XIII. *his ignorance, and what he wants in know- LECT. Iledge, he fupplies by fufficiency. When " he has looked about him, as far as he can, <he concludes, there is no more to be seen; "when he is at the end of his line, he is at the "bottom of the ocean; when he has shot his " beft, he is fure none ever did, or ever can, "shoot better, or beyond it. His own reason " he holds to be the certain measure of truth; "and his own knowledge, of what is poffible " in nature." Here every thing is, at once, eafy to the breath, and grateful to the ear; and, it is this fort of flowing measure, this regular and proportional divifion of the members of his Sentences, which renders Sir William Temple's ftyle always agreeable. I muft obferve, at the fame time, that a Sentence, with too many refts, and these placed at inter * Or this inftance.-He is addreffing himself to Lady Effex, upon the death of her child; "I was once in hope, "that what was fo violent could not be long: But, when "I observed your grief to grow stronger with age, and to increase, like a stream, the farther it ran; when I saw it "draw out to fuch unhappy confequences, and to threaten, 86 no lefs than your child, your health, and your life, I "could no longer forbear this endeavour, nor end it, with" out begging of you, for God's fake, and for your own, "for your children, and your friends, your country, and "your family, that you would no longer abandon yourself to a difconfolate paffion; but that you would, at length, "awaken your piety, give way to your prudence, or, at leaft, rouze the invincible spirit of the Percys, that ne"ver yet fhrunk at any difafter." Y 4 vals LECT. vals too apparently measured and regular, is apt to favour of affectation. THE next thing to be attended to, is, the close or cadence of the whole Sentence, which, as it is always the part most fenfible to the ear, demands the greatest care. So Quinctilian : "Non igitur durum fit, neque abruptum, quo "animi, velut refpirant ac reficiuntur. Hæc "eft fedes orationis; hoc auditor expectat; "hic laus omnis declamat." The only important rule that can be given here, is, that when we aim at dignity or elevation, the found should be made to grow to the last; the longest members of the Period, and the fulleft and most fonorous words, fhould be referved to the conclufion. As an example of this, the following Sentence of Mr. Addison's may be given: "It fills the mind (fpeaking "of fight) with the largest variety of ideas; "converfes with its objects at the greatest "distance; and continues the longest in "action, without being tired or fatiated with "its proper enjoyments." Every reader must be fenfible of a beauty here, both in the proper divifion of the members and pauses, and the * "Let there be nothing harsh or abrupt in the conclu"fion of the fentence, on which the mind paufes and rests. "This is the most material part in the ftructure of Dif"courfe. Here every hearer expects to be gratified; here "his applause breaks forth.” manner XIII. manner in which the Sentence is rounded, LECT. and conducted to a full and harmonious close. THE fame holds in melody, that I obferved to take place with refpect to fignificancy; that a falling off at the end, always hurts greatly. For this reason, particles, pronouns, and little words are as ungracious to the ear, at the conclufion, as I formerly fhewed they were inconfiftent with ftrength of expreffion. It is more than probable, that the sense and the found have here a mutual influence on each other. That which hurts the ear, seems to mar the strength of the meaning; and that which really degrades the fense, in confequence of this primary effect, appears alfo to have a bad found. How difagreeable is the following Sentence of an Author, speaking of the Trinity!" It is a mystery which we firmly "believe the truth of, and humbly adore the "depth of." And how eafily might it have been mended by this tranfpofition! "It is a "mystery, the truth of which we firmly be"lieve, and the depth of which we humbly "adore." In general it seems to hold, that a mufical close, in our language, requires either the last fyllable, or the laft but one, to be a long fyllable. Words which confift mostly of short fyllables, as, contrary, particular, retroSpect, feldom conclude a Sentence harmoni ously, LE C T. ously, unless a run of long fyllables, before, has rendered them agreeable to the ear. XIII. IT is neceffary, however, to observe, that Sentences, so constructed as to make the found always fwell and grow towards the end, and to reft either on a long or a penult long fyllable, give a difcourfe the tone of declamation. The ear foon becomes acquainted with the melody, and is apt to be cloyed with it. If we would keep up the attention of the reader or hearer, if we would preferve vivacity and ftrength in our compofition, we must be very attentive to vary our measures. This regards the distribution of the members, as well as the cadence of the Period. Sentences conftructed in a fimilar manner, with the paufes falling at equal intervals, fhould never follow one another. Short Sentences fhould be intermixed with long and fwelling ones, to render difcourfe fprightly, as well as magnificent. Even difcords, properly introduced, abrupt founds, departures from regular cadence, have fometimes a good effect. Monotony is the great fault into which writers are apt to fall, who are fond of harmonious arrangement: and to have only one tune, or measure, is not much better than having none at all. A very vulgar ear will enable a writer to catch fome one melody, and to form the run of his Sentences according to it; which foon proves difgufting. difgufting. But a juft and correct ear is re- LE C T. quifite for varying and diverfifying the melody and hence we fo feldom meet with au, thors, who are remarkably happy in this respect. THOUGH attention to the mufic of Sentences must not be neglected, yet it must also be kept within proper bounds: for all appearances of an author's affecting harmony, are difagreeable; efpecially when the love of it betrays him fo far, as to facrifice, in any inftance, perfpicuity, precision, or strength of fentiment, to found. All unmeaning words, introduced merely to round the 'Period, or fill up the melody, complementa numerorum, as Cicero calls them, are great blemishes in writing. They are childish and puerile ornaments, by which a Sentence always lofes more in point of weight, than it can gain by fuch additions to the beauty of its found. Sense has its own harmony, as well as found; and, where the fense of a Period is expreffed with clearnets, force, and dignity, it will feldom happen but the words will ftrike the ear agreeably; at leaft, a very moderate attention is all that is requifite for making the cadence of fuch a Period pleafing and the effect of greater attention is often no other, than to render compofition languid and enervated. After all the labour which Quinctilian bestows on regu lating |