Expressed in the ancient Scottish saw, A thriving tailor begged her hand, She perfectly scorned the best of his clan, Another, whose sign was a golden boot, In a way that was quite appalling: (The Muse must let a secret out, There is n't the faintest shadow of doubt, At "the dirty low mechanicals," Are they whose sires, by pounding their knees, Or coiling their legs, or trades like these, Contrived to win their children ease From poverty's galling manacles.) A rich tobacconist comes and sues, And altogether above him. A young attorney of winning grace, For the lawyer was poor, and "seedy" to boot, The last of those who came to court In one who wears an elegant coat, A courtly fellow was Dapper Jim, And smooth of tongue as neat of limb; You'd say, from the glittering tales he told, Now Dapper Jim his courtship plied, (I wish the fact could be denied,) With an eye to the purse of the Old MacBride, And really nothing shorter!" For he said to himself, in his greedy lust, "Whenever he dies, - as die he must, And yields to Heaven his vital trust, And the very magnificent Miss MatBride, Half in love and half in pride, Quite graciously relented; And tossing her head, and turning her back, With much disdain, consented! Alas! that people who've got their box Secure from all financial shocks, Should stock their fancy with fancy stocks, Alas! that people whose money affairs Old John MacBride, one fatal day, Of Fortune's undertakers; And staking his all on a single die, At his trade again in the very shop From a dismal dream of falling. But alas! for the haughty Miss MacBride! 'Twas a dreadful change in human affairs, Twas little condolence she had, I wot, From her "troops of friends," who had n't forgot They had civil phrases enough, but yet They owned it couldn't have well been worse, But it was n't strange, — they whispered, at all; And some of those chaps who make a pun, To be blazing away at every one, Remarked that moral transgression And vulgar people, the saucy churls, "She was n't ruined, they ventured to hope, And to make her cup of woe run over, Was the very first to forsake her; To quiet the butcher and baker!" And now the unhappy Miss MacBride, MORAL. Because you flourish in worldly affairs, With insolent pride of station! Don't be proud, and turn up your nose But learn, for the sake of your soul's repose, INFLECTIONS, Continued. The two great principles regulating the use of the falling inflection are force and completeness of expression. So far as the rising inflection is addressed to the understanding, the circumstance of incompleteness or expectation is the governing principle determining its use. Feeling and harmony give significance to all other rules for its application. A simple affirmative sentence, or member of a sentence, generally closes with the falling inflection; as, "Language is part of a man's character."-Landor. Bacon. A simple negative sentence, or member of a sentence, generally closes with the rising inflection; as, "Spirits are not finely touched But to fine issues'."- Shakespeare. The falling inflection terminates a forcible interrogation, or any form of question, which does not admit of being answered by yes or no; therefore, Interrogative sentences beginning with a pronoun or adverb, generally close with the falling inflection; as, "Who knows not that Truth is strong, next to the Almighty'. She needs no policies, nor stratagems, nor licensings, to make her victorious. Let Truth and Falsehood grapple: whoever knew Truth put to the worse in a free and open encounter?"— Milton. Forms of speech which excite expectation of farther expression, whether they occur in the form of question, or of incomplete thought, and suspension of sense, — raise or suspend the voice by the rising inflection; thereforeInterrogative sentences beginning with a verb generally close with the rising inflection; as, |