Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1821-03-13
The .futhor's Literary Mde1,
AND THE
YOEI'S pRNMPYER.
Designed to facilitate The exercises Of yo1aiJu
genius in The
COMPOSITION OF PROSE AND VERSE.
BY SAMUEL WOODUORTH.
GENERAL CONTENTS OF THE WORK

d DIM ~ Ell " UODD On L H.
GENERAL CONTENTS OF THE WORK.
|. Elements of English COMPOSITION, reduced
to PLAN practical RULES drawn from the wri
tings of Lord Kaims, Blair, Walker, Irving, &c.
H. Rules for the construction of ENGLISH
VERSE, by which the most ordinary as well as
most brilliant ideas may be readily expressed
in smooth harmonious numbers. 1t is not the
object of these Rules to accommodate the art
to the Practice, and thus to tolerate the nume-
rous errors and unwarrantable liberties of "ce-
lebrated poets, merely because they are cele-
brated; but rather to form critical TEST by
which such errors and liberties may be detect
ed and avoided 1t is intended to show, not
how Poetry has been, but how il ought to be
written.
These Rules, which are few, plain, and
easily comprehended, are Invested of all per-
picking phraseology, and adapted to the NesO
School of Poetry, which now obtains in Great
Britain, aud to which public taste, on both sides
the Atlantic, is principally indebted for its re-
cent reformation and present refinement.
The Electrical Ganiut, on which these Rules
are predicated, will be found valuable auxilia-
ry, not only to the pupil, whose unfiedged
muse has never yet ventured TO soar into the
sublime regions of fancy, but, also, to the &C
complished "master of the Tyre" whose dar-
ing and successful flights have already scaled
the bcpital summit of mount Parnassus. 1t
will be seen that Scale or Gamm is as appli-
cable to Poetry as to Music, and that the r,di-
ments of each art may, and ought to be, taught
by similar process.
Ill. Rules for PUNCTUATION, founded on the
practice OF the most correct writer's i'll the
English language; comprising original stric-
lures on the PaalctatiOn of Verse.
Al, l.
any and every possible subject which subjects
are alphabetically arranged as heads for
the various epithets applicable to them. Thus,
for instance, under the word ABSENCE, will be
found every Adjective which can properly agree
with that noun-as euui0us, lo0g, brolo8ped. te-
dfous, uaaue2come, baSntiM constrained. torgetfL
o6Huious. &c. sc. Under BROOK, such cpl
thets as u,p,7nu,3mg. si1,er. orossu. babbBng.
gu,pHup, viisbeyi,p. b,,rlinp. ,neande,ius. sc.
Under sKY-a-urc, cerulea0. starry. panted.
sbanqfed, &c. Under EYE--,nelting, 6ea,ng,
starkHng, bercing, Sc. &c. But enough has
been said 10 convince the reader of the utility
of this part of the work.
V. A choice selection of the most elegant,
significant, andapproved forms recommending,
dispraising, protesting, coniuring or bescecR,
ing, expressing gratitude, benedicton, male,
dicton, blessing times and DAYS, cursing ditto
breaking off subject, introducing similitudes-
invoking Muses., concluding letters, &c. &c.
VI. A dictionary Of Rhymes, on plan at
once novel, amusing, and instructive. All thu
single rhymes in the English language are here
collected, and classed in such a manner as to
enable the poet, in a moment, and without the
least trouble. to find an appropriate word.
which, perhaps, an hours mental cxertion
would not have brought to his recollection.
VII But this is not all. The rhymes are not
only classed. but each and every one is defined
by its practical use, in examples quoted from
the works of the most celebrated poets ancient
and modern, who have written in the English
language. In this one improvement, it is hum
bly, conceived, consists the chief excellence of
the work. A mere collection Of underlined
rhymes, standing alone bv themselves. as they
do in other works of this kind, are not only
offensive to the eye and ear, but are, also, Who'll
" inadequate to the intended purpose-r,i-.
that of directing the Judgment in its choice
whereas, in the arrangement now adopted,
each rhyme is repeated as often as its various
powers and different Specifications will permit.
thus the young poet is not onlyfurnlshed with
the requisite rhyme. but also with every neces-
"a, ,l,'' d. ~ 10 ati'ne"'io
,..ost ,rort.n+> ,,s NG' p4ar az y. nv .i,c
remains TO be mentioned. From what has al
ready been said, it will be perceived that this
Rhna1Rg Dictiona'y is, also, in itself, a Dcfion-
arg Of PoeticM Quotations, comprising collec-
uon Gl sncn natural asreeaple ana sublime
u'usi''' as are ~ pc 'ouh'l III 'lle pes' Ehghsh
PoI'sLsuon as "r'.'slons' sl'li'es, descriptions
i,na . 100 =, l't's4"s ana mugs. mus
pouo'',Js teA',pooN VI .',1nos suitable Tor al
ms ms any a"Djco'' uIahscu u''oer appropriate
MIS- ':u AM. feierIeu W III coPlous ,haeX' II
VIII "iSo' III most cases. supserVe all the p'r
49, eea -, sn%"9 y ntp:'"1's "nu ,'yn'"g