ing at lying, which are united as forming the subject of the verb, tends; which may be very properly distinguished from the next class of words which form the object of the verb; and as this object is compounded of two subordinate classes, namely: the utter subversion, and of all truth and humanity among us; we may pause better at subversion than in any other part of this clause; and as the next principal constructive member has for its nominative a single word, and that only a personal pronoun, it admits of no pause after it but the regimen of the succeeding verb, consisting of several classes of words, requires a pause after the verb, to distinguish it from the regimen, and a pause at discouragement, to distinguish the class which forms the former part of the regimen from the latter; and a pause at all, to distinguish the persons understood by this word and the next member which describes them; and this last descriptive member, beginning with the nominative who, and the verb have, being followed by another compound member consisting of two parts, which form the regimen of the verb, must have a pause at have, and another at country, in order to distinguish the verb from the regimen, and the parts of the regimen from each other.

It must not be understood that I recommend all these pauses as necessary. Certainly not. What I wish to inculcate is, that, if we pause oftener than the common punctuation sets down for us, our pauses ought to take place in those parts of the sentence where the words naturally fall into classes; and that if we pause at a subordinate class of words, we must necessarily pause at a superior class, otherwise we shall produce disorder and confusion in the thought.

It may perhaps be objected to this system,

that there are some classes of words which cannot be separated from other classes without a manifest impropriety. Thus, in the following sentence from Mr. Addison :

"I consider a human soul without education "like marble in the quarry; which shows none "of its inherent beauties till the skill of the po"lisher fetches out the colours, makes the sur"face shine, and discovers every ornamental "cloud spot and vein that runs through the "body of it." Spect. No 215.

Here it may be said, that cloud, spot, and vein, form a class, and ought, therefore, to be distinguished from ornamental by a pause between that word and cloud, as well as between cloud and the two following words. To this objection it may be answered, that if we consider the word ornamental as an adjective qualifying only the word cloud, the words every ornamental cloud may be considered only as one object, as the words every ornamental are only like an adjective before the substantive which refuses a pause (See Elements of Elocution, p. 23). But if we consider every ornamental to qualify spot and vein as well as cloud, and only omitted for the sake of brevity, these words do not so much form one distinct class, as three distinct classes formiug altogether one compound class, governed by the verb discovers. Here, too, we may perceive the general rule takes place which forbids a pause between the adjective and the substantive in the natural order, and which makes it improper to pause at ornamental. if we suppose this word elliptically omitted before spot, another general rule obliges us to pause after cloud, that the mind may supply the word ornamental; for nothing can be more uniform in

But

correct pronunciation, than the rule that enjoins us to make a pause wherever there is an ellipsis in the language.

This appears to be the true rationale of Punctuation; and, with this principle in view, we shall be enabled to enter into a detail of those rules which are commonly laid down in our grammars, to judge of the justness of them, and to add such others as none of our punctuists have taken notice of.

But, first, it will be necessary to make a distinction of punctuation, which will sound new to every one, and that is into visible and audible. Visible Punctuation is that which separates a sentence into its several parts, and shows the degree of separation that exists by the time of the pause between the several parts; and Audible Punctuation annexes to these pauses such a turn or elevation and depression of the voice as the sense and structure of the sentence seem to require. Of both these in their order.

A Practical System of Rhetorical Punctuation. Of Visible Punctuation.

BEFORE we give such directions for pausing, or dividing a sentence, as will in some measure enable us to avoid the errors of common punctuation, it will be necessary to inquire into the nature of a sentence, and to distinguish it into its different kinds. Sentences are of two kinds a period, or compact sentence, and a loose sentence. A period, or compact sentence, is an assemblage of such words, or members, as do not form sense independent of each other; or, if they do, the former modify the latter, or

inversely. A loose sentence is an assemblage of such words, or members, as do form sense, independent of those that follow, and at the same time are not modified by them: a period, or compact sentence, therefore, is divisible into two kinds; the first, where the former words and members depend for sense on the latter, as in the following sentence: As we cannot discern the shadow moving along the dial-plate, so the advances we make in learning are only perceived by the distance gone over. Here we find no sense formed till the last word is pronounced; and this sentence, for distinction's sake, we may call a direct period: the second kind of period, or compact sentence, is that, where, though the first part forms sense without the latter, it is nevertheless modified by it; as in the following sentence: There are several arts, which all men are in some measure masters of, without being at the pains of learning them. Here, if we stop at masters of, we find complete sense formed, but not the whole sense; because what follows modifies or alters the meaning of it: for it is not said simply, that there are several arts, which all men are in some measure masters of, but with this qualification or change in the sense, without being at the pains of learning them, which reduces the general to a particular meaning; and this sentence we may call an inverted period. The loose sentence has its first members forming sense, without being modified by the latter; as in the following sentence: Persons of good taste expect to be pleased at the same time they are informed; and think that the best sense always deserves the best language. In which example we find the latter member adding something to the former, but not modifying or altering it.

This difference of connexion between the

members of sentences, and consequently the different pauses to be annexed to them, will be better understood by attending to the different influence of the conjunction that and the relative which in the following passage:

A man should endeavour to make the sphere of his innocent pleasures as wide as possible, that he may retire into them with safety, and find in them such a satisfaction as a wise man would not blush to take. Of this nature are those of the imagination, which do not require such a bent of thought as is necessary to our most serious employments, nor at the same time suffer the mind to sink into that negligence and remissness, which are apt to accompany our more sensual delights. Spectator, No. 411.

In the first of these sentences we find the conjunction that modifies or restrains the meaning of the preceding member; for it is not asserted in general, and without limitation, that a man should make the sphere of his innocent pleasures as wide as possible, but that he should do so for the purpose of retiring into himself; these two members, therefore, are necessarily connected, and might have formed a period, or compact sentence, had they not been followed by the last member: but as that only adds to the sense of the preceding members, and does not qualify them, the whole assemblage of members, taken together, forms but one loose sen

tence.

The last member of the last sentence is necessarily connected with what precedes, because it modifies or restrains the meaning of it; for it is not meant, that the pleasures of the imagina tion do not suffer the mind to sink into negligence and remissness in general, but into that particular negligence and remissness which is apt to accompany our more sensual delights. The first member of this sentence affords an opportunity of explaining this by its opposite: for here it is not meant, that those pleasures of the