Where not a beam, nor leaf is lost nor air,
But of being hath a part and a sense

Of that which of all is Creator and defence.

(4.) Place in proper order the words of the following passage in Blank Verse.

Oh, friendly to the best pursuits of man,
Friendly to peace, to thought, to virtue,
Domestic life pass'd in rural pleasure!

Few thy value know, and thy sweets few taste;
Thy favors though many boast, and affect
To choose and understand thee for their own.
But foolish man his proper bliss foregoes,
As his first progenitor even, and quits
In Paradise though placed (for Earth still has
Of her youthful beauty some traces left),
For transient joy substantial happiness.
Scenes for contemplation form'd, and to nurse
Of wisdom the growing seeds; that suggest,
By ev'ry pleasing image they present,
Such reflections as meliorate the heart,
Exalt the mind, and compose the passions;
Such scenes as these, 'tis his supreme delight
To defile with blood, and fill with riot.

(5.) It is recommended to the teacher to dictate frequently to the class, passages of various forms of poetry, with words displaced as above, to be properly arranged by the student, in order to cultivate a taste for the melody of verse, and to acquire the art of arranging words so as to meet the demands of melody in every kind of verse.

(6.) The writer of verse must be acquainted, not only with the Figures of Rhetoric already illustrated, but with the Figures of Etymology and Syntax-and also with certain grammatical irregularities and other peculiarities in which poets are allowed to indulge, in view of the difficulties encountered in meeting the demands of verse.

LESSON CLXX..

ETYMOLOGICAL AND SYNTACTICAL FIGURES.

The former relate to certain modifications of the form of words:

1. Aphoresis, is the omission of one or more of the first letters of a word; as, 'gan, 'scape, 'mid, 'bove, 'neath, 'gainst, 'havior, I'll remember, for began, escape, amid, above, beneath, against, behavior, I will remember.

2. Apocope, omits one or more of the last letters of a wordtho', th', t', o'clock, for though, the, to, of clock.

3. Syncope, cuts out one or more letters from the middle of a word; as, e'en, se'ennight, wat'ry, heav'n, o'er, plum'd, rais'd, &c., for even, sevennight, watery, &c.

4. Prosthesis, prefixes a letter or syllable to a word; as, adown, surceased, bepaint, agoing, beloved, enchain, &c., for down, ceased, &c.

5. Paragoge annexes a letter or syllable to a word; as, withouten, awaken, holden, kindly, for without, awake, hold, kind.

6. Diaresis separates a diphthong into two separate sounds and syllables; as, aërial, reiterate, coördinate.

7. Synæresis contracts two syllables into one; as, learn'd, dost, lov'd, instead of learn-ed, do-est, lov-ed.

8. Tmesis, is the insertion of a word between the elements of a compound word; as, which side soever, how long soever, to us ward.

SYNTACTICAL FIGURES.

These involve changes in words, in position, in meaning, use, or omission :

1. Pleonasm, which introduces words not necessary to the structure or complete meaning of a sentence; as,

Up, up, dull swain.

I sit me down, &c.

The moon herself is lost in heaven.

2. Ellipsis, is the omission of a word or words in the construc. tion of a phrase or sentence; as,

St. Peter's (Cathedral). "To be, or not to be-that's the question," for, "Am I to be, or not to be-that's the question;" "Ah, me !" for "Ah, pity me!" Dost ask?" for "Dost thou ask?"

3. Parenthesis introduces a circumstance within the limits of a sentence; as,

The planets cry, "Forbear!"

They chase our double darkness: Nature's gloom,
And (kinder still!) our intellectual night.

4. Syllepsis involves the personification of a word, and the use of it, not according to strict grammatical rules, but according to the sense obviously intended by the writer; as,

"A dauntless soul, erect, who smiles on death."

"The whole city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they besought him to depart," &c. Here city is to be regarded as meaning the people of the city. So, in the previous instance, soul is put for the person who has a dauntless soul-or soul is personified.

5. Hyperbaton transposes words and clauses in a sentence, in order to increase the vivacity and variety of composition; as,

"Great is Diana of the Ephesians;" "He wanders earth around;" 9966 Now come we to the last;""A man he was to all the country dear;" "His voice sublime is heard afar."

66

6. Enallage uses one part of speech, or one form of a word, in the place of another, as an adjective for an adverb: They fall successive and successive rise;" "A world devote to universal wreck;" we used for I, or ye for thou, when a single individual is denoted.

LESSON CLXXI.

POETIC LANGUAGE AND CONSTRUCTION.

Not all the specifications that follow are peculiar, but they most abound in poetry:

1. It is the custom of poets to employ words and phrases which are antiquated, and seldom or never used in prose; as,

"Of features stern, selvaggio well yclep'd."

"When, where, likes me best, I can command."

"Was never knight on ground mote be with him compared."
"Thy voice we hear, and thy behests obey."

"To feel me in the solitude of kings."

"In sooth, he was a strange and wayward wight.'

"He was to weet, a little roguish page."

"Sir porter sat him down, and turn'd to sleep again."

"Withouten that would come a heavier fall."

In addition to the words above quoted as not used in prose, may be mentioned

Of verbs: ken, wend, trow, astound, rue.

Of adverbs: oft, inly, haply, &c.

Of adjectives: blithe, born, darksome, darkling, dank, doughty, fell, rife. rapt, sear, &c.

2. Poets delight in compound epithets; as,

"From the far-off isles enchanted."
"From the wreck of hopes far scatter'd,
Tempest-shatter❜d,

Floating, waste, and desolate."

"Of vice-entail'd corruption; they," &c.

"A gray and grief-worn aspect of old days."

3. The natural and prose arrangement of words is often departed from; for instance:

(1.) The nominative follows its verb; as,

"Float some fragments of a song."

"Nor wants some interchange of rule."
"So pass'd he," &c.

(2.) The object precedes its verb; as,

"Who had seen him then had deem'd

By the proud steed-like tossing of his crest." "He little merits bliss who others can annoy."

"The which to gain and keep, he sacrificed all rest.'

(8.) The adjective follows its noun; as,

"Gleams Elysian

In the tropic clime of youth."

(4.) The verb in the infinitive precedes the word on which it depends, or by which it is governed; as,

as,

"When first thy sire to send on earth

Virtue, his darling child, design'd.”

(5.) Adverbs precede the words which they modify; as,

"The ploughman homeward plods his weary way."

(6.) Prepositions succeed the object depending upon them; as, "When beauty Eden's bowers within.”

"The Muses fair, these peaceful shades among."

(7). Adverbs are inserted between to and the infinitive; as,

To slowly trace the forest's shady scenes."

(8.) The imperative mood is used in the first and third persons;

"Turn we a moment fancy's rapid flight."
"Be man's peculiar work his sole delight."

"And what is reason? Be she thus defined."

(9.) Ellipsis is more frequently and largely used than in prose; as,

"To whom thus Adam: (i. e., spoke)

"Gross he who judges so."

"Time is our tedious song should here have ending."

"Bliss is the same in subject as in king

In who obtain defence, or who defend."

(10.) Adjectives are often connected with nouns which they do not properly qualify; as,

"Imbitter'd more from peevish day to day."

"And drowsy tinklings lull the distant folds."

"The ploughman homeward plods his weary way."

(11.) Or and nor are used in the place of either and neither; as,

"Or by the lazy Scheldt or wandering Po."

"Is nor of heaven nor earth."

(12.) Adjectives are used like abstract nouns; as,

"And on the boundless of thy goodness calls."
"Meanwhile whate'er of beautiful or new,

Sublime or dreadful, in earth, sea, or sky."

(18.) Intransitive verbs are made transitive; as,

"They lived

The rural day, and talk'd the flowing heart."
"He mourn'd no recreant friend."