LECTURE XXXV.

Of HARMONY in PROSE.

TH

HE harmony of profe doth not depend upon any regular return of long or short fyllables, for that would conftitute it verfe, but is consistent with any disposition of long and short fyllables that is easy to pronounce, and at the same time favours the sense. Very many long fyllables coming together make a ftyle rough and heavy; and many fhort fyllables have likewise a difagreeable effect, because there is nothing to fupport the voice, and for want of that it is apt to hurry on, and embarrass itself. For this reason, people who are inclined to flammer (as I know by experience) find great difficulty in pronouncing many short fyllables together. There are too many fhort fyllables together in the following sentence:

"This doctrine I apprehend to be erroneous, ănd of ǎ pěrni"cious tendency."

Those fingle words are the most agreeable to the ear, in which the long and short fyllables are the most remarkably distinguish-able, because they contain the greatest variety of found. This excellence we perceive in many polyfyllables, as rapidity, impetuofity, independent, &c.

Paufes

Paufes must be made in reading profe as well as verfe; and fince the voice must rest, it is convenient that provision be made for its refting at proper intervals. Since neither in verse, or profe, ought those words to be separated by the least interruption of found, which together present but one idea, it is proper that, at least, words fo clofely connected should not be so many, as that it would be difficult to pronounce them in a breath. Moreover, fince the fyllables preceding the pause are more distinctly heard, and more attended to than any others, it is peculiarly necessary that their natural and mechanical effect upon the mind fhould be confidered by a compofer. A paufe preceded by a long fyllable is always vigorous, and preceded by a fhort fyllable feeble.. If the long fyllable be preceded by other long fyllables, it is folemn, if by fhort ones, lively. On the other hand, if a short fyllable preceding a paufe (which is in itself feeble) be itself preceded by a long one, it makes a close easy and graceful. No perfon, who hath any notion of the analogy there is between intellectual ideas and those of sense (which has been so often mentioned and explained in the course of these lectures) can be at a lofs to account for the propriety of these diftinctions. However, let facts speak for themselves.

The pauses in our translation of the first verses of the book of Genefis, are chiefly preceded by long fyllables, and I appeal to the reader if they are not manly and vigorous:

and the

"In the beginning | God created the heavens "earth; and the earth | was without form | and void; || and "darkness | was upon the face of the deep ||."

The laft pause of the following fentence of Bolingbroke is weak and bad:

"If the heart of a prince be not corrupt, these truths will find an easy ingreffion through the understanding to it." BOLINGBROKE.

This next sentence is graceful :

"Wherever I find a great deal of gratitude in a pōor măn, | I "take it for granted | there would be as much generōsity | if “ he were a rich mắn ].”

And the clofe of this is folemn:

"I feldom fee a noble building, or any great piece of magni"ficence and pomp, but I think how little is all this to fatisfy "the ambition, or to fill the idea of an immortal fōul."

A sentence is beautifully conftructed when there is a climax in the length of the words; and a period, when there is a climax in the length of the claufes that compofe it. Something of this beauty may be perceived in the following fentence:

"Many men have been capable of doing a wife thing, more a "cunning thing, but very few a generous thing."

When things are either compared or contrafted, it is beautiful to have every thing in the fentence fo fimilar, as that even the names of them fhould begin with the fame letter. Of this take the following example:

"The peacock, in all his pride, doth not display half the co"lour that appears in the garments of a British Lady, when the “is dressed either for a ball or a birth-day.”

SPECTATOR, No. 265.

My

My life's companion and my bosom friend,

One faith, one fame, one fate shall both attend.

DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF THE ÆNEID.

In any other cafe, however, many words that are near one another cannot begin with the fame letter without having a difagreeable effect; and a fimilar found in two neighbouring words, which are no otherwise related to one another, is peculiarly offenfive; as the following of Mason:

Many things that deserve to be observed on this subject”—

When a word is found out of its ufual place and connection, though the sense be quite obvious, our ears are offended as with a disagreeable found: but this is rather a part of an observation made upon another occafion. I fhall, however, in this place, fubjoin a few examples of it:

"I have, indeed, not found among any part of mankind”.

RAMBLER, No. 38.

"These, therefore, we must principally hunt out, but, above "all, preserve a laudable prolixity, presenting the whole and every fide at once of an image to view."

ART OF SINKING.

"A man was obliged to produce all the wealth of his mind "to view, and he was rated to the fum he produced: no one "could therefore pass for rich who was not fo."

SHERIDAN'S LECTURES.

I do not think I can close thefe obfervations on the harmony of ftyle in profe and verfe, better than with advising, that a fecondary

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attention

attention only to be paid to them. Let your primary regards be always to the fenfe and to perfpicuity; and in every competition between harmony and these more valuable objects, if no methods can be found to reconcile them, let the harmony be facrificed without hefitation. Propriety of fentiment and expreffion will better cover a defect of harmony, than the harmony will cover a defect of propriety.

FINI S

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