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ry to fet the perfon of the greatest dignity at the top, and to defcend gradually through his inferiors. Where the purpofe is to honour the perfons named according to their rank, the latter order ought to be followed; but every one who regards himself only, or his reader, will chufe the former order. 3dly, As the fenfe of order directs the eye to defcend from the principal to its greatest acceffory, and from the whole to its greatest part, and in the fame order through all the parts and acceffories till we arrive at the minuteft; the fame order ought to be followed in the enumeration of fuch particulars. I fhall give one familiar example. Talking of the parts of a column, viz. the bafe, the, fhaft, the capital, thefe are capable of fix different arrangements, and the question is, Which is the best? When we have in view the erection of a column, we are naturally led to exprefs the parts in the order above mentioned; which at the fame time is agreeable by mounting upward. But confidering the column as it ftands, without reference to its erection, the fenfe of order, as obferved above, requires the chief part to be named first for that reafon we begin with the fhaft; and the bafe comes next in order, that we may afcend from it to the capital. Laftly, In tracing the particulars of any natural operation, order requires that we follow the courfe of nature: hiftorical facts are related in the order of time: we begin at the founder of a family, and proceed from him to

his defcendents: but in defcribing a lofty oak, we begin with the trunk, and afcend to the branches.

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When force and liveliness of expreffion are demanded, the rule is, to fufpend the thought as long as poffible, and to bring it out full and entire at the close: which cannot be done but by inverting the natural arrangement. By introducing a word or member before its time, our curiosity is raised about what is to follow; and it is agreeable to have our curiofity gratified at the clofe of the period: fuch arrangement produceth on the mind an effect fimilar to a stroke exerted upon the body by the whole collected force of the agent. On the other hand, where a period is fo conftructed as to admit more than one complete clofe in the fenfe, the curiofity of the reader is exhaufted at the first close, and what follows appears languid or fuperfluous: his disappointment contributes alfo to this appearance, when he finds, contrary to his expectation, that the period is not yet finished. Cicero, and after him Quintilian, recommend the verb to the laft place.. This method evidently tends to fufpend the fenfe till the close of the period; for without the verb the fenfe cannot be complete: and when the verb happens to be the capital word, which is frequently the cafe, it ought at any rate to bę put laft, according to another rule, above laid down. I proceed as ufual to illuftrate this rule

by

by examples. The following period is placed in its natural order.

Were inftruction an effential circumftance in epic poetry, I doubt whether a single instance could be given of this fpecies of compofition, in any language.

The period thus arranged admits a full close upon the word compofition; after which it goes on languidly, and clofes without force. This blemith will be avoided by the following arrange

ment:

Were inftruction an effential circumftance in epic poetry, I doubt whether, in any language, a fingle inftance could be given of this fpecies of compofition.

Some of our moft eminent divines have made ufe of this Platonic notion, as far as it regards the fubfiftence of our paffions after death, with great beauty and strength of reafon. Spectator, No go.

Better thus:

Some of our most eminent divines have, with great beauty and strength of reason, made use of this Platonic notion, &c.

Men of the beft fenfe have been touched, more or lefs, with these groundless horrors and prefages of futurity, upon furveying the moft indifferent works of naSpectator, N° 505.

ture.

Better,

Better,

Upon furveying the most indifferent works of nature, men of the best fenfe, &c.

She foon informed him of the place he was in, which, notwithstanding all its horrors, appeared to him more fweet than the bower of Mahomet, in the company of his Balfora. Guardian, N° 167.

Better,

She foon, &c. appeared to him, in the company of his Balfora, more fweet, &c.

The Emperor was fo intent on the establishment of his abfolute power in Hungary, that he exposed the Empire doubly to defolation and ruin for the fake of it.

Better,

Letters on history, vol. 1. let. 7. Bolingbroke.

that for the fake of it he expofed the Empire doubly to defolation and ruin.

None of the rules for the compofition of periods are more liable to be abused, than those laft mentioned; witnefs many Latin writers, among the moderns efpecially, whofe ftyle, by inversions too violent, is rendered harsh and obfcure. Sufpenfion of the thought till the close of the period, ought never to be preferred before perfpicuity. Neither ought fuch fufpenfion to be attempted in a long period; because in that

cafe

1

cafe the mind is bewildered among a profufion of words: a traveller, while he is puzzled about the road, relishes not the finest profpect:

1

All the rich presents which Aftyages had given him at parting, keeping only fome Median horfes, in order to propagate the breed of them in Perfia, he diftributed among his friends whom he left at the court of Ecbatana. Travels of Cyrus, book 1.

The foregoing rules concern the arrangement of a single period: I add one rule more concerning the distribution of a difcourfe i to different periods. A fhort period is lively and familiar: a long period, requiring more attention, makes an impreffion grave and folemn *. In general, a writer ought to study a mixture of long and short periods, which prevent an irksome uniformity, and entertain the mind with variety of impreffions. In particular, long periods ought to be avoided till the reader's attention be thoroughly engaged; and therefore a discourse, especially of the familiar kind, ought never to be introduced with a long period: for that reafon, the commencement of a letter to a very young lady on her marriage is faulty:

Madam, The hurry and impertinence of receiving and paying visits on account of your marriage, being now o

*Demetrius Phalereus (of Elocution, fect. 44.) obferves, that long members in a period make an impreffion of gravity and importance. And the same observation is applicable to periods.

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