PART III.

OF STYLE.

CHAP. I. Of Perspicuity

ly.

§ 1. THOUGH the consideration of Style Style not to has been laid down as holding a place in a be treated Treatise of Rhetoric, it would be neither ne- of general. cessary nor pertinent, to enter fully into a general discussion of the subject; which would evidently embrace much that by no means peculiarly belongs to our present inquiry. It is requisite for an Orator, e. g. to observe the rules of Grammar; but the same may be said of the Poet, and the Historian, &c.; nor is there any peculiar kind of grammatical propriety belonging to persuasive or argumentative compositions; so that it would be a departure from our subject to treat at large under the head of Rhetoric, of such rules as equally concern every other of the purposes for which language is employed.

Conformably to this view, I shall, under the present head, notice but slightly such principles of composition as do not exclusively or especially belong to the pres ént subject; confining my attention chiefly to such observations on Style as have an especial reference to Ai gumentative and Persuasive works.

§ 2. It is sufficiently evident (though the Perspicuity maxim is often practically disregarded) that a relative the first requisite of Style not only in rheto- quality. rical, but in all compositions,* is Perspicuity; since, as, Aristotle observes, language which is not intelligible,

*In Poetry, perspicuity is indeed by no means unimportant; but the most perfect degree of it is by no means so essential as in Prose works. See part iii. ch. iii. § 3.

or not clearly and readily intelligible, fails, in the same proportion, of the purpose for which language is employed. And it is equally self-evident (though this truth is still more frequently overlooked) that Perspicuity is a relative quality, and consequently cannot properly be predicated of any work, without a tacit reference to the class of readers or hearers for whom it is designed.

Nor is it enough that the Style be such as they are capable of understanding, if they bestow their utmost attention: the degree and the kind of attention, which they have been accustomed or are likely to bestow, will be among the circumstances that are to be taken into the account, and provided for. I say the kind, as well as the degree, of attention, because some hearers and readers will be found slow of apprehension indeed, but capable of taking in what is very copiously and gradually explained to them; while others, on the contrary, who are much quicker at catching the sense of what is expressed in a short compass, are incapable of long at. tention, and are not only wearied, but absolutely bewildered, by a diffuse Style.

When a numerous and very mixed audience is to be addressed, much skill will be required in adapting the Style, (both in this, and in other respects,) and indeed the Arguments also, and the whole structure of the discourse, to the various minds which it is designed to impress; nor can the utmost art and diligence prove, after all, more than partially successful in such a case; especially when the diversities are so many and so great, as exist in the congregations to which most Sermons are addressed, and in the readers for whom popular works of an argumentative, instructive, and hortatory character, are intended. It is possible, however, to approach indefinitely to an object which cannot be completely attained; and to adopt such a Style, and likewise such a mode of reasoning, as shall be leve. to the comprehension of the greater part, at least

even of a promiscuous audience, without being disasteful to any.

It is obvious, and has often been remarked, that extreme conciseness is ill suited to hearers or readers whose intellectual powers and cultivation are but small The usual expedient, however, of employing Brevity and a prolix Style by way of accommodation to prolixity. such minds, is seldom successful. Most of those who could have comprehended the meaning, if more briefly expressed, and many of those who could not do so, are likely to be bewildered by tedious expansion; and being unable to maintain a steady attention to what is said, they forget part of what they have heard, before the whole is completed. Add to which, that the feeblenes produced by excessive dilution, (if such an expressior may be allowed,) will occasion the attention to languish; and what is imperfectly attended to, however clear in itself, will usually be but imperfectly understood. Let not an author, therefore, satisfy himself by finding that he has expressed his meaning so that, if attended to, he cannot fail to be understood; he must consider also (as was before remarked) what attention is likely to be paid to it. If on the one hand much matter is expressed in very few words to an unreflecting audience, or if, on the other hand, there is a wearisome prolixity, the requisite attention may very probably not be bestowed.

It is remarked by Anatomists, that the nutritive quality is not the only requisite in food;-that a certain degree of distention of the stomach is required, to enable it to act with its full powers,-and that it is for this reason hay or straw must be given to horses, as well as corn, in order to supply the necessary bulk. Something analogous to this takes place with respect to the generality of minds; which are incapable of thoroughly digesting and assimilating what is presented to them, however clearly, in a very small compass. Many a one is capable of deriving that instruction from

moderate sized volume, which he could not receive from a very small pamphlet, even more perspicuously written, and containing every thing that is to the purpose. It is necessary that the attention should be detained for a certain time on the subject: and persons of unphilosophical mind, though they can attend to what they read or hear, are unapt to dwell upon it in the way of subsequent meditation.

Repetition. The best general rule for avoiding the disadvantages both of conciseness and of prolixity is to employ Repetition: to repeat, that is, the same sentiment and argument in many different forms of expression; each, in itself brief, but all, together, affording such an expansion of the sense to be conveyed, and so detaining the mind upon it, as the case may require. Cicero among the ancients, and Burke among the modern writers, afford, perhaps, the most abundant practical exemplifications of this rule. The latter

sometimes shows a deficiency in correct taste, and lies open to Horace's censure of an author, " Qui variare cupit rem prodigialiter unam;” but it must be admitted that he seldom fails to make himself thoroughly understood, and does not often weary the attention, even when he offends the taste, of his readers.

Care must of course be taken that the repetition may not be too glaringly apparent; the variation must not consist in the mere use of other, synonymous, words; but what has been expressed in appropriate terms may De repeated in metaphorical; the antecedent and consequent of an argument, or the parts of an antithesis may be transposed; or several different points that have been enumerated, presented in a varied order, &c.

Words derived from Saxon better under

stood by the lower classes.

It is not necessary to dwell on that obvi ous rule laid down by Aristotle, to avoid uncommon, and, as they are vulgarly called, hard words, i. e. those which are such to the persons addressed; but it may be worth remarking, that to those who wish to be un

derstood by the lower orders of the English,* one of the best principles of selection is to prefer terms of Saxon origin, which will generally be more familiar to them, than those derived from the Latin, (either directly, or through the medium of the French,) even when the latter are more in use among persons of education.† Our language being (with very trifling exceptions) made up of these elements, it is very easy for any one, though unacquainted with Saxon, to observe this precept, if he has but a knowledge of French or of Latin and there is a remarkable scope for such a choice as ! am speaking of, from the multitude of synonymes derived, respectively, from those two sources. The compilers of our Liturgy being anxious to reach the understandings of all classes, at a time when our language was in a less settled state than at present, availed themselves of this circumstance in employing many synonymous, or nearly synonymous, expressions, most of which are of the description just alluded to. Take, as an instance, the Exhortation:-" acknowledge" and "confess ;"- dissemble" and "cloke;"-" humble " and "lowly;"-"goodness" and "mercy;" -"assemble" and "meet together." And here it may be observ.. ed, that (as in this last instance) a word of French origin will very often not have a single word of Saxon derivation corresponding to it, but may find an exact equivalent in a phrase of two or more words; e. g. constitute," " go to make up ;"- suffice," be enough for;"-"substitute," "put in the stead," &c. &c.

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It is worthy of notice, that a Style composed chiefly of the words of French origin, while it is less intelligible to the lowest classes, is characteristic of those who ♫ cultivation of taste are below the highest. As in

This does not hold good in an equal degree in Ireland, where the language was introduced by the higher classes.

† A remarkable instance of this is, that while the children of the higher classes always call their parents "Papa !" and "Mamma!" the children of the peasantry usually call them by the titles of Father!" and "Mother!"