JOHN HUGHES I. OF STYLE. Written at the Request of a FRIEND, in the Year MDCXCVIII. WHEN, by the Help of Study, a sufficient Stock of solid Learning is acquired, the next Business is to consider how to make use of it to the best Advantage. There is nothing more necessary to this, than Good Sense and Polite Learning; for as a Man may have the first without the latter, so 'tis possible one may have the latter, and yet be rather the worse than the better for it, at least to others, if not to himself. A plain unletter'd Man is always more agreeable Company, than a Fool in several Languages. For a Pedant, tho' he may take himself for a Philosopher, is far more prejudiced than an illiterate Man; and Sufficiency (the chief Part of his Character,) besides the Ill-manners of it, is really (as Sir William Temple observes,) the worst Composition out of the Pride and Ignorance of Mankind. Besides, Affectation, its usual Attendant, is every Body's Aversion, from the natural Hatred we have to all manner of Imposture. So that if there was nothing else to recommend Polite Learning, yet methinks this were enough, that it files off the Rust of the Academy, and is the same to the Mind, as Dancing to the Body, a Means of giving it a free Air and genteel Motion. In a Word, it adds the Gentleman to the Scholar, and when these two meet, they challenge all Mens Respect and Love. History and Poetry are the two chief Branches of those Studies, that are distinguish'd by the Name of Polite. But because, Sir, your Enquiry seems more particularly concerning Language, I shall confine my Discourse to the Style of Prose, as being that which is the most necessary. For Poetry, tho' it want not Arguments to recommend it, yet it may be dispensed with, and is either to be taken, or let alone at Pleasure. All the Qualifications of a good Style I think may be reduced under these four Heads, Propriety, Perspicuity, Elegance, and Cadence: And each of these, except the last, has some relation to the Thoughts, as well as to the Words. Propriety of Thoughts is two-fold; the first is when the Thoughts are proper in themselves, and so it is opposed to Nonsense; and the other when they are proper to the Occasion, and so it is opposed to Impertinence. Propriety of Words, the first Qualification of a good Style, is when the Words do justly and exactly represent, or signify, the Thoughts which they stand for. The Knowledge of this is not to be sought for in Etymologies; for general Acceptation, which is the only Standard of Speech, has given many Words a quite different Sense from their Original. Your best Direction then will be a diligent and careful Perusal of the most correct Writers of the Language in their various Kinds, with the Conversation of People of Fashion, that speak well and without Affectation. The most correct Writers that I know, are Sir William Temple, Dr. Sprat, and Dr. Tillotson for Prose, and Mr. Waller for Verse. I mention the last, because Propriety both of Thoughts and Words is his chief Excellency, in which he has scarce any Equal. I have heard that Archbishop Tillotson took the pains to study all the synonymous Words of the Language, with the nice Differences of them, which are commonly very little observed, yet contribute very much to the Propriety of Expression. There is another Particular which I shall mention here, because I think it differs but little from Propriety, and that is Purity, which I take more particularly to respect the Language, as it is now spoke or written. The Rule of this is modern Use, according to that of Horace, Multa renascentur quæ jam cecidêre, cadentque Que nunc sunt in honore vocabula, si volet usus, Quem penes arbitrium est, & jus & norma loquendi. By this Rule, all obsolete Words are to be avoided. But to a Man of long Practice and Reputation in the Language, the Privilege may be allow'd sometimes of reviving old, or bringing in new Words, where the common ones are deficient. For this reason, we dare not censure so great a Man as Milton for his antiquated Words, which he took from Spenser. A good Instance, in my Opinion, of a new Word is the Verb falsify, which Mr. Dryden borrows from the Italian, to signify not to be of Proof. Is falsify'd, and round with Javlins fill'd. But this Liberty, tho' indulg'd to the Force and Majesty of Verse, if it were made use of in Prose, which is the Style of Business, wou'd be Affectation; and is therefore, as was said before, carefully to be avoided. Little need be said of the second Qualification, viz. Perspicuity. If your Thoughts be not clear, 'tis impossible your Words shou'd, and consequently you can't be understood: The chief Secret here is to express your self in such a manner as to transfer your Ideas into the |