what is vaft or great: I am amazed at what is incomprehenfible; I am confounded by what is fhocking or terrible.

Tranquillity, peace, calm.-Tranquillity, refpects a fitua tion free from trouble, confidered in itself; peace, the fame fituation with refpect to any causes that might interrupt it; calm, with regard to a disturbed fituation going before or following it. A good man enjoys tranquillity, in himfelf; peace, with others; and calm, after the ftorm.

These are fome of the numerous instances of words, in our language, whofe fignifications approach, but are not precifely the fame. The more the distinction in the meaning of fuch words is attended to, the more clearly and forcibly fhall we fpeak or write. It may not, on all occafions, be neceffary to pay a great deal of attention to very nice diftinctions; yet the foregoing inftances fhow the utility of fome general care to understand the distinct im port of our words.

While we are attending to precifion, we must be on our guard, left, from the defire of pruning too closely, we retrench all copioufnefs. Scarcely in any language are there two words that convey precisely the fame idea; a person thoroughly converfant in the propriety of the language, will always be able to obferve fomething that diftinguishes them. As they are like different fhades of the fame colour, an accurate writer can employ them to great advan

tage, by using them fo as to heighten and complete the object which he prefents to us. He fupplies by one what was wanting in the other, to the ftrength, or to the finishing, of the image which he means to exhibit. But, for this purpose, he must be attentive to the choice of his words, and not employ them carelessly, merely for the fake of filling up a period, or of rounding or diverfifying his language, as if their fignification were exactly the fame, while in truth it is not. To unite copiousness and precision, to be full and easy, and at the fame time correct and exact in the choice of every word, is no doubt one of the highest and most difficult attainments in writing.

PART II.

Of PERSPICUITY and Accuracy of EXPRESSION, with respect to the CONSTRUCTION of SENTENCES.

SENTENCES, in general, fhould neither be very long, nor very fhort: long ones require clofe attention to make us clearly perceive the connexion of the feveral parts; and fhort ones are apt to break the fenfe, and weaken the connexion of thought. Yet occafionally they may both be ufed with force and propriety; as may be feen in the following fentences.

"If you look about you, and confider the lives of others as well as your own; if you think how few are born with honour, and how many die without name or children; how little beauty we fee, and how few friends we hear of; how much poverty, and how many difcafes there are in the world; you will fall down upon your knees, and instead of repining at one affliction, will admire fo many bleffings which you have received from the Divine hand." This is a fentence compofed of feveral members linked together, and hanging upon one another, fo that the fenfe of the whole is not brought out till the close. The following is an example of one in which the fenfe is formed into short, independent propofitions, each complete within itself. “I' confefs, it was want of confideration that made me an au

thor. I wrote because it amused me. I corrected, because it was as pleasant to me to correct as to write. I published, because I was told I might please such as it was a credit to please."

A train of fentences, conftructed in the fame manner, and with the fame number of members, should never be allowed to fucceed one another. A long fucceffion of either long or fhort fentences should also be avoided; for the ear tires of either of them when too long continued. Whereas, by a proper mixture of long and fhort periods, and of periods variously constructed, not only the ear iş gratified; but animation and force are given to our ftyle.

We now proceed to confider the things most effential to an accurate and a perfect fentence. They appear to be the four following: 1. CLEARNESS. 2. UNITY. 3. STRENGTH. 4. A JUDICIOUS USE OF THE FIGURES OF SPEECH.

CHAPTER I.

Of the CLEARNESS of a SENTENCE.

PURITY, propriety, and precision, in words and phrases feparately confidered, have already been explained, and fhown to be neceffary to perfpicuous and accurate writing. The juft relation of fentences, and the parts of fentences, to one another, and the due arrangement of the whole, are the fubjects which remain to be difcuffed.

THE FIRST requifite of a perfect fentence is Clearness. Whatever leaves the mind in any fort of fufpenfe as to the meaning, ought to be avoided. Obfcurity arifes from two caufes; either from a wrong choice of words, or a wrong arrangement of them. The choice of words and phrafes, as far as regards perfpicuity, has been already confidered. The difpofition of them comes now under confideration.

The first thing to be ftudied here, is grammatical propriety. But as the grammar of our language is comparatively not extenfive, there may be an obfcure order of words where there is no tranfgreffion of any grammatical rule.

The relations of words, or members of a period, are, with us, afcertained only by the position in which they stand.

Hence a capital rule in the arrangement of fentences is, that the words or members, moft clearly related, should be placed in the fentence as near to each other as poffible, so as to make their mutual relation clearly appear. It will be proper to produce some instances, in order to fhow the importance of this rule.

1. In the pofition of adverbs. "The Romans understood liberty, at leaft, as well as we." These words are capable of two different fenfes, according as the emphasis, in reading them, is laid upon liberty, or upon at least. The words fhould have been thus arranged: "The Romans underflood liberty as well, at least, as we.”

"Theifm can only be opposed to polytheifm, or atheifm." Is it meant that theifm is capable of nothing else befides being opposed to polytheism, or atheism? This is what the words literally import, through the wrong placing of the adverb only. It should have been, "Theifm can be oppofed only to polytheifm or atheifm."

"By the pleasures of the imagination, I mean only fuch pleasures as arife originally from fight." When it is faid, "I mean only fuch pleasures," it may be remarked, that the adverb only is not properly placed. It is not intended here to qualify the word mean, but fuch pleasures; and therefore should have been placed in as close connexion as poffible with the word which it limits or qualifies. The ftyle becomes more clear and neat, when the words are arranged thus: " By the pleafures of the imagination, I mean fuch pleasures only as arife from fight."

In the following fentence, the word more is not in its proper place. "There is not perhaps, any real beauty or deformity more in one piece of matter than another." The phrase ought to have stood thus: "Beauty or deformity in one piece of matter more than in another.”

2. In the pofition of circumstances, and of particular mem

bers.