not influenced by them, but determined by

the

Spec. N° 35. "That the difcourfing of Politics fhall be looked upon [as] dull as talking on the weather." Addifon, Freeholder, No 38. N°

The Conjunction but instead 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 fubjection, they fhould 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 house of God." Genefis, xxxvii. 17.

Too, that, improperly ufed as Correspondent Conjunctions: "Whofe Characters are too profligate, that the managing of them fhould be of any confequence." Swift, Examiner, N° 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 So. It ought to be, "Too much. grace and wit to be a Bifhop :" without than. Sobut: "If the appointing and apportioning of penalties to crimes be not so properly a confideration of juftice, but rather [as] of prudence in the Lawgiver." Tillotson, Serm. I. 35. And to conclude with an example, in which, whatever may be thought of the accuracy of the expreffion, the juftnefs of the obfervation will be acknowledged; which may ferve alfo.

as

the nature of the sentence [2].

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.

[2]" Ah me!” seems to be a phrase of the same nature with "Wo is me!" for the refolution of which fee above, p. 141. Note.

PUNC

PUNCTUATION.

PUN

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 expreffèd in a juft and accurate pronunciation.

As the feveral articulate founds, the fyllables and words, of which fentences confift, are marked by Letters; fo the refts and paufes, 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 juft 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 juft pronunciation, which express those degrees of connexion according to their proper value, admit of great variety; but the whole number of Points, which we have to exprefs this variety, amounts only to Four.

Hence

Hence it is, that we are under a neceffity of expreffing paufes of the fame quantity, on different occafions, by different points; and more frequently, of expreffing paufes 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 judgment and tafte 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 fupplied, where deficient, by the writer's judgment.

The feveral degrees of Connexion betweens Sentences, and between their principal conftructive parts, Rhetoricians have confidered underthe following diftinctions, as the most obvious and remarkable: the Period, Colon, Semicolon, and Comma.

The

The Period is the whole Sentence, complete in itself, wanting nothing to make a full and perfect fenfe, and not connected in construction 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 conftructive part, or subdivifion, 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 subdivifion 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 proportional quantity, or time, of the points, with refpect to one another, is determined by the following general rule: The Period is a paufe in quantity or duration double of

the