3. And, lastly, this whole doctrine about the measures and numbers of prose, even as it has been delivered by the ancient rhetoricians themselves, is, in truth, in a great measure, loose and uncertain. It appears, indeed, that the melody of discourse was a matter of infinitely more attention to them, than ever it has been to the moderns. But though they write a great deal about it, they have never been able to reduce it to any rules which could be of real use in practice. Illus. If we consult Cicero's Orator, where this point is discussed with the most minutenes, we shall see how much these ancient critics differed from one another, about the feet proper for the conclusion, and other parts of a sentence; and how much, after all, was left to the judgment of the ear. Nor, indeed, is it possible to give precise rules concerning this matter, in any language; as all prose composition must be allowed to run loose in its numbers; and, according as the tenor of a discourse varies, the modulation of sentences must vary infinitely. 216. But though this musical arrangement cannot be reduced into a system, every one who studies to write with grace, or to pronounce in public with success, will find himself obliged to attend to it not a little. But it is his ear, cultivated by attention and practice, that must chiefly direct him. For any rules that can be given on this subject, are very general. There are some rules, however, which may be of use to form the ear to the proper harmony of discourse. 217. There are two things on which the music of a sentence chiefly depends. These are, the proper distribution of the several members of the sentence; and the close or cadence of the whole. (Art. 134.) ear. 218. First, the distribution of the several members. It is of importance to observe, that whatever is easy and agreea ble to the organs of speech, always sounds grateful to the While a period is going on, the termination of each of its members forms a pause, or rest, in pronouncing and these rests should be so distributed, as to make the course of the breathing easy, and, at the same time, should fall at such distances, as to bear a certain musical proportion to each other. (Art. 144.) Example 1. "This discourse concerning the easiness of God's commands, does, all along, suppose and acknowledge the difficulties of the first entrance upon a religious course; except only in those persons who have had the happiness to be trained up to religion by the easy and insensible degrees of a pious and virtuous education."* Analysis. Here there is no harmony; nay, there is some degree of harshness and unpleasantness; owing principally to this, that there is, properly, no more than one pause or rest in the sentence, falling betwixt the two members into which it is divided; each of which is so long, as to occasion a considerable stretch of the breath in pronouncing it. * Tillotson Example 2. Observe, now, on the other hand, the ease with which the following sentence, from Sir William Temple, glides along, and the graceful intervals at which the pauses are placed. He is speaking sarcastically of man: "But, God be thanked, his pride is greater than his ignorance, and what he wants in knowledge, he supplies by sufficiency. When he has looked about him, as far as he can, he concludes, there is no more to be seen; when he is at the end of his line, he is at the bottom of the ocean; when he has shot his best, he is sure none ever did, or even can, shoot better or beyond it. His own reason he holds to be the certain measure of truth; and his own knowledge, of what is possible in nature.' Analysis. Here every thing is, at once, easy to the breath, and grateful to the ear; and it is this sort of flowing measure, this regular and proportional division of the members of his sentences, which renders Sir William Temple's style always agreeable. We must observe, at the same time, that a sentence, with too many rests, and these placed at intervals too apparently measured and regular, is apt to savor of affectation. 219. The next thing to be attended to, is the close or cadence of the whole sentence, which, as it is always the part most sensible to the ear, demands the greatest care. "Let there be nothing harsh or abrupt in the conclusion of the sentence, on which the mind pauses and rests. This is the most material part in the structure of discourse. Here every hearer expects to be gratified; here his applause breaks forth."+ 220. The only important rule that can be given here, is, that when we aim at dignity or elevation, the sound should be made to grow to the last; the longest members of the period, and the fullest and most sonorous words, should be reserved to the conclusion. Example. "It fills the mind (i. e. sight) with the largest variety of ideas; converses with its objects at the greatest distance; and continues the longest in action, without being tired or satiated with its proper enjoyments." Analysis. Every reader must be sensible of a beauty here, both in the proper division of the members and pauses, and the manner in which the sentence is rounded, and conducted to a full and harmonious close. The sight fills the mind with the largest variety of ideas, and * Or this instance. He is addressing himself to Lady Essex, upon the death of her chill: "I was once in hope, that what was so violent coull not be lng: but, when I observed your grief to grow stronger with age, and to increase, like a stream, the farther it ran; when I saw it draw out to such unhappy co se quences, and to threaten," no less than your child, your health and your life, I could no longer forbear this endeavour, nor end it without begging of you, for God's sake and for your own, for your children and your friends, your country and your family, that you would no longer abandon yourself to a disconsolate passio; but that you would, at length, awaken your piety, give way to your prudence, or, at least, rouse the invincible spirit of the Percys, that over yet shrank at any disaster." "Non igitur durum sit, neque abruptum, quo animi, velut, respirant ac reficiun tur. Hæc est sedes orationis; hoc auditor expectat; hic laus omuis declamat." Quinctilian. Addison. it converses with them. To sentient natures, this is a pleasure; but it converses with them at the greatest distance, and must necessarily increase this pleasure. For what can be more agreeable than the commerce of communication with distant objects? but how is this agreeableness heightened, by its being kept long in action, and that too without being tired or satiated with its proper enjoyment? 221. The same holds in melody, that was observed to take place with respect to significancy; that a falling off at the end is always injurious to the object which the speaker has in view. For this reason, particles, pronouns, and little words, are as ungracious to the ear, at the conclusion, as we formerly shewed they were inconsistent with strength of expression. (Art. 176, 177, 178, and 179.) Obs. The sense and the sound have here a mutual influence on each other. That which hurts the ear, seems to mar the strength of the meaning; and that which really degrades the sense, in consequence of this primary effect, appears also to have a bad sound. Example. How disagreeable is the following sentence of an author, speaking of the Trinity! "It is a mystery, which we firmly believe the truth of, and humbly adore the depth of." And how easily might it have been mended by this transposition! "It is a mystery, the truth of which we firmly believe, and the depth of which we humbly adore." Corol. In general, it seems to hold, that a musical close, in our language, requires either the last syllable, or the last but one, to be a long syllable. Words which consist mostly of short syllables, as contrary, particular, retrospect, seldom conclude a sentence harmoniously, unless a train of long syllables, before, has rendered them agreeable to the ear. 222. Sentences, so constructed as to make the sound always swell and grow towards the end, and to rest either on a long or a penult long syllable, give a discourse the tone of declamation. The ear soon becomes acquainted with the melody, and is apt to be cloyed with it. If we would keep up the attention of the reader or hearer, if we would preserve vivacity and strength in our composition, we must be very attentive to vary our measures. Illus. This regards the distribution of the members, as well as the cadence of the period. Sentences constructed in a similar manner, with the pauses falling at equal intervals, should never follow one another. Short sentences should be intermixed with long and swelling ones, to render discourse sprightly as well as magnificent. Even discords properly introduced, abrupt sounds, departures from regular cadence, have sometimes a good effect. Monotony is the great fault into which writers are apt to fall, who are fond of harmonious arrangement: and to have only one tune or measure, is not much better than having none at all. A very vulgar ear will enable a writer to catch. some one melody, and to form the run of his sentences according to it. This soon proves disgusting. But a just and correct ear requisite for varying and diversifying the melody, and hence we seldom meet with authors, who are remarkably happy in this respect. 223. Though attention to the music of sentences must not be neglected, yet it must also be kept within proper bounds for all appearances of an author's affecting harmony, are disagreeable; especially when the love of it betrays him so far, as to sacrifice, in any instance, perspicuity, precision, or strength in sentiment, to sound. (Example 1. Art. 206.) Illus. 1. All unmeaning words, introduced merely to round the period, or fill up the melody, are great blemishes in writing. They are childish and puerile ornaments, by which a sentence always loses more in point of weight, than it can gain by such additions to the beauty of its sound. 2. Sense has its own harmony, as well as sound; and where the sense of a period is expressed with clearness, force, and dignity, the words will almost always strike the ear agreeably; at least, a very moderate attention is all that is requisite for making the cadence of such a period pleasing: and the effect of greater attention is often no other, than to render composition languid and enervated. 3. After all the labour which Quinctilian bestows on regulating the measures of prose, he comes at last, with his usual good sense, to this conclusion: " Upon the whole, I would rather choose that composition should appear rough and harsh, if that be necessary, than that it should be enervated and effeminate, such as we find the style of too many. Some sentences, therefore, which we have studiously formed into melody, should be thrown loose, that they may not seem too much laboured; nor ought we ever to omit any proper or expressive word for the sake of smoothing a period."* 4. Cicero, as we have elsewhere observed, is one of the most remarkable patterns of a harmonious style. His love of it, however, is too visible; and the pomp of his numbers sometimes detracts from his strength. 5. That noted close of his, esse videatur, which, in the oration Pro Lege Manilia, occurs eleven times, exposed him to censure among his contemporaries. We must observe, however, in defence of this great orator, that in his style there is a remarkable union of harmony with ease, which is always a great beauty; and if his harmony were studied, that study appears to have cost him but little trouble. 6. Among our English classics not many are distinguished for musical arrangement. Milton, in some of his prose works, has very finely turned periods; but the writers of his age indulged a liberty of inversion, which would now be reckoned contrary to purity of style; and though this allowed their sentences to be more stately and sonorous, yet it gave them too much of a Latinised construction and order. 7. Of English writers, Lord Shaftesbury is, upon the whole, the most correct in his numbers. As his ear was delicate, he has attended to music in all his sentences; and he is peculiarly happy in this * "In universum, si sit necesse, duram potiùs atque asperam compositionem malim esse, quam effeminatam ac enervem, qualis apud multos. Ideòque, vincta quædam de industria sunt solvenda, ne laborata videantur; neque ullum idoneum aut aptum verbum prætermittamus, gratiâ lenitatis." Lib. ix. c. 4. respect, that he has avoided the monotony into which writers, who study the grace of sound, are very apt to fall, and has diversified his periods with great variety. 8. Addison has also much harmony in his style; more easy and smooth, but less varied than Lord Shaftesbury. Sir William Temple is, in general, very flowing and agreeable. Archbishop Tillotson is often careless and languid; and is much outdone by Bishop Atterbury in the music of his periods. Dean Swift despised musical arrangement altogether. Burke excels in harmonious periods. Johnson's style is generally pompous, sometimes lofty, and always Latinised. Corol. Hitherto we have considered agreeable sound, or modulation, in general. It yet remains to treat of a higher beauty of this kind; the sound adapted to the sense. The former was no more than a simple accompaniment, to please the ear; the latter supposes the peculiar expression given to the music. We may remark two degrees of it; first, the current of sound, adapted to the tenour of a discourse; next, a particular resemblance effected between some object, and the sounds that are employed in describing it. 224. First, the current of sound may be adapted to the tenour of a discourse. Sounds have, in many respects, a correspondence with our ideas; partly natural, partly the effect of artificial associations. Hence it happens, that any one modulation of sound continued, imprints on our style a certain character and expression. Illus. Sentences, constructed with the Johnsonian fulness and swell, produce the impression of what is important, magnificent, sedate; for this is the natural tone which such a course of sentiment assumes.But they suit no violent passion, no eager reasoning, no familiar address. These always require measures brisker, easier, and often more abrupt. And, therefore, to swell, or to let down the periods, as the subject demands, is a very important rule in oratory. No one tenour whatever, supposing it to produce no bad effect from satiety, will answer to all different compositions; nor even to all the parts of the same composition. It were as absurd to write a panegyric, and an invective, in a style of the same cadence, as to set the words of a tender love-song to the air of a warlike march. Corol. What is requisite, therefore, is, that we previously fix in our mind a just idea of the general tone of sound which suits our subject; that is, which the sentiments we are to express, most naturally assume, and in which they most commonly vent themselves; whether round and smooth, or stately and solemn, or brisk and quick, or interrupted and abrupt. 225. But, besides the general correspondence of the current of sound with the current of thought, there may be a more particular expression attempted, of certain objects, by means of resembling sounds. This can be sometimes accomplished in prose composition; but there only in a more faint degree; nor is it there so much expected. In poetry, chiefly, it is looked for; when attention to sound is more demanded, and where the inversions and liberties of poetical style give us a greater command of euphony. |