struggled successfully with and greatly improved the elements of a tough ́ half-formed language, but he enshrined its best parts and handed them down to become, as they now are, the strongest materials of our modern English, and the back-bone of its frame-work. He laid the basis of a national literature. A little modernised, here is an extract of his descriptive prologue to the Canterbury Tales:

There was also in our company a nun, a Prioress called Madame Eglantine, a demure and simply smiling lady, whose sharpest speech was "By Saint Eloy !" She could chant by heart the whole of the divine service, sweetly twanging it through her nose. She was mistress of the French language, as it is spoken at the school of Stratford-leBow; but the French of Paris was to her unknown. Her conduct at meals was precisely well-bred and delicate, all her anxiety being to display a courteous and stately deportment, and to be regarded in return with esteem and reverence. So charitable and piteous was her nature, that a dead or bleeding mouse in a trap would wring her heart. She kept several little dogs, which were pampered on roast meat, milk, and the finest bread. Bitterly would she take on if one were ill-used or dead; in short, she was all conscience and tender heart.

To speak of her features, her nose was long but well shaped, her eyes light and grey as glass, her mouth delicately small, soft and red, and her forehead fair and broad. For dress she wore a neatly made cloak and a carefully crimped neckerchief: on her arms a pair of beads of small coral, garnished with green, from which depended a handsome gold brooch, with a great A engraved upon it, and underneath the motto-" Amor vincit omnia."

Here is another picture :

A sergeant at law, cautious and shrewd, who had often been at consultation, was there also. A prudent and deferential man; he had been frequently appointed justice of assize, by patent and commission. Many were the fees and robes with which he had been presented, on account of his great legal knowledge and renown. There was no purchaser like him, and his dealings were above suspicion. He was the busiest of men, and yet he seemed more busy than he was. He had at his fingers' ends all the terms, cases, and judgments from the time of the Conquest, and in his indictments the man was clever that could detect a flaw; he knew all the statutes by heart. He rode in a plain coat of mixed cloth, fastened with a narrow striped silken girdle.

A country gentleman, commonly called a Franklin, was in our company. He had a fresh coloured rosy face, and a beard as white as a daisy. A sop in wine was his favourite morning beverage; for he was a true son of Epicurus, believing that the most perfect happiness consisted in perfect enjoyments. He possessed a noble mansion, and was the most hospitable of entertainers. He dined at quality hours-always after one o'clock, and so plenteously stored was his table that his house may be said to have snowed meat and drink, fish, flesh, and fowl; and of these the daintiest. His suppers were furnished according to the season. Many a fat partridge had he in his preserve; and stewed bream or pike was a common dish at his board. Ill befell his cook if the sauce were too pungent, or the dinner not punctually served. He kept open house, and the dining table in hall remained covered the whole day.

He had been at several times justice of the peace, sheriff, steward of the hundred court, and knight of the shire. Among all the country gentlemen round there was not his compeer. At his girdle, which was as white as morning milk, hung a dagger and a silken purse." There is scarcely a living writer, after all the fresh light and experience of the intervening ages-who could paint portraits so perfect or vivid as these in as few words. The force of this style is derived from its extreme simplicity. If there were the least effort for effect, the smallest search for fine expressing or ornament in figure or phrase, the virtue of this writing and its point and nerve would be seriously damaged. The power of this simplicity of style is wonderfully great; few ever achieve it. Even Cobbett, who was among the greatest of English classics who ever wrote, sometimes erred in using too many expletives. He fell into this mistake, perhaps, by passion. He so frequently wrote abusively and dealt

invectives, seldom omitting an epithet of contempt or denunciation which was likely to hit its mark, that he insensibly used more adjectives and expletives than he needed. Perhaps I may afterwards give examples, for Cobbett furnished both useful rules and serviceable models.

I wish the student to observe carefully, not only the shortness of the sentences and the aptness and fewness of the words in these extracts from Chaucer, but also the admirable skill with which they are put together.

In the last paragraph see how much precision of meaning is secured by the placing as well as use of the three words "at several times." Most writers would have said "several times." If so, it would have been doubtful whether the lawyer had filled these offices together or separately; the word "at" prevents the doubt; he held them separately as well as severally. Many would have placed these words at the end of the sentence, and then it would have been doubtful whether he was merely knight of the shire several times, or that he several times held all these offices. By placing the words before them ambiguity is obviated. Let this be noted as one of the many features of a good style, namely, to express one's meaning without possibility of misapprehension.

The description of the bounteous board kept by the Franklin is inimitable. "And of these the daintiest;" also, "Ill befell his cook if the sauce were too pungent," &c. What racy lively modes of saying what would be trite enough if tamely expressed. No rules can be laid down for these and such like modes of phrase. It requires a lively fancy to excel in this knack of expression. The words are choice, without being far-fetched or pedantic. "There was not his compeer." How well this sounds, and how much better than his "equal" is the word " compeer." Oftentimes these well chosen words, if they lie a little out of the common track, give great zest to what one writes; they are the condiments of style. The description of the sergeant at law so shrewd and cautious-"a prudent and deferential man," is also excellently given, and conveys much historical information as well as the description of the individual. The demure and simply smiling Prioress, the Lady Eglantine-by Saint Eloy! how well she may be painted from those few truly graphic words, that so well tell us of her modest virtues and comely graces. These be indeed models of style, the more remarkably excellent because Chaucer had no pattern to imitate; though he has set one to each succeeding generation of imaginative writers, who would be sadly off if bereft of all the aid they have gained from his and many other good old models.

One great cause of confusion in style is that which arises from not sufficiently considering what is the antecedent in a sentence, and what the predicate.

"Among the innumerable historical authors (writes Johnson in the Rambler) who fill every nation with accounts of their ancestors, or undertake to transmit to futurity the events of their own time, the greater part, when fashion and novelty have ceased to recommend them, are of no other use than chronological memorials which necessity may sometimes require to be consulted."

Now "the authors" are the antecedents to "their ancestors," and yet Johnson never meant to say so. He meant those of the nation, but the word "their" does not apply to a noun of multitude such as nation. What arrant nonsense it would be to write "the nation forfeited their right!" The second word "their" does refer to authors, and thus makes the meaning more obscure than before. Then we have the word "than" as applying

to its antecedent "greater part," which many people wou referred to "events," or forwards to the "chronological memori follow after. In fact the words "of these authors" are n "greater part," to shew the reference to them. All this sa would have been avoided by a simplification of the sentence, th "The greater part of the authors' works which fill a nation wi of its ancestors, or record the events of the time in which written, are of no other use, when fashion and novelty hav recommend them, than that of chronological memorials which necessary to consult."

At least I guess this to have been Johnson's meaning.

Here is another bad sentence, also from Johnson :

"I asked the question with no other intention than to set the gentler the necessity of silence, and give him an opportunity of mingling on equ a polite assembly, from which, however uneasy, he could not then esca introduction of the only subject on which I believed him to be able propriety."

Cobbett says of this:-"This is a very bad sentence altogeth ever uneasy' applies to assembly and not to gentleman. Only easily this might have been avoided. From which he, how could not then escape.' After this we have 'he could not the a kind introduction.' We know what is meant, but the Doctor, commas, leaves the sentence confused. Let us see whether make it clear:

'I asked the question with no other intention than, by a kind introd only subject on which I believed him to be able to speak with propri gentleman free from the necessity of silence, and to give him an opportunit on equal terms with a polite assembly, from which he, however uneasy, escape.""

Let us see if we cannot improve on this improvement transposing the different parts of the sentence; for though now rescued it from ambiguity, he leaves it still awkwardly v it is seldom desirable to place the antecedent after its pr pronoun him' precedes the antecedent 'gentleman.' Sometim elegant mode of inversion, but here it has the bad effect of in difficulty of making clear one of Johnson's lengthy sentences. place the pleonasm of "no other intention" should be abscind thing that need be expressed may be thus worded:-"I asked solely in order to introduce the only subject on which I 1 gentleman able to speak with propriety, and to enable him to equal terms with a polite assembly, from which he coul escape; however uneasy he might be."

It is the absurd use of the word "mingle" instead of cor really meant, which requires the preceding verbiage about be from the necessity of silence. The poor gentleman needed not to mingle, but to be helped to talk. It is always best to pla branch of the sentence, though subordinate to the rest, after parts. Thus I have avoided putting in "however uneasy" par I prefer, even though it costs three more words, to place it by end, so as s to stand like a separate sentence. The more we we write into distinct sentences the better. Where it is impo rid of a long sentence, the next best rule is to divide it, so as approach to distinct sentences. It will be often found that these

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lages may be dispensed with altogether. Were I not bound to
ss in the above example all that the great lexicographer meant to say,
ld certainly omit the above appended sentence; for if the unhappy
man could not escape from the assembly in which he seems to have
imprisoned, what need is there to say that he could not, though he
uneasy."
There seems just as much and no more occasion to say
he could not escape though sick, though sleepy, though ashamed,
h alarmed, &c. &c. All these provocatives to escape are already
d by the allegation that he could not escape. Major in se minus
net. If there be no sense in this wordiness there is still less grace;
words appended injure the euphony of the sentence and certainly do
ncrease its force. If we omit those last five words, I think I may
y say that I have more plainly expressed in forty-four words what
son originally wrote in sixty-two, and Cobbett certainly improved in
-three.

do not apologise for this minute criticism. On the contrary I invite
recommend it. I think to do this is certainly to improve our style,
not only to teach us how to detect and abridge our own redundancies,
to attain precision and force in expressing our ideas.

he main reason why people indulge in amplifications is that they have
e, not that they have much to say. Redundant foliage usefully con-
s scanty fruit.
Here is a precious sample of verbal chaff, not very
cessfully concealing the paucity of grains:-

In the eternal chemistry of being and of circumstance history is evolved. Outward
nomenal reality and inward conscious thought here meet together, become fused
one, and result in a new fact. Time, the arch experimenter, is continually varying
conditions in which these, the chief co-efficients in human life are brought into
tion with each other; and hence that series of actions and reactions-the collective
nomena of which we call history-is undergoing ceaseless change. The events of
lay affect the events of to-morrow, and the undulations of the influences of the past
rk for ever onward into the future. The act intended and accomplished generates
er purposes, and affects, in multiplex modes, the course and issue of other events.
thought is ever investured in one final, permanent, conclusive act. Each gives an
pulse and a tendency to a wide scheme of consequences and contingencies,” &c. &c. &c.
That is to say-if we may presume to reduce this superlatively beautiful
iting and about a page more of it into three words-causes produce
ects. Thus as a gifted contemporary aptly remarks in its review of this
tounding essay" voluminous merit is seldom intense." Here again is
passage from the same author in which the sense is so utterly bewildered
7 words that I have not the slightest notion what it means, more than
at man is affected by circumstances and that he also affects them,-a
mewhat self-evident truism:

"From the crowding, dizzying, stupendous multiplicity of external phenomena,
hose influences affect him on every point, man elaborates the beautiful orderliness of
urpose; from the chaos of impressions which the various environments of his being
riginate in him, he derives incentives to action, and from—

'The sights the sounds, the struggle, and the strife
Of hourly being,'

e acquires the hardihood which, under the guidance of a wisely enthusiastic zeal
nables him, with cumulative persistency, to subdue obdurate circumstances, and to
work out his ideas into act, fact, reality!!'

Let all persons desirous of cultivating a good style cherish such jargon as this, and set it up as a beacon of avoidance. Every man of good

songo shudders of such stilted bombast and turns in disonst from onr

1

author who does his ideas, if he has any, the cruel injustice of clothing them in such tawdry garb. This love of fine writing often induces men insensibly into the grossest errors. Exempli gratiâ :

'Thought is life, and history is its flower and fruit. In all the great crises of history we find the affluent inspiration of a new idea pouring invigorative energy into lifeunseen spiritual thought becoming operant in changing the credence of the world, and determining the outward and actual ongoings of the period."

So far from it, the "great crises of history" have been mainly wrought by rebellions, conquests, and the fiercest excesses of carnal passions, and have been about as little brought to pass by "spiritual thought," as are the phases of the moon, or the libations of Hodge the ploughman. Fine writing and a stilted style are snares even to deep thinkers; but they are sure pitfalls to feeble minds.

Swift and Thackeray are the best models I can suggest of the reverse. They both excel in the power of simple writing. Each expresses what he means in such an easy manner, that one thinks at first sight any body might have so expressed himself. This arises from the natural mode in which the thoughts flow in familiar words; but it is not so easy thus to write:

It is an excellency which springs from a well disciplined mind, a clear intellect, and in no small degree, an ingenuous nature. Inasmuch as the best specimens of a plain style are fraught, nevertheless, with beauty, and often with wit, and oftener with sprightlinesss of fancy, such perfection is not attainable by rules, nor is it the necessary result of much practice. Still much towards it may be effected, by those who will take the trouble of trying. The best practicable modes I may here repeat are those of endeavouring to imitate the best models, by rewriting passages which we have read over attentively enough to gather the ideas without remembering the words; then by comparing our own compositions with the original, and amending our own. The next lesson is to practice the arrangement and then the expression of our own thoughts, and thus cultivate composition and style. Great care is requisite in this. Festina lente. Quintilian admirably says-"By writing hastily we shall never learn to write well it is by writing well that we shall learn to write quickly."

(To be continued.)

INCREASE OF KNOWLEDGE IN SCHOLARS.-Each new idea, and each new piece of knowledge to which the idea leads, are to the schoolboy what the floating weeds and the discovered islands were to Columbus in his voyage of discovery, equally interesting and exciting to the schoolboy in his little world; and the schoolmaster who is up to his work may realize all this. His life will then, instead of being dull, tedious, and monotonous, be agreeable and happy. He will be happy in doing his "duty in that state of life in which it has pleased God to place him," and happy in teaching children, as they grow up to manhood, to do the same.-Effective Primary Instruction.