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As every fubftantive prcfents a determinate image to the 

 mind, and is of courfc a word of importance, Johnfon stakes 

 care to crowd his fentences with fubftantives, and to give them 

 on all occafions the moft diftinguifhed place. The inflrument, 

 the motive, or the quality therefore, which ordinary writers 

 would have in the oblique cafe, ufually takes the lead in 

 Johnfon's fentences ; while the perfon, which in conne£led 

 writing is often expreffed by fome weak pronoun, is either in- 

 tirely omitted, or thrown into a lefs confpicuous part. Thus, 

 " fruition left them nothing to alk, and innocence left them 

 " nothing to fear," — " trifles written by idlenefs and publifhed 

 " by vanity," — " wealth may, by hiring flattery or laying dili- 

 " gence afleep, confirm error and harden ftupidity." This 

 pradice doubtlefs gives adlivity and importance, but caution 

 muft be ufed to prevent its exceeding the bounds of moderation. 

 When the perfon is to be dethroned from its natural pre- 

 eminence, it is not every quality which has fufiicient dignity to 

 aflTume its place : befides, in narration, or continued writing of 

 any fort, the too frequent change of leading objeds in fentences 

 contributes to diflipate the attention, and withdraw it from the 

 great and primary one : and even in Johnfon's hands this orna- 

 ment has become too luxuriant, when afFcdions, inftead of being 

 perfonified, are abfolutely humanized, and we are teized with 

 the repeated mention of " ear of greatnefs," — " the bofom of 

 " fufpicion," — and " the eye of wealth, of hope, and of 

 " beauty." 



This attachment to fubftantives has led him, wherever it was 

 pofllble by a change of conftrudion, to fubftitute them in place 

 of the other parts of fpeech ; inftead therefore of the ufual 



Gonftrudion, 



