Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1821-04-10
the authors Literary hder,
AND
POETS PROMpYER.
Designed to facilitate the exercises Of youthfit
genius in the
COMPOSITION OF PROSE AND VERSE.
BY SAMUEL UOODWORTH
GENERAL CONTENTS OF THE WORK,

| GENERAL CONTENTS OF THE WORK.
| l. Elements ofEnglish COMPOSITION reduced
! to plain practical Rules drawn from the wri-
tings OF Lord kaims, Blair, Walker, Irving, &c.
| IL. Rules for the construction of ENeLIsH
VERSE, by which the most ordinary 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 " &C.
LIBERATED poets, merely because they are cele-
brated; but rather to form a critical TEST by
which such errors and liberties may be detect
ed and avoided. II is intended TO show, not
how Poetry has been, but how it ought to be
| written.
These Rules, which are few, plain, and
easily comprehended, are Invested Of all per-
picking phraseology, and adapted to the AezO
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 Gamut, on which these Rules
are predicated, will be found valuable auxilia-
~, not only to the pupil, whose unAedged
muse has never yet ventured to soar into the
| sublime regions of fancy, but, also, to the ac-
complshed "master of the Tyre" whose dar-
ing and successful flights have already scaled
liG DiClplid III uOuHt aIniSSuS IL
will be seen that Scale or Gamut is as appli-
cable to Poetry as to Music, and that the rudi-
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 writers in the
English language; comprising original stric-
lures on the Punctuation Of Verse.
" Epithets and Synonymes, suitable for
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 properlyagree
with that noun-as enrious, long, prolonged, te-
dions, nuoe'cOme, PAINFUL constrained, forgetfM,
| obhuious, &c. sc. Under BROOK, such cpl
thets as murnn,rim9, silper, grassy, babbHAg,
gureHne, zvhisbering, plriag, meandering, &c.
Under sKy--a-ne, cerulean, starry, paUited,
| sbaneled, &c. Under EYE-mefing, beamy,
sparkling, piercing, Sc. &c. But enough has
been said to convince the reader Of the utility
of this part of the work.
Y. A choice selection Of the most elegant,
| significant, andapproved firms of recommending,
Dispensing, protesting, con.urng or beseech,
ing, expressing gratitude, benediction, male,
diction, blessing times and days, cursing ditto
breaking of subject, introducing similitudcs-
invoking Muses., concluding letters, &C. &c.
VI dictionary Of Rhymes, on a plan at
once novel, amusing, and instructive. All the
single rhymes in the English language are here
collected, and classed in such manner as to
enable the poet, in a moment, and without the
| least trouble, to find an appropriate word,
which, perhaps, an hours mental exertion
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
,,l
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 by 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-71-.
| 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 signfcations will permit.
! Thus the young poet is not only furnished with
| the requisite rhyme, but also with everyneces-
| sary instruction for its proper application.
VIII But another (and, perhaps, not the
least importantly use of this part of the work,
remains TO be mentioned. From what has al
ready been said, it will be perceived that this
ftHUHHHy iFSCtSpHuIn dloO, Ill ltScH, yttttON-
| arg Of Poeticnl Qnotations, comprising collec-
ton of such natural, agreeable and sublime
| thoughts, as are to be found in the best English
poets-such as illusions, smiles, descriptions
and characters of persons and things. It thus
| becomes textbook of .N9ttos. suitable for al
most any subject, arranged under appropriate
| heads, and referred to in copi0us index. II
| will, also, i'll most, cases, subserve all the pur
poses of a Dictionary Of Epithets and Smony-
mes for by finding, in the index, such word
as the subject of our thought is most likely to
be ranged under, we can readily discover, in
| some part Of the collection, what terms have
been employed by other writer's, and in what
| manner.
| To illustrate this, also, by example, let it be
supposed that the poet is at loss for some
term synonymous with ambition. BY finding the
word ambition in the index, he will be instantly
directed to great variety Of quotations illus
trative of the tcrm-such, for instance, as the
folowing:
| Yet true renown is join'd with virtue still,
But lustof po1cer lets loose the unbridled will.
| TIE soldiers 4.irtue- Fir.ue's deadHest fac,
| Whose high desires no horizon wouldkno
| Ambition is the diopsy oftse ,soul,
" hose thirst we must not yield to. but control
| Plr1,e's disease, which, like surfeit bred
| From undigested fulness, turns bis head
1t may not be improper, in this place, to OBJ
serve, that in making these selections, two OBJ
jects were kept constantly in view:
1st. That every couplet, or trlplet, should
exhibit examples OF Perfect rhymes-and
| IDLY. That every sentiment, allusion, smile,
description, &c. should tend 10 improve the
intellect, refine the taste, and amend the heart.
TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION
| THE AUTHoH's LITERARY INDEX, and PoET's