in the Nominative Cafe, and Verbs in the Indicative Mode; yet the Cafe and Mode are not in

The Relative that instead of as: "Such sharp replies, that [as] coft him his life in a few months after." Clarendon, Vol. III. p. 179. And instead of such : —“ If he was truly that [such a] scare-crow, as he is now commonly painted. But I wish I could do that [such] juftice to the memory of our Phrygian, [as] to oblige the painters to change their pencil." Bentley, Differt. on fop's Fables, Sect. x.

The Relative who, inftead of as: "There was no man fo fanguine, who did not apprebend some ill confequence from the late change.' Swift, Examiner, N° 24. It ought to be, either, "so fanguine, as not to apprehend,– "There was no man, bow fanguine foever,

or

who did not apprehend."

As improperly omitted: "Chaucer followed nature every where; but was never fo bold [as] to go beyond her." Dryden, Preface to Fables. "Which no body presumes, or is so sanguine [as] to hope.” Swift; Drap. Let. v. "They are fo bold [as] to pronounce—." Swift, Tale of a Tub, Sect. vii. "I muft however be so juft [as] to own." Addison, Spect. No 45. "That the difcourfing on Politicks shall be looked upon as [as] dull as talking on weather.” Addison, Freeholder, No 38.

The Conjunction but inftead of than : “To truft in Chrift is no more but to acknowledge him for God." Hobbes, Human Nature, Chap. xi. 11. "They will concern the female fex only, and import no more but that subjection, they should ordinarily be in, to their husbands." Locke. "The full moon was no fooner up, and fhining in all its brightness, but he privately opened the gate of Paradife." Addifon, Guardian, N° 167. "This is none other but the houfe of God." Genefis, xxxvii. 17.

Too, that, improperly used as Correfpondent Conjunctions; "Whose Characters are too profligate, that the managing of them fhould be of any confequence." Swift, Examiner, No 24. And, to, than: "You that are a step higher than a Philofopher, a Divine; yet have too much grace and wit than to be a Bishop." Pope, to Swift, Letter 80. So-but: "If the appointing and apportioning of penalties to crimes be not so properly a confideration of justice, but rather Auenced

fluenced by them, but determined by the nature of the fentence [1].

[as] of prudence in the Law-giver." Tillotfon, Serm, 35. And to conclude with an example, in which, whatever may be thought of the accuracy of the expreffion, the juftness of the observation will be acknowledged; which may serve also as an apology for this and many of the preceding Notes: "No errors are so trivial, but they deserve to be mended." Pope to Steele, Letter 6.

[1]" "Ah me!" feems to be a phrafe of the fame nature with "Wo is me !"; for the refolution of which fee above, p. 123, Note.

PUNCT

PUNCTUATION.

UNCTUATION is the art of marking in writing the feveral paufes, or refts, between fentences, and the parts of fentences, according to their proper quantity or proportion, as they are expreffed in a just and accurate pronunciation.

As the feveral articulate founds, the fyllables. and words, of which fentences confift, are marked. by Letters; fo the refts and pauses, between fentences and their parts, are marked by Points..

But, though the feveral articulate founds are pretty fully and exactly marked by Letters of known and determinate power; yet the feveral pauses,. which are used in a just pronunciation of discourse, are very imperfectly expreffed by Points.

For the different degrees of connexion between the feveral parts of fentences, and the different pauses in a just pronunciation, which express thofe degrees of connexion according to their proper va

lue

lue, admit of great variety; but the whole number of Points, which we have to exprefs this variety, amounts only to Four.

Hence it is, that we are under a neceffity of expreffing pauses of the fame quantity, on different occafions, by different points; and more frequently, of expreffing pauses of different quantity by the fame points.

So that the doctrine of Punctuation must needs be very imperfect: few precife rules can be given, which will hold without exception in all cafes ; but much must be left to the judgement and taste of the writer.

On the other hand, if a greater number of marks were invented to exprefs all the poffible different pauses of pronunciation; the doctrine of them would be very perplexed and difficult, and the ufe of them would rather embarrass than affift the reader.

It remains therefore, that we be content with the Rules of Punctuation, laid down with as much. exactness as the nature of the fubject will admit: fuch as may serve for a general direction, to be accommodated to different occafions; and to be supplied, where deficient, by the writer's judgement.

The feveral degrees of Connexion between Sentences, and between their principal conftructive parts, Rhetoricians have confidered under the fol

lowing

lowing diftinctions, as the most obvious and remarkable: the Period, Colon, Semicolon, and Comma.

The Period is the whole Sentence, complète in itself, wanting nothing to make a full and perfect fenfe, and not connected in conftruction with a fubfequent Sentence.

The Colon, or Member, is a chief conftructive part, or greater divifion, of a Sentence.

The Semicolon, or Half-member, is a lefs constructive part, or fubdivifion, of a Sentence or Member.

A Sentence or Member is again fubdivided into Commas, or Segments; which are the leaft conftructive parts of a Sentence or Member, in this way of confidering it; for the next fubdivifion would be the refolution of it into Phrafes and Words.

The Grammarians have followed this divifion of the Rhetoricians, and have appropriated to each of these diftinctions its mark, or Point; which takes its name from the part of the Sentence, which it is employed to distinguish; as follows: