The melody may also be remarked on. There is a studied variety in the sound of the balanced clauses; the verbs are 'fills the mind,'' converses with,' 'continues in action;' the only fault is the sameness of 'converses' and 'continues.' The nouns- -' ideas,' 'distance,' 'action'—are sufficiently varied. an easy cadence—' its proper enjoyments.'

The closing words are

3. "The sense of feeling can indeed give us a notion of exten"sion, shape, and all other ideas that enter at the eye, except colors; "but, at the same time, it is very much strained, and confined in "its operations, to the number, bulk, and distance of its particular "objeots."

This is a contrasting or obverse statement, so much valued in exposition. Sight has been previously declared the most perfect of the senses; and the affirmation is now iterated by putting forward one of the less perfect in contrast. In such obverse iteration, the rule of parallel construction still holds: 'feeling' receives the place corresponding to 'sight.' The connecting word 'indeed' is not a conjunction, but an adverbial qualification to prepare the way (by a certain amount of admission) for repeating the main thesis on the obverse side. It is, however, misplaced; it should follow 'The sense of feeling.' The whole clause might run thus: "The sense of touch, indeed, can give us the notions of extension, shape, and all other ideas that enter the eye, with the exception of color." The author's phrase 'except colors' is too short for the importance of the exception. The preposition 'of' should in strictness be repeated before shape,' and before 'all other ideas;' but this would be too cumbersome for Addison's taste. In such instances, it is well to evade the difficulty, by adopting a form that does not need a preposition; as, "The sense of touch can impart extension, shape, and all other ideas; " in which form, however, the expression is less accurate, as it is the notions, and not the properties that are imparted.

To pass to the second member. The words 'but at the same time' are the correlative or answering phrase to 'indeed.' We have many such couples: 'True' is answered by 'still; ''although' by 'yet,' 'nevertheless,' &c. In the words, 'it is very much strained and confined in its operations,'—the last phrase is happy; but 'strained' is not an admissible tautology, being unsuited to the meaning. The words that follow, 'number, bulk, and distance of its particular objects,' constitute a series of abstractions close together, which, although unavoidable in scientific style, is necessa

Ex. v.] Addison's Pleasures Of The Imagination.

307

rily difficult to comprehend, and therefore unsuitable in popular composition. The clause might have been dispensed with; or a little more amplification might have been given to it, so as to afford time for realizing the abstractions: "confined to things few in number, small in size, and (near) 'limited' in distance." As it stands, the palliating circumstances are, the great simplicity of the abstractions, and the iteration and expansion of them in the next sentence.

4. "Our sight seems designed to supply all these defects, and 66 'may be considered as a more delicate and diffusive kind of touch, "that spreads itself over an infinite multitude of bodies, compre"heads the largest figures, and brings into our reach some of the "most remote parts of the universe." This sentence returns to the principal subject, and works up the contrast point by point; also rising to a climax. After 'diffusive kind of touch,' we might have a semicolon; what follows is an explanatory opposition, and would be better commenced, 'it spreads itself:' the relative 'that' is not suitable to the case. A few verbal changes might be suggested: "and may be considered a more delicate and diffused touch; it spreads itself over an infinite multitude of bodies, comprehends tho greatest amplitudes, and brings within reach the remotest parts of the universe." I omit 'some of the remotest,' because rigid qualifications have a cramping effect when the feelings are to be roused. The author's terms are well chosen, the variety in the balanced phrases, as well as the rhythm of the whole, contributing to the melody.

6. 66 'It is this sense (which) 'that' furnishes the imagination "with its ideas; so that, by the pleasures of the imagination or (6 fancy (which I shall use promiscuously),* I here mean such as "arise from visible objects, either when we have them actually in 66 our view, or when we call up their ideas into our minds by "paintings, statues, 'or' descriptions, or any the like occasion." We here see the uses of our idiom 'it is,' in imparting emphasis to a principal subject, and in varying the form of the sentence, so as to save the parallel construction of the paragraph. The 'so that' is too abrupt an inferenoe: the transition might have been smoothed thus :—" so much so that when we speak of the pleasures of the imagination, we really mean such as arise from visible objects." The parenthetic clause would be better thus:—"imagination or

* Author's parenthesis.

fancy (I here use those terms promiscuously)." The concluding portion may be slightly changed: "either when we have them actually in view, or when we call up the ideas of them by painting, statues, or descriptions." 'Them' and 'the ideas of them' are a better balance than them' and 'their ideas.'

6. The next sentence is not well connected with the previous. "We cannot (indeed) have a single image in the fancy that did "not make its first entrance through the sight; but (we have) "what we have is' the power of retaining, altering, and (com"pounding those images, which we have once received), 'compound"ing the images once received,' into all the varieties of picture and "vision that are most agreeable to the imagination: (for) 'so that' "by this faculty a man in a dungeon is capable of entertaining "himself with scenes and landscapes more beautiful than any that' "can be found in the whole compass of nature."

This is an explanatory or amplifying iteration of the first member of the previous sentence (It is this sense that furnishes the imagination with its ideas'): the intervening portion is dislocated. But to suit the plan of the present sentence, the one preceding should have been commenced thus, "Our imagination derives its ideas from this sense." The drift of the new paragraph is no longer to illustrate, as a principal subject, sight, but to explain imagination by a reference to sight. This being supposed, the sentence now quoted is a suitable expansion of the theme. The dislocated portion of the 5th sentence might be put at the end of the 6th, as an inference or application, thus :- -"When, therefore, we speak of the pleasures of imagination or fancy, we mean such as arise from visible objects," &c. The two sentences would then be a continuous paragraph, according to the author's intention.

The last member of the sentence is an Example, under the theme of the paragraph, made forcible by contrast, and altogether calculated to impart pleasure, elation, and surprise.

Exteaot VI.—The present passage is from Robert Hall's sermon entitled Reflections on War. It illustrates various figures, the structure of the sentence, and some of the conditions of strength and of pathos.

1. "Though the whole race of man is doomed to dissolution, "and we are all hastening to our long home; yet, at each succes"sive moment, life and death seem to divide betwixt them the do"minion of mankind, and life to have the larger share." A prepa

EX. VI.]

ROBERT HALL ON WAR.

309

ration by contrast for what is to follow. The iteration in the first member, 'doomed to dissolution,' 'hastening to our long home,' is intended to work up our pathetic feelings; the effect depending not upon originality, but upon suitability to the occasion, and on variety, or our not having had the thought in our mind for some time previous. The second member might be slightly curtailed and more emphatically concluded: "yet at each (successive) moment life and death hold a divided dominion, and the larger share seems owned by life."

2. "It is otherwise in war; death reigns there without a rival, "and without control." Better perhaps thus: "In war it is otherwise; there the reigning and uncontrolled power is death."

8. "War is the work, the element, or rather the sport and tri"umph of death, (who glories) 'enabling him to glory' not only in "the extent of his conquest, but in the richness of his spoil." This sentence is well formed for strength, in the choice of the words, in the variety of the sound, and in the alternation of the abrupt predicates at the commencement, with the lengthened clauses that conclude.

It should be observed on these last two sentences, that, while the author probably intended pathos, he really produces strength. Death is personified as a vast power and a great conqueror, and if we fancy ourselves out of the reach of his operations through war, we are little affected by terror; hence the picture to us is pure sublimity (strength, § 84).

4. "In the other methods of attack, in the other forms which "death assumes, the feeble and the aged (who at the best can live "but a short time), are (usually) the victims; here it is the vigor"ous and the strong." The sentence is intended to be a contrast in itself, but it is wordy, and full of prosaic limitations, while the antithetic members are carelessly unbalanced. "In the other forms of death, the victims are the feeble and the aged; here they are the vigorous and the young."

5. "It is remarked by the most ancient of poets, that in peace "children bury their parents, in war parents bury their children; 66 nor is the difference small." The interruption here is not out of keeping, and it detains the mind from hurrying too fast to the climax. It contains a good example of Balance coupled with true Antithesis. The mention of the 'most ancient of poets' adds nothing to the force and is somewhat formal; "It has been said," "It was anciently remarked." The concluding member would stand better

as a new sentence. The curtness is a good variety. "The differ ence is not small."

6. "Children lament their parents, sincerely indeed, but with "that moderate and tranquil sorrow, which it is natural for those "to feel who are conscious of retaining many tender ties, many "animating prospects." Otherwise:—"Children lament their parents, sincerely indeed, but with a tranquil sorrow, becoming those that still own many tender ties, many animating prospects." 'Moderate sorrow' gives the unpleasant effect of a stinting and perfunctory duty.

7. We have now a sentence, the obverse or the antithesis of the former, full of pathos. "Parents mourn for their children with the "bitterness of despair; (the aged parent), the widowed mother, "loses, when she is deprived of her children, everything (but the "capacity of suffering); her heart, withered and desolate, admits "no other object, cherishes no other hope." The first member is powerfully expressed. The second is burdened with the repetition 'aged parent,' which is unable to add pathetic force to 'widowed mother;' 'aged father' might have done so, but this would have changed the design of the sentence. It may be doubted whether the phrase 'but the capacity of suffering,' really adds to the effect: it is too subtle and subjective to touch the feelings, unless by giving occasion to bring in the term 'suffering.' The concluding member is intensely pathetic. The vocabulary of feeling is well exemplified in this sentence; with the peculiarity, to be seen better in what follows, of a vehemence somewhat too great for the highest pathos.

8. "It is Rachel weeping for her children, and refusing to be "comforted, because they are not." A climax on the ground of the speciality, or concreteness, and also as citing the highest authority. The effect would be still better, if the word 'children' did not occur in the previous sentence.

The author properly considers his paragraph now complete. The next paragraph takes up his theme on a new point, presenting a different phase of the miseries of war.

1. 66 'But to confine our attention to the number of the slain, "would give us a very inadequate idea of the ravages of the "sword." Too intellectual and latinized; too much on the plan of arithmetical numeration, which is a cold business process, inimical to feeling. Scarcely a tinge of pathos attaches to any of the words; 'the ravages of the sword' is, if anything, a figure of strength, and may excite terror and revulsion, but not pathos.