Penultimate Member.

An exception to the foregoing rules forms another rule, which forbids us, without abfolute neceffity, to adopt the falling inflexion on the laft member but one. This rule is founded on the natural perception of harmony in the ear, which has as much diflike to a too great fimilitude of consecutive founds as the understanding has to a want of fufficient diftinction between members differently connected. When this distinction, therefore, is fufficiently obvious, and no improper connection is formed by using the right inflexion, the ear always requires this inflexion on the penultimate member; for as the laft member must almost always be terminated by the falling inflexion at the period, a falling inflexion immediately preceding it in the penultimate member, would be too fudden a repetition of nearly fimilar founds: hence arifes the propriety of the following rules.

Rule I. Every member of a sentence immediately preceding the laft, requires the rifing inflexion.

EXAMPLES.

Ariftotle tells us, that the world is a copy or tranfcript of thofe ideas which are in the mind of the firft Béing; and that thofe ideas which are in the mind of man are a transcript of the world to this we may add, that words are the transcript of thofe ideas which are in the mind of mán, and that writing or printing are the transcript of wòrds. Spect. N° 166.

In this example, if there were no connection between the two last members from the antithefis they contain, the rifing inflexion would be neceffary at the end of the penultimate member, for the fake of found.

In fhort, a modern Pindaric writer, compared with Pindar, is like a fifter among the Camifars, compared with Virgil's Sybil: there is the distortion, grimace, and outward figure, but nothing of that divine impulfe which raifes the mind above itself, and makes the founds more than human.

Spec. No 160.

The florist, the planter, the gardener, the hufbandman, when they are accomplishments to the man of fortune, are great reliefs to a country life, and many ways useful to those who are poffeffed of them. Ibid. N° 93.

In the firft of thefe examples the fentence might have finished at itself, and in the laft at life; for the fucceeding members do not modify them, but, as they are penultimate members, they neceffarily require the rifing inflexion.

He has annexed a fecret pleasure to the idea of any thing that is new or uncommon, that he might encourage us in the pursuit after knowledge, and engage us to fearch into the wonders of his creation; for every new idea brings fuch a pleasure along with it as rewards any pains we have taken in the acquisition, and confequently ferves as a motive to put us upon fresh difcoveries. Ibid. No 413.

In this example, we fee that it is not the perfect fenfe of a member which alone qualifies it for the falling inflexion; it must be followed by one member at least, which does not admit this paufe; otherwise it is transferred from the first to the fucceeding member, which is the cafe in this example. The first compound member forms perfect fenfe at the word knowledge, and the fucceeding member is not neceffarily connected with it: but as this member forms perfect fenfe likewife, and is followed by one, which cannot be united with it by the comma or rifing inflexion; therefore, to avoid the ill effect of two fucceffive pauses exactly

the fame, the falling inflexion must be placed on the word creation.

Rule II. As a farther illuftration of this, we may obferve, that when the first member forms perfect fenfe, and is followed by two members neceffarily connected, the falling inflexion must be placed on the firft.

It fhall ever be my study to make discoveries of this nature in human life, and to fettle the proper diftinctions between the virtues and perfections of mankind, and those false colours and refemblances of them that shine alike in the eyes of the vulgar. Addifon.

In this example, we may observe that the falling inflexion might have been placed on the fecond member, if the second and third members had not been neceffarily connected by an antithefis; which shows that the falling inflexion requires the member it is placed on, not only to have perfect fenfe independent on the fucceeding member, but at the fame time requires the fucceeding member to be dependent on a third.

Exceptions.

Emphafis, which controls every other rule in reading, forms an exception to this; which is, that where an emphatic word is in the first member of a sentence, and the last has no emphatical word, this penultimate member then terminates with the falling inflexion.

EXAMPLES.

I must therefore defire the reader to remember, that by the pleafures of the imagination, I meant only fuch pleasures as arife originally from sight; and that I divide these pleasures in two kinds. Spect. N° 411.

In this fentence the word fight is emphatical, and therefore, though in the penultimate member, must not have the rifing, but the falling inflexion, as this is the inflexion beft fuited to the fenfe of the emphatic phrase. See article Emphafis.

The perfon he chanced to fee was, to appearance, an old fordid blind man; but upon his following him from place to place, he at laft found, by his own confeffion, that he was Plutus, the God of Riches; and that he was just come out of the house of a mifer. Spectator, N° 464.

In this fentence the words God of Riches, as opposed to the words old fordid blind man, are emphatical, and, therefore, though in the penultimate member, require the falling inflexion. The fame may be obferved of the word most in the following fentence:

If they do not acquiefce in his judgment, which, I think, never happened above once or twice at mòft, they appeal to me.

In this fentence we find the connection interrupted, and the cadence injured, by giving the falling inflexion to the word most; but if we were to give this word the rifing inflexion for the fake of preferving the cadence and connection, we fhould lofe fo much force as would render this pronunciation lefs eligible upon the whole. The author, therefore, is answerable for this incompatibility of the ftrongest sense with the best found, and the reader is reduced to choose the leffer evil.

The fame variance between emphafis and connection may be observed in the following fentence:

Religious hope does not only bear up the mind under her fufferings, but makes her rejoice in them, as they may be the means of procuring her the great and ultimate end of all her hope. Spectator, No 471.

Here we see the word rejoice, in oppofition, bear up the mind, require, from its being emphatical, the falling inflexion; and yet, from its being modified by what follows, it ought to have the rifing.

As a corollary to the former rules, it follows, that if a loose sentence, having one member forming perfect sense, and not modified by what follows, is fucceeded by another member, which forms perfect fenfe likewife, unmodified by fucceeding members; that as often as members of this kind occur, without finifhing the fentence, they ought to be marked with femicolons, or colons, and pronounced, like a series, with the falling inflexion.

EXAMPLES.

This perfuafion of the truth of the gofpel, without the evidence which accompanies it, would not have been fo firm and fo dùrable; it would not have acquired new force with àge: It would not have refifted the torrent of time, and have paffed from age to age to our own days.

In this example a perfect fentence might be formed at durable; and as it is not modified by what follows, it ought to have the falling inflexion A perfect fentence might alfo be formed at age, which, being under the fame predicament as the former member, requires the falling inflexion likewise: a sentence in the fame manner might be formed at time; but as this is the penultimate member, it must neceffarily adopt the rifing inflexion, according to the rule laid down in the preceding article.

It may be neceffary to obferve, that when thefe members of fentences marked with a femicolon, or colon, follow each other in a series, though they must all have the falling inflexion,