But if we would enforce the sense of the words, we must read it in the following manner:

I would rather be the first man in that village, than

By these inflections we strongly express, that the desire which Cæsar had for superiority made him prefer it, not only in a common place, but even in that village, to inferiority even in Rome.

Several of the above examples afford illustrations of an observation which must here be made, that Emphasis controls every other rule. Thus the sentence,

In the course of my rambles I met the grey-headed old sexton, and accompanied him home, to get the key of the church,

is periodic, and the general rule would require the rising inflection on sexton; but this is superseded by emphasis. So also in the following line,

Its sound aspir'd to heav'n, and there abode;

since even might be supplied before heaven, this word takes the falling inflection in violation of the common rule.

If we have no regard for religion in youth, we ought to have some regard for it in old age.

If we have no regard for our own character, we ought to have some regard for the character of others.

These sentences are periodic, but the falling inflection takes place of the rising at the end of the first principal constructive clause, because even may be understood. In these examples a concession is made in the first clause, in order to strengthen the conclusion in the second; but in the following the latter clause is a mere inference from, or consequence of, the former, and the general rule takes place:

If we have no regard for religion in youth, we have seldom any regard for it in age.

If we have no regard for our own character, we have seldom any for that of others.

The judicious application of the emphasis of sense is one of the most indispensable qualifications of a gool rear; but an excess of it is always to be avoid 1, for it wearies the attention by perpetually exciting it, and where it does not improve, it always vitiates the sense. The following passage, 1 John iv. 20, is generally read thus:

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother | whom he | hath seen, | how can he love God, whem he hath not seen?

But the stress which is laid on the auxiliary verb hath is a very unnecessary anticipation of the emphasis, which is sufficiently expressed by

making not in the last clause a heavy syllable, thus,

He that loveth not | This | brother

whom he hath seen, how can he | love | God whom | |

ד

he hath not seen ? |

The following passage (Matthew vii. 3, 4) is almost universally read thus:

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or, how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me | pull out the | mote out of | thine eye |, and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

But this emphasis on the word thine before eye is absolutely wrong, because the man who says this to his brother, knows nothing of the antithesis. It ought to be read thus,

Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me | pull out the mote out of thine | eye,7| and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

CHAPTER VII.

EMPHASIS OF FORCE AND THE WEAK EMPHASIS.

THE fourth kind of Emphasis is that of Force. As the emphasis of sense is used where there is an antithesis either expressed or understood, so does the emphasis of force take place where the words suggest no antithesis. The former is determined by the sense of the author, and is always fixed and invariable: the latter depends in a considerable degree on the conception and taste of the reader, and is used where he wishes to be animated, forceful or impressive. It consists of a strong downward inflection given to the emphatic word. We have an instance of it in the words description and intolerable in the following passage:

Irksome beyond all powers of description was Hester's life from this day forward. It would have been perfectly intolerable, but for one circumstance.

In this passage there is no antithesis either expressed or understood, yet in order fully to bring out the sense, it is necessary to place a strong falling inflection on the words on which it is marked.

The following is another example:

The view is absolutely boundless on every side; nor is there any one object within the circle of vision to interrupt it.

As this emphasis is very much a matter of taste, it is impossible to lay down rules which shall suffice for its universal application. The following may, however, serve as a general guide:

1

The Emphasis of Force takes place,

I. In command.

EXAMPLES.

Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.
Remember the sabbath-day to keep it holy.

Honour thy Father and thy Mother.

Thou shalt not kill.

Many would read these two last commandments with an emphasis on shalt instead of not, thus

Thou shalt not | kill;
shalt

but an emphasis with the rising inflection on not, subsidiary, however, to the principal emphasis, that of force, on kill and steal, makes them much stronger and more impressive.