I am perfectly of opinion with this ingenious grammarian, with refpect to the propriety of placing a pause in speaking, if not in writing, between the last noun and the verb, but for very different reasons: if we ought to insert a pause here, to fhew that the connection between the last noun and the verb is no greater than between the verb and the preceding nouns, no good reafon can be given why we fhould not place a paufe between the laft adjective and the fubftantive in this fentence:

A polite, an active, and a fupple behaviour, is necessary to fucceed in life.

The word behaviour, in this fentence, is not more intimately connected in fignification with Jupple, than with polite and active; and yet no punctuift would infert a paufe between the two former, to fhew that the three properties polite, active, and Supple, were equally connected with the common word behaviour. Whence

then arises the propriety of placing a pause between the word health and become in the former inftance? Evidently from hence: the nominative confifts of three particulars, which, though diftinguished from each other by pauses, form but one nominative plural, and are more connected with each other than with the verb they govern; their connection, therefore, with each other, as forming one diftinct part, and not their belonging equally to the verb, is the reason that a pause is proper. If fhewing the connection of dependent words to be equal, were the reafon for placing a paufe, we ought to place a paufe between the pronoun and the firft verb in the following example:

He went into the cavern, found the inftruments, hewed down the trees, and in one day put the veffels in a condition for failing. Telemachus.

Here every member depends equally on the pronoun be, and yet it would be contrary to the best practice to infert a paufe between this word and the verb went. But if the common nominative confifted of more than one word, a pause would not only be allowable, but proper, as in the following example:

The active and indefatigable Telemachus, went into the cavern, found the inftruments, hewed down the trees, and in one day put the veffels in a condition for failing.

It is, therefore, because the nominative forms a clafs of words more intimately connected with each other than all are with the verb, that makes this part of speech feparable by a pause in the latter example, and not in the former.*

Rule IX. If there are several adjectives belonging in the fame manner to one substantive, or feveral fubftantives belonging in the fame manner to one adjective, the adjective and fubftantives are still to be accounted equal in number; for every fubftantive must have its adjective, and every adjective its fubftantive; and every adjective coming after its fubftantive, and every adjective coming before the substantive except the last, must be separated by a short pause.

* Why a pause may be used in speaking where a comma might be improper in writing, fee p. 14: and why a pause may be admitted, both in writing and fpeaking, between the fubftantive and adjective, when feveral adjectives follow the fubftantive, and not when the adjectives precede the substantive, may be seen at large, p. 24.

EXAMPLE.

A polite, an active, and a fupple behaviour, is necessary to fucceed in life.

In this example, behaviour, as was observed. in the foregoing rule, is understood to belong equally to polite and active as to fupple, and, confequently, every adjective has its correfpondent fubftantive; and as the adjectives come before the fubftantive, every one but that which immediately precedes its fubftantive is separated by a paufe. The punctuation is dif'ferent in the following fentence:

A behaviour, active, fupple, and polite, is neceffary to fucceed in life.

In this example, as the fubftantive precedes the adjectives, every adjective is feparated from the fubftantive by a pause: for the reason of this, fee p. 22.

Rule X. If there are feveral adverbs belonging in the fame manner to one verb, or several verbs belonging in the fame manner to one adverb, the verbs and adverbs are ftill to be accounted equal in number; and if the adverbs come after the verb, they are each of them to be separated by a paufe; but if the adverbs come before the verb, a pause must separate each of them from the verb but the last.

EXAMPLES.

To love, wifely, rationally, and prudently, is, in the opinion of lovers, not to love at all.

Wifely, rationally, and prudently to love, is, in the opinion of lovers, not to love at all.

In the first example, the verb and adverb are feparated by a paufe, for the fame reafon that the adjective was feparated from its fub

ftantive in the fame fituation in the preceding rule; that is, the verb to love excites an idea which the mind may contemplate for a moment feparately from the adverb which modifies it; and as this adverb is accompanied by others, they form a clafs more united by fimilitude with each other than with the verb they modify; and diftinguishing the word to which they all relate by a pause, makes an equal relation to each more diftinct and apparent. The reason why this feparation does not take place in the last example, is, that though modifying words may be diftinguished from each other, they cannot be feparated, even in idea, from the words they modify, because they give the mind no object to reft on; and fo intimately are they always connected, that though the modified word comes firft, and by this means affords the mind a momentary paufe, yet no paufe is admitted between the modified. and the modifying word, unless the latter is accompanied by other modifying words, which then form a clafs apart, and require feparation both from each other and the word they modify.

Thus in the following examples:

To eat, drink, and fleep moderately is greatly conducive to health.

Moderately to eat, drink, and fleep is greatly conducive to Health.

We find the adverb moderately, in the first example, coming after the verb fleep, and unaccompanied by any other words, is not feparated from the verb by a pause, any more than when it precedes the verb, as in the laft example: but every critical ear will admit of a E

pause between the verb and adverb in the following lines of Othello in Shakespeare:

Then must you speak

Of one, that loved, not wifely but too well. Shakespeare. Because in this paffage the words, not wifely but too well, form a diftinct clafs, and cannot be diftinctly apprehended but by being feparated from the verb they modify.

But when the adverb precedes the verb it is then in the fame cafe as the adjective before the substantive; it is impoffible to divide it from the verb by a pause.

EXAMPLES.

This ring he holds,

In most rich choice, yet in his idle fire
To buy his will it would not feem too dear,
Howe'er repented of. Ibid.

In this example, the adverb howe'er muft neceffarily be claffed with the verb it precedes, and, confequently, a paufe must be placed at dear.

To trace the ways

Of higheft agents, deem'd however wife. Milton. Here the word however modifies the adjective wife, and therefore is more closely united with it than with the verb deem'd: and if this union be not intimated by a short pause at deem'd, the fense will be a little ambiguous; as we shall not know whether thefe agents are extremely, or only moderately wife. But when this word is ufed conjunctively, that is, when we may fupply its place by fubftituting, nevertheless, notwithstanding, yet, or still, a pause ought always to follow it..