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LECT.

X.

A Difficulty, an Obftacle. A Difficulty, embarraffes; an Obftacle, ftops us. We remove the one; we furmount the other. Generally, the first, expreffes fomewhat arifing from the nature and circumftances of the affair; the fecond, fomewhat arifing from a foreign cause. Philip found Difficulty in managing the Athenians from the nature of their difpofitions; but the eloquence of Demofthenes was the greatest Obstacle to his defigns.

Wisdom, Prudence.

Wifdom leads us to fpeak and act what is moft proper. Prudence, prevents our fpeaking or acting improperly, A wife man, employs the most proper means for fuccefs; a prudent man, the fafeft means for not being brought into danger.

Enough, Sufficient. Enough, relates to the quantity which one wishes to have of any thing. Sufficient, relates to the use that is to be made of it. Hence, Enough, generally imports a greater quantity than Sufficient does. The covetous man never has enough; although he has what is fufficient for nature.

To avow, to acknowledge, to confefs. Each of these words imports the affirmation of a fact, but in very different circumftances. To avow, supposes the perfon to glory in it; to acknowledge,

X.

acknowledge, fuppofes a small degree of faulti- L E C T. nefs, which the acknowledgment compenfates; to confefs, fuppofes a higher degree of crime. A patriot avows his oppofition to a bad minister, and is applauded; a gentleman acknowledges his mistake, and is forgiven; a prifoner confeffes the crime he is accused of, and is punished.

To remark, to obferve. We remark, in the way of attention, in order to remember; we obferve, in the way of examination, in order to judge. A traveller remarks the moft ftriking objects he fees; a general obferves all the motions of his enemy.

Equivocal, Ambiguous. An Equivocal Expreffion is, one which has one sense open, and defigned to be understood; another fenfe concealed, and understood only by the person who ufes it. An Ambiguous Expreffion is, one which has apparently two fenfes, and leaves us at a lofs which of them to give it. An equivocal expreffion is ufed with an intention to deceive; an ambiguous one, when it is used with defign, is, with an intention not to give full information. An honeft man will never employ an equivocal expreffion; a confused man may often utter ambiguous ones, without any defign. I fhall give only one instance more.

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With, By. Both these particles exprefs the connection between fome inftrument, or means of effecting an end, and the agent who employs it; but with, expreffes a more close and immediate connection; by, a more remote one. We kill a man with a sword; he dies by violence. The criminal is bound with ropes by the executioner. The proper diftinction in the use of these particles, is elegantly marked in a paffage of Dr. Robertfon's Hiftory of Scotland. When one of the old Scottish kings was making an enquiry into the tenure by which his nobles held their lands, they started up, and drew their fwords: " By thefe," faid they, "we acquired our lands, and with thefe, ee we will defend them." "By these we " acquired our lands;" fignifies the more remote means of acquifition by force and martial deeds; and, "with these we will defend "them;" fignifies the immediate direct inftrument, the sword, which they would employ in their defence.

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THESE are inftances of words, in Language, which, by careless writers, are apt to be employed as perfectly fynonymous, and yet are not fo. Their fignifications approach, but are not precifely the fame. The more the distinction in the meaning of fuch

words

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words is weighed, and attended to, the more LECT. clearly and forcibly shall we speak or write

FROM all that has been faid on this head, it will now appear, that, in order to write or fpeak with Precifion, two things are efpecially requifite; one, that an author's own ideas be clear and diftinct; and the other, that he have an exact and full comprehenfion of the force of thofe words which he employs. Natural genius is here required; labour and attention still more. Dean Swift is one

of the authors, in our Language, most distinguished for Precision of Style. In his writings, we feldom or never find vague expreffions, and fynonymous words, carelefly thrown together. His meaning is always clear, and strongly marked.

* In French, there is a very useful treatife on this fubject, the Abbé Girard's Synonymes Françoifes, in which he has made a large collection of fuch apparent Synonymes in the Language, and shown, with much accuracy, the difference in their fignification. It is to be wished, that fome fuch work were undertaken for our tongue, and executed with equal taste and judgment. Nothing would contribute more to precife and elegant writing. In the mean time, this French Treatife may be perused with confiderable profit. It will accuftom perfons to weigh, with attention, the force of words; and will fuggeft feveral diftinctions betwixt fynonymous terms in our own language, analogous to thofe which he has pointed out in the French; and, accordingly, several of the inftances above given were fuggefted by the work of this author.

LECT.
X.

It

I HAD Occafion to obferve before, that though all fubjects of writing or difcourfe demand Perfpicuity, yet all do not require the fame degree of that exact Precifion, which I have endeavoured to explain. is, indeed, in every fort of writing, a great beauty to have, at least, fome measure of Precifion, in diftinction from that loofe profusion of words which imprints no clear idea on the reader's mind. But we muft, at the fame time, be on our guard, left too great a study of Precifion, especially in fubjects where it is not strictly requifite, betray us into a dry and barren Style; left, from the defire of pruning too clofely, we retrench all copioufnefs and ornament. Some degree of this failing may, perhaps, be remarked in Dean Swift's ferious works. Attentive only to exhibit his ideas clear and exact, refting wholly on his fenfe and diftinctness, he appears to reject, difdainfully, all embellishment which, on fome occafions, may be thought to render his manner somewhat hard and dry. To unite Copioufnefs and Precifion, to be flowing and graceful, and, at the fame time, correct and exact in the choice of every word, is, no doubt, one of the highest and moft difficult attainments in writing. Some kinds of compofition may require more of Copioufnefs and Ornament; others, more of Precifion and Accuracy; nay, in the fame

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