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EXAMPLE.

Since then every sort of good which is immediately of importance to happiness, must be perceived by some immediate power or sense, antecedent to any opinions or reasoning (for it is the business of reason to compare the several sorts of good perceived by the several senses, and to find out the proper means for obtaining them), we must therefore carefully inquire into the several sublimer perceptive powers or senses; since it is by them we best discover what state or course of life best answers the intention of God and nature, and wherein true happiness

consists.

Note 3.-The small intervening members, said I, says he, continued they, &c. follow the inflection and tone of the member which precedes them, in a higher and feebler tone of voice.

EXAMPLE.

Thus, then, said he, since you are so urgent, it is thus that I conceive it. The sovereign good is that, the possession of which renders us happy. And how, said I, do we possess it? Is it sensual or intellectual? There, you are entering, said he, upon the detail.

EXERCISES on the INTERROGATION, EXCLAMATION, and PARENTHESIS.

1. Would you do your homage the most agreeable way? would you render the most acceptable of services? offer unto God thanksgiving.

2. What shadow can be more vain than the life of a great part of mankind? Of all that eager and bustling crowd we behold on earth, how few discover the path of true happiness? How few can we find, whose activity has not been misemployed, and whose course terminates not in confessions of disappointments?

3. What are the scenes of nature that elevate the mind in the highest degree, and produce the sublime sensation? Not the gay landscape, the flowery field, or the flourishing city; but the hoary mountain, and the solitary lake; the aged forest, and the torrent falling over the rock.

4. Is there any one who will seriously maintain, that the taste of a Hottentot or a Laplander is as delicate and as correct as that of a Longinus or an Addison? or, that he can be charged with no defect or incapacity, who thinks a common newswriter as excellent an historian as Tacitus?

5. That strong hyperbolical manner which we have long been accustomed to call the Oriental manner of poetry (because some of the earliest poetical productions came to us from the east) is in truth no more Oriental than Occidental; it is characteristical of an age rather than of a country; and belongs, in some measure, to all nations at that period which first gives rise to music and to song.

6. Have we no other criterion of what is beautiful than the approbation of the majority? Must we collect the voices of others, before

we form any judgment for ourselves of what deserves applause in ele. quence or poetry? By no means.

7. How shall those vacant spaces, those unemployed intervals, which, more or less, occur in the life of every one, be filled up? How can we contrive to dispose of them in any way that shall be more agreeable in itself, or more consonant to the dignity of the human mind, than in the entertainments of taste, and the study of polite literature?

8. Since those days, wherein the Son of God acted and taught, and his Evangelists recorded, what hath been the increase of the everlasting gospel? Hath that righteousness, which is intended to cover the earth as the waters cover the sea, made much progress during the last fifteen centuries? Hath it made any? Is the number, even of nominal christians, greater now than it was in the fourth century? Of all this there is sufficient reason to doubt.

9. The bliss of man, (could pride that blessing find),
Is not to act or think beyond mankind.

10. Where thy true treasure? Gold says, "not in me:"
And, "not in me," the di'mond.
Gold is poor.

11. All this dread order break-for whom? for thee?
Vile worm!-O madness! pride! impiety!

12. O the dark days of vanity while here,

How tasteless! and how terrible, when gone!
Gone? they ne'er go: when past, they haunt us still,

13. O lost to virtue, lost to manly thought,
Lost to the noble sallies of the soul,
Who think it solitude to be alone!

14. Whatever is, is right.This world, 'tis true,
Was made for Cæsar,-but for Titus too.

And which more blest? who chain'd his country, say,
Or he whose virtue sighed to lose a day?

15. At length Erasmus, that great injur’d name,
(The glory of the priesthood, and the shame)
Stemm'd the wild torrent of a barb'rous age,
And drove those holy Vandals off the stage.

16. Woe then apart, (if woe apart can be

From mortal man,) and fortune at our nod,
The gay, rich, great, triumphant, and august,
What are they? The most happy (strange to say)
Convince me most of human misery.

SERIES.

The word SERIES is here used to denote an enumeration of particulars.

A Commencing series is that which begins a sentence, but does not end it.

A Concluding series is that which ends a sentence, whether it begins it or not.

The series, whose members consist of single words, is called a simple series.

The series, whose members consist of two or more words, is called a compound series.

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SIMPLE COMMENCING SERIES

OF 2 MEMBERS.-RULE. 1`, 2'.*-Dependence' and obedience' belong to youth.

3 MEMBERS RULE. 1`, 2`, 3'.-The young', the healthy', and the prosperous', should not presume on their advantages. 4 MEMBERS. RULE. 1', 2, 3, 4'.-Humanity', justice', generosity', and public spirit', are the qualities most useful to others.

5 MEMBERS. RULE. 1', 2', 3', 4', 5'.-The presence', knowledge', power', wisdom', and goodness' of God, must all be unbounded.

6 MEMBERS. RULE. 1', 2′, 3, 4, 5', 6'.-Desire', aversion', rage', love', hope', and fear', are drawn in miniature upon the stage.

7 MEMBERS. RULE. 1', 2', 3′, 4`, 5', 6', '7'.—Sophocles', Euripides', Pindar', Thucydides', Demosthenes', Phidias', Apelles', were the contemporaries of Socrates or of Plato.

8 MEMBERS. RULE. 1`, 2′, 3', 4'′, 5`, 6`, 7`, 8'.-Wine', beauty', music', pomp', study', diversion', business', wisdom', are but poor expedients to heave off the insupportable load of an hour from the heart of man; the load of an hour from the heir of an eternity.

9 MEMBERS.-Rule. 1`, 2`, 3′, 4', 5', 6', 7', 8', 9′.—Joy', grief', fear', anger', pity', scorn', hate', jealousy', and love', stamp assumed distinctions on the player.

10 MEMBERS. Rule. 1`, 2', 3`, 4′, 5′, 6', 7', 8', 9', 10. Next then, you authors, be not you severe;

Why what a swarm of scribblers have we here!

One, two, three', four', five', six', seven', eight', nine`, ten',
All in one row, and brothers of the pen.

SIMPLE CONCLUDING SERIES

OF 2 MEMBERS.-RULE. 1', 2.-The spirit of true religion breathes gentleness' and affability'.

* That is-The falling inflection takes place on the first member, and the rising on the second.

+ In a simple commencing series of three members, the first must be pronounced in a somewhat lower tone than the second.

The noun, when attended by the article, or conjunction, is considered in the series as a single word.

3 MEMBERS.—RULE. 1', 2′ 3'.—Industry is the law of our being; it is the demand of nature', of reason', and of God`.*

4 MEMBERS.-RULE. 1', 2', 3', 4.-Fear not, ye righteous, amidst the distresses of life. You have an Almighty Friend continually at hand to pity', to support', to defend', and to relieve'

you.

5 Members.—Rule. 1`, 2′, 3', 4', 5'.—The characteristics of chivalry were, valour', humanity', courtesy', justice', and honour'.

6 MEMBERS.-RULE. 1, 2, 3', 4', 5', 6'.—Mankind are besieged by war', famine', pestilence', volcano', storm', and fire'. 7 MEMBERS.-RULE. 1, 2, 3', 4', 5', 6', 7'.-They passed over many a frozen, many a fiery Alp; rocks', caves', lakes`, fens', bogs', dens', and shades of death'.

8 MEMBERS. RULE 1', 2`, 3`, 4`, 5′, 6′, 7′, 8'.—The speaker, having gained the attention and judgment of his audience, must proceed to complete his conquest over the passions; such as admiration', surprise', hope', joy, love', fear', grief', anger'.

9 MEMBERS. RULE. 1′, 2′, 3', 4', 5', 6'′, 7', 8', 9'.-The fruit of the Spirit is love', joy', peace', long-suffering', gentleness', goodness', faith', meekness', temperance'.

10 MEMBERS. RULE. 1', 2′, 3′, 4', 5', 6', 7', 8', 9', 10'. -Mr Locke's definition of wit, with this short explication, comprehends most of the species of wit; as metaphors', ænigmas', mottoes', parables', fables', dreams', visions', dramatic' writings, burlesque', and all the methods of allusion'.

COMPOUND COMMENCING SERIES. RULE.-The falling inflection takes place on every member but the last.t

EXAMPLES.

2 MEMBERS.-Common calamities', and common blessings', fall heavily upon the envious.

3 MEMBERS. A generous openness of heart', a calm deliberate courage', a prompt zeal for the public service', are at once constituents of true greatness, and the best evidences of it.

* In a simple concluding series of three members, the first must be pronounced in a little higher tone than the second. When pronouncing with a degree of solemnity, the first member in this series must have the falling inflection.

+ When the members of a compound series are numerous, the second must be pronounced a little higher and more forcibly than the first, the third than the second, &c.

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