thing else, except being oppofed to polytheism or athe ifm? This is what the words literally mean through the improper collocation of only. He ought to have faid, "Theifm can be oppofed only to polytheism or "atheifm." Inaccuracies of this kind occafion little ambiguity in common difcourfe, because the tone and emphafis, used by the speaker, generally make the meaning perfpicuous. But in writing, where a person speaks to the eye, he ought to be more accurate; and so to connect adverbs with the words, they qualify, that his meaning cannot be mistaken on the firft infpec

tion.

When a circumstance is interpofed in the middle of afentence, it fometimes.requires attention, to place it in fuch manner, as to divest it of all ambiguity. For inftance," Are thefe defigns," fays Lord Bolingbroke, "which any man, who is born a Briton, in any circum"stances, in any fituation, ought to be ashamed or a"fraid to avow? Here we are in doubt, whether the phrafes," in any circumftances, in any fituation," be connected with "a man born in Britain ;" or with that man's" avowing his defigns." If the latter, as feems moft likely, was intended to be the meaning; the arrangement ought to be this, "Are thefe defigns, which any man, who is born a Briton, ought to be afhamed or afraid in any circumstances, in any fituation, to 4 ayow ?"

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Still more attention is requifite to a proper dif pofition of the relative pronouns, who, which, what, whose; and of all thofe particles, which exprefs the connection of the parts of fpeech. As all reafoning depends upon this connection, we cannot be too accurate with regard to it. A fmall error may obfcure the meaning of a whole fentence; and even where the meaning is apparent, yet if these relatives be misplaced; we always find fomething awkward and disjointed in the ftructure of the period. The following paffage in Bifhop Sherlock's Sermons will exemplify these obfervations; "It is folly to pretend to arm ourselves against the ac"cidents of life, by heaping up treafures, which nothing ❝ can protect us againft, but the good providence of our "Heavenly Father." Which grammatically refers to the immediately preceding noun, which here is "treasures ;" and this would convert the whole period into nonsense. The fentence fhould have been thus conftructed; "It is "folly to pretend by heaping up treafures to arm our"felves against the accidents of life, against which "nothing can protect us, but the good providence of our "Heavenly Father."

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We now proceed to the fecond quality of a well arranged fentence, which we termed its Unity. This is a capital property. The very nature of a fentence implies one propofition to be expreffed. It may confift of parts; but thefe parts must be so closely bound togeth

er, as to make an impreffion of one object only upon the mind.

To preferve this unity, we must firft obferve, that during the course of the fentence the fubject fhould be changed as little, as poffible. There is generally in every sentence fome person or thing, which is the governing word. This fhould be continued fo, if poffible, from the beginning to the end of it. Should a man exprefs himself in this manner; "After we came to anchor, "they put me on fhore, where I was faluted by all my "friends, who received me with the greatest kindness.” Though the objects in this fentence are fufficiently con→ nected; yet by fhifting fo often the subject and perfon, we, they, I, and who, they appear in so disunited a view, that the fenfe and connection are nearly loft. The fentence is restored to its proper unity by conftructing it thus; "Having come to anchor, I was put on fhore, "where I was faluted by all my friends, who received "me with the greatest kindness.”

The fecond rule is, never crowd into one sentence ideas, which have fo little connection, that they might well be divided into two or more sentences. Violation of this rule never fails to displease a reader. Its effect indeed is fo disgusting, that of the two it is the safest extreme, to err rather by too many short sentences, than by one, that is overloaded and confused. The following fentence from a translation of Plutarch will justify

this opinion; " Their march," fays the author, fpeaking of the Greeks, "was through an uncultivated coun"try, whofe favage inhabitants fared hardly, having no "other riches, than a breed of lean fheep, whose flesh

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was rank and unfavory by reafon of their continual "feeding upon fea-fifh." Here the fubject is repeatedly changed. The march of the Greeks, the defcription of the inhabitants, through whofe country they paffed, the account of their fheep, and the reafon of their fheep being difagreeable food, make a jumble of objects, flightly related to each other, which the reader cannot without confiderable difficulty comprehend in one view.

The third rule for preferving the unity of a fentence is, keep clear of parenthefes in the middle of it. Thefe may on fome occafions have a fpirited appearance, as prompted by a certain vivacity of thought, which can glance happily afide, as it is going along. But in general their effect is extremely bad; being a perplexed method of difpofing of fome thought, which a writer has not art enough to introduce in its proper place. It is needlefs to produce any inftances, as they occur fo frequently among incorrect writers.

The fourth rule for the unity of a fentence is, bring it to a full and perfect close. It needs not to be observed, that an unfinished fentence is no fentence with refpect to grammar. But fentences often occur, which are more, than finifhed. When we have arrived at

H

what we expected to be the conclufion; when we are come to the word, on which the mind is naturally led to reft; unexpectedly fome circumftance is added, which ought to have been omitted, or difpofed of elsewhere. Thus, for inftance, in the following fentence from Sir William Temple the adjection to the fentence is entire ly foreign to it. Speaking of Burnet's Theory of the Earth, and Fontenelle's Plurality of Worlds; "The "firft," fays he, "could not end his learned treatise "without a panegyric of modern learning in compari"fon of the antient; and the other falls fo grofsly into "the cenfure of the old poetry and preference of the 66 new, that I could not read either of thefe ftrains with"out fome indignation; which no quality among men. "is fo apt to raise in me, as felf fufficiency." The word" indignation" concludes the fentence; for the laft member is added after the proper clofe.

W

STRUCTURE OF SENTENCES.

E now proceed to the third quality of a correct fentence, which we termed Strength. By this is meant fuch a difpofition of the feveral words and members, as will exhibit the fenfe to the best advantage; as will render the impreffion, which the period is intended to make, moft full and complete; and give every word and every member its due weight and force. To the produc