time on the land and are afterwards consumed by fire, how much more will he clothe you?

Examples of the use of different parts of speech in giving significance and vivacity, by the use of those which are specific in their meaning:

Shakspeare might have described Antony as saying, over the dead body of Cæsar, "Those honorable men who killed Cæsar," but how much more forcible are the words which he employed: "Those honorable men whose daggers have stabbed Cæsar!"

Paul, in addressing the Ephesians, might have said: "Yea, ye yourselves know that I have labored for the supply of my own wants;" but more impressively he says: Yea, ye yourselves know that these hands have ministered to my necessities."

66

The word execution, or hanging, is a more vivid expression than "the infliction of the sentence of death on a criminal."

So Milton's comparison of Satan to "a cormorant" gives a more vivid idea than if he had said "a bird of prey." Again, in describing the attitude of Satan when in the act of infusing bad thoughts into the mind of Eve, he uses the best, because most specific word, perhaps, in the language for this purpose

"Him there they found,

Squat like a toad, close at the ear of Eve."

The next example shows that an adverb which is very particular in its signification, contributes to vivacity:

"Some say, he bid his angels turn askance

The poles of earth, twice ten degrees and more,

From the sun's axle."

If instead of askance the poet had used the word aside, the expression would have been less appropriate and forcible. The latter would have been equally proper if the inclination of the plane of the ecliptic had been made even perpendicular to that of the equator; whereas the word askance in that case could not have been employed, denoting a much smaller obliquity.

Remark also the appropriateness and specialty of the expression used by Thomson

"Lo! now apparent all,

Aslant the dew-bright earth and color'd air,

He looks in boundless majesty abroad."

It enlivens the imagery and adds force to our expressions, when we not only particularize, but even individuate the object presented to the mind. For this peculiarity the poems of Ossian are

remarkable. His comparisons bring to our view "the mist on the Hill of Cromler," "the storm on the Sea of Malmor," and “the reeds of the Lake of Lezo."

So the sacred writers: "Swift as a roe or as a fawn upon Mount Bether,” "white as the snow in Salmon," "fragrant as the smell of Lebanon."

Again, whatever tends to subject the things spoken of to the cognizance of our senses, especially of our eyes, greatly enlivens the expression; as in a passage already quoted: "Ye yourselves know that these hands hav ministered to my necessities."

The words yon and yonder are more emphatical, because more demon strative, than that and there, as the former imply that the object referred to is one of sight; as, "For proof, look up,

Milton.

And read thy fate in yon celestial sign." The expression is more vivid than would have been "that celestial sign."

"Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder," is more vivid than "pray there."

In compositions of the descriptive kind, it is best, for giving a vivid conception, to advance from general expressions to special, and thence again to those more particular; as in the Song of Solomon (ii., 10-13):

"My beloved spake and said to me: Arise, my love, my fair, and come away; for, lo! the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth, the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; the fig-tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape perfume the air."

In this passage the most general expression is first used: "The winter is past;" the next is more special, "the rain" (one of the disagreeable attendants on winter), "is over and gone." Then are mentioned the particular effects of the coming of spring-first in the use of the more general terms, flowers and birds, then of the particular terms, turtle, fig-tree, and vine.

LESSON LXXXIX.

1IE HARMONY, OR MELODIOUS STRUCTURE OF SENTENCES.

This quality depends, of course, upon the proper choice and arrangement of words, rendering the sentence easy of

pronunciation, and agreeable to the ear when pronounced. The term harmony sometimes denotes an accordance between the sense and the sound of the words, so that these, in some cases, require to be difficult of pronunciation, harsh, and disagreeable in sound. Whether the sound be agreeable or otherwise, the sense should, as far as possible, be represented by the sound of the words selected. True harmony does not consist in adopting the most musical words and phrases, but in the choice and fitting arrangement of such a succession of sounds as shall most clearly indicate the feelings originated by the thoughts expressed. Hence harsh words are, for certain purposes, more consistent with rhetorical harmony than words of agreeable sound. The following extracts afford illustration of the truth of these remarks:

First, in relation to melodious sounds:

"And at night so cloudless and so still! Not a voice of living thing not a whisper of leaf or waving bough—not a breath of wind-not a sourd upon the earth, or in the air! And overhead bends the blue sky, dewy and soft, and radiant with innumerable stars, like the inverted bell of some blue flower, sprinkled with golden dust, and breathing fragrance.”—Hyperion.

Secondly, in relation to harsh sounds:

"Now swells the intermingling din. The jar,
Frequent and frightful, of the bursting bomb;
The falling beam, the shriek, the groan, the shout,
The ceaseless clangor, and the rush of men
Inebriate with rage! Loud and more loud
The discord grows, till pale Death shuts the scene,
And o'er the conqueror and the conquer'd draws
His cold and bloody shroud."

Shelley's" Queen Mab."

"But then his style! In very truth, it is the strangest of styles, though one of the richest-a style full of originality, picturesqueness, sunny vigor; but all cased and slated over, threefold, in metaphor and trope; distracted into tortuosities, dislocations; starting out into crotchets, cramp terms, quaintnesses, and hidden satire."-Carlyle, "On Mirabeau."

RULES FOR RHETORICAL HARMONY.

RULE I.-Unless where necessary for expressiveness, avoid, in the choice of words, those which are harsh, grating, unmelodious; these, for example:

(1.) In which there is a concurrence of the same vowel; as, re-estimated, co-ordinal, &c.

(2.) Those which contain two or more rough-sounding consonants; as chroniclers, perturbed, grudged, &c.

(3.) Those in which the same letters or similar syllables frequently recur; as, pre-reactionary, holily, sillily, farriery, &c.

(4.) Long compound words, when more fluent and equally expressive synonyms can be found; such as shamefacedness, distressfully, unsuccessfulness, &c.

(5.) Such long words as are of difficult pronunciation because the accent falls on the first part of the word; as, arbitrarily, felicitously, cursorily, peremptoriness, &c.

Words are most agreeable to the ear when they are composed of smooth and liquid sounds; when there is a due admixture of vowels and consonants; when there are not too many harsh consonants rubbing against each other, and when there are not too many open vowels in succession, to cause a disagreeable opening of the mouth in their pronunciation. Vowels give softness, consonants give strength to words. A just proportion of both is desirable. Long words are commonly more agreeable to the ear than short ones. Among long words, those are most melodious which are composed of an intermixture of long and short syllables; such as, velocity, celerity, independent, impetuosity, &c.

RULE II.-In the arrangement of words, place them so as to produce an agreeable sound. Hence,

(1.) Guard against placing words in succession that begin with an aspirated h; as, "his historical genius."

(2.) Words ending in a certain sound should not be immediately followed by words that begin with the same sound; as, "sterile illiteracy."

(3.) Words ending in a vowel sound should not be succeeded by words beginning with a vowel sound; as, "Though all do owe you honor;" "Go! no evil will befall you."

(4.) So words ending with a consonant sound should not be followed by a word which begins with a similar consonant sound; as, "Who dares taz Xerxes with injustice?" Strike, iconoclast!" "Bring gingham," &c.

(5.) Do not place in immediate succession words whose first syllables have the same sound, or the final sound of which is similar to the first syllable of the succeeding word; as, I can candidly canvass Canterbury.

(6.) Words ending in similar sounds should not immediately succeed each other; as, "I confess with humility the sterility of my fancy, and the debility of my judgment."

(7.) A succession of monosyllables is inharmonious; as, "You do not wish to go on on this bad road far, father," &c.

LESSON XC.

THE HARMONIOUS STRUCTURE OF SENTENCES.

RULE III.-In composing a paragraph, there should be a judicious intermingling of long, short, and intermediate

sentences.

Short sentences are conversational, and long ones are oratorical. Conversational ease, and idiomatic familiarity of expression should be used, as much as is consistent with the dignity and elevation that is suited to the subject or writer.

RULE IV.--Arrange the clauses of a sentence with a view to ease in their pronunciation, and to an agreeable impression upon the ear. Hence,

(1). They should not be too long, so as to tax the lungs.

(2). The clauses should be generally arranged in the order of their length and importance, that is, in a climax. The length of the clauses should increase with the importance of the thought, the longest members of the period and the most sonorous words being reserved to the close. For example, Mr. Addison, speaking of the sense of sight, observes: "It fills the mind with the largest variety of ideas; converses with its objects at the greatest distance; and continues the longest in action without being tired or satiated with its proper enjoyments."

(3). A falling off at the end of a sentence impairs the harmony; hence, generally it is not expedient to end a clause or sentence with monosyllable; and very seldom should the monosyllable that