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"On the other hand [or obversely], we never laugh at a jest broken upon ourselves, or upon our friends, in whose dishonor we participate." This restores the parallel construction.

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8. "I may therefore conclude, that the passion of laughter is "nothing (else) but sudden glory arising from a sudden conception "of some eminency in ourselves, by comparison with the infirmity "of others, or with our own formerly; for men laugh at the follies "of themselves past, when they come suddenly to remembrance, except they bring with them (any) present dishonor." This is the summing up of the facts in the general doctrine, which, however, was announced in connection with the first instance adduced. It must, therefore, be held as an allowable, or even commendable, iteration of the doctrine, after all the facts have been given. We must remark a serious dislocation in the way that the last member comes in. The expression or with our own formerly' is an afterthought; it was not present to the author's mind when he started, or throughout the detail; and he has not taken the pains to go back and embody it in the previous exposition. The new fact should have found its place among the other facts, the principle being qualified so as to admit it.

9. "It is no wonder, therefore, that men take heinously to be "laughed at or derided; that is, triumphed over." In the scheme of Exposition, this would be called an application of the principle, and might have been expanded in a separate paragraph. Accepted as a passing remark, it may be put thus:-"No wonder men take offence at being derided, that is, triumphed over.”

10. "Laughing without offence, must be at absurdities and in"firinities abstracted from persons, and when all the company may "laugh together; for laughing to one's self putteth all the rest into jealousy and examination of themselves." A new and difficult aspect of the subject (Humor), demanding an examination apart. A serious defect attaches to the present arrangement of the sentence. The second member, instead of qualifying the main subject of the first member, qualifies only a subordinate clause ('when all the company may laugh together '). The remedy for this is to constitute three distinct sentences. "Laughing without offence must be in such circumstances as these. It must be at absurdities and infirmities apart from persons. And farther, it must be when all the company may laugh together; for laughing to one's self putteth all the rest into jealousy and examination of themselves.”

11. "Besides, it is vain glory, and (an argument of little worth)

EX. XII.]

DRYDEN ON SHAKESPEARE.

327

666 argues a little mind,' to think the infirmity of another sufficient "matter for (his) triumph." This sentence seems connected with the first of the two modes of laughing without offence,-'at absurdities and infirmities apart from persons,'-although completely dislocated from it. It is unnecessary to take the trouble of restoring the connection.

EXTRACT XII.-The next extract is Dryden's criticisms of Shakespeare and Ben Jonson.

1. "To begin, then, with Shakespeare; he was the man, who, "of all modern, and perhaps ancient poets, had the largest and "most comprehensive soul." A full stop should have followed Shakespeare. The other member needs amendment. "He was the man that of all modern poets, perhaps of all poets, ancient and modern, had the largest and most comprehensive soul [mind, intellect?]." The first of these two sentences propounds the subject; the second announces what is evidently the leading predicate, or general view that the author takes of Shakespeare's intellect.

2. "All the images of nature were still present to him, and he "drew them, not laboriously but luckily; when he describes any"thing, you more than see it, you feel it (too).” A place of prominence should be given to 'the images of nature,' but it should be the place of the predicate and not of the subject. We might say:

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There were (still) 'ever' present to him all the images of nature," &c. The second member exemplifies the absence of the conjunction from clauses of explanation. (SENTENCE, § 156.)

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3. "Those who accuse him to have wanted learning, give him "the greater commendation; he was naturally learned; he needed "not the spectacles of books to read nature; he looked inwards "and found her there." The first member should be a sentence apart. The prominence of the subject is overlaid by those who accuse;' better perhaps say :-"To accuse him of wanting learning is to give him greater commendation." The remaining members will constitute a new sentence, explanatory of the other, and not needing a conjunction. "He was learned by birthright; he needed not to read nature through the spectacles of books; he saw her by direct vision." The occurrence of 'nature' in two senses is objectionable.

4. "I cannot say he is everywhere alike; were he so, I should "do him injury to compare him with the greatest of mankind." The phrase, 'I cannot say,' scarcely interferes with the prominence of the chief subject.

5. "He is (many times) 'often' flat, insipid; his comic wit de"generating into clenches, his serious swelling into bombast." The second member explains or amplifies the first, and the participial construction is an elegance.

6. “But he is always great, when some great occasion is pre"sented to him." "But he is always great, on great occasions." But on great occasions, he is always great."

66

With the few slight amendments above suggested, the laws of the paragraph are here fully complied with. Also, the succession of particulars is in the main orderly, which cannot be said of the next passage.

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1. As for Jonson, to whose character I (am) 'have' now ar"rived, if we look upon him whilst he was himself for his last "plays were (but) his dotages-I think him the most learned and "judicious writer (which) 'that' any theatre ever had." Although a little cumbrous, this sentence is unobjectionable in arrangement. The principal subject of the paragraph is in the place of prominence at the beginning, and the principal predicate at the end. "As for Jonson, who comes next," would have been a simpler commencement. The two epithets 'learned' and 'judicious' are intended as the comprehensive designations, to be unfolded in detail. It will be seen, however, that he begins the detail with what refers to 'judicious.'

2. "He was a most severe judge of himself as well as others." "IIe judged both himself and others very severely."

3, 4. "One cannot say he wanted wit, but rather that he was "frugal of it. In his works you find little to retrench or alter." The order of these two sentences ought to be reversed. "In his works you find little to retrench or alter. Without being devoid of wit, he was frugal of it."

5. "Wit and language, and humor also in some measure, we "had before him; but something of art was wanting to the draina "till he came." The principal subject is supplanted needlessly. "Before him, we had wit and language and some measure of humor also; but, until he came, there was a want of art."

6. "He managed his strength to more advantage than any (who) "that' preceded him: "" than any of his predecessors." A suitable remark in further illustration of his judiciousness.

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7. "You seldom find him making love in any of his scenes, or endeavoring to move the passions; his genius was too sullen and "saturnine to do (it) 'either' gracefully, especially when he knew

EX. XII.]

DRYDEN ON BEN JONSON.

329

"that he came after those who had performed both to such a "height." This remark belongs to a distinct feature of Jonson not included either in his learning or in his judgment; it is properly his genius, as distinct from either of those qualities, and deserves to be specified, and handled by itself. The next sentence also bears upon it, after which the author passes to Jonson's learning.

8. "Humor was his proper sphere, and in that he delighted most "to represent mechanic people." "His proper sphere was Humor; and his delight was to represent artisans."

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9. "He was deeply conversant in the ancients, both Greek and "Latin, and he borrowed boldly from them; there is scarce a poct or historian among the Roman authors of (those times) 'antiqui"ty' whom he has not translated in Sejanus and Catiline." A sentence with two members; the second a specifying iteration of the first (p. 136).

10, 11. "But he has done his robberies (so) openly, 'so' that 66 one may see he fears not to be taxed by any law. He invades "authors like a monarch; (and) what would be theft in other "poets, is only victory in him." These two sentences are an agreeable play upon Jonson's peculiarity, being the kind of style whereby criticism becomes itself Fine Art. The last member admits of another arrangement to preserve the parallelism, and to increase the closing emphasis :- -"what in other poets would be theft, is in him victory."

66

12. "With the spoils of these writers he so represented old "Rome to us, in its rites, (ceremonies,) and customs, that if one of "their poets had written either of his tragedies, we had seen less of it, than in him.” He deviates once more to the consideration of his genius. The sentence is not well poised. Various ways of improving it might be suggested. Under protest against the manner of bringing in the subject, we may express his meaning thus: -"No one of Rome's own poets, writing his tragedies, could have so thoroughly represented the Roman rites and customs as he has done."

13. "If there was any fault in his language, 'twas that he "weaved it too closely and laboriously, in his comedies especially; แ perhaps, too, he did a little too much Romanize our tongue, "leaving the words which he translated, almost as much Latin as "he found them; wherein, though he learnedly followed their lan'guage, he did not enough comply with the idiom of ours." This would come under the head of his judgment, or else form a distinct

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theme, the consideration of his diction. It is brought in upon no principle of arrangement, but merely on a casual association with his following ancient authors, and choosing ancient subjects. The sentence is loose to an excessive degree. There is matter for two sentences.

14. "If I would compare him with Shakespeare, I must ac"knowledge him the (more correct) 'correcter' poet, but Shakes"peare the greater wit." A perfect balance.

15. "Shakespeare was the Homer, or father of our dramatic "poets; Jonson was the Virgil, the pattern of elaborate writing; "I admire him, but I love Shakespeare." The change of order here, in so simple and obvious a comparison, does little harm; it was probably necessary to cite Homer before Virgil. Equally admissible is the inversion in the concluding member, although the parallelism might still have been adhered to, without disagreeable monotony. "He raises admiration; Shakespeare inspires love." (EXPOSITION, 65.)

The greatest fault of the passage is the dislocation of the topics. The force of the writing would be in no degree impaired by observing a strict method in laying out and illustrating the attributes commented on; while the reader's power of comprehending and remembering the criticism would be most materially enhanced.

EXTRACT XIII.-The next Expository Extract is from a short Essay, by Mr. Samuel Bailey, on "Some points connected with Education." It expounds certain doctrines, chiefly with a view to practical applications (p. 207). It also exhibits the case in which a principle is unavoidably burdened with qualifying clauses.

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1. "Children without any design imitate the language, the tone, "the pronunciation, the looks, the gestures, the gait, the move"ments in general of those (with whom they live) 'they live with;' "and if the imitation be continued sufficiently long, no efforts in "after-life can overcome the effects of it, the flexibility, or docility, 'so to speak, of the tissues or organs concerned seeming to di"minish rapidly with the approach to maturity, or the cessation of "growth." As the enunciation of a principle, this appears a long and burdensome statement; when examined, however, it is seen to contain the principle (undesigned imitation), a series of examples (imitation in tone, &c.), and a consequence or application. The principle is, as it were, at once embodied in its leading examples. This mode is adapted to a practical treatise. If the intention had

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