noun. or paffive state is expreffed by a paffive verb; and the thing that acts upon it, by a fubftantive Befide thefe, which are the capital parts of a sentence or period, there are generally under-parts: each of the fubftantives as well as the verb, may be qualified: time, place, purpose, motive, means, inftrument, and a thousand other circumstances, may be neceffary to complete the thought. And in what manner thefe feveral parts are connected in the expreffion, will appear from what follows. In a complete thought or mental propofition, all the members and parts are mutually related, fome flightly, fome more intimately. To put fuch a thought in words, it is not fufficient that the component ideas be clearly expreffed it is alfo neceffary, that all the relations contained in. the thought be expreffed according to their different degrees of intimacy. To annex a certain meaning to a certain found or word, requires no art: the great nicety in all languages is, to exprefs the various relations that connect together the parts of the thought. Could we fuppofe this branch of language to be ftill a fecret, it would puzzle, I am apt to think, the greateft grammarian ever exifted, to invent an expeditious method and yet, by the guidance merely of nature, the rude and illiterate have been led to a method fo perfect, that it appears not fufceptible of any improvement; and the next step in our progrefs fhall be to explain this method. Words Words that import a relation, must be distinguished from those that do not. Subftantives commonly imply no relation, fuch as animal, man, tree, river. Adjectives, verbs, and adyerbs, imply a relation: the adjective good must relate to fome being poffefed of that quality: the verb write must be applied to fome perfon who writes; and the adverbs moderately, diligently, have plainly a reference to fome action which they modify. When a relative word is introduced, it must be fignified by the expreffion to what word it relates, without which the sense cannot be complete. For anfwering this purpofe, I obferve in Greek and Latin two different methods: adjectives are declined as well as fubftantives; and declenfion ferves to afcertain the connection that is between them: if the word that expreffes the fubject be, for example, in the nominative cafe, fo alfo muft the word be that expreffes its quality; example, vir bonus: again, verbs are related, on the one hand, to the agent, and, on the other, to the fubject upon which the action is exerted; and a contrivance fimilar to that now mentioned, ferves to exprefs this double relation; the nominative case is appropriated to the agent, the accufative to the paffive fubject; and the verb is put in the first, fecond, or third perfon, to correfpond the more intimately with both; examples, Ego amo Tulliam; tu amas Semproniam; Brutus amat Portiam. The other method is by juxtaposition, which is neceffary with respect to fuch words only as are not declined, adverbs, for example, articles, prepofitions, and conjunctions. In the English language there are few declensions; and therefore juxtaposition is our chief refource: adjectives accompany their fubftantives *; an adverb accompanies the word it qualifies; and the verb occupies the middle place between the active and paffive fubjects to which it relates. It must be obvious, that those terms which have nothing relative in their fignification, cannot be connected in fo eafy a manner. When two fubftantives happen to be connected, as cause and effect, as principal and acceffory, or in any other manner, fuch connection cannot be expreffed by contiguity folely; for words muft often in a period be placed together which are not thus related: the relation between substantives, therefore, cannot otherwife be expreffed but by particles denoting the relation. Latin indeed and Greek, by their declenfions, go a certain length to exprefs fuch relations, without the aid of particles: the relation of property, * Taking advantage of a declenfion to feparate an adjective from its fubftantive, as is commonly practifed in Latin, though it detract not from perfpicuity, is certainly lefs neat than the English method of juxtapofition. Contiguity is more expreffive of an intimate relation, than resemblance merely of the final fyllables. Latin indeed has evidently the advantage when the adjective and fubstantive happen to be connected by contiguity, as well as by refemblance of the final fyllables. for for example, between Cæfar and his horfe, is expreffed by putting the latter in the nominative cafe, the former in the genitive; equus Cæfaris: the fame is alfo expreffed in English without the aid of a particle, Cafar's horfe. But in other inftances, declenfions not being used in the Englifh language, relations of this kind are commonly expreffed by prepofitions. This form of connecting by prepofitions, is not confined to fubftantives. Qualities, attributes, manner of existing or acting, and all other circumstances, may in the fame manner be connected with the fubftantives to which they relate. This is done artificially by converting the circumstance into a fubftantive, in which condition it is qualified to be connected with the principal fubject by a prepofition, in the manner above described: for example, the adjective wife being converted into the fubftantive wisdom, gives oportunity for the expreffion "a man of "wisdom," inftead of the more fimple expreffion, a wife man: this variety in the expreffion, enriches language. I obferve, befide, that the ufing a prepofition in this cafe, is not always a matter of choice: it is indifpenfable with refpect to every circumftance that cannot be expreffed by a fingle adjective or adverb. To pave the way for the rules of arrangement, one other preliminary is neceffary; which is, to explain the difference between a natural style, and that where tranfpofition or inversion prevails. There There are, it is true, no precife boundaries between them; for they run into each other, like the shades of different colours. No perfon however is at a lofs to diftinguish them in their extremes and it is neceffary to make the diftinction; because though fome of the rules I shall have occafion to mention are common to both, yet each has rules peculiar to itself. In a natural ftyle, relative words are by juxtaposition connected with those to which they relate, going before or after, according to the peculiar genius of the language. Again, a circunftance connected by a prepofition, follows naturally the word with which it is connected. But this arrangement may be varied, when a different order is more beautiful : a circumstance may be placed before the word with which it is connected by a prepofition; and may be interjected even between a relative word and that to which it relates. When fuch liberties are frequently taken, the ftyle becomes inverted or transposed. But as the liberty of inversion is a capital point in handling the prefent fubject, it will be neceffary to examine it more narrowly, and in particular to trace the feveral degrees in which an inverted style recedes more and more from that which is natural. And firft, as to the placing a circumftance before the word with which it is connected, I obferve, that it is the eafieft of all inversion, even fo eafy as to be confiftent with a VOL. II. D ftyle |