word which it modifies or affects; and its propriety and force depend on its position. By neglecting to advert to this circumstance, writers frequently convey a different meaning from what they intend.

One wretched actor only deserted the sovereign.-Gifford.

One species of bread, of coarse quality, was only allowed to be baked.-Alison's Europe.

The light must not be suffered to conceal from us the real standard, by which only his greatness can be determined.-Disraeli's Quarrels of Authors.

Thales was not only famous for his knowledge of nature, but for his moral wisdom.-Enfield's Philosophy.

No one had exhibited the structure of the human kidneys; Vesalius having only examined them in dogs.-Hallam.

In the last quotation we have an instance of another kind of blunder, viz: the employment of a pronoun with an ambiguous antecedent. The word them seems

to refer not to kidneys but to human kidneys.

Are we to understand that the moment a man is sincere he is narrow-minded; that persecution is the child of belief; and that a desire to leave all men in the quiet and unpunished exercise of their own creed can only exist in the mind of an infidel.-Sydney Smith's Plymley Letters.

It was evidently in

Here only seems to limit exist. tended to limit infidel. The ambiguity would be removed by placing only after "of an infidel.'

Sixtus the Fourth was, if I mistake not, a great collector of books at least.-Bolingbroke on the Study of History.

At least, should not be connected with books, but with collector.

The Romans understood liberty, at least, as well as we.-Swift on the Adv. of Religion.

These words are susceptible of two different interpretations, according as the emphasis, in reading them, is laid upon liberty or at least. In the former case they will signify, that whatever other things we may understand better than the Romans, liberty at least was one thing which they understood as well as we. In the latter they will import, that liberty was understood, at

If this last was the

least as well by them as by us. author's meaning, the ambiguity would have been avoided, and the sense rendered independent of the manner of emphasizing, by arranging the words thus: "The Romans understood liberty, as well at least as

we."

By greatness, I do not only mean the bulk of any single object, but the largeness of a whole view.-Addison, Spectator.

Here the position of the adverb only, renders it a limitation of the word mean; as if the author intended to say that he did something besides meaning. The ambiguity may be removed by the following arrangement: "By greatness, I do not mean the bulk of any single object only, but the largeness of a whole view.'

In common conversation, the tone and emphasis which we use in pronouncing such words as only, wholly, at least, generally serve to show their reference, and to render the meaning clear and obvious; and hence we acquire a habit of introducing them loosely in the course of a period. But in written discourses, which address the eye, and not the ear, greater accuracy is requisite: these adverbs should be so connected with the words which they are intended to qualify, as to prevent all appearance of ambiguity.

II. Words expressing things connected in the thought, should be placed as near to each other as posThis rule is derived immediately from the principles of human nature. When objects are arranged according to their connexion, we have a sense of order; when they are placed fortuitously, we have a sense of disorder.

The connective parts of sentences are the most important of all, and require the greatest care and attention; for it is by these chiefly that the train of thought, the course of reasoning, and the whole progress of the mind, in continued discourse of all kinds, are displayed; and on the right use of these depends perspicuity, the greatest beauty of style.

The bad effect of a violent separation of words or of members which are intimately connected, will appear from the following examples.

The English are naturally fanciful, and very often disposed, by that gloominess and melancholy of temper which is so frequent in our nation, to many wild notions and visions, to which others are not so liable.-Addison, Spectator.

Here the verb disposed is, by a long clause, violently separated from the subject to which it refers. This harsh construction is the less excusable, as the fault is easily prevented by the following arrangement: "The English are naturally fanciful, and by that gloominess and melancholy of temper which is so frequent in our nation, are often disposed to many wild notions and visions to which others are not so liable."

Farnese was, notwithstanding these circumstances, determined to employ his troops in reducing it, by loud complaints which were made to him of the continual depredations of the garrison.— Watson's Hist. of Philip II.

The general was determined by loud complaints: but the sentence is so unskilfully constructed that this meaning is not obvious.

No mortal author, in the ordinary fate and vicissitude of things, knows to what use his works may, some time or other, be applied. -Spectator.

It cannot be impertinent or ridiculous therefore, in such a country, whatever it might be in the Abbot of St. Real's, which was Savoy I think; or in Peru, under the Incas, where Garcilasso de la Vega says it was lawful for none but the nobility to study, for men of all degrees to instruct themselves in those affairs wherein they may be actors, or judges of those that act, or controllers of those that judge.-Bolingbroke on the Study of History.

If Scipio, who was naturally given to women, for which anecdote we have, if I mistake not, the authority of Polybius, as well as some verses of Nævius, preserved by Aulus Gellius, had been educated by Olympias at the court of Philip, it is improbable that he would have restored the beautiful Spaniard.—Ibid.

The works of Lord Bolingbroke abound with clumsy arrangements of this kind.

They perceiving the nuncio to be more solicitous about the

interests of the Roman court, than the tranquillity of the empire, or purity of the church, remained silent.-Robertson's Hist. of Charles V. The structure of the sentence would be greatly im proved by the transposition of a single word: "Perceiving the nuncio to be more solicitous about the interests of the Roman court, than the tranquillity of the empire, or purity of the church, they remained silent."

The preceding rule is very frequently transgressed in the disposition of pronouns. The relative who or which, when introduced in order to avoid the repetition of the name of some person or thing, ought always to be placed as near as possible to the name of that person or thing. Where it is out of its proper place, we constantly find something awkward or disjointed in the structure of the sentence.

This kind of wit was very much in vogue among our countrymen, about an age or two ago, who did not practice it for any oblique reason, but purely for the sake of being witty.—Addison, Spectator. In this sentence the meaning is sufficiently obvious; but the construction would evidently be improved by disposing of the circumstance, "about an age or two ago," in such a manner as not to separate the relative who from its antecedent countrymen. "About an age or two ago, this kind of wit was very much in vogue among our countrymen, who did not practice it for any oblique reason, but purely for the sake of being witty."

It is folly to pretend to arm ourselves against the accidents of life, by heaping up treasures, which nothing can protect us against, but the good providence of our heavenly father. Sherlock's Sermons. This construction implies, that it is treasures, and not the accidents of life, from which no mortal can protect himself by his own exertions. The sentence ought to have stood thus: "It is folly to pretend, by heaping up treasures, to arm ourselves against the accidents of life, against which nothing can protect us, but the good providence of our heavenly father."

Thus I have fairly given you, Sir, my own opinion, as well as that

of a great majority of botli houses here, relating to this weighty affair, upon which I am confident you may securely reckon.—Swift on the Sacramental Test.

Here the author seems to advise his correspondent to reckon upon this weighty affair; though he certainly meant that it was the great majority upon which he might reckon. The obscurity will be removed by arranging the sentence thus: "Thus, Sir, I have given you my own opinion relating to this weighty affair, as well as that of a great majority of both houses here; upon which I am confident you may securely reckon."

I allude to the article BLIND in the Encyclopædia Britannica, published at Edinburgh in the year 1783, which was written by him. -Mackenzie's Life of Blacklock.

This arrangement leaves us to suppose that Dr. Blacklock was the sole author of a book to which he contributed only an essay on blindness. His biographer's meaning might have been expressed thus: "I allude to the article BLIND, which was written by him, and in the year 1783 published at Edinburgh in the Encyclopædia Britannica."

We nowhere meet with a more glorious and pleasing show in nature, than what appears in the heavens at the rising and setting of the sun, which is wholly made up of those different stains of light, that shew themselves in clouds of a different situation.—Addison, Spectator.

Which is here intended to refer to the word show as its antecedent; but it is removed to such a distance, that without a careful attention to the sense, we should be led, by rules of syntax, to refer it to the rising and setting of the sun, or to the sun itself. Hence an indistinctness is thrown over the whole sentence.

From a habit of saving time and paper, which they acquired at the university, they write in so diminutive a manner, with such frequent blots and interlineations, that they are hardly able to go on without perpetual hesitation, or extemporary expletives.-Swift's Letter to a young Gentleman.

The author certainly does not mean that the clergymen