Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1821-04-24
Me .Author's literary hder,
AND THE
POETS PROMPYER.
Designed to facilitate The exercises Of youthful
genius in the
COMPOSITION OF PROSE AND VERSE.
By SAMUEL WOODWORTH
GENEnAL CONTENTS OF THE WORK.

By SAMUEL WOODU OR1H
GENEnAL CONTENTS OF THE WORK.
1. Elements ofEnglsh CoMPosITIoN reduced
to plain practical RULES drawn from the wrl-
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 unwarrantabe liberties OF /" ce-
le6rated poe,s, 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 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 New
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 .Jfetrlcal Gan,at, on which these Rules
are predicated, will be found a valuable auxla-
ry, not only to the pupil, whose unfiedged
muse has never yet venturcd to soar INTO the
sublime regions of fancy, but, also, to the ac-
complished "master of the Tyre" whose dar-
ing and successful flights have already scaled
the bcipital summit of mount Palnassus. 1t
will be seen that Scale or Gan,ut 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 III the
English language; comprising Original stfic-
he of
". Epithets and Synonymes, suitable for
any and every possible subject, which subjects
are alphabetically arranged as heads for
the various epithels applicable to them. Thus,
| for instance, under the word ABSENCE, will be
found every adjective which can properly
with that noun--as enuiouS, long, prolonged, te-
oiot,s unroelcone, painful, constrained, forgegu,
| obH1,ious, &c sc. Under BROOK, such epl-
| thets as maawuramg, sifper, grassy, 6a66hng,
eufglng. zehisbering, pHrlng, n'eGnderng, &c.
Under sKY-dzure, cerisieas1, starry, Daiffed,
| sbaugled, Sc. Under BYE-nelting, beamy,
| sbaikkng, piercing, sc. Sc. But enough has
been SAID to 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, oonluring or beseech,
ing, expressing gratitude, benediction, male,
diction, blessing times and days, cursing ditto
reakng off subject, introducing similitudes-
INVOKING Muses., concluding letters, &c. &c.
vi. A Dictionary Of Rhymes, on plan at
once novel, amusing, and instructive. All the
single rhymes in the English language are here
collected, and classed in such a manner as to
enable the poet, in moment, and without the
least trouble, to find an appropriate word,
which, perhaps, an hours mental exertion
L.,, @<, Il
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 celebratedpoets, ancient
and modern, who have written in the English
language. In this one improvement, It'll 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--viz.
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 poetis 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
Rhyming dictionary is, also, in itself, a Diction-
arg of Poetical Quotations, 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. 1t thus
becomes a textbook of .Nottos, suitable for al
most any subject, arranged under appropriate
heads, and referred to in copious index. II
will, also, in most, cases, subserve all the pur
poses of a Dictionary Of Epithets and Syaomy-
mes !; for by finding, in the index, such word
us 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 a loss for some
word ambition in the index, he will be instantly
directed to a great variety of quotations illus
trative of the term-such, for instance, as the
following:
Yet true renown is ioin'd with virtue Still,
But hxStef poaver lets loose the unbrdled will.
The soldiers virtue Firtue's deadIest foe,
Whose high desires no horizon would know.
Ambition is the. drobsy cfMe soul,
Whose thirstwe stnot yieldto, but control
Virt'le's disease, which, like surfeit, bred
From undigested fulness, turns his 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:
lst That every coupet, or triplet, should
exhibit examples of Perfect rhymes-and
IDLY. That every sentiment, allusion, smile,
description, &c. should tend to improve the
intellect, refine the taste, and amend the heart
TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION.
THE AuTHoR's LITERARY INDEX, and PoET's
PRoMprER, will be printed with neat type,
on fine white paper, and comprise about 500
pages, iSS.ao.
1t will be delivered to subscribers, in boards,
or transmitted by mail in sheets, at T4po DOL