each other only as the one conveys the difcoveries in fcience, and the other the maxims of common life. In Swift's detached thoughts we find a few specimens of this manner. "The

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power of fortune is confeffed by the miserable, "the happy ascribe all their fuccefs to merit."

"Every man defires to live long, but no man "would be old."" A nice man is a man of "nafty ideas.""The fluggard," faith Solomon, “hideth his hand in his bofom, it griev"eth him to bring it to his mouth *. "The "defire of the flothful killeth him, for his hands "refufe to labour." "A fool," fays the fon of Sirach, "travaileth with a word, as a woman in labour of a child." It is indeed true, that a great degree of conciseness is scarcely attainable unless the ftyle be figurative; but it is alfo true, that the vivacity of the expreffion is not to be attributed folely to the figure, but partly to the brevity occafioned by the figure. But though the combination of the figurative with the concife is very common, it is not ne ceffary. This will appear from fome of the examples already given, wherein, though we dif cover a happy comprehenfion of a great deal of meaning in little compafs, there is neither trope Ecclus. xix. 11.

Proverbs xxvi. 15. † Ibid. xxi. 25.

nor

nor figure. Nor indeed is there either of thefe, in the picture that Swift gives of himself, where he fays, "I am too proud to be vain," in which fimplicity, perfpicuity, and vivacity, are all hap¬ pily united. An inferior writer, in attempting to delineate fully the fame character, would have employed many fentences, and not have faid near fo much. Further, the writer on politics often avails himself of a fententious concifenefs, which adds no little energy to the fentiments he unfolds. Of the fuccefsful application of brevity in this way, we have an excellent model in the fpirit of laws. It hath no bad effect, if used fparingly, even in narrative*.

On the other hand, the kinds of writing which are less fufceptible of this ornament, are the defcriptive, the pathetic, the declamatory, efpecially the laft. It is befides much more fuitable in writing than in fpeaking. A reader has the command of his time, he may read faft or flow, as he finds convenient; he can perufe a fenténce a fecond time when neceffary, or lay down the

The veni, vidi, vici, of Cefar derives hence its principal beauty; I came, I saw, I conquered, is not, equal, So fmall a circumftarce, as the repetition of the pronoun,, withoat which the fentence in our language would appear maimed, takes much from its vivacity and force.

book

book and think. But if, in haranguing to the people, you comprise a great deal in few words, the hearer must have uncommon quickness of apprehenfion to catch your meaning, before you have put it out of his power, by engaging his attention to fomething else. In fuch orations, therefore, it is particularly unseasonable; and by confequence, it is, in all kinds of writing addreffed to the people, more or less fo, as they partake more or lefs of popular declamation.

SECTION ÍI.

The principal offences against brevity confidered.

BUT though this energetic brevity is not adapted alike to every subject, we ought, on every fubject, to avoid its contrary, a languid redundancy of words. It is fometimes proper to be copious, but never to be verbofe. I fhall therefore now confider fome of the principal faults against that quality of ftyle of which I have been treating.

PART I. Tautology.

THE firft I fhall take notice of is the tautology, which is either a repetition of the fame fense in different words, or a representation of any thing

as the caufe, condition, or confequence of itself. Of the firft, which is also the leaft, take the following example from Addison:

The dawn is overcaft ;

-the morning lours;

And- -heavily in clouds brings on the day

Here the fame thought is repeated thrice in different words. Of the laft kind I fhall produce a fpecimen from Swift. "I look upon it as my "duty, fo far as God hath enabled me, and as

έσ

long as I keep within the bounds of truth, of

duty, and of decency-" It would be strange indeed that any man fhould think it his duty to tranfgrefs the bounds of duty. Another example from the fame hand you have in the words which follow" So it is, that I must be forced to get "home, partly by ftealth, and partly by force ." "How many are there," fays Bolingbroke,

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by whom these tidings of good news were ne

ver heard §?" This is tidings of tidings, or news of news. "Never did Atticus fucceed bet"ter in gaining the univerfal love and efteem of "all men." Either of the two words in italics might have been ufed, but not both.

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Ir is alfo confidered as of the nature of tautology, to lengthen a fentence by coupling words altogether or nearly fynonymous, whether they be fubftantives or adjectives, verbs or adverbs. This fault is very common, and to be found even in our best writers. "In the Attic com"monwealth," fays Doctor Swift, "it was the "privilege and birthright of every citizen and έσ poet, to rail aloud and in public*."—If he had faid fimply, "In the Attic commonwealth it was "the privilege of every citizen, to rail în pub"lic," the sentence would have lost nothing of the fenfe. And it is an invariable maxim, that words which add nothing to the fenfe or to the clearnefs, muft diminish the force of the expreffion. There are certain fynonymas which it is become customary with fome writers regularly to link together; infomuch that a reader no fooner meets with one of them, than he anticipates the introduction of its usual attendant. It is needless to quote authorities, I fhall only produce a few of thofe couples which are wont to be thus conjoined, and which every English reader will recollect with ease. Such are, plain and evident, clear and obvious, worship and adoration, pleasure and fatisfaction, bounds and limits, suspicion and

Preface to the Tale of a Tub.

jealousy,