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EX. III.]

ALLEGORY BY CAMPBELL.

301

would make it easy to amend the order. "Probability's principal companion and favorite is Truth; but it is often difficult to say whether Plausibility prefers Truth or Fiction."

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8. "Both are naturally well-disposed, and even friendly to Virtue, but the elder is by much the more steady of the two [Redundancy: 'much the steadier']; the younger, though perhaps not less capable of (doing) good, is more easily corrupted, "and hath sometimes basely turned procuress to vice." The order here is unexceptionable.

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9. "Though rivals, they have a sisterly affection to each other, "and love to be together." "To each other' appears pleonastic after 'sisterly affection.' This sentence is a good example of variation of form, attained without violating the proper order of the parts.

10. "The elder, sensible that (there are but a) few (who) can "for any 'long' time relish her society alone, is generally anxious "that her sister 'should' be of the party; the younger, conscious "of (her own) superior talents (in this respect) 'for amusement,' can more easily dispense with the other's company."

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11. "Nevertheless, when she is discoursing on great and serious subjects, in order to add weight to her words, she often quotes "her sister's testimony, which she knows is better credited than "her own, a compliment that is but sparingly returned by the "elder." This sentence is a continuation of the second member of the previous sentence, and should have made part of that member. If, as the author probably felt, it was too much to append in that way, the alternative was to commence a new sentence with the second part of the previous one. There is no harm in occupying two successive sentences with a balanced comparison or contrast; while the present arrangement contains an ambiguous reference, and introduces a sentence not co-ordinate with the others. Taken by itself, the present sentence is well arranged. A subordinate clause precedes the principal. The qualifying phrase 'in order to add weight to her words,' precedes in close proximity the clause to be qualified. The relative clause 'which she knows is better credited than her own,' although a loose addition to the predicate, yet contains the gist and force of the assertion, and therefore properly comes last. The final clause, 'a compliment that is but sparingly returned by the elder,' is equivalent to a separate member' while the elder but sparingly returns the compliment,'-important to be added, and, in its present form, given with a certain careless ease.

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12, 13. "Each sister hath her admirers. Those of the younger 66 are more numerous, those of the elder more constant." The construction that of,' 'those of,' should, in my opinion, if possible, be dispensed with. Moreover, it is not desirable to invert, as in this and in the following sentences, the order of naming the two sisters. "Each is admired; the elder with greater constancy, the younger by the larger circle."

14, 15. "In the retinue of the former, you will find the young, "the gay, the dissipated; but these are not her only attendants. "The middle-aged, however, and the thoughtful, more commonly "attach themselves to the latter." There is no harm in occupying two sentences with the comparison; but, in the present instance, one would not have been too prolix. We now see the evil effect of inverting the order; it takes a special and needless effort of attention to interpret 'former' as the younger, and 'latter' as the elder. Besides correcting this mistake, we may amend the order in other respects. "The one has among her retinue, the young, the gay, the dissipated (although not them alone) [an awkward appendage, making the sentence loose, and occupying the place of emphasis without being the most important fact]; to the other, are more commonly attached the middle-aged and thoughtful."

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16. "To conclude; (as something may be learned of characters) "as characters may in some degree be known' from the invectives "of enemies, as well as from the encomiums of friends, those who "have not judgment to discern the good qualities of the first-born "[an elegant variation] accuse her of (dulness, pedantry, and stiffness) 'stiffness, pedantry, and dulness;' those who have not "taste to relish the charms of the second [does not tally with 'first"born,'] charge her with (folly, levity, and falseness) 'levity, folly, "and falseness.' """ It would be more in conformity with the laws of the sentence thus:- "the first-born is accused, by such as have no judgment to discern her good qualities, of stiffness, pedantry, and dulness; the other is charged, by those unable to relish her charms, with levity, folly, and falseness."

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17. "Meantime, it appears to be the universal [a word of too "much emphasis for light composition, say 'general,' or 'common'] opinion of the impartial, and ‘of' such as (have been) 'are' best acquairted with both, that though the attractions of the younger (be) 'are' more irresistible at sight, the virtues of the elder will "be longer remembered." To bring out a climax, the inversion of the two sisters may be here excused, especially when the desig

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EX. III.]

ALLEGORY BY CAMPBELL.

303

nations are unmistakable. The order of the sentence is that recom mended above for 6 and 15.

The passage, as a whole, realizes most of the laws of the paragraph; the main subject is clearly stated at the outset; by a few amendments we can bring out the parallel construction; the strict adherence to the main theme realizes unity. The only point to be considered is whether the particulars have a natural and easy contiguity, such as to aid the memory and the comprehension of the whole; or whether, in any case, there be dislocation. The order of topics is,-(1) Parentage, (2) outward appearance, (3) conversation, (4) choice of companions, (5) moral character, (6) sisterly affection and mutual deference, (7) characters of the admirers of each, (8) allegations of enemies, (9) intended summary and climax. The chief instance of dislocation is perhaps the moral character (5), which is placed between choice of companions and sisterly affection; a better situation might be between 7 and 8, after social qualities, and before the allegations of enemies. It might also be advisable to place sisterly affection earlier, say third (after outward appearance); the particulars connected with the social qualities generally, 3, 4, 7, would then be brought together.

EXTRACT IV.-The next extract is from Cowley's Essay on Cromwell, and illustrates various rhetorical peculiarities. It is made impressive by the form of Interrogation, to which the only objection is the length. The opening clause is an example of strength or elevation produced by an effective contrast and a powerful circumstance ('destruction of one of the most ancient, &c.'); it contains also an elegant condensation. Clauses 2, 3, 4, have the same union of contrast and circumstance. Clause 5, 'to trample upon them too; 'powerful metaphor; a strong term ('spurn') aptly used (STRENGTH § 95). In 6, 7, we have keeping of metaphors, and these of a powerful kind: also elegant periphrasis ('to set himself up,' &c.). In 8, 9, 10, additional particulars aggrandize the picture, each containing a balanced statement. (11) 'To be feared and courted' illustrates the vocabulary of strength (p. 91); the two expressions are tautological, but add to the impression; the second being a figure for raising the power of the first. (12) Strength by Metonymies. (13) Another striking contrast, illustrating the Protector's greatness. (14) The same: 'noble and liberal,' admissible tautology. (15) The passage is now brought to a climax; the three remaining clauses rise in strength and grandeur of ideas and

language to the close, and body forth in well-chosen terms the sublime of human greatness-reputation and immortality.

Irrespective of the rhetoric, the language is highly idiomatic and choice. It is also musical, and might be studied in connection with the laws of Melody.

"What can be more extraordinary than that a person of mean 1 birth, no fortune, no eminent qualities of body, which have sometimes-or of mind, which have often-raised men to the highest dignities, should have the courage to attempt, and the happiness to succeed in so improbable a design, as the destruction of one of the most ancient and most solidly-founded mon2 archies upon the earth? that he should have the power or boldness to put his prince and master to an open and infamous 3, 4 death; to banish that numerous and strongly-allied family; to 5 do all this under the name and wages of a parliament; to trample upon them, too, as he pleased, and spurn them out of doors 6 when he grew weary of them; to raise up a new and unheard7 of monster out of their ashes; to stifle that in the very infancy,

and set up himself above all things that ever were called sover8 eign in England; to oppress all his enemies by arms, and all his 9 friends afterwards by artifice; to serve all parties patiently for 10 awhile, and to command them victoriously at last; to overrun

each corner of the three nations, and overcome with equal facility both the riches of the south and the poverty of the north; 11 to be feared and courted by all foreign princes, and adopted a 12 brother to the gods of the earth; to call together parliaments

with a word of his pen, and scatter them again with the breath 13 of his mouth; to be humbly and daily petitioned, that he would please to be hired, at the rate of two millions a year, to be the master of those who had hired him before to be their servant; 14 to have the estates and lives of three kingdoms as much at his disposal as was the little inheritance of his father, and to be as 15 noble and liberal in the spending of them; and lastly (for there is no end of all the particulars of his glory),* to bequeath all this 16 with one word to his posterity; to die with peace at home, and

triumph abroad; to be buried among kings, and with more than 17 regal solemnity; and to leave a name behind him not to be extinguished but with the whole world; which, as it is now too little for his praises, so might have been, too, for his conquests, if the short line of his human life could have been stretched out to the extent of his immortal designs?"

EXTRACT V.-The following passage from Addison has often been commented on:

1. "Our sight is the most perfect and most delightful of all our

* Author's parenthesis.

EX. V.] ADDISON'S PLEASURES OF THE IMAGINATION.

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305

"" senses. As sight is the subject of the paragraph, it properly occupies the place of prominence at the beginning. The predicate is mere vague commendation; such as it is, however, the stress does not fall upon the closing words 'all our senses,' but upon the previous epithets. Hence a better order would be, "Our sight is, of all our senses, the most perfect and the most delightful," or better still:-"Of all our senses, sight is the most perfect and the most delightful." Moreover, this would be a good case for throwing the subject to the end of the sentence:- "The most perfect and delightful of all our senses is sight."

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The sentence as it stands in the original is highly melodious. The melody is owing, first, to there being few abrupt consonants or harsh combinations. It arises, secondly, from the variety of the vowels. Thirdly, it depends on the rhythmical construction, or the alternation of long and short, emphatic, and unemphatic sounds. Between every two emphatic syllables, there are two or three unemphatic to relieve the voice, while some of these may receive a partial emphasis at discretion. And, fourthly, the word 'senses makes a good falling close. The word 'all' might be dispensed with, as far as concerns the meaning; but it is a great addition to the melody, having a liquid consonant as well as a vowel not already contained in the sentence, and supplying the want of a long emphatic syllable. 'Our' is not strictly required by the meaning, but it helps the sound, and gives a slight unction of personality to the subject.

2. "It fills the mind with the largest variety of ideas, converses "with its objects at the greatest distance, and continues the longest "in action without being tired or satiated with its proper enjoy"ments." The principal subject is in its place, at the beginning. The three predicates are a series of balanced clauses, arranged as a climax; the greater length of the last is one of the marks of its superior importance. The sentence explains and amplifies the foregoing, and needs no conjunction to introduce it; the parallel construction makes the reference easy; the 'it' has only one possible antecedent. The words are for the most part aptly chosen. As a metaphor for the occasion, 'fills the mind' is good and expressive; 'largest variety of ideas' ought in strictness to be 'greatest variety,' or 'largest number.' 'Converses with its objects' is a slight personification. The concluding phrase, if rigidly scanned, shows tautology-'tired or satiated,' and redundancy-' with its proper enjoyments.'

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