I 53 ] 



" Shakefpeare opens a mine, which contains gold and diamonds 

 " in inexhauftible plenty, though clouded by incruflations, de- 

 " bafed by impurities, and mingled with a mafs of meaner 

 " minerals." Alliteration indeed is Co often cafual, and fo often 

 necelTary, that it is difficult to charge it on an author's inten- 

 tions. But Johnfon employs it fo frequently, and continues it 

 through fo many words, as in the inftances given above, that 

 when we confider too how nearly allied it is as an ornament 

 to parallelifm, we have I think fufficient grounds to determine 

 it not involuntary. 



Under this head I fhall beg leave to mention one peculiarity 

 of Johnfon's ftile, which though it may not have arifen, at leaft 

 not entirely, from his endeavours after harmony, yet difcovers it- 

 felf obvioufly to the reader by its efFeds upon the ear j I mean 

 the ftudied recurrence of the fame words in the latter part of 

 the fentence, which had appeared in the former ; the favourite 

 ornament of his Idler, as parallelifms are of the Rambler, and 

 ufed not unfrequently in the Lives of the Poets. As the ufe of 

 it is attended with many advantages and many difadvantages, 

 the author who would adopt it fliould watch it with a fufpi- 

 cious eye. If reftrained within the bounds of moderation, it is 

 on many occafions the moft lively, concife, perfpicuous and for- 

 cible mode of expreffing the thought. Since the words too at 

 their return naturally recall to the mind the antecedent members 

 of the fentence, it may be confidered as a valuable affiftant in 

 imprinting the thought upon the memory. It has alfo this ad- 

 ditional advantage, that as unfairnefs in reafoning often arifes 

 from change of terms, fo where the terms are not changed, we 

 are apt to prefume the reafoning to be fair. Thus, where 



we 



