cative Mode; yet the Cafe and Mode are not influenced by them, but determined by the nature of the sentence [2].

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. It ought to be," So profligate, that the managing of them cannot be of any confequence." And, too, 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. It ought to be, "Too much grace and wit to be a Bishop:" without than. So-but: "If the appointing and apportioning of penalties to crimes be not so properly a confideration of justice, but rather [as] of prudence in the Lawgiver." Tillotfon, Serm. I. 35. And to conclude with an example, in which, whatever may be thought of the accuracy of the expreffion, the juftness of the obfervation 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 deferve to be mended." Pope to Steele, Letter 6.

[2] "Ah me!" feems to be a phrase of the fame nature with "Wo is me!"; for the refolution of which fee above, p. 126. Note,

PUNC

PUNCTUATIO N.

PUR

UNCTUATION is the art of marking in writing the feveral pauses, 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 pronuncia

tion.

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 difcourfe, are very imperfectly expreffed by Points.

For the different degrees of connexion between the several parts of fentences, and the different paufes in a juft pronunciation, which exprefs thofe degrees of connexion` according to their proper value, admit of great variety; but the whole number of Points, which we have to express this variety, amounts only to Four.

Hence

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 same points.

So that the doctrine of Punctuation muft needs

be e 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 use 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 ferve 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 following distinctions, as the most obvious and remarkable: the Period, Colon, Semicolon, and Comma.

G

The

4

The Period is the whole Sentence, complete 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 constructive part, or greater divifion, of a Sentence.

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

'A Sentence or Member is again fubdivided into Commas, or Segments; which are the leaft constructive 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 thefe diftinctions its mark, or Point; which takes its name from the part of the Sentence, which it is employed to distinguish; as follows:

The Period

The Colon

is thus marked

The Semicolon

The Comma

The proportional quantity, or time, of the points, with respect to one another, is determined by the following general rule: The Period is a pause in quantity or duration double of

the

the Colon; the Colon is double of the Semicolon; and the Semicolon is double of the Comma. So that they are in the fame proportion to one another, as the Semibref, the Minim, the Crotchet, and the Quaver, in Music. The precife quantity, or duration, of each Paufe or Note cannot be defined; for that varies with the Time; and both in Difcourfe and Mufic the fame Compofition may be rehearsed in a quicker or a flower Time: but in Mufic the proportion between the Notes remains ever the fame; and in Difcourfe, if the doctrine of Punctuation were exact, the proportion between the Paufes would be ever invariable.

The Points then being defigned to exprefs the Pauses, which depend on the different degrees of connexion between Sentences, and between their principal conftructive parts; in order to understand the meaning of the Points, and to know how to apply them properly, we must confider the nature of a Sentence, as divided into its principal conftructive parts; and the degrees of connexion between those parts, upon which fuch divifion of it depends.

To begin with the least of these principal conftructive parts, the Comma. In order the more clearly to determine the proper application of the Point which marks it, we muft diftin