each; it being absurd to say, that the king or the queen only is an amiable pair. So in the instances, " two and two are four;"" the fifth and sixth volumes will complete the set of books." Prepositions also, as before observed, connect words; but they do it to show the relation which the connected words have to each other: conjunctions when they unite words only, are designed to show the relations, which those words, so united, have to other parts of the

sentence.

As there are many conjunctions and connective phrases appropriated to the coupling of sentences, that are never employed in joining the members of a sentence; so there are several conjunctions appropriated to the latter use, which are never employed in the former; and some that are equally adapted to both those purposes: as, again, further, besides, &c. of the first kind; than, lest, unless, that, so that, &c. of the second; and but, and, for, therefore, &c. of the last.

We shall close this chapter with a few observations on the peculiar use and advantage of the conjunctions; a subject which will, doubtless, give pleasure to the ingenious student, and expand his views of the importance of his grammatical studies.

"Relatives are not so useful in language, as conjunctions. The former make speech more concise; the latter make it more explicit. Relatives comprehend the meaning of a pronoun and conjunction copulative: conjunctions, while they couple sentences, may also express opposition, inference, and many other relations and dependences.

Till men began to think in a train, and to carry their reasonings to a considerable length, it is not probable that they would make much use of conjunctions, or of any other connectives. Ignorant people, and children, generally speak in short and separate sentences.

The same

thing is true of barbarous nations: and hence uncultivated languages are not well supplied with connecting particles. The Greeks were the greatest reasoners that ever appeared in the world; and their language, accordingly, abounds more than any other in connectives.

Conjunctions are not equally necessary in all sorts of writing. In poetry, where great conciseness of phrase is required, and every appearance of formality avoided, many of them would have a bad effect. In passionate language too, it may be proper to omit them: because it is the nature of violent passion, to speak rather in disjointed sentences, than in the way of inference and argument. Books of aphorisms, like the Proverbs of Solomon, have few connectives; because they instruct, not by reasoning, but in detached observations. And narrative will sometimes appear very graceful, when the circumstances are plainly told, with scarcely any other conjunction than the simple copulative and: which is frequently the case in the historical parts of Scripture.—When narration is full of images or events, the omission of connectives may, by crowding the principal words upon one another, give a sort of picture of hurry and tumult, and so heighten the vivacity of description. But when facts are to be traced down through their consequences, or upwards to their causes; when the complicated designs of mankind are to be laid open, or conjectures offered concerning them; when the historian argues either for the elucidation of truth, or in order to state the pleas and principles of contending parties; there will be occasion for every species of connective, as much as in philosophy itself. In fact, it is in argument, investigation, and science, that this part of speech is peculiarly and indispensably necessary.

We have observed above, (page 174) that a relative pronoun possesses the force both of a pronoun and a connective. This is a more artificial and refined construction than that,

in which the common connective is simply made use of. In some very ancient languages, as the Hebrew, which have been employed chiefly for expressing plain sentiments in the plainest manner, without aiming at any elaborate length or harmony of periods, this pronoun occurs not so often, as in Greek and Latin, and those other tongues, which have been embellished by the joint labours of the philosopher and the rhetorician. When we read the first chapter of Genesis, we perceive, that this subjunctive pronoun, as it may be called, occurs but seldom; the sentences being short, particularly towards the beginning, and joined for the most part by the connective. The same simplicity of composition, as we before observed, is frequent in Scripture; which in that Divine book is a great beauty, and an evidence both of its truth, and of its antiquity. For had the diction been more elaborate, it would have had too much the air of human contrivance, and of the arts of later times. But in other compositions, the same unadorned simplicity would not always be agreeable: for we are not displeased to find human decorations in a work of human art. Besides, the sentiments of inspiration support themselves by their intrinsic dignity; whereas those of men must often be supported and recommended by the graces of language. The inspired author commands our attention, and has a right to it but other writers must sooth and amuse, in order to prevail with Us to attend. The same ornaments are unseemly in a temple, which we admire in a private apartment; and that rhetorical art, which in Virgil and Cicero is delightful, would be quite unsuitable to the majesty of Scripture."

CHAPTER X.

OF INTERJECTIONS.

Interjections are words thrown in between the parts of a sentence, to express the passions or emotions of the speaker; as, "Oh! I have alienated my friend; alas! I fear for life;" "O virtue! how amiable thou art!"

The English Interjections, as well as those of other languages, are comprised within a small compass. They are of different sorts, according to the different passions which they serve to express. Those which intimate earnestness or grief, are, 0! oh! ah! alas! Such as are expressive of contempt, are, pish! tush! of wonder, heigh! really! strange! of calling, hem! hot soho! of aversion or disgust, foh! fie! away! of a call of the attention, to! behold! hark! of requesting silence, hush! hist! of salutation, welcome! hail! all hail! Besides these, many others, often in the mouths of the multitude, might be enumerated. But we have perhaps mentioned a sufficient number of them. Any word or phrase may indeed become an interjection, or, at least, it may be used as such, when it is expressed with emotion, and in an unconnected manner: as, behold! peace! strange! ungrate ful creature! folly in the extreme!

Interjections are not so much the signs of thought, as of feeling. That a creature, so inured to articulate sound as man is, should acquire the habit of uttering, without reflection, certain vocal sounds, when he is assaulted by any strong passion, or becomes conscious of any intense feeling, is natural enough. Indeed, by continual practice, this habit becomes so powerful, that, in certain cases, we

should find it difficult to resist it, even if we wished to do so. When attacked by acute pain, it is hardly possible for us to refrain from saying oh! ah! &c.: and when we are astonished at any narrative or event, the words, strange! prodigious! indeed! break from us, without any effort of the will.

Interjections, though frequent in discourse, occur not often in elegant composition. Unpractised writers, however, are apt to abound in the use of them, in order, as they imagine, to give pathos to their style: which is just as if, with the view of rendering conversation witty or humorous, one were to interrupt it with frequent peals of laughter. The appearance of violent emotion in others, does not always raise violent emotion in us: our hearts, for the most part, are more effectually subdued, by a sedate and simple utterance, than by interjections and theatrical gesture. At any rate, composure is more graceful than extravagance: and therefore, a multitude of these passionate words and particles will generally, at least on common occasions, savour more of levity than of dignity, of want of thought than of keen sensation. In common discourse this holds, as well as in writing. They who wish to speak often, and have little to say, abound in exclamations; wonderful, amazing, prodigious, O dear, dear me, and the like: and hence the too frequent use of such words tends to breed a suspicion, that one labours under a scantiness of ideas. Interjections denoting imprecation, and those in which the Divine Name is irreverently mentioned, are always offensive to a pious mind: and the writer or speaker, who contracts a habit of introducing them, may, without breach of charity, be suspected of profaneness.