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EX. IX.]

CARLYLE'S DESCRIPTION OF SILESIA.

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pictures itself to you as a plain, growing ever flatter, ever sandier, as it abuts on the monotonous endless sand-flats of Poland and the Brandenburg territories; nothing but Boundary-Stones with their brass inscriptions marking where the transition is, and only some Fortified Town, not far off, keeping the door of the Country secure in that quarter.

"On the other hand, the mountain part of Schlesien is very picturesque; not of Alpine height anywhere (the Schnee-Koppe itself is under 5,000 feet), so that verdure and forest wood fail almost nowhere among the Mountains, and multiplex industry, besung by rushing torrents and the swift young rivers, nestles itself high up; and from wheat-husbandry, madder and maize husbandry, to damask-weaving, metallurgy, charcoal-burning, tar-distillery, Schlesien has many trades, and has long been expert and busy at them to a high degree. A very pretty Ellipsis, or irregular Oval, on the summit of the European Continent, like the palm of a left hand well stretched out, with the Riesengebirge for thumb!' said a certain Herr to me, stretching out his arm in that fashion towards the north-west-Palm well stretched-out, measuring 250 miles, and the cross way, 100. There are still beavers in Schlesien; the Katzbach River has gold grains in it, a kind of Pactolus not now worth working; and in the scraggy lonesome pine woods, grimy individuals, with kindled mounds of pine branches and smoke carefully kept down by sods, are sweating out a substance which they inform you is to be tar."

EXTRACT X.-An extract from Robertson's Charles V. will afford examples of the rules of Narrative composition.

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1. "While the Christian princes were thus wasting each other's strength [reference, by summary, to what went before], Solyman "the Magnificent entered Hungary with a (numerous) 'large' army, "and investing Belgrade, which was deemed the chief barrier "of that kingdom against the Turkish arms [explanatory clause in"terwoven with the narrative], soon forced it to surrender." There are here three separate facts, in sufficiently close connection to be included in one sentence. The structure of the sentence is in every way excellent. The participial phrase 'investing Belgrade' contributes to the elegance, and aids in the periodic structure.

2. "Encouraged by (this) 'his' success [demonstrative reference, p. 147], he turned his victorious [epithet giving strength "from suitability to the fact] arms against the island of Rhodes,

"the seat, at that time, of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem." A well-turned sentence. The participial form is employed to begin the sentence; there is only one fact stated, room being wanted for the concluding explanation.

3. "This small state [reference by demonstrative phrase, com"bined with inversion] he attacked with such a numerous army as "the lords of Asia have been accustomed, in every age, to bring "into the field." This sentence serves only to intimate the general fact that the conquerors of Asia were able to muster enormous armies; which is a mere 'aside' in the present narrative. That Solyman attacked Rhodes was sufficiently stated by the words 'turned his victorious arms;' and the size of the army was given before by the same adjective 'numerous,' and is to be given again in exact numbers.

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4. "Two hundred thousand men, and a fleet of 400 sail, appeared 'against a town defended by a garrison consisting of 5000 soldiers, ‘and 600 knights, [here he makes a stealthy transition] under the "command of Villiers de L'Isle Adam, the grand master, whose "wisdom and valor rendered him worthy of that station at such a "dangerous juncture." The first statement of this sentence might have filled up the emptiness of the preceding one:—" “He brought

a force of 200,000 men and 400 sail against the town." The most notable defect, however, is the passing over from the attack to the defence without stop or break (p. 171). A new paragraph should have been devoted to the operations of the besieged, thus :—“ The town was defended by a garrison of 5000 soldiers, and 600 knights; the commander was Villiers de L'Isle Adam, the grand master, whose wisdom and valor," &c.

5. "No sooner did he begin to suspect the destination of Soly"man's vast armaments, than he despatched messengers to all the "Christian courts, imploring their aid against the common enemy." In 'he,' the reference is not to the principal clause of the preceding sentence, but to the subordinate clause at the end; another reason for the division of that sentence. The concluding phrase, 'the common enemy,' is a good example of varying an expression (p. 95), with an apparent reason besides the mere variety. Solyman, for the purpose of the sentence, was the common enemy.

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6. But though every prince in that age acknowledged Rhodes "to be the great bulwark of Christendom in the East, and trusted "to the gallantry of its knights as the best security against the (progress of the) Ottoman arms; though Adrian, with a zeal

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EX. X.] NARRATIVE EXTRACT FROM ROBERTSON.

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"(which became) 'becoming' the head and father of the church, "exhorted the contending powers to forget their private quarrels, “and, by uniting their arms, to prevent the infidels from destroying a society (which) 'that' did honor to the Christian name; yet so "violent and implacable was the animosity of both parties, that, 66 regardless of the danger to (which they exposed) all Europe, and "unmoved by the entreaties of the grand master or the admonitions "of the pope, they suffered Solyman to carry on, 'unmolested,' his operations against Rhodes (without disturbance)." A good example of a period, formed by placing qualifying clauses before what they qualify. As narrative, it is a sentence of explanation, interrupting the main action by collateral circumstances bearing upon it. The next sentence resumes the thread.

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7. The grand master, after incredible efforts of courage, of "(patience) 'endurance,' and of military conduct, during a siege of "six months, after sustaining many assaults, and disputing every "post with (amazing) obstinacy, (was obliged) 'had' at last to "yield to numbers; and having obtained an honorable capitulation "from the sultan, who admired (and respected) his virtue, he surrendered the town, (which was) reduced 'as it was' to a heap "of rubbish, and (destitute of every resource) 'in a state of utter 66 destitution.' The subject'grand master,' need not have been separated from its verb:-" After incredible efforts after sustaining the grand master had at last to yield to numbers; obtaining an honorable capitulation from the sultan, who admired his virtue, he surrendered the ruined and destitute town."

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8. "Charles and Francis, ashamed of (having occasioned) 'occasioning' such a loss to Christendom by their ambitious contests, (endeavored to throw) 'threw' the blame of it on each other; "(while) all Europe, with greater justice, (imputed it equally to) "threw it on' both." A good specimen of the narrative sentence, as containing a distinct action, although made up of several parts.

9. "(The emperor) 'Charles,' by way of reparation, granted the "Knights of St. John the small island of Malta, in which they fixed "their residence, retaining, though with less power and splendor, "their ancient spirit and implacable enmity to the infidels." Shorter:-"By way of reparation, Charles granted the Knights of St. John, for residence, the island of Malta, where, in diminished power and splendor, they retained their ancient spirit and implacable enmity to the infidels."

EXTRACT XI. The present extract from Hobbes, and the four that follow, will be examined chiefly with a view to Exposition. The rules of the sentence, and of the paragraph, will also be attended to.

1. "There is a passion that hath no name; but the sign of it is "that distortion of the countenance which we call laughter, which "is always joy; but what joy, what we think and wherein we tri"umph when we laugh, is not hitherto declared by any." An awkward and cumbrous sentence, although intelligible enough. 'There is a passion that hath no name,' might be 'a passion without a name;' the emphasis in 'hath no name' is too strong for the occasion. In the next member 'but the sign of it,' 'but' is not the proper conjunction. Amend the whole thus:-"The outward sign of it is that distortion of the countenance called laughter, which is always an expression of joy." The concluding member is forcibly put; we might, however, modify it slightly:-" but what joy, what we think of, and what we exult in, when we laugh, has yet to be determined." The first member might have been made a distinct sentence.

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2. "That it consisteth in wit, or, as they call it, in the jest, ex"perience confuteth; (for) men laugh at mischances and indecencies, wherein there lieth no wit nor jest at all." An inversion of the same nature as in the last member of the previous sentence, yet not absolutely necessary. The author's plan is to state and refute the usual explanations before putting forward his own; but he should have disentangled the two operations more completely than he has done; each should have been distinctly announced and handled in a paragraph, or a series of paragraphs, apart. We give an amended version of the sentence. "It is said to consist in wit, or jest, but this is not in accordance with experience; men laugh at mischances and indecencies, in which there is neither wit nor jest." The last member might also be turned thus:- "there is neither wit nor jest in mischances and indecencies, and yet men laugh at these." The form 'men laugh' is somewhat antiquated, but ought to be retained, as one of the forms of announcing truths of human nature from an objective side; the other forms are 'we laugh,' a person laughs,' 'one laughs,' 'people laugh,' 'there is a disposition to laugh' (subjective).

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3. And forasmuch as the same thing is no (more) 'longer' "ridiculous when it groweth stale or usual, whatsoever it be that "moveth laughter, it must be new (and) 'or' unexpected." This

EX. XI.]

EXPOSITION.HOBBES.

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sentence begins the author's own method of approaching the inquiry, namely, by an inductive process, and should not have been joined, by a cumulative conjunction, to the preceding. He would have done well to start a new paragraph, thus:-"Let us now examine the various occasions of laughter. In the first place, anything stale or common, ceases to be ludicrous; in other words, what causes laughter must be new or unexpected."

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4. "Men laugh often (especially such as are greedy of applause "from everything they do well) at their own actions performed 66 never so little beyond their own expectations; as also at their own jests; and in this case it is manifest that the passion of laugh“ter proceedeth from a sudden conception of some ability in him"self that laugheth." He now comes to the gist of his own theory, and should have given a decided intimation to that effect. essential circumstance, however, in the production of laughter is found in such facts as these. Men laugh (the more so, if they are greedy of applause) at everything they do well; at their own actions, &c.; in all which cases, it is apparent that the laughter proceeds from a sudden conception of some ability in the laugher's own self."

5. "Also, men laugh at the infirmities of others, by comparison "wherewith their own abilities are set off and illustrated." An additional fact in favor of the inductive inference of the previous sentence.

6. "Also, men laugh at jests, the wit whereof always consisteth "in the elegant discovering and conveying to our minds some ab"surdity of another ‘man'; and in this case also the (passion of "laughter) 'laugh' proceedeth from the sudden imagination of our "own (odds and) eminency; for what is else the recommending of "ourselves to our own good opinion, by comparison with another "man's infirmity or absurdity?" Might be amended thus :-" Farther, men laugh at jests. Now the wit of a jest always consists in elegantly suggesting some absurdity in another person; in which case also, the laugh proceedeth from a sudden perception of our own superiority; for what is the effect of comparing ourselves with another man's infirmity or absurdity, but to raise our estimate of self?"

7. "For when a jest is broken upon ourselves, or friends, of "whose dishonor we participate, we never laugh thereat." A confirming fact from the obverse side, the situation wherein, instead of laughing, we are laughed at. The arrangement is imperfect.

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